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Objective An experiment was conducted to investigate the response of laying hens fed corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) that are naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON). Methods One hundred and sixty 52-week-old Lohmann Brown Lite hens were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments with 8 replicates per treatment. The dietary treatments were formulated to provide a range of corn DDGS contaminated with DON from 0% to 20% (i.e., 5% scale of increment). All laying hens were subjected to the same management practices in a controlled environment. Body weight, feed intake and egg production were measured biweekly for the entire 8-week experiment. The egg quality was measured biweekly for 8 weeks. On weeks 4 and 8, visceral organ weights, blood metabolites, intestinal morphology, and blood cytokine concentrations were measured. Results The inclusion of corn DDGS contaminated with DON in the diet did not alter (p> 0.05) the body weight, feed intake, hen-day egg production, egg mass and feed efficiency of the laying hens. No difference was found (p>0.05) in the egg quality of hens that were fed the dietary treatments. Furthermore, hens that were fed a diet containing corn DDGS contaminated with DON showed no change (p>0.05) in the visceral organ weights, the blood metabolites, and the cytokine concentrations. The crypt depth increased (p

The present study investigated the effects of supplementing a low protein (LP) diet supplemented with key essential amino acids (AA) to broilers on growth performance, intestinal tract function, blood metabolites, and nitrogen excretion when the animals were maintained under various sanitary conditions for 35 D after hatching. Three hundred eighty-four one-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to groups that received one of 6 dietary treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (i.e., 2 environmental conditions and 3 dietary treatments) to give 8 replicates per treatment. Broilers were challenged with 2 environmental conditions (sanitary vs. poor sanitary). The dietary treatments were (1) high protein (HP) diet, (2) LP diet, and (3) LP diet with synthetic key essential AA (LPA): the LP diet was supplemented with synthetic AA up to the required levels for broilers. On day 14, birds consumed the LP diet impaired growth performance compared with those fed the HP diet, while the average daily weight gain-to-feed conversion ratio of birds fed the LPA diet improved to the level of birds fed the HP diet under poor sanitary conditions (P < 0.05). Broilers raised under poor sanitary conditions and fed the LP diet displayed higher (P < 0.05) zonula occludens (ZO-1) expression on day 14 than broilers fed either the HP or LPA diet. Under sanitary conditions, birds fed HP and LPA diets showed higher villus height and crypt depth compared with those of broilers fed the LP diet on day 35. Moreover, broilers raised in the poor sanitary environment had higher (P < 0.05) serum endotoxins than those raised in the sanitary environment. Broilers fed the LPA diet showed reduced (P < 0.05) nitrogen excretion on days 14 and 35 compared with those fed the LP and HP diets independent of the environment. In conclusion, the LPA diet did not impair growth performance under poor sanitary conditions for 14 D after hatch while resulting in lower nitrogen excretion in any environment conditions throughout the experiment.

This study was designed to determine the effect of phytase extracted from Aspergillus niger (Natuphos® E) on growth performance, bone mineralization, phosphorous excretion, and meat quality parameters in broilers fed available phosphorous (aP)-deficient diet. In total, 810 one-day-old Indian River broilers were randomly allotted into one of three dietary treatments, with six replicates per treatment. The three dietary treatments were 1) control group (CON: basal diet with sufficient aP), 2) low phytase (LPY: available phosphorus-deficient diet supplemented with 0.01% phytase), and 3) high phytase (HPY: available phosphorus-deficient diet supplemented with 0.02% phytase). Average daily gain and, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were measured for 35 days. Excreta were collected from each pen on day 35. One broiler from each cage was euthanized to collect visceral organs and tibia samples. Broiler chickens fed LPY and HPY showed improved (P

An ideal conducting polymer anode (CPA) in organic and perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) requires high electrical conductivity κ, high work function WF, and prevention of exciton quenching between an anode and an overlying emitting layer. However, increasing the κ and WF at the same time has been a very challenging unsolved issue due to their trade-off relationship: previous approaches to increase the WF have reduced the films’ κ and vice versa. Therefore, delicate molecular scale control of the conducting polymer compositions are required to solve this fundamental issue. Here, we introduce an effective molecular scale control strategy to decouple the WF with κ in a CPA while maintaining blocking capability of exciton quenching. This change resulted in a high current efficiency up to 52.86 cd A−1 (10.93% ph el−1) in green polycrystalline perovskite LEDs. Our results provide a significant clue to develop effective CPAs for highly-efficient organic and perovskite LEDs.

