Epidemiological studies in humans have revealed a relationship between altered development in utero and an increased incidence of pathophysiology during postnatal life. One of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is thought to be exposure to excess glucocorticoids during critical phases of brain development. The aim of the current set of studies was to determine the effects of prenatal stress during discrete developmental windows on behaviour and endocrine function in male and female guinea pig offspring. Guinea pigs were used as the model for these studies as they are a long-gestation species that give birth to neuroanatomically mature young and fetal brain development is well characterized. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to a high frequency strobe light during the period of rapid fetal brain growth or the period of rapid brain myelination. Pregnant guinea pigs were allowed to deliver normally and guinea pig offspring were tested for ambulatory activity, anxiety and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Male offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid brain growth exhibited increased anxiety behaviour, increased basal plasma cortisol levels and decreased plasma testosterone levels. We found that replacing testosterone in these animals reversed the behavioural and endocrine differences. Male offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid myelination exhibited an increased plasma cortisol response to activation of the HPA axis. Female offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid brain myelination exhibited decreased ambulatory activity and a blunted salivary cortisol response to the stress of the strobe light, but only during the estrous phase of the reproductive cycle. Therefore, the current set of studies has demonstrated the effects of prenatal stress on behaviour and HPA axis activity are dependent on; 1) the timing of the prenatal stress and 2) the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in both male and female offspring. These studies have begun to uncover the mechanisms underlying programming and provide the basis for continuing research in humans.

<p>Successful management of nitrogen (N) excretion is important for sustainable pork production. Two experiments were conducted and their objectives were to study the effect of dietary protein and fibre on N excretion patterns and to relate plasma urea (PU) to urinary N excretion.</p> <p>In the first experiment, three dietary protein contents (high, 197; medium, 169; low, 138 g kg^-1 ) and two levels of fibre (low and high) were tested. Diets (wheat, barley, soybean meal; oat-hulls as the fibre source) were formulated to an equal digestible energy (DE) content (3.25 Meal DE kg^-1) and at least 2.18 g digestible lysine per Meal DE, and were supplemented with Lys, Met, Trp, Thr, Ile, or Val. Pigs (32 ± 3.4 kg; n = 42) were housed in confinement-type metabolism crates for 19 d. On d 10 or 11, catheters were installed by cranial vena cava venipuncture. Daily feeding rates were adjusted to three times maintenance and daily rations were halved to two equal meals. Faeces and urine were collected from d 15 to 19. Five blood samples were collected in two-h intervals on d 16 and 19. Faecal N, urinary N, and total N excretion were reduced linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Reduction was greater for urinary (48%) and total N excretion (40%) than for faecal N (23%) excretion. The ratio of urinary N to faecal N was reduced linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Retention of N (g d^-1) was reduced linearly but N retention as percentage of intake was increased linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Addition of oat hulls did not affect N excretion patterns (P > 0.10). Dietary treatments did not affect average daily gain (ADG) or feed efficiency (P > 0.1 0). Plasma urea increased after feeding, peaked at 4 h and then decreased toward pre-feeding concentrations. A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration (R² = 0.66) was observed.