Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Oocyte Quality: Molecular Constituents Altered In The Oocyte Due To Various Environmental Factors, Lindsay Cox Dec 2016

Oocyte Quality: Molecular Constituents Altered In The Oocyte Due To Various Environmental Factors, Lindsay Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An estimated 1.6 million American couples struggle with infertility. Some causes for poor fertility can be clearly defined but in many instances, subfertility is unexplained. Poor oocyte quality is now considered to be a main contributing factor for many causes of infertility. Good oocyte quality is crucial for many processes including embryo development and maintaining pregnancy. There is a possibility that any alterations to the oocyte can have long lasting effects on embryo development and the health of the offspring. The oocyte is very sensitive to any perturbations to its surrounding environment. Transcripts for apoptosis inhibitors and epigenetic modifiers were …


Quantitative And Qualitative Nutritional Analysis Of Gvsu Managed Honey Bee Colonies, Emily Noordyke, Anne Marie Fauvel Nov 2016

Quantitative And Qualitative Nutritional Analysis Of Gvsu Managed Honey Bee Colonies, Emily Noordyke, Anne Marie Fauvel

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Managed honeybee colonies are in significant decline worldwide. The interaction between poor nutrition, pests and diseases, and pesticide use are most cited as potential culprits for the precarious state of the beekeeping industry. By evaluating food coming into the hive, conclusions can be drawn about the quality of hive location and forage availability. Pollen from an apiary with historically low honey production and poor colony health was compared to pollen from an apiary with high honey production and good colony health. Pollen was collected weekly in a 24-hour period, hive weight was monitored, and colonies were assessed for overall growth …


The Effects Of Zinc Supplementation From Two Sources On Egg Quality And Bone Health In Laying Hens, Kelli Marie Martin Aug 2016

The Effects Of Zinc Supplementation From Two Sources On Egg Quality And Bone Health In Laying Hens, Kelli Marie Martin

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of this study was to compare zinc sources and levels of supplementation on laying hen performance. Bovan White Leghorn hens were fed one of six dietary treatments in a 2x3 factorial arrangement consisting of two zinc sources (Availa®Zn or zinc sulfate) and three levels (40, 80, or 120 ppm). Treatments were randomly assigned to 48 cages with five hens/cage. Blocks provided eight replicates/treatment. Hens were housed in a tiered manure belt housing system providing 97.2 cm2/hen. Hens were given 110 g/hen/day of feed ad libitum. Feed intake, egg production, egg weights, egg components, eggshell strength, body …


Proteomic Characterization Of Eggshell Membranes And Their Effect On Poultry Physiology And Immunity, Sarbjeet Kaur Makkar May 2016

Proteomic Characterization Of Eggshell Membranes And Their Effect On Poultry Physiology And Immunity, Sarbjeet Kaur Makkar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of antibiotics in poultry growth and disease control has led to antibiotics resistant problem in human beings, which is a big concern among consumers. With the necessity for judicious use of antibiotics in poultry production, alternative strategies to improve disease resistance in poultry production are necessary. The research is more inclined towards using the natural products available to grow healthier and antibiotic free meat animals. In the context of exploring natural and sustainable resource of alternative to antibiotics, the biochemical milieu of eggshell membranes (ESM) were analyzed by using mass spectrometry techniques including matrix assisted laser desorption ionization …


Effects Of Nutrition On Female Leopard Geckos, Lisa Keys, Dennis M. Ferraro Apr 2016

Effects Of Nutrition On Female Leopard Geckos, Lisa Keys, Dennis M. Ferraro

UCARE Research Products

Nutrition has a dramatic effect on animal’s bodies and behaviors as they go through their lives. Looking at the effects of nutrition on captive animals is crucial to providing future animals with better lives. Since captive animals don’t get the variety of food items that they would get in the wild, supplementation is often used to meet the minimum dietary requirements. Looking at how supplementation affects female leopard geckos at breeding size, there were both positive and negative correlations with different supplementations used. After taking body measurements on females over several months on one kind of additional supplement, the control …


How Microbial Communities Differ In Ruminants On A Glycerin Vs Common Diet, Makala Muller, Nirosh D. Aluthge, Allison L. Knoell, Morgan Kaiser, Samodha C. Fernando Apr 2016

How Microbial Communities Differ In Ruminants On A Glycerin Vs Common Diet, Makala Muller, Nirosh D. Aluthge, Allison L. Knoell, Morgan Kaiser, Samodha C. Fernando

