Featured Articles

  • Nov
    30
    Interpretive Summary: ASAS-NANP symposium: mathematical modeling in animal nutrition—Making sense of big data and machine learning: how open-source code can advance training of animal scientists


    Livestock production is undergoing a new revolution of incorporating advanced technology to inform animal management. As more and more technologies come to market, new challenges arise with developing a workforce trained to handle big datasets generated from these technologies and turning datasets into insight for livestock producers.

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  • Nov
    30
    Interpretive Summary: ASAS-NANP symposium: Mathematical Modeling in Animal Nutrition: The power of identifiability analysis for dynamic modeling in animal science: a practitioner approach


    When modeling biological systems, one major step of the modeling exercise is connecting the theory (the model) with the reality (the data). Such a connection passes through the resolution of the parameter identification (model calibration) problem, which aims at finding a set of parameters that best fits the variables predicted by the model to the data.

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  • Nov
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of ensiling sugarcane tops with bacteria-enzyme inoculants on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and the associated rumen microbiome in beef cattle


    Major challenges when ensiling sugarcane tops include fermentation that results in high quantities of alcohol and decrease in nutrient digestibility due to the accumulation of fiber components. Increased efforts to apply bacteria-enzyme inoculants in silage have the potential to improve nutrient digestibility.

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  • Nov
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Predicting microbial crude protein synthesis in cattle from intakes of dietary energy and crude protein


    The ability to accurately and precisely predict microbial protein synthesis is crucial in predicting the supply of metabolizable protein in beef cattle. We updated a database previously used to predict microbial crude protein (CP) supply in beef cattle.

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  • Nov
    30
    Interpretive Summary: Supplementation of palmitoleic acid improved piglet growth and reduced body temperature drop upon cold exposure


    Reducing piglet mortality in the early days after birth is a significant challenge in the modern pig industry. The focus on achieving larger litter sizes has had a negative impact on piglets’ birth weight and their intake of colostrum. Additionally, piglets are born without easily oxidizable brown adipose tissue and have limited body reserves, making them more vulnerable to death due to their lower capacity for thermogenesis.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Heat shock protein 27 regulates myogenic and self-renewal potential of bovine satellite cells under heat stress


    This study aimed to elucidate the response of bovine satellite cells to heat exposure. Satellite cells were isolated from Holstein bulls and subjected to varying temperatures. Transcriptional, proteomic, and proliferative changes were assessed.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Temperature Fluctuations Modulate Molecular Mechanisms in Skeletal Muscle and Influence Growth Potential in Beef Steers


    In this study, we investigated the effects of severe temperature fluctuations on beef cattle and their cellular and physiological responses. Our findings demonstrate that even moderate temperature swings can cause thermal stress in cattle, leading to observable behavioral signs such as extended tongue protrusion, reduced appetite, excessive salivation, and increased respiratory rate.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Technical note: colorimetric methods for accurate determination of nutrient composition in beef cow colostrum and milk


    The purpose was to develop laboratory methods to measure lactose, fat, protein, and urea nitrogen in beef cow colostrum (first milk) and milk and to validate single-quarter colostrum yield as a predictor of total colostrum yield. Additionally, new methods were compared with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which is the primary method of dairy cow milk nutrient analysis.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Distinct myofibrillar sub-proteomic profiles are associated with the instrumental texture of aged pork loin


    A primary goal of meat production is to efficiently produce safe, high-quality products. Competing interests within the goal complicate this seemingly simple aspiration. Consequently, it is necessary to emphasize efforts to enhance our comprehension of biological and molecular factors that influence quality, safety, and efficient meat production.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of the F94L myostatin gene mutation in beef × dairy crossed cattle on strip loin steak dimensionality, shear force, and sensory attributes


    In beef × dairy steers, one copy of the F94L allele decreased steak angularity in the strip loin and fat-associated flavor attributes in tenderloin steaks, while tenderness was not impacted. Reduced strip loin steak angularity addresses inherent deficiencies in dairy and dairy-cross carcasses; thus, the F94L allele could improve the consumer and chef acceptability of beef × dairy strip loin steaks.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Pork quality traits and associated muscle metabolic changes in pigs under chronic prenatal and postnatal heat stress


    Pig thermal environment and especially chronic heat stress (HS) can affect animal growth and physiology, with potential impacts on carcass and pork quality. The effects of chronic HS during postnatal growth (GHS) on pork quality are controversial, but the effects of chronic HS during the pig prenatal period (PHS) or of combined PHS and GHS on carcass and meat traits are even less characterized.

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  • Nov
    16
    Interpretive Summary: Maternal nutrient restriction during late gestation reduces vigor and alters blood chemistry and hematology in neonatal beef calves


    Early life after birth is challenging for beef calves, but a successful transition from the uterus to the outside environment is necessary for calves to survive and thrive pre-weaning. Despite this, limited research has investigated how maternal undernutrition during pregnancy affects the vigor and metabolism of beef calves during early life.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Dietary glycine supplementation enhances the growth performance of hybrid striped bass (Morone saxatilis ♀× Morone chrysops ♂) fed soybean meal-based diets


    Animal agriculture (including aquaculture) provides high-quality protein for improving human nutrition and health. The United States is the top producer of hybrid striped bass (HSB) in the world as both food and sport fish. Fishmeal has traditionally been used as the major protein feedstuff in HSB diets, but feeding fish with fishmeal is not sustainable in the industry.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: The effect of bone and analytical methods on the assessment of bone mineralization response to dietary phosphorus, phytase, and vitamin D in nursery pigs


    Lameness is defined as impaired movement or deviation from normal gait. There are many factors that can contribute to lameness, including but not limited to: infectious disease, genetic and conformational anomaly, and toxicity that affects the bone, muscle, and nervous systems. Metabolic bone disease is another cause of lameness in swine production and can be caused by inappropriate levels of essential vitamins or minerals.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Impact of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product during an intestinal barrier challenge in lactating Holstein cows on ileal microbiota and markers of tissue structure and immunity


    Stressors, including limited access to feed, heat stress, transportation, and disease are factors that reduce integrity of the gut epithelial barrier in livestock. Feeding Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products (SCFP) mitigated immunological, aflatoxin, and subclinical mastitis challenges, heat stress, and grain-based subacute ruminal acidosis indicating it also could alleviate gut damage.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Chemical composition of horse hooves with functional qualities for competing barefoot


    Barefoot racing is a common practice within the harness racing industry, as it may make a horse run faster. However, not all horses have hooves of sufficient quality to withstand the wear from the track surface during racing, creating a risk of hoof damage.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Dietary supplementation with garcinol during late gestation alleviates disorders of bile acid metabolism and improves the performance of sows and newborn piglets


    The elevated maternal serum bile acid (BA) levels in late gestation leads to accumulation of BA in fetal tissues, and thus increases the risk of fetal mortality and metabolic disease of offspring. It has confirmed that BA disordered and oxidative damage are intimately related.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Differential sensitivity of climate conditions on birth weight genetic values in mice divergently selected for birth weight residual variance


    Two mice lines obtained by divergent selection for birth weight residual variance were used to determine whether environmental factors could differently affect the homogeneous and heterogeneous lines. The maximum temperature 1 wk before parturition (MXTW) had the higher impact on the birth weight of the animals.

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  • Nov
    08
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of weight loss and feeding specially formulated diets on the body composition, blood metabolite profiles, voluntary physical activity, and fecal metabolites and microbiota of overweight cats


    The objective of this study was to determine the effects of diet, restricted feeding and weight loss on body composition, voluntary physical activity, blood hormones and metabolites, and fecal metabolites and microbiota of overweight cats. Overweight cats were allotted to a control diet (OR) or weight loss diet (FT) and fed to lose ~1.0% body weight/week for 24 wk.

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  • Nov
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Predicting microbial crude protein synthesis in cattle from intakes of dietary energy and crude protein


    The ability to accurately and precisely predict microbial protein synthesis is crucial in predicting the supply of metabolizable protein in beef cattle. We updated a database previously used to predict microbial crude protein (CP) supply in beef cattle. Then we evaluated the utility of using total digestible nutrients (TDN) and different measures of energy intake to predict ruminal microbial protein synthesis.

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