Life Sciences Commons^™

Heat And Moisture Production And Dissipation In Beef Cattle, John A. Nienaber, G. Leroy Hahn, Anders Ehrlemark

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Calorimetry or the measurement of heat transfer between animals and the environment has been conducted at U.S. Meat Animal Research Center for several years. The primary objective of calorimetry has been the evaluation of maintenance energy requirements of animals. For cattle, maintenance requirements for either lactation or growth have been of interest.

Calorimetry can also provide information useful in evaluating heat dissipation by animals in various environments. Recent measurements were completed at U.S. Meat Animal Research Center by a Swedish engineer to provide answers to a beef housing problem. Current information has proven to be inadequate for the design of …

Identification Of Twin Pregnancies In Cattle By Ultrasonography, Sherrill E. Echternkamp, Keith E. Gregory

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The increased twinning frequency (Le., approximately 25%) in the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center twinning project has resulted in additional management requirements to achieve survival of twin calves and timely rebreeding of their dams. Previously, neonatal survival of twin calves (Le., within 24 hr after calving) was about 82% compared to 97% survival for singleborn calves. Although twin calves are smaller at birth than single-born calves (34.3 vs 44.8 kg), the incidence of calving difficulty (dystocia) is increased in twin pregnancies (35% vs 23% for twins vs singles, respectively) due to abnormal positioning of the calves within the uterus. The …

Improving The Microbiological Quality Of Meat, James S. Dickson, Gregory R. Siragusa

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Microbial contamination of animal carcasses is a result of the necessary procedures required to process live animals into retail meat. The contamination can be minimized by good manufacturing processes, but the total elimination of bacteria of public health significance is difficult, if not impossible. A variety of methods have been developed to improve the microbiological quality of meat, although most of the current methods focus on washing and sanitizing the carcasses, prior to chilling.

The beef slaughter process begins by humanely stunning the animal, bleeding, and then removing the hooves and head. The hide is removed, and the carcass is …

Is Fiber Digestion In The Rumen Reduced By Catabolite Repression?, Kevin L. Anderson, Vincent H. Varel

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Bacteria which degrade cellulose play a key role in animal digestion of plant material. As with all bacteria, these cellulolytic bacteria are able to regulate their growth and enzymatic activity by a number of mechanisms. One of these regulatory mechanisms may be catabolite repression.

This repression refers to the ability of certain bacteria to stop the metabolism of one substrate in preference to a second substrate. Sometimes termed "glucose effect," this repression is observed, for example, as the bacterium Escherichia coli grows on lactose. When glucose is then added to the growth medium, E. coli will stop utilizing lactose and …

Meat Tenderness And The Calpain Enzyme System In Young Bulls And Steers, Tommy L. Wheeler, J. Brad Morgan, Mohammad Koohmaraie, Jeff W. Savell, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Comparisons of meat palatability between bulls and steers have indicated that meat from young bulls is more variable in tenderness. In addition, meat from bulls is usually numerically less tender, although the difference is frequently not statistically significant. This indicates that meat from bulls is only slightly, but consistently less tender than meat from steers.

Numerous studies have attempted to link bull meat toughness to higher amounts and decreased solubility of connective tissue. However, it has been reported that this change in bull meat does not occur until 12 to 16 mo of age. It has been shown conclusively, using …

Predicting The Growth Of Salmonellae On Beef, James S. Dickson, Gregory R. Siragusa, James E. Wray Jr.

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Bacterial contamination of fresh meats can occur during normal slaughter and handling procedures, although this contamination can be minimized by adhering to good hygienic practices during slaughter. Since the bacteria are confined almost exclusively to the carcass surface as compared to the deep muscle tissue, procedures which can control the survival and growth of bacteria on tissue surfaces are of interest to both the meat industry and regulatory agencies. Chilling, either by forced air or water spray systems, is used universally to reduce the growth of bacteria on animal carcasses. However, because of the initial heat in an animal carcass, …

Genes Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In Cattle, Roger T. Stone, Noelle E. Muggli-Cockett

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The search for simple genetic traits that can be used as markers to predict variation in more complex genetic traits has been ongoing for several decades. For a given gene to be useful as a marker, it must have multiple forms, alleles, that are readily identifiable. Also, the frequency for the different alleles of the gene in a population must be such that most animals have two forms of the gene instead of one, otherwise statistical analysis is difficult. Only a few relationships between markers and production traits reported thus far have been utilized in production practices, presumably because of …

