Influence of prepartum feed levels on colostrum production and farrowing performance in highly prolific sows in a tropical environment.

Currently, there is a lack of data on the effects of altering feed levels on sow performance and piglet characteristics during the transition period in tropical environments. The present study determined the effect of sow feed levels during the transition period on colostrum yield, colostrum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, colostrum intake of piglets, farrowing duration, proportion of stillborn piglets per litter (SB) and the incidence of farrowing assistance in highly prolific sows. A total of 114 Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred sows and their offspring (n = 2 072) were included in the experiment. Sows were assigned to different feed supply levels from entry to farrowing at 110 days of gestation until farrowing based on their parity number. Three feed-level groups were the control group who received 3.0 kg/day of lactation feed (n = 40), treatment 1 group who received 3.6 kg/day of gestation feed (n = 39) and treatment 2 group who received 4.0 kg/day of lactation feed (n = 35). Colostrum samples (5 ml) were obtained from the sows within 3 h after the onset of farrowing for IgG assay. Piglets were weighed immediately after birth and then again 17-24 h later to estimate their colostrum intake. Colostrum yield was determined by aggregating the colostrum intake of piglets within the litter. The total number of piglets born, SB and farrowing duration were 18.2 ± 3.8, 7.5% and 259.1 ± 138.1 min, respectively. Among these sows, 28.9% experienced a farrowing duration exceeding 300 min and 50.9% required assistance during farrowing. Interestingly, piglets in the treatment 2 group demonstrated a greater colostrum intake (403.1 ± 14.9 g) compared to the control group (360.6 ± 15.1 g, P = 0.046) and the treatment 1 group (361.0 ± 12.9 g, P = 0.033). On average, colostrum yield of sows in the treatment 2 group tended to be higher than in the control group (+0.5 kg, P = 0.081), but did not differ from the treatment 1 group (+0.3 kg, P = 0.191). No significant differences in farrowing duration, SB, farrowing assistance, or colostrum IgG concentration were found across various feed-level groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the study showed that raising lactation feed by 1.0 kg/day prefarrowing increased piglet colostrum intake and tended to boost sow colostrum production, without significantly affecting farrowing duration, stillbirth rates, or need for assistance.

Palaeoclimatic changes resulted in range expansion and subsequent divergence in brown fur seals, Arctocephalus pusillus.

Past climatic change as a driving force of marine diversification is still largely unclear, particularly for Southern Hemisphere species. Here, we present a case using the brown fur seal, Arctocephalus pusillus, assessing the geographical structure and demographic history using mitochondrial and nuclear data. Results show the two previously defined subspecies (one from Australia and the other from southern Africa) are phylogeographically distinct. Migration analyses based on nuclear data suggest the absence of migrants among the two genetically close assemblages. The demographic history of A. pusillus is characterized by a glacial population expansion (approx. 18 kya) in the southern African lineage, which coincides with time estimates of population expansion of prey species of seals. Approximate Bayesian calculations support an eastward dispersal event during the Last Glacial Maximum when sea levels were lower, followed by a postglacial divergence event, approximately 13 kya. The demographic history of the brown fur seal in the Southern Oceans provides support that recent palaeoclimatic changes could have facilitated expansions in some marine species and that postglacial sea-level rise may have acted as a dispersal barrier for species mostly confined to continental shelves.

Review: Can early-life establishment of the piglet intestinal microbiota influence production outcomes?

The gastrointestinal tract microbiota is involved in the development and function of many body processes. Studies demonstrate that early-life microbial colonisation is the most important time for shaping intestinal and immune development, with perturbations to the microbiota during this time having long-lasting negative implications for the host. Piglets face many early-life events that shape the acquisition and development of their intestinal microbiota. The pork industry has a unique advantage in that the producer has a degree of control over what piglets are exposed to, providing conditions that allow for optimum piglet growth and development. An influx of publications within this area has occurred in recent times and with this, interest surrounding its application in pork production has increased. However, it can be difficult to distinguish which research is of most relevance to industry in terms of delivering repeatable and reliable production outcomes. In this review, we describe the literature surrounding research within pigs, predominantly during the preweaning period that has either provided solutions to industry problems or is generating information targeted at addressing relevant industry issues, with the focus being on studies demonstrating causation where possible. This review will provide a basis for the development of new studies targeted at understanding how to better support initial intestinal microbiota colonisation in order to improve piglet health and survival.

A dual high-energy radiography platform with 15 µm resolution at the National Ignition Facility.

To study matter at extreme densities and pressures, we need mega laser facilities such as the National Ignition Facility as well as creative methods to make observations during timescales of a billionth of a second. To facilitate this, we developed a platform and diagnostic to characterize a new point-projection radiography configuration using two micro-wires irradiated by a short pulse laser system that provides a large field of view with up to 3.6 ns separation between images. We used tungsten-carbide solid spheres as reference objects and inferred characteristics of the back-lighter source using a forward-fitting algorithm. The resolution of the system is inferred to be 15 µm (using 12.5 µm diameter wires). The bremsstrahlung temperature of the source is 70-300 keV, depending on laser energy and coupling efficiency. By adding the images recorded on multiple stacked image plates, the signal-to-noise of the system is nearly doubled. The imaging characterization technique described here can be adapted to most point-projection platforms where the resolution, spectral contrast, and signal-to-noise are important.

Effects of oxytocin and carbetocin on farrowing performance.

During sow parturition, there is need for an alternative uterotonic to oxytocin with less potency so piglets are not at risk of hypoxia and stillbirth. In this study, there was examination of carbetocin, a longer lasting analogue of oxytocin, and whether the lesser contractile force and duration resulting as a consequence of this treatment would improve piglet survivability. Following delivery of the first piglet, sows were serially assigned by parity to receive injections of 10 IU oxytocin (n = 35), 0.07 mg carbetocin (n = 36), or serve as a non-injected control (n = 30). The incidence of dystocia and stillbirths was recorded. To estimate liveborn piglet viability, umbilical cord blood samples were obtained from pigs 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10, and lactate content was quantified to assess hypoxia during delivery. A blood sample collected at 24 h was assayed for total protein in plasma (%) as an indicator of colostrum intake. Treatment with oxytocin and carbetocin reduced farrowing duration (P = 0.023) and sows treated with carbetocin had piglets with the least umbilical cord blood lactate (P = 0.008) and plasma protein (P = 0.005) concentrations. These data indicate carbetocin has the efficacy to accelerate piglet delivery and reduce piglet hypoxia, although the reason for reduced plasma protein with this treatment remains unexplained.

Effect of prior insemination of dead sperm and gestation housing management on gilt fertility.

Danbred gilts at about 120 kg were group housed for estrous detection. At detection of estrus, gilts either remained in pens (P) or were re-housed into individual gestation stalls (S) and were inseminated (DS), or not (SC), with a dose of frozen/thawed dead semen. Groups were P-DS (n = 81), P-SC (n = 70), S-DS (n = 98) and S-SC (n = 90). All gilts were inseminated with semen containing viable sperm at the second detected estrus and 24 h later. Pregnant gilts that were stall housed were moved to pens 35 d after insemination. There were no effects of insemination or housing management on farrowing rates or litter sizes.

Response to gonadotrophins differs for gilts from female- and male-biased litters.

In several species, females masculinised by abnormal androgen exposure in utero have poor reproductive performance and gilts born into litters with a male bias are likely exposed to greater androgen concentrations prenatally than gilts born into female-biased litters. At 24h of age, piglet plasma testosterone concentrations in gilts from male-biased litters (>60% male; n=22) or female-biased litters (>60% female; n=27) were not different. At 18 wks of age, all gilts received an injection of 400IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin plus 200IU human chorionic gonadotrophin to stimulate oestrus. Two weeks after the injection gilts were slaughtered and ovaries collected for determination of numbers of corpora lutea (CL). Compared to gilts from female-biased litters, gilts from male-biased litters were more likely to ovulate (86.0% vs 59.5%, P=0.047) and had more CL (13.1±1.5 vs 7.2±1.7, P=0.015). The present data indicate an effect of birth litter sex-bias on pre-pubertal physiological development, possibly involving organisational effects at the ovarian cellular level impacting on future ovarian function. Potential impacts on subsequent fertility remain to be determined.

Lactational oestrus and reproductive performance following a delayed limited nursing schedule in primiparous sows.

With conventional lactation management, sows only conceive after weaning. However, intermittent suckling (IS) enables follicle growth and ovulation during lactation by reducing the suckling-induced inhibition of gonadotrophins. The current study evaluated IS regimes initiated at Day 21 or Day 28 post farrowing compared to conventional weaning on Day 28, in primiparous sows. Sows (Large White and Large White x Landrace) were randomly allocated to Control (C28; n = 44), IS21 (n = 29) and IS28 (n = 34) treatments at Day 20. Sows in IS21 and IS28 were subjected to intermittent suckling from Day 21 or Day 28 post farrowing. During IS, sows were separated from their piglets for 8 h daily, then weaned 7 d later at Day 28 and Day 35 respectively, whereas piglets in the C28 treatment had continuous access to sows until weaning at Day 28. Percentage of IS sows that showed oestrus during lactation was 59% (16/27) in IS21 and 72% (21/29) in IS28 (P > 0.05). Cumulatively over the lactation and 7 d post-weaning period, 93% of IS21, 85% of IS28 and 93% (31/33) of C28 sows showed oestrus (P > 0.05). Pregnancy rate at Day 30 post mating, for sows that were mated during lactation was 93% (15/16) in IS21 and 95% (20/21) in IS28, whereas C28 sows had a 96% (30/31) pregnancy rate (P > 0.05). No difference was found in the time of oestrus relative to weaning (C28) or onset of IS (IS21 and IS28) (P > 0.05). The IS sows that did not ovulate before weaning all showed oestrus within 7 days from weaning, and the weaning to oestrus interval was similar to control sows (P > 0.05). However, for all IS sows (across IS treatments) that showed lactational ovulation, LH secretion pattern at onset of IS was different (P < 0.05) from the sows that did not ovulate in lactation. Plasma progesterone concentration tended to be lower in the IS21 treatment (P < 0.10) compared to the C28 sows at 4 d after ovulation. The subsequent litter size was not affected by treatments although numerically lower for IS21 (P > 0.05). The present study showed that in modern primiparous sows, lactational oestrus can be induced and pregnancy can be maintained at a similar rate and producing comparable subsequent litter sizes to conventionally weaned sows when IS commenced at four weeks post farrowing. However, when IS commences at three weeks post farrowing, this may affect the percentage of sows showing oestrus in lactation and may potentially influence subsequent litter size.

Elevating glucose and insulin secretion by carbohydrate formulation diets in late lactation to improve post-weaning fertility in primiparous sows.

Primiparous (P1) sows commonly lose excessive body reserves to meet energy requirements for maintenance and milk production during lactation, and consequently, post-weaning reproductive performance may be compromised. The present studies determined whether ad libitum feeding a glucogenic carbohydrate diet (CHO) during late lactation could stimulate insulin and glucose secretion (experiment 1) and improve subsequent litter size (experiment 2). For experiment 1, 15 P1 sows, and for experiment 2, 99 P1 sows (198.5 ± 2.7 kg) were allocated randomly according to suckled litter size (≥10 piglets), either to a CHO diet (14.3 MJ DE/kg, 19.8% crude protein) or a standard lactation diet (control; 14.2 DE MJ/kg, 19.5% crude protein) at 8 days before weaning. The CHO diet aimed to provide glucogenic content (extruded wheat, dextrose and sugar) as energy sources instead of fat sources without changing total dietary energy. Pre-prandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not influenced by treatments. However, post-prandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations and their peaks were both higher (p < .05) compared to the control treatment. Body weight loss during lactation was relatively low at 3%-4% for both treatments and did not differ between control and CHO treatments (-7.6 ± 1.6 vs -5.4 ± 1.2 kg; p > .05). Second litter size was not influenced by diet (p > .05), but the weaning-to-mating interval was shorter in CHO sows (p < .05). This study demonstrates that providing an enriched CHO diet in late lactation did influence post-weaning follicle growth but did not improve subsequent litter size. This may be due to the primiparous sows in this study not experiencing severe negative energy balance and there was no second litter syndrome in this farm which limited the ability of diet to improve sow fertility.

Human chorionic gonadotrophin in early gestation induces growth of estrogenic ovarian follicles and improves primiparous sow fertility during summer.

Reduced summer farrowing rates may be due to inadequate corpora luteal (CL) support. Porcine CL become dependent on LH from 12 d of pregnancy and the embryonic estrogen signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) is initiated at about 11-12 d after insemination. We hypothesised that injection of the LH analogue human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) would induce growth of estrogenic follicles and, by mimicking the signal for MRP and stimulating progesterone secretion, increase primiparous sow fertility. In Experiment 1, during a 28 d lactation 53 mixed parity sows were full-fed either throughout lactation (n=16) or until 18 d and then feed restricted during the last 10 d of lactation (n=36). At 12 d after mating restrict-fed sows were injected with 1000IU hCG (n=17) or were not injected (n=19); the full-fed sows acted as non-treated positive controls. Transrectal ovarian ultrasound exams were performed on days 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28; blood samples were obtained on days 12, 14, and 15 for estradiol and progesterone assay. For Experiment 2, during the summer months primiparous sows received 1000IU hCG 12 d after mating (n=28) or were non-injected controls (n=27). Pregnancy status was determined at 28 d and sows allowed to go to term to determine farrowing rates and litter sizes. In Experiment 1, injection of hCG increased (P<0.001) follicle diameter and serum concentrations of estradiol (P<0.01) and progesterone (P<0.05). There were no effects of lactation feeding level on wean-estrus interval, farrowing rate or subsequent litter size. In Experiment 2, hCG injection was associated with a higher pregnancy rate (P<0.05) and farrowing rate (P<0.08). There was no effect on litter size. These data confirm that hCG stimulates growth of estrogenic follicles and CL function, and improves primiparous sow fertility during the summer months.

Control of estrus and ovulation: Fertility to timed insemination of gilts and sows.

It is possible to control follicular development in gilts and sows with the use of hormones including the progestogen altrenogest, GnRH, eCG, hCG, and porcine luteinizing hormone (pLH). These hormones can be used to develop protocols for control of estrus with artificial insemination (AI) timed to estrus detection (timed artificial insemination; TAI) or to control estrus and ovulation with insemination at a fixed time without the requirement of estrus detection (fixed-timed artificial insemination; FTAI). In cyclic gilts, double TAI after protocols based on altrenogest and eCG plus hCG administration can achieve a 70% of farrowing rate. Valuable results can be obtained in weaned sows by the utilization of protocols based on eCG administration at weaning and then GnRH or pLH at estrus onset followed by single or double TAI. In cyclic gilts, single or double FTAI regardless of estrus expression can be applied after protocols based on altrenogest administration followed by eCG and then GnRH, hCG, or pLH some hours later; farrowing rates are similar to control animals inseminated at estrus detection. With sows, a protocol based on eCG administration at weaning and hCG, GnRH, or pLH some hours later followed by single or double FTAI can give fertility rates comparable to control animal inseminated at estrus. Most recently, injection or vaginal deposition of GnRH 96 hours after weaning followed by a single FTAI 24 to 30 hours later is resulting in reproductive performance not different to animals subject to multiple inseminations after natural estrus. It is possible to apply FTAI in lactating sows. The protocols are based on eCG during lactation followed by hCG and FTAI. These protocols will induce ovulation during lactation, but pregnancy rates are reduced. However, in the future, a better knowledge on the effect of hormone administration on follicular dynamics during lactation may allow the development of more effective protocols.

Advances in Breeding Management and Use of Ovulation Induction for Fixed-time AI.

The objective of the breeding herd is the predictable and consistent production of high quality pigs. To achieve this objective, an appropriate number of females need to be mated in each breeding week and they should maintain their pregnancy and deliver large litters. Many factors can impact achievement of optimal sow productivity, particularly breeding management. Most matings will involve artificial insemination (AI), and successful AI requires deposition into the cervix (or beyond) of sufficient viable high quality sperm at an appropriate time relative to ovulation. This is facilitated by improved knowledge of the sow's ovarian function prior to and during her oestrous period. Realization of the importance of establishing an adequate sperm reservoir in the oviduct at an appropriate time relative to ovulation has led to advances in the management of AI. The future of AI will likely involve insemination of single doses of high genetic merit semen, potentially having a reduced sperm concentration which is made possible by knowledge of the effect of site of sperm deposition on sow fertility. In particular, knowledge of when a sow is likely to ovulate during a natural or induced oestrous period will prove invaluable in the maintenance of herd productivity. This review will examine options for breeding management, including the control of oestrus and ovulation, on sow herd reproductive performance.

Influence of gonadotrophin-induced first oestrus on gilt fertility.

The aim of this study was to determine the association between the oestrous response of pre-pubertal gilts to gonadotrophin injection or boar exposure and their subsequent farrowing rate and litter size. At 154 days of age, randomly selected pre-pubertal gilts received an intramuscular injection of 400 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin plus 200 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (PG600(®) ; Merck Animal Health; n = 181). From the remaining pool of animals not treated with hormones, the first gilts showing signs of oestrus were selected to act as controls (n = 201). Boar exposure began at 155 days of age for both groups, and gilts were bred at a weight of approximately 130 kg. Comparisons were made between PG600(®) -treated gilts exhibiting oestrus or not within 7 days post-injection (early and late responders, respectively) and control gilts exhibiting oestrus or not within 30 days after beginning of boar exposure (select and non-select control gilts, respectively). By 162 days, oestrus was detected in 67.5% of PG600(®) -treated gilts compared with 5.7% of control gilts (p < 0.0001). The proportion of animals observed in oestrus at least three times before breeding was greater for select control gilts compared with early and late responder PG600(®) -treated gilts (p ≤ 0.001). There were no significant differences in farrowing rate and litter size between the four treatment groups. These data indicate that PG600(®) is an effective tool to induce an earlier oestrus in gilts, that subsequent farrowing rate and born alive litter size compare favourably to that of select gilts and that gilts failing to respond promptly to hormonal stimulation do not exhibit compromised fertility.

Influence of lactation length and gonadotrophins administered at weaning on fertility of primiparous sows.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lactation length and treatment with gonadotrophins at weaning on reproductive performance of primiparous sows. After 3 wk of lactation, primiparous sows were either weaned (W3; n=273) or received a 7-d-old foster litter for a further 14 d of suckling (W5; n=199). At final weaning (3 wk or 5 wk lactation) sows were randomly assigned to receive an injection of 400 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin plus 200 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (PG600(®); W3 + P; n=108 and W5 + P; n=96) or no injection (W3; n=165 and W5; n=103). Sows were inseminated at first observed estrus after final weaning and 24h later. The proportion of sows showing estrus by 6 d post-weaning was greater (P<0.01) for W3+P (86%) compared to W3 (64%), however, there was not a difference (P=0.13) for W5 + P (79.4%) compared to W5 (69.1%). There was no effect of either lactation length or gonadotrophin treatment on farrowing rates or on the proportion of sows culled before breeding. Total born litter size was smaller (P=0.05) for W3 + P (11.7 ± 0.4) compared to W3 (12.6 ± 0.3). However, sows that lactated for 35 d had larger litters than sows that lactated for 21 d regardless of gonadotrophin treatment (14 ± 0.5 and 14.5 ± 0.4 for W5+P and W5, respectively; P<0.001). These data indicate that for primiparous sows, a longer lactation improves total born litter size at their next farrowing. Gonadotrophin treatment is useful in shortening the weaning to estrus interval but subsequent total born litter size may be negatively affected.

The effect of pre- and post-mating dietary restriction on embryonic survival in gilts.

The aims of this study were to determine if pre- and post-mating feeding levels interact to affect embryonic survival, and to determine whether feeding to the maintenance requirement would impair embryo survival. Gilts were allocated to a pre-mating treatment of 1 or 0.8× energy maintenance from day 1 to 14 of their oestrous cycle prior to mating. From day 15 to mating all gilts were group housed and fed ad lib. Gilts were artificially inseminated at their third oestrus. The day after mating, gilts were group housed and allocated to post-mating treatments of 1.5 or 1× maintenance. Gilts were slaughtered day 25.5±0.2 post-insemination and reproductive tracts collected. Gilts fed the restricted pre-mating diet lost significantly more weight than gilts fed the increased pre-mating diet (6.7±0.8 versus 3.7±0.7kg). From mating to slaughter, gilts fed the restricted post-mating diet lost 0.5±1.02kg liveweight, while gilts fed the increased post-mating diet gained 5.7±0.90kg liveweight (P<0.05). The pre-mating dietary treatment had no effect on any reproductive measure. Embryonic survival was greater (P<0.05) in gilts fed the high post-mating diet compared with gilts fed the low post-mating diet (88.4±2.5 versus 77.8±4.0%), resulting in more (P<0.05) conceptuses present (14.0±0.6 versus 11.7±0.7). There was no interaction between pre-mating and post-mating feed intake on any reproductive measure. These data demonstrated that reducing post-mating feed intakes to maintenance levels impaired embryo survival.

Raman backscatter as a remote laser power sensor in high-energy-density plasmas.

Stimulated Raman backscatter is used as a remote sensor to quantify the instantaneous laser power after transfer from outer to inner cones that cross in a National Ignition Facility (NIF) gas-filled hohlraum plasma. By matching stimulated Raman backscatter between a shot reducing outer versus a shot reducing inner power we infer that about half of the incident outer-cone power is transferred to inner cones, for the specific time and wavelength configuration studied. This is the first instantaneous nondisruptive measure of power transfer in an indirect drive NIF experiment using optical measurements.

Isolation and molecular characterization of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from swine in Michigan, USA.

In 2008, we identified vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in Michigan swine, which was the first report of VRE in livestock from North America. Continued sampling in 2009 and 2010 was conducted to determine whether VRE persisted in Michigan. In 2009, swine faecal and feed samples (n=56), county fair pig barn manure samples (n=9) and pooled Michigan State Fair pig barn manure samples (n=18) were screened for VRE. In 2010, swine faecal samples were collected from 26 county fairs (n=73) and nine commercial swine farms in six states (n=28). Recovered VRE isolates were molecularly evaluated by polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), S1 nuclease digestion and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Six VRE isolates were identified in 2009 from the State Fair, and another six (8.2%) were recovered from the five county fairs in 2010. All 12 isolates were highly related to the first-reported VRE from Michigan swine: all were confirmed to be vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREf) carrying vanA gene on Tn1546 (Type D), were negative for IS1251, hyl and esp gene, carried a 150-160 kb megaplasmid, and have closely similar PFGE patterns with >80% similarity. Classified as ST5, ST6 or ST185 by MLST, all belong to the clonal complex 5, a strain recognized to be circulating among European pigs. This study reveals that VREf are widespread in Michigan swine and persist in the historical absence of the use of agricultural glycopeptides.

Mononuclear leukocyte fatty acid composition and inflammatory phenotype in periparturient and lactating sows.

Increased plasma NEFA concentrations and compromised immune responses are associated with increased disease susceptibility during farrowing and lactation. Increased plasma NEFA concentrations cause changes in the fatty acid (FA) content of plasma lipid fractions and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that could modify inflammatory responses. The goals of this study were to describe changes in plasma lipid composition and to characterize the FA content and proinflammatory phenotype of PBMC in periparturient and lactating sows. Blood samples from 10 sows were collected at 2 wk prefarrow, at 2 d after farrowing (hereafter referred to as farrowing), and at 18 d of lactation (hereafter referred to as lactation). Total lipids and lipid fractions were extracted from plasma and PBMC. Isolated PBMC also were assessed for gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines and enzymes involved in lipid mediator biosynthesis using quantitative PCR. The FA profile of plasma NEFA, phospholipids, neutral lipids, and PBMC phospholipids differed from the composition of total lipids in plasma. At farrowing and lactation, the proportion of palmitic and stearic acids increased (P<0.05) in the plasma NEFA and phospholipid fractions in comparison with prefarrowing concentrations. At the same time, the concentration of palmitic and linoleic acids increased (P<0.05) in the PBMC phospholipid fraction. Omega-3 FA, including docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic, increased (P<0.05) at farrowing in plasma and PBMC phospholipids compared with prefarrowing and lactation. Gene expression of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) decreased (P<0.05) after farrowing and in lactation. Similarly, cyclooxygenase expression was reduced during lactation when compared with farrowing (P<0.05). This study demonstrated changes in FA composition of serum lipid fractions and PBMC cellular membranes. Furthermore, it provided an initial assessment of inflammatory responses in mononuclear cells as a function of plasma and PBMC content of saturated and omega-3 FA. Future studies need to address the effect of increased NEFA concentrations, the main hallmark of lipid mobilization, and changes in plasma and cellular lipid profiles on immune function.

Self-organized bursts of coherent stimulated Raman scattering and hot electron transport in speckled laser plasma media.

Nonlinear electron trapping physics governs the onset and saturation of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in laser beams with many speckles. Hot electrons from intense speckles, produced during SRS daughter electron-plasma-wave bowing and filamentation, seed and enhance the growth of SRS in neighboring speckles by reducing Landau damping. Trapping-induced nonlinearity and speckle interaction through transport of hot electrons and back- and sidescattered SRS waves enable the system of speckles to self-organize and exhibit coherent, sub-ps SRS bursts with more than 100% instantaneous reflectivity, consistent with a SRS transverse coherence width much larger than a speckle width.

Effect of amino acids supply in reduced crude protein diets on performance, efficiency of mammary uptake, and transporter gene expression in lactating sows.

To test the hypothesis that reduction in dietary CP concentration coupled with crystalline AA inclusion increases the efficiency of AA use for milk production, mammary AA arteriovenous concentration differences (A-V), AA transport efficiency (A-V/A × 100), and transcript abundance of AA transporters and milk protein genes were determined in lactating sows fed 1 of 3 diets containing 9.5% (Deficient), 13.5% (Ideal), or 17.5% (Standard) CP, with a similar profile of indispensable and dispensable AA. On d 7 and 18, arterial and mammary venous blood and mammary tissue were sampled postfeeding. Transcript abundance of AA transporters b(0,+)AT (SLC7A9), y(+)LAT2 (SLC7A6), ATB(0,+) (SLC6A14), CAT-1 (SLC7A1), and CAT-2b (SLC7A2) and milk protein ß-casein (CSN2) and LALBA (α-lactalbumin) were determined using reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Piglet ADG increased curvilinearly (linear and quadratic, P < 0.03) with increasing percent CP from Deficient to Standard. On d 7, Lys and Arg A-V and transport efficiency increased quadratically (P < 0.05) with increasing percent CP. On d 18, Lys A-V tended to increase (linear, P = 0.08) with increasing percent CP. Increasing CP increased Ile and Val A-V on d 7 (linear, P = 0.05 and P = 0.08, respectively) and Leu and Val on d 18 (linear, P = 0.07 and P = 0.04, respectively). On d 7, plasma concentrations of branched chain AA (BCAA):Lys decreased quadratically (P < 0.05). Expression of genes SLC7A9, SLC7A6, SLC6A14, SLC7A1, SLC7A2, CSN2, and LALBA was unaffected by diet. In conclusion, decreasing the dietary CP from 17.5% to 13.5% with inclusion of crystalline AA did not affect piglet ADG, AA transporter, or milk protein gene expression but increased mammary transport efficiency and A-V of Lys and Arg on d 7 of lactation. This increase was associated with a decrease in plasma concentration of BCAA:Lys, suggesting a competitive mechanism between cationic and BCAA for transport of AA across mammary cells.