Geoffrey R. Dolby, PhD One of the principal characteristics of a scientific theory is that it be falsifiable. It must contain predictions about the real world which can be put to experimental test. Another very important characteristic of a good theory is that it should take full cognisance of the literature of the discipline in which it is embedded, and that it should be able to explain, at least as well as its competitors, those experimental results which workers in the discipline accept without dispute. Readers of John Parks' book will be left in no doubt that his theory of the feeding and growth of animals meets both of the above criteria. The author's knowledge of the literature of animal science and the seriousness of his attempt to incorporate the results of much previous work into the framework of the present theory result in a rich and imaginative integration of diverse material concerned with the growth and feeding of animals through time, a theory which is made more precise through the judicious use of mathematics. The presentation is such that the key concepts are introduced gradually and readers not accustomed to a mathematical treatment will find that they can appreciate the ideas without undue trauma. The key concepts are clearly illustrated by means of a generous set of figures. The crux of the theory comprises three differential Eqs. (7. 1-7.

Ad libitum feeding and growth functions; A stochastic model of animal growth; Treatment of ad libitum feeding and growth data; The Geometry of ad libitum growth curves; Growth response to controlled feeding; The theory; A general euclidean vector representation of mixtures; The effects of diets composition on the growth parameters; The growth parameters and the genetic of growth and feeding; Energy, feeding, and growth.

A detailed tracing, from acceptable sources, of archaeological and paleontologi cal discoveries made up to the present time leads us to suppose that approximate ly in 8000 y B. C., in Southern Turkestan, man succeeded in domesticating the first cattle, which he later took with him as he migrated from this remote region of Central Asia. Step by step, Europe and Asia have been gradually inhabited by domesticated cattle which have been incorporated into man's economy, both as a source of food and work. The same happened in America and Australasia, continents where cattle were taken by the European colonizing groups during the course of the 16th to the 18th centuries. Possibly the common cattle tick also reached these continents at the same time, accompanying its most frequent host. The cattle tick, Boophilus microplus, parasitizes Asiatic cattle races (with spe cial reference to the zebu, Bos indicus), but generally the level of infestation is not high, only a few engorged females being detected, generally no more than ten. When cattle of European races are infested by Boophilus microplus, how ever, the level of parasitism is higher, sometimes reaching limits incompatible with the life of the host.

This book is about resource allocation matters with the aim to further development thoughts and models on resource allocation applied to livestock production. It contains 18 chapters divided into 4 parts which discuss resources and resource allocation patterns, trade-offs, metabolic constraints to resource allocation and the process of homeorhesis with a special emphasis to homeorhesis during heat stress; the relationship between food intake and resources allocated to body maintenance, growth, reproduction and the immune response; the consequences of high production efficiency in pigs, poultry and dairy cattle and the consequences of improved production by means of biological engineering and options to include resource allocation matters in the breeding objective, animal welfare and in resource allocation modelling.

The biotechnological advances of recent years have put us on the brink of unprecedented gains in animal productivity. Manipulation of animal growth rate and composition of gain is now possible by a variety of techniques. Ex amples include ingestion of beta-adrenergic agonists, injection of somatotropin, castration, immunization, and gene insertion. Animal Growth Regulation ad dresses modem concepts of growth regulation with an emphasis on agricul turally important animals. This emphasis is not exclusive, as many situations exist in which the only information available was generated in other species, and this information has been included for the sake of clarity and completeness. However, because of the overall orientation of this volume, particular attention has been given to the regulation of skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and bone growth. Certain hormones and growth factors have a profound influence on growth regulation and this basic physiological knowledge is being harnessed to maniplilate growth. Thus, considerable emphasis has been given to growth hor mone-somatomedinlinsulinlike growth factor regulation of cell and tissue growth. The involvement of peptides coded by protooncogenes and of negative growth regulators, such as transforming growth factor-l3, represents an emerging area of molecular biology wherein basic knowledge offers potential exploitation for growth manipulation. Opportunities also exist for regulation of protein turn over, especially from the standpoint of protein degradation. Therefore, a place was reserved for these topics in order to provide relevant basic knowledge.

Mathematical modelling is increasingly applicable to the practical sciences. Here, mathematical approaches are applied to the study of mechanisms of digestion and metabolism in primary animal species. It also explores common themes between species, and provides an integrated approach to mathematical modelling in animal nutrition.

This book contains an up to date and more focused examination of developments in the understanding of voluntary food intake and new ideas and studies related to diet selection. New chapters are introduced and old ones are rewritten and reorganized in a more readable style by using extensive reference to books and reviews. The book is intended for animal nutritionists, animal scientists, farm owners and managers, veterinarians and students.

This book is developed from a British Society of Animal Science occasional meeting, held in September 2000. It brings together all of the scientific disciplines involved in the pre- and post-weaning biology of the piglet, concentrating on growth/development, nutrition, immunology/health, ethology and the physical environment.