Scrotal Thermography As A Tool For Predicting Semen Quality And Natural-Mating Fertility In Young Beef Bulls, Donald D. Lunstra, Glenn H. Coulter

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The scientific literature offers only sparse information on mechanisms controlling reproductive function in beef bulls and indicates that there are very few consistent relationships between the commonly evaluated male reproductive characteristics and variations in natural-mating fertility of beef bulls. Current techniques for evaluating and predicting reproductive potential of bulls are ineffective, and the beef cattle industry selects breeding males on the basis of appearance, growth rate, size, and other factors of little relationship to reproductive potential. Reproductive merit is five times more important economically than is growth performance and at least ten times more important than product quality for the …

The Effectiveness Of Subjecting Bos Indicus Crossbred Beef Carcasses To Higher Temperatures To Improve Tenderness, Georgianna Whipple, Mohammad Koohmaraie, Michael E. Dikeman, John D. Crouse

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Many studies have evaluated changes that occur in muscle during the aging process and how they relate to meat tenderness. Other research has shown that subjecting carcasses to higher temperatures soon after slaughter speeds the aging process that ultimately results in improved tenderness. Several things may explain this effect. The higher temperature causes the pH (acidity) of the muscle to decrease faster. Also, the combination of lower pH and higher temperature could promote an earlier release of calcium into the muscle, which normally occurs in muscle tissue after slaughter. This increase in calcium concentration in turn activates the calpain enzyme …

Germplasm Utilization In Beef Cattle, Keith E. Gregory, Larry V. Cundiff, Robert M. Koch, Donald D. Lunstra

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Heterosis achieved through continuous crossbreeding can be used to increase weight of calf weaned per cow exposed to breeding by 20%. Comprehensive programs of breed characterization have revealed large differences among breeds for most bioeconomic traits. About 55% of the U.S. beef breeding population involving 93% of the farmers and ranchers who produce beef cattle are in production units of 100 or fewer cows. Optimum crossbreeding systems are difficult to adapt in herds that use fewer than four bulls. Further, fluctuation in breed composition between generations in rotational crossbreeding systems can result in considerable variation among both cows and calves …

Use Of Calcium Alginate To Immobilize Antimicrobial Agents On Beef Tissue, Gregory R. Siragusa, James S. Dickson

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Even under the best of slaughtering and processing conditions, beef carcasses will become naturally contaminated with some bacteria from the animal's hide, hair, hooves, and the abattoir environment. This contamination is mostly composed of bacteria which are harmless, but which can ultimately cause spoilage of the beef. The shelflife of raw beef is largely determined by the numbers and types of these bacteria. Since some bacterial contamination will always be present on beef, it is desirable to reduce these numbers to decrease the rate of spoilage, increase refrigerated shelflife, and further ensure the microbiological safety of raw beef before consumption. …

Use Of Crossbreeding And Breed Differences To Meet Specific Targets For Production And Carcass Traits Of Beef Cattle, Keith E. Gregory, Larry V. Cundiff, Robert M. Koch

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The specific requirements for effective use of breed differences to meet specific production and market requirements are: (1) accurate assessment of production resources in regard to availability and costs, (2) accurate assessment of market requirements; Le., value differences in carcass composition associated with yield grade and quality grade, and (3) accurate current characterization of breeds in regard to such traits as: (a) growth rate and size, (b) carcass composition, (c) milk production, and (d) age at puberty. This information is needed to identify contributing breeds to use in alternative mating systems to achieve specific targets for production and carcass traits. …

The Relationship Of Metabolic Hormones, Nutrition, And Postpartum Anestrus In Different Biological Types Of Cattle, Andrew J. Roberts, Russell A. Nugent Iii, Thomas G. Jenkins, John M. Klindt

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Restricted energy intake can suppress the overall productivity of cattle. Restricted energy intake can decrease overall productivity of beef cows through, among other traits, decreased milk production, calf performance, and reproduction. However, failure of a cow to conceive is the major component affecting the overall production efficiency of the cow herd. In a companion report included in this publication ("Postpartum Interval Is Influenced by Nutritional Environment and Biological Type"), we demonstrated that the postpartum intervals for breeds of cattle with different genetic potentials for growth and milk production were differentially affected by restricted energy availability. This report, along with numerous …

Relationships Of Thymic Peptides Thymosin Α1 And Β4 With Reproductive Status: Puberty And Estrus, Thomas H. Wise, Michael L. Day, James E. Kinder, Ralph R. Maurer

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The thymus gland has been analyzed in depth in relation to its immunological function, but new evidence is accumulating that the thymus and its endocrine secretions (interferons, interleukins, thymic peptides) may be required for normal reproduction. The thymus gland regresses at puberty and pregnancy, indicative of the effect of gonadal steroids on the gland. Steroidal interactions have been hypothesized to mediate the secretion of some thymic peptides. Thymosin β₄, a thymic peptide, seems to have an integrative role in gonadal function by promoting the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone whereas thymosin α₁ causes the release of adrenocorticotrophin …

Superovulation Of Cows By Initiating Fsh Treatments During The First Few Days After Estrus, Andrew J. Roberts, Sherrill E. Echternkamp

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Superovulation of cattle is a technique being used in conjunction with embryo transfer to expedite the propagation of animals with genetic merit for desirable traits. Briefly, these techniques involve the induction of multiple ovulations during one estrous cycle by administering multiple injections of a hormone called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Under ideal conditions this treatment will result in multiple embryos. These embryos can then be collected from the cow and transferred to recipient cows of lesser value, which act as surrogate dams. These techniques allow the production of many calves from one cow within a year as opposed to the …

Biological Action Of Mycotoxins, Roger A. Coulombe Jr.

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Mycotoxins are ubiquitous, mold-produced toxins that contaminate a wide variety of foods and feeds. Ingestion of mycotoxins cause a range of toxic responses, from acute toxicity to long-term or chronic health disorders. Some mycotoxins have caused outbreaks of human toxicoses, and at least one mycotoxin, aflatoxin B1, is a presumed human hepatocarcinogen. As part of a comprehensive effort to curtail the adverse health effects posed by mycotoxins, substantial research has been conducted to determine the mechanism of action of mycotoxins in animals. This review presents some of the current knowledge on the biological action of four diverse classes of mycotoxins—aflatoxin …

Background Contaminants Evaluation Of The Republican River Drainage Colorado, Kansas, And Nebraska

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This study was conducted to determine background levels of metals and organochlorine compounds in aquatic habitats in the Republican River basin, a large watershed in eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming, southern Nebraska, and northwestern and northcentral Kansas. Reservoirs and their tributaries in the basin are concentration areas for bald eagles, migratory waterfowl, and occasionally for whooping cranes and other federally-listed threatened and endangered wildlife. The sampling was done to assess risk to federal trustee resources that use aquatic habitats in the basin.

We sampled sediments at 29 locations and fish at 30 locations on the Republican River and tributaries in eastern …

Metal And Organic Residues In Addled Eggs Of Least Terns And Piping Plovers In The Platte Valley Of Nebraska, Timothy E. Fannin, Brent J. Eamoil

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The threatened piping plover and the endangered interior least tern breed on the Platte River in Nebraska from the city of North Platte to the confluence with the Missouri River at Plattsmouth (Faanes 1983, Sidle et a/1988).

Major riverine nesting areas are the reaches from Lexington to Grand Island and from Columbus to Plattsmouth (Fig 1). Nesting habitat is sparsely vegetated or unvegetated islands, sandbars, or shorelines of the river.

An additional and important habitat is on the banks and islands within sand pits made by sand and gravel operations along the river.

In the initial nest of the year, …

Sequential Transformation For Multiple Traits For Estimation Of (Co)Variance Components With A Derivative-Free Algorithm For Restricted Maximum Likelihood, L. Dale Van Vleck, K. G. Boldman

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Transformation of multiple-trait records that undergo sequential selection can be used with derivative-free algorithms to maximize the restricted likelihood in estimation of covariance matrices as with derivative methods. Data transformation with appropriate parts of the Choleski decomposition of the current estimate of the residual covariance matrix results in mixed-model equations that are easily modified from round to round for calculation of the logarithm of the likelihood. The residual sum of squares is the same for transformed and untransformed analyses. Most importantly, the logarithm of the determinant of the untransformed coefficient matrix is an easily determined function of the Choleski decomposition …

