a. taghizadeh

With the increasing use of information technologies in the field of education, it is now possible to create flexible learning environments without temporal and spatial barriers on the Internet. These environments enable learners to access various learning materials, share their findings, and discuss with other online participants. Despite the dramatic increase in web-based courses and learners enrolling in these courses, there are many indications that the mentioned courses have failed to meet the needs of learners and learners remember unpleasant experiences from such contexts. One of the relatively new methods in teaching is flipped classroom. The underlying idea of the flipped classroom is that instructional materials are presented outside the classroom, and on the other hand, the classroom time is used for interaction and conceptual transformation. Also, the community of inquiry (CoI) framework created by Garrison et . (2001) has been extensively applied and explored. It is probably the most frequently used model based on technology for a constructivist learning design. According to Garrison et al, learners can learn collaboratively and as a group in an inquiry community when there is a shared cognitive, social, and teaching presence. learning experiences are formed through the interaction of cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. Garrison et al. claim that the common nature of cognitive, social, and teaching presence leads to the creation of an inquiry community, in which a cooperative learning experience is created for learners. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of using the flipped classroom on the learners’ perceived teaching, social and cognitive presence in online courses. 

This study was quasi-experimental in terms of research method, using pre-test and post-test design with experimental and control groups. The population of the research included all the students of Tehran in the academic year of 1400-1401, using Convenience sampling. A total of 58 people were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental group (30 students) and control group (28 students). Research instruments included CoI survey instrument developed by Arbaugh et al. (2008) along with rubric for online discussions analysis (Social presence: indicators by Rourke et . (1999), teaching presence: indicators by Anderson et al. (2001), and cognitive presence: indicators by Park (2009)). To analyze the data, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation), and inferential statistics, i.e., the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and the chi-squared test were used.

The results of MANCOVA showed that the experimental group had better progress for all types of presence (teaching, social & cognitive) in posttest compared to the control group(p<0.05). Also calculated chi-square test showed that frequency of produced semantic units for all types of presence (teaching, social & cognitive) in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p>0.05).

The results of this research proved the potential of flipped classroom pedagogy in learner’s progress in the three key factors of the community of inquiry framework, i.e. cognitive, social and teaching presence. Also the findings of research can lead to the improvement of offered education in web-based courses and are useful for those who are involved designing and implementing web-based education.

Selenium is one these trace mineral elements which is essential for health, immunity and maximum production performance of animals. Selenium is an essential trace element, and its importance for animal health and productivity has been well confirmed. Selenium has known to be involved in enzyme activity and preventing oxidative damage to body tissue. Selenium plays important roles in antioxidant defence systems, prevents cell damage and is necessary for growth, fertility, and immune system in farm animals. Recently, nano -elemental Se has attracted wide spread attention due to its high bioavailability and low toxicity, because nanometer particulates exhibit novel characteristics, such as great specific surface area, high surface activity, a lot of surface active centres, high catalytic efficiency and strong adsorbing ability and over and above the character of low toxicity of Se0. Dietary selenium is an essential trace element for animals and humans with a variety of biological functions. It plays important roles in the regulation of thyroid hormone metabolism, cell growth and antioxidant defence systems thus, together with alpha-tocopherol prevents cells against oxidative stress damage, also these compounds are necessary for growth, fertility, and immune system health in animals and humans. The in situ and in vitro usually use for determining of effect of additives on digestibilities of t feeds. Regarding to the importance of TMR feeding on dairy cattle nutrition, determining of its digestibilities with additive and without additive is necessary. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different forms of selenium sources on digestibility of high production lactating dairy cows TMR in vitro and in situ Techniques.

