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Topic Review
Next Generation Crop-Yield Improvement
Artificial domestication and improvement of the majority of crops began approximately 10,000 years ago, in different parts of the world, to achieve high productivity, good quality, and widespread adaptability. It was initiated from a phenotype-based selection by local farmers and developed to current biotechnology-based breeding to feed over 7 billion people. For most cereal crops, yield relates to grain production, which could be enhanced by increasing grain number and weight. Grain number is typically determined during inflorescence development. Many mutants and genes for inflorescence development have already been characterized in cereal crops. Therefore, optimization of such genes could fine-tune yield-related traits, such as grain number. With the rapidly advancing genome-editing technologies and understanding of yield-related traits, knowledge-driven breeding by design is becoming a reality.
  • 915
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
Galeus melastomus
We reviewed literature on the diet of the Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810, from the Mediterranean Sea. Specific keywords (“Galeus melastomus diet”, “feeding habits”, “trophic position”, “biology”, “deep environment adaptation”) in the principal data sources, such as Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar were used. Seventeen studies conducted on the diet and trophic position of G. melastomus have been considered for Mediterranean Sea regions. The feeding habits have been analyzed in many areas of the western basin; instead, for the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, and central Mediterranean Seas, information is outdated and fragmentary. In all investigated sub areas, the data showed that G. melastomus is an opportunistic demersal supra benthic predator, benthic feeder, and scavenger, that adapts its diet to the seasonal and geographical fluctuations of the prey availability. It occupies a generalist niche showing individual specialization. In all reviewed Mediterranean sub areas, the most important prey groups were crustaceans, cephalopods, and teleost fishes. Taxa percentage in its diet composition can vary depending on different habitats with ontogenetic development of individuals, depth (that is correlated with the ontogenetic development), seasonal availability, and distribution of different prey groups. 
  • 914
  • 28 May 2021
Topic Review
Damaging Behaviours and Health in Laying Hens
Animals' behavior and their health are directly related. In intensive breeding systems, animals often develop damaging behaviors. The reasons for the occurrence are most often the consequences of farm breeding conditions in which the living needs of animals are not fully met. Harmful behaviors in laying hens have been studied for a long time, to find the best possible compromise between the breeding system and the living needs of poultry.
  • 914
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles from Animal Milk
Milk represents the main source of nutrition for newborn mammals and serves as the conveyor of maternal messages of a sophisticated signaling system to promote postnatal health. It contains bioactive components that are essential for the development of the newborn immune system such as oligosaccharides, lactoferrin, lysozyme, alpha-lactalbumin, and immunoglobulins. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were identified to be pivotal in this mother-to-child exchange. EVs are micro- and nanosized structures enclosed in a phospholipidic double-layer membrane that are produced by all cell types. They are released in the extracellular environment and reach close and distant cells. EVs can induce the modulation of biological processes in receiving cells after their absorption through the release of the molecular cargo contained within vesicles. In this way, EVs can also serve through immunomodulant anti-inflammatory, angiogenetic, and pro-regenerative actions depending on the cell of origin and patho/physiological conditions. EVs can be recovered from all biological fluids including milk.
  • 914
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Quinoa for the Brazilian Cerrado
Quinoa stands out as an excellent crop in the Cerrado region for cultivation in the off-season or irrigated winter season. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudocereal rich in natural antioxidants, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, and these compounds may protect plants against biotic and abiotic stress. Water stress increases leaf temperature, and reduces crop height, stomatal conductance, plant biomass, and yield. Here, we tested the effects of different water regimes on the agronomic characteristics, physiology, and grain quality of different elite quinoa genotypes under field conditions.
  • 913
  • 08 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Soil Nitrogen
Freshwater nitrogen (N) pollution is a significant sustainability concern in agriculture. In the U.S. Midwest, large precipitation events during winter and spring are a major driver of N losses. Uncertainty about the fate of applied N early in the growing season can prompt farmers to make additional N applications, increasing the risk of environmental N losses. New tools are needed to provide real-time estimates of soil inorganic N status for corn (Zea mays L.) production, especially considering projected increases in precipitation and N losses due to climate change.
