Identification and characterization of a highly conserved gene

Purification and characterization of human uterine

C-Phycocyanin and arachidonic acid cascade

C-Phycocyanin and celecoxib, selective COX-2 inhibitors, induce apoptosis in chronic

Hexamerins, their gene and binding protein

In Newfoundland the production of ranch mink has been carried on, on a limited scale, for well over twenty years. However, during the last seven years, with the assistance and encouragement of the Newfoundland Government, mink ranching has been co-ordinated and largely centralized near the southern end of Trinity Bay. This region of the Avalon Peninsula was chosen for several reasons, the most important of which was its close proximity to a supply of a large variety of marine products. Trinity Bay is a centre of pothead whale fishing and consequently whale meat and whale liver are normally available as ingredients in mink rations.

In many respects, the significance of the reproductive cycle in the pig differs from that of other domestic animals. Unlike the cow or the eve, the sow owes her value solely to her ability to produce and rear many young. The more young she can produce which are viable to marketable age, the greater her value. The ideal sow is defined as the one which begins to breed as early as is compatible with her future productivity, continues to breed as often as possible for as long a life as possible, and produces large litters of healthy pigs rearing them to good weaning weight without loss. In brief, fertility, fecundity, mothering ability and milk yield must all be high.

By the beginning of the century, it had been conclusively established that the most efficient utilization of any ration depended not only on the proper balance between the heretofore known essential nutrients, viz.: proteins, fats and carbohydrates, but on a consideration of balance with regard to minerals and vitamins. Analyses of the animal body and of eggs reveal the presence of a large number of mineral elements. However only a few of these have to be added to the normal ration either because some are not essential in the performance of the physiological activities of the animal or the ingredients used in the ration contain enough of the ethers in available form. The two most abundant minerals both in the body and the egg of the chicken are calcium and phosphorus. Supplementation of the ration with both of these elements is essential in order to meet the birds’ requirements.

Production of food and continuous supply thereof is perhaps the most critical factor in sustaining the growth, economy and security of a nation. This point is brought into the foreground most strikingly during periods of war, particularly when rationing has to be imposed. During and since the Second World War, pressure on agriculture in general and on animal industry in particular has mounted continuously to produce more and better meat, milk and eggs, and at less cost to the consumer, to keep in step with the rapidly growing population. With the prices of basic livestock feeds and protein supplements remaining high or rising, nutritionists have exerted a tremendous effort to find ways and means to enhance utilization of the basic nutrients - protein, carbohydrate, fat.

The idea of the control of the sex ratio is not a recent one. According to Gordon (1958), men have been attempting to control or predict the sex of their offspring for thousands of years. This subject was discussed in a Chinese Manuscript about 4,400 years ago. An Egyptian papyrus of 2,200 B.C. noted that a pregnant woman with the use of greenish cast was certain to bear a son. Aristotle believed that the placing of the marriage bed in a north-south direction favored the conception of boys. These are examples of the many beliefs that have been reported regarding sex determination, which have since been demonstrated to be false. The scientific history of the subject of sex determination began with the discovery of the genetic mechanism by which sex is determined in mammals. According to genetic theory, the male mammal has a special pair of sex chromosomes made up of one X chromosome and one so-called Y chromosome.