Animal Science

The literature on the neural basis of learning and memory is replete with studies using rats and monkeys, but hardly any using pigeons. The unwillingness to use pigeons in neural studies of learning and memory likely stems from two factors: 1) that the avian brain is seen as radically different from the mammalian brain and, 2) that the behavior of pigeons is not seen as sophisticated as that of mammals, and certainly primates. Studies over the past few decades detailing the remarkable cognitive abilities of pigeons, as well as a newly revised nomenclature for the avian brain, should spark a renewed interest in using pigeons as models to understand the neural basis of learning and memory. As an example, in this talk I will present data on reward modulation in the avian nidopallium caudolateral (NCL).

Il pensiero di Hans Jonas, specie per quel che riguarda la cosiddetta “biologia filosofica”, tratta indirettamente del rapporto tra essere umano e animale. A questo riguardo, Jonas rifiuta sia l’approccio dualistico, sia quello monistico-riduzionistico e propende al contrario per una complessiva reinterpretazione del fenomeno della vita nei termini di quel che egli definisce una “rivoluzione ontologica”. In virtù di ciò, il pensatore rintraccia lo specifico del fenomeno della vita e individua nelle forme viventi una "scala naturae" di complessità, auto-trascendimento e libertà via crescenti, le cui tappe significative sono la vita organica, quella animale e quella umana. Per quel che concerne la forma animale, varie specie presentano “potenzialità trans-animali”, che evidenziano un ponte biologico e ontologico verso l’essere umano. In altre parole, l’animale è in qualche modo in grado di prefigurare la forma di vita specificamente umana. Tuttavia, sostiene Jonas, non appena quest’ultima fa la propria comparsa, essa è tale per cui se ne evidenzia al tempo stesso anche lo “iato metafisico” rispetto alla vita animale. La specificità umana si manifesta nella propria capacità di essere responsabile e di preservare le condizioni basilari per una vita autentica sul pianeta.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of partial substitution of roasted soybean seed (RSS) with sweet potato leaf meal (SPLM) on growth performances of broiler chickens. Two hundred unsexed Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments consisting of a control diet (T1) and those containing SPLM at the levels of 30 g/kg (T2), 60 g/kg (T3), 90 g/kg (T4) and 120 g/kg (T5) replacing the RSS of the control diet. Each treatment diet was replicated four times with ten chicks each. The average feed intake of birds was (P<0.05) higher in chickens reared in T1 than those of other treatments. The average individual final body weight was higher (P<0.05) in chickens fed with T1 (1536g) than those of T2 (1412g), T4 (1426g) and T5 (1400g) diets. The average individual daily weight gain was higher (P<0.05) in chickens fed with T1 (31.7g), than those of T2 (28.7g), T4 (28.9g) and T5 (28.5g). The daily gain did not vary between T1 and T3 (30.3g). Chickens fed with T3 and T4 diets had (P<0.05) higher CP retention than those of T1 diet. In conclusion, chickens fed with T1 and T3 diets had better body weight and gain compared to other treatment diets. The feed intake decreased with increasing levels of SPLM suggesting the substitution of roasted soybean with higher levels may not be beneficial for broiler chickens.

Most cattle in the Netherlands have been deliberately dehorned, which some people consider to be a cruel practice. But the breeding of genetically hornless (or polled) cattle is also regarded as unnatural and cruel to animals. Nevertheless, this is a practice which, like elsewhere in Europe, was also common here in the past. Unlike elsewhere in Europe, in the Netherlands polledness, a dominant trait, occurred mainly in the Roman period and disappeared again in the Middle Ages. Polled cattle were particularly common in the coastal area beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, where up to 40% of animals were hornless. By contrast, to the south of the border, polled cattle were rare. No polled animals have so far been found in Nijmegen, at the time the country’s most important military and civilian centre. The question is why this is the case, and why polled cattle subsequently disappeared from the Netherlands.

There is little evidence to explain the presence of polled cattle on one side of the Roman border, their near absence on the other, and their total disappearance after the Roman period on the basis of natural selection. Nor do functional considerations – superiority as a source of food or supplier of tractive power – provide us with any conclusive answers. The most likely explanation is that it was mainly emotional and aesthetic considerations that led farmers and other users of cattle to decide what a ‘good’ cow was, and that was a cow with horns. The fact that polled cattle occurred in the coastal area during the Roman period may be associated with a different ideal, and possibly also with a lack of economic power that prevented farmers from being selective. After the Roman period, the desire for ‘good’ horned cattle will have caused the disappearance of the dominant polled cattle. A growing demand for horn as a raw material for the manufacture of objects might also have played a role. These factors should probably be viewed in the context of an influx of other breeds brought by new population groups that ‘drove out’ the old cattle populations. The current debate in the Netherlands as to the desirability of breeding polled cattle would appear to be nothing new, having already exercised the minds of farmers centuries ago.

Do Muslims belong in the West? This is the real question behind the recent halal hysteria in Britain. This is also the question behind previous—and, no doubt, future—questions about the headscarf (hijab), about the face veil (niqab), about Muslim men, about Muslim women, about Muslims and homosexuality (which is prohibited according to Islamic law), and about Muslims and violence.