  • 912
  • 07 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Seaweed Polysaccharides in Pigs
The polysaccharides contained in brown, red, and green seaweeds present different bioactive molecules such as fucoidan, laminarin, alginate, ulvan, and carrageenan.
  • 912
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Regulators of Starch Biosynthesis in Cereal Crops
Starch is the main food source for human beings and livestock all over the world, and it is also the raw material for production of industrial alcohol and biofuel. Because of the complexity and flexibility of carbon allocation in the formation of endosperm starch, cereal crops require a broad range of enzymes and one matching network of regulators to control the providential functioning of these starch biosynthetic enzymes.
  • 912
  • 10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Big Data on the Farm
The demand for poultry meat and eggs is predicted to considerably increase in pace with human population growth. Although this expansion clearly represents a remarkable opportunity for the sector, it conceals a multitude of challenges. Pollution and land erosion, competition for limited resources between animal and human nutrition, animal welfare concerns, limitations on the use of growth promoters and antimicrobial agents, and increasing risks and effects of animal infectious diseases and zoonoses are several topics that have received attention from authorities and the public. The increase in poultry production must be achieved mainly through optimization and increased efficiency. The increasing ability to generate large amounts of data (“big data”) is pervasive in both modern society and the farming industry. Information accessibility—coupled with the availability of tools and computational power to store, share, integrate, and analyze data with automatic and flexible algorithms—offers an unprecedented opportunity to develop tools to maximize farm profitability, reduce socio-environmental impacts, and increase animal and human health and welfare. A detailed description of all topics and applications of big data analysis in poultry farming would be infeasible. The principles and benefits of advanced statistical techniques, such as machine learning and deep learning, and their use in developing effective and reliable classification and prediction models to benefit the farming system, are also discussed.
  • 912
  • 15 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Foot and Mouth Disease Virus
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a devastating, highly contagious viral disease of all cloven-hoofed animals caused by the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) of the Picornaviridae family. The disease poses a severe threat globally, impeding the international trade of live animals and animal by-products. FMDV includes seven serotypes, namely, A, O, C, Southern African Territories (SAT)-1, SAT-2, SAT-3, and Asia1. Each serotype has antigenically distinct subtypes due to the high mutation rate.
  • 911
  • 29 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Toxic Mechanism of Fumonisins
Fumonisins are widely found in animal feed, feed raw materials, and human food. This can not only cause economic losses in animal husbandry but can also have carcinogenicity or teratogenicity and can be left in animal meat, eggs, and milk which may enter the human body and pose a serious threat to human health. Fumonisins cause a variety of toxic effects to organisms including autophagy, apoptosis, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, tissue and organ toxicity, and carcinogenicity. They can not only cause disease alone but also have a combined toxic effect with other mycotoxins such as aflatoxins. The toxicity of fumonisins is a very complex process. Previous studies report that fumonisins exert their toxicity by modulating sphingolipid metabolism and inducing oxidative stress 
  • 911
  • 17 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Digital Irrigated Agriculture
Entry on a new approach to decision modelling for ICT adoption in irrigated agriculture.
  • 907
  • 16 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Technologies to Assess COVID-19 Specific Antigens
In diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection, the most widely used test is the molecular testing. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most well-known and extensively used molecular analysis. The test relies on nucleic acid amplification and detects unique sequences of SARS-CoV-2. The other type of test, the antigen tests, can detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 without amplifying viral components, but these tests are less sensitive than the molecular ones. Commonly, any negative antigen test is confirmed with a molecular test so that the patient can be declared negative for COVID-19. Both molecular and antigen tests would detect patients in the acute phase of infection.