UCARE Research Products

Can we reduce methane by using dietary interventions to reduce carbon footprint and increase feed efficiency? Ruminant livestock account for a significant amount of the anthropogenic methane produced in the U.S. All ruminant livestock produce 28% of the earth’s methane emissions. The methane within ruminants is produced by a microbial fermentation, especially by a group of bacteria known as the methanogens. However, the different species of methanogens and their pathways of methane production within ruminants are not fully understood. Cattle are considered one of the main producers of methane. They produce 20% of the U.S. methane emissions. Methane absorbs more …


Circulating Amino Acids In Blood Plasma During The Peripartal Period In Dairy Cows With Different Liver Functionality Index, Z. Zhou, J. J. Loor, F. Piccioli-Cappelli, F. Librandi, G. E. Lobley, E. Trevisi Mar 2016

Circulating Amino Acids In Blood Plasma During The Peripartal Period In Dairy Cows With Different Liver Functionality Index, Z. Zhou, J. J. Loor, F. Piccioli-Cappelli, F. Librandi, G. E. Lobley, E. Trevisi

Physiology Collection

The liver functionality index (LFI) measures the changes of albumin, cholesterol, and bilirubin concentrations between 3 and 28 d postpartum. This composite index, based on variables with direct relevance to liver-specific plasma protein synthesis (albumin), hepatic/intestinal lipoprotein synthesis (cholesterol), and clearance of breakdown products of heme catabolism (bilirubin), provides a tool for evaluating manifestations of hepatic disease. Both energy and protein metabolism are likely to be affected by various physiological challenges in this period but have not been tested systematically. The present study was conducted to profile AA in cows with high or low LFI during the peripartal period …


Body Condition Score And Plane Of Nutrition Prepartum Affect Adipose Tissue Transcriptome Regulators Of Metabolism And Inflammation In Grazing Dairy Cows During The Transition Period, M. Vailati-Riboni, M. Kanwal, O. Bulgari, S. Meier, N. V. Priest, C. R. Burke, J. K. Kay, S. Mcdougall, M. D. Mitchell, C. G. Walker, M. Crookenden, A. Heiser, J. R. Roche, J. J. Loor Jan 2016

Body Condition Score And Plane Of Nutrition Prepartum Affect Adipose Tissue Transcriptome Regulators Of Metabolism And Inflammation In Grazing Dairy Cows During The Transition Period, M. Vailati-Riboni, M. Kanwal, O. Bulgari, S. Meier, N. V. Priest, C. R. Burke, J. K. Kay, S. Mcdougall, M. D. Mitchell, C. G. Walker, M. Crookenden, A. Heiser, J. R. Roche, J. J. Loor

Physiology Collection

Recent studies demonstrating a higher incidence of metabolic disorders after calving have challenged the management practice of increasing dietary energy density during the last ~3 wk prepartum. Despite our knowledge at the whole-animal level, the tissue-level mechanisms that are altered in response to feeding management prepartum remain unclear. Our hypothesis was that prepartum body condition score (BCS), in combination with feeding management, plays a central role in the peripartum changes associated with energy balance and inflammatory state. Twenty-eight mid-lactation grazing dairy cows of mixed age and breed were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups in a 2 × …


The Effects Of Varying Levels Of Dietary Starch On Reproductivetraits In Lactating Dairy Cows, Abdulkadi̇r Keski̇n, Hidir Gençoğlu, Gülnaz Meci̇toğlu, İsmai̇l Çeti̇n, Çağdaş Kara, Duygu Udum Küçükşen, Ebru Bi̇len, Bariş Güner, Abdülkadi̇r Orman, Ahmet Gümen Jan 2016

The Effects Of Varying Levels Of Dietary Starch On Reproductivetraits In Lactating Dairy Cows, Abdulkadi̇r Keski̇n, Hidir Gençoğlu, Gülnaz Meci̇toğlu, İsmai̇l Çeti̇n, Çağdaş Kara, Duygu Udum Küçükşen, Ebru Bi̇len, Bariş Güner, Abdülkadi̇r Orman, Ahmet Gümen

