Assessing the Occurrence and Distribution of Microplastics in Surface Freshwater and Wastewaters of Latvia and Lithuania.

Microplastic concentrations in surface water and wastewater collected from Daugavpils and Liepaja cities in Latvia, as well as Klaipeda and Siauliai cities in Lithuania, were measured in July and December 2021. Using optical microscopy, polymer composition was characterized using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The average abundance of microplastics in surface water and wastewater samples was 16.

Microencapsulation and Application of Probiotic Bacteria 299v Strain.

Microencapsulation is an up-and-coming technology for maintaining the viability of probiotics. However, the effect of core-to-wall ratios and ratios of polysaccharides on the protection of the 299v strain has not been deeply discussed. Lyophilization of the 299v strain was conducted, and different core-to-wall ratios and ratios of maltodextrin (MD) and resistant starch (RS) were applied.

Valorization of cellulosic fiber derived from waste biomass of constructed wetland as a potential reinforcement in polymeric composites: A technological approach to achieve circular economy.

This study establishes the suitability of cellulosic fibers derived from Canna indica waste biomass for utilization as a reinforcement in natural fiber polymeric composites. The waste biomass was harvested from constructed wetlands engaged in the treatment of municipal wastewater from a gated community. The extracted Canna indica (CI) fibers were studied for their physicochemical, mechanical, structural, crystallographic, and thermal characteristics and proposed as a potential alternative to synthetic fiber.

The Effects of Mild Disturbances on Sleep Behaviour in Laying Hens.

The positive welfare of commercial animals presents many benefits, making the accurate assessment of welfare important. Assessments frequently use behaviour to determine welfare state; however, nighttime behaviours are often ignored. Sleep behaviour may offer new insights into welfare assessments.

Identification of genomic regions associated with cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae Woll.) resistance in spring and winter wheat.

Cereal cyst nematode (CCN) is a major threat to cereal crop production globally including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In the present study, single-locus and multi-locus models of Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) were used to find marker trait associations (MTAs) against CCN (Heterodera avenae) in wheat.

Aberrant protein glycosylation: Implications on diagnosis and Immunotherapy.

Glycosylation-mediated post-translational modification is critical for regulating many fundamental processes like cell division, differentiation, immune response, and cell-to-cell interaction. Alterations in the N-linked or O-linked glycosylation pattern of regulatory proteins like transcription factors or cellular receptors lead to many diseases, including cancer. These alterations give rise to micro- and macro-heterogeneity in tumor cells.

Including genotypic information in genetic evaluations increases the accuracy of sheep breeding values.

The impact of inclusion of genome-wide genotypes into breeding value predictions for UK Texel sheep is addressed in this article. The main aim was to investigate the level of change in the accuracy values for EBVs when information from animal genotypes is incorporated into the genetic evaluations. New genetic parameters for a range of lamb growth, carcass composition and health traits are described and applied in the estimation of conventional breeding values (EBVs) for almost 822,000 animals as well as genomic breeding values (gEBVs) after adding 10,143 genotypes.

Recent developments in improving the emulsifying properties of chitosan.

Chitosan is one of the valuable products obtained from crustacean waste. The unique characteristics of chitosan (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory) have increased its application in various sectors. Besides unique biological properties, chitosan or chitosan-based compounds can stabilize emulsions.

Growth performance, caecal microbiome profile, short-chain fatty acids, and litter characteristics in response to placement on reused litter and combined threonine, arginine and glutamine supplementation to juvenile male broiler chickens.

Background: Exposure of broilers to litter microbiome may increase specific amino acid (AA) requirements towards activated immune responses. This may challenge the generality of the ideal protein (IP) concept, in which dietary essential AA to lysine ratios aimed to mimic presumably constant AA to lysine ratios in whole bird requirements. Therefore, we tested the effect of threonine, arginine and glutamine (TAG) supplementation to IP-based control diets (C) on performance, caecal microbiome composition, short-chain fatty acids and litter characteristics of broiler chickens placed on reused litter.

Quantifying morphometric and adaptive characteristics of indigenous cattle genetic resources in northwest Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is the gateway of livestock genetic resources to Africa and has a wide range of altitude. It is endowed with huge diverse cattle genetic resources. The aim of this research was to determine the morphometric and potentioally adaptive characteristics of cattle populations.

Next-Generation Hydrogels as Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Exploring the Role of Curcumin.

Since the first report on the pharmacological activity of curcumin in 1949, enormous amounts of research have reported diverse activities for this natural polyphenol found in the dietary spice turmeric. However, curcumin has not yet been used for human application as an approved drug. The clinical translation of curcumin has been hampered due to its low solubility and bioavailability.

Metal-Organic Framework-Based Materials for Wastewater Treatment: Superior Adsorbent Materials for the Removal of Hazardous Pollutants.

In previous years, different pollutants, for example, organic dyes, antibiotics, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural pollutants, have been of note to the water enterprise due to their insufficient reduction during standard water and wastewater processing methods. MOFs have been found to have potential toward wastewater management. This Review focused on the synthesis process (such as traditional, electrochemical, microwave, sonochemical, mechanochemical, and continuous-flow spray-drying method) of MOF materials.

Microbial meat: A sustainable vegan protein source produced from agri-waste to feed the world.