SUMMARY Feed enzymes are used in poultry diets to enhance nutrient availability and thereby improve growth performances of the birds. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary Multi-Carbohydrase (MC) supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolites, visceral organ weights, gut morphology, and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. A total of 168 one-day-old broiler chicks (47.5 ± 0.20 g) were randomly allocated into one of four dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with 6 replications per treatment. Dietary treatments were as follows: (1) positive control (PC; energy sufficient, 3,200 ME, kcal/kg); (2) negative control (NC; energy deficient, 3,100 ME, kcal/kg); (3) PC with MC (MC; Superzyme-CS™; 0.05%); (4) NC with MC. Greater ADG (P = 0.022) was observed with the birds fed MC for the entire period (1–35 d) compared to birds fed a diet without MC. Birds fed the NC diet supplemented with MC showed improved FCR (P = 0.037) compared to birds fed the NC diet during the starter period (1–21 d). MC supplementation increased dry matter (P = 0.029), crude protein (P = 0.015), and energy digestibility (P = 0.015) of the birds compared to those fed a diet without MC on day 21. Moreover, birds fed a diet with MC had increased (P = 0.037) dry matter digestibility on day 35 compared to its counterpart, regardless of dietary energy level. Therefore, our study indicated that MC improved growth performance along with nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens fed corn soybean-meal-based diets containing wheat and wheat by-products from hatch to 35 d of age, regardless of dietary energy level.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have outstanding photophysical properties and are therefore being evaluated as next-generation light emitters. Within just a few years, the efficiencies of polycrystalline perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have been drastically improved and are catching up with those of conventional organic LEDs. The electroluminescence efficiency of polycrystalline PeLEDs has been limited by shortcomings such as limited outcoupling efficiency, charge imbalance in MHP emitting layers, difficulty controlling surface morphology, small exciton binding energy at room temperature, and nonradiative recombination at defect sites. In this Perspective, we focus on promising strategies such as optical engineering, charge balance control, morphological and nanograin engineering, and chemical modification to overcome these shortcomings and suggest future directions for research to further improve the efficiencies of polycrystalline PeLEDs.

Effects of modified insoluble fiber originating from steam-exploded Quercus mongolica were studied relative to growth performance, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and other intestinal characteristics in poultry broilers. First, the effect of steam-explosion on physicochemical properties of insoluble fiber from Q. mongolica was investigated. Steam-explosion (severity factor Log (Ro) = 3.94) was found to increase the physical properties (water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and swelling capacity) of Q. mongolica chip to different extents. Effects of feeding different concentrations of steam-exploded Q. mongolica on performance characteristics of broilers were investigated. Experimental diets of broilers consisted of a control diet (free of steam-exploded Q. mongolica), and four diets containing 0.5% to 2.0% steam-exploded Q. mongolica (severity factor Log (Ro) = 3.94). A diet containing 1.0% steam-exploded Q. mongolica promoted broiler growth performance (body weight (858.9 g) and improved blood characteristics (130.0 mg/dL), intestinal morphology (V:C ratio 7.50), and organ weights (length of intestine 17.6 cm/100 g body weight).

In this study, we investigated the effect of methionine isomers (D- and L-methionine) on growth performance, blood metabolite levels, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and foot pad dermatitis in broilers challenged with acute heat stress. In total, 240 broilers were randomly allocated in a 2×2 factorial arrangement consisting of two dietary treatments (D- vs. L-methionine) and two thermal environmental conditions (thermo-neutral vs. acute heat stress). Methionine isomers were added to the diet as an ingredient according to the diet formulation. The broilers were exposed to acute heat stress at 33°C for 5 h on day 14. The average daily gain and feed conversion ratio of birds fed L-methionine were higher than those fed D-methionine (P

This study investigated bioaccumulation and toxicity derived from heavy metals in laying hens. The 160 52-week old laying hens were divided into 5 treatments with 8 replicates of 4 birds per pen. The treatments consisted of the control diet (without heavy metals), control diet with half the available dosage (AD, 5 ppm lead and 0.2 ppm mercury), AD (10 ppm lead and 0.4 ppm mercury), 2-fold AD (20 ppm lead and 0.8 ppm mercury), and 3-fold AD (30 ppm lead and 1.2 ppm mercury), and were provided to the laying hens for 8 weeks. Food and water were provided on an ad libitum basis at all times. Body weight and food intake were recorded once every two weeks, and eggs were collected and recorded daily. Two birds from each pen were euthanized to collect blood and organ samples on week 4 and 8. The 3-fold AD diet reduced food intake compared to that of the control and AD diets (P0.05). Heavy metal concentrations in the liver, eggs, and feathers were not detected at both week 4 and 8. Our results indicate that in-feed heavy metals for layer diets up to 30 ppm of lead and 1.2 ppm of mercury brought on hepatic dysfunction increasing blood metabolites that are associated with liver inflammation.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation display because of their advantages on luminescent properties and external quantum efficiency exceeding 20 % in less than 5 years since the first efficient EL operation. However, the short operational lifetime of PeLEDs is limiting their practical application. Especially, the ion migration in perovskite under intense electric field is known to destroy the crystal structure and cause device failure. Here, we suggest new strategies to overcome the lifetime limitation of PeLEDs. First, we introduced the proton-transfer-induced 3D/2D hybrid structure with extremely suppressed ion migration and low defect density, showing extremely suppressed luminance overshoot and >20 times longer operational lifetime. Also, we could further prolong the lifetime of PeLEDs by using ideal mixed-cation system and suppressing the electric-field-induced catastrophic failure by inducing self-assembled core/shell structure.

