Applications of Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies and Statistical Tools in Identifying Pathways and Biomarkers for Heat Tolerance in Livestock.

The climate change-associated abnormal weather patterns negatively influences the productivity and performance of farm animals. Heat stress is the major detrimental factor hampering production, causing substantial economic loss to the livestock industry. Therefore, it is important to identify heat-tolerant breeds that can survive and produce optimally in any given environment.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Heat Stress Management in Ruminant Livestock.

Heat stress impacts ruminant livestock production on varied levels in this alarming climate breakdown scenario. The drastic effects of the global climate change-associated heat stress in ruminant livestock demands constructive evaluation of animal performance bordering on effective monitoring systems. In this climate-smart digital age, adoption of advanced and developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is gaining traction for efficient heat stress management.

Nudging the nudger: Performance feedback and organ donor registrations.

In a randomized controlled trial conducted in three waves over 2.5 years and involving nearly 700 customer-service representatives (CSRs) from a Canadian government service agency, we studied how providing CSRs with repeated performance feedback, with or without peer comparison, affected their subsequent organ donor registration rates. The feedback resulted in a 25 % increase in daily signups compared to otherwise equivalent encouragements and reminders.

Public Opinions on Removing Disincentives and Introducing Incentives for Organ Donation: Proposing a European Research Agenda.

The shortage of organs for transplantations is increasing in Europe as well as globally. Many initiatives to the organ shortage, such as opt-out systems for deceased donation and expanding living donation, have been insufficient to meet the rising demand for organs. In recurrent discussions on how to reduce organ shortage, financial incentives and removal of disincentives, have been proposed to stimulate living organ donation and increase the pool of available donor organs.

The autumn low milk yield syndrome in Brown Swiss cows in continental climates: hypotheses and facts.

Extensive research has been conducted globally on the impact of heat stress (HS) on animal health and milk production in dairy cows. In this article, we examine the possible reasons for the decrease in milk production in Brown Swiss (BS) cows during the autumn season, known as the autumn low milk yield syndrome (ALMYS). This condition has been extensively studied in high-yielding Holstein Friesian (HF) cattle and has also been observed in BS cows with a daily milk yield of around 30 kg.

Expectations, reference points, and compliance with COVID-19 social distancing measures.

We study the behavioral impact of announcements about the duration of a policy and their relationship with people's expectations in the context of the COVID-19 lockdowns. We surveyed representative samples of Italian residents at three moments of the first wave of the pandemic to test how intentions to comply with social-isolation measures depend on the duration of their possible extension. Individuals were more likely to reduce, and less likely to increase, their compliance effort if the hypothetical extension was longer than they expected, whereas positive surprises had a lesser impact.

Effects of fatty acid mixtures on proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in dairy cows.

This in vitro study was performed to assess the effects of three different mixtures of nonesterifed fatty acids (NEFA) on mitogen-driven proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in dairy cows. Substantially, the three mixtures differed for n-6 to n-3 fatty acids (FA) ratio and were intended to mimic plasma NEFA composition of cows given fat supplements with different n-6 to n-3 FA ratio. PBMC from six Holstein heifers were cultured in media containing three different mixtures of oleic, palmitic, stearic, linoleic, palmitoleic, or linolenic acid at concentrations mimicking different degree of lipomobilisation.

antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of an oleuropein-enriched extract obtained from olives leaves on BME-UV1 cells.

In this study, for the first time was evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of an Oleuropein-enriched extract (OleE) on bovine mammary epithelial cell line (BME-UV1). OleE was obtained from olives leaves and characterized by HPLC and NMR analysis. Cell viability test indicated that OleE at concentrations of 7.

Opt-out choice framing attenuates gender differences in the decision to compete in the laboratory and in the field.

Research shows that women are less likely to enter competitions than men. This disparity may translate into a gender imbalance in holding leadership positions or ascending in organizations. We provide both laboratory and field experimental evidence that this difference can be attenuated with a default nudge-changing the choice to enter a competitive task from a default in which applicants must actively choose to compete to a default in which applicants are automatically enrolled in competition but can choose to opt out.

Carbon Footprint of Mediterranean Pasture-Based Native Beef: Effects of Agronomic Practices and Pasture Management under Different Climate Change Scenarios.

A better understanding of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics is needed when assessing the carbon footprint (CFP) of livestock products and the effectiveness of possible agriculture mitigation strategies. This study aimed (i) to perform a cradle-to-gate CFP of pasture-based beef cattle in a Mediterranean agropastoral system (ii) and to assess the effects on the CFP of alternative tillage, fertilizing, and grazing practices under current (NCC) and future climate change (CC) scenarios. Minimum (Mt) and no-tillage (Nt) practices were compared to current tillage (Ct); a 50% increase (Hf) and decrease (Lf) in fertilization was evaluated against the current (Cf) rate; and rotational grazing (Rg) was evaluated versus the current continuous grazing (Cg) system.

