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Topic Review
Fructose and Gut Microbiota
Fructose is a structural isomer of glucose and galactose. As eating a fructose-rich diet is becoming more common, the effects of maternal fructose intake on offspring health is of increasing relevance. The gut is required to process fructose, and a high-fructose diet can alter the gut microbiome, resulting in gut dysbiosis and metabolic disorders. 
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Narrow-Leaf (dnl2) Mutant in Maize
The dnl2 mutant is a recessive mutant caused by EMS mutagenesis that displays various developmental defects, with a short stature and narrowed leaves being the two most obvious features. Phenotypic and cytological observations revealed that narrow-leaf mutant, dnl2 showed inhibited cell growth, altered vascular bundle patterning, and disrupted secondary cell wall structure when compared with the wild-type, which could be the direct cause of the dwarf and narrow-leaf phenotype.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Hog Badger
The Hog Badger (Arctonyx collaris) is a unique and elusive mammal native to parts of Southeast Asia. Recognized for its robust build, distinctive white stripes on its face, and strong digging claws, the Hog Badger is well-adapted for a fossorial lifestyle, often inhabiting forested and hilly regions. Despite its relative obscurity, this omnivorous species plays a vital ecological role in its ecosystem, contributing to soil aeration and nutrient cycling through its burrowing behavior and diverse diet.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Horses Facial Expressions Machine Recognition
Facial activity can convey valid information about the experience of pain in a horse. The scoring of facial activity is costly and depending on correct observation and interpretation by trained humans. Automatisation would greatly enhance the possibility to detect pain in horses. In humans, emotional states are detected in real time video using automated computer algorithms. However, the application of such methods to horses has proven difficult. Major barriers are the lack of sufficiently large, annotated databases for horses and difficulties in obtaining correct classifications of pain
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Challenge of Global Warming in Water Buffalo Farming
Global warming (GW) is a current challenge for livestock systems, including water buffalo farms. Buffaloes have anatomical traits such as thick skin and a high density of capillaries and arterioles to improve sensitive heat losses. However, they are exposed to high temperatures and tropical and humid climates that make them susceptible to heat stress.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Nov 2023
Topic Review
ICTs in Agri-Food Logistics
A major challenge of Sustainable Development Goal 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production” is to reduce food losses along production and supply chains. This is particularly critical for fresh food products, due to their perishable and fragile nature, which makes the coordination of the actors all the more crucial to avoid wastes and losses. The rise of new technologies, referred to as “Industry 4.0” powered by the internet of things, big data analytics and artificial intelligence, could bring new solutions to meet these needs. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) allow for frequent exchanges of huge amounts of information between actors in the agrofood chains to coordinate their activities.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Melatonin in Plants
Melatonin, a multifunctional molecule that is present in all living organisms studied, is synthesized in plant cells in several intercellular organelles including in the chloroplasts and in mitochondria.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Lesser Grison
The Lesser Grison (Galictis cuja) is a small carnivorous mammal native to South America, belonging to the same family as weasels, otters, and ferrets. With its slender body, short legs, and distinctive black mask-like facial markings, the Lesser Grison is well-adapted for hunting and navigating diverse habitats such as grasslands, forests, and savannahs. Despite its small size, the Lesser Grison is a skilled predator, preying on a variety of small vertebrates including rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Artificial Intelligence in the Diagnosis of Dairy Cows
With the rapid growth of computational power and data transfer capabilities, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are also making inroads into animal husbandry and veterinarian research. In particular, Infrared thermography (IRT) is being increasingly used for health monitoring and the diagnosis of dairy cows, especially in studies related to heat stress, which causes severe losses, helping us analyze its effects on nutrition, milk production, reproduction, etc. There is plenty of evidence for the potential benefits of using IRT for monitoring udder health status in dairy cows and for the early detection of mastitis. Its role in detecting hoof lesions and lameness has also been reported. The growth of the population and the increase of quality standards has set a requirement for the production of more and better quality food. The capabilities and potential benefits of IRT make systems for the automatic collection and processing of thermographic information and decision-making particularly important.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Serbian Traditional Goat Cheese
