Effects of Rumen Fermentation Characteristics on Stress-Related Hormones and Behavior in Sheep.

This study investigated the relationship between rumen fermentation, stress-related hormones, and behavior in sheep with the aim of providing insights for improving animal welfare and feed management practices. Eight lambs were assigned to either a high concentration or control group. Blood samples were collected for hormone analysis, and an open field test was conducted to observe behavioral stress responses. The results showed that diet composition may affect the behavior of ruminants in response to stressors and novel situations, as evidenced by the higher number of escape attempts in the high-concentration group. In addition, analyses of individual volatile fatty acids (VFAs) showed a significant positive correlation between the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio and sniffing behavior of the novel object (p < 0.05, ρ = -0.414). These findings have important implications for animal welfare and feed management practices. Overall, this study provides insights into the potential impact of diet composition on the behavior of ruminants in response to stressors and novel situations, highlighting the importance of improving animal welfare through feed management practices. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms underlying the complex relationship between rumen fermentation, stress-related hormones, and behavior in ruminant animals.

The effect of daily calf stroking frequency during the postnatal period on the establishment of the human-calf relationship.

OBJECTIVE: Stroking calves during the postnatal period could effectively improve humancalf relationships. The objective of this study is to examine how daily calf stroking frequency during the postnatal period affects the establishment of human-calf relationships. METHODS: Six calves were stroked by a trainer for 6 minutes once daily for 5 days after birth (D1). Six calves were stroked by a trainer for 3 minutes twice daily for 5 days after birth (D2). A further four calves were stared at but not stroked as the control group. The overall stroking or staring duration was the same for all groups, at 6 min/d and 30 min over 5 days. The tests for reactions to the stationary trainer in an unfamiliar environment and avoidance distance measurements for an approaching trainer were conducted at 1 month and 3 months after the treatment. RESULTS: Calves in both stroking groups approached significantly closer to the stationary trainer, vocalized less, and looked at the trainer shorter than the control group at 1 month. However, at 3 months, there was no significant difference between the D1 and the control group, whereas the D2 approached significantly closer to the trainer and vocalized less, and looked at the trainer for a shorter time than the control group. For the avoidance distance, the trainer could approach closer to both stroking groups than the control at 1 month, however, there was no difference among groups at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that the difference in the calf stroking procedure affected the established human-calf relationships, even though the total stroking duration was the same for all stroked calves. It is likely to be more effective to stroke more frequently than intensively when the aim is to establish better human-calf relationships within limited labor time.

Soil erosion and radiocesium migration during the snowmelt period in grasslands and forested areas of Miyagi prefecture, Japan.

This study aimed to examine the influence of snowmelt on soil erosion processes in mountainous landscapes in the Miyagi prefecture of Japan. The investigated slopes had different expositions and were covered with grasslands and forests. The snowpack thickness, soil frost depth, volume of surface runoff, physicochemical properties of the soil and sediments, cesium composition of the snow and meltwater, and air dose rate were determined. In mid-February, snow cover reached its maximum thickness (100-179 cm). In the forest, the snow depth was always lower by 15-20 cm. The soil did not freeze in winter in any of the plots. Surface runoff was observed only in the grassland plots and depended on the slope aspect. The total volume of surface runoff ranged from 31 to 52 mm and snowmelt soil losses ranged from 2 to 9 kg ha-1 DM. Radiocesium concentrations in runoff samples ranged from 0.1 to 8.4 Bq L-1, below the standard limit for drinking water in Japan (10 Bq L-1). The average organic matter content of the sampled sediments was 0.4%, higher than that in the surface soil. The silt fraction in sediments became dominant for particle size distribution, and the activity concentration of total radiocesium was, on average, 250 Bq kg-1. The air dose rate was always lower than the maximum permissible level (0.2 µSv h-1) and varied from 0.02 to 0.09 µSv h-1 in winter, and from 0.08 to 0.13 µSv h-1 at times of the year without snow.

Free Dietary Choice and Free-Range Rearing Improve the Product Quality, Gait Score, and Microbial Richness of Chickens.

Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the welfare of chickens. Therefore, we conducted an integrated study to compare welfare factors in chickens by providing free dietary choice under cage rearing, and further comparing cage rearing with free-range rearing. One hundred chickens each were allocated to a cage rearing group with conventional feeding (CC), a cage rearing group with free dietary choice of mealworms (FDM), a cage rearing group with free dietary choice of mealworms and fresh grass (FDMG), and a free-range rearing system group with free dietary choice of mealworms and fresh grass (FRMG). Results showed that under cage rearing, free dietary choice contributed to better meat quality and gait score, higher values of blood platelets, and a richer gut microbial composition, but poorer egg production than CC chickens. As compared to FDMG, FRMG chickens showed better meat quality, gait score, and feather conditions, as well as a richer gut microbial composition; however, they had poorer egg production and a poorer foot pad and foot feather condition. We conclude that free dietary choice and free-range rearing systems improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens.

Effect of Suckling Systems on Serum Oxytocin and Cortisol Concentrations and Behavior to a Novel Object in Beef Calves.

We investigated differences between effects of natural- and bucket-suckling methods on basal serum oxytocin (OT) and cortisol concentrations, and the effect of OT concentration on affiliative and investigative behavior of calves to a novel object. Ten Japanese Black calves, balanced with birth order, were allocated evenly to natural-suckling (NS) and bucket suckling (BS) groups. Blood samples were collected at the ages of 1 and 2 months (1 week after weaning) calves, and serum OT and cortisol concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and enzymeimmunoassay tests, respectively. Each calf at the age of 2 months (2 weeks after weaning) was released into an open-field with a calf decoy, and its investigative and affiliative behaviors were recorded for 20 minutes. In 1-month-old calves, the basal serum OT concentration (25.5±4.9 [mean±standard deviation, pg/mL]) of NS was significantly higher than that of BS (16.9±6.7) (p<0.05), whereas the basal cortisol concentration (5.8±2.5 [mean±standard deviation, ng/mL]) of NS was significantly lower than that in BS (10.0±2.8) (p<0.05). Additionally, a negative correlation was noted between serum OT and cortisol concentrations in 1-month-old calves (p = 0.06). Further, the higher serum OT concentration the calves had at 1 month old, the more investigative the calves were at 2 months old but not affiliative in the open-field with a calf decoy. Thus, we concluded that the natural suckling method from a dam elevates the basal serum OT concentration in calves, and high serum OT concentrations induce investigative behavior and attenuate cortisol concentrations.

Diiron amido-imido complex [(CpFe)2(mu2-NHPh)(mu2-NPh)]: synthesis and a net hydrogen atom abstraction reaction to form a bis(imido) complex.

A reaction between [CpFeCl]x and LiNHPh (1 equiv to Fe) produces a new paramagnetic Fe(II)-Fe(III) mu2-amido-mu2-imido complex [(CpFe)2(mu2-NHPh)(mu2-NPh)] (1), which, upon interaction with 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), undergoes a net N-H hydrogen atom abstraction reaction to give a diamagnetic Fe(III)-Fe(III) mu2-imido dimer [CpFe(mu2-NPh)]2 (2). The molecular structures of 1 and 2 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.