Graphene is an optimal material to be employed as an ionic diffusion barrier because of its outstanding impermeability and chemical robustness. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is often used in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs), and it can release indium easily upon exposure to the acidic hole-injection layer so that luminescence can be quenched significantly. Here, we exploit the outstanding impermeability of graphene and use it as a chemical barrier to block the etching that can occur in ITO exposed to an acidic hole-injection layer in PeLEDs. This barrier reduced the luminescence quenching that these metallic species can cause, so the photoluminescence lifetime of perovskite film was substantially higher in devices with ITO and graphene layer (87.9 ns) than in devices that had only an ITO anode (22.1 ns). Luminous current efficiency was also higher in PeLEDs with a graphene barrier (16.4 cd/A) than in those without graphene (9.02 cd/A). Our work demonstrates that graphene can be used as a barrier to reduce the degradation of transparent electrodes by chemical etching in optoelectronic devices.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary emulsifiers and lipase supplementation on growth performance, blood metabolites, intestinal organ weight, gut morphology, nutrient digestibility, carcass measurements, and meat quality in broiler chickens. A total of 384, 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to one of eight dietary treatments arranged in a completely randomized design with 6 replications per treatment and 8 birds per cage. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based and formulated to meet the nutritional requirements for Ross 308 specifications. Beef tallow used as the fat source in all diets. Dietary treatments were as follows, (1) positive control (PC; energy sufficient diet); (2) negative control (NC; energy deficient,−100 ME, kcal/kg); (3) NC+POL (0.1%, Polysorbate-20); (4) NC+CET (0.1%, Ceteth-20); (5) NC+POL+TLL (0.1%, Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase); (6) NC+POL+CRL (0.1%, Candida rugosa lipases); (7) NC+CET+CRL and (8) NC+LL (0.05%, Lysolecithin). Growth performances were measured weekly. One bird per pen was selected and sacrificed to collect blood, ileal digesta, jejunum sample, viscera organ weight, and meat samples on day 21 and 35. Results revealed that birds fed NC+POL+CRL diet had higher (P < 0.05) body weight, weight gain, and the improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency compared to birds fed other low energy diets, and the effect was more prominent at the grower phase from day 21 to 35. Similarly, higher (P < 0.05) villi height and lower (P < 0.05) crypt depth commensurate with higher (P < 0.05) V:C ratio were observed with the broiler chickens fed NC+POL+CRL diet compared to broiler chickens fed NC diet on day 21 and 35. Moreover, broiler chickens fed NC+POL+CRL diet showed improved fat and energy digestibility compared NC diet counterpart on day 35. This study, therefore indicated that Polysorbate-20 together with Candida rugosa lipases had promising ability to improve growth performance of broiler chickens fed with low energy diet and curtail the growth depression without affecting blood metabolites, carcass, and visceral organs weights.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on three-dimensional (3D) polycrystalline perovskites suffer from ion migration, which causes overshoot of luminance over time during operation and reduces its operational lifetime. Here, we demonstrate 3D/2D hybrid PeLEDs with extremely reduced luminance overshoot and 21 times longer operational lifetime than 3D PeLEDs. The luminance overshoot ratio of 3D/2D hybrid PeLED is only 7.4% which is greatly lower than that of 3D PeLED (150.4%). The 3D/2D hybrid perovskite is obtained by adding a small amount of neutral benzylamine to methylammonium lead bromide, which induces a proton transfer from methylammonium to benzylamine and enables crystallization of 2D perovskite without destroying the 3D phase. Benzylammonium in the perovskite lattice suppresses formation of deep-trap states and ion migration, thereby enhances both operating stability and luminous efficiency based on its retardation effect in reorientation., Ion migration can induce overshoot of luminance in normal 3D perovskite light-emitting diode devices and results in reduced lifetime. Here Kim et al. show that the ion migration and overshoot can be suppressed in 3D/2D hybrid perovskites, leading to 21 times longer operational lifetime.

This study was conducted to determine the total lysine requirement for female broiler breeders from days 14 to 42. Two-hundred and ten female broiler breeders were used in a completely randomized design with 6 replicates per treatment and 5 chicks per pen under restricted feeding. The contents of total lysine used in this experiment were 0.68, 0.72, 0.76, 0.80, 0.84, 0.88 and 0.92% in the diet. A basal diet was formulated to meet or to exceed the Ross 308 female broiler breeders’ nutrient specifications except for the lysine. Body weight and feed intake were measured to calculate feed efficiency, and body weight uniformity was defined on a weekly basis. One chick per pen was randomly selected to collect blood samples, organ and an abundance of sexual maturity associated miRNAs (miR-21, mi-26a and mi-375) in the plasma was measured on day 42. Increasing total lysine contents in the diet improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio from days 14 to 42. The combined values from the two models for BW, average daily gain and feed efficiency were estimated at 1.04, 1.00 and 1.21% total lysine, respectively. Total lysine contents did not affect the ovary weight, serum estradiol-17b, serum progesterone and plasma urea nitrogen or the expression levels of the three miRNAs on day 42. Therefore, the results from the current study indicated that female broiler breeders fed on 0.68% total lysine could achieve the recommended BW, suggested by field practice when data were fitted into the overlapped point of linear-, and quadratic-plateau models.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of reducing dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio on the performance, inflammatory response and gut morphology of PWD challenged with sanitary and poor sanitary conditions in weaned pigs, and to test the hypotheses that (1) exposure to an poor sanitary environment will increase indices for inflammatory response; and (2) reducing n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio in diets for weaned pigs will attenuate the inflammatory response induced by the environmental challenge. A total of 108 male pigs [Duroc × (Yorkshire × Landrace); initial BW 7.1 ± 0.5 kg] weaned at 21 days of age were randomly allocated to one of 3 dietary treatments and 2 environmental conditions (sanitary vs. poor sanitary) to give 6 replicate pens per treatment with 3 pigs per pen. The dietary treatments were 3 graded levels of n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (i.e.,20:1, 10:1 and 4:1) formulated using tallow, safflower oil, and a vegetable and fish oil blended product. One pig per pen (n = 6) was euthanized on d 0, d 7 and d 14, to collect blood and small intestinal tissue samples. Pigs exposed to a poor sanitary environment tended (P

Purpose: There is a need to explore the use of non-conventional, locally available and cheap energy-rich ingredients to substitute corn in broiler diets as it is used mainly for human consumption in developing countries. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of partial substitution of corn with breadfruit flour (BFF) in broiler diets on growth performances and meat quality in broiler chickens. Research Method: One hundred and eighty day-old straight-run “Cobb 500” broiler chicks (45.92 ± 0.43 g) were randomly allocated into one of three dietary treatments (Corn based basal diet with no BFF [Control], Corn-substituted basal diet with 5% BFF [BFF5], and Corn-substituted basal diet with 10% BFF [BFF10]) with six replications and 10 birds per replicate. Growth parameters including body weights, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and organ weights and meat quality parameters were determined. Findings: The broilers fed BFF10 significantly (P Originality/value: Breadfruit flour would be a suitable non-conventional energy feed source to partly substitute corn in broiler diets up to 10% with improved growth performance and meat quality in broiler chickens.

Quantitative energy changes in the feeding regimens affect metabolic efficiency and product quality of an animal. Apparent metabolisable energy (AME) is used to evaluate energy utilization such as the difference between the energy consumed and the energy lost. Given the importance of the diet in the profitability we focused on determination of AME levels using biomarkers based on molecular techniques. qRT-PCR was performed to determine gene expression differences in ducklings with different metabolisable energy (ME) levels and potential biomarker genes from circulating mRNA in the body fluid based on estimated AME values. Muscle tissues and cell-free plasma samples were obtained from ducklings fed at three different ME levels (basal ME: 2300; AME: 2900; high ME: 3300 kcal/kg diet). We first identified that 18 S ribosomal RNA was the most suitable endogenous reference gene for determining gene expression analysis. Next, we investigated expression levels of genes related to cell growth, proliferation, oxidative stress, myogenic differentiation, adipocyte differentiation, and mitochondrial function. qRT-PCR assay demonstrated that MAPK8 , MAP2K4 , HADHA , CSRP3 , and MYL1 were gradually up-regulated at the AME and high ME levels. However, PRKAG2 , CRH , and PPARG transcript levels were significantly increased in the muscle and the cell-free plasma at the excessive high ME level but not at the AME and the basal ME level. Finally, HSP90AA1 and HSPB7 were not different between AME and high ME level. Our findings suggest that altered patterns of gene expression in response to different levels of energy are useful biomarkers to evaluate the AME value with growing ducklings. Upregulation of genes including MAPK8 , PRKAA2 , and PRKAG2 at the excessive high ME and their enrichment for lipid and fatty acid biosynthetic process in gene network analysis also supported our molecular approach using circulating nucleic acid in the body fluid.

Rubus coreanus is known to have diverse biological properties, such as free radical scavenging activity and antibacterial activity. In the present study, Rubus coreanus leaf and stem extract (RLSE) was used in boar semen preservation whether it has a beneficial effect on assisted reproductive technology (ART) in mammals. Boar spermatozoa were preserved in Beltsville thawing solution (BTS) in the presence of varying concentrations of RLSE (0-10 μg/mL). Sperm motility, sperm viability, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were examined after 2 days of preservation. The percentage of total motile spermatozoa and progressive motile spermatozoa improved in the spermatozoa preserved with 0.5 μg/mL RLSE. Higher proportions of viable spermatozoa were seen in the presence of 0.5 and 1 μg/mL RLSE than in the control. Intracellular ROS levels decreased when the spermatozoa were preserved in BTS with 0.1–1 μg/mL RLSE. In order to examine the bacterial growth, E. coli was added to liquid semen diluted with antibiotics-free BTS in the presence or absence of RLSE. No anti-bacterial activity of RLSE against E. coli was observed during liquid semen preservation. Although there was no inhibition of E. coli growth, the addition of RLSE might help improve sperm motility and viability during boar semen preservation, suggesting it as a potential reagent for ART in mammals.

Dietary lysine content in poultry diets is critical to improve feed utilization efficiency, body protein deposition rate, and carcass traits of growing and finishing poultry. The objective of the current study was to estimate the optimum digestible lysine requirements for maximum growth performance, efficient utilization of nitrogen, and carcass traits of male Korean native ducklings for 3 wk after hatch. A total of 720 one-day-old male Korean native ducklings were used in a completely randomized design having 8 dietary treatments to provide a range of digestible lysine content from 0.44 to 1.07%. Ducklings were randomly allotted to 24 floor pens (6 replicates per treatment and 15 ducklings per pen) and were offered the respective diets on an ad libitum basis for the period of study. Body weight and feed intake were measured weekly to calculate feed conversion ratio. At the termination of the experiment, 2 ducklings per pen were euthanized via cervical dislocation to weigh empty body and drumsticks. The digestible lysine requirement was determined by taking a mean value after fitting the data to both linear-plateau and quadratic-plateau models. Digestible lysine requirements for Korean native ducklings for 3 wk after hatch were estimated to be 0.71, 0.74, 0.65 and 1.01% for maximum body weight, daily gain, and daily feed intake, and for minimum feed conversion ratio, respectively.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and meat quality traits of broilers fed a diet supplemented with dry-ground curry leaves (Murraya koenigii). A total of 750 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobbs 500) were arranged in the experiment with a completely randomized design and allotted to one of five treatments, with T1-Control and T2-T5 curry leaves powder levels (i.e., 0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively). The initial body weights, final body weights and daily feed intake were measured over an experimental period of 32 days. At the conclusion of the experiment, the carcass weights and meat quality parameters were measured. The birds fed diets supplemented with curry leaves powder had a higher weight gain (P 0.05) in feed intake among the dietary treatments. Similarly, supplementation of curry leaves powder had no effect (P>0.05) on the proportions of the carcass, leg meat and drumstick. No differences were (P>0.05) observed in cooking loss or the pH of meat from broilers fed the curry leaves supplemented diet. However, curry leaf supplementation affected (P

Effect of dietary nucleotide supplementation without or with in-feed antibiotics on piglet performance and energy and nutrient digestibility was determined. Supplementing antibiotics without or with nucleotides (1000 ppm) increased weight gain (P

A total of 42 barrows weighing 19.8 ± 1.22 kg were fed seven diets to give six replicates per treatment. The experiment was conducted in a factorial arrangement with factors being (1) two canola meals (CM) types and (2) three phytase levels (0, 500, and 2500 FTU kg−1). The basal endogenous phosphorus (P) losses and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) was calculated using the P-free method. There was no effect of CM types on feed intake and fecal P output, but an interaction effect was observed for P intake (CM × phytase; P −1) reduced (P −1), and the output was reduced by 58% in Brassica napus black (BNB) and 64% in Brassica juncea yellow (BJY) diets. Supplementation of phytase improved (P −1 of dry matter intake (DMI). There was no further improvement in STTD of P when phytase was increased from 500 to 2500 FTU kg−1 in both CM types. The ATTD of calcium (Ca) was increased (P −1. The results, therefore, indicate that supplementation of phytase at 500 FTU kg−1 improved both ATTD and STTD of P in two CM types, but a super dose of 2500 FTU kg−1 had no additional benefit. Similarly, ATTD of Ca was increased when phytase was supplemented at 500 FTU kg−1 without further improvement at 2500 FTU kg−1.

An experiment was conducted to determine the coefficient of apparent (CATTD) and standardized total tract digestibility (CSTTD) of phosphorus (P) in camelina meal (CM) and the effect of phytase on both CATTD and CSTTD of CM fed to growing pigs. Eighteen barrows [(Yorkshire − Landrace) × Duroc] with an average initial body weight of 18.1 ± 0.7 were individually housed in metabolism crates, which allowed for total but separate collection of feces and urine. Pigs were allotted to one of three experimental diets consisting of a diet containing 200 g/kg CM that was fed without or with phytase at 500 FTU/kg and a corn-starch-gelatin based P-free diet in a completely randomised design to give 6 replicates per diet. Pigs were fed their respective diets in 2 equal portions at 0830 and 1630 h. Daily feed allowance was based on the body weight at the beginning of the experiment and was calculated to supply 2.6 times the estimated maintenance energy requirements. The experiment lasted for 14 days and pigs were adapted to their respective diets for initial 9 days followed by 5 days of total collection of feces and urine. The CATTD and CSTTD of P in CM with phytase supplementation were estimated to be 0.68 and 0.69, respectively, which were higher than for CM without phytase supplementation (0.55 and 0.56, respectively). The EPL was calculated as 0.108 g/kg DMI. Pigs fed the diet with phytase had greater (P = 0.039) P retention (0.73) than those fed without phytase (0.53) and also had lesser (P = 0.04) P output in the feces. In conclusion, the CSTTD of P for CM without and with phytase were 0.53 and 0.66 and phytase supplementation enhance P utilization from camelina meal fed to growing pigs.

Prediction of growth patterns of commercial chicken strains is important. It can provide visual assessment of growth as function of time and prediction body weight (BW) at a specific age. The aim of current study is to compare the three nonlinear functions (i.e., Logistic, Gompertz, and von Betalanffy) for modeling the growth of twenty five commercial Korean native chicken (KNC) strains reared under a battery cage system until 32 weeks of age and to evaluate the three models with regard to their ability to describe the relationship between BW and age. A clear difference in growth pattern among 25 strains were observed and classified in to the groups according to their growth patterns. The highest and lowest estimated values for asymptotic body weight (C) for 3H and 5W were given by von Bertalanffy and Logistic model 4629.7 g for 2197.8 g respectively. The highest estimated parameter for maturating rate (b) was given by Logistic model 0.249 corresponds to the 2F and lowest in von Bertalanffy model 0.094 for 4Y. According to the coefficient of determination (R2) and mean square of error (MSE), Gompertz and von Bertalanffy models were suitable to describe the growth of Korean native chicken. Moreover, von Bertalannfy model was well described the most of KNC growth with biologically meaningful parameter compared to Gompertz model.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of hairy vetch supplementation on quality of winter crop silage. There were 4 treatments (addition levels of hairy vetch ; 0, 5, 15, and 30%) with 3 replicates. Experimental silages stored for 40 days at room temperature (20 - 25℃). THe silage crude protein level was improved (P 0.05) in crude fat, NDF and ADF of the silage while hairy vetch supplementation increased. The silage pH was increased (P

The production performance and egg quality traits among five strains of Korean native chickens (KNC) were evaluated in conventional cages. A total of 240 KNC were housed in a controlled environment. Each strain had 12 replicates with 4 chickens per cage. Feed intake, body weights, egg production and egg quality were measured at 24, 28 and 32 of weeks. Egg quality parameters were analyzed using 150 eggs. Results indicated significant (P 0.05) for feed efficiency. The difference among those KNC strains on egg shell color, egg shell strength and egg shell density were not different (P>0.05) at the age of week 24 while it was significant (P 0.05) on egg length and egg shape index from five strains of KNC. The significant difference (P 0.05) at the age of 32 weeks. Regarding internal quality parameters, albumen height and Haugh unit were significantly (P 0.05). Based on the egg weight and the production performance, GS-10 KNC strain was superior when compared with the other strains.

The current study evaluated the effect of different levels of a 6-phytase from Buttiauxella sp. expressed in Trichoderma reesei on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility in growing pigs. Twelve ileal cannulated pigs (initial BW = 25 kg) were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatments in a replicated 6 × 6 Latin square design to give 12 observations per treatment. The experimental diets consisted of a corn soybean meal-based control diet (NC), NC supplemented with 4 levels of phytase (i.e. 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 FTU/kg) and a low-protein diet (5% casein) used to quantify endogenous amino acid (AA) losses. All diets contained titanium dioxide as an indigestible marker. Pigs were given their daily feed allowance at a rate of 45 g/kg BW determined at the beginning of each experimental period. Each period lasted for 9 d with 5 d of adaptation to experimental diets followed by 2 d of faecal and 2 d of ileal digesta collection. Data were analyzed using the mixed model procedures of SAS. The final model had treatment as the main effect as pen and period effects were non-significant. Increasing levels of 6-phytase supplementation linearly increased (P

This study investigated whether the inclusion of a stimbiotic (STB) can improve performance, influence intestinal microbiota and fermentation activity, and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in piglets fed a low zinc oxide diet without antimicrobial growth promotors compared to fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) and mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) when housed either in good sanitary (GS) or poor sanitary (PS) environments. One hundred forty-four male pigs (28-day-old) were sorted by initial body weight (BW) and allocated to one of six experimental treatments: 1) GS environment without any additive (GS-CTR); 2) GS environment with 0.01% stimbiotic (GS-STB); 3) PS environment (without cleaning and disinfection of a previously populated room) without any additive (PS-CTR); 4) PS environment with 0.01% STB (PS-STB); 5) PS environment with 0.1% MOS (PS-MOS); and 6) PS environment with 0.2% FOS (PS-FOS). Each treatment had six replicates, with four animals each. Three feeding phases, based on corn, wheat, and soybean meal were available ad libitum for the 42-days of the study. Housing piglets under PS conditions negatively influenced performance, increased plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), affected the fecal microbial populations and increased concentrations of branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) compared to GS. Stimbiotic improved 42-d-BW under PS conditions (P < 0.05) whereas MOS or FOS had no effect. On d35, plasma TNF-α was reduced with STB in PS (P < 0.05). The ratio between VFA:BCFA increased (P < 0.05) with STB, MOS or FOS in PS, and under GS condition, STB also increased the ratio. Stimbiotic increased the proportion of Clostridiales Family XIII Incertae Sedis and Clostridiaceae, while MOS and FOS increased Selenomonadaceae, Catabacteriaceae and Fibrobacteraceae. These results indicate that STB shifted the intestinal microbiome to favor fiber fermentation which likely contributed to reduced inflammatory response and improved performance, particularly in piglets reared in PS conditions.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) show superior optoelectronic properties, which give them the great potential for use in next generation light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In particular, their narrow emission linewidths can achieve ultrahigh color purity. However, the reported luminescence efficiency (LE) values are not high enough to be commercialized in displays and solid-state lightings. Moreover, the operational stability of LEDs associated with the overshooting of luminance and the high relative standard deviation of reported external quantum efficiencies are still problematic. In this perspective, we review photophysical factors that limit the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of perovskite-based LEDs. These factors are categorized into (i) weak exciton binding, (ii) nonradiative recombinations, (iii) slow cooling of long-lived hot carriers, (iv) deep-level defects, and (v) interband transition rates. We then present various physicochemical methods to effectively overcome these luminescence-limiting factors. We finally suggest some useful research directions to further improve the LE of MHP emitters as core components in displays and solid-state lightings.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two isoforms of methionine (Met) supplementation, L-Met or D-Met, on transcriptome expression in broiler chickens under acute heat stress. A total of 240 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: thermo-neutral vs. acute heat-stress and L-Met vs. D-Met supplementation. On day 14, the heat-stressed group was exposed to 32°C for 6 h, while the others remained at 25ºC. Six chicks per treatment were randomly selected and harvested to isolate total RNA from the blood, ileum, and liver tissues. Two RNA samples from each tissue of the same treatment group were randomly selected and pooled with equal amount. A total of 1.87 billion of raw reads were obtained from 36 samples (four treatments × three tissues × three composited replicates) using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. The reads, mapped to the reference genome build (Gallus_gallus-5.0), were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG, false-discovery rate < 0.05) using DESeq2. Functional enrichment of DEG was tested using DAVID. A total of 38, 71, and 16 genes were differentially expressed in response to the interaction between heat stress and Met isoforms in the blood, ileum, and liver, respectively. These DEGs were functionally enriched for regulation of cholesterol homeostasis, gluconeogenesis, and bile acid synthesis. Unlike the L-Met group, IL4I1, SERPIN1, and CSRP2, related to immune response, neuroprotection, cell proliferation, and dedifferentiation, were all increased by heat stress in the D-Met group. The expression of PCK1, CYP7A1, SORCS1, related to abnormally increased blood glucose by heat stress, were also changed in the D-Met. Compared to D-Met, L-Met supplementation appeared to reduce abnormal cellular and physiological responses by heat stress in broilers.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of supplemental xylanases on growth performance, coefficients of apparent ileal (CAID) and total tract (CATTD) digestibility in growing pigs fed wheat- or corn -based diets. Two basal diets were formulated based on either corn plus 40% corn distillers dried grains with solubles or wheat plus 25% wheat co-products and fed without or with five xylanases from different microbial origins. The xylanases were identified as A, B, C, D and E and fed at 75 mg of xylanase protein/kg of feed. All diets contained added phytase. In Experiment 1, the diets were offered for 42 d to 96 individually penned gilts (29.0 ± 0.2 kg) to give 8 pigs per diet. An interaction between diet type and xylanase was observed for ADG (P

Four ileal-cannulated Cotswold barrows (50.41 ± 5.05 kg body weight) were used to determine apparent (AID), standardized (SID) and true (TID) ileal digestibility of amino acids (AA) in field pea and pea protein isolate (PPI) processed from the same batch of the whole field pea. Pigs were allotted to 2 experimental diets in a simple cross-over design. Diets contained either field pea or PPI as the sole source of protein and were formulated to contain 155 g/kg CP. The AID of nutrients was determined by the indicator method. The SID of AA was calculated using published values for basal endogenous AA losses obtained from our laboratory. The total endogenous flow of lysine and the TID of lysine were determined by the homoarginine method. The TID of AA other than lysine were estimated using their published ratios in endogenous protein relative to lysine. The AID coefficient of CP (0.88 vs. 0.80), Ile (0.91 vs. 0.79), leucine (0.92 vs. 0.81), lysine (0.93 vs. 0.84), phenylalanine (0.92 vs. 0.84) and valine (0.89 vs. 0.76) were greater (P

Backgrounds/Aims: The aim of this study was to compare operative versus non-operative management of patients with liver injury and to ascertain the differences of the clinical features. Methods: From April 2000 to July 2012, 191 patients were admitted to Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital for liver injuries. Of these, 148 patients were included in this study. All patients were diagnosed using computed tomography (CT). The liver injury was graded in accordance with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma liver injury scoring scale. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent surgery and those treated with non-operative management (NOM). There was a comparison between these two groups concerning the clinical characteristics, grade of liver injury, hemodynamic stability, laboratory findings, and mortality. Results: According to the 148 patient records evaluated, 108 (72.9%) patients were treated with NOM, and 40 (27.1%) underwent surgery. Patients treated with NOM had significantly fewer severe injuries as rated using the Revised Traumatic Injury Scale, Injury Severity Score, and Glasgow Coma Scale. Grade of liver injury and number of patients with extravasation of contrast dye on CT and hemoperitoneum were higher in the operative group than in the NOM group. There were significant differences between the two groups for: heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and mean hemoglobin levels at admission and after 4 hours. The operative group experienced a significantly higher mortality than the NOM group. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that hemodynamic stability and the following should be considered for deciding the treatment for liver injuries: grade of liver injury, amount of blood loss, and injury scales scores.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the NE content of dry extruded-expelled soybean (DESBM) and the effect of a multienzyme carbohydrase (MC) mixture on the NE content of DESBM and to determine the effect of diet design on NE values in growing pigs using indirect calorimetry (IC). In Exp. 1, 24 barrows (19.6 ± 0.51 kg BW) were allotted in a completely randomized design to 4 dietary treatments: a corn–soybean meal basal diet (Diet A), a diet containing Diet A and DESBM in an 80:20 ratio with a constant CP (Diet B), a diet with an 80:20 ratio of Diet A and DESBM with a constant corn:soybean meal ratio (Diet C), and a diet with simple substitution of Diet A with DESBM in an 80:20 ratio (Diet D). Pigs were fed in metabolism crates for a period of 16 d to determine the DE and ME and thereafter were moved into an indirect calorimeter where O2 consumption and CO2 production were measured to determine heat production and fasting heat production. The NE content of DESBM was calculated (difference method) to be 2,632, 2,548 and 2,540 kcal/kg DM in diets B, C, and D, respectively. Respective values obtained with published prediction equations were 2,624, 2,530 and 2,436 kcal/kg. In Exp. 2, 24 barrows (16.9 ± 0.76 kg BW) were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments. The diets were a corn–soybean meal basal diet and a diet containing the basal diet and DESBM in an 80:20 ratio with a constant corn:soybean meal ratio with or without 2 levels (0.05% and 0.1%) of MC. The experimental procedures were similar to those described in Exp. 1. Enzyme supplementation improved (P < 0.0001) the DE, ME, and NE content of the DESBM. Multienzyme carbohydrase at 0.05% and 0.1% of the diet improved NE values of DESBM by 4.9% and 3.7%, respectively. In conclusion, the NE values of DESBM obtained with the IC method were higher than the values obtained with prediction equations; the disparity was least when diets were formulated with a constant CP level. However, as the difference method was used to determine the NE of ingredient, it is more appropriate to maintain a constant ratio between the ingredients. Also, the NE value of DESBM obtained for diets C and D were not different. Hence, the average NE value of DESBM evaluated was 2,544 kcal/kg DM. Enzyme supplementation improved the NE content of DESBM fed to growing pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the nutritive value of egg obtained from hens immunized with E. coli K88 antigens (EGG), and EGG-exchange (an egg product containing 4.0 g/kg EGG, 646.0 g/kg normal egg and 350.0 g/kg inulin; EGG-X) fed to weaned pigs. In experiment 1, 12 ileal-cannulated barrows (initial BW of 17 kg) were fed four diets over two 7-d periods to determine standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in EGG and EGG-X. In period 1, pigs were fed three diets in a completely randomized design to give four replicates per diet. The three diets were a cornstarch-based diets with EGG, EGG-X, or spray dried porcine plasma (SDPP) as the sole source of crude protein (CP). In period 2, a low-casein diet was fed to all pigs to determine endogenous AA losses for calculation of SID of AA. Titanium dioxide (3.0 g/kg) was added in all diets as an indigestible marker. In experiment 2, 96 piglets (initial body weight (BW) of 5.9 kg) weaned at 21 days (d) and housed in 24 pens (4 pigs per pen) were fed four diets in a completely randomized design (6 pens per diet) to investigate the effects of including EGG and EGG-X in diets for weaned pigs on growth performance, pancreas weight, intestinal histomorphology, and blood parameters. The four diets were a corn-soybean meal-based (CON; no antimicrobial agents added), CON + 3.0 g/kg EGG, CON + 50 g/kg EGG-X, and CON + 50 g/kg SDPP. Pigs were fed the test diets for 14 d (phase I) and then a common commercial diet for another 11 d (phase II). Growth performance was determined in both phases I and II whereas the rest of the response criteria were determined in phase I. The EGG and EGG-X were similar in SID of indispensable AA, which ranged from 6.50 g/kg (for histidine in EGG) to 7.96 g/kg (for arginine in EGG-X). The SDPP had higher (P