Serbian goat cheese, quality relies on the use of milk collected from animals reared in organic farming systems. This organic milk contains more dry matter and nutrients; hence, its usage leads to the obtention of dairy products with exceptional nutritional and functional properties. Goat’s milk harbors a specific taste, and it is known to cause less allergic reactions than cow’s milk. The absence of adverse reactions is due to its low or minimal level of the αs1-casein fraction. Goat’s milk is generally more easily digested (the fat globules are smaller) and represents a good source of calcium, phosphorus and vitamins.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Global beef production must increase in the next decades to meet the demands of a growing population, while promoting sustainable use of limited natural resources. Supplementing beef cattle with omega-6 fatty acids (FAs) is a nutritional approach shown to enhance production efficiency, with research conducted across different environments and sectors of the beef industry. Omega-6 FA from natural feed ingredients such as soybean oil are highly susceptible to ruminal biohydrogenation. Hence, our and other research groups have used soybean oil in the form of Ca soaps (CSSO) to lessen ruminal biohydrogenation, and maximize delivery of omega-6 FA to the duodenum for absorption. In cow–calf systems, omega-6 FA supplementation to beef cows improved pregnancy success by promoting the establishment of early pregnancy. Cows receiving omega-6 FA during late gestation gave birth to calves that were healthier and more efficient in the feedlot, suggesting the potential role of omega-6 FA on developmental programming. Supplementing omega-6 FA to young cattle also elicited programming effects toward improved adipogenesis and carcass quality, and improved calf immunocompetence upon a stress stimulus. Cattle supplemented with omega-6 FA during growing or finishing periods also experienced improved performance and carcass quality. All these research results were generated using cattle of different genetic composition (Bos taurus and B. indicus influenced), and in different environments (tropical, subtropical, and temperate region). Hence, supplementing omega-6 FA via CSSO is a sustainable approach to enhance the production efficiency of beef industries across different areas of the world. 
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review
African Palm Civet
The African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) is a small, nocturnal mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, known for its distinctive appearance and secretive behavior. With its sleek body, long tail, and mask-like facial markings, this elusive civet species is well adapted to life in the dense tropical forests and savannas of its range. Despite its relative obscurity, the African Palm Civet plays a significant ecological role as a predator of small vertebrates and a disperser of seeds, contributing to the biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics of its habitat.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Climate-Smart Agriculture Technology Adoption by Farming Households
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies have been developed by scientists and researchers amidst the high rise in climate change. Some of these technologies are improved versions of old practices while a few others are entirely new in the system. Appropriate technologies to adapt to the changing climatic condition will necessarily need to be drought-tolerant, grow and produce well within a short duration, tolerant to multiple pests and diseases, able to produce well under marginal soil fertility conditions, and high yielding among other desirable traits.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Microalgal Biomass-polymer Blends
Since the invention of plastics and the development of mass production, plastic demand has increased exponentially annually. Despite their easy processability and economically viable merits, the management of plastic waste has always been a contentious issue due to their non-biodegradable properties, resulting in significant damage to the environment. Although the share of bioplastics in the plastic market remains low, eco-friendly and abundant amounts of bioplastics are considered to be sufficient alternatives to replace preexisting plastics. Chlorella and Spirulina are the primary sources for bioplastics from microalgae due to their easy processability. Although the replacement of artificially synthesized existing plastics with 100% microalgal bioplastics could be ideal when it comes to environmentally friendly plastics, the physical and mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, glass transition temperature, and elongation at break, of 100% bioplastics are inferior to those of commercially available plastics. Another option to tackle these issues is to blend microalgae with polymers, namely microalgal biomass-polymer composites. These blended composites are hybrid-type plastics that have both properties of each component. The general properties of these blends depend on the ratio between the amount of microalgae biomass and those of the polymer. In general, a higher polymer content in biomass-polymer composites results in better performance, especially in terms of tensile strength and elongation at break. The required level of biomass contents in authorized bioplastics depends on individual national regulations. Korean government suggest that the percent of biomass in biomass-polymer composites should be over 30 wt% to be considered as an eco-friendly bioplastic. According to our investigation, the contents of microalgae in most composites remain less than 30 wt%, implying that further studies to increase the proportion of microalgae in the composites should be conducted to boost the commercialization of microalgae-based biocomposites.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Oenological Tool