  • 907
  • 21 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Warburgia ugandensis Leaf and Bark Extracts
In organic viticulture, copper-based fungicides are commonly used to suppress Downy Mildew infection, caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola. However, the frequent and intensive use of such fungicides leads to accumulation of the heavy metal in soil and nearby waters with adverse effects on the ecosystem. Therefore, alternative, organic fungicides against Downy Mildew are urgently needed to reduce the copper load in vineyards. In this entry, the use of Warburgia ugandensis Sprague (Family Canellacea) leaf and bark extracts as potential fungicides against Downy Mildew were evaluated. In vitro (microtiter) and in vivo (leaf discs, seedlings) tests were conducted, as well as field trials to determine the efficacy of the extracts against Downy Mildew. The results revealed an MIC100 of 500 µg/mL for the leaf extract and 5 µg/mL for the bark extract. Furthermore, experiments with leaf discs and seedlings demonstrated a strong protective effect of the extracts for up to 48 h under (semi-) controlled conditions. However, in field trials the efficacy of the extracts distinctly declined, regardless of the extracts’ origin and concentration.
  • 907
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Milk Fat Traits of Cattleyak
As the hybrid offspring of yak (♀) and cattle (Bos taurus) (♂), female cattleyak has obvious heterosis than yak, especially its lactation performance. Dairy products making from fermented and processed milk are popular with local herdsmen and tourists. As the main energy substance in milk, milk fat only accounts for 3 ~ 5% of the milk content, but determines the nutritional value of milk. Therefore, it is greatly meaningful to increase the percentage of milk fat and improve the composition of fatty acids of cattleyak. SNPs can help us finding potential molecular markers for milk fat traits of cattleyak, and can be screened according to molecular markers when they are young. It provides a reference for cultivating high milk fat cattle population in the future. The results of this study suggested that the SORBS1 gene polymorphism was closely related to the milk fat traits of cattleyak, which could be used as a candidate genetic marker for milk fat traits selection in cattleyak. This study provides a new molecular marker and theoretical basis for screening the milk fat traits of cattleyak. It has a certain reference value for the research and improvement of milk quality.
  • 906
  • 28 Dec 2021
Topic Review
SEM Analysis of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
The invention of a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pushed the imaging methods and allowed for the observation of cell details with a high resolution. Currently, SEM appears as an extremely useful tool to analyse the morphology of biological samples. The aim of this entry is to provide a set of guidelines for using SEM to analyse morphology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, taking as model cases Escherichia coli bacteria and B-35 rat neuroblastoma cells.
  • 906
  • 04 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Leaves of Chirimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.)
Annona cherimola Mill. is a native species of Ecuador cultivated worldwide for the flavor and properties of its fruit. Hydrodistillation was used to isolate essential oil (EO) of fresh Annona cherimola leaves collected in Ecuadorian Sierra. The EO chemical composition was determined using a non-polar and a polar chromatographic column and enantiomeric distribution with an enantioselective column. 
  • 906
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
PIVKA-II, Canine Tissues, Anticoagulant Poisoning
PIVKA-II is an aberrant form of vitamin K that has been demonstrated to be increased in human coagulation disorders and in some neoplastic diseases. In veterinary medicine, PIVKA-II levels have been demonstrated to be useful for distinguishing anticoagulant poisoning from other coagulopathies. In forensic pathology, there is the need to distinguish malicious poisoning from other causes of death and, in some cases, identifying poisoned dogs from dogs that died as a result of other coagulative disorders can be challenging. This study evaluated the usefulness of the immunohistochemical expression of PIVKA-II in hepatic and renal tissues in order to identify patients with coagulative disorders due to clinical condition or the ingestion of anticoagulants substances. 
  • 904
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Calving Management - What do the Experts say?
Accurate detection of the onset of parturition is a key factor in the prevention of dystocia in cows. Here authors ask experts in the field to share their views and experiences on current best-practice management of the cow before and during calving.
  • 904
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
TRP and Thermoregulation in Animals
Transient receptor potentialare cation channels made up of transmembrane proteins that function as transductors through changes in the membrane potential due to the intracellular concentrations of Ca2+. Q10 is the temperature coefficient of the rate of change when an organism increases its temperature by 10 °C.
  • 904
  • 07 Jan 2022
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