• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.275-280
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• 2016

Prenatal nicotine exposure over an entire pregnancy has been associated with an increased prevalence of hyperactivity, anxiety-like behavior and depression-like behavior in mature rats. However, the effects of maternal nicotine exposure in late gestation and lactation on the psychology and behavior of adolescent rat offspring are unclear. Thus, we investigated the effect of nicotine exposure during late gestation and lactation on anxiety-like and impulsive decision-making behavior in adolescent offspring of rat. Female rats were orally exposed to nicotine which is within range of plasma level of human chronic smokers during the period of third last period of gestation and lactation. When the offspring were weaned, we observed alterations in the anxiety-like behavior and decision-making ability of adolescent rat offspring using light/dark box test and T-maze delay-based cost-benefit decision-making task. The maternal consumption of nicotine reduced both the time spent in the light compartment and the number of transitions compared to nicotine-free rats. Moreover, such nicotine exposed adolescent offspring rats showed impulsive decision making which chose the instant reward in a decision-making situation. We found that nicotine exposure during late gestation and lactation induces an increase in anxiety-like and impulsive decision-making behavior at this developmental stage. These findings suggest that maternal nicotine-exposed offspring are at an increased risk of developing anxious and impulsive behavior.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.770-782
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of three approaches (the seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average [SARIMA] model, the nonlinear autoregressive exogenous [NARX] artificial neural networks and Wood's model) to the prediction of milk yield during lactation. Methods: The dataset comprised monthly test-day records from 965 Polish Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White primiparous cows. The milk yields from cows in their first lactation (from 5 to 305 days in milk) were used. Each lactation was divided into ten lactation stages of approximately 30 days. Two age groups and four calving seasons were distinguished. The records collected between 2009 and 2015 were used for model fitting and those from 2016 for the verification of predictive performance. Results: No significant differences between the predicted and the real values were found. The predictions generated by SARIMA were slightly more accurate, although they did not differ significantly from those produced by the NARX and Wood's models. SARIMA had a slightly better performance, especially in the initial periods, whereas the NARX and Wood's models in the later ones. Conclusion: The use of SARIMA was more time-consuming than that of NARX and Wood's model. The application of the SARIMA, NARX and Wood's models (after their implementation in a user-friendly software) may allow farmers to estimate milk yield of cows that begin production for the first time.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1119-1126
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to compare the goodness of fit of four lactation curve models: Wood's Gamma model (WD), Wilmink (WL), and Pollott's multiplicative two (POL2) and three parameters (POL3) and to determine the environmental factors affecting the complete lactation curve of F1 dairy sheep under organic management. A total of 5,382 weekly milk yields records from 150 ewes, under organic management were used. Residual mean square (RMS), determination coefficients ($R^2$), and correlation (r) analysis were used as an indicator of goodness of fit for each model. WL model best fitted the lactation curves as indicated by the lower RMS values (0.019), followed by WD (0.023), POL2 (0.025) and POL3 (0.029). The four models provided total milk yield (TMY) estimations that were highly correlated (0.93 to 0.97) with observed TMY (89.9 kg). The four models under estimated peak yield (PY), whereas POL2 and POL3 gave nearer peak time lactation estimations. Ewes lambing in autumn had higher TMY and showed a typical curve shape. Higher TMY were recorded in second and third lambing. Season of lambing, number of lambing and type of lambing had a great influenced over TMY shaping the complete lactation curve of F1 dairy sheep. In general terms WL model showed the best fit to the F1 dairy sheep lactation curve under organic management.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.279-285
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• 2001

The change of the body condition score(BCS) and milk production graph as days in milk by lactation number show that the productivity of cow is on the increase as increase the lactation number, but the health condition is much worse because of the inappropriate nutrition intake. Metabolic profiles test(MPT) results indicate that the early-lactation for directly after the parturition to the peak production of milk during the total lactation period is the time of the more likely to be exposed to lack of energy, protein, minerals. To solve this problem, the early-lactation cows should be sufficiently supplied the required nutrients and should maximum intake the supplied nutrients not to be suddenly decline body weight and BCS from postparturition to the peak production of milk. To maximize the dry matter intake of a cow, there is have got to improve the management of body weight for heifer's skeletal development and in the dry period which is carelessly deal by mostly farms. This study presents that the use of measurement of body weight, graph of body condition score, distribution of milk production, metabolic profiles test in the monitoring for dairy herd health management is very valuable.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.817-826
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• 2017

We analyzed how foraging area use changed in female Pipistrellus abramus during the breeding season. Radio tracking was used to follow 12 female P. abramus in Gyeongju City, from 2013 to 2015. We followed three bats in each of four stages of reproduction: early pregnancy, late pregnancy, lactation, and post-lactation. Our data showed that the usable area of a foraging site and the area that was actually used by bats in that site were different, and foraging site use also differed according to stage of reproduction. The bats used arable land the most, with use rates of 57%, 40.4%, and 73.2% during early pregnancy, late pregnancy, and lactation, respectively. Bats in a post-lactation state did not use arable areas at all and instead foraged over bodies of water 90% of the time. There was no difference in the use of each foraging environment between bats in early pregnancy and late pregnancy. However, bats in late pregnancy and those that were lactating did use arable land to different extents, and bats that were lactating and those that were post-lactation also used arable land and bodies of water to different extents.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.182-187
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• 2000

Forty-two Holstein cows (21 multiparous) were assigned by calving date and parity to three dietary sequences to evaluate the effect of time of initiating fat supplementation to diets on lactation and reproductive performance. The dietary sequences were: 1) control, no supplemental fat from 1 to 98 days in milk (DIM) ; 2) control diet from 1 to 28 DIM then 3% supplemental fat (calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids) from 29 to 98 DIM; or 3) 3% supplemental fat from 1 to 98 DIM. Feeding supplemental fat did not enhance mean milk and 4% fat corrected milk (FCM) yields, but efficiency of FCM production was higher for cows fed supplemental fat. Milk fat percentage was unchanged whereas milk protein percentage was depressed with fat supplementation. Feeding supplemental fat reduced DMI and energy balance but there were no differences among treatments on time to resumption of ovarian cyclicity or conception rate to first service. Concentrations of progesterone during the first two ovulatory cycles tended to be greater in the fat-supplemented groups. Feeding supplemental fat starting at either parturition or 29 DIM increased efficiency of FCM production, but did not greatly enhance reproductive performance.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.1151-1161
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• 2022

Objective: This study was conducted to estimate the association of age at first calving (AFC) with first lactation traits as well as lifetime performance traits in Murrah buffaloes. Methods: Data on first lactation and life time performance of Murrah buffaloes (n = 679), maintained at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India during the period 1983 through 2017, were deduced to calculate heritability estimates, genetic and phenotypic correlation of different first lactation and lifetime traits. The univariate animal model was fitted to estimate variance components and heritability separately for each trait, while bivariate animal models were set to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits under study. Results: The heritability was high for first peak milk yield (FPY, 0.64±0.08), moderate for AFC (0.48±0.07) and breeding efficiency (BE 0.39±0.09). High genetic correlations of first lactation total milk yield (FLTMY) with first lactation standard milk yield (FLSMY, 305 days or less), FPY, and first lactation length (FLL) was seen. Likewise, genetic correlation of AFC was positive with FLTMY, FLL, first dry period (FDP), first service period (FSP), first calving interval (FCI), herd life (HL) and productive days (PD). Significant phenotypic correlation of FLTMY was observed with HL, productive life (PL), PD, total lifetime milk yield (LTMY), standard lifetime milk yield (standard LTMY). Moreover, positive genetic and phenotypic correlation of FPY was observed with HL, PL, PD, total LTMY and standard LTMY. Conclusion: This study reports that AFC had positive genetic correlation with FDP, FSP, FCI, and unproductive days while, negative association of AFC was observed with FLSMY, PL, total LTMY, standard LTMY, and BE. This suggests that reduction of AFC would results in improvement of lifetime performance traits.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 2010

This study was conducted to compare the aspects of behavior between miniature pigs and conventional sows during gestation and lactation periods. Miniature pigs and conventional sows at 3 parity were used in this experiment with 4 pigs per treatment. The behavioral patterns and stereotyped behaviors were observed on day 60 and 90 of gestation, at farrowing, and on day 10 of lactation before and after the feeding. On 60 and 90 days of pregnancy, both treatments showed the tendency of frequent lateral lying rather than other postures. On ventral lying, eating and drinking, miniature pigs spent more time than conventional pigs at day 90 of gestation (P<0.01, P=0.0539, P<0.05, respectively). The occurrence of stereotyped behaviors included bar biting and bar mouth chewing. At 90 day of pregnancy was observed, conventional pigs was higher than miniature pigs (P<0.05). At farrowing, miniature pigs spent more time on ventral lying, standing and walking than conventional sows (P<0.05), however, there were more frequency of drinking and eating. And on day 10 of lactation, there was no significant difference in stereotyped behaviors between miniature pigs and conventional sows. In conclusion, miniature pigs were generally more sensitive than conventional sows although sows were reared in stall during gestation and lactation period and the behavioral pattern during lactating period showed the similarity between miniature pigs and conventional sows for protection of nursing pigs. In consideration of the general reproductive performance of conventional sows, the high sensitivity and stress of miniature pigs did not affect the reproductive performance of miniature pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1551-1555
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• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the use of three different mathematical models (Wood, Quadratic and Cubic) for describing the lactation curve of Akkaraman ewes. Data were collected from 42 ewes that were three years of age and from the same flock raised in The State Farm of $G{\ddot{o}}zl{\ddot{u}}$ in Konya Province. All ewes lambed in March. They were hand milked twice daily and the first milk test was performed with in the first month after lambing (mean = 27.8 day, SD = 4.26) in an attempt to describe the peak yield. The differences between estimated total milk yields by the models were not significant. The models were adequate for describing total milk yield. The differences between peak yields were not significant. The Wood model estimated the time of peak yield earlier than the other models and observed values (p<0.01). Especially the Cubic model's peak time was very close to really peak time (34.30 vs. 35.33 days). $R^2$ values of the models ranged from 85.85% to 96.20%. The Cubic model gave the best $R^2$ value (p<0.01). Correlation coefficients between descriptive values of the models changed from 0.32 to 1.00. Total milk yields of the models were highly correlated (above 0.99) with the total milk yield calculated by the Fleischmann method (p<0.01). As a result the Cubic model showed the best fit to the data collected from Akkaraman ewes and allowed a suitable description of the shape of the lactation curve.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.208-215
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• 2003

Bisphenol A (4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol, $C^{15}H_{16}O_{2}$) is the monomer used in the manufacture of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate, in turn, is used in a wide array of plastic products, with new applications continuously being developed. Also it has been used to produce epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics for food container. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of bisphenol A on lactation period to dams and F1. Sprague-Dawley females were mated with on 2 : 1 ratio basis. Various doses of bisphenol A (0, 2, 20, 200, and 2,000 ${\mu}g kg^{-1}$) were daily administered to females for 21 days after parturition. Dams and offsprings were sacrificed at the time of weaning. The results were as fellows, 2000 ${\mu}g \; kg^{-1}$ / of bisphenol A decreased the dams' body weight at post-partum 18 days and also 200 and 2,000 ${\mu}g \;kg^{-1}$ of bisphenol A decreased the body weight of neonates at the days of post-partum 21 days. Bisphenol A increased the relative weights of liver and spleen in male offsprings, depending on the doses. But female offsprings showed high relative organ weights of ovaries, and low relative organ weights of uterine in a some dose-response manners. High dose of bisphenol A induced low viability of neonates exposed during lactation period. The dams treated with bisphenol A showed prematured estrous stage. Bisphenol A was recovered about 21.2% average in serum of dams, and also in offsprings'. The results indicate that the bisphenol A induces estrous cycle during lactation period in dams, also reaches to the offspring through breast milk. Thus bisphenol A exopsed to dams and neonates via lactation induces some estrogenic and tonic effects.