Role of mminants in human food production; Whyan animal scientist would choose to model animal systems; Basic organization of this book; Modeling principIes and terminology; Classification of models; Objectives in modeling; The modeling process I objective statements, block diagrams, equation forms and parameterization; Steps in modeling; Setting the modeling objective; Block diagrams; Formulation of mathematical statements; Development of numerical inputs; The modeling process II - solution algorithms, model evaluations and parameter estimation; Model solution algorithms; Evaluation of management and research models; Evaluation and use of analytical models for parameter estimation; Decision support software; Animal energetic models; Thermodynamic concepts in nutrition; Historical development of bases for feeding system models; Energy requirements for maintenance and production; Equations used to estimate maintenance and costs of production; Components of maintenanace; Protein and amino acid models; Current protein and amino acid systems; Analytic models of amino aicd and protein metabolism; Dynamic modeling; Biology and algebraic models of ruminant digestion; The rumen microbes and their metabolism; Balance models of ruminant digestion; An analytical model of rumen digestion; Microbial growth elements; Biology and algebraic models of growth; Classical equations for growth; Nutritional models of growth; Concepts of lhe basic biology of growth used in mechanistic models; Biology of lactation; Decent evolution of feeding systems for lactating dairy cattle; An analytical model of nutrient transactions during lactation; Dynamic models of ruminant digestion; Early dynamic models; Current dynamic models; Dynamic models of ruminant adipose tissue metabolism; Evolution of steady-state balance model; Radioisotope tracer elemets; Dynamic models of ruminant mammary metabolism; Development of model inputs and initial parameters; Descriptions of a model of mammary gland metabolism; Dynamic models of liver and viscera metabolism; Overall structure and notation; Mechanistic, dynamic models of growth; Beef growth models; Sheep growth and metabolism model; Lactation Background on MOLL Y. CSL; The program MOLL Y. CSL; Evaluation and use of a growth and lactation model; Behavioral analyses; Sensitivity analyses; Bioeconomic analyse.

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 describes current research in modelling nutrient use in farm animals, from cellular to ecosystem level. The chapters are developed from papers presented at a satellite meeting of the 9th International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology, held in South Africa in October 1999.Excellent papers from a top list of contributorsEditors of great reputationCovers the current topics of interest

Nutrients have been recognized as essential for maximum growth, successful reproduction, and infection prevention since the 1940s; since that time, the lion's share of nutrient research has focused on defining their role in these processes. Around 1990, however, a major shift began in the way that researchers viewed some nutrients particularly the vitamins. This shift was motivated by the discovery that modest declines in vitamin nutritional status are associated with an increased risk of ill-health and disease (such as neural tube defects, heart disease, and cancer), especially in those populations or individuals who are genetically predisposed. In an effort to expand upon this new understanding of nutrient action, nutritionists are increasingly turning their focus to the mathematical modeling of nutrient kinetic data. The availability of suitably-tagged (isotope) nutrients (such as B-carotene, vitamin A, folate, among others), sensitive analytical methods to trace them in humans (mass spectrometry and accelerator mass spectrometry), and powerful software (capable of solving and manipulating differential equations efficiently and accurately), has allowed researchers to construct mathematical models aimed at characterizing the dynamic and kinetic behavior of key nutrients in vivo in humans at an unparalleled level of detail.

From the Chapman & Hall Microbiology Series this unique resource offers specific experimental and practical applications of mathematical modeling in microbial ecology. The text presents a variety of systems, ranging from subcellular systems to ecosystems, and shows how to test whether the models provide a good representation of the system. The book also encourages further development and application of modeling to burgeoning problems associated with microbial ecology, such as the pollution and destruction of pesticides and herbicides.

This book brings together the papers presented orally or as posters at the Sixth International Workshopon Modelling Nutrient Utilization in Farm Animals, held in Wageningen, The Netherlands, 6 - 8 September2004. The purpose of this book is to present current research in modelling nutrient digestion andutilization in cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and fish.The book is organised into six sections that cover a range of topics and modelling approaches; theseare (i) absorption and passage; (ii) growth and development; (iii) mineral metabolism; (iv) methodology;(v) environmental impact; and (vi) animal production and feed evaluation. Deterministic, stochastic,empirical and mechanistic modelling approaches are described.This book will be of significant interest to researchers and students of animal science, particularly thoseconcerned with nutrition modelling.

As world population increases, demand for food and particularly animal products is expected to grow substantially. Because of limited area for expansion of animal agriculture and growing consumer concern for the environmental impact of animal production, gains in animal efficiency will have to be part of the solution. This book addresses key issues of how energy and protein are utilized and interact in farm animals from the molecular to the whole animal and even to the herd or group level of organization. It contains state-of-the-art research and reviews on several topics of nutrient utilization and metabolism from top scientists worldwide. Key issues addressed include energy/protein interactions, methodology such as in vitro and in vivo techniques, regulation including pre-natal programming and endocrine regulation, modeling and systems biology (including a tribute to the late Professor R. Lee Baldwin of the University of California, Davis, a leader in the field), products and health of animals, tissue metabolism, and environmental sustainability in agriculture. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, students, policy makers, producers and industry professionals believing that a better understanding of metabolism and nutrition of farm animals is part of the solution.

Role of mathematical models; Dynamic deterministic models; Mathematical programming; Basic biological processes; Growth functions; Simple dynamic growth models; Simple ecological models; Envinment and weather; Plant and crop processes; Crop models; Crop husbandry; Plant diseases and pests; Animal processes; Animal organs; Whole-animal models; Animal products; Animal husbandry; Animal diseases; Solutions exercises; Mathematical glossary.

Crop, livestock, and forestry productions systems are important sources and sinks of greenhouses gases, but estimates of the magnitude of gas fluxes are more uncertain than those for other economic sectors such as transportation and electricity generation. Recent improvements in process-level un-derstanding, modeling software, and observational data used for model testing have increased the accuracy of model predictions, but substantial uncertainty remains, particularly regarding the potential for different management practices to mitigate emissions. The chapters in this volume demonstrate that both simple methods and complex models have strengths and limitations depending on stake-holder interest, scale of application, and other factors. Future improvement can be facilitated by or-ganizing model input and testing data into web-accessible databases and by making model algorithms more available and transparent.

Nutrition and Lactation in the Dairy Cow is the proceedings of the 46th University of Nottingham Easter School in Agricultural Science. Said symposium was concerned with the significant advances in the field of nutrition and lactation in the dairy cow. The book is divided in five parts. Part I deals with the principles behind nutrition and lactation of cows. Part II discusses the cow's nutrient interactions; responses to nutrients that yield protein and energy; and the influence of nutrient balance and milk yields. Part III tackles the efficiency of energy utilization in cows and its relation to milk production. Part IV talks about food intake of cows and the factors that affect it, while Part V deals with the different feeding systems for cows. The text is recommended for those involved in raising cows and dairy production, especially those who would like to know more and make studies about the relationship of nutrition and lactation of cows.