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In this paper we present the results of some experiments performed on recognizing occluded palmprint images. Usually in the palmprint recognition process the main region involved in classification is the region of interest (ROI). In our experiments, exactly this region is missing. We used shape features, texture features and SURF descriptors to characterize the images. The numerical experiments are computed using two datasets. Depending on the choice of parameters to find keypoints, SURF approach gave better results than shape and texture, but it has the disadvantage of being time consuming. To reduce the computing burden, a two steps method that combines shape or texture features and SURF descriptors is proposed in this paper. Experiments based on this approach lead to very good results with less computing time than the SURF-based approach. This combine procedure can be used with other methods that allow reducing the search space for the keypoint algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Our brain undergoes significant micro- and macroscopic changes throughout its life cycle. It is therefore crucial to understand the effect of aging on the mechanical properties of the brain in order to develop accurate personalized simulations and diagnostic tools. Here we systematically probed the mechanical behavior of n = 439 brain tissue samples in tension and compression, in different anatomical regions, for different axon orientations, across five age groups. We used Bayesian statistics to characterize the relation between brain age and mechanical properties and quantify uncertainties. Our results, based on our experimental data and material parameters for the isotropic Ogden and the anisotropic Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel models, reveal a non-linear relationship between age and mechanics across the life cycle of the porcine brain. Both tensile and compressive shear moduli reached peak values ranging from 0.4–1.0 kPa in tension to 0.16–0.32 kPa in compression at three years of age. Anisotropy was most pronounced at six months, and then decreased. These results represent an important step in understanding age-dependent changes in the mechanical properties of brain tissue and provide the scientific basis for more accurate and realistic computational brain simulations. In this paper, we investigate the age-dependent mechanical properties of brain tissue based on different deformation modes, anatomical regions, and axon orientations. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling was used to identify isotropic and anisotropic material parameters. The study reveals a nonlinear relationship between shear modulus, degree of anisotropy, and tension-compression asymmetry over the life cycle of the brain. By demonstrating the non-linearity of these relationships, the study fills a significant knowledge gap in current research. This work is a fundamental step in accurately characterizing the complex relationship between brain aging and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floor space allowance for pigs has substantial effects on pig growth and welfare. Data from 30 papers examining the influence of floor space allowance on the growth of finishing pigs was used in a meta-analysis to develop alternative prediction equations for average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain : feed ratio (G : F). Treatment means were compiled in a database that contained 30 papers for ADG and 28 papers for ADFI and G : F. The predictor variables evaluated were floor space (m2/pig), k (floor space/final BW0.67), Initial BW, Final BW, feed space (pigs per feeder hole), water space (pigs per waterer), group size (pigs per pen), gender, floor type and study length (d). Multivariable general linear mixed model regression equations were used. Floor space treatments within each experiment were the observational and experimental unit. The optimum equations to predict ADG, ADFI and G : F were: ADG, g=337.57+(16 468×k)−(237 350×k2)−(3.1209×initial BW (kg))+(2.569×final BW (kg))+(71.6918×k×initial BW (kg)); ADFI, g=833.41+(24 785×k)−(388 998×k2)−(3.0027×initial BW (kg))+(11.246×final BW (kg))+(187.61×k×initial BW (kg)); G : F=predicted ADG/predicted ADFI. Overall, the meta-analysis indicates that BW is an important predictor of ADG and ADFI even after computing the constant coefficient k, which utilizes final BW in its calculation. This suggests including initial and final BW improves the prediction over using k as a predictor alone. In addition, the analysis also indicated that G : F of finishing pigs is influenced by floor space allowance, whereas individual studies have concluded variable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pig industry faces many animal welfare issues. Among these, biting behaviour has a high incidence. It is indicative of an existing problem in biters and is a source of physical damage and psychological stress for the victims. We categorize this behaviour into aggressive and non-aggressive biting, the latter often being directed towards the tail. This review focusses specifically on predisposing factors in early life, comprising the prenatal and postnatal periods up to weaning, for the expression of aggressive and non-aggressive biting later in life. The influence of personality and coping style has been examined in a few studies. It varies according to these studies and, thus, further evaluation is needed. Regarding the effect of environmental factors, the number of scientific papers is low (less than five papers for most factors). No clear influence of prenatal factors has been identified to date. Aggressive biting is reduced by undernutrition, cross-fostering and socialization before weaning. Non-aggressive biting is increased by undernutrition, social stress due to competition and cross-fostering. These latter three factors are highly dependent on litter size at birth. The use of familiar odours may contribute to reducing biting when pigs are moved from one environment to another by alleviating the level of stress associated with novelty. Even though the current environment in which pigs are expressing biting behaviours is of major importance, the pre-weaning environment should be optimized to reduce the likelihood of this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive farming may involve the use of diets, environments or management practices that impose physiological and psychological stressors on the animals. In particular, early weaning is nowadays a common practice to increase the productive yield of pig farms. Still, it is considered one of the most critical periods in swine production, where piglet performance can be seriously affected and where they are predisposed to the overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens. Pig producers nowadays face the challenge to overcome this situation in a context of increasing restrictions on the use of antibiotics in animal production. Great efforts are being made to find strategies to help piglets overcome the challenges of early weaning. Among them, a nutritional strategy that has received increasing attention in the last few years is the use of probiotics. It has been extensively documented that probiotics can reduce digestive disorders and improve productive parameters. Still, research in probiotics so far has also been characterized as being inconsistent and with low reproducibility from farm to farm. Scientific literature related to probiotic effects against gastrointestinal pathogens will be critically examined in this review. Moreover, the actual practical approach when using probiotics in these animals, and potential strategies to increase consistency in probiotic effects, will be discussed. Thus, considering the boost in probiotic research observed in recent years, this paper aims to provide a much-needed, in-depth review of the scientific data published to-date. Furthermore, it aims to be useful to swine nutritionists, researchers and the additive industry to critically consider their approach when developing or using probiotic strategies in weaning piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart hog breeding technologies have been viewed as practical solutions for environmental pollution, pork production inefficiency and food insecurity in rural areas. With difficulty in promoting these technologies, little is known about the role environmental regulation plays. Using 703 household survey data from rural Hubei, China, this paper identifies the impacts of different environmental regulation perceptions (i.e., supervisory, incentive and guiding regulation perceptions) on hog breeding farmers' intentions to adopt smart hog breeding technologies and on the intensity of their adoption intentions. Both multivariate probit model and ordered probit model are employed. Results show that smart hog breeding technologies are strong complementary. Farmers' environmental regulation perceptions greatly promote their intentions to adopt smart hog breeding technologies and their adoption intention intensity. Only the intensity of healthy farmers' adoption intentions is promoted by supervisory regulation perception. Compared to those without village cadres in family, the intensity of village-cadre group's adoption intentions is strengthened more by supervisory and guiding regulation perceptions. The greater incentive regulation perception is, the stronger the intensity of large-scale farmers' adoption intentions would be. The impacts of different environmental regulation perceptions on the intensity of adoption intentions are all partially mediated by value perception of smart agriculture. These findings suggest promoting smart hog breeding technologies jointly and underscore the importance of local environmental regulations in accelerating the diffusion of smart hog breeding technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on the effect of microbial phytase on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients in pigs were transcribed from a total of 28 peer-reviewed papers in order to determine response patterns and overall effects. Transcribing the digestibility responses from the various papers resulted in a database with 925 observations from diets that were principally based on corn, soybean meal, canola meal and various co-products such as ricebran, wheatbran and distillers dried grains and solubles (DDGS). The majority of experiments utilized grower pigs of approximately 30 kg live-weight fitted with ileal cannulas but pigs from 6 to 71 kg in weight were represented as well as studies using post-mortem digesta collection techniques. Most papers were published between 2005 and 2016 but several were published prior to these dates. Phytase doses represented ranged from 250 FYT/kg to 20,000 FYT/kg feed though most observations ranged between 500 and 1000 FYT/kg. The overall effect of microbial phytase inclusion on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients was +2.8% and this ranged from +0.9% for Met to +4.1% for Pro. Above average responses were noted for Pro > Thr > Gly > Trp > Glu > Ala > Asp and Phe with particularly modest responses for Met, Arg and Cys. Phytase effects on apparent ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients were greater in diets with lower inherent amino acid digestibility. Increasing phytase dose from 250 to 2000 FYT/kg had no significant influence on phytase effect on amino acid digestibility although extending this dose range to 20,000 FYT/kg resulted in a moderate increase in mean response. Pig weight at time of digesta collection had no significant effect on overall phytase efficacy. There was a significant but weak correlation between ileal phosphorus and amino acid digestibility responses to phytase. It may be concluded from the meta-analysis presented herein that phytase can significantly increase apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in pigs at various weights (at least from 6 to 70 kg). The pattern of response by amino acid is different from broilers and therefore a common amino acid matrix for both chickens and pigs is inappropriate. Furthermore, it may be that phytate, while remaining a poorly available source of P (and a potential source of myo-inositol), may not represent as potent an antinutrient (on the protein/amino acid axis) in swine as it does in broilers. Thus, the beneficial effects of phytase on amino acid digestibility in swine may originate more from increased dietary protein digestibility and less from meaningful changes in endogenous amino acid flow, an observation that has implications for the additivity of amino acid matrix values of different enzymes in both species. The present review suggests that different phytases with equivalent effects on phosphorus digestibility should have equivalent amino acid release values assigned and that species-dependent values are not only justified but of critical importance to optimal use of phytase in animal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's increasingly complex traffic environment, pedestrian detection has become increasingly important. The Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) algorithm has been proven to be highly efficient in pedestrian detection. This paper proposes a low-resource consumption, high-speed hardware implementation for HOG algorithm. In the case of a slight sacrifice in accuracy, it increases computational speed and reduces resource consumption. Experimental results demonstrate that the implementation achieves a speed of 0.933 pixels per clock cycle and consumes 4117 look-up tables and 4.5 Kbits of block RAMs while its accuracy decreases by 1.2% on the INRIA dataset and by 0.11% on the MIT dataset. • The design determines the bin number by comparison to avoid complex calculations. • The design calculates the magnitude by approximation to avoid complex calculations. • This design improves computational speed and reduces resource consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave hydrothermal treatment is a promising technology for the environmentally friendly disposal and resource utilization of dead pigs. However, the hydrothermal transformation mechanism of animal-based biomass is unclear, impeding the regulated conversion of target products. To address this, bovine serum albumin, glycerol-oleic acid, and glucose were selected as model compounds for protein (P), lipid (L), and carbohydrate (C), respectively. In this paper, the product distribution and related properties of single, binary, and ternary model compounds at different microwave hydrothermal temperatures (120–240 °C) were investigated, and the essential reaction pathway of the dead pig model compounds during microwave hydrothermal treatment was proposed. The results showed that lipids dominated the formation of bio-oil. L&C and L&P showed a slight synergistic effect on bio-oil yield at 240 ℃, while exhibited antagonistic effects at other temperatures. L&P&C showed antagonistic effects on bio-oil yield at all temperatures. The participation of glucose was more conducive to the formation of carbonized solid products. The model compounds of dead pigs underwent a series of reactions such as dehydration, decarboxylation, deamination and condensation during microwave hydrothermal treatment. To a certain extent, lipids promoted the Maillard reaction of protein and carbohydrate, while glucose promoted the esterification reaction of fatty acids. [Display omitted] • The microwave hydrothermal was selected to transform typical animal-based biomass. • The model compounds were used for learning the conversion mechanism of dead pig. • The interactions of model compounds for product distribution were investigated. • Exploration of reaction pathways of dead pig during microwave hydrothermal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature (2012-4) describing experimental pig surgery was reviewed to estimate the extent to which neuromuscular block (NMB) is used, to examine methods for ensuring unconsciousness, and to identify the rationale for use of NMB and establish the anaesthetist's training. In the first stage of a two-stage review, NMB use was estimated using Web of Knowledge to identify articles describing NMB during pig surgeries. In the second stage, PubMed and Google Scholar were used to increase the number of articles for determining measures taken to prevent accidental awareness during general anaesthesia (AAGA). The corresponding authors of screened articles were emailed four times to establish the reason for using NMB and the anaesthetists' backgrounds (medical, veterinary, or technical). The first search revealed NMB use in 80 of 411 (20%) studies. Of the 153 articles analysed in the second stage, two described strategies to reduce AAGA. Some (6%) papers did not provide information on anaesthetic doses; citations supporting anaesthetic efficacy were found in only 13. Five of 69 papers using inhalation agents measured end-tidal anaesthetic concentrations based on human, not porcine, minimal alveolar concentrations. The methods in 13% of articles reporting anaesthetic depth assessment were incomplete or questionable, or both; four described using somatic motor reflexes. Corresponding authors of 121 articles reported that the principal reason for NMB was improved 'surgical visualization' (26%). Medical or veterinary anaesthetists supervised anaesthesia in 70% of studies; non-anaesthetists provided NMB, unsupervised, in 23. Nine respondents prioritized experimental expediency over pig welfare. In laboratory pig studies, AAGA may be prevalent; reported details of its attempted prevention are woefully inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous paper, a novel PIG is reported, and in this paper, more elements are given and a Deep-learning technology-based pigging scheme is proposed. The PIG mainly consists of a speed-control unit and a wax-removal unit which are connected by a couple of Hook joints. It differentiates itself from the previous proposal by outstanding features including measuring arms, turbine generator, etc. The realization of jetting, cutting, and bypass valve-based motion control mechanism is elaborated. To overcome the disadvantages of traditional wax-removal methods and improve the processing efficiency, a new intelligent wax-removal algorithm based on Convolution Neural Network is proposed to realize a real-time identification of different wax layer thickness. In addition, the training results of the Convolution Neural Network method are compared with some other traditional machine-learning algorithms to prove its superiority, and it lays a foundation for the practical pigging application in the future. [Display omitted] • A novel wax-removal PIG based on cutting bit and jetting. • A bypass valve based speed control of the PIG. • An intelligent pigging scheme based on Deep-learning technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of a marine oil-based n-3 LCPUFA supplement (mLCPUFA) fed from weaning until the end of the next lactation to sows with a predicted low litter birth weight (LBW) phenotype on growth performance and carcass quality of litters born to these sows were studied, based on the hypothesis that LBW litters would benefit most from mLCPUFA supplementation. Sows were allocated to be fed either standard corn/soybean meal-based gestation and lactation diets (CON), or the same diets enriched with 0.5% of the mLCPUFA supplement at the expense of corn. The growth performance from birth until slaughter of the litters with the lowest average birth weight in each treatment (n=24 per treatment) is reported in this paper. At weaning, each litter was split between two nursery pens with three to six pigs per pen. At the end of the 5-week nursery period, two barrows and two gilts from each litter that had individual birth weights closest to their litter average birth weight, were moved to experimental grow–finish pens (barn A), where they were housed as two pigs per pen, sorted by sex within litter. Remaining pigs in each litter were moved to another grow–finish barn (barn B) and kept in mixed-sex pens of up to 10 littermates. After 8 weeks, one of the two pigs in each pen in barn A was relocated to the pens holding their respective littermates in barn B. The remaining barrows and gilts were individually housed in the pens in barn A until slaughter. Maternal mLCPUFA supplementation increased docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentration in the brain, liver and Semitendinosus muscle of stillborn pigs (P<0.01), did not affect eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA concentrations in sow serum at the end of lactation, and did not affect average daily gain, average daily feed intake or feed utilization efficiency of the offspring. BW was higher (P<0.01) in the second half of the grow–finish phase in pigs from mLCPUFA sows compared with controls in barn A, where space and competition for feed was minimal, but not barn B. Carcass quality was not affected by treatment for pigs from barn A, but maternal mLCPUFA supplementation negatively affected carcass quality in pigs from barn B. Collectively, these results suggest that nutritional supplementation of sows can have lasting effects on litter development, but that feeding mLCPUFA to sows during gestation and lactation was not effective in improving growth rates or carcass quality of LBW litters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of an anti-gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine for immunocastration of male pigs has been recently approved in the European Union. This technique is potentially useful for avoiding both castration-associated pain for the animal and boar taint in pork. However, some animals may escape immunocastration and be slaughtered as entire males, potentially exhibiting boar taint. Therefore, it is important to check the efficacy of immunocastration on the slaughter line. To achieve that, the currently proposed method, based on testis weight, is not fully reliable because there is some overlap in the distributions of testis weight between immunocastrates and entire males. On the basis of literature data on the effect of immunocastration on the development of accessory sex glands, this paper provides evidence that the weight of seminal vesicles might be a much better criterion for checking the efficacy of immunocastration, because their size decreases more rapidly, and to a greater extent, than that of the testis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the flexural performance of a prefabricated steel–ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) composite deck (PSUCD) consisting of an orthotropic steel deck (OSD) and a reinforced UHPC layer under transverse hogging moment. Ten full-scale steel–UHPC composite slab specimens were subjected to four-point flexural tests, which varied shear connectors, steel reinforcement, and wet joint interfaces. The results showed that all specimens exhibited typical flexural failure with excessive opening of critical cracks in the UHPC layer. The specimens utilizing notched perfobond strip connectors (NPBLs) with perforating rebars had higher nominal cracking strength (maximum crack width of 0.05 mm) and ultimate capacity by 15% and 27%, respectively, compared to those using studs. The perforating rebars in NPBLs improved post-cracking performance, increasing nominal cracking strength and ultimate capacity by 14% and 16%, respectively. The lateral interfaces of rectangular-tooth-shaped wet joints resulted in a local weak link in PSUCDs, leading to a 17% decrease in nominal cracking strength, and as much as 26% if interfacial roughening was omitted. Increasing the diameter of surficial reinforcement from 10 mm to 12 mm improved nominal cracking strength and ultimate capacity by 20% and 17%, respectively. Considering the influence of wet joint interfaces, prediction models for maximum crack width, nominal cracking strength, and ultimate capacity were developed and validated for the performance design of PSUCDs under transverse hogging moment. • Flexural tests were performed on ten local full-scale composite slab specimens to elaborate the flexural behavior of a prefabricated steel–UHPC composite deck under transverse hogging moment. • The influences of shear connector types, presence of wet joint interfaces, and distributed reinforcement diameter on the flexural performance were experimentally identified. • Considering the impact of wet joint interfaces, simplified prediction equations for tensioned reinforcement stress, maximum surficial crack width, nominal cracking strength, and ultimate capacity were developed and verified by the test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the structural behaviour of timber precast concrete composite (TCC) beam-to-column subassemblies subjected to hogging bending moments is investigated. Full-scale testing and analytical modelling are undertaken on timber precast concrete composite joints and beams. The composite actions were transferred via coach (lag) screw shear connectors embedded in the small grout pockets. The laboratory tests were designed to determine the influence of the size and type of timber beams (i.e., laminated veneer lumber (LVL) or glued laminated timber (GLT)), size of screw shear connectors and amount of reinforcement (in the slabs) on the structural behaviour (i.e., load-displacement, stiffness, capacity, and ductility) of the TCC beam-to-column connections. The hogging moment capacity and stiffness of the TCC floors with nominal slab thickness of 80 mm and reinforcing ratio (in the range of 0.9–1.8%) were up to 24% and 17% higher than that of the bare timber beam, respectively. The size of coach screw shear connectors (in the range of 8–16 mm) had less than 13% effect on the capacity and stiffness. An analytical model for calculating the peak load and stiffness of the TCC beams under hogging bending moment is developed. The model is shown to perform well when compared to the collected test data. • Behaviour of TCC beam-to-column connections under hogging moment is studied. • Slab reinforcing ratio had less than 24% effect on the hogging moment capacity. • Slab reinforcing ratio had less than 17% effect on the stiffness of the TCC beam. • A model for estimating stiffness & strength of TCC under hogging moment is proposed. • Full composite action increased the capacity & stiffness of the TCC by 56% and 38%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matching of sketch and photo is very important in police verification and intelligence as it is used to track the criminals or some person. Therefore, it should be accurate so that mismatching of the sketch with photo can be avoided. For this, feature based matching method is introduced through this paper. Feature based matching includes a feature vector which contains features of the face image (either it is a sketch or a photo) in terms of histogram of oriented gradients (HoG) features and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features. Computing the features, first, increases the chances of correct matches. It can be depicted from the results as well that, comparing with other state-of-art approaches, proposed method is more accurate in matching the sketches with photos of the same person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The problem of face classification is to classify faces based on their visual appearance of the faces. In this paper, we investigate this issue by means Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) combined with both descriptors, which are the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and the Histograms of Oriented Gradient (HOG). In the first case, the BPNN is used individually for feature extraction and classification, in the second case, the DCT and HOG descriptors are used to extract features of each image, then, these extracted features are utilized as the input of BPNN to classify faces and non-faces. We perform an experimental evaluation of two facial databases, BOSS, and MIT. Our proposed approach which is (HOG, BPNN) has a significant improvement on classification rate compared to other used methods getting 99.4% and 98.03% in terms of accuracy on BOSS and MIT databases respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic selection and better control of the environment of the pigs have resulted in increased production levels concerning both reproduction and growth. Such high performances imply high physiological demands that may deteriorate health and welfare. The aims of this paper are to review the physiological challenges that pigs are facing, to identify possible consequences on health and welfare, to propose ways of detecting and correcting problems whenever possible. At weaning, piglets are submitted to abrupt changes in food supply, housing and social environment. Behavioural changes and efficient adaptations of the digestive tract are critical for their health and welfare. Physiological demands to support these adaptations and risks of failure are inversely related to the age of the pigs. During fattening, modern pigs have high daily weight gain especially of lean tissue as well as elevated feed conversion rate. These high growth performances are suspected to favour stress and disease susceptibility, undesirable behaviours as well as leg weakness, but further experimental data are necessary to validate these effects and find their origin. In reproductive females, high prolificacy generates elevated foetal demands for nutrients and space that are not fully met as shown by an increased number of light piglets having difficulties to adapt successfully to the neonatal life. During lactation, sows with high milk production have high nutrient requirements leading to intense catabolism that may affect their health, welfare and future reproductive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constitutes an updated review of the production and meat quality aspects of rearing entire male pigs. Since a major obstacle in rearing entire males is the incidence of boar taint, possible methods for detection are also summarised. Safe and fast methods for detection of boar taint would be valuable in avoiding complaints from consumers. Pig meat quality is determined by many aspects, among which odour and taste are the most important attributes. Odour may be negatively affected by the presence of a pheromonal steroid, androstenone, and a fermentation product of L-tryptophan, skatole. Male pigs are surgically castrated in many countries to minimise the risk of accumulation of high levels of androstenone and skatole. Raising entire male pigs is more profitable because they have superior production characteristics and improved meat quality due to leaner carcasses and higher protein content, as compared to castrated pigs. Furthermore, surgical castration is negative from an animal welfare point of view. In most studies, no differences in sensory quality have been found between lean meat from entire male pigs with low levels of androstenone and skatole and pork from castrates and females. The question that remains is: which substances are responsible for boar taint besides androstenone and skatole and whether they need to be considered? The threshold values used for androstenone and skatole might also be too high for highly sensitive persons. Recent research shows that a human odorant receptor, ORD7D4, is involved in sensitivity to androstenone. If the ORD7D4 genotypes of consumer and expert panels are known, this might facilitate consumer studies in the future. There is still a great need for rapid on/at-line detection methods in abattoirs for identifying carcasses with unacceptable levels of boar taint compounds. Several emerging rapid technologies with a potential for boar taint detection have been investigated. They represent various measurement principles such as chemical sensor arrays (electronic noses), mass-spectrometry fingerprinting, ultra-fast gas chromatography, gas-phase spectrometry and biosensors. An industrial detection method should allow 100% correct classification of both acceptable and not-acceptable samples with regard to boar taint sorting criteria. There are, however, still too high a percentage of false negatives ranging from 5% to 20%. In addition, these methods do not yet seem to fulfil the industrial specifications with regard to cost efficiency, simplicity and analysis time. There is still no dedicated measurement technology available for on/at-line detection of boar-tainted carcasses that measures both androstenone and skatole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the evidence for host genetic variation in resistance to infectious diseases for a wide variety of diseases of economic importance in poultry, cattle, pig, sheep and Atlantic salmon. Further, it develops a method of ranking each disease in terms of its overall impact, and combines this ranking with published evidence for host genetic variation and information on the current state of genomic tools in each host species. The outcome is an overall ranking of the amenability of each disease to genomic studies that dissect host genetic variation in resistance. Six disease-based assessment criteria were defined: industry concern, economic impact, public concern, threat to food safety or zoonotic potential, impact on animal welfare and threat to international trade barriers. For each category, a subjective score was assigned to each disease according to the relative strength of evidence, impact, concern or threat posed by that particular disease, and the scores were summed across categories. Evidence for host genetic variation in resistance was determined from available published data, including breed comparison, heritability studies, quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies, evidence of candidate genes with significant effects, data on pathogen sequence and on host gene expression analyses. In total, 16 poultry diseases, 13 cattle diseases, nine pig diseases, 11 sheep diseases and three Atlantic salmon diseases were assessed. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens, i.e. those most amenable to studies dissecting host genetic variation, were Salmonella in poultry, bovine mastitis, Marek's disease and coccidiosis, both in poultry. The top-ranking diseases or pathogens in pigs, sheep and Atlantic salmon were Escherichia coli, mastitis and infectious pancreatic necrosis, respectively. These rankings summarise the current state of knowledge for each disease and broadly, although not entirely, reflect current international research efforts. They will alter as more information becomes available and as genome tools become more sophisticated for each species. It is suggested that this approach could be used to rank diseases from other perspectives as well, e.g. in terms of disease control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different stages of pig antral follicles have been studied in a granulosa-cell transcriptome analysis on nylon microarrays (1152 clones). The data have been generated from seven RNA follicle pools and several technical replicates were made. The objective of this paper was to state the feasibility of a transcriptomic protocol for the study of folliculogenesis in the pig. A statistical analysis was chosen, relying on the linear mixed model (LMM) paradigm. Low variability within technical replicates was hence checked with a LMM. Relevant genes that might be involved in the studied process were then selected. For the most significant genes, statistical methods such as principal component analysis and unsupervised hierarchical clustering were applied to assess their relevance, and a random forest analysis proved their predictive value. The selection of genes was consistent with previous studies and also allowed the identification of new genes whose role in pig folliculogenesis will be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current target detection algorithms provide the unsatisfactory performance on the task of detecting hidden human targets. In this study, we put forward the physiological characteristics inspired hidden human object detection model considering the spatio-temporal physiological features and their interdependent relationships. The experimental results of homemade hidden human object dataset demonstrate that the proposed model generates the detection accuracy of 64%, 44%, and 54% for indoor scene, outdoor scene, and overall dataset, respectively, outperforming the YOLO v4 models and the models based on HOG, LBP, and Haar features, with at least 22% promotion in detection accuracy. The ablation experiments indicate the effectiveness of each module of the method. In the future, the proposed model or the corresponding modeling idea has the potential to be applied to military rescue, public security investigation and other fields. Once the paper is accepted, we will make the homemade dataset publicly available. • Develop hidden human target detection model inspired by physiological characteristics. • Use physiological signals as a class of features for human target detection. • Use interdependent relationships between candidate boxes to improve detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The biogas-sparging AnMBR system removed nearly 87% SDZ (1.0 mgL-1). • SDZ (1.0 mgL-1) reduced COD removal by about 21% and biogas production by 30%. • SDZ increased the amounts of SMP and EPS and reduced the sludge particle size. • Increase in Firmicutes and decrease in Chloroflexi contributed to membrane fouling. • SDZ promoted the growth of hydrogenophilic methanogens (Methanobacterium). Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) is an efficient system for treating synthetic swine wastewater (SW). However, the presence of antibiotics in SW discourages the activity of microorganisms, resulting in less pollutants removal and biogas production. In this paper, a recirculated biogas-sparging anaerobic membrane bioreactor system was used to treat swine wastewater containing sulfadiazine (SDZ). The effects of different concentrations of SDZ on the AnMBR system's performance were explored, in terms of pollutant removal, biogas production, membrane fouling and microbial community. Results indicated that the larger concentration of SDZ triggered a strong suppression in the system's performance. When treating 1.0 mg/L SDZ, the biogas-sparging AnMBR system achieved about 77 % COD removal and 0.23 L/g COD removed biogas production, which without SDZ fell to 21 % COD being removed and dropped biogas production by 30 %. As well, the presence of SDZ (1.0 mg L) increased by about half the amount of soluble microbial product (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with lower protein/polysaccharide ratio and reduced sludge particle size by 49 %. Meanwhile, microbial community analysis revealed that the abundance of Firmicutes increased while Chloroflexi diminished. These jointly contributed to a shorter membrane fouling cycle declining from the initial 23 d to 7 d. Furthermore, the shift from acetoclastic methanogens to hydrogenotrophic methanogens resulted in less methane production due to the presence of SDZ, while the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanobacterium promoted the degradation of SDZ. The work showed AnMBR can effectively treat swine wastewater containing antibiotics and provides basis for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Constitutive amino acids of various defense proteins are lost in the gut. • Stress and local or systemic inflammation divert amino acids from use for growth. • Efficient and environmental-friendly diets require better tuning of amino acid provision for different sanitary conditions. Abstract On commercial farms, young growing pigs are frequently affected by health problems from multifactorial origins (e.g. environmental changes, biosecurity, management, and feed) that result in inflammation and activation of body defenses. Inflammation states alter animal metabolism in such a way that nutrients (particularly amino acids) are diverted from the use for growth towards the production of defense-related proteins and low-molecular-weight compounds (e.g., nitric oxide, H 2 S, and glutathione) for supporting the activity of rapidly dividing cells such as immune cells and enterocytes. Furthermore, amino acids may act specifically as signaling molecules to regulate metabolic pathways during inflammation. Thus, new knowledge on the specific role and metabolism of each amino acid is needed to refine nutritional recommendations for pigs of different phenotypes and genotypes, with the objective of maintaining animal health and performance under sub-optimal rearing conditions. This paper aims at summarizing recent advances in research on the functional roles of amino acids related to swine health. Specifically, the review highlights current knowledge on the impact of inflammation on the intake and metabolism of amino acids; their relevance for the physical gut mucosal barrier and antioxidant defense, as well as their roles in the syntheses of defense molecules and in the regulation of immune response. Practical implications for feeding strategies adapted to various health conditions of growing pigs are also discussed along with our general perspectives on related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In homicide investigations, it is critically important that post-mortem (PMI) and post-burial interval (PBI) of buried victims are determined accurately. However, clandestine graves can be difficult to locate; and the detection rates for a variety of search methods can be very low. This paper presents elemental analysis results of 18 months of decomposition fluids from an in situ buried animal cadaver used as a human clandestine burial proxy. Study results showed potassium, sulphate and sodium are key detectable elements which mirror observed conductivity temporal changes from this and other studies. Seasonal rainfall has a strong influence on both fluid generation and subsequent concentration which needs to be accounted for. Study implications suggest inorganic elements could provide both detection and potential dating of discovered clandestine burials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent statutory changes have increased the pressure on the German livestock sector to adapt. This paper aims to ascertain the factors affecting German pig farmers' willingness to join a pig farming exit scheme similar to the Dutch 'warm restructuring' programme. The analysis is based on a discrete choice experiment with 346 pig farmers. The results indicate great interest of the respondents in a government-run decommissioning scheme. Differences in the perception of scheme attributes (compensation offered, demolition requirements, restrictions on future barn construction and slurry intake) are highlighted by the results of a latent-class estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In this research work we have used the HOG transformation which is related to transforming the shape of an object, calculating the gradient in 'localized' portions and generating the HOG based histograms for each of these regions separately. • Then, it is merged with Modified ResNet50 model to detect brain tumor in MRI images. • The computational complexity of the proposed method is relatively lower with higher accuracy as compared to the existing methods. • This is due to the fact that the proposed model is based on an appropriate classification algorithm and due to HOG transformation the feature selection has been very effective for the detection of brain tumor. Brain tumor happens due to the instant and uncontrolled cell growth. It may lead to death if not cured at an early stage. In spite of several promising results and substantial efforts in this research area, the real challenge is to provide the accurate classification and segmentation. The key issue in brain tumor detection develops from the irregular changes in the tumor size, shape and location. In assessing the MRI images, computer-aided diagnoses are playing an extraordinary role and can help clinicians/radiologist. Nowadays, brain tumor has become the most incursive ailment that leads to a very short life expectancy when it reaches its highest grade. This research paper has created a new model using histogram of gradient (HOG) based neural features from MRI images for tumors detection. This research has conducted the feature optimization approach to achieve additional instinctive features from the complex feature vector. We developed a Modified ResNet50 model with HOG technique. The modified ResNet50 model can accurately extract the deep feature using deep learning approach. This model is applied along with the upgraded layered architecture in order to keep the optimal computational efficiency. We have also used the augmentation and feature extraction techniques using machine learning-based ensemble classifier that further provides the optimized fusion vector to identify the tumor. Such hybrid approach provides excellent performance with the detection accuracy of 88% with HOG and modified ResNet50. The results are also compared with the recent state of art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of using computer vision to estimate the weight of pigs has been demonstrated in several studies. In this paper, we propose a Vision Analysis and Prediction (VAP) system, which consisted of two main parts: (1) computer vision – a vision algorithm was developed to segment the pigs and identify which pig area could be used to estimate the corresponding weight; (2) statistical analysis – a statistical method for predicting pig weight using the area was presented, including BLUP model and linear regression as well as a prediction function. The results showed that our approach has successfully estimated the weight of growing pigs (approximate ranges from 20 to 105 kg) with an accuracy of weight estimation of 97.76% on average for the predicted mean weight at pen level. The proposed system does not require modifications to the building and shows a strong potential to be utilized in pig weight estimation in slaughter pens. • A VAP system has great potential for pig weight estimation in slaughter pens. • The VAP includes two parts: a computer vision algorithm and a predicting model. • The VAP can accurately predict pig weights from 20 to 105 kg in a slaughter pen. • The VAP can help for optimal decision making to improve animal productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chronological review of various forms of feed-grade methionine products on the market. • A single source of reference to comprehend methionine metabolism in monogastrics. • Summary of numerous physiological functions of methionine for swine production. • Brief discussion of methionine deficiency and methionine toxicity in the pig. • Help nutritionists to selectively use methionine products during diet formulation. Methionine is the second or third limiting amino acid in typical swine diets, and exogenous methionine supplementation can improve the efficiency of dietary protein utilization by swine when dietary methionine is limiting. Several feed-grade methionine products, such as DL -methionine and DL -methionine hydroxy analogue free acid, have been on the market for feed formulation. Recently, some feed-grade l -methionine products also became available on the market for swine. However, questions often asked by producers and nutritionists are whether or not more crystalline methionine should be used, and which product should be used. Although a simple answer does not exist, this paper was written to comprehensively summarize our current knowledge in methionine nutrition with an attempt to provide a single source of reference for swine nutritionists and scientists to develop more pertinent answers for different swine production systems. Therefore, in this paper, firstly, different forms of commercially available feed-grade methionine products were reviewed chronologically. Secondly, the overall effectiveness of methionine on swine growth performance was summarized. Thirdly, our current understanding of methionine metabolism in animal body was updated. Fourthly, various biochemical and physiological functions of methionine in swine were described. Lastly, dietary methionine deficiency and toxicity to the animal were pointed out. In brief, it is understood from the cellular metabolism standpoint that methionine functions primarily as a substrate for protein and peptide biosyntheses in the body. From a regulatory standpoint, methionine is an initiator amino acid for universal protein translation. Methionine is also an essential source of methyl groups for methylation of at least seven classes of bioactive compounds, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Meanwhile, methionine and some of its derivatives are endogenous antioxidants which can protect living cells from oxidative stress. Synthesized from methionine, a myriad of proteins and peptides are involved in immune system for maintaining animal health. Dietary methionine deficiency negatively affects pig growth performance, while supplementation of more methionine may cause toxic effects. Overall, this paper not only can endorse animal scientists to further explore the underlying metabolic and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for methionine nutrition, particularly in pigs, but also can help the field nutritionists to determine methionine requirements of pigs with different production purposes and to selectively use certain commercial methionine products during their diet formulation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary graded levels of hop ( Humulus lupulus ) β-acids or colistin on the growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility, diarrhea occurrence, unthrifty pigs, blood respiratory burst, organ weights, small intestine histology, and intestinal microbial diversity of weanling pigs, as well as in vitro bacterial sensitivity to hop β-acids. Two hundred 21-d weaned castrated male and female pigs (6.2 ± 0.33 kg initial BW) were used in a randomized complete block design experiment with 5 treatments, 8 replicates, and 5 pigs per experimental unit (pen). Pigs were fed corn-soybean meal basal diets supplemented with 0 (negative control), 120, 240, or 360 mg/kg hop β-acids, or with 40 mg/kg colistin (antimicrobial control) during a 35-d nursery feeding experiment. On d 7 and 35 of the experiment, one castrated male from each pen was slaughtered to evaluate organ weights, small intestine histology, and intestinal microbial diversity. ANOVA and orthogonal contrasts were performed to determine the dose-response of each variable to dietary hop β-acids levels (0, 120, 240, and 360 mg/kg), as well as to compare the means of antimicrobial control with the negative control and with each dietary hop β-acids level. Increasing dietary levels of hop β-acids improved linearly ( P < 0.05) BW, ADG, G:F, and digestibility of ether extract of feed of weanling pigs. The colistin treatment improved ( P < 0.03) BW, ADG, and G:F compared to the negative control but did not affect nutrient and energy digestibility. No difference in growth performance was observed between hop β-acids (120, 240, or 360 mg/kg) and colistin. No effect on ADFI was observed. Overall, the occurrence of diarrhea was lower ( P < 0.01) for colistin, negative control, and 360 mg/kg hop β-acids than for 120 and 240 mg/kg hop β-acids, while no unthrifty pigs were identified throughout the entire experimental period. No effect of dietary treatments on blood respiratory burst, organ weights, small intestine histology, and intestinal microbial diversity was observed. By using the standardized paper disk diffusion method, Staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to hop β-acids (33.1 ± 2.57 mm inhibition zone), while Escherichia coli , Salmonella enteritidis , Salmonella typhimurim , and Enterococcus faecalis were resistant. In conclusion, dietary hop β-acids concentrations up to 360 mg/kg improved weanling pig growth rate by affecting the efficiency of feed utilization, as well as observed for colistin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To limit tail biting incidence, most pig producers in Europe tail dock their piglets. This is despite EU Council Directive 2008/120/EC banning routine tail docking and allowing it only as a last resort. The paper aims to understand what it takes to fulfil the intentions of the Directive by examining economic results of four management and housing scenarios, and by discussing their consequences for animal welfare in the light of legal and ethical considerations. The four scenarios compared are: 'Standard Docked', a conventional housing scenario with tail docking meeting the recommendations for Danish production (0.7 m2/pig); 'Standard Undocked', which is the same as 'Standard Docked' but with no tail docking, 'Efficient Undocked' and 'Enhanced Undocked', which have increased solid floor area (0.9 and 1.0 m2/pig, respectively) provision of loose manipulable materials (100 and 200 g/straw per pig per day) and no tail docking. A decision tree model based on data from Danish and Finnish pig production suggests that Standard Docked provides the highest economic gross margin with the least tail biting. Given our assumptions, Enhanced Undocked is the least economic, although Efficient Undocked is better economically and both result in a lower incidence of tail biting than Standard Undocked but higher than Standard Docked. For a pig, being bitten is worse for welfare (repeated pain, risk of infections) than being docked, but to compare welfare consequences at a farm level means considering the number of affected pigs. Because of the high levels of biting in Standard Undocked, it has on average inferior welfare to Standard Docked, whereas the comparison of Standard Docked and Enhanced (or Efficient) Undocked is more difficult. In Enhanced (or Efficient) Undocked, more pigs than in Standard Docked suffer from being tail bitten, whereas all the pigs avoid the acute pain of docking endured by the pigs in Standard Docked. We illustrate and discuss this ethical balance using numbers derived from the above-mentioned data. We discuss our results in the light of the EU Directive and its adoption and enforcement by Member States. Widespread use of tail docking seems to be accepted, mainly because the alternative steps that producers are required to take before resorting to it are not specified in detail. By tail docking, producers are acting in their own best interests. We suggest that for the practice of tail docking to be terminated in a way that benefits animal welfare, changes in the way pigs are housed and managed may first be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation of both dietary fiber (DF) and protein in the pig intestine is a matter of interest because of their potential beneficial or harmful effects on gut health and on the environment. This paper reviews some of the relevant information available on DF and protein fermentation and their interactive effects on the gut environment of pigs and its contribution to emission of nitrogenous gases and odor from pig manure and piggeries. The fermentation of protein and the associated production of metabolic compounds are discussed in relation to DF fermentation, their impact on gut health, bacterial protein synthesis and nitrogen (N) excretion. Some nutritional strategies to reduce protein fermentation in the gut such as the reduction of the amount of crude protein (CP) in the diet and/or the inclusion of fermentable DF are also presented. Also, to cope with the negative impact of intensive pig production on the environment, different nutritional approaches such as reducing N excretion by lowering CP intake, shifting the N excretion pathway from urine to feces and lowering the pH of manure by lowering the pH of urine and feces have been reviewed. Overall, inclusion of DF and reduction of CP in pig diets seems to be an effective nutritional strategy that may counteract the negative effects of protein fermentation in the pig gut by reducing ammonia concentration, shifting N excretion pathways in the gut and minimizing the negative impact of intensive pig production on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stainless steel mesh, as the common cathode of microbial electrolytic cell-assisted anaerobic digestion (MEC-AD), has the disadvantages of low specific surface area, poor biocompatibility and low catalytic activity, which limits the production of methane. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention due to their adjustable pores and specific catalytic properties. However, little attention was paid to the combination of MOF and stainless-steel mesh to improve the performance of MEC-AD cathode. In this study, we combined stainless steel mesh with bimetallic MOF catalyst (Fe/Ni–NH 2 BDC) to prepare a composite cathode, and verified its promoting effect on AD of swine wastewater. The experimental results showed that the reactor with the carbonized MOF composite cathode (FeNi 2 -PAN2) achieved the highest soluble chemical oxygen demand removal rate of 82.92% and a maximum cumulative methane yield of 213.47 mL CH 4 /g COD under an applied voltage of 0.8 V, which were 33.14% and 57.56% higher than those of an anaerobic digestion (AD) control reactor, respectively, and higher than those of a carbon paper (CP) cathode reactor. The enrichment of Methanobacterium and Methanoculleus on the surface of FeNi 2 -PAN2 cathode surface indicated that FeNi 2 -PAN2 cathode enhanced hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and improved the stability of AD. [Display omitted] • SSM-wrapped Fe/Ni-MOF cathode used for MEC-AD of swine wastewater. • FeNi 2 -PAN2 cathode improved the SCOD degradation and methane formation. • Carbonized FeNi 2 -PAN2 cathode formed thicker biofilms. • More hydrogenotrophic methanogens were enriched in FeNi 2 -PAN2 cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding food losses and food waste (FLW) to livestock can reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, but practical implications for feed quality and feed production systems are currently unclear. The aim of this paper is to address the potential implications for pigs and poultry feeding systems when FLW would (fully or partly) replace conventional ingredients of animal feed within the European Union. FLW streams, such as (prohibited) animal-based foods or household waste, constitute a substantial and valuable part of available FLW. Feeding FLW, however, also includes challenges regarding the (anti-) nutritional value, physical and sensory characteristics, and contamination risks of animal feed. Mixing various FLW streams can be a solution for the large variability in nutritional value and physical characteristics, but more knowledge is needed about the various properties of FLW streams, best handling and processing methods, validated analysis techniques and inclusion levels in animal feeds. We discuss the scale and location of processing FLW, as well as the required infrastructure for dealing with supply and demand. Different approaches may be taken to increase the use of FLW into livestock diets and transition into a sustainable and circular food system. How this could be best implemented will likely be a trade-off between costs and benefits. It should be discussed both among direct users and within the wider society which costs and risks are acceptable. • Food losses and waste (FLW) potentially can replace conventional feed ingredients • FLW properties, inclusion levels and feed formulation affect feed quality • This also depends on supply, handling and processing of FLW and demand for feed. • Infrastructure, cooperation, scale and location of processing FLW might need change • It should be decided upon by society which risks that generate costs are acceptable [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The review covers livestock genomics of South Asian cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, camel, horse, yak, mithun, and poultry. • Advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies led to the discovery of numerous SNP arrays for different livestock species. • The application of genomics in animal breeding has had the biggest economic impact on livestock production. Livestock plays a central role in sustaining human livelihood in South Asia. There are numerous and distinct livestock species in South Asian countries. Several of them have experienced genetic development in recent years due to the application of genomic technologies and effective breeding programs. This review discusses genomic studies on cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, horse, camel, yak, mithun, and poultry. The frontiers covered in this review are genetic diversity, admixture studies, selection signature research, QTL discovery, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and genomic selection. The review concludes with recommendations for South Asian livestock systems to increasingly leverage genomic technologies, based on the lessons learned from the numerous case studies. This paper aims to present a comprehensive analysis of the dichotomy in the South Asian livestock sector and argues that a realistic approach to genomics in livestock can ensure long-term genetic advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure to provide effective analgesia to animals in noxious studies contravenes the obligation to refine animal experimentation and, by increasing 'noise' in physiological data sets, may decrease the scientific validity of results. Pig models of surgical conditions are becoming increasingly important and used for translational work. This review aimed to determine the extent to which the recent biomedical literature describes pain assessment and alleviation in pigs recovering from experimental surgery. Three databases (Medline, Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar) were searched to find relevant studies published from January 2012 to March 2014. Information on pain assessment and peri- and postoperative analgesia was extracted. The review identified 233 papers meeting selection criteria. Most articles (193/233, 83%) described use of drugs with analgesic properties, but only 87/233 (37%) described postoperative analgesia. No article provided justification for the analgesic chosen, despite the lack of guidelines for analgesia in porcine surgical models and the lack of formal studies on this subject. Postoperative pain assessment was reported in only 23/233 (10%) articles. It was found that the reporting of postoperative pain management in the studies was remarkably low, reflecting either under-reporting or under-use. Analgesic description, when given, was frequently too limited to enable reproducibility. Development of a pain-scoring system in pigs, together with the mandatory description of pain management in submitted articles, would contribute to improved laboratory pig welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The previous research reveals the presence of relatively strong spatial correlations from spontaneous activity over cortex in Electroencephalography (EEG) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurement. A critical obstacle in MEG current source mapping is that strong background activity masks the relatively weak local information. In this paper, the hypothesis is that the dominant components of this background activity can be captured by the first Principal Component (PC) after employing Principal Component Analysis (PCA), thus discarding the first PC before the back projection would enhance the exposure of the information carried by a subset of sensors that reflects the local neuronal activity. By detecting MEG signals densely (one measurement per 2 × 2 mm 2 ) in three piglets neocortical models over an area of 18 × 26 mm 2 with a special shape of lesion by means of a μSQUID, this basic idea was demonstrated by the fact that a strong activity could be imaged in the lesion region after removing the first PC in Delta, Theta and Alpha band, while the original recordings did not show such activity clearly. Thus, the PCA decomposition can be employed to expose the local activity, which is around the lesion in the piglets’ neocortical models, by removing the dominant components of the background activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust epidemiological knowledge and predictive modelling tools are needed to address challenging objectives, such as: understanding epidemic drivers; forecasting epidemics; and prioritising control measures. Often, multiple modelling approaches can be used during an epidemic to support effective decision making in a timely manner. Modelling challenges contribute to understanding the pros and cons of different approaches and to fostering technical dialogue between modellers. In this paper, we present the results of the first modelling challenge in animal health – the ASF Challenge – which focused on a synthetic epidemic of African swine fever (ASF) on an island. The modelling approaches proposed by five independent international teams were compared. We assessed their ability to predict temporal and spatial epidemic expansion at the interface between domestic pigs and wild boar, and to prioritise a limited number of alternative interventions. We also compared their qualitative and quantitative spatio-temporal predictions over the first two one-month projection phases of the challenge. Top-performing models in predicting the ASF epidemic differed according to the challenge phase, host species, and in predicting spatial or temporal dynamics. Ensemble models built using all team-predictions outperformed any individual model in at least one phase. The ASF Challenge demonstrated that accounting for the interface between livestock and wildlife is key to increasing our effectiveness in controlling emerging animal diseases, and contributed to improving the readiness of the scientific community to face future ASF epidemics. Finally, we discuss the lessons learnt from model comparison to guide decision making. • The challenge was based on a synthetic ASF epidemic among pigs and wild boar. • Five international modelling teams participated in the challenge. • Ensemble models outperformed individual models in at least one phase. • Questions asked to teams should be very precise to ease model comparison. • Teams should be composed of complementary skills to address such challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel process for the simultaneous removal of ammonia-nitrogen and phosphate from simulated swine wastewater using modified zeolite. The natural zeolite was modified by magnesium salts as the adsorbent material for ammonia-nitrogen from wastewater. Mg2+ released from the adsorption process served as the magnesium source in struvite crystallization. The treatment of simulated swine wastewater using modified zeolite at pH 8-9.5 showed much better efficiencies of ammonia-nitrogen and phosphate removal than those by natural zeolite at the same pH. The high nutrient-removal efficiencies were mainly achieved because of cooperation between adsorption by modified zeolite and struvite crystallization. When the reaction condition was controlled at 110 g/L of modified zeolite and 40 min of reaction time, the ammonia-nitrogen and phosphate-removal efficiencies reached 82% and 98%, respectively. The individual presence of K+, Ca2+, Na+, and Mg2+ had a significantly negative effect on the removal of ammonia-nitrogen in the order of preference of Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ > Na+ at identical molar concentrations. Nevertheless, the presence of these ions, except for Na+, had a positive influence on the removal of phosphate. In addition, investigation of the effects of organic acids on the process showed that the removal of nutrients could be significantly reduced by inhibiting struvite crystallization by citric acid present in the simulated swine wastewater. However, the presence of acetic acid had no effect on the proposed process. An economic evaluation revealed that the treatment cost of the proposed process was 3.65 $/m³ of simulated swine wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste (FW) reutilization as animal feed can alleviate both the burden posed by FW disposal as well as that of food insecurity. Studies on the incorporation of catering waste (CW) in swine and poultry diets have provided promising results in regard to animal performance and quality of derived products. However, disease concerns have led to the prohibition of the above-mentioned practice in the European Union (EU). It is necessary that biological, chemical and physical hazards in CW are examined and controlled. The risk of biological hazards such as exotic viruses posed by feeding CW to animals can primarily be reduced by processing of CW prior to feeding, preventing cross-contamination between raw and processed CW, and separating animal materials in CW based on animal species, as they are considered important risk factors. For the minimization of biological hazards in CW, hydrothermal treatment, extrusion, heat treatment, fermentation and solar drying resulted in considerably reduced concentrations of hygiene indicators in the studies examined, while pathogenic microorganisms were not detected in most cases. Chemical hazards in CW include but are not limited to heavy metals the concentrations of which can be controlled at low levels through risk analