Livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, there is a considerable variability in the carbon footprint associated with livestock production. Site specific estimates ...of GHG emissions are needed to accurately focus GHG emission reduction efforts. A holistic approach must be taken to assess the environmental impact of livestock production using appropriate geographical scale. The objective of this study was to determine baseline GHG emissions from dairy production in South Dakota using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. A cradle-to-farm gate LCA was used to estimate the GHG emissions to produce 1 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) in South Dakota. The system boundary was divided into feed production, farm management, enteric methane, and manure management as these activities are the main contributors to the overall GHG emissions. The production of 1 kg FPCM in South Dakota dairies was estimated to emit 1.23 kg CO2 equivalents. The major contributors were enteric methane (46%) and manure management (32.7%). Feed production and farm management made up 14.1 and 7.2%, respectively. The estimate is similar to the national average but slightly higher than the California dairy system. The source of corn used in the dairies influences the footprint. For example, South Dakota corn had fewer GHG emissions than grain produced and transported in from Iowa. Therefore, locally and more sustainably sourced feed input will contribute to further reducing the environmental impacts. Improvements in efficiency of milk production through better genetics, nutrition animal welfare and feed production are expected to further reduce the carbon footprint of South Dakota dairies. Furthermore, anaerobic digesters will reduce emissions from manure sources.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the grade of crossbreeding (Lacaune x Manchega) and environmental factors on milk production in a commercial flock in Spain. A total ...of 5769 milk production records of sheep with different degrees of purity of the Lacaune breed crossed with Manchega were used as follows: 100% Lacaune (
= 2960), 7/8 Lacaune (
= 502), 13/16 Lacaune (
= 306), 3/4 (
= 1288), 5/8 Lacaune (
= 441) and 1/2 Lacaune: Manchega (
= 272). Additional available information included the number of parity (1 to 8), litter size (single or multiple), and the season of the year of lambing (spring, summer, autumn and winter). A mixed model was used to evaluate the level of crossbreeding and environmental factors on milk production. The 100% Lacaune sheep presented the highest milk production with respect to the F1 Lacaune x Manchega sheep (
< 0.01), showing that as the degree of gene absorption increases with the Manchega breed, it presents lower milk yield. The 100%, 13/16, and 3/4 Lacaune genotypes had the highest milk yields with respect to the 1/2 Lacaune/Manchega breed (
< 0.001). The Lacaune registered on average 181.1 L in a period adjusted to 160 days of lactation (1.13 L/ day). Likewise, the parity number, litter size, and season of lambing effects showed significant differences (
< 0.01). It was concluded that 13/16 and 3/4 Lacaune/Manchega ewes presented the highest milk yields with respect to the other crosses.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This meta-analysis aims to identify if there are differences between the weight of lamb carcases and their main characteristics according to the production systems and type of feeding around the ...word. Lambs finished on feeding supplement (with or without supplement) and production system (feed-lot or free-range) were analysed. Data from 21 controlled studies were used, the variables of interest in the meta-analysis include: initial body weight (IBW, kg), final body weight (FBW, kg), hot carcase weight (HCW, kg), cold carcase weight (CCW, kg), area of longissimus dorsi (ALd, cm
2
), subcutaneous dorsal fat thickness (SFT, mm) and slaughter weight (kg). The high heterogeneity (>98%) found in this study may be due to many factors (breed, climate, age and management). Furthermore, the number of animals allocated for each treatment and the lack of repetitions make it difficult to correctly understand the effect of feeding and production system on the lamb meat. Lambs finished in a feedlot or with supplementation under extensive systems exhibit faster growth rates, achieve target weights quicker, and produce heavier carcase weights when compared to grazing lambs.
Highlights
Lambs finished in a feedlot or with supplementation under extensive systems exhibit faster growth rates compared to grazing lambs.
Lambs finished in a feedlot or with supplementation under extensive systems achieve target weights quicker compared to grazing lambs.
Finishing lambs on high-quality pasture can produce satisfactory growth rates without compromising characteristics of carcase.
Abstract
Improvement in feed efficiency affects the carbon footprint of a dairy production system. The objective of this study was to determine the overall effect of using the EcoFeed index by ...STgenetics to reduce enteric methane, crop production and manure related emissions. Genomic estimated breeding values for residual feed intake (RFI) in lactating dairy cows were calculated using genetic parameters estimated for DMI, energy-corrected milk (ECM), body weight, and body weight change. A dataset containing phenotypic and genomic information on 639 lactating dairy cattle was used for the analysis. The dairy cattle were divided into low, medium and high EcoFeed classes. Genomic RFI class was determined based on animals being +/- ½ SD from genomic RFI. A life cycle assessment according to international standards (ISO 14040/44) and Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership guidelines was conducted to calculate the carbon footprint of the three EcoFeed classes. Production of a kilogram of ECM emitted 0.94, 1.00 and 1.04 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2e) from high, medium and low EcoFeed classes, respectively during a 305-day lactation cycle. In all cases, manure management and enteric methane emissions contributed the most to the carbon footprint. The greater contributions from manure was due to assumption of manure being managed in a lagoon system that carries relatively greater emission factor compared with solid storage. Crop production contributed to 0.11, 0.12 and 0.13 CO2e from high, medium and low EcoFeed classes, respectively. This is due to reduced amount of feed required in high and medium EcoFeed classes compared with the lower class because of efficiency gains. If high EcoFeed class dairy cattle were to be used in the US, there will be an estimated annual potential reduction of 10 billion CO2e. Therefore, genomic selection is a powerful tool to reduce carbon footprint in dairy cattle.
Livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, there is a considerable variability in the carbon footprint associated with livestock production. Site specific estimates ...of GHG emissions are needed to accurately focus GHG emission reduction efforts. A holistic approach must be taken to assess the environmental impact of livestock production using appropriate geographical scale. The objective of this study was to determine baseline GHG emissions from dairy production in South Dakota using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. A cradle-to-farm gate LCA was used to estimate the GHG emissions to produce 1 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) in South Dakota. The system boundary was divided into feed production, farm management, enteric methane, and manure management as these activities are the main contributors to the overall GHG emissions. The production of 1 kg FPCM in South Dakota dairies was estimated to emit 1.23 kg CO2 equivalents. The major contributors were enteric methane (46%) and manure management (32.7%). Feed production and farm management made up 14.1 and 7.2%, respectively. The estimate is similar to the national average but slightly higher than the California dairy system. The source of corn used in the dairies influences the footprint. For example, South Dakota corn had fewer GHG emissions than grain produced and transported in from Iowa. Therefore, locally and more sustainably sourced feed input will contribute to further reducing the environmental impacts. Improvements in efficiency of milk production through better genetics, nutrition animal welfare and feed production are expected to further reduce the carbon footprint of South Dakota dairies. Furthermore, anaerobic digesters will reduce emissions from manure sources.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Dialektisk beteendeterapi (DBT) har visat sig vara en effektiv behandling vid borderline personlighetssyndrom (BPS), och färdighetsträning har visat sig vara en verksam komponent, men man vet ...fortfarande lite om sambandet mellan borderlinesymtom, känslomässig dysreglering, problembeteenden och färdigheter. Aktuell studie syftar till att undersöka dessa samband med frågeställningar utifrån teoretisk modell.Deltagare och metod: 54 patienter aktuella för DBT vid en vuxenpsykiatrisk öppenvårdsmottagning deltog i en tvärsnittsstudie där de vid ett tillfälle fyllde i tre självskattningsformulär.Resultat: Det förelåg ett samband mellan känslomässig dysreglering och symtom på borderline personlighetssyndrom, samt delvis ett samband mellan dessa två och förekomst av problembeteenden. Högre nivå av känslomässig dysregelring predicerade ett lägre användande av färdigheter. Dock förelåg inte något signifikant samband mellan användande av färdigheter och nivå av problembeteenden.Konklusion: Resultatet stödjer delvis den teoretiska modellen, men oklarheter föreligger gällande betydelsen av användande av färdigheter. Detta skulle därmed behöva studeras vidare för att fördjupa förståelse av verksamma behandlingskomponenter.
The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is an ecologically and economically relevant edible marine bivalve, highly invasive and resilient to biotic and abiotic stressors causing recurrent ...massive mortalities in other bivalves. Although these traits have been recently linked with the maintenance of a high genetic variation within natural populations, the factors underlying the evolutionary success of this species remain unclear.
Here, after the assembly of a 1.28-Gb reference genome and the resequencing of 14 individuals from two independent populations, we reveal a complex pan-genomic architecture in M. galloprovincialis, with a core set of 45,000 genes plus a strikingly high number of dispensable genes (20,000) subject to presence-absence variation, which may be entirely missing in several individuals. We show that dispensable genes are associated with hemizygous genomic regions affected by structural variants, which overall account for nearly 580 Mb of DNA sequence not included in the reference genome assembly. As such, this is the first study to report the widespread occurrence of gene presence-absence variation at a whole-genome scale in the animal kingdom.
Dispensable genes usually belong to young and recently expanded gene families enriched in survival functions, which might be the key to explain the resilience and invasiveness of this species. This unique pan-genome architecture is characterized by dispensable genes in accessory genomic regions that exceed by orders of magnitude those observed in other metazoans, including humans, and closely mirror the open pan-genomes found in prokaryotes and in a few non-metazoan eukaryotes.
