• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.49-68
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• 2012

In this paper, an offshore process front end engineering design (FEED) method is systematically introduced and reviewed to enable efficient offshore oil and gas production plant engineering. An integrated process engineering environment is also presented for the topside systems of a liquefied natural gas floating production, storage, and offloading (LNG FPSO) unit, based on the concepts and procedures for the process FEED of general offshore production plants. Various activities of the general process FEED scheme are first summarized, and then the offshore process FEED method, which is applicable to all types of offshore oil and gas production plants, is presented. The integrated process engineering environment is presented according to the aforementioned FEED method. Finally, the offshore process FEED method is applied to the topside systems of an LNG FPSO in order to verify the validity and applicability of the FEED method.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.747-755
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• 2009

The feed resource for animals is a major cost determinant for profitability in livestock production enterprises, and thus any effort at improving the efficiency of feed use will help to reduce feed cost. Feed conversion ratio, expressed as feed inputs per unit output, is a traditional measure of efficiency that has significant phenotypic and genetic correlations with feed intake and growth traits. The use of ratio traits for genetic selection may cause problems associated with prediction of change in the component traits in future generations. Residual feed intake, a linear index, is a trait derived from the difference between actual feed intake and that predicted on the basis of the requirements for maintenance of body weight and production. Considerable genetic variation exists in residual feed intake for cattle and pigs, which should respond to selection. Phenotypic independence of phenotypic residual feed intake with body weight and weight gain can be obligatory. Genetic residual feed intake is genetically independent of its component traits (body weight and weight gain). Genetic correlations of residual feed intake with daily feed intake and feed conversion efficiency have been strong and positive in both cattle and pigs. Residual feed intake is favorably genetically correlated with eye muscle area and carcass weight in cattle and with eye muscle area and backfat in pigs. Selection to reduce residual feed intake (excessive intake of feed) will improve the efficiency of feed and most of the economically important carcass traits in cattle and pigs. Therefore, residual feed intake can be used to replace traditional feed conversion ratio as a selection criterion of feed efficiency in breeding programs. However, further studies are required on the variation of residual feed intake during different developmental stage of production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.435-444
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• 1999

This paper summarizes the size and output of the major animal industries in Australia and the feed resource available to maintain production. The most important feed source is pasture but there is also extensive use of cereal grains, pulses and by-products in the intensive animal industries and in supplementing the diet of grazing animals. These resources must be used in ways that ensure sustainable production. We outline a number of Decision Support Systems such as GrazFeed, GrassGro, and AusPig which play an important role in optimizing the way in which resources are used. Waste management with respect to mineral pollution of water courses and methane production as a greenhouse gas are important issues for the animal industries and are also considered.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.289-293
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• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution of duck production in duck housing as a function of the breeding period. The items in duck production distribution included body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and average duck production. All data were based on eight cycles (June and December, 2017; February, June, August, September, and November, 2018; February, 2019) at Farm Site 1 through 7. The most optimal results in the duck production distribution were observed at Site 1 for weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency. This could be explained by the fact that Site 1 was well managed in environmental improvement and sustainability. Based on these data, selective alternatives to improve duck production in duck farms are recommended as follows: first, proper management and recording of litter used as a flooring material are required, and second, continuous management such as temperature, relative humidity and ventilation is needed. Lastly, it is necessary to change duck facilities by introducing environmental management techniques. Furthermore, efforts to improve the overall facilities and management of duck breeding farms through additional field studies are needed in the future.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.961-966
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• 2008

Direct and maternal genetic parameters for production traits in 1,642 pigs and maternal genetic correlations among production (1,642 pigs) and feed efficiency (380 boars) traits were estimated in 7 generations of a Duroc population. Traits studied were daily gain (DG), intramuscular fat (IMF), loineye area (LEA), backfat thickness (BF), daily feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI). The RFI was calculated as the difference between actual and predicted feed intake. The predicted feed intake was estimated by adjusting the initial test weight, DG and BF. Data for production traits were analyzed using four alternative animal models (including direct, direct+maternal permanent environmental, or direct+maternal genetic+maternal permanent environmental effects). Direct heritability estimates from the model including direct and all maternal effects were $0.41{\pm}0.04$ for DG, $0.27{\pm}0.04$ for IMF, $0.52{\pm}0.06$ for LEA and $0.64{\pm}0.04$ for BF. Estimated maternal heritabilities ranged from $0.04{\pm}0.04$ to $0.15{\pm}0.05$ for production traits. Antagonistic relationships were observed between direct and maternal genetic effects ($r_{am}$) for LEA (-0.21). Maternal genetic correlations of feed efficiency traits with FI ($r_g$ of FI with FCR and RFI were $0.73{\pm}0.06$ and $0.90{\pm}0.05$, respectively) and LEA (rg of LEA with FCR and RFI were $-0.48{\pm}0.05$ to $-0.61{\pm}0.05$, respectively) were favorable. The estimated moderate genetic correlations between direct and maternal genetic effects for IMF and LEA indicated that maternal effects has an important role in these traits, and should be accounted for in the genetic evaluation system.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2_spc
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• pp.317-331
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• 2022

The aim of the present investigation is to determine the nutritional composition of various insects and their potential uses as alternative protein sources in animal diets. The feeding industry requires production systems that use accessible resources, such as feed resources, and concentrates on the potential impacts on production yield and nutritional quality. Invertebrate insects, such as black soldier flies, grasshoppers, mealworms, housefly larvae, and crickets, have been used as human food and as feed for nonruminants and aqua culture while for ruminants their use has been limited. Insects can be mass-produced, participating in a circular economy that minimizes or eliminates food- and feed-waste through bioconversion. Although the model for formula-scale production of insects as feed for domestic animals has been explored for a number of years, significant production and transformation to being a conventional protein resource remains to be deeply investigated. This review will focus on the nutritional composition of various insects and their potential use as alternative protein sources, as well as their potential use to promote and support sustainable animal production. Furthermore, nutritional compositions, such as high protein, lauric acid omega 6, and omega 3, and bioactive compounds, such as chitin, are of great potential use for animal feeding.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.249-256
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• 2023

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the influence of providing laying hens with extra feed on egg production and egg quality parameters. A total of 480 laying hens (38-weeks old), were divided into five treatment groups (eight replicate cages/treatment and 12 layer/replicate) according to their starting body weight (1.98 ± 0.05 kg) in this four-week feeding trial. Five different feed allowances of the same diet (105, 110, 115, 120, and 125 g·day^-1·bird^-1) were assigned to layers. Daily inspections of remaining feed (around 0.1g) and layer mortality (0%) showed no harmful impact of supplying extra feed to layers. Providing 120 and 125 g of feed per day to layers resulted in the highest final body weight, large-egg ratio, and improved yolk color among all treatment groups. Layers receiving 125 g of feed daily had the highest egg weight, but the highest egg production ratio was observed in layers receiving 110 g of feed/day. The additional supply of feed did not have a negative impact on the productive performance or egg quality of the layers. The provision of 125 g feed per day led to an improvement of large-egg ratio, egg weight, and yolk color, but likely led to obesity of the layers, which manifested as an increase in body weight and a decline in the egg production ratio. We concluded that 110 grams of feed was the proper quantity after taking into consideration the significance of the health of the laying hen to the overall production performance.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.540-554
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• 2023

Heat stress is a major challenge to animal production in tropical and subtropical climates. Rabbits suffer from heat stress more than farm animals because they have few sweat glands, and their bodies are covered with thick fur. Intensive farming relies on antibiotics as antimicrobials or growth promoters to increase animals' productivity and health. However, the European Union and many countries have banned or restricted the use of antibiotics in animal feed for human health concerns. Several studies have found that replacing antibiotics in rabbit feed with natural plants or feed additives increases productivity and improves immune capacity, especially under heat stress conditions. Growth performance, immune response, gut microflora, and carcass yield may be increased in rabbits fed a diet supplemented with some natural plants and/or propolis. In this review article, we discuss and summarize the effects of some herbs and plant extracts as alternative feed additives on rabbit productivity, especially for those raised under hot ambient temperatures.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.651-656
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• 1999

In current animal production in Japan, a large surplus of nitrogen and phosphorus is given to animals as their feed which are mostly imported from outside of our own country. Today, an excess of nitrogen and phosphorus from animal manure has been spread out of the area of animal production and the surroundings. These components have become the major reason for eutrophication of ground, surface and inland water. Nutritional studies for the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus from animal waste has been done by many researchers. The reduction of excess protein in animal feed and the supplementation of deficient essential amino acids to feed have a possibility to increase the biological value of feed and to reduce nitrogen excretion, especially, via urine. The use of phytase activity to degrade phytate and to release utilizable inorganic phosphorus make it possible to cut an excess supply of feed additive inorganic phosphorus and to reduce phosphorus excretion from animal waste.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.553-558
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• 2001

The effect of poor feather cover on feed intake and production was examined in two commercial strains of layers (tinted and brown egg) over 91-98 weeks of age. Hens were housed at four per cage ($600cm^2/bird$) in a commercial layer shed which ranged in temperature from 13.2 to $16.8^{\circ}C$. At the start of the experiment 50% of the birds were classified as having poor feather cover. Feather score was highly correlated with feed intake. Poor feather cover on the neck and the back were the best indicators of hens with high feed intake. Feed intake of hens with poor feather cover was 16% higher (p<0.05) than hens with good feather cover. Hens with good feather cover produced more eggs (p<0.05) early in the trial and had a higher (p<0.05) liveweight, but there was no significant differences in egg weight. Feed per dozen eggs was superior (p<0.05) in hens with good feather cover. Feather cover on the back and vent were the best indicators of overall feather score, while the tail, base of tail and vent were the body parts most affected in birds with poor feather cover.