30,992 results match your criteria: "School of Agriculture[Affiliation]"

Fire management now and in the future: Will today's solutions still apply tomorrow?

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

FLARE wildfire research, The University of Melbourne, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Climate change and fire management actions are the two key drivers of fire regime changes now and into the future. The predicted effects of these drivers vary between regions and global climate projections; however, it is expected that fire regimes globally are likely to intensify. Increased wildfire extent, frequency and severity mean impacts to people, property, infrastructure, production and the environment are also likely to increase under worsening climate conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Brain iron deficiency is known to cause dopaminergic dysfunction in people with restless legs syndrome. Considering the role that dopamine plays in the wake-promoting system, we speculated that iron deficiency may contribute to the development of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Therefore, we conducted the present study to examine the association between iron intake and EDS in the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electromyography of Flight Muscles in Free-Flying Chestnut Tiger Butterfly, .

Zoolog Sci

December 2024

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8540, Japan.

The chestnut tiger butterfly, , can undertake long-distance migrations. They flap their wings for power flight and hold the wings for gliding; such repertoires of wing movements may be the key to explaining their excellent flight abilities. Measuring flight muscle activity using the electromyogram (EMG) is the first step toward understanding the neuromuscular mechanism of active flight control.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Are Amphibian Eggs a Precious Food Resource for (Amphibia: Urodela) in Spring?

Zoolog Sci

December 2024

Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8561, Japan.

Most true predators are generalists, and it is difficult to examine their actual diets in the wild. In many cases, the prey that experience a large impact are also not well known. Amphibians are generalist predators that prey mainly on insects, and amphibian species active beginning in spring are considered to prey on food resources other than insects in this season due to the low number of insects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In ectotherms, body size differences between latitudes resulting from shorter activity periods at higher latitudes may disappear due to higher growth rates. Although such latitudinal variations have been examined for various taxa, only a few studies have examined such variations in Japanese vertebrates. is widely distributed in the northern part of Honshu, Japan, and although their larval period in the wild is shorter at high latitudes, there is no latitudinal variation in the body size of juveniles in the wild.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Aging is linked to multisensory decline, which may speed up Alzheimer's Disease (AD) development or serve as an early warning sign.
  • Sensory issues, especially in taste, smell, and hearing, often appear before cognitive symptoms, suggesting they could be useful biomarkers for early detection of AD.
  • The review highlights the connection between sensory decline and AD, emphasizing the need for an integrated approach to improve early diagnosis and treatment strategies focused on sensory health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The research focused on how simulated gastrointestinal digestion can break down bovine lactoferrin (LF) into peptides that have antibacterial properties.
  • The study specifically looked at the antibacterial effects against a common food-related pathogen, finding that LF digested in the stomach showed strong antibacterial activity at low concentrations, unlike undigested LF.
  • The most effective antibacterial peptides were found in the high molecular weight fraction obtained shortly after digestion, suggesting that digesting LF enhances its ability to fight bacteria, making it a potentially valuable additive in dairy products for food safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Light-activated channelrhodopsins: a revolutionary toolkit for the remote control of plant signalling.

New Phytol

February 2025

ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine & Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia.

Channelrhodopsins (CHRs), originating within algae and protists, are membrane-spanning ion channel proteins that are directly activated and/or deactivated by specific wavelengths of light. Since 2005, CHRs have been deployed as genetically encoded optogenetic tools to rapidly advance understanding of neuronal networks. CHRs provide the opportunity to finely tune ion transport across membranes and regulate membrane potential.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Investigation of corticosteroid levels in the hairs of female Holstein calves.

Anim Sci J

December 2024

Department of Life and Food Sciences, School of Agriculture and Animal Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • - This study aimed to analyze the long-term effects of cortisol and aldosterone in the hair of six female Holstein calves using ELISA, across 18 calves over three seasons.
  • - Results showed that cortisol levels were higher in the back region (white hair) compared to other regions and colors, and spring values were significantly higher than those in summer.
  • - Additionally, aldosterone levels were found for the first time, with higher concentrations in the back region and white hair, showing seasonal variations with spring being higher than summer and winter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) adapts to cadmium stress by reshaping rhizosphere fungal community.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

Yunnan Key Laboratory for Plateau Mountain Ecology and Restoration of Degraded Environments, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Evidence suggests that plants under stress, like metal contamination, can call upon microbes for help, but studies on this are scarce.
  • In experiments with cadmium (Cd) polluted soil, industrial hemp showed changes in its rhizosphere fungal community, notably an increase in a specific fungus (Cladosporium strain DM-2).
  • Inoculating hemp seedlings with DM-2 improved growth significantly under Cd stress, indicating this fungus can help the plant cope with harmful conditions, possibly by converting root chemicals into beneficial compounds like melatonin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Phenotypic characterization of Nguni goats in four agro-ecological zones of Limpopo province, South Africa.

PLoS One

December 2024

School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, University of Limpopo, Polokwane, Sovenga, Limpopo, South Africa.

The study was conducted to phenotypically characterize Nguni goats from four agro-ecological zones of Limpopo province, South Africa. A total of 426 goats were sampled from four agro-ecological zones. The quantitative traits that were studied for phenotypic characterization using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were heart girth (HG), body length (BL), withers height (WH), sternum height (SH), rump height (RH), rump length (RL), rump width (RW), cannon circumference (CC), testicular length (TL) and scrotal circumference (SC) while qualitative traits were coat colour pattern and type, back profile, ear orientation, presence of horn, horn shape and orientation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Spatial Transcriptome and Single Nucleus Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Tetrahydroxy Stilbene Glucoside Promotes Ovarian Organoids Development Through the Vegfa-Ephb2 Pair.

