It is known that the values of serum constituents, especially LDH activity, LDH isozyme and GOT and GPT activities, are affected by hemolysis. The evaluation results of hemolytic grade (to be abbreviated as HG) of serum by gross finding often vary with the researchers.
In the present study, various hemolytic sera were artificially prerared and were subjected to investigation on possible relationship among gross findings on HG, spectrophotometric absorbance and heme pigment content.
Close correlation was identified between total heme pigment content and absorbance in both the serum with addition of hemolytic fluid (experimental hemolytic serum) and failed hemolytic serum (so-called hemolytic serum). Further, a correlation was noted between the serum with addition of hemolytic fluid and the failed hemolytic serum with a common regression coefficient (b=0.0675). The gross findings on the HG could be graded in to the following groups according to the value of the absorbance. HG (-): <0.400, HG (±): 0.400-0.650, HG (+): 0.650-0.900, HG (++): 0.900-1.700, HG (+++): 1.700<

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A color sample for hemolytic serum of pig (to be abbreviated as CSH) was prepared from food dyes in order to establish an easy, correct and objective method of judging shade and color tone of porcine serum, especially the porcine hemolytic serum.
The production of the CSH was based on the Hunter Lab value and absorbance of serum samples with varying grades of hemolysis. As the color of serum is composed of red and yellow color tones of hemoglobin, bilirubin, albumin and fat, tomato suspension and SN 8 solution were used as the base materials for reddish and yellowish colors, respectively. In addition, sugar ester was used as an element for including a tone of white turbidity.
Further more, 61 serum samples (including non-hemolytic and hemolytic) collected from finishing pigs were divided into 5 groups with varying grades of hemolysis (-up to +++) by color using the CSH. These samples were comparatively examined in terms of the Hunter Lab values and spectrophotometric absorbance of CSH.
The result revealed that the color shades and tones obtained were almost in coincidence with the grades of hemolysis and that the accuracy in the application of the CSH to the actual color shades and tone of 61 serum samples was approximately 90% on the average.

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Effects of supplementary soybean oil and of kapok meal containing cyclopropenoid fatty acids on the characteristics of porcine fat were investigated in the present study using 12 piglets at age of 4 months.
The test was conducted with a 3×2 factorial design of dietary treatment with 3 different supplementary levels of soybean oil (0, 5 and 10%) and with 2 different levels of kapok meal (0 and 3%).
Dietary supplement of soybean oil affected the porcine fat at each of fat deposit sites (outer and inner layers of back fat and leaf fat) examined. The melting point of the fat was significantly lowered and both the iodine number and the refractive index rose up significantly by supplementing the oil. In the fatty acid composition, saturated fatty acids such as C16:0 and C18:0 tended to decrease as the supplementing of the oil increased, while the saturated fatty acids such as C18:2 tended to increase in the composition.
The supplementing of kapok meal significantly elevated the melting point of the fat at 3 different fat deposit sites, whereas hardly any appreciable influences were noted for the refractive index and iodine number. In the fatty acid composition, the content of C18:0 and the ratio of C18:0/C18:1 significantly increased at all the sites by supplementing kapok meal, whereas no influence was seen by it upon the content of C18:2.
There were interactions noted between the supplementing of the oil and that of kapok meal upon both the melting point and the level of C18:1. Specifically, the higher the amount of the supplementary oil, the less was the influence of kapok meal supplemented. The effects of the supplements varied with the deposit sites.
These results suggested that the effect of supplemented kapok meal for preventing soft fat would be affected by the increase in the content of oils and fats in the feed and that this effect would vary with the sites of deposit of fats in the body. More specifically, it was noted that the effect of supplementing the kapok meal could be appreciably noted in the leaf fat if the level of oil in the feed was low and that as the content of oil in the feed became larger, the effect was found to be less, especially showing hardly any traces of effect in the back fat.

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A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Altrenogest (AT), a synthetic progesterone, for control of estrus in swine.
Forty-four gilts and sows which had shown estrus at least once were randomly assigned to four different treatment groups with feeding of 2.5kg of feed per head per day, which contained 4 different levels of AT of 5, 10, 15 and 20mg, for 18 consecutive days. Gilts and sows were checked twice a day for signs of estrus after withdrawal of AT, and were bred either by artificial insemination with fresh semen or by natural service. Concentration of progesterone in serum was determined by enzyme-immunoassay. Blood samples were collected from 19 gilts and sows on days before, during and after AT administration.
1) Estrus was suppressed during treatment by AT administration in all the doses. Estrus after withdrawal of AT was effectively controlled in gilts and sows given 10mg, 15mg and 20mg of AT, whereas the feeding of 5mg of AT resulted in increased incidences of anestrus (10 and 15mg: P<0.05, 20mg: P<0.01). The interval of estrus tended to become longer as the dose was raised. The conception rate and litter size were 75.0%, 9.8±3.4 and 75.0%, 9.4±3.1 for gilts and sows fed 15mg and 20mg, respectively.
2) The concentrations of progesterone in serum were higher (15.1-53.6ng/ml) during the luteal phase, decreased by day 17 of the estrus cycle and remained on a low level (<1.3ng/ml) through the estrus in all of the treated groups. Progesterone levels in blood following regression of corpora lutea remained on a low level during treatment with AT. Mean serum progesterone concentrations remained low by day 6 to 7 after the withdrawal of AT, but increased from 10.0ng/ml to 15.8ng/ml on day 9 to 10 after the withdrawal of AT in all of the treated groups except the 5mg group. (10 and 20mg: P<0.001, 15 mg: P<0.05). However, serum progesterone concentrations in the 5mg group continued to gradually rise up from the day of AT withdrawal up to day 9 or 10 after the AT withdrawal.
The results of the present study revealed that AT, when given in feeding in doses of 15 or 20mg/head/day for 18 consecutive days, effectively controlled the occurrences of estrus in swine without exerting any adverse effect upon their fertility.