In the modern world, animal and plant protein may not meet the sustainability criteria due to their high need for arable land and potable water consumption, among other practices. Considering the growing population and food shortage, finding alternative protein sources for human consumption is an urgent issue that needs to be solved, especially in developing countries. In this context, microbial bioconversion of valuable materials in nutritious microbial cells represent a sustainable alternative to the food chain.

Rice straw derived graphene-silica based nanocomposite and its application in improved co-fermentative microbial enzyme production and functional stability.

Cellulases are the one of the most highly demanded industrial biocatalysts due to their versatile applications, such as in the biorefinery industry. However, relatively poor efficiency and high production costs are included as the key industrial constraints that hinder enzyme production and utilization at economic scale. Furthermore, the production and functional efficiency of the β-glucosidase (BGL) enzyme is usually found to be relatively low among the cellulase cocktail produced.

Single-step genome-wide association analyses of claw horn lesions in Holstein cattle using linear and threshold models.

Background: Lameness in dairy cattle is primarily caused by foot lesions including the claw horn lesions (CHL) of sole haemorrhage (SH), sole ulcers (SU), and white line disease (WL). This study investigated the genetic architecture of the three CHL based on detailed animal phenotypes of CHL susceptibility and severity. Estimation of genetic parameters and breeding values, single-step genome-wide association analyses, and functional enrichment analyses were performed.

Chitosan nanocarriers containing essential oils as a green strategy to improve the functional properties of chitosan: A review.

Large amounts of agricultural waste, especially marine product waste, are produced annually. These wastes can be used to produce compounds with high-added value. Chitosan is one such valuable product that can be obtained from crustacean wastes.

Evaluations of the Disease Surveillance Centre network in Scotland: What parts has it reached?

Regular evaluation is a prerequisite for systems that provide surveillance of animal populations. Scotland's Rural College Veterinary Services' Disease Surveillance Centre (DSC) network plays an integral part in surveillance to detect new and re-emerging threats within animal populations, predominantly livestock. In response to surveillance reviews and proposed changes to the network, an initial evaluation of diagnostic submissions data in 2010 to mid-2012 established a baseline “footprint,” while highlighting challenges with the data.

GWAS scans of cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae) resistance in Indian wheat germplasm.

Significant yield losses in major cereal-growing regions around the world have been linked to cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp.). Identifying and deploying natural sources of resistance is of utmost importance due to increasing concerns associated with chemical methods over the years.

SWEET11b transports both sugar and cytokinin in developing barley grains.

Even though Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEETs) have been found in every sequenced plant genome, a comprehensive understanding of their functionality is lacking. In this study, we focused on the SWEET family of barley (Hordeum vulgare). A radiotracer assay revealed that expressing HvSWEET11b in African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) oocytes facilitated the bidirectional transfer of not only just sucrose and glucose, but also cytokinin.

Strengthening microbial cell factories for efficient production of bioactive molecules.

High demand of bioactive molecules (food additives, antibiotics, plant growth enhancers, cosmetics, pigments and other commercial products) is the prime need for the betterment of human life where the applicability of the synthetic chemical product is on the saturation due to associated toxicity and ornamentations. It has been noticed that the discovery and productivity of such molecules in natural scenarios are limited due to low cellular yields as well as less optimized conventional methods. In this respect, microbial cell factories timely fulfilling the requirement of synthesizing bioactive molecules by improving production yield and screening more promising structural homologues of the native molecule.

Use of whey protein as a natural polymer for the encapsulation of plant biocontrol bacteria: A review.

Climate changes, drought, the salinity of water and soil, the emergence of new breeds of pests and pathogens, the industrialization of countries, and environmental contamination are among the factors limiting the production of agricultural products. The use of chemicals (in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides) to enhance products against biotic and abiotic stresses has limitations. To eliminate the effects of agricultural chemicals, synthetic agrochemicals should be replaced with natural substances and useful microorganisms.

Novel genomic markers and genes related to reproduction in prolific Chios dairy sheep: a genome-wide association study.

Genetic architecture of sheep reproduction is increasingly gaining scientific interest due to the major impact on sheep production systems. In the present study, we conducted pedigree-based analyses and genome-wide association studies using the Illumina Ovine SNP50K BeadChip to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the reproduction of the highly prolific Chios dairy sheep. First lambing age, total prolificacy and maternal lamb survival were selected as representative reproductive traits and estimated as significantly heritable (h = 0.

From trash to treasure: Sourcing high-value, sustainable cellulosic materials from living bioreactor waste streams.

The appreciation of how conventional and fossil-based materials could be harmful to our planet is growing, especially when considering single-use and non-biodegradable plastics manufactured from fossil fuels. Accordingly, tackling climate change and plastic waste pollution entails a more responsible approach to sourcing raw materials and the adoption of less destructive end-of-life pathways. Livestock animals, in particular ruminants, process plant matter using a suite of mechanical, chemical and biological mechanisms through the act of digestion.

Polymeric Membranes for Biomedical Applications.

Polymeric membranes are selective materials used in a wide range of applications that require separation processes, from water filtration and purification to industrial separations. Because of these materials' remarkable properties, namely, selectivity, membranes are also used in a wide range of biomedical applications that require separations. Considering the fact that most organs (apart from the heart and brain) have separation processes associated with the physiological function (kidneys, lungs, intestines, stomach, etc.