Adv Sci (Weinh)

December 2024

School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.

Article Synopsis
  • * Tetrahydroxy stilbene glucoside (TSG) is identified as a compound that encourages the growth of ovarian organoids derived from female germline stem cells.
  • * The study utilizes advanced sequencing techniques to create a detailed map of ovarian organoid development and reveals that TSG promotes this process through specific interactions between granulosa cells and oocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Biochar is being studied as a supplement for ruminants to potentially reduce methane emissions from digestion, but results vary based on the type, source, and administration methods of the biochar.
  • Two experiments were conducted: the first involved 12 steers fed different biochar doses along with molasses to measure methane emissions and analyze rumen microbes over 56 days.
  • The second experiment involved 45 heifers grazing together on biochar, also mixed with molasses, for 60 days to assess its impact on productivity and methane emissions under natural grazing conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

ER stress is a crucial factor in the progression of vascular cell diseases. Notably, octanoic acid (OA; C8:0) and decanoic acid (DA; C10:0), prominent components of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), may provide potential health benefits. However, their effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remain unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, sumac extract was utilized as an active ingredient and combined with grass pea protein isolate and polyvinyl alcohol to produce novel active nanofiber mats using an electrospinning technique. First, nanofiber mats were fabricated by different ratios (100:0, 90:10, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70, 10:90, 0:100) of grass pea protein isolate and polyvinyl alcohol. The characterization of nanofiber mats revealed that the nanofibers with a polymer ratio of 50:50 had appropriate mechanical properties and presented a fibrous and uniform morphology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The urban belt along the Yellow River in Ningxia, located in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, serves as the population and economic center of Ningxia. Quantitatively analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of the fraction of vegetation cover (FVC) in this region and its driving factors is of great significance for promoting ecological protection and the construction of a leading area for high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. In this study, Landsat satellite remote sensing data were utilized to derive the vegetation cover from 2001 to 2020 in the cities along the Yellow River in Ningxia using a pixel-based binary model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

[Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil-crop System in Different Ecological Regions of Ningxia].

Huan Jing Ke Xue

December 2024

Key Laboratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Northwest China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China.

Article Synopsis
  • - A study conducted in Ningxia from 2017 to 2021 analyzed 1,274 soil and crop samples to assess the distribution of heavy metals (like Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu) and their impact on food safety, revealing soils were generally alkaline with varying content of heavy metals across regions.
  • - The ecological risk assessment showed that the overall risk from heavy metals in soil was low (98.58% of points had low to medium risk), with mercury and cadmium posing the highest ecological threats, but average heavy metal levels in crops remained below safety limits.
  • - Despite most crops showing no significant accumulation of heavy metals, certain crops in the northern area exhibited high health risk index values for arsenic, copper
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Soil salinization negatively affects grape production, and the study focuses on the role of a specific type of RNA, called antisense circRNA VvcircABH, in helping plants deal with salt stress.
  • Researchers found that VvcircABH is located in the nucleus and increases in response to salt, while its related gene VvABH decreases expression.
  • Overexpressing VvcircABH or silencing VvABH significantly improved the grape plants’ salt tolerance by regulating how VvABH is spliced and impacting brassinosteroid signaling pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Application of isotope and multi-element fingerprinting in subregional milk authentication - The case of Ningxia, China.

Food Chem

March 2025

State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address:

Traceability of origin enhances the branding and safety of agricultural products. This study developed a subregional milk origin tracing method by selecting thirty large-scale farms: twenty-seven in Ningxia and three in Beijing. The farms were classified into six groups based on subregions: A (Yinchuan), B (Shizuishan), C (Qingtongxia), D (Yanchi), E (Zhongwei), and F (Beijing).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding phenology and its regulation is central for the agronomic adaptation of chickpea. We grew 24 chickpea genotypes in 12 environments to analyse: the environmental and genotypic drivers of phenology; associations between phenology and yield; and phenotypes associated with allelic variants of three flowering related candidate loci: CaELF3a; a cluster of three FT genes on chromosome 3; and an orthologue of the floral promoter GIGANTEA on chromosome 4. A simple model with 3 genotype-specific parameters explained the differences in flowering response to daylength.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Site-specific impact of polyphenols on the gastrointestinal microbiome.

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr

December 2024

School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract hosts a diverse microbiota composed of trillions of microorganisms that play crucial roles in maintaining human homeostasis, health, and overall well-being. Dietary polyphenols, primarily found in edible plants, exhibit intricate interactions with the GI microbiota. These polyphenols undergo biotransformation by microbial activity and can modulate the growth of microorganisms, either promoting or inhibiting their proliferation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can enhance zinc bioavailability in plants, improving crop nutritional quality and addressing global zinc deficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), obtained by a green synthesis method, on the growth, yield parameters, and zinc content of rice plants. In the study, two different application strategies of ZnO-NPs on rice plants were evaluated, i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objective: Empowering rural life through digital technology reflects the collective aspirations of millions of farmers striving for a better quality of life. Ensuring that the benefits of digital advancements reach every corner of the population is a crucial and inevitable choice. To expedite the establishment of an inclusive digital life for all citizens, the Chinese government has exerted substantial efforts by positioning the development of digital villages as a national strategy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF