The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin E on reproductive and productive parameters in Japanese quails. A total number of 240 female and 80 male Japanese quail were divided into five treatments with four replications in a completely randomized design. Experimental diets were zero control, 30, 60, 120 and 240 mg kg-1 of vitamin E. Fertility and total hatchability wer...

This study investigates, in red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), the effects of the time to change from incubation to hatching temperature on egg weight loss, hatchability, chick weight at hatch, incubation length, and development stage at embryonic mortality. Five batches of 80 eggs each were incubated at 37.8°C during the first 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 d of incubation, and subsequently at 37.5°...

The phenology of Lacanobia subjuncta (Grote & Robinson) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was investigated in 30 apple orchards in central Washington state and northeastern Oregon from 1998 to 2001 (57 total orchard-yr). Adult captures in pheromone-baited traps were fit to a Weibull distribution to model emergence of the first and second generations. Initial capture of first generation adults was observ...

The effects of broadleaf tobacco, tomato, and black nightshade on juvenile hatch and reproduction of Globodera tabacum tabacum were determined in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Root exudates from nightshade stimulated greater egg hatch than those from either 'Rutgers' tomato or '86-4' tobacco. Hatch was greater at higher proportions of root exudates for all three plant species. Root exu...

The HATCH score (hypertension <1 point>, age >75 years <1 point>, stroke or transient ischemic attack <2 points>, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease <1 point>, and heart failure <2 points>) was reported to be useful for predicting the progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) from paroxysmal to persistent or permanent AF for patients who participated in the Euro Heart Survey. The goal of the c...

The changes in body weight and composition were examined in broilers that either had immediate access to feed and water or had not been fed for 48 h posthatch. Chicks without access to feed decreased in BW by 7.8% in the 48 h posthatch, which was equivalent to 5.3 kcal/45 g chick/d. However, during this period the small intestines increased in weight and protein content by 80% or more. The decr...

Using zebrafish embryos and larvae, we examined the temporal patterns of cortisol and expression of genes involved in corticosteroid synthesis and signaling. Embryonic cortisol levels decreased approximately 70% from 1.5 h postfertilization (hpf) to hatch (approximately 42 hpf) and then increased 27-fold by 146 hpf. The mRNA abundances of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, 11beta-hydroxyla...

Ingestion of carbohydrates from the small intestine is the major route of energy supply in animals. In mammals these functions develop both pre- and postnatally and are coordinated for the sucking period. In birds, the physiological requirements are different and hatchlings ingest diets rich in complex carbohydrates soon after hatching. The present study examined the ontogeny of intestinal carb...

A 12-wk laying trial, using 240 hens and 24 cocks of 52-wk old Fayoumi chicken strain, was conducted to determine whether hatchability can be improved by dietary biotin supplementation during the late stages of egg production and to study its effect on progeny performance. Birds were divided into 4 equal groups of 6 replicates each. A corn-soybean meal basal layer diet was formulated to contain...

Competition among domesticated plants or animals can have a dramatic negative impact on yield of a stand or farm. The usual quantitative genetic model ignores these competitive interactions and could result in seriously incorrect breeding decisions and acerbate animal well-being. A general solution to this problem is given, for either forest tree breeding or penned animals, with mixed-model met...