You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
NIRS in Wild Rodents’ Research
The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method proved to be a useful tool to determine the amount of a particular food ingredient in the diet from faeces or chyme and to estimate the food quality.
  • 989
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Bird Survival in the City
Urbanization poses a significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. Yet, a few wild species of flora and fauna thrive in urban landscapes by undergoing certain trait adaptations. Birds are a well-studied taxon in terms of urbanization-induced trait changes. Some robust findings on ecological traits, life history, physiology, behavior, and genetic traits changes in individual species as well as bird communities have been observed. Urbanized birds differ in behavioral traits, showing an increase in song frequency and amplitude, and bolder behavior, compared to rural populations of the same species. Differential food resources and predatory pressure results in changes in life-history traits including prolonged breeding duration, and increases in clutch and brood size to compensate for lower survival. Other species-specific changes include changes in hormonal state, body state, and genetic differences from rural populations. There is a paucity of studies in tropical cities and a need for greater examination of traits that influence persistence and success in native vs. introduced populations. 
  • 974
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Assessing working equid welfare
Animal welfare is a multifaceted concept influenced by a variety of factors. As a consequence, its assessment is a complex process that, in order to be successful, must take these factors into account. However, in the past, a focus on biological functioning in welfare evaluations, while neglecting animals’ emotional state or consciousness, was commonly seen. For working animals worldwide, understanding the social and cultural context of the role that they fulfil is key to improving their welfare. This is especially pertinent in the case of working equids (donkeys, horses, and mules), which are often overlooked in higher level policy and agricultural interventions. Incorporating insights provided by local perspectives and understanding social networks of information is crucial in ensuring the success of community participation programmes to improve working equid welfare. A more holistic approach to assessing working equid welfare would allow for appraisal, not just of the current welfare state of working equids studied, but also the contextual background needed in order to understand the prevailing influences upon equid welfare within study communities.
  • 972
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) Administration
The treatment of dairy cows with nonsteroidal drugs is applied experimentally to investigate the relevance of inflammation during the periparturient period. Despite appearing healthy, dairy cows throughout the transition period and mainly after parturition can develop a pro-inflammatory status that may negatively influence milk production and cows’ health. The administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been demonstrated to have both positive or negative effects on health and milk production, depending on the type of inhibition mechanism, the dose administered and the cows’ lactation numbers. At present, the safety and efficacy of NSAIDs have not been irrefutably demonstrated; therefore, their use to improve metabolic and inflammatory status, as well as milk production and cow health after parturition, should be carefully evaluated.
  • 970
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Open Questions in Comparative Nutrition
Achieving a better understanding of the consequences of nutrition to animal fitness and human health is a major challenge of our century. Nutritional ecology studies increasingly use nutritional landscapes to map the complex interacting effects of nutrient intake on animal performances, in a wide range of species and ecological contexts. Here, we argue that opening access to these hard-to-obtain, yet considerably insightful, data is fundamental to develop a comparative framework for nutrition research and offer new quantitative means to address open questions about the ecology and evolution of nutritional processes
  • 957
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Heat Stress Non-invasive Physiological Indicators
Cattle are susceptible to heat stress, especially those kept on high levels of nutrition for the purpose of maximising growth rates, which leads to a significant heat increment in their bodies. Consequences include compromised health and productivity and mortalities during extreme events, as well as serious economic loss.
  • 954
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Dietary Supplementation of Pig
       Reduction of antibiotic use has been a hot topic of research over the past decades. The European ban on growth-promoter use has increased the use of feed additivities that can enhance animal growth performance and health status, particularly during critical and stressful phases of life. Pig farming is characterized by several stressful periods, such as the weaning phase, and studies have suggested that the proper use of feed additives during stress could prevent disease and enhance performance through modulation of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa and microbiome. This review focuses on commonly used acids and their beneficial and potential effects. Acids have long been used as feed acidifiers and preservatives, and were more recently introduced into feed formulated for young pigs with the goal of stabilizing the stomach pH to offset their reduced digestive capacity. In addition, some organic acids represent intermediary products of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), and thus could be considered an energy source. Moreover, antimicrobial properties have been exploited to modulate microbiota populations and reduce pathogenic bacteria. Given these potential benefits, acids are no longer seen as simple acidifiers, but rather as growth promoters and potential antibiotic substitutes owing to their beneficial action on the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
  • 953
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
ALAN affects female zebra finches
Despite growing evidence that demonstrate adverse effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on many species, relatively little is known regarding its effects on brain plasticity in birds. We recently showed that although ALAN increases cell proliferation in brains of birds, neuronal densities in two brain regions decreased, indicating neuronal death, which might be due to mortality of newly produced neurons or of existing ones. Therefore, in the present study we studied the effect of long-term ALAN on the recruitment of newborn neurons into their target regions in the brain. Accordingly, we exposed zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to 5 lux ALAN, and analysed new neuronal recruitment and total neuronal densities in several brain regions. We found that ALAN increased neuronal recruitment, possibly as a compensatory response to ALAN-induced neuronal death, and/or due to increased nocturnal locomotor activity caused by sleep disruption. Moreover, ALAN also had a differential temporal effect on neuronal densities, because hippocampus was more sensitive to ALAN and its neuronal densities were more affected than in other brain regions. Nocturnal melatonin levels under ALAN were significantly lower compared to controls, indicating that very low ALAN intensities suppress melatonin not only in nocturnal, but also in diurnal species.
  • 922
  • 03 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Manatees
Sirenians are aquatic mammals that include three species of manatee (Trichechidae) and one species of dugong (Dugongidae). They are aquatic herbivorous mammals living in estuaries, swamps, rivers, marine wetlands, and coastal waters. 
  • 917
  • 01 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Comparing Environmental Enrichment in Kenneled Shelter Dogs
Dogs in shelters are often exposed to unavoidable stressful events. Finding effective and novel enrichment for dogs, especially the longer they stay in that environment, is a significant welfare concern. Researchers wanted to compare the effectiveness of enrichment items as a stress buffer for shelter dogs during the acute stressor of the morning cleaning and to support a proposed prescription system of enrichment. This new system would focus on post-enrichment behaviors. Tactile items, such as blankets and the scent of lavender, were the most effective at reducing stress-related behaviors seen in kenneled dogs rather than the more commonly used food enrichment items. The results suggest that the type of enrichment item should be thoughtfully chosen during acute stress events, which would then optimize a shelter’s limited resources, decrease stress-indicative behaviors, and indirectly reduce the need for euthanasia by increasing adoption rates. 
  • 865
  • 26 May 2023
Topic Review
Calcium-Responsive Nanoparticles for Animal Systems
Since the 1970s, the emergence and expansion of novel methods for calcium ion (Ca2+) detection have found diverse applications in vitro and in vivo across a series of model animal systems. Matched with advances in fluorescence imaging techniques, the improvements in the functional range and stability of various calcium indicators have significantly enhanced more accurate study of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and its effects on cell signaling, growth, differentiation, and regulation. Nonetheless, the current limitations broadly presented by organic calcium dyes, genetically encoded calcium indicators, and calcium-responsive nanoparticles suggest a potential path toward more rapid optimization by taking advantage of a synthetic biology approach.
  • 849
  • 16 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Cross-Amplification in Strigiformes: A New STR Panel
Strigiformes are affected by a substantial decline mainly caused by habitat loss and destruction, poaching, and trapping. Moreover, the increasing trend in bird trade and the growing interest in wild-caught rather than captive-bred birds are expected to encourage illegal trade. The biomolecular investigation represents a valuable tool to track illegal trade and to explore the genetic variability to preserving biodiversity. Microsatellite loci (STRs) are the most used markers to study genetic variability. Despite the availability of species-specific microsatellite loci in Strigiformes, a unique panel permitting the description of the genetic variability across species has not been identified yet.
  • 846
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma
Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA, ovine pulmonary carcinoma, sheep pulmonary adenomatosis and jaaagsiekte) is a contagious lung cancer of sheep caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV)
  • 845
  • 20 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Zoo Animal Welfare Assessment
Zoological institutions, such as zoos and aquariums, have made animal welfare a top priority, as it is not only a moral obligation but also crucial for fulfilling their roles in education and conservation. Thus, there is a need for science-based tools to assess and monitor animal welfare in these settings.
  • 842
  • 27 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Pelleted Diets for Farmed Decapods
The current practice of decapod aquaculture involves the provision of juveniles with food such as natural diet, live feed, and formulated feed. Knowledge of nutrient requirements enables diets to be better formulated. By manipulating the levels of proteins and lipids, a formulated feed can be expected to lead to optimal growth in decapods. The use of formulated feed for decapods at a commercial scale is still in the early stages. This is probably because of the unique feeding behavior that decapods possess: being robust, slow feeders and bottom dwellers, their feeding preferences change during the transition from pelagic larvae to benthic juveniles as their digestive systems develop and become more complex. 
  • 830
  • 30 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Inter- and Intra-Individual Differences in Orang-Utan Drawings
Drawing has increasingly been proposed as an enrichment activity for captive primates in zoological parks and research institutes. The monkeys and apes are free to use the materials at their disposal and are not constrained or conditioned to show this behaviour. This provides a good opportunity to collect drawings by non-human primates and allows for comparative studies between hominids.
  • 829
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Immune Checkpoints in Viral Infections
As evidence has mounted that virus-infected cells, such as cancer cells, negatively regulate the function of T-cells via immune checkpoints, it has become increasingly clear that viral infections similarly exploit immune checkpoints as an immune system escape mechanism. Although immune checkpoint therapy has been successfully used in cancer treatment, numerous studies have suggested that such therapy may also be highly relevant for treating viral infection, especially chronic viral infections. However, it has not yet been applied in this manner. Here, we reviewed recent findings regarding immune checkpoints in viral infections, including COVID-19, and discussed the role of immune checkpoints in different viral infections, as well as the potential for applying immune checkpoint blockades as antiviral therapy.
  • 811
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Ophrysia
The Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa) or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations (and 12 specimens) in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India . The last verifiable record was in 1876 near the hill station of Mussoorie.
  • 807
  • 02 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Hibernation on the Gut Microbes of Mammalian Animals
Hibernating mammals confront seasonal and harsh environmental shifts, prompting a cycle of pre-hibernation feeding and subsequent winter fasting. These adaptive practices induce diverse physiological adjustments within the animal’s body. With the gut microbiota’s metabolic activity being heavily reliant on the host’s diet, this cycle’s primary impact is on this microbial community. When the structure and composition of the gut microbiota changes, corresponding alterations in the interactions occur between these microorganisms and their host. These successive adaptations significantly contribute to the host’s capacity to sustain relatively stable metabolic and immune functions in severe environmental conditions. 
  • 737
  • 26 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Chemotherapeutics for Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis, a category 1 neglected protozoan disease caused by a kinetoplastid pathogen called Leishmania, is transmitted through dipteran insect vectors (phlebotomine, sand flies) in three main clinical forms: fatal visceral leishmaniasis, self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.
  • 731
  • 24 May 2023
  • Page
  • of
  • 9
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Academic Video Service
Feedback