Rice bran (RB) is a major by-product, produced from the rice milling process. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance, egg quality, and blood biochemical parameters of 288 Hy-line laying hens fed diets with rice bran and commercial microbial phytase Natuphos®5000. The experiment was a 4×2 factorial one with four RB levels (0, 5, 10, and 15%) by two phytase levels (0 and 5000 FTU/kg...

A nonresonant femtosecond laser pulse, with an intensity of 10(13) Wcm(-2), vaporizes proteins and biomolecules intact, regardless of molecular structure, size or electronic structure for subsequent electrospray ionization and transfer into a mass spectrometer. Rapid, direct analysis from dried sample, aqueous solution and cellular material is demonstrated at atmospheric pressure using laser el...

In ectotherms, environmental temperature is the most prominent abiotic factor that modulates lifehistory traits. We explored the influence of environmental temperature on reproduction in the Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura picta) by measuring reproductive traits of females at constant temperatures (24, 27, 30 1C). Females of this species lay clutches of one or two eggs within short intervals...

Correlative scanning electron, transmission electron, and light microscopy were utilized to study the morphogenic events occurring during mouse blastocyst outgrowth and early-egg-cylinder development in vitro. After hatching and attachment of blastocysts on the plastic surface, the blastocoelic cavity collapses as the mural trophoblasts spread and migrate outward. The inner cell mass is covered...

This experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of different sources of natural pigments on yolk color and laying hen performance. A completely randomized design with six treatments and six replicates was used.The six experimental treatments were: a control diet containing yellow corn grain, a reference diet containing wheat and barley grain instead of corn; a red pepper diet composed of refe...

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of micronization (infrared heat treatment), dehulling, or enzyme supplementation on the nutritive value of three cultivars (Impala, Radley, and Sirius) of peas in laying hens. In Experiment 1, 280 White Leghorn hens were fed diets containing micronized and dehulled peas for a period of 12 wk. The dietary inclusion of peas was 600 g/kg (cor...

In ectothermic species, females often produce larger eggs in colder environments. Models based on energetic constraints suggest that this pattern is an adaptation to compensate for the slower growth of offspring in the cold. Yet, females in cold environments also tend to be larger than females in warm environments. Consequently, thermal clines in egg size could be caused by pelvic constraints, ...

Varied egg incubation temperatures can result in immediate effects on the phenotype of reptiles, and also latent effects that can augment or contradict effects evident at egg hatching. I examined the effects of incubation temperature on embryonic development, hatching morphology, and subsequent growth in multiple populations of the lizard Anolis carolinensis. Eggs from wild-caught females in fo...