Featured Articles

  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Heat stress alters the ovarian proteome in prepubertal gilts


    Heat stress impairs female fertility, yet the mechanisms underlying reduced fecundity remain unclear. This study investigated the ovarian proteomic changes resultant from heat stress in prepubertal gilts and discovered changes related to several important biological processes that could be responsible for reduced female fertility.

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  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Sow serenity: automatic long-term measurement of lying behavior in crates and free-farrowing pens using 3D accelerometers


    We analyzed lying behavior of sows using sensors, focusing on crated versus free-farrowing sows from pre-parturition to weaning. Lying behavior varies in this time following the needs of the sow and her litter. In a natural environment, sows increase activity 14 d post parturition, which we expected to be also evident in housed sows when they are allowed to move freely.

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  • May
    02
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary iron supplementation on reproductive performance of sows and growth performance of piglets


    Sows need more iron to meet the requirements for their and offspring’s growth during pregnancy and lactation. Exogenous iron supplementation may improve the reproductive performance of sows and the growth performance of piglets, but different sources of iron have different effects.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Optimal protein concentration in diets for sows during the transition period


    In late gestation, the protein requirement of sows increases rapidly due to growth of the fetuses and mammary glands, whereas their energy requirement only is slightly increasing. Recent studies show that a feed supply of 4.1 kg/d in the last week of gestation is beneficial for the farrowing process and subsequent lactation performance.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Diagnostic survey of analytical methods used to determine bone mineralization in pigs


    There is little literature or data comparing bone diagnostic results for healthy, lame, and unhealthy pigs. Typically, diagnosticians assessing clinical lameness cases in pigs will measure bone mineralization along with histopathological evaluation to diagnose and assess the severity of metabolic bone disease.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Magnitude and persistence of higher estrus-associated temperatures in beef heifers and suckled cows


    When striving for a pregnancy, estrus is a critically important event. Higher estrus-associated temperatures (HEAT) are a hallmark feature in sexually active females. The importance of HEAT for pregnancy, however, remains unclear.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of different supplemental levels of protease DE200 on the production performance, egg quality, and cecum microflora of laying hens


    In the production of laying hens, improving the efficiency of dietary protein utilization is important. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the protease DE200 on the performance, egg quality and cecal microflora of Hyline white laying hens.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Impacts of preweaning colostrum feeding practices and health measures on dairy cow production, while accounting for genetic potential


    The impact of calf management and health events have been predominately investigated during the preweaning period. However, calfhood events could also impact the animal’s health and productivity as an adult.

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  • Apr
    25
    Interpretive Summary: Functional properties of Ganoderma lucidum supplementation in canine nutrition


    Ganoderma lucidum (GL) is a fungus from which products have become popular in the human food and health industry over the past decade. Due to this, a growing interest in using GL extracts in animal products has also developed.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: 5-hydroxytryphophan mitigates ergot alkaloid-induced suppression of serotonin and feed intake in cattle


    Some grass species have a symbiotic relationship with an endophytic fungus that produces toxic ergot alkaloids which have detrimental impacts on herbivores. Ergot alkaloids have a significant impact on livestock production causing annual loss to the livestock industry that likely exceeds $1 billion.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: Improving feed intake and rumen fermentation in lambs using mixed-dimensional attapulgite clay to adsorb naturally occurring mycotoxins


    The issue of mycotoxin-contaminated animal feed has consistently presented a significant challenge in relation to animal health and production. The mixed-dimensional attapulgite clay (MDA) has been proven effective in binding polar mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, while also effectively adsorbing hydrophobic or weakly polar mycotoxins such as zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: Processing of corn-based dog foods through pelleting, baking and extrusion and their effect on apparent total tract digestibility and colonic health of adult dogs


    Dog foods were produced via extrusion, baking, and pelleting to yield increasing amounts of starch resistant to digestion (resistant starch [RS]). The foods were compared to a negative dextrose control that contained dextrose in place of starch.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: Maternal protein supplementation during mid-gestation improves offspring performance and metabolism in beef cows


    In tropical conditions, beef cows on pasture often experience protein restriction during mid-to-late gestation, potentially impacting offspring development negatively. To address this, we investigated the effects of strategic protein supplementation for pregnant beef cows fed low-quality forage during mid-gestation on the postnatal growth trajectory of their offspring.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: Sustainable pig diets: partial grain replacement with former food products and its impact on meat quality


    Pigs are ideal species to convert food losses, also named former food products (FFPs), into animal proteins. The present study investigated the impact of incorporating sugary and salty FFPs into the diets of growing and finishing pigs on meat quality and its sensory characteristics.

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  • Apr
    18
    Interpretive Summary: Effects of dietary protein level on intestinal function and inflammation in nursery pigs


    High dietary crude protein (CP) is thought to antagonize nursery pig enteric health. Feeding high CP diets to nursery pigs did not exacerbate intestinal health or inflammation, and overall, protein level in the diet has little impact on animal health and performance.

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  • Apr
    12
    Mike Galyean's Animal Science Family Tree



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  • Apr
    11
    Interpretive Summary: Levodopa attenuates the feed intake reduction caused by ergot alkaloids in cattle


    Fescue has become the dominant cool-season perennial grass in the southeastern region of the United States and is also found in other countries. Endophytes from a plant–fungus symbiotic relationship produce toxic alkaloids that have caused significant annual economic losses to the livestock industry.

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  • Apr
    11
    Interpretive Summary: Supplemental trace minerals as complexed or inorganic sources for beef cattle during the receiving period


    Issues associated with health and management of newly received cattle continue to pose significant animal welfare and economic challenges for the beef industry. Diagnosis of bovine respiratory disease, accompanied with poor growth performance, can be addressed by nutritional intervention in receiving cattle.

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  • Apr
    11
    Interpretive Summary: Genetic parameters for carcass traits of progeny of beef bulls mated to dairy cows


    Low-cost genotyping platforms and sexed-semen have enabled the production of high breeding value dairy replacement heifers from a fraction of the herd representing the most elite cows. The remainder of the cow herd can be bred to beef bulls using male-sexed-semen.

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  • Apr
    11
    Interpretive Summary: Lightweight model-based sheep face recognition via face image recording channel


    Accurate identification of individual sheep is a crucial prerequisite for establishing digital sheep farms and precision livestock farming. In this study, we developed a lightweight sheep face recognition model, YOLOv7-SFR. Utilizing a face image recording channel, we efficiently collected facial images from 50 experimental sheep, resulting in a comprehensive sheep face dataset.

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