Rhizopus oryzae is a prominent strain for producing fumarate, where biomass growth precedes fumarate production. The natural bio film growth of R. oryzae as fungal mat was investigated using different glucose addition strategies in a novel fed-batch fermenter. Batch growth was compared through three fed-batch runs, each with a different glucose addition strategy. The fed-batch runs involved a constant glucose feed (CGF) of 0.075 g h-1 and controlled glucose feeds in order to keep the respiration quotient (RQ) at either 1.3 mol CO2 mol-1 O2 (RQ1.3) or 1.1 mol CO2 mol-1 O2 (RQ1.1). Ethanol overflow via the established Crabtree mechanism was completely negated for the CGF and RQ1.1 runs, while the batch and RQ1.3 runs exhibited significant ethanol formation. Biomass yield on glucose was found to be 0.476 g g-1 (RQ1.1), 0.194 g g-1 (RQ1.3), 0.125 g g-1 (CGF) and 0.144 g g-1 (batch). The results indicate a three-fold improvement in biomass yield when comparing the batch run with the RQ1.1 run. In addition, the RQ1.1 run resulted in zero detectable byproducts, unlike the batch scenario where pyruvate and fumarate were associated with ethanol formation. Clear evidence is provided that glucose overflow can be fully eliminated during R. oryzae growth, significantly affecting the biomass yield on glucose. / Dissertation (MEng (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / University of Pretoria postgraduate bursary / CSIR Inter-bursary Programme / Chemical Engineering / MEng (Chemical Engineering) / Unrestricted

A field-oriented control design and detailed analysis of a VSI-fed PMSM drive system with active load is done through simulations of the system model, using modern simulation software packages. A new control method for the speed tracking control based on the estimation of the load torque profile is proposed. A new, multilevel modeling approach for creating simulation models of power electronic circuits is developed for easier analysis and faster simulations. It is based on a modular approach wherein each module can be modeled at any level of complexity, while maintaining full compatibility of the modules. The new approach is applied to modeling of the VSI-fed PMSM drive system. The three-phase VSI-fed PMSM drive system model that is developed and experimentally verified is analyzed in the application of a starter/generator, where the load changes dynamically with motor speed. As a result, a detailed analysis of the field-oriented control design of a two stage cascade digital controller is presented, with an emphasis on the new method for the speed control, large-signal and small-signal analyses of several most popular flux-weakening strategies, and sampling delay effects on the system stability. / Master of Science

In this study, 14 typical South African feedlot bulls received no beta-adrenergic agonist for the last 30 days of the finishing period (C), 14 received 120 mg R-salbutamol per animal per day for the last 30 days of the finishing period (S30), 13 received 120 mg Rsalbutamol per animal per day for the last 40 days of the finishing period (S40) and the last group of 13 bulls received 60 mg zilpaterol hydrochloride per animal per day for the last 30 days of the finishing period (Zh). All animals were slaughtered after a 3-day withdrawal period. Parameters included weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion rate, warm and cold carcass mass, dressing %, subcutaneous fat thickness, hide yield %, internal carcass fat distribution, % bone, % fat and % muscle of the prime rib-cut, carcass classification code, conformation, compactness, post-mortem carcass pH profiles, cooking loss, shear force, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and residue levels of the beta-adrenergic agonists. No differences were observed between any of the four treatment groups concerning live feedlot performance. Bulls receiving the S30 and Zh treatments had lower internal carcass fat distribution compared to C bulls (P <0.05). Bulls receiving the S40 treatment had a lower % fat in the prime rib-cut compared to Zh bulls (P <0.05). Carcasses from S30 bulls had higher pH values 24 hours post mortem compared to carcasses from Zh bulls (P <0.01). Meat samples from Zh bulls had higher shear force, which indicates less tender meat, compared to samples from S40 bulls (P <0.05). Change in serum creatinine levels increased only in Zh treated bulls from the start to the end of treatment and may reflect a higher protein turnover in Zh bulls. The results of this study indicate that R-salbutamol has a more pronounced effect on fat metabolism in feedlot bulls compared to zilpaterol hydrochloride, while zilpaterol hydrochloride has a more pronounced effect on protein metabolism. The residue levels in samples of the liver, kidney, muscle and feaces from zilpaterol hydrochloride and R-salbutamol treated bulls were well below acceptable limits. / Dissertation MSc(Agric)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / gm2015 / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / MSc(Agric) / Unrestricted

The life history and case-building behavior of Molanna tryphena from two spring-fed tributaries in East Texas were studied from January 1997 to May 1998.

<p>Providing wholesome pork products to consumers involves raising healthy pigs to grow well and be feed efficient from birth to market. Raising these pigs starts with ensuring the sow is healthy and provided good nutrition in gestation and lactation. Therefore, this dissertation primarily focuses on research of gut modifying feed additives fed to sows in gestation and lactation (and to their progeny in Chapter 3) to enhance reproductive performance and litter growth to weaning (and in the nursery). In Chapter 2, a total of 606 sows and their progeny were used to determine if feeding gestating and lactating sows a proprietary strain of Pichia guilliermondi as a whole-cell inactivated yeast product (WCY; CitriStim, ADM Animal Nutrition, Quincy, IL) improves sow and litter performance in a commercial production system. Sows were fed a control (CON) diet or control diet fortified with 0.15% of the WCY from d 35 of gestation through lactation. Sows supplemented with WCY in gestation and lactation had a greater number of total born piglets by 0.45 pigs (P < 0.04), piglets born alive (P < 0.04), heavier born alive litter weights (P < 0.001), and greater post cross-foster litter size (P < 0.001) compared to CON fed sows. Litter size at weaning was increased by 0.54 pigs when sows were fed WCY compared to CON (P < 0.001). However, litter weaning weights and 21-day adjusted litter weaning weights were similar (P > 0.158) with the 21-day adjusted litter weaning weights being numerically greater for the WCY sows. The average piglet weaning weights from CON fed sows were heavier by 0.35 kg compared to WCY (P < 0.001). This increase in body weight of piglets from CON fed sows is partially explained by their 0.93 days longer lactation (P < 0.001) and may also be due to the smaller litter size nursed throughout lactation. The percent of litters treated for scours decreased from 38.3% to 14.2% when sows were fed WCY (P < 0.001). The distribution of birth and weaning weights was not different (P > 0.2461) between treatments.</p><p>Chapter 3 encompasses a sow experiment where progeny were followed onto the nursery for a 28-d study. Forty-seven sows and their progeny were used to determine if feeding gestating and lactating sows a Bacillus licheniformis direct-fed microbial (DFM), an organic acid blend of medium and short-chain fatty acids (OA), or in combination improves sow lactation feed and water intake, litter growth, and subsequent reproductive performance. At weaning, offspring were fed a positive control diet (PC), negative control diet (NC), or a diet representative of their dam’s treatment to determine if there is an additive benefit to also feeding DFM and/or OA to nursery pigs in addition to their dams. On approximately d 80 of gestation, sows were fed one of four diets in a 2  2 factorial design: 1) gestation control (CON), 2) CON with DFM (1.6x109 CFU/kg of complete feed), 3) CON with 0.4% OA, 4) CON with both DFM and OA. Dietary treatments were also fed throughout lactation. Sows fed the OA diets had fewer mummies per litter (P < 0.010) compared to diets not containing OA. Sows fed diets with the DFM gave birth to lighter pigs born alive (1.5 vs. 1.7 kg; P < 0.003) compared to non-DFM fed sows, and a tendency for an interaction (P < 0.092) existed where feeding DFM+OA lessened the decrease in born alive BW. There was a tendency (P < 0.093) for pigs from DFM fed sows to also be lighter at weaning (5.8 vs. 6.2 kg) compared to pigs from sows not fed DFM, with no differences in litter sizes at weaning (P < 0.815). There was a tendency (P < 0.079) for the DFM to decrease the amount of sow BW loss in lactation compared to sows not fed the DFM (approximately 6 vs. 8% BW loss, respectively). The maintained BW in lactation was likely related to DFM sows numerically (P < 0.124) consuming 8.4% more feed during d 7-14 of lactation and 6.4% more feed (P < 0.234) from d 1 of lactation to weaning. The interaction was approaching a trend (P < 0.133) where sows fed DFM returned to estrus 1.0 day sooner than CON, but only 0.4 days sooner when sows were fed the DFM+OA diet.</p><p>Progeny weaned from these sows (n = 384, Initial BW = 6.15 kg) were blocked by initial BW and sex and allotted (6 pigs/pen, 8 pens/treatment) to one of 8 nursery treatments. Pigs from CON sows were fed a negative (NC; no antibiotics, no pharmacological Zn or Cu) or positive (PC; neomycin-oxytetracycline in phases 1 and 2 (827 and 551 ppm) and carbadox in phases 3 and 4 (55 ppm)) control diet. Pigs from sows fed DFM, OA, or DFM+OA were fed the NC diet or a diet representative of their dam’s treatment. Diets with DFM contained 1.6x109 CFU/kg of complete feed and diets with OA contained 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, and 0.0% OA in phases 1-4, respectively. Weaning weight was used as a covariate for nursery performance due to the DFM offspring being significantly lighter at weaning. For all phases and overall, PC fed pigs had greater ADG (P < 0.003) and ADFI (P < 0.059) than NC pigs. PC fed pigs had greater G:F (P < 0.010) than NC pigs for all phases and overall except d 21-28 (P < 0.532). Feeding DFM or OA in sow diets improved (interaction; P < 0.049) nursery pig G:F, but DFM+OA offspring had similar G:F compared to NC pigs from CON fed sows for d 7-14, 0-14, 0-21, and 0-28. Feeding DFM or OA to sows and their progeny decreased ADFI (interaction; P < 0.042) but improved G:F (interaction; P < 0.028) for d 7-14 and 0-14 with DFM+OA having similar performance to NC. For d 14-21 and 0-21, feeding DFM or OA to sows and their progeny decreased ADFI whereas DFM+OA increased ADFI above NC (interaction; P < 0.019). Overall, d 0-28, feeding DFM or OA to sows and their progeny improved G:F (interaction; P < 0.001) with DFM+OA having poorer G:F compared to NC. When the DFM was fed to sows and nursery pigs, progeny harvested on d 6 post-weaning had a decreased ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.035) compared to sows and pigs not consuming the DFM (average 1.34 vs. 1.67). Comparing pigs fed PC vs. NC from CON fed sows, expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) was greater (0.51-fold increase; P < 0.046) for NC pigs than PC pigs. Expression of occludin (OCLN) was lower (P < 0.010) when OA was fed to the sows and pigs compared to when OA was not fed to the sows and pigs (0.78 vs. 1.00, respectively).</p><p>Chapter 4 is the only chapter that does not include maternal nutrition. In this chapter, maternal line gilts (Topigs Norsvin TN70) were bred with frozen semen from Duroc boars born from 2000 to 2017 divided into two genetic groups: semen from boars born in 2000 to 2005 and 2011 to 2017. These genetic groups had vastly different terminal sire indexes (TSI) of 88.2 and 112.0 for 2000 to 2005 and 2011 to 2017, respectively. A total of 155 pigs were weaned into 44 pens in a wean-to-finish facility to determine if genetics from two decades of sires and sex of the progeny impact progeny growth performance and carcass characteristics. The expected large growth performance differences indicated by the TSI’s of the two genetic groups were not observed. However, barrows had greater feed intake (P < 0.031) and fatter carcasses (P < 0.004) than the more feed efficient (P < 0.006) and leaner (P < 0.015) gilts in this study. Modern swine genetics have been selected to be leaner and results from this study agree, although the differences in live scan and carcass measurements were not as large as expected. The lack of differences between genetic groups could possibly be due to environmental differences including nutrition and rearing conditions from when these sires were alive compared to what was experienced by these progeny.</p><p>In conclusion, feeding gestating and lactating sows a proprietary strain of Pichia guilliermondi as a whole-cell inactivated yeast product increased the number of piglets born and weaned as well as decreased the prevalence of scours during lactation. Feeding a Bacillus licheniformis DFM to sows may decrease pig born alive weight and subsequent weaning weight but reduce sow BW loss through 6.4% more lactation feed intake, quickening the return to estrus. Other than decreasing the number of mummies per litter, feeding the OA alone or in combination did not improve sow reproductive or litter growth performance in this study. Feeding DFM or OA to sows or their offspring may improve nursery feed efficiency but did not result in a difference in ADG or final BW in this study. Feeding the combination diet (DFM+OA) to the sow and nursery pigs tended to increase ADFI. Feeding antibiotics post-weaning continued to improve pig growth performance resulting in 2.7 kg heavier pigs at the end of the 28-d nursery period. Lastly, the expected large growth performance differences indicated by the TSI’s of two genetic groups created by using frozen semen from boars born in 2000 to 2005 and 2011 to 2017 were not observed.</p>

An experiment was conducted to determine whether direct-fed microbial supplementation could alleviate a marginal amino acid (AA) deficiency in Hyline 36 laying hens from 33 to 44 wk of age. The experiment was a 2 × 4 factorial design with or without a commercial directfed microbial (Primilac; 1.36 kg/1,000 kg) and 4 levels of AA formulation. Egg characteristics (yolk, albumen, or shell proportions and yolk or albumen solids) were not affected by diet. Primilac supplementation had no effect on egg production or egg mass. However, Primilac supplementation reduced feed intake-to-egg mass ratio by 2.4 and 3.4% from 33 to 36 wk and 41 to 44 wk, respectively. Total eggs laid and egg mass were greatest when at least 14.4 g of CP, 804 mg of Lys, 382 mg of Met, 601 mg of TSAA, 502 mg of Thr, and 609 mg of Ile were consumed per hen per day from 33 to 44 wk of age. In conclusion, Primilac supplementation was not able to completely alleviate a marginal AA deficiency in laying hens but did improve feed intake-to-egg mass ratios during 8 wk of the 12-wk study.

Available evidence indicated that the deficiency of a specific nutrient in the diets adversely affect antibody production from a mild to severe degree. Studies of the effects of diet partially deficient in various essential nutrients on antibody response is meagre. Twelve groups of weanling rats were fed with diets prepared by diluting the basal diet with 0 to 75 percent sucrose for 46 days and their antibody response was measured on the 28th, 40th and 46th day using Salmonella pullorum as the anti gen. The rats fed the diet containing 75 percent sucrose and 25 percent basal diet had mean antibody titer of 15 as compared to 143 for their controls which were fed 100 percent basal diet. The antibody titer decreased as the basal diet was diluted with increasing amounts: of sucrose. Comparison of antibody titer with total serum proteirus, serum vitamin A, hemoglobin, and hematocrit showed that a multiple deficiency in the diet depresses antibody response much more severely than total serum proteins, serum vitamin A, hemoglobin or hematocrit . Rats which had coprophagy prevented had slightly lower food intake, growth rate, antibody response than rats allowed coprophagy.

The utilization of composed caged-layer waste (CCLW) in diets for pregnant ewes fed cereal straw was evaluated. Five sheep were assigned to five diets containing, 0, 5.72, 11.37, 23.80, and 32.69% CCLW in a 5x5 Latin square design. Water intake, feed intake and feces output were measured. Feed and feces were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), organic matter, hemicellulose and minerals. Thus, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance could be calculated. Forty dry, pregnant ewes in the last third of generation were assigned to four dietary treatments contained 0, 11.25, 22.08 and 31.26% CCLW in a complete randomized design. The response measured were ewe weight change, lamb birth weight and wool growth. A ewe surgically fitted with a ruminal cannula was assisted to each treatment. These ewes were adapted to diets for a 7-day period and then ruminal sumples were collected at 0, 3, 9 and 12 hours post-feeding. Connulated ewes were rotated through each treatment pen in a 4x4 Latin square design. Collected samples were analyzed for ph, volatile fatty acids, ammonia and total protozoa. Dry matter and organic matter apparent digestibility decreased as the level of CCLW increased (P<0.08). Other measurements (crude protein, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose and total ash apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance) did not differ between treatments (P<0.05). A biological trend indicated an improvement in structural carbohydrate digestibility as the level of CCLW increased. Ruminal propionic acid concentrations increased as the level of CCLW increased. Ruminal propionic acid concentrations increased as the level of CCLW increased (P<0.05). Ruminal ph and ammonia concentration tended to increase as the level of CCLW increased. These measurements indicated a better ruminal environment for fiber hydrolysis. Daily body weight gain, lamb birth weight and wool growth of ewes did not differ between treatments (P<0.05). The results show that CCLW is a satisfactory source of supplemental nitrogen for gestating ewes.

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