Due to the environmental and nutritional benefits of insects, their consumption would be one of the solutions to feed the growing human population. Despite the increasing interest in the use of ...insects as food and feed, consumer acceptance is the major obstacle to successful implementation in Western countries and we studied the factors that influence consumer acceptance in a group of university students from Germany and the Netherlands. In this exploratory research, a survey was conducted (n = 222). Socio‐demographic and psychological factors were established from a theoretical review. In addition, we elaborated on questions regarding information on the health and environmental benefits of consuming insects. Initially, the data obtained are presented through descriptive statistics. The influence of the socio‐demographic and psychological factors, and the information on the willingness to accept insects as animal feed and human food was analyzed using correlations and multiple linear regressions. Results showed more willingness to accept insects as animal feed than in human food. The acceptance among German and Dutch students seems to be driven by issues similar to those in other European countries, such as visual aspects and knowledge about the benefits. The effect of the information on willingness constitutes an important finding of this study, especially for the use of insects in animal feed, since most of the previous studies have focused on the use of insects as human food. Our data support the need to inform and educate consumers about the environmental and health benefits of entomophagy. We conclude that effective efforts to implement entomophagy could increase the level of familiarity with the insect food and inform (or educate) consumers about its benefits. Insights from this study are useful to address studies focusing on specific segments of possible early adopters and consequently addressing communication strategies in this market segmentation.
Data about insights into the consumer's acceptance towards insects in feed and food is presented. Rather than invest efforts in reducing neophobia and disgust, it could be more effectively to increase the level of familiarity with the dishes and interest about entomophagy.
Scope
Quinic acid in its free form is broadly abundant in plants, and can accumulate in copious amounts in coffee, tea, and certain fruits. However, it has been mostly studied as chlorogenic acid, an ...ester of caffeic and quinic acids. When chlorogenic acid reaches the colon, it is hydrolyzed by microbial esterases releasing caffeic and quinic acids. While biotransformation of chlorogenic and caffeic acids have been elucidated by in vitro and in vivo studies, the gut metabolism of quinic acid has been so far overlooked.
Methods and Results
U‐13C‐Quinic acid is submitted to a colonic model using human fecal microbiota for assessing its metabolic fate. The metabolite profiles formed along microbial biotransformation are monitored by a combined metabolomics approach, using both 2D GC– and ultra‐HPLC–MS. Six metabolic intermediates are identified by incorporation of isotopic label.
Conclusion
Two parallel degradation pathways could be proposed: (1) an oxidative route, leading to aromatization and accumulation of protocatechuic acid, and a (2) reductive route, including dehydroxylation to cyclohexane carboxylic acid. Elucidating the biotransformation of food bioactives by the gut microbiota is of relevance for understanding nutrition, interindividual variability and potential effects on human metabolism.
Quinic acid (QA) is an abundant compound in certain foods, e.g., coffee and cranberries. In this study, an in vitro colonic model, using human fecal suspension, assess the gut metabolism of U‐13C‐QA. Using GC– and LC–MS‐based metabolomics, six metabolic intermediates are selectively identified. Elucidating the gut microbial biotransformation of food bioactives, such as QA, is of relevance for understanding nutrition, interindividual variability, and potential effects on human metabolism.
We investigated mechanisms of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, which contributes to liver fibrogenesis. We aimed to determine whether activated HSCs increase glycolysis, which is regulated ...by 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase-3 (PFKFB3), and whether this pathway might serve as a therapeutic target.
We performed studies with primary mouse HSCs, human LX2 HSCs, human cirrhotic liver tissues, rats and mice with liver fibrosis (due to bile duct ligation BDL or administration of carbon tetrachloride), and CPEB4-knockout mice. Glycolysis was inhibited in cells and mice by administration of a small molecule antagonist of PFKFB3 (3-3-pyridinyl-1-4-pyridinyl-2-propen-1-one 3PO). Cells were transfected with small interfering RNAs that knock down PFKFB3 or CPEB4.
Up-regulation of PFKFB3 protein and increased glycolysis were early and sustained events during HSC activation and accompanied by increased expression of markers of fibrogenesis; incubation of HSCs with 3PO or knockdown of PFKFB3 reduced their activation and proliferation. Mice with liver fibrosis after BDL had increased hepatic PFKFB3; injection of 3PO immediately after the surgery prevented HSC activation and reduced the severity of liver fibrosis compared with mice given vehicle. Levels of PFKFB3 protein were increased in fibrotic liver tissues from patients compared with non-fibrotic liver. Up-regulation of PFKFB3 in activated HSCs did not occur via increased transcription, but instead via binding of CPEB4 to cytoplasmic polyadenylation elements within the 3'-untranslated regions of PFKFB3 messenger RNA. Knockdown of CPEB4 in LX2 HSCs prevented PFKFB3 overexpression and cell activation. Livers from CPEB4-knockout had decreased PFKFB3 and fibrosis after BDL or administration of carbon tetrachloride compared with wild-type mice.
Fibrotic liver tissues from patients and rodents (mice and rats) have increased levels of PFKFB3 and glycolysis, which are essential for activation of HSCs. Increased expression of PFKFB3 is mediated by binding of CPEB4 to its untranslated messenger RNA. Inhibition or knockdown of CPEB4 or PFKFB3 prevents HSC activation and fibrogenesis in livers of mice.
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