</p> <p>In the second experiment, effects of dietary protein content (high, 185; and low, 157 g kg^-1) and fibre sources on N excretion patterns were studied in a 2x3 factorial arrangement. The three fibre sources were control, soybean hulls (SH; 15% ), and sugar beet pulp (SBP; 20%). Diets were formulated to 3.3 Meal DE kg^-1 and 2.4 g digestible Lys per Meal DE, and were supplemented with Lys, Met, Trp, Thr, lie, or Val. Pigs (30.5 ± 3 kg; n = 36) were housed in confinement-type metabolism crates, with restricted access to feed (3 x maintenance DE) from d 1 to 18, and free access to feed from d 19 to 26. Faeces and urine were collected from d 15 to 18 and d 23 to 26, and blood samples on d 17 and 25. With restricted access to feed, faecal N (as % of N intake) was increased 3 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and increased 4 percentage units for SH and 6.5 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Urinary N was reduced 5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and reduced 9 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Retention of N (g d^-1) was reduced 12% for low compared to high protein content (17.9 compared to 20.4 g d^-1 ; P < 0.05), and was similar among fibre treatments (P > 0.10). With free access to feed, faecal N (as % of N intake) was increased 2.5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and increased 5 percentage units for SH and 9 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Urinary N was reduced 5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and reduced 9 percentage units for SH and 10 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Retention of N (g d^-1) was similar for dietary protein content (30.5 g d^-1 ; P > 0.10), and reduced for SH (27 g d^-1; P < 0.05) compared to control (31 g d^-1), while was intermediate for SBP (29 g d^-1). A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration was observed with both restricted (R² = 0.66) and free access to feed (R²= 0.71).</p> <p>Reduction of dietary protein content is an efficient way to reduce total and urinary N excretion, which may reduce ammonia emission. Inclusion of fibre sources high in fermentable fibre shifted N excretion from urine N to faeces N while fibre sources resistant to fermentation did not have any effects on N excretion patterns. Combined effects of dietary protein content and fibre reduced urinary N excretion further than single effects. Level of feed intake is an important consideration when effectiveness of a nutrient management strategy is studied. Diets with a low protein content and containing synthetic AA should be studied using pigs with free access to feed to verify that N retention is maintained. A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration was observed under both restricted and free access to feed indicating that urinary N excretion could be predicted from PU concentration.</p>

Crowding of grow-finish pigs reduces growth and is considered a welfare issue. Most crowding studies have been limited to smaller group sizes than are currently being considered in the swine industry. It has been hypothesized that pigs in large groups require less space to maintain growth and welfare. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of group size and space allowance on the performance, health and welfare of grow-finish pigs. The study consisted of eight blocks, each with four experimental units in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of group size (18 vs. 108 pigs/pen) and space allowance (0.52 vs. 0.78 m2/pig). Health assessments were conducted daily; production data were collected weekly; injury scores, behaviour and salivary cortisol data were collected bi-weekly; and carcass and adrenal gland data were collected at slaughter. Gains were lower for crowded pigs, but the effects were limited to the final week of the study. Pigs in crowded groups had a lower feed efficiency, which followed a trend similar to that of gains over time. In the crowded groups, pigs spent less time at the feeder, but no other variables differed among space allowances. Gains were lower for pigs housed in large groups, but the effects were limited to the initial two weeks of the study. Pigs in large groups had a lower feed efficiency and more lameness and leg sores. Other health measures did not differ between the group sizes. Lying behaviour of pigs in large groups indicated that they were able to utilize free space more efficiently than pigs housed in small groups. Analysis of feeding patterns suggests that pigs housed in large crowded groups were able to manoeuvre around their environment more easily than those in small crowded groups, yet performance of pigs in large groups was similarly affected by space restriction as pigs in small groups. Interactions of group size and space allowance indicated that pigs in large crowded groups were more susceptible to lameness. There was no indication that pigs in large groups required less space, or could perform as well at reduced space allowances, than pigs in small groups.

<p>Successful management of nitrogen (N) excretion is important for sustainable pork production. Two experiments were conducted and their objectives were to study the effect of dietary protein and fibre on N excretion patterns and to relate plasma urea (PU) to urinary N excretion.</p> <p>In the first experiment, three dietary protein contents (high, 197; medium, 169; low, 138 g kg^-1 ) and two levels of fibre (low and high) were tested. Diets (wheat, barley, soybean meal; oat-hulls as the fibre source) were formulated to an equal digestible energy (DE) content (3.25 Meal DE kg^-1) and at least 2.18 g digestible lysine per Meal DE, and were supplemented with Lys, Met, Trp, Thr, Ile, or Val. Pigs (32 ± 3.4 kg; n = 42) were housed in confinement-type metabolism crates for 19 d. On d 10 or 11, catheters were installed by cranial vena cava venipuncture. Daily feeding rates were adjusted to three times maintenance and daily rations were halved to two equal meals. Faeces and urine were collected from d 15 to 19. Five blood samples were collected in two-h intervals on d 16 and 19. Faecal N, urinary N, and total N excretion were reduced linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Reduction was greater for urinary (48%) and total N excretion (40%) than for faecal N (23%) excretion. The ratio of urinary N to faecal N was reduced linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Retention of N (g d^-1) was reduced linearly but N retention as percentage of intake was increased linearly with a reduction of dietary protein content (P < 0.001). Addition of oat hulls did not affect N excretion patterns (P > 0.10). Dietary treatments did not affect average daily gain (ADG) or feed efficiency (P > 0.1 0). Plasma urea increased after feeding, peaked at 4 h and then decreased toward pre-feeding concentrations. A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration (R² = 0.66) was observed.</p> <p>In the second experiment, effects of dietary protein content (high, 185; and low, 157 g kg^-1) and fibre sources on N excretion patterns were studied in a 2x3 factorial arrangement. The three fibre sources were control, soybean hulls (SH; 15% ), and sugar beet pulp (SBP; 20%). Diets were formulated to 3.3 Meal DE kg^-1 and 2.4 g digestible Lys per Meal DE, and were supplemented with Lys, Met, Trp, Thr, lie, or Val. Pigs (30.5 ± 3 kg; n = 36) were housed in confinement-type metabolism crates, with restricted access to feed (3 x maintenance DE) from d 1 to 18, and free access to feed from d 19 to 26. Faeces and urine were collected from d 15 to 18 and d 23 to 26, and blood samples on d 17 and 25. With restricted access to feed, faecal N (as % of N intake) was increased 3 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and increased 4 percentage units for SH and 6.5 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Urinary N was reduced 5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and reduced 9 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Retention of N (g d^-1) was reduced 12% for low compared to high protein content (17.9 compared to 20.4 g d^-1 ; P < 0.05), and was similar among fibre treatments (P > 0.10). With free access to feed, faecal N (as % of N intake) was increased 2.5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and increased 5 percentage units for SH and 9 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Urinary N was reduced 5 percentage units for low compared to high protein content, and reduced 9 percentage units for SH and 10 percentage units for SBP compared to control (P < 0.05). Retention of N (g d^-1) was similar for dietary protein content (30.5 g d^-1 ; P > 0.10), and reduced for SH (27 g d^-1; P < 0.05) compared to control (31 g d^-1), while was intermediate for SBP (29 g d^-1). A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration was observed with both restricted (R² = 0.66) and free access to feed (R²= 0.71).</p> <p>Reduction of dietary protein content is an efficient way to reduce total and urinary N excretion, which may reduce ammonia emission. Inclusion of fibre sources high in fermentable fibre shifted N excretion from urine N to faeces N while fibre sources resistant to fermentation did not have any effects on N excretion patterns. Combined effects of dietary protein content and fibre reduced urinary N excretion further than single effects. Level of feed intake is an important consideration when effectiveness of a nutrient management strategy is studied. Diets with a low protein content and containing synthetic AA should be studied using pigs with free access to feed to verify that N retention is maintained. A linear relationship of urinary N to PU concentration was observed under both restricted and free access to feed indicating that urinary N excretion could be predicted from PU concentration.</p>

Epidemiological studies in humans have revealed a relationship between altered development in utero and an increased incidence of pathophysiology during postnatal life. One of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is thought to be exposure to excess glucocorticoids during critical phases of brain development. The aim of the current set of studies was to determine the effects of prenatal stress during discrete developmental windows on behaviour and endocrine function in male and female guinea pig offspring. Guinea pigs were used as the model for these studies as they are a long-gestation species that give birth to neuroanatomically mature young and fetal brain development is well characterized. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to a high frequency strobe light during the period of rapid fetal brain growth or the period of rapid brain myelination. Pregnant guinea pigs were allowed to deliver normally and guinea pig offspring were tested for ambulatory activity, anxiety and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Male offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid brain growth exhibited increased anxiety behaviour, increased basal plasma cortisol levels and decreased plasma testosterone levels. We found that replacing testosterone in these animals reversed the behavioural and endocrine differences. Male offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid myelination exhibited an increased plasma cortisol response to activation of the HPA axis. Female offspring whose mothers were exposed to stress during the period of rapid brain myelination exhibited decreased ambulatory activity and a blunted salivary cortisol response to the stress of the strobe light, but only during the estrous phase of the reproductive cycle. Therefore, the current set of studies has demonstrated the effects of prenatal stress on behaviour and HPA axis activity are dependent on; 1) the timing of the prenatal stress and 2) the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in both male and female offspring. These studies have begun to uncover the mechanisms underlying programming and provide the basis for continuing research in humans.

The airflow pattern and contaminant distribution under non-isothermal turbulent flow conditions in a swine growing/finishing building were investigated experimentally and numerically. In the test facility, the ventilation system consisted of discontinuous ceiling inlets with recirculation assisted slots. Air speed, dust and ammonia concentration at selected locations in the-building were measured during the winter ventilation season in a cold climate. The corresponding temperature distribution at one cross section within the air space also was measured. Experimentally it was found that both the ventilation rate and the recirculation rate had a limited effect on the dust concentration. The ventilation rate had a significant effect on the ammonia concentration in the air space, while the recirculation rate did not affect the ammonia concentration. The FLUENT computer code was used to simulate the air flow pattern and ammonia concentration in the swine building. The numerical simulation model used was the k-$\varepsilon$ turbulence model which includes a buoyancy term. The predicted airflow pattern indicated that the flow structure in such a ventilated swine barn is a three-dimensional flow. The three-dimensional flow structure and the contaminant concentration and temperature at the human breathing line were highly affected by the combined behavior of ceiling inlet jets and recirculation slot jets. The presence of pigs in the swine building had three effects: the air stream near the pigs was deflected; the air speed above the pigs was increased; and the ammonia concentration in the air space was decreased. Both experimental and numerical results showed that temperature and ammonia concentration were uniformly distributed across most of the air space in a building ventilated with discontinuous ceiling inlets and recirculation slots. Numerical results also indicated that the heat generated by animals affected the airflow pattern. Increasing the heat load at the floor resulted in increased air speed, temperature, contamination level, turbulence kinetic energy, dissipation rate and effective viscosity along the breathing line. The placement of the ceiling inlet and the recirculation duct affected airflow patterns, but had only a slight effect on the distribution of temperature and ammonia concentration along the human breathing line. Increasing the flow rate of cleaned recirculation airflow resulted in lower ammonia contaminant level along the human breathing line. However, higher flow rates of cleaned recirculation air means there will be higher fan operation and air cleaning costs. The optimum ratio of ventilation rate to the cleaned recirculation air rate appeared to be approximately 1:4.

Crowding of grow-finish pigs reduces growth and is considered a welfare issue. Most crowding studies have been limited to smaller group sizes than are currently being considered in the swine industry. It has been hypothesized that pigs in large groups require less space to maintain growth and welfare. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of group size and space allowance on the performance, health and welfare of grow-finish pigs. The study consisted of eight blocks, each with four experimental units in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of group size (18 vs. 108 pigs/pen) and space allowance (0.52 vs. 0.78 m2/pig). Health assessments were conducted daily; production data were collected weekly; injury scores, behaviour and salivary cortisol data were collected bi-weekly; and carcass and adrenal gland data were collected at slaughter. Gains were lower for crowded pigs, but the effects were limited to the final week of the study. Pigs in crowded groups had a lower feed efficiency, which followed a trend similar to that of gains over time. In the crowded groups, pigs spent less time at the feeder, but no other variables differed among space allowances. Gains were lower for pigs housed in large groups, but the effects were limited to the initial two weeks of the study. Pigs in large groups had a lower feed efficiency and more lameness and leg sores. Other health measures did not differ between the group sizes. Lying behaviour of pigs in large groups indicated that they were able to utilize free space more efficiently than pigs housed in small groups. Analysis of feeding patterns suggests that pigs housed in large crowded groups were able to manoeuvre around their environment more easily than those in small crowded groups, yet performance of pigs in large groups was similarly affected by space restriction as pigs in small groups. Interactions of group size and space allowance indicated that pigs in large crowded groups were more susceptible to lameness. There was no indication that pigs in large groups required less space, or could perform as well at reduced space allowances, than pigs in small groups.

A widespread problem in the housing of captive animals is the occurrence and development of abnormal behaviors. In the pig breeding industry the abnormal behaviors causing the biggest welfare problems are stereotypies such as tail-biting, ear-biting, equipment-biting and belly-nosing. In this study a rope and an activation ball were tested as curative treatments to reduce the performance of these stereotypies by inducing the underlying innate behaviors. A total of 141 pigs spread over 18 pens were used as test-subjects. They were divided into three groups which were introduced to one of the two enrichments or no enrichment at all. Both the enrichments contained characteristics which mostly targeted exploratory and foraging needs and, if functional, were thought to mainly have an effect on tail-biting, ear-biting and equipment-biting. The pigs were observed both at initial contact with the enrichments and after having familiarized with them for three days, and the amount of registered enrichment interaction and performed stereotypies were used to evaluate the effect of the enrichment objects. In both enrichment treatments the enrichments occupied the pigs both on day one and after three days. The presence of equipment-biting was successfully reduced on both day one and day three while the presence of tail-biting and ear-biting only were initially reduced. No effect was found on belly-nosing in either enrichment treatment. This suggests that both enrichments are functional over time and efficient in reducing some types of harmful social behaviors. However, belly-nosing would need to be targeted with a different kind of object.

The effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on lipogenesis and preadipocyte proliferation in young pigs were evaluated in two separate experiments. The first compared dietary effects of linoleic acid, beef tallow, and CLA on composition, lipogenesis, and DNA synthesis. Eighteen pigs weaned at 17 d of age were allotted randomly to corn-based diets supplemented with 1.5% corn oil, 1.5% tallow, or 1.5% CLA. The second experiment evaluated the effects of CLA included with diets high in polyunsaturated fat or beef tallow. Twenty-four pigs weaned at 17 d of age were allotted randomly to one of four corn-based diets supplemented with: 15% corn oil, 12% corn oil + 3% CLA, 15% tallow, and 12% tallow + 3% CLA. The piglets in both trials were fed a basal diet for 7 d and their respective diet for 35 d. [U-14C]Glucose incorporation into total lipids was (experiment 1): 10.64, 11.04, 13.64; (experiment 2): 21.15, 17.54, 21.34, and 19.52 nmol/(105 cells per h) for subcutaneous (s.c.) adipose tissue from corn oil, tallow, CLA; corn oil, corn oil + CLA, tallow, and tallow + CLA-fed piglets, respectively. Tritiated thymidine incorporation into DNA was not different in s.c. adipocytes across treatment groups, but was 5,581, 2,794, 6,573, and 3,760 dpm/(105 cells per h) in s.c. stromal vascular cells from corn oil, corn oil + CLA, tallow, and tallow + CLA-fed piglets, respectively (CLA main effect p<0.034). Additionally, there was a greater proportion of s.c. adipocytes in the smaller, 180-pL cell fraction from the corn oil + CLA-fed pigs (p<0.0074). CLA in the diet increased the s.c. adipose tissue concentration of 18:0 and decreased 16:1 and 18:1 (p<0.05), suggesting depression of stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) enzyme activity in the CLA-fed pigs. The concentration of CLA isomers was raised only slightly in s.c. adipose tissue with the addition of CLA to the diets even though the CLA oil contained 62% CLA isomers. No effects on the growth of young pigs were observed. However, CLA caused a more saturated fatty acid composition and may suppress preadipocyte proliferation, apparent SCD activity, and lipid filling of smaller cells.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989.