Observations On The Pearl Oyster Fishery Of Kuwait, S. M. Almatar, Kent E. Carpenter, R. Jackson, S. H. Alhazeem, A. H. Alsaffar, A. R. A. Ghaffar, C. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The pearl oyster fishery of Kuwait was monitored daily from January 1989 to May 1990. Landings of pearl oysters in 1989 totaled 287 tons with a market value of U.S. $1.0 million. Commercial pearls (>3 mm) were estimated to be present in one of every 4200 oysters. Most of the pearl oysters landed were new recruits with hinge lengths between 40-56 mm. There was a curvilinear relationship between total weight and size of oysters (length) and the sex ratio approached 1:1. Spawning occurs throughout the year, with a spat settlement peak in early fall. Over the size range examined …

Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Tautog Tautoga Onitis (Labridae: Perciformes) From Coastal Waters Of Virginia, E. Brian Hostetter, Thomas A. Munroe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tautog Tautoga onitis are gaining popularity in Virginia's coastal waters as a recreational and food fish. Adult tautog are seasonally abundant on inshore hard-bottom habitats (1-10 m) and inhabit offshore areas (10-75 m) year-round. Juveniles, especially newly-settled recruits, inhabit vegetated areas in shallow water (usually < 1 m). From March 1979 to July 1986, tautog were collected in lower Chesapeake Bay and nearby coastal waters to examine age, growth, and sexual maturation. Age estimates were determined from annular marks on opercle bones: 82% of the fish were age-10 or younger, 18% exceeded age-10, and 1% were age-20 or older. Marginal increment analysis revealed that annuli formed concurrent with a protracted spawning season (April-July). The von Bertalanffy growth equation, derived from back-calculated mean lengths-at-age, was l(t) = 742 [1-e-0.085 (t-1.816)]. Tautog are long-lived (25+ yr) and attain relatively large sizes (672 mm TL) slowly (K for sexes combined = 0.085). Growth rates of both sexes are similar, although males grow slightly faster (K = 0.090 vs. 0.085 for females). Maturity occurs at age-3 in both sexes. Growth rates for tautog from Virginia are similar to those reported nearly 25 years ago for tautog in Rhode Island. Growth rates for tautog are similar to those of other reef fishes, such as snappers and groupers. Habitat restriction, slow growth, great longevity, and increasing popularity by user groups may contribute to over-exploitation of this species in Virginia waters.

An Investigation Of Trace Element Contamination At Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge, Kimberly Dickerson, Pedro Ramirez Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge (Bamforth) located in southeast
Wyoming serves as an important resting area for several species of migratory
waterbirds. Surveys were conducted in the summer months of 1992 to
determine bird use at Bamforth. Sediment, water, and biota were collected
from Bamforth to identify wetlands with potential contaminant problems that
may be affecting migratory waterbirds. Mercury and lead in water samples
were above criteria for the protection of aquatic life. Selenium levels in
vegetation and sediment were elevated above concentrations documented to
bioaccumulate and cause adverse reproductive effects in waterfowl. Selenium
levels in waterbird eggs were slightly greater …

Contaminants In Oil Field Produced Waters Discharged Into The Loch Katrine Wetland Complex, Park County, Wyoming And Their Bioconcentration In The Aquatic Bird Food Chain, Pedro Ramirez Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The 866-acre Loch Katrine wetland complex in Park County, Wyoming provides habitat for many species of aquatic birds. However, the complex is sustained primarily by oil field produced waters. This study was designed to determine if constituents in oil field produced waters discharged into Loch Katrine pose a risk to aquatic birds inhabiting the wetlands. Trace elements, hydrocarbons and radium-226 concentrations were analyzed in water, sediment and biota collected from the complex during 1992. Boron and radium-226 were present in the produced water discharge and are bioaccumulating in the food chain. Although not present in acute concentrations, elevated boron in …

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union 1993 Spring Meeting, South Sioux City, Nebraska, May 14-16, Todd Jensen

Nebraska Bird Review

Highlights of the 92nd Annual Business Meeting (condensed from notes by Todd Jensen, Secretary).