But staying with the issue of Muslims and animals—or, more specifically, how Muslims slaughter animals—the argument being made by a portion of the British media is that the halal method of slaughter (by slitting the animal’s throat while reciting an Islamic formula) is inherently inhumane, while the secular method (which involves first ‘stunning’ the animal using a bolt gun) is inherently humane. So far only Giles Fraser has pointed out that animals raised in factory farms, which supply both secular slaughterhouses as well as Islamic ones, are reared in remarkably cruel conditions. Therefore, the distinction over how the animals are killed is a relatively small, if not, indeed, hypocritical one.

The most common behavioral sign observed by the owner of the patient at the onset of parturition
were nesting, restlessness and panting. However, these signs were observed only in 20-30 per cent of
the animals suggesting that the behavioral signs cannot be used with certainity to suggest that the
animals are indeed in the act of parturition. Nearly 50 per cent of the animals with dystocia were
presented with a history of copious mucoid discharge with slight greenish tinge. In most animals
exhibiting this kind of discharge, the fetuses were found to be alive as identified by ultrasonographic
examination. In nearly 28 per cent of the animals, the vaginal discharges were dark and blackish
green and in another 33.33 per cent it was brownish and foul smelling indicating that dystocia had
existed for considerable period of time. In many animals with dystocia, the rectal temperature
remained within the normal limits inspite of prolonged duration of dystocia and in the presence of
foul smelling discharges and higher rectal temperature was invariably associated with history of
vaginal manipulation by the referring veterinarian. The mean heart, pulse and respiratory rate in all
240 animals with dystocia were within the normal limits.

Milk is one of the oldest foods known to human civilization. India has a good number of Black Bengal goat populations, which has an important role in the lives of local goat rearers. The goal of the present study is to determine the general composition of Black Bengal goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) milk and to find out the effect of seasonal variation on its constituents in the Purulia district of West Bengal. The highest mean value of temperature (42.6±1.5oC) has been reported during the month of April and May in the season of pre-monsoon. However, the lowest value of temperature (8.6±0.9oC) has been reported during the month of January in the season of post-monsoon. The parameter studied here are amount of fat, non fat solids, total solids, protein, minerals, pH and specific gravity of the Black Bengal goat milk in two different seasons. Data has analyzed for the effect of seasonal variation and the current findings implies that seasonal variation plays the major role to influence the milk constituents of Black Bengal goats.

Background: Sporothrix schenckii and associated species are agents of human and animal sporotrichosis that cause large sapronoses and zoonoses worldwide. Epidemiological surveillance has highlighted an overwhelming occurrence of the highly pathogenic fungus Sporothrix brasiliensis during feline outbreaks, leading to massive transmissions to humans. Early diagnosis of feline sporotrichosis by demonstrating the presence of a surrogate marker of infection can have a key role for selecting appropriate disease control measures and minimizing zoonotic transmission to humans. Methodology: We explored the presence and diversity of serum antibodies (IgG) specific against Sporothrix antigens in cats with sporotrichosis and evaluated the utility of these antibodies for serodiagnosis. Antigen profiling included protein extracts from the closest known relatives S. brasiliensis and S. schenckii. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunoblotting enabled us to characterize the major antigens of feline sporotrichosis from sera from cats with sporotrichosis (n = 49), healthy cats (n = 19), and cats with other diseases (n = 20). Principal Findings: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based quantitation of anti-Sporothrix IgG exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in cats with sporotrichosis (area under the curve, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.94–1; P<0.0001) versus controls. The two sets of Sporothrix antigens were remarkably cross-reactive, supporting the hypothesis that antigenic epitopes may be conserved among closely related agents. One-dimensional immunoblotting indicated that 3-carboxymuconate cyclase (a 60-kDa protein in S. brasiliensis and a 70-kDa protein in S. schenckii) is the immunodominant antigen in feline sporotrichosis. Two-dimensional immunoblotting revealed six IgG-reactive isoforms of gp60 in the S. brasiliensis proteome, similar to the humoral response found in human sporotrichosis. Conclusions: A convergent IgG-response in various hosts (mice, cats, and humans) has important implications for our understanding of the coevolution of Sporothrix and its warm-blooded hosts. We propose that 3-carboxymuconate cyclase has potential for the serological diagnosis of sporotrichosis and as target for the development of an effective multi-species vaccine against sporotrichosis in animals and humans.

El conocimiento de la oferta de forraje disponible en praderas de secano asociadas a matorrales es una herramienta de gran valor para determinar la carga animal óptima de utilización. El debido ajuste de la carga en un sitio determinado permite controlar la cosecha de fitomasa en el tiempo sin provocar daño a la vegetación a causa del sobre pastoreo. Con el fin de conservar o mejorar la condición de las praderas con arbustos se han desarrollado diversos modelos matemáticos predictivos (Azócar et al. 2004). El objetivo de este estudio es determinar el modelo de estimación de la oferta de forraje de mayor confiabilidad para utilizarse en el arbusto Gutierrezia resinosa, el que podría ser incorporado a Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG).

Abstract
The study was to investigate the influence of graded levels of Cyathula prostrata (pasture weed) on hematological parameters of adult buck rabbits. Sixteen (16) adult New Zealand white buck rabbits were
randomly allocated into four dietary experimental groups of A (control- free of the additive plant), B, Cand D in a Completely Randomized Experimental Design (CRD) and fed graded levels of Cyathula prostrata as follows A (0g/kg), B(10g/kg), C(20g/kg) and D (30g/kg) incorporated into proprieted
concentrate rabbit growers feed respectively. The study lasted for eight (8) weeks, after which, blood
samples were collected from the bucks, and analyzed for hematological parameters. From the results, the effects on the hematological parameters revealed significant difference (P<0.05) on packed cell volume (PCV), Hemoglobin (HB) and Red blood cells (RBC) amongst the treatment groups. But no significant deference were observed in WBC and Eosinophils (P>0.05). It was therefore concluded that Cyathula prostrata is safe for use as feed additive and holds promise of enhancing production in commercial rabbitproduction.

Abstract: The study was conducted to determine the semen characteristics of three genotypes of Nigerian
indigenous cocks. Thirty Six (36) local breeding cocks comprising of 12 frizzle, 12 normal and 12 naked neck
selected randomly from the poultry breeding unit of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching and Research
farm was used for this study. Semen were collected from them by abdominal massage and analyzed for semen
characteristics. Semen concentration were significantly higher in naked- neck 4.86×109 ±0.03/mL (p<0.05) than
in frizzle feathered 3.26×109 ±0.94/mL and normal feathered genotype 3.33×109 ±0.57/mL. Sperm motility was
significantly better (p<0.05) in naked neck and frizzle feather than in normal feather. Semen volume of the
frizzle and normal feathered, were significantly higher (p<0.05) than naked neck. There was no significant
effect (p>0.05) of strains on semen pH, abnormal sperm and non-motile sperm. Morphological defects of the
head, middle and tail was not significantly affected (p>0.05) by the genotypes. Variations on semen
characteristics abound in the three Nigerian indigenous cocks sampled.

Penelitian ini bertujuan mendapatkan metode efektif dalam memproteksi lemak, mengkaji pengaruh penggunaan lemak terproteksi terhadap parameter fermentasi rumen, profil asam lemak digesta duodenum, profil asam lemak plasma darah serta pengaruh penggunaan lemak terproteksi terhadap konsumsi, kecernaan nutrien, produksi susu, komposisi susu dan profil asam lemak susu. Penelitian dilaksanakan dalam 3 tahap, pertama dilakukan evaluasi metode proteksi yaitu metode penyabunan dan metode kapsulasi formaldehid selanjutnya hasil proteksi diuji secara in vitro dengan menggunakan minyak sawit sebagai sumber lemak dan susu skim afkir sebagai bahan untuk kapsulasi,
kedua uji in vivo untuk lemak terproteksi hasil metode proteksi yang efektif menggunakan satu sapi perah berfistula rumen dan bercanula duodenum, ketiga uji in vivo lemak terproteksi pada 8 sapi perah laktasi menggunakan rancangan percobaan simple cross over. Pada tahap satu diamati kecernaan bahan kering, kecernaan bahan organik, asam lemak bebas, angka yod dan untuk metode kapsulasi formaldehid ditambah uji kecernaan protein dan tingkat degradasi protein. Pada tahap dua dilakukan pengamatan pada pH rumen, ammonia rumen, VFA rumen, profil asam lemak digesta duodenum dan profil asam lemak plasma darah. Pada tahap tiga dilakukan pengamatan pada kecernaan bahan
kering, kecernaan bahan organik, profil asam lemak plasma darah, produksi susu, komposisi susu dan profil asam lemak susu. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah metode kapsulasi protein dan formaldehid secara nyata memberikan hasil yang
lebih baik dibanding metode penyabunan pada kecernaan bahan kering, kecernaan bahan organik dan kadar asam lemak bebas secara in vitro (P<0,01). Penambahan lemak terproteksi pada ransum ternak tidak mempengaruhi pH,
kadar ammonia, VFA rumen, profil asam lemak digesta duodenum, profil asam lemak plasma darah, kecernaan bahan kering dan kecernaan bahan organik. Penambahan lemak terproteksi dalam ransum tidak mempengaruhi komposisi susu sapi (kadar lemak, kadar protein, kadar laktosa, kadar bahan kering dan BJ), tetapi meningkatkan produksi susu dan produksi lemak susu (P<0,05). Profil
asam lemak susu dipengaruhi oleh penambahan lemak terproteksi pada asam lemak kaprat, asam lemak laurat dan asam lemak oleat (P<0,05).
Kata kunci: Lemak terproteksi, Asam lemak tidak jenuh susu

The Statement Of Justification Nomination  Of Institute For King Faisal international prize of  Prof. Dr. AtefAbd El-Aziz Hassan Mohamed Chief  Researcher and The Former Head of Mycology and Mycotoxins Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt