Performance and intestinal mucosa development of broiler chickens fed diets containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall

Use of antibiotics as an additive in poultry diets to improve growth has been discussed in relation to bacterial resistance and the development of new products and management practices. This study was carried out to test the efficacy of a new substance (Saccharomyces cereviside cell walls, var. Calsberg- SCCW) obtained from the brewery industry, added (at 0.1 and 0.2%) to broiler chicken diets (based on corn and soybean meal), on performance and intestinal mucosa development. In Experiment 1 (carried out in litter-floor pens) the results revealed higher body weight gain,for the total experimental period and higher villus height at 7 d of age for the birds fed 0.2%,SCCW. In a field test using 44,000 broilers that,received feed containing 0.2% SCCW,. The results also showed higher body weight gain and better feed conversion for SCCW-supplemented birds. The present findings show that SCCW improved body weight gain in broiler chickens and that this effect can be attributed to the trophic effect of this product on the intestinal mucosa, because it increases villus height, particularly during the first 7. d of a chicken's life.

Effect of breeder age on eggshell thickness, surface temperature, hatchability and chick weigh

Two experiments were carried out to study the effect of breeder age on incubation parameters (hatchability, eggshell thickness, egg surface temperature and chick weight). In Exp. 1, fertile eggs (30- and 60-wk-old breeders) were incubated at three different temperatures (36.8, 37.8 and 38.8 ºC). Eggshell surface temperature was measured by attaching a thermocouple to the shell and data were collected in a datalogger every ten minutes. This study was conducted according to a 3 x 2 factorial design (three temperatures and two breeder ages). Data revealed that eggshell surface temperature changed according to incubation temperature, with the main increase occurring between 10 and 13 days of incubation, and that the maximum increase in eggshell surface temperature was not higher than +0.6 ºC, irrespective of incubator temperature. The incubator temperature affected total incubation period and hatchability (%) at 38.8 ºC, independent of breeder age. Heavier eggs resulted in heavier chicks, irrespective of incubator temperature. In Exp 2, the eggs (30- and 60-wk-old breeders) were incubated at 37.8 ºC and eggs characteristics (weight, specific gravity, total hatchability and chicks weight) were evaluated according to a randomized experimental design. The data showed that breeder age affected eggshell thickness and chick weight (heavier eggs resulted in heavier chicks), but not specific gravity, eggshell surface temperature or hatchability. The findings of this study revealed that hatchability can be influenced by incubation temperature, but not by the breeder age. Breeder age can affect eggshell thickness, egg weight and eggshell surface temperature, but not specific gravity.

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae cell wall dietary supplementation on the performance and intestinal mucosa development and integrity of broiler chickens vaccinated against coccidiosis

This study was carried out to verify if Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall (SCCW) dietary supplementation (0.2%) was capable of protecting the intestinal mucosa of broiler chickens vaccinated against coccidiosis. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion and intestinal mucosa morphometric parameters and epithelial loss were evaluated. In the experiment,400 day-old male chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized design in a 2x2 factorial arrangement. The following treatments were applied: T1 - no vaccination/ no SCCW supplementation; T2 - no vaccination/SCCW supplementation; T3 - vaccination/no SCCW supplementation; and T4 - vaccination/SCCW supplementation to four replicates of 25 birds each. Birds were vaccinated on the first day of age using a spray vaccine (Coccivac B®, Coopers), containing E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. mivati and E. tenella. S. cerevisiae cell wall was supplied from the first day of age. Live performance, intestinal morphometric parameters and epithelial loss were evaluated at 14, 21 and 28 days of age. Performance was affected by vaccination only at 21-days of age, when body weight gain was reduced in the vaccinated birds, but no body weight difference was observed on day 28. Vaccine also increased the crypt depth (p<0.05) in the duodenum and jejunum, suggesting a high cell activity in the crypt:villus transition area to maintain the epithelial cell turnover. Villi number/area (103,269 µm²) was not affected (p>0.05) by vaccine or cell wall supplementation, and epithelial loss was more pronounced in the duodenum and jejunum. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that S. cerevisiae cell wall supplementation may be an useful management tool to maintain the intestinal integrity of broilers vaccinated against coccidiosis.

Evaluation of yeast cell wall on the performance of broiles fed diets with or without mycotoxins

This experiment aimed at evaluating the effects of the interactions between aflatoxin (500 or 250 ppb) and ochratoxin (500 or 250 ppb), and the possible benefits of adding yeast cell wall to prevent the effects of these mycotoxins in broiler chickens. Relative organ weight gain and live performance were evaluated at 21 and 42 days of age. Results indicated that at the levels of mycotoxins included in the experimental diets, ochratoxin reduced feed intake and body weight gain, and aflatoxin only affect feed intake of 21-day-old birds. No interaction was observed between aflatoxin and ochratoxin at the levels used in experimental study. Yeast cell wall did not significantly reduced the deleterious effects of ochratoxins. No significant differences were observed in relative organ weight gain. Yeast cell wall improved feed conversion ratio when birds were fed either contaminated or non-contaminated feeds.

Phenotypic and genetic parameters compared during repeated measures of longissimus muscle area and subcutaneous fat thickness in Nelore cattle

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic and environmental factors affecting ultrasound measures of longissimus muscle area and backfat thickness in Nelore cattle

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Selection for higher body weight in Nelore cattle is effective in achieving an increase of longissimus muscle area without reducing subcutaneous fat thickness

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação por pig de perfilagem de danos superfciais nos materiais das paredes de dutos de petróleo

The modern technology of materials and structural integrity of pipelines requests the use of inspection tools named inspection pigs to detect, localize and measure the length, width and depth dimensions of the thickness losses of walls of buried and underwater pipelines in service. These tools run them internally, performing and recording measurements, with performance that varies according to the pig s technology. It has been developed recently an instrumented pig technology, called feller pig. This work aims to indicate factors that influence the feller pig technology performance in the detection and in the accuracy of measurement of the length, width and depth dimensions of the thickness losses on the internal surface of an oil pipeline wall under normal conditions of oil pipe inspection with pig. In this work, is made a collection of factors and an analyses of the technology based on the available literature, as well as an experiment to observe the technology and the factors operating. In the experiment, a feeler pig is used in a pipeline built in carbon steel and in operation that flows petroleum, in witch are observed areas with internal thickness losses occurred naturally. Some of these areas and their dimensions taken by automated ultra-sound scanner are compared with the ones indicated by the feller pig. Based on the data collection, on the analysis and on the experiment, the influence of factors object of this research is discussed. It is concluded that, among these, there are factors related to pipe fabrication tolerances, to wear of pig components, to internal adhesive wear of pipeline, to other pipeline damages and to technology characteristics. Finally, actions are suggested to know better, improve and define the applicability of this technology

Estudo numérico de escoamento turbulento em padrão anular gás-líquido em dutos verticais

Multiphase flows in ducts can adopt several morphologies depending on the mass fluxes and the fluids properties. Annular flow is one of the most frequently encountered flow patterns in industrial applications. For gas liquid systems, it consists of a liquid film flowing adjacent to the wall and a gas core flowing in the center of the duct. This work presents a numerical study of this flow pattern in gas liquid systems in vertical ducts. For this, a solution algorithm was developed and implemented in FORTRAN 90 to numerically solve the governing transport equations. The mass and momentum conservation equations are solved simultaneously from the wall to the center of the duct, using the Finite Volumes Technique. Momentum conservation in the gas liquid interface is enforced using an equivalent effective viscosity, which also allows for the solution of both velocity fields in a single system of equations. In this way, the velocity distributions across the gas core and the liquid film are obtained iteratively, together with the global pressure gradient and the liquid film thickness. Convergence criteria are based upon satisfaction of mass balance within the liquid film and the gas core. For system closure, two different approaches are presented for the calculation of the radial turbulent viscosity distribution within the liquid film and the gas core. The first one combines a k- Ɛ one-equation model and a low Reynolds k-Ɛ model. The second one uses a low Reynolds k- Ɛ model to compute the eddy viscosity profile from the center of the duct right to the wall. Appropriate interfacial values for k e Ɛ are proposed, based on concepts and ideas previously used, with success, in stratified gas liquid flow. The proposed approaches are compared with an algebraic model found in the literature, specifically devised for annular gas liquid flow, using available experimental results. This also serves as a validation of the solution algorithm

Thermogravimetric studies of decomposition kinetics of six different IAC Hevea rubber clones using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa approach

The thermal degradation behaviour of rubber from six new Hevea brasiliensis clones (IAC 40, 56, 300, 301, 302 and 303) from São Paulo State, Brazil was studied by thermogravimetry using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa approach to assess the kinetic parameters ( reaction order, activation energy and pre-exponential factor) of the decomposition process. This study indicated that the thermal behaviour is a complex multiple step process, which depends on the type of rubber Hevea clones studied. The rubber from these clones can be classified, following the order of decreasing thermal stability, as IAC 303 > 302 > 56 > 40 > 300 > 301.

Structural and Electric-Optical Properties of Zinc Phthalocyanine Evaporated Thin Films: Temperature and Thickness Effects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Characterization of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis PbDfg5p, a cell-wall protein implicated in filamentous growth

The dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the causative agent of the most frequent systemic mycosis in Latin America. In humans, infection starts by inhalation of fungal propagules, which reach the pulmonary epithelium and differentiate into the yeast parasitic phase. Here we describe the characterization of a Dfg5p ((d) under bar efective for (f) under bar ilamentous (g) under bar rowth) homologue of P. brasiliensis, a predictable cell wall protein, first identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The protein, the cDNA and genomic sequences were analysed. The cloned cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli and the purified rPbDfg5p was used to obtain polyclonal antibodies. Immunoelectron microscopy and biochemical studies demonstrated the presence of PbDfg5p in the fungal cell wall. Enzymatic treatments identified PbDfg5p as a beta-glucan linked protein that undergoes N -glycosylation. The rPbDfg5p bound to extracellular matrix components, indicating that those interactions could be important for initial steps leading to P. brasiliensis attachment and colonization of host tissues. The P. brasiliensis dfg5 nucleotide and deduced protein, PbDfg5p, sequences reported in this paper had been submitted to the GenBank database under Accession Nos AY307855 (cDNA) and DQ534495 (genomic). Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Direct observation of oxidative stress on the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with atomic force microscopy

We imaged pores on the surface of the cell wall of three different industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using atomic force microscopy. The pores could be enlarged using 10 mM diamide, an SH residue oxidant that attacks surface proteins. We found that two strains showed signs of oxidative damage via changes in density and diameter of the surface pores. We found that the German strain was resistant to diamide induced oxidative damage, even when the concentration of the oxidant was increased to 50 mM. The normal pore size found on the cell walls of American strains had diameters of about 200nm. Under conditions of oxidative stress the diameters changed to 400nm.This method may prove to be a useful rapid screening process (45-60 min) to determine which strains are oxidative resistant, as well as being able to screen for groups of yeast that are sensitive to oxidative stress. This rapid screening tool may have direct applications in molecular biology (transference of the genes to inside of living cells) and biotechnology (biotransformations reactions to produce chiral synthons in organic chemistry.

Efeitos de interface em bicamadas magnéticas

We study magnetic interface roughness in F/AF bilayers. Two kinds of roughness were considered. The first one consists of isolated defects that divide the substrate in two regions, each one with an AF sub-lattice. The interface exchange coupling is considered uniform and presents a sudden change in the defects line, favoring Neel wall nucleation. Our results show the interface field dependence of the threshold thickness for the reorientation of the magnetization in the ferromagnetic film. Angular profiles show the relaxation of the magnetization, from Neel wall, at the interface, to reoriented state, at the surface. External magnetic field, perpendicular to the easy axis of the substrate, favors the reoriented state. Depending, of the external magnetic field intensity, parallel to the easy axis of the AF, the magnetization profile at surface can be parallel or perpendicular to the field direction. The second one treats of distributed deffects, periodically. The shape hysteresis curves, exchange bias and coercivity were characterized by interface field intensity and roughness pattern. Our results show that dipolar effects decrease the exchange bias and coercivity

Vortices in a mesoscopic superconducting disk of variable thickness

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)