The study was conducted to determine the effect of corssbred Korean native chickens (CKNC) on growth performance indices for hatch to 28 days. A total of 192 1-day-old birds were divided into one of 4 CKNC groups by 5 Korean native pure strains. Diets used in the study consisted of 2 phases with corn and soybean meal basis as earlier (1~2 weeks; crude protein 18.5%, metabolizable energy 3,000 kcal/kg), and grower (2~4 weeks; crude protein 15.0%, Metabolizable Energy 2,850 kcal/kg). Body weight and feed intake were measured bi-weekly. Crossbred 1G (group of family line) had higher body weight and average daily gain whereas crossbred 5Y had greater average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio than other crossbred Korean native chicken for hatch to 28 days. The results in the current study indicated that crossbred 1G had higher growth performance indices compared with other crossbred Korean native chicken for hatch to 28 days.

The aim was to determine the true total tract digestibility (TTTD) and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in canola meals from Brassica napus black (BNB) and Brassica juncea yellow (BJY) fed to growing pigs. Fifty-four barrows with an initial BW of 19.9 ± 0.22 kg (mean ± SEM) were allocated in 3 consecutive blocks to 1 of 9 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design to give 6 replicate pigs per diet. Dietary treatments were cornstarch based with increasing concentrations of P, that is, 0.8, 1.6, 2.4, and 3.3 g/kg (as-fed basis) from either BNB or BJY as the sole source of P and a gelatin-based P-free diet. Limestone was added to maintain a Ca:total P ratio of 1.2:1 in all diets. All diets contained titanium dioxide (3 g/kg) as an indigestible marker. Daily feed allowance was calculated to supply 2.6 times the maintenance energy requirement based on the BW at the beginning of each period and offered in 2 equal portions at 0800 and 1600 h as a dry mash. Pigs were individually housed in metabolism crates and fed experimental diets for 16 d, including 9 d for adaptation to feed and 5 d for total but separate collection of feces and urine. The apparent total tract digestibility values of P increased from 19.0 to 30.0% for BNB and from 17.3 to 28.3% for BJY as the dietary P content increased from 0.8 to 3.3 g/kg DM. The TTTD of P was determined using the regression analysis as dietary P content increased from 0.8 to 3.3 g/kg whereas the STTD of P was calculated for the diet with the highest P content (i.e., 3.3 g/kg, as-fed basis) using the P-free diet to estimate endogenous P losses (EPL). The total and basal EPL estimates obtained with regression analysis and the P-free diet were 665 ± 0.03 and 209 ± 96 mg/kg DMI, respectively. The TTTD of P was 33.3 and 32.0% in BNB and BJY, respectively. Respective STTD values were 31.0 and 28.3%. The results indicated that the TTTD and STTD of P were comparable in the 2 canola meals from BNB and BJY canola.

Antibiotics in the diets for poultry were not only used for avoiding and (or) control bacterial infections but for promoting growth of the birds. However, there has been massive concerns of negative effects of antibiotics on human health such as development of antibiotics-resistance bacteria and (or) genes. Subsequently, some of countries (i.e., European Union member of country and South Korea) banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in the diets for livestock industries in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Thus, it has become important to develop feeding strategies and feed additives to control and reduce the occurrence of diseases in livestock without using in-feed antibiotics. In this review, therefore, it is attempted to gather information with respect to (1) understanding the digestive physiology and (2) knowledge pertaining to interaction linking feed additives and its physiological and metabolic responses in broiler chickens. Key words : additives, antibiotics, chickens, grwoth, feed

Numerous experiments have demonstrated that feeding a lower protein diet decreases protein fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and reduces the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). However, there is a lack of holistic evidence underpinning the relationship between feeding a lower protein diet and PWD in relation to physiological responses and protein fermentation in the GIT. The scope of this article, therefore, will: (i) focus on the impact of dietary protein levels on selected indices of GIT health in weaned pigs without and with experimental infection with an enterotoxigenic strain of Escherichia coli; and (ii) attempt to conduct regression analysis to examine the relationships between dietary-origin protein intake, nitrogen fermentation indices, fecal consistency and the incidence of PWD. We used datasets generated from a series of four intensive experiments in weaned pigs. The collective results derived from these datasets indicate that restriction of daily protein intake to less than 60 g through feeding a lower protein diet for as little as 7 days after weaning reduced the incidence of PWD commensurate with a reduction in protein fermentation indices.