• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.1701-1704
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• 2003

Melatonin regulates circadian rhythms and reproduction changes in seasonally reproductive mammals through binding to high-affinity, G-protein-coupled receptors. Small Tail Han sheep that has significant characteristics of high prolificacy and nonseasonal ovulatory activity is an excellent local sheep breed in P. R. China. The exon 2 of the ovine melatonin receptor 1a (MTNR1A) gene was amplified and a uniform fragment of 824 bp was obtained in 150 ewes of Small Tail Han sheep. The 824 bp PCR product was digested with restriction endonucleases Mnl I and Rsa I, and genetic polymorphism was detected by PCR-RFLP. Polymorphic Mnl I site was detected at base position 605 of the exon 2 of the MTNR1A gene. There were two kinds of genotypes in Small Tail Han sheep, AB (303 bp, 236 bp/67 bp) and BB (236 bp/67 bp, 236 bp/67 bp). The results indicated that genotype AA (303 bp, 303 bp) at Mnl I-RFLP site did not exist in non-seasonal estrous Small Tail Han sheep, which suggested that there was an association between genotype AA (303 bp, 303 bp) and reproductive seasonality in sheep. Polymorphic Rsa I site was detected at base position 604 of the exon 2 of the MTNR1A gene. Three kinds of genotypes were found in Small Tail Han sheep, AA (290 bp, 290 bp), AB (290 bp, 267 bp/23 bp) and BB (267 bp/23 bp, 267 bp/23 bp). Least squares means of litter size in the first parity and the second parity for genotype AA (290 bp, 290 bp) at Rsa I-RFLP site were 0.43 and 1.06 more than those for genotype AB (290 bp, 267 bp/23 bp) in Small Tail Han sheep.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제15권10호
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• pp.1453-1457
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• 2002

The experiment was conducted to find out the effect of 4 feeding systems on growth, feed intake, eating behavior, lactation performance, gestation period, post-partum heat period, conception rate and parasitic infestation of Black Bengal goat. Twenty four does of approximately 1 year of age were randomly selected for 4 treatment (feeding systems) groups having 6 replications in each. Treatments were stall feeding ($T_1$), tethering ($T_2$), restricted grazing ($T_3$) and grazing ($T_4$). $T_1$ group was housed continuously and adequate amounts of natural grass were supplied for ad libitum feeding. $T_2$ group was tethered for grazing natural grass from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. being moved at one hour intervals. Goats of $T_3$ group were allowed grazing from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. $T_4$ group was grazed from 8 a. m. to 4 p.m. Concentrate supplement was given at the rate of 150 g per day per goat for all of the treatment groups. Duration of experiment was 219 days. Daily live weight gain was significantly (p<0.05) higher in case of stall fed goats than that of others. DM intake also significantly (p<0.05) differed among the treatment groups and was 3.40 3.95, 3.76 and 4.05 per cent of their live weight for stall feeding, tethering, restricted grazing and grazing groups, respectively. Rate of rumination was significantly (p<0.05) higher in case of tethering group of goats than that of others. Birth weight of kids, milk yield, lactation period and post-partum heat period were significantly higher in case of stall fed goats than others. Tethering group showed significantly (p<0.05) higher litter size than others. Infestation rate of Fasciola was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the grazing group. In conclusion, it may be stated that among these feeding groups overall performance of stall fed goats was more satisfactory, and that the tethering group showed better performance than the others.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제16권12호
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• pp.1716-1721
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• 2003

Steroid hormones and their receptors play an important role in reproductive process. Estrogen is intimately involved with pregnancy and its function is mediated through the estrogen receptor which has been chosen as a candidate gene to study litter size in pigs. In this study, we report that two estrogen receptor variants, designated pER-1 and pER-2 were co-expressed in the uteri of normal cycling Lan-Yu pig (Sus vittatus; a small-ear miniature in Taiwan) with the pER-1 expression level appeared to be several times higher than that of pER-2. These receptor variants were isolated using reverse transcription-PCR from the pig uteri and their sequences were determined. The pER-1 and pER-2 sequences, which are homologous to those found in other mammalian estrogen receptors, encode putative proteins consisting of 574 and 486 amino acids, respectively. A deletion in exon I was identified in both sequences, with deletion lengths of 63 bp in pER-1 and 327 bp in pER-2. The deletion in pER-1 is internal to that in pER-2 and both deletions resulted in a truncation of the B domain, which confers the transactivating activity of estrogen receptor protein. This result describes the existence of estrogen receptor variants with a deletion in exon I and implies the possibility that physiological functioning of an estrogen receptor may not require the presence of an intact B domain.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제15권9호
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• pp.1307-1311
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• 2002

Twelve dietary combinations were prepared using 70 parts of fermented wheat straw (FWS) as the sole roughage supplemented with 30 parts of either the low protein concentrate mixture (Conc.-I), high protein concentrate mixture (conc.-II), maize grains (M), solvent extracted mustard cake (DMC), deoiled rice bran (DRB), uromol bran mixture (UBM), deep stacked poultry litter (DSPL), dried poultry droppings (DPD), M-DMC mixture (50:50), M-UBM mixture (50:50), M-DPD mixture (50:50) or M-UBM-DPD mixture (50:25:25) and evaluated by in-sacco technique. The above dietary combinations were also evaluated by changing the roughage to concentrate ratio to 60:40. The digestion kinetics for DM and CP revealed that FWS:DPD had the highest, whereas, the FWS:M-DMC had the lowest rapidly soluble fraction. The potentially degradable fraction was found to be maximum in FWS:M and minimum in FWS:DPD dietary combinations. The higher degradation rate of FWS:DRB and FWS:UBM combinations was responsible for their significantly (p<0.05) higher effective degradability as compared to other combinations. The highest undegradable fraction noted in FWS:M-UBM-DPD followed by FWS:DMC was responsible for high rumen fill values. The FWS:DRB, FWS:UBM and FWS:DPD combinations had higher potential for DM intake. The dietary combination with higher concentrate level (60:40) was responsible for higher potentially degradable fraction, which was degraded at a faster rate resulting in significantly higher effective degradability as compared to the corresponding dietary combination with low concentrate level (70:30). The low undegradable fraction in the high concentrate diet was responsible for low rumen fill values, which predicted of high potential for DM intake. Out of 24 dietary combinations, FWS with either of UBM, DRB, DMC, Maize, M-DMC or DPD in 70:30 ratio supplemented with minerals and vitamin A in comparison to conventional feeding practice (roughage and concentrate mixture) could be exploited as complete feed for different categories of ruminants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.939-943
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• 1999

Three 28 day-old $Duroc{\times}Large$ $White{\times}Landrace$ litter mate gilts weighing an average of 6.5 kg were used to study the intestinal absorption of amino acids when provided in dipeptide form or in the form of a free amino acid mixture. The pigs were given one of three treatments. The control involved a duodenal infusion containing no amino-acids (phosphate buffer plus 5% sorbitol) while the remaining two treatments involved either a duodenal infusion containing a glycine-lysine dipeptide (1 g) or a mixture of the free amino acids glycine and lysine at the same concentration as in the dipeptide. Blood was drawn from a cannula inserted in the portal vein, at 5 to 20 minute intervals, for two hours following infusion. The concentration of intact dipeptide as well as free glycine and lysine in the portal blood was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The intact dipeptide was never detected in the portal blood at any time after infusion. Lysine appeared in the portal blood more rapidly after infusion of dipeptide than after infusion of free lysine and the concentration of lysine in portal blood was higher in the pig infused with the dipeptide than after infusion of free lysine at almost all time points measured. The cumulative absorption of lysine and glycine from the intestine during the two hour period after infusion was greater in the pig infused with dipeptide than in the pig infused with free amino acids. The results suggest that although intact dipeptide did not reach he portal circulation, a special transport mechanism for absorption of dipeptide by intestinal cells appears to be present in pigs similar to that observed in other species.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.888-893
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• 2000

The present study was conducted to evaluate heterosis effects of body weight and jumping height for successive generations of rotational crossing using two subspecies of mice which are very different in body weight and in genetic relationship from each other. Domesticated laboratory mouse $CF_{{\sharp}1}$ (C) and Yonakuni wild mouse (Y) were used as materials. Two groups of rotational crossing was made according to the parent used at the beginning of crosses, C male$\times$Y female and Y male$\times$C female. These crosses were done to produce the first ($G_1$ and $G_1{^{\prime}}$), second ($G_2$ and $G_2{^{\prime}}$) and third generations ($G_3$ and $G_3{^{\prime}}$) with sire used was alternated. Individual body weights were weighed at 1 (wk1), 3 (wk3), 6 (wk6) and 10 weeks of age (wk10) and jumping heights were measured at six weeks of age (wk6). Only the first litter used. For body weight, results of this study showed that genetic group effects were significant (p<0.01) source of variation at all ages studied. Sex effects were significant (p<0.01) at wk3, wk6 and wk10, but not at wk1. Significant interaction effects (p<0.01) between genetic group and sex were found at wk6 and wk10. The C mice with large maternal effects produced heavier offspring body weight and crosses using sire of this subspecies maintained heavy weight compared to wild Y mouse sire that has small body size. Heterosis tended to exist at the rotational crossing started from Y male C female. For jumping height, effects of genetic group and sex were significant, sire and dam effects (heterosis) exhibited from the first to third generations, and no maternal effects were observed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.909-914
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• 2006

The goal of this study was to investigate the behavior of sows and their piglets reared using the non-all-in all-out system and the all-in all-out system during a 3-week lactation period. The 24 Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire sows (range of parity: 2 to 4) and their litters (range of litter size: 8 to 13 piglets) for each treatment (8 sows/replication) were used in this experiment. The sows were housed in farrowing crates ($0.6{\times}2.1m$) located in pens ($2.4{\times}1.8m$) with totally perforated metal flooring. The crates were kept in an experimental room that was thermostatically controlled to approximately $23^{\circ}C$. A 250-W infrared heat lamp was turned on above the creep area during lactation. The sows and piglets were conventionally managed. The animals were recorded during a 24-h period at 1, 4, 7, 14 and 21 days postpartum. The videotapes were scanned every minute to obtain an instantaneous behavioral sample. In the behaviors of sows, lateral recumbency decreased and ventral recumbency increased from 1 day postpartum to 21 days postpartum. In comparison to the AIAOS, sows in the NAIAOS spent much less time on lateral recumbency (p<0.01), whereas they spent much more time on ventral recumbency and sitting at 4 days postpartum (p<0.05 and p<0.05). In the behaviors of piglets, lying increased and unsuccessful suckling decreased until 21 days postpartum. Compared to the AIAOS at 4 days postpartum, piglets in the NAIAOS spent less time lying (p<0.01), whereas they spent much more time walking and unsuccessful suckling (p<0.01 and p<0.05). These results suggest that the all-in all-out system may be preferable to the non-all-in all-out system for promoting welfare.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.246-253
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Chinese medicine granule (CMG, including Cortex Phellodendron, Atractylodes Rhizome, Agastache Rugosa and Gypsum Fibrosum) on absorption and transport of glucose in porcine small intestinal brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) under heat stress. Forty-eight 2-month-old Chinese experimental barrows were screened according to weight and litter origin, and then allotted to three groups and treated as follows: Normal temperature control group (NTCG; $23^{\circ}C$), high temperature control group (HTCG; $26^{\circ}C$ for 19 h, $40^{\circ}C$ for 5 h); Chinese medicine granule anti-stress group (CMGG; $26^{\circ}C$ for 19 h, $40^{\circ}C$ for 5 h) (n = 16 per group). The results showed that high temperature treatment decreased (p<0.05) the growth performance and intestinal glucose absorption but there was no change (p>0.05) in the expression of SGLT1 and GLUT2 genes in the small intestine of pigs compared with the NTCG. Dietary supplementation with CMG improved the growth performance, and increased the activity of disaccharidases in duodenum and jejunum of heat stressed pigs (p<0.05). CMG treatment increased (p<0.05) the protein levels of SGLT1 and GLUT2 in the small intestine, and up-regulated (p<0.05) the expression of SGLT1 and GLUT2 genes in the duodenum and jejunum but without changing (p>0.05) them in the ileum compared with the HTCG. These results indicated that CMG treatment significantly improved porcine growth performance, and increased intestinal glucose absorption and transport by BBMVs under heat stress, in addition to up-regulating the expression of SGLT1 and GLUT2 genes in porcine duodenum and jejunum.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.343-348
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• 2013

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the development of T cells in intrauterine growth retarded (IUGR) piglets at different gestational stages, and tentatively explore the relationship between T cells development and the Notch signaling pathway. A total of 18 crossbred (Landrace${\times}$Large white) primiparous sows were mated at similar weights and estruses and euthanized at d 60, 90 and 110 of gestation with six replicates for each time point. One IUGR and one normal fetus were picked from each litter. The T-cell subsets, mRNA expression of Delta-like1, Delta-like4, Jagged1, and Notch2 genes in the thymus were investigated. Compared to normal piglets, $CD3^+CD4^-CD8^+$ cells in IUGR fetuses at d 90 was 0.13% lower (p<0.05). At d 110 of gestation $CD8^+$ T cells in IUGR fetuses was 0.19% lower (p<0.05). The percentage of $CD8^+$ T cells was 3.14% lower (p<0.05) of the total T cells in IUGR pigs at d 60. The abundance of Notch2 and Delta-like4 mRNA at d 110 was 20.93% higher and 0.77% (p<0.05) lower, and Delta-like1 mRNA at d 90 was 0.19% (p<0.05) higher compared to normal pigs. These results suggested that normal fetuses had a greater proportion of T-cell subsets at earlier gestation periods, and the Notch signaling pathway was likely partially responsible for these differences to some degree.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제24권8호
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• pp.1142-1147
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• 2011

Lysine intake during gestation has a major impact on subsequent reproductive performance. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of lysine intake from mid-gestation until farrowing on the reproductive performance of multiparous sows. On day 30 of gestation, 200 Landrace${\times}$Large White sows were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on body weight and parity (n = 50). The gestation diets contained 0.46, 0.56, 0.65 or 0.74% lysine. Increasing dietary lysine concentration improved sow body condition at farrowing and increased litter weights (p<0.05). Dietary lysine level also had a significant effect on the dry matter (p<0.05) and protein content (p<0.05) of colostrum. Increased lysine intake increased serum insulin concentration (p<0.05) and there was a trend towards increased serum prolactin content (linear, p = 0.07). However, increased lysine tended to decrease blood urea N (quadratic, p = 0.05). These results suggest that higher lysine levels (0.65-0.75%) than those recommended by the National Research Council improved reproductive performance for multiparous gestating sows and this increase may be partially mediated through blood metabolites or metabolic hormone levels.