Featured Articles

  • Dec
    28
    Interpretive Summary: Accuracy of enteric methane emission models for cattle in sub-Saharan Africa: status quo and the way forward


    Accurate estimates of enteric methane (CH4) emissions are needed to ascertain the efficacy of mitigation strategies proposed for cattle in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Models used for cattle in SSA were developed using data on metabolic processes measured from cattle in temperate regions which may lead to inaccurate enteric CH4 estimates.

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  • Dec
    28
    Interpretive Summary: Low birth weight and reduced postnatal nutrition lead to cardiac dysfunction in piglets


    Heart disease is the leading cause of death in humans, and in addition to the known modifiable risk factors, evidence suggests early life undernutrition increases heart disease risk in adulthood. Specifically, low birth weight (LBW) has been linked to poor infant cardiac development which could be made worse by an inadequate postnatal diet.

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  • Dec
    21
    ASAS Statement on Taxation of Graduate Student Tuition Waivers


    ASAS encourages its members to communicate with their Senators and Representatives to preserve the tax exemption for graduate student tuition waivers.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of hydrolyzed chicken liver on digestibility, fecal and urinary characteristics, and fecal metabolites of adult dogs


    Feeding companion animals with high-protein diets has been a demand of the market and pet owners. However, the protein quality and quantity consumed can interfere with the amount of undigested protein that reaches the hindgut and be fermented. Intestinal fermentation can be desired when well controlled.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of overfeeding on the digestive efficiency, voluntary physical activity levels, and fecal characteristics and microbiota of adult cats


    Feline obesity continues to rise, impacting the wellness, quality of life, and longevity of cats. Understanding the metabolic and gastrointestinal changes that companion animals face with the onset of weight gain and obesity may help with future prevention and treatment plans.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: A glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor antagonist reduces the insulin response to a glycemic meal in ponies


    Horses and ponies are prone to suffer from laminitis if they produce too much insulin after eating a high-sugar/starch meal. Laminitis associated with high insulin is very painful and can result in the affected animals having to be put down. The reason why some ponies over-produce insulin is not known.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Prediction of body condition in Jersey dairy cattle from 3D-images using machine learning techniques


    The body condition of dairy cows is a crucial health and welfare indicator that is widely acknowledged in dairy cattle management. Routine recording of high-quality body condition phenotypes is required for adaptation in dairy herd management.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Advances, challenges and prospective of sustainable use of capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in Colombia


    The historical use of capybaras in Colombia has resulted in numerous regulatory stages; however, a crucial factor has been the environmental authorities’ low technical capacity to implement management plans.

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  • Dec
    21
    Interpretive Summary: Insights into the merits and market potential of yak meat


    Yak meat is a source of protein, essential amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially n-3 PUFA, and is also low in fat content.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of high levels of zinc oxide and dietary zinc/copper ratios on the metabolism of iron in weaned pigs


    Zinc oxide and copper sulfate are commonly used to prevent diarrhea in weaned piglets as an alternative to antibiotics. However, this strategy has been questioned due to environmental issues and public health concerns related to bacterial resistance. Recently, it was reported that high dietary zinc levels and/or high dietary zinc/copper ratios impair zinc and copper homeostasis and are detrimental to postweaning piglets’ health.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: Effect of Pseudostellaria heterophylla polysaccharide on the growth and liver metabolism of chicks


    In order to explore the possibility of Pseudostellaria heterophylla polysaccharide (PHP) as green and healthy feed additive, we evaluated the effects of PHP on the growth, development and liver metabolism of chicks by feeding chicks diets in this study.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: Heritability and variance component estimation for feed and water intake behaviors of feedlot cattle


    Feed and water intake are important aspects of cattle production to understand because they impact producer profitability and sustainability. While feed intake and, to a lesser degree, water intake have previously been studied, the associated feeding and drinking behaviors are relatively unknown and lack standardized phenotypes.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: The role of inbreeding depression on productive performance in the Italian Holstein breed


    Inbreeding depression is a reduction in performance or health due to the mating of closely related individuals. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the level of inbreeding in the Italian Holstein dairy cow breed and quantify its negative effect on productive performances.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: Associations between polymorphisms in the myostatin gene with calving difficulty and carcass merit in cattle


    The objective of the present study was to quantify the association between 21 known myostatin mutations with calving difficulty, carcass fat, carcass conformation, and carcass weight in 12 prominent cattle breeds. Out of all segregating myostatin variants, the nt821 deletion had the greatest observed association with calving difficulty when the homozygous deletion was carried by either the calf or the dam.

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  • Dec
    13
    Interpretive Summary: Blood transcriptomic differences in the immune response under stressful environmental according to stocking density in pigs


    Animal welfare in the pig industry is a worldwide trend, and appropriate livestock management can improve welfare. Balancing stocking density and productivity is crucial in intensive farming systems. This study used behavioral and physiological parameters to assess welfare levels related to stocking density.

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  • Dec
    07
    Interpretive Summary: Dietary Betaine improves the intestinal health and growth performance of heat-stressed growing rabbits in summer


    Due to the lack of functional sweat glands, rabbits find it difficult to release excess heat under high-temperature conditions, resulting in heat stress. This high-level temperature condition leads to substantial damage to growth performance and intestinal health resulting in significant financial losses for the meat rabbit industry.

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  • Dec
    07
    Interpretive Summary: Body, carcass, and steak dimensions of straightbred Holstein calves and Angus-sired calves from Holstein, Jersey, and crossbred beef dams


    Divergent selection of beef and dairy breeds has caused differences in skeletal size and muscularity. When calves from dairy systems enter the beef supply chain, variability in mature size and carcass composition are introduced. The objective of this study was to characterize morphometric differences in cattle populations with different proportions of beef and dairy genetics.

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  • Dec
    07
    Interpretive Summary: Timing of maternal nutrient restriction during mid- to late-gestation influences net umbilical uptake of glucose and amino acids in adolescent sheep


    Maternal undernutrition during gestation can lead to decreased fetal growth, decreased uteroplacental blood flow, and changes in nutrient supply to the fetus. However, it is unclear how the timing (mid-gestation vs. late-gestation) and duration (40 d vs. 80 d) of nutrient restriction influence nutrient supply to the fetus during mid- to late-gestation.

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  • Dec
    07
    Interpretive Summary: Removing maternal heat stress abatement during gestation modulated postnatal physiology and improved performance of Bos indicus-influenced beef offspring


    In dairy cattle, heat stress during late gestation negatively impacted offspring postnatal growth and immune function. The use of artificial shade is a management strategy that alleviates heat stress in environments with high temperatures and humidity.

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  • Dec
    07
    Interpretive Summary: Early- and mid-lactation milk traits are associated with piglet growth during lactation


    Early piglet health and growth are reliant upon milk from the mother. Increasing the gain of a piglet by 0.45 kg at weaning has been linked to finished pigs going to market earlier reducing environmental and financial inputs for producers.

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