A special committee was appointed at the 1992 Annual Business Meeting to review and recommend changes in the current Articles of Incorporation, and the current and past Bylaws. These recommendations were presented by President George Brown to the 32 members present. After some debate, a motion was made by Emma Johnson, seconded by Ruth Green, that the Articles of Incorporation recommended by the committee be accepted. Motion carried. A motion was made by Clyde Johnson, seconded by Gary Purdy, that the Bylaws recommended by the committee …

Spatial And Temporal Occurrence Of Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus-Maculatus In Chesapeake Bay, Mark E. Chittenden, Luiz R. Barbieri, Cynthia M. Jones

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.

Index Of Papers Published In The Proceedings Of The National Shellfisheries Association, Roger Mann, Elaine M. Lynch, Michael Castagna, Bernadita M. Campos, Nancy Lewis

VIMS Articles

No abstract provided.

Counting In Chimpanzees: Nonhuman Principles And Emergent Properties Of Number, Sarah T. Boysen

Numeracy Collection

No abstract provided.

Phylogeny Of Lampridiform Fishes, Je Olney, Gd Johnson, Cc Baldwin

VIMS Articles

A survey of characters defining the Neoteleostei, Eurypterygii, Ctenosquamata, Acanthomorpha, Paracanthopterygii and Acanthopterygii convincingly places the Lampridiformes within the acanthomorph clade. Lampridiforms are primitive with respect to the Percomorpha but their precise placement among basal acanthomorphs remains unclear. In the absence of a specific sister-group hypothesis, Polymixia, percopsiform and beryciform taxa were used as outgroups in a cladistic analysis of the order. Monophyly of Lampridiformes is supported by four apomorphies; three are correlated modifications related to the evolution of a unique feeding mechanism in which the maxilla slides forward with the premaxilla during jaw protrusion. The Veliferidae are the sister …

Identification And Distribution Of Urophycis And Phycis (Pisces, Gadidae) Larvae And Pelagic Juveniles In The United-States Middle Atlantic Bight, Bruce H. Comyns, George C. Grant

VIMS Articles

Analysis of surface and subsurface plankton collections in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) yielded larvae and juveniles of Phycis chesteri and five species of Urophycis. Identification was based on numbers of epibranchial gill rakers, abdominal vertebrae, and. fin rays (dorsal, caudal, pelvic), patterns of pterygiophore interdigitation, and morphometric characters including body depth at the vent and a ratio between height of the pelvic-fin base and length of the mandible. Urophycis tenuis accounted for 99% of the Urophycis larvae and pelagic juveniles collected during spring off Virginia and New Jersey and was most abundant offshore. Urophycis tenuis larvae were smallest at …

Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Tautog Tautoga-Onitis (Labridae, Perciformes) From Coastal Waters Of Virginia, E. Brian Hostetter, Thomas A. Munroe

VIMS Articles

Tautog Tautoga onitis are gaining popularity in Virginia's coastal waters as a recreational and food fish. Adult tautog are seasonally abundant on inshore hard-bottom habitats (1-10 m) and inhabit offshore areas (10-75 m) year-round. Juveniles, especially newly-settled recruits, inhabit vegetated areas in shallow water (usually < 1 m). From March 1979 to July 1986, tautog were collected in lower Chesapeake Bay and nearby coastal waters to examine age, growth, and sexual maturation. Age estimates were determined from annular marks on opercle bones: 82% of the fish were age-10 or younger, 18% exceeded age-10, and 1% were age-20 or older. Marginal increment analysis revealed that annuli formed concurrent with a protracted spawning season (April-July). The von Bertalanffy growth equation, derived from back-calculated mean lengths-at-age, was l(t) = 742 [1-e-0.085 (t-1.816)]. Tautog are long-lived (25+ yr) and attain relatively large sizes (672 mm TL) slowly (K for sexes combined = 0.085). Growth rates of both sexes are similar, although males grow slightly faster (K = 0.090 vs. 0.085 for females). Maturity occurs at age-3 in both sexes. Growth rates for tautog from Virginia are similar to those reported nearly 25 years ago for tautog in Rhode Island. Growth rates for tautog are similar to those of other reef fishes, such as snappers and groupers. Habitat restriction, slow growth, great longevity, and increasing popularity by user groups may contribute to over-exploitation of this species in Virginia waters.