Any oenological tool is expected to reveal its goodness once it is used during winemaking. An oenological tool can be any type of element whose use can improve both the winemaking process and the final result. Therefore, use of natural elements such as bee pollen, thanks to its rich composition, could provide nutrients to yeasts and improve fermentation kinetics.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Breeding Inducer Development
Different approaches that can be used for maize maternal haploid inducer development are explained in this entry. For a complete review on maternal haploid inducers, see: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/5/614/htm
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Antibiotics and Their Impact on Bacterial Cellular Perturbation
Antibiotics belong to different classes of chemicals—including those of biological, synthetic, or semi-synthetic origin—and have selective modes of action. Based on their mechanisms of action, antimicrobial compounds are classified into two groups: bacteriostatic and bactericidal. Resistance is a natural adaptive tool that offers selection pressure to bacteria, and hence cannot be stopped entirely but rather be slowed down. Antibiotic resistance mutations mostly diminish bacterial reproductive fitness in an environment without antibiotics; however, a fraction of resistant populations ‘accidentally’ emerge as the fittest and thrive in a specific environmental condition, thus favouring the origin of a successful resistant clone.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Precision Livestock Farming
Precision livestock farming (PLF) has developed and concerned the whole sector: from cattle to pigs, to poultry, achieving the best results in cattle farms, especially in dairy farms. The technology that is affecting various aspects of dairy cattle breeding is certainly near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) which is versatile and can be used on line/in line to evaluate and control the critical points of the production process by entering the PAT (process analytical technology). In the barn, NIRS currently can obtain information on the chemical-physical composition of raw materials, total mixed ration (TMR), feces and digestibility, chemical and technological analysis of milk. All this in a short time by eliminating the waiting times for analysis response and costs, allowing an improvement of livestock management. Many studies affirm the validity of NIRS as a reliable and predictive technology against multiple relevant parameters in matrices such as raw feed, TMR, feces, and milk. 
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Capripoxvirus Infections in Ruminants
Lumpy skin disease, sheeppox, and goatpox are notifiable diseases of cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively, caused by viruses of the Capripoxvirus genus. They are responsible for both direct and indirect financial losses. These losses arise through animal mortality, morbidity cost of vaccinations, and constraints to animals and animal products’ trade. Control and eradication of capripoxviruses depend on early detection of outbreaks, vector control, strict animal movement, and vaccination which remains the most effective means of control. To date, live attenuated vaccines are widely used; however, conferred protection remains controversial. Many vaccines have been associated with adverse reactions and incomplete protection in sheep, goats, and cattle. Many combination- and recombinant-based vaccines have also been developed. 
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Stallion Husbandry
The stress of isolation from the individual husbandry of stallions can result in behavioral problems, aggression, and diseases of the respiratory, nutritional, and musculoskeletal systems. Several examples from practice show that the keeping of stallions in groups is possible in principle. It only poses a risk for injuries if the necessary requirements for this type of husbandry are not taken into account. If the size and design of the exercise area/pasture, the group constellations, and the characters of the stallions are considered, keeping stallions in groups represents the most species-appropriate form of husbandry for them. This takes into account animal welfare aspects and complies best with the requirements of modern horse husbandry. However, the integration of the stallion into an existing group should only be carried out by qualified, experienced horse owners, who must proceed professionally and step by step. Consequently, stress, disadvantages, and the potential for injury can be reduced to a minimum or, ideally, avoided altogether, and the wellbeing and mental and physical health can be supported in the best possible way.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 May 2021
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