In-vitro effect of heat stress on bovine monocytes lifespan and polarization.

Heat stress (HS) has a negative impact on dairy cows' health, milk production, reproductive performance and immune defenses. Cellular and molecular responses to high temperatures in bovine polymorphonuclear cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been investigated so far. On the contrary, the effects of high temperatures on isolated monocytes remain almost undisclosed.

Anti-proliferative effect of pomegranate peel extracts on bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Pomegranate peel extracts prepared in our laboratories from a waste of juice fruit processing were tested on bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells to evaluate the effects on viability, oxidative stress and proliferation. The (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay pointed out that the extracts were not cytotoxic at the tested concentrations (0.1, 1.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Pomegranate Peel Extracts on In Vitro Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells and Ex Vivo Porcine Colonic Tissue Explants.

The aim of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory potential of pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) prepared from waste material of pomegranate juice production both in vitro on Caco-2 cells and ex vivo using porcine colonic tissue explants. Caco-2 cells were stimulated in vitro by TNF and colonic tissue explants were stimulated ex vivo with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Both tissues were co-treated with PPE at 0, 1.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of pomegranate peel extracts on bovine mammary epithelial cells BME-UV1.

Pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) were tested for the first time on BME-UV1, a valid cellular model to study the bovine mammary epithelial metabolism, to evaluate the effects on the oxidative stress and inflammatory status. Based on the statistical analysis of MTT data, PPE at 0.1, 1.

Characterization of the blastogenic response to LPS of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Mitogens are diverse compounds of plant and microbial origin, widely employed to test immunocompetence in animals. The blastogenic response of bovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) to lypopolysaccharides (LPS) has been investigated in our laboratories for a long time. In particular, a possible correlation between blastogenic response to LPS and disease resistance of periparturient dairy cows had been observed in previous studies.

Carbon footprint of organic beef meat from farm to fork: a case study of short supply chain.

Background: Sustainability of food systems is one of the big challenges facing humanity. Local food networks, especially those using organic methods, are proliferating worldwide, and little is known about their carbon footprints. This study aims to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a local organic beef supply chain using a cradle-to-grave approach.

Motivating Cord Blood Donation with Information and Behavioral Nudges.

Umbilical cord blood is a source of hematopoietic stem cells essential to treat life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia and lymphoma. However, only a very small percentage of parents donate upon delivery. The decision to donate the cord blood occurs at a very specific time and when parents likely experience emotional, informational, and decisional overloads; these features of cord blood donation make it different from other pro-social activities.

In vitro assessment of the effects of temperature on phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis in bovine polymorphonuclear cells.

Heat stress exerts a direct negative effect on farm animal health, triggering physiological responses. Environmental high temperature induces immunosuppression in dairy cows, increasing the risk of mastitis and milk somatic cell counts. The influence of heat stress on leukocytes activities has not been fully elucidated.

Challenges and priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens in the context of climate change.

Climate change has the potential to impair livestock health, with consequences for animal welfare, productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, and human livelihoods and health. Modelling has an important role in assessing the impacts of climate change on livestock systems and the efficacy of potential adaptation strategies, to support decision making for more efficient, resilient and sustainable production. However, a coherent set of challenges and research priorities for modelling livestock health and pathogens under climate change has not previously been available.

Innate immune responses of young bulls to a novel environment.

Animal welfare during transportation has been investigated in several studies, as opposed to post-transportation phases. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a novel environment after transportation on 26 Friesian bulls, 242 ± 42 day-old, from ten different dairy farms. Animals were shipped to a breeding center in different seasons, and selected parameters of innate immunity (serum bactericidal activity, hemolytic complement, serum albumin, α, β, and γ-globulins, interleukin-6, TNF-α) were monitored before and after the arrival at days--4/0/4/15/30.

The incidence and role of negative citations in science.

Citations to previous literature are extensively used to measure the quality and diffusion of knowledge. However, we know little about the different ways in which a study can be cited; in particular, are papers cited to point out their merits or their flaws? We elaborated a methodology to characterize "negative" citations using bibliometric data and natural language processing. We found that negative citations concerned higher-quality papers, were focused on a study's findings rather than theories or methods, and originated from scholars who were closer to the authors of the focal paper in terms of discipline and social distance, but not geographically.

Markets and morals: an experimental survey study.

Most societies prohibit some market transactions based on moral concerns, even when the exchanges would benefit the parties involved and would not create negative externalities. A prominent example is given by payments for human organs for transplantation, banned virtually everywhere despite long waiting lists and many deaths of patients who cannot find a donor. Recent research, however, has shown that individuals significantly increase their stated support for a regulated market for human organs when provided with information about the organ shortage and the potential beneficial effects a price mechanism.