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Effective energy of ethanol in swine was evaluated in the present study using piglets according to the bioassay method.
Five weanling piglets were reared individually with feeding of 40g of synthetic milk dissolved in 200ml of water and 175g of pig starter diet twice a day. After 4-5 days with this feeding, the piglets became so accustomed to this feeding pattern that they drank the milk within a minute and took all the allocated diet within 30-40 minutes. After growing up into a weight of 11-12kg, one each of the 5 piglets was assigned respectively to the 5 different treatments.
In the experiment, all of the piglets were fed the same amount of the starter diet. In the Treatment 0-0, only the milk was given to the piglet. In Treatments 1-0 and 2-0, the piglets were given the milk containing either 1 or 2 units of sugar (sucrose). In Treatments 0-1 and 0-2, the piglets were given the milk containing either 1 or 2 units of ethanol. The sugar and ethanol were fed to them after dissolution into the milk.
The body weight of each piglet was recorded weekly for 5 consecutive weeks. Five littermate male piglets were tested in Trial 1, while 5 female piglets from another litter were tested in Trial 2.
In the evaluation of the test results, the difference in initial body weight was corrected statistically by covariance anslysis. A 5-point slope ratio assay was carried out on the adjusted body weight.
From the ratio of 2 slopes corresponding to 2 dose-response lines either with sugar or ethanol, the energy of ethanol available for growth of piglets was estimated to be 4.02kcal/g, with fiducial interval of 9.5-2.4kcal/g. The availability of energy was 57% of the gross energy (134-34%).

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In order to separate the boar spermatozoa using percoll density gradient centrifugation method, studies were made on the distribution and properties of boar semen after the centrifugation at 1100rpm for 30min.. Also, experiments were conducted so as to identify corpuscles like Fluorescent bodies (F-body) with quinacrine-mustard staining and to comparatively evaluate the emerging rate of the F-body in each of the separated fractions after the centrifugation. The following results could be obtained.
1. As the results of the separations using Percoll density gradient centrifugation, the fractions which were rich in highly viable sperms with active forward movement were found out in the four lower fractions (No 5, 6, 7 and 8).
2. After the staining with quinacrine-mustard, the corpuscles like F-body were found out in 43% to 44% of the boar sperms examined.
3. The heaviest fraction (No 7 and 8) after the Percoll centrifugation tended to show lower rates of existence of the F-body than the lighter fractions (No 5 and 6) of the sperms recovered from each fraction.
It was thus conceived that the X-bearing sperms could be separated from the boar semen.

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The present study was conducted for examining the general properties and deep-freezing storage of semen of imported Tauyen boars, which is one of the representative native breeds of swine in Taiwan, in order to effectively utilize the semen of this breed. A sequence of studies was conducted in order to comparatively examine the viability, metabolic activity and morphology of sperms of breed during and after the deep-freezing storage process (by straw freezing method and pellet freezing method) of the semen of Tauyen breed boars and that of improved breed boars.
1) General properties of the samples of ejaculated semen which were collected from 3 Tauyen breed boars were studied. The mean duration of ejaculation was 7′27″ (with a range of 2′38″-11′03″). The liquid portion in the semen volume averaged 121.70±4.66ml. The quantity of gelatinous substance in the semen averaged 54.05±2.81g. The mean total semen volume was 176.65±5.54ml. The average sperm concentration per ml was 10⁸×1.64±0.17, while the mean total number of sperm per ejaculate was 10⁸×217.11±30.18. The mean pH value of semen was 7.02±0.04. The sperm viability index averaged 80.70±1.18, while the mean rate of morphological abnormalities of spermatozoa was 32.82±3.00%.
2) As the time advanced with the treatment steps for the freezing storage, the viability of sperm became lower, but the ratio of damages in the acrosome and the levels of GOT in seminal fluid became higher. The amount of oxygen consumption of sperm and the amount of lactic acid accumulated in semen were in the increasing order of pre-freezing<after the first dilution<after the thawing.
3) After the thawing, the viability of sperm index was 43.5±1.67 by the straw method and 51.25±2.51 by the pellet method, but the pellet method showed a higher ratio than the straw method in terms of the damages in the acrosome of sperm, and there were no appreciable differences in the amount of oxygen consumption of sperm and in the levels of GOT in seminal fluid.
4) As the time advanced with the treatment steps for the freezing storage, the viability and metabolic activity of the sperm of Tauyen breed boars showed lower levels than those of the improved breed boars. However, the levels would give useful knowledges for the long-term storage of semen and for the techniques of artificial insemination of Tauyen breed.

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The present experiment was conducted to clarify the relationship between DE and digested nutrients which estimated with 53 feedstuffs in pigs.
The regretion equation between DE (Y: kcal/g) and TDN (X: %) was shown as Y=0.151+0.0430X (r=0.910, P<0.01), that between DE (Y: kcal/g) and DCP (X₁: %), digestible crude fat (X₂: %), digestible nitrogen-free extract (X₃: %) and digestible crude fiber (X₄: %) was shown as Y=-0.392+0.0663X₁+0.0979X₂+0.0459X₃+0.0541X₄ (R=0.955, P<0.01), and that between DE (Y: kcal/g) and DCP (X₁: %) and TDN (X₂: %) was shown as Y=-0.182+0.0181X₁+0.0437X₂ (R=0.954, P<0.01).
From the results obtained, it is guessed that the prediction of DE from TDN and DCP is superior to the others as for accuracy and practice.

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