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of three different dietary starch levels on postpartum milk yield, blood metabolites, and reproductive traits in cows. A total of 23 primiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were fed three different diets including different starch levels on a dry matter basis from parturition until day 80. Cows were randomly assigned into the three groups according to the starch levels: low (LS, 16%, n = 7), medium (MS, 20%, n = 8), and high (HS, 24%, n = 8). Milk yields were recorded daily, and body condition score (BCS) was determined every week. Transrectal …


The Effect Of Copper And Zinc Source On Pre-Weaning Performance Of Cows, Health And Performance Of Suckling Calves, And Post-Weaning Feedlot Performance, Carcass Composition, And Meat Quality Of Calves, Jesse Fulton Jan 2016

The Effect Of Copper And Zinc Source On Pre-Weaning Performance Of Cows, Health And Performance Of Suckling Calves, And Post-Weaning Feedlot Performance, Carcass Composition, And Meat Quality Of Calves, Jesse Fulton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During gestation an elevated level of nutrient intake is required by the cow in order to meet the requirements of the maturing fetus and if these requirements are not met, changes in fetal development can occur. However, little is understood about the effects of gestational manipulation of specific nutrients, such as minerals, on progeny growth, performance and carcass traits. Previous research supports the hypothesis that minerals provided in an organic form should be more soluble and readily available to the body for absorption. Therefore the objectives of this study were to determine if source of gestational and post-natal Cu and …


Black Soldier Fly Larvae Manual, Haeree H. Park Jan 2016

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Manual, Haeree H. Park

Student Showcase

This manual is a resource for fisheries, hatcheries, and farms of all types that wish to exercise a sustainable management system utilizing black soldier fly larvae through the minimization of waste. Although black soldier fly larvae can be fed to small livestock such as chickens and rodents, this project and manual are tailored specifically to freshwater fish in hopes of closing the significant gap and inefficiencies of fish management and subsequent waste throughout the New England coastal area. There is an evident opportunity to harness black soldier fly larvae’s extraordinary bioconversion of organic matter that can lead to not only …


Improving Feed Efficiency Through Forage Strategies For Increasing Dairy Profitability And Sustainability, Jon Patrick Pretz Jan 2016

Improving Feed Efficiency Through Forage Strategies For Increasing Dairy Profitability And Sustainability, Jon Patrick Pretz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three studies were conducted to determine production parameters and study specific hypothesis in regard to improving feed efficiency through various forage utilization strategies with or without the inclusion of various supplemented products. The first study evaluated the supplementation of a cobalt-lactate product and its effects on fiber digestibility and milk production parameters when fed to cows consuming a 70% forage diet. Treatments included: 1) CONTROL diet containing 12.5 mg/cow/d of cobalt (carbonate carbonate) and 2) TEST diet being the same basal diet but including an additional 50 mg/cow/d of cobalt via a 1% Co-lactate product (Co-Max®). In a feeding trial …


Examination Of The Effects Breed And Nutrition Have On The Milk Protein Profile Produced By Lactating Dairy Cattle, Rinske Tacoma Jan 2016

Examination Of The Effects Breed And Nutrition Have On The Milk Protein Profile Produced By Lactating Dairy Cattle, Rinske Tacoma

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Milk is a highly nutritious natural product and research over the last 10 years has proven that these milk proteins not only provide a rich source of amino acids to the consumer but also contains many bioactive proteins and peptides known to exert biological activity benefitting human health. In this research, proteomic methods were first used to characterize the low abundance proteome within the skim milk fraction produced by Holstein and Jersey dairy cows maintained under the same diet, management and environmental conditions. Milk samples were collected over a seven day period from six Holstein and six Jersey dairy cows. …


Effect Of Direct-Fed Microbials And Enzyme Supplementation In Prepartum Holstein Cows On Colostrum And Calf Immunity, Erin M. Shangraw Jan 2016

Effect Of Direct-Fed Microbials And Enzyme Supplementation In Prepartum Holstein Cows On Colostrum And Calf Immunity, Erin M. Shangraw

Honors Theses and Capstones

In cows, colostrum is composed of several antibodies and nutrients to provide immunity and energy to the calf. Feeding calves high quality colostrum has been shown to improve calf health, leading to reduced mortality in calves and greater milk production in cows. The addition of direct-fed microbials (DFM) to cow diets has been theorized to improve feed efficiency and milk production, with studies showing mixed results. However, few experiments have studied the effect of feeding DFM on colostrum quality. In this experiment two treatments were given, 1) DFM and 2) DFM and enzymes (DFME). Colostrum was …