3 male ruminally cannulated sheep, average 43±4.8 kg of BW, were used in a replicated 3×3 Latin square experiment. Sheep were fed twice daily (08:00 and 18:00 h) at maintenance nutrition requirements with a basal diet consisting of 400 g/kg (dry matter) DM of basal concentrates and 600 g/kg DM of forage. Sheep were placed in metabolic cages individually and fresh water was freely available during the experimental period. This experiment was conducted in three periods of 28 days with 21 d adaptation period and 7 d for data tacking. Treatments were: 1. Basal diet + 0.3 ppm nano selenium, 2. Basal diet + 0.3 ppm organic selenium, 3. Basal diet + 0.3 ppm inorganic selenium. In gas production method, 300 mg of each treatment weighted and incubated for 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 hours. The Nylon bag method used to estimate ruminal disappearance of dry matter. Ruminal degradability was measured using nylon bag technique on day 22–28 of the experimental period. The samples 5 g of feed were weighed in 6 cm×12cm nylon bags made of monofilament Pecap polyester . Samples were incubated separately in duplicate bags and suspended in the rumen of each sheep and removed after 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours. All removed bags were rinsed in cold water until the bags were clean; the bags immediately were dried in an oven at 65◦C for 12 h, then 105 ◦C for 24 h in order to determine DM disappearance. in three steps digestion method, about 5 g of feed stuffs weighted in 6 cm×10cm nylon bags made of monofilament Pecap polyester . Samples were incubated separately in duplicate bags and suspended in the rumen of each sheep and removed after 12 hours. All removed bags were rinsed in cold water until the bags were clean; the bags immediately were dried in an oven to determine DM disappearance.

During most of incubation hours, the volume of produced gas was higher in nano selenium, organic selenium, inorganic selenium and control treatments, respectively. However, significant differences between treatments were occurred after 36 h of incubation. The most gas production potential (A) was measured in nano selenium, organic selenium and inorganic selenium compared with control treatments. There were not any significant differences between nano selenium and organic selenium in gas production potential. there wasn’t any significate differences between treatments in degradability of TMR dry matter. In three steps digestion experiment, nano treatment was higher than inorganic treatment in post ruminal digestion of TMR dry matter.

The results showed that the addition of various sources of selenium to the diet may improve rumen function.

Foodstuffs that derived from animal products could transfer microbial pathogens and antibiotic drug residuesin, consequently it caused to disrupting in immune and gastrointestinal system and microbial resistance in the human body. This study was to investigate the effect of different levels of probiotic and lactoferrin (bLF) on the health status and infection rate of Escherichia coli in suckling Ghezel lambs. Thirty six suckling male lambs in a completely randomized design employing a 2×3 factorial arrangement were assigned to six exprimental groups. Experimental treatments were includes of two levels of probiotic (0 and 1 g/day/head) and three levels of bLF (0, 0.25 and 0.50 g/day/head) that used individually for 56 days of experiment. The results showed that despite no significant difference between fecal score and body temperature between the experimental groups, the simultaneous use of probiotics and bLF reduced days medicated in the experimental groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, interaction between different levels of probiotic and bLF reduced the excretion of Escherichia coli in the feces (p < 0.05). Bovine lactoferrin led to a linear increase in plasma iron concentration compared to the control group, therewith the highest level of bLF having the highest increase in iron concentration (p < 0.05). According to results of present experiment, it seems that bLF plus probiotic can have synergisc effect on performance and heath status of Ghezel lamb breed in preweaning phase.

Processing have an impact on nano-molecular basis, which increase digestion of starch. Heat processing destroys the crystalline nature of a starch granule making the surface of the starch more available to digestive solvents and enzymes as well as to the rumen microbes (Bdour et al. 2014). The in situ nylon bag technique is widely used to characterize the disappearance of feeds from rumen (woods et al. 2002). In situ incubation is a principle method for the estimation of ruminal degradability of dry matter and crude protein, because it is simple, does not require specific equipment and could be applied in every research laboratory (Alexandrow 1998). In many protein evaluation systems for ruminants, the nylon bag technique is the standard method used for calculating the amount of protein escaping rumen fermentation (Cone et al. 2002). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that produces images of a sample by scanning the surface with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with atoms in the sample, producing various signals that contain information about the sampleʼs surface topography and composition. Accordingly, scanning electron microscope (SEM) can achieve resolution better than 1 nanometer (Stokes 2008). This experiment was conducted to investigate the digestibility of dry matter and crude protein of sorghum grain in the rumen and therefore, investigate changes in nano-molecular basis.

In this study sorghum grain was processed using methods of steam flaking, roasting and microwaving. Feed samples were dried in an oven at 90°C for 48 h and the dry matter (DM) content was calculated. Then, ground samples were analyzed for ash (AOAC, 2005). Determinations of N were conducted using the Kjeldahl method in an automated Kjelfoss apparatus (Foss Electric, Copenhagen, Denmark). Neutral-detergent fiber (NDF) and acid-detergent fiber (ADF) were determined by the detergent procedures of Van Soest et al. (1991). Acid-detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) was determined as nitrogen in acid-detergent residue. Ether extract (EE) was determined by extracting the sample with ether (AOAC 2005). Degradation characteristics of feeds were calculated after the incubation of 5 g samples of row, steam flaked, roasted, and microwaved sorghum grains (ground at 2 mm) in nylon bags. The bag size was 6×12 cm. The bags were incubated in the rumen of two cannulated sheep for 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h. Retrieved bags were washed under running water until the water was clear. Immediately after removal from the rumen, the bags frozen at −18 °C. At the end of the collections, they were unfrozen and washed together with the zero time bags (not incubated in the rumen) for 20 min and then dried at 80°C for 48 h. The residues were weighted and submitted for analysis. For each bag, the residue was analyzed for DM and nitrogen. Feed residues were recovered from each bag and stored for Kjeldahl nitrogen. The model of p=a+b(1-e-ct) was used for the determination of degradation characteristics, in which p is the actual degradation of CP and DM after t, a is the intercept of the degradation curve at time zero, b is the potential degradability of the component of the slowly soluble CP and DM, which will in time be degraded, c represents the constant degradability rate of b at time t, and t is the incubation time. In order to provide SEM images, scanning electron microscopy (Field Emission Tescan mirca 3) was used in the central laboratory of University of Tabriz. The values of a (% solubility) and b (potentially degradable fraction) and deviation of error were determined.  Data obtained from in situ study was subjected to analysis of variance as a completely randomized design by the GLM procedure of SAS software and treatment means were compared by the Duncan test.

In situ results showed that steam flaking of sorghum grain have the most digestibility compared with other treatments, but it was not significant. Steam flaking of sorghum grain reduced nutritional restriction (Teurer et al. 1999) and in many studies has been showed decreases in tannin and phenolic compounds. Microwave processing reduced digestibility; however, it was not significant. Lewandowicz et al. (2002) reported that microwaving reduced starch solubility, because high heat treatment in microwaved starch can create resistance and continual basis in granular structures. Processing significantly decreased crude protein digestibility in all three treatments (P<0.05) that previous studies have confirmed these results (Parnian 2008, Nickhah et al. 2003, Hamaker 1987).
Thermal process reduces protein digestibility in the rumen via denaturing the protein and formation of protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate bonds (Anonymous 2001). Dandy et al. (1995) also concluded wet sorghum baking reduced digestibility. Preston (1998) reported that processing and steaming of corn and sorghum grains reduced solubility of proteins. Also, access to lysine amino acids reduced by flakes density reduces. Scanning electron micrographs in all three treatments showed that processing destructed protein matrix and increased enzymes access to starch granules and increased their digestibility. In steam flaking treatment, granule surfaces were attacked by microorganisms and protein matrix destructed more than other treatments. Also, terminal processing in all three treatments gelatinated the starch and increased average of scale of granules. In addition to the importance of starch digestion, the increase in viscosity during gelatinization may also positively affect physical quality of processed feeds through increasing in binding between feed particles. Svihus et al. (2004) reported that pelleting can improve feed integrity by increasing binding between particles. Gelatinization of starch greatly increases α-amylase accessibility to amylose and amylopectin glucose chains and so, increases the rate of starch digestion. The number of created orifices is explanatory for degradability values. Benmoussa et al. (2006) concluded that number and scale of granules have positive effects on digestive properties. In this study, despite of smaller number and smaller size of orifices in steam flaking treatment than other treatments (against further degradability of steam flaking than others treatments), SEM images of incubated steam flaking showed that granules were processed completely. Therefore, lots of uniformity and meltingcan be justified as its high degradability.

Electron microscopy images showed that the number and size of holes (nano-sized) per unit area of ​​treatments were highly correlated with the degree of degradability. Steam flaked treatment has caused more gelatinization in starch granules as the size of the granules has increased more than the control treatment and other treatments. Steam flake processing shows better degradability properties than other treatments and provides higher amounts of nutrients to microorganisms.

Aflatoxins are a large group of mycotoxins that are produced through Polyketide pathway by specific species of Aspergillus flavus</em>, Aspergillus parasiticus,</em> and  Aspergillus nomius</em>. These pesticides are known to be the most dangerous mycotoxins affecting human and livestock health (Pleadin et al. 2014). Several hundred mycotoxins have been identified, and more than 25% of the world annual grain production is contaminated with mycotoxin (Smith et al. 2016). Among the 400 known mycotoxins, Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 are the most important food and feed mycotoxins (Costanzo et al. 2015). Aflatoxin M1 and M2 are the hydroxyl metabolite of aflatoxin B1 and B2 that can be found in milk or other animal products (Hussein and Brasel. 2001). At the first level, the main manifestations of mycotoxins exposure in animals are reductions in feed intake and weight gain. At the second level, mycotoxins affect the quantity of animal products. The third level of influence is the safety and quality of the products from exposed animals (Wang et al. 2019). The present study was designed to detect contamination of aflatoxin M1 in milkand, aflatoxin B1 in feed and subsequent molecular isolation and identification of Aspergillus flavus</em> species.

In this study, 10 milk samples from milk reservoirs and 10 feed samples from a total mixed ration of livestock from dairy farms of East Azarbaijan province (Tabriz and Marand) were collected. After preparation of samples, the experiment was conducted using competitive ELISA method. The principles were as follows: after adding standard solutions or samples to the wells, aflatoxin M1 was bonded from specimens or standards to specific antibody binding sites. After 30 minutes of  incubation step, unbound reagents were removed during a single wash step. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) aflatoxin M1 was added to the wells and after one 15 minutes of incubation, the unlinked conjugate was removed during the washing step. Then, some aflatoxin M1-HRP was coherent by adding a substrate/chromogen (H2</sub>O2</sub>/TMB) solution. In the presence of colorless chromogen, mixed conjugated aflatoxin and M1-HRP agent was converted to colored product. The addition of sulfuric acid caused the suspension of the substrate reaction and finally, the light intensity was measured by a photometric method at 450 nm. Optical density had an inverse relationship with the concentration of aflatoxin in the sample. To isolate the fungus, first 2 g of the standardized feed  were weighed and milled  in  a falcon containing 18 ml of physiological serum and then, mixed well with a vortex for five minutes. A portion of the diluted feed was removed and cultured on plots containing a Potato Dextrose Agar medium at several locations. Plates were incubated for 7 days at 25 ℃. DNA was extracted from Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) medium. The resulting mycelium mass was frozen and converted to a uniform powder by liquid nitrogen. DNA extraction was carried out by placing the samples in a buffer and purification with organic solvents such as chloroform/isoamyl alcohol and finally, curing with cold isopropanol. The resulting DNA was stored at -20 ° C. In order to evaluate the actuary of identification for Aspergillus flavus, </em>the primer sequence of AFLA-F and AFLA-R gene was aligned using the BLAST software (GenBank) to find similarity rate within resisted reference sequences. Each PCR reaction consists of: 6 μl of PCR Master Mix, 2 μl extracted DNA, 0.2 μl of each recipe primer, 1.6 μl of distilled water. Then, 10 μl of the final volume of reaction was placed on thermosecler device. A PCR program for amplification of the targeted PCR fragment was fixed based on following temperature: Initial denaturant at 95℃ for 10 min, {denaturant at 95℃ for 1 min, annealing at 66℃ for 2 min, extension at 72℃ for 2 min (total 34 cycle)} and the final amplification at 72℃ for 5 minutes (Zachová et al. </em>2003). Isolated strains of Aspergillus</em> strains were verified using the PCR method; its reaction products were detected in 1% agarose gel by electrophoresis.

The results showed that all milk and feed samples were contaminated with aflatoxin, but the contamination rate of milk samples was lower than the standard values of Iran, America, and the European Union (0.1, 0.5 and 0.05 μg / Kg). Among the 10 collected samples, only two edible samples with aflatoxin B1 contamination were higher than the Iranian and European standards (5 μg / kg). The contamination level of milk and feed samples were observed in the range of 0.021-0.05 and 1.1-6.9 μg / kg, respectively. Statistically, there was a significant difference between the mean of contamination of aflatoxin M1  in milk and B1 in feed in the region with national and international standards and the mean of M1 and B1 contamination was lower than these standards. The level of aflatoxin M1 in milk was detected by HPLC method, indicating that the infection rate of 10 samples was 0.02-0.31 μg / l (Besufekad et al. 2018). In another study, 178 wheat samples were collected in China and reported 18.8% of the samples contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (Liu et al. 2016). The results of the fungal species also showed that the analyzed samples did not show any bands in the 413bp range. As a result, it can be said that the dominant species and the main cause of contamination were not Flavus</em> species. Wang et al. (2016) reported that aflatoxins are mainly produced by the genus Aspergillus</em>, and are commonly found in food and feed in humid and warm environments. Research results in India show that among the 15 collected samples, only 9 samples (60%) were infected with Aspergillus</em>. Seven samples were detected as  Aspergillus flavus</em> and two samples as  Aspergillus niger</em> (Khare et al. 2018).

 Milk composition, body mass gain, immunity, and reproductive performance are affected in dairy ruminants by feeds contaminated with aflatoxins. It is expected that by controlling animal feed agaisnt aflatoxin and reducing its levels in feed by improving production and storage conditions, a suitable method for preventing contamination of milk and its products will be adopted to help improve the health of the community.

The use of cryopreserved semen in artificial insemination (AI) has numerous advantages for the animal husbandry, especially when used in breeding programs. Long-term storage of sperm in liquid nitrogen is a valuable technique for genetic resources preservation (Mazur et al., 2008). Animals are transported frequently and widely around the world, and it is necessary to create and maintain suitable conditions during animal transportation (Salamon and Maxwell, 2000). However, the costs, the risks of escape, and the potential for accidental death of animals are unavoidable. On the other hand, cryopreserved sperm can be transported in liquid nitrogen at a markedly lower cost and without the risk of escape or death of animals (Aires et al., 2003). Numerous investigations have been performed to improve the protocols for cryopreservation of sperm. The extenders used for semen cryopreservation protect the sperm against thermal shock, preserving both motility and fertility by promoting the stabilization of the plasma membrane, and providing energy substrates (Amirat et al., 2004). These attributes reduce the deleterious effects of changes in the pH and osmolarity, prevent the growth of bacteria, and protect the sperm cells from the damage caused by refrigeration, freezing, and thawing. For sperm cryopreservation, protocols using egg yolk have been successfully established and applied in various animal species (Aisen et al., 2002). However, the use of egg yolk in cryopreservation has been questioned, because of certain potential negative aspects. Egg yolk contains a wide variety of compounds that are both beneficial and also potentially harmful to sperm. Additionally, egg yolk introduces a risk of contamination by microbes that can subsequently produce endotoxins; and so, the egg yolk and sperm are subjected to quarantine inspection in the case of import or export. Therefore, a replacement for egg yolk with a well-defined chemical composition would be very advantageous. Lecithin, also known as phosphatidylcholine, is a component of egg yolk and is known to prevent cold shock during the freezing and thawing process in sperm cryopreservation. Soybean lecithin in particular has already been used as a replacement for egg yolk in sperm cryopreservation in various animals. Its non-animal origin and minimal sanitary risks make it preferable for this application. Soybean Lecithin can be used as an extender in the cryopreservation process (Akhter et al., 2012). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Soybean Lecithin as extender on the ram semen quality after freeze-thawing. Semen was collected from the indigenous Ghezel rams. Twenty five ejaculates were collected throughout the entire study, with semen being collected twice a week (every Sunday and Tuesday) from each ram, using the artificial vagina. Ejaculates were collected in graduated test tubes, placed in a thermo flask at 34°C, and transported to the laboratory for evaluation within 1h interval. The raw or fresh undiluted semen was then microscopically evaluated for volume, concentration, and sperm motility. The sperm concentration was determined with the aid of a neubauer lam. A Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) system was used to evaluate the different sperm motility characteristics. All data were analyzed using the statistical procedure of SAS (version 9.2). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant differences between treatments. Characterization of the Ghezel ram sperm viability (percentage live/dead) of the semen samples was determined using an eosin/nigrosin stain (50μl eosin/nigrosin and 5μl semen). The volume of the ram ejaculates ranged between 0.75 and 1.5mL. The sperm concentration recorded in this study ranged between 0.9 and 1.3 × 109 sperm/mL. The effect of different soybean lecithin levels on the Ghezel ram semen characteristics following cryopreservation was evaluated. After initial evaluation of the ejaculates, all ram ejaculates were pooled and semen sample was then divided into three portions; then, semen samples were diluted with soybean lecithin (1, 1.5 and 2 %) citrate extender and cooled over a period of 2h to 5°C. The semen samples were equilibrated for 2h and then loaded into 0.25mL semen straws. The straws were frozen in liquid nitrogen (LN2) vapor, then semen straws were plunged into the LN2 (-196°C). The semen straws were thawed 30 days later, in a water bath (37°C) for 30 seconds. The sperm characteristics included motility and motion parameters, viability, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, sperm abnormality, and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. Motility and velocity were microscopically evaluated using the Sperm Class Analyzer® (CASA) system. This study demonstrated that soybean lecithin (1.5%) containing 7% glycerol can be used to cryopreserve Ghezel ram semen effectively, based on the sperm motility characteristics. The low sperm motility results recorded when semen was cryopreserved in soybean lecithin (2%). The results showed that total motility and some sperm motion parameters (VSL, VCL, VAP and ALH) were significantly higher in 1.5% lecithin soybean treatment group (P <0.05). In terms of survival, the percentage of abnormal sperm, plasma membrane integrity, and lipid peroxidation were not significant between treatments. Acrosome membrane integrity of 1.5% soybean lecithin treatment group was higher than other treatments (P< 0.05). Briefly, 1.5% soybean lecithin treatment had better performance than other levels on the quality of the sperm after freeze-thawing.

Barley grain is one of the major feedstuff in ruminant animal’s nutrition due to its high energy density and lower price than grains such as corn. Rate of barley starch digestion in the rumen is critical issue in high-grain fed ruminants because it is associated with higher performance of animal. Feeding high amount of barley in ruminant animal rations can cause an increase in the incidence of digestive disorders including reduced feed intake, off-feed, acidosis, and liver abscesses. Processing methods such heat treatment can affect physical characteristics and ruminal fermentation of grain. Moreover, barley grains from diverse cultivars are different in their chemical composition and fermentation characteristics due to geographical, environmental and genetic variations as well as their interactions. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of variety and heat treatment duration on physical characteristics and ruminal disappearance of barley grain. Two varieties of endemic barley grain (i.e. Sahand and Makoei) were prepared from Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Karaj, Iran. The grains were roasted in three time duration (5, 10 or 15 min at 120o C) in a cast iron container. The experiment was conducted using a 2*3 factorial design. The samples were dried in 60° oven for 48 hours. Chemical composition was determined according to prescribed procedures of AOAC (2002). Neutral detergent finer (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were measured by method of Van-Soest et al. (1991). Bulk density of sample was determined using the method described by Montgomery and Baumgardt (1965). Water holding capacity (WHC) determined by filtration method (Robertson and Eastwood, 1981). Dry matter solubility and ash solubility of samples were determind by method of Giger-Reverdin (2000). Dry matter degradability was measured by in situ technique using two fistulated Ghezel sheep (fed 60% forage + 40% concentrate). Samples were put in the polyester bags and incubated in the rumen for 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36, and hours. After the specific incubation periods, bags were washed under running tap water until the effluent was clear and then dried at 55◦C for 48 h. Bags and contents were weighed to estimate DM disappearance (DMD). Kinetic parameters of DM degradation was estimated by the nonlinear regression procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) using the model of McDonald (1981) y = a + b (1 − e−c(t−lag)). Data were subjected to analysis as a factorial in a completely randomized design using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of SAS. Roasting increased dry matter (DM) content of both barley varieties (P<0.05). An increase in ADF and NDF content of roasted grain was due to decrease in water content of grain. Sahand variety showed higher degradability than Makoei (P<0.05). Dry matter degradability of both barley varieties decreased during 16 to 48 h of incubation due to roasting process (P<0.05); however, these varieties showed different kinetics of degradation during early period of incubation. Roasting increased DM degradability of the Sahand variety during initial 6 h of incubation; however, it showed different pattern in the Makoie variety. The rapid and slow degradable fractions (ie; a and b) decreased by roasting duration in both varieties (P<0.05). Also heat processing of barley grain resulted in a lower effective degradability of dry matter (P<0.01). Effective degradability of Sahand variety was higher than Makoie in all passage rates and all duration of heat processing (P<0.05). Fractional rate of degradability did not change by heat treatment. Makoei variety had higher water holding capacity (WHC), bulk density (BD), dry matter solubility (DS), and ash solubility (AS) than Sahand (P<0.05). Roasting increased WHC and decreased BD in both varieties (P<0.05) but had no effect on DS and AS. There were positive correlations between BD100 and Ether Extract (EE), NDF and ADF content of barley grain, which were 0.53, 0.40, and 0.35, respectively. Also, water holding capacity showed high positive correlation with NDF and ADF content (r =0.84 and r =0.71 respectively) and as expected conversely correlated with EE content (r = -0.61) of barley grain. Both of DMS and AS conversely correlated with EE content of barley grain (r = -0.24 and r = -0.49 respectively). The results of the current study demonstrated that it is possible to decrease ruminal degradability of barley grain by using the right roasting treatment and choosing the proper variety. Makoei variety showed more decrease in fractional rate of digestion, which should be considered in the ration formulation

The present study was conducted to study the effects of replacing soybean meal with vermicomposting feed on growth performance and selective rumen and blood metabolites of fattening lambs. For this experiment, 16 male mixed breed lambs (Ghezel-Moghani) with an average initial weight of 20.5 ± 2.5 kg were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replicates and 4 lambs in each replicate.The experimental diets, consisting of 0, 33, 67 and 100 percent vermicomposting feed replaced soybean meal. Lambs were fed freely with a diet containing 30% forage and 70% concentrate. Duration of the fattening period was 90 days. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) among the treatments in terms of final weight, average daily gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ration. The data from the rumen metabolites indicated that diets had no effect on pH and fatty acids (p<0.05). But feed samples with 100% vermicomposting significantly increased rumen ammonia nitrogen and fatty acid acetate (p<0.05). Replacing soybean meal with vermicomposting feed did not have a significant effect on blood metabolites with the exception of blood urea nitrogen which showed a slight linear increase numerically. The results of this study shows that vermicomposting feed containing high nutrients can be a suitable replacement for soybean meal.

An experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of different metabolizable energy and lysine levels on the growth performance and carcass quality of Arbor Acres(AA) broiler chickens. A total 180 of one day-old broiler chickens were randomly allocated to each of 6 treatments with 3 replicates in CRD design as factorial arrangement (2 metabolizable energy levels × 3 lysine levels) with 10 sex-mixed birds each. Three experimental bird groups received the experimental diets formulated to meet AA nutrient requirements for metabolizable energy with three levels of lysine (85, 100, and 115 percent of recommended level) and other three bird groups received the experimental diets with 200 Kcal/Kg deficient in metabolizable energy with same three levels of lysine. Except at 1- 14 days of age, feed intake, body weight gain and FCR of broilers were improved significantly (P<0.05) in standard energy level in other growth periods. With decreasing of lysine level in diets, feed intake and body weight gain was decreased at 1- 28 days but performance traits were not influenced by lysine levels in other growth periods. The results showed that may be used 85% of recommended level of lysine in diet at 28 - 49 days of age. Body weight gain and FCR was improved in standard level of energy at 1- 49 days of age. It was concluded that AMEn values were significantly (P<0.05) decreased with declining levels of metabolizable energy and lysine in broiler diets. Dressing percent and thigh weight percent was not affected by metabolizable energy and lysine levels. Breast weight percent and breast meat value decreased with lowering levels of metabolizable energy and lysine in diets.

A fish meal based - diet was formulated for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to evaluate the potential replacing of fish meal with poultry by-product meal in levels of 0, 20, 40, 60 percent. Four experimental diets associated with a commercial diet (as control) were fed to 780 rainbow trout with initial body weight average of 87.8± 5.7 gr in a 90-day feeding trial as completely randomized design in 15 experimental pools. The results showed that body length, specific growth rate, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were not significantly different among experimental diets and control one. Feed intake was decreased significantly (P< 0.05) in diet with replacing level of 60 % in comparison to fish meal based diet, 0 % of replacing. The 0, 20 and 40 % of replacing fish meal with poultry – by product meal did not influence rainbow trout dressing percentage but replacing level of 60 % significantly decreased (P< 0.05) the dressing percentage in comparison to fish meal based diet, 0 % of replacing. The dressing percentage were not significantly different among experimental diets in replacing levels of 0, 20, 40 percent fish meal with poultry by-product meal and control diet. In all replacing levels of fish meal with poultry by-product meal, body chemical compounds particularly protein content of rainbow trout were not affected compared to control group. As a whole in this study, feeding common commercial diet did not indicate any benefits in comparison to fish meal and poultry by-product meal based diets. The results of this research showed that fish meal can be replaced with poultry by-product meal up to 60 % in rainbow trout diet.