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The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of different degrees of bulkiness in the gestation diet on reproductive performance of sows during their first two parities. The density of the diets was modified by incorporating a high proportion of fibrous ingredients (wheat bran and corn cobs in Diet 2 and oat hulls and oats in Diet 3). A diet without fibrous ingredients was used as a control (corn and soybean meal in Diet 1). Although all the gestation diets were formulated to provide the same daily intake of the major nutrients, sows fed Diet 3 were the lightest and had the lowest backfat thickness (P < or = .05) during both parities, and those fed Diet 2 were the heaviest and the fattest (P < or = .05) during the second parity. These results seem to indicate an overestimation of the calculated nutritive value of Diet 3, whereas those obtained with Diet 2 seemed to be linked to its marked effect on behavior of sows during the second parity. There was no marked effect (P > .11) of treatments on the number of pigs born alive, on preweaning mortality, or on the weaning-to-estrus interval. At parturition, total litter weight was similar among treatments in the first parity, whereas in the second parity it was greater (P < or = .05) in sows fed Diet 2 than in those fed Diets 1 and 3. In both parities, feed intake of the common lactation diet given during lactation was 5% higher (P < or = .05) for sows fed Diet 3 during gestation than for sows fed the other diets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Extensive cross-fostering is widely used in early-weaning units in order to standardize and improve body weight at weaning. However, young suckling piglets develop teat fidelity and repeated cross-fosterings could go against this behavior. This experiment was therefore conducted to compare the behavior and growth of 13 control and 14 fostered litters. Once every 3 d (from d 1 to 16 of lactation), all piglets were weighed and three piglets were switched between two fostered litters. Their unfostered littermates were called residents. Behavior was recorded for 2 h after weighing and(or) adoption and during one nursing period 24 h later. Fights were more frequent (P < 0.05) in treated than in control litters during and between nursings at all ages of adoption except d 1. Most fights occurred between resident and fostered piglets (P < 0.001), except at d 1. Fights during nursing were still more frequent in treated than in control litters 24 h after adoption (P < 0.02), except at d 1 and 16. More piglets had skin lacerations in treated than in control litters except at d 1 (P < 0.05), and scratches were more frequent in fostered than in resident piglets at d 1 (P = 0.07), 7, 13, and 16 (P < 0.01). At all ages except d 1, failed nursings and snaps at piglets were more frequent in fostered than in control litters (P < 0.05), most snaps being directed at adopted piglets (P < 0.001). In fostered litters, sows spent 15 to 30% less time lying on their sides at d 4, 7, 13, and 16 (P < 0.05). Finally, adopted piglets were 13% lighter than controls at weaning (P < 0.001), whereas residents were heavier than adopted piglets (P < 0.05) but lighter than controls (P = 0.1). These data demonstrate that cross-fostering done repeatedly during lactation is stressful for piglets and sows and does not improve body weight at weaning.

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Aims. The work is aimed at studying the circumstellar disk of the bright classical binary Be star π Aqr. Methods. We analysed variations of a double-peaked profile of the H α emission line in the spectrum of π Aqr that was observed in many phases during ∼40 orbital cycles in 2004−2013. We applied the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) method to search for periodicity in the peak intensity ratio (V/R). Doppler tomography was used to study the structure of the disk around the primary. Results. The dominant frequency in the power spectrum of the H α V/R ratio is 0.011873 day −1 , which corresponds to a period of 84.2(2) days and agrees with the earlier determined orbital period of the system, P orb = 84.1 days. The V/R shows a sinusoidal variation that is phase-locked with the orbital period. Doppler maps of all our spectra show a non-uniform structure of the disk around the primary: a ring with the inner and outer radii at V in ≈ 450 km s −1 and V out ≈ 200 km s −1 , respectively, along with an extended stable region (spot) at V x ≈ 225 km s −1 and V y ≈ 100 km s −1 . The disk radius of ≈65 R = 0.33 AU was estimated by assuming Keplerian motion of a particle on a circular orbit at the disk's outer edge.

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The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of dietary supplements of vitamins on vitamin status, libido, and semen characteristics in young boars under normal and intensive semen collection. Sixty Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc boars were allocated randomly from 6 to 10 mo of age to one of the following diets: 1) basal diet (industry level) for minerals and vitamins (Control, n = 15); 2) basal diet supplemented with vitamin C (ASC, n = 15); 3) basal diet supplemented with fat-soluble vitamins (FSV, n = 15); and 4) basal diet supplemented with water-soluble vitamins (WSV, n = 15). After puberty (approximately 12 mo of age), semen was collected at a regular frequency (three times every 2 wk) for 5 wk. Thereafter, all boars were intensively collected (daily during 2 wk). A recovery period (semen collection three times every 2 wk) followed and lasted for 10 wk. Sperm quality (percentage of motile cells and percentage of morphologically normal cells) and quantity (sperm concentration, semen volume, and total sperm number) were recorded as well as direct and hormone related measurements of boar libido. Blood and seminal plasma samples were taken to monitor vitamin status. High concentrations of B6 (P < 0.05) and folic acid (P < 0.05) were observed in the blood plasma of WSV boars, whereas greater concentrations of vitamin E (P < 0.01) were obtained in FSV boars. In the seminal plasma, folic acid concentrations tended to be greater in WSV boars (P < 0.08). During the intensive collection period, there was a tendency (P < 0.06) for semen production to be greater in WSV boars, the effect being less pronounced (P < 0.10) in FSV boars. During the recovery period, the percentage of motile sperm cells was greater in WSV boars (P < 0.03) and, to a lesser extent, in FSV boars (P < 0.10) compared with Control boars. Sperm morphology and libido were not affected by treatments. These results indicate that the transfer of vitamins from blood to seminal plasma is limited and the dietary supplements of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins may increase semen production during intensive semen collection.

Abstract. Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) was isolated from tissues of aborted fetuses and weaned and suckling piglets from 4 different pig farms in Quebec. The farms were experiencing reproductive failure in sows of different parities concomitant to respiratory problems in suckling and postweaning piglets. At necropsy, gross lesions were confined to the lung and consisted of pulmonary congestion and edema of various degrees. Lesions of multifocal interstitial to proliferative pneumonia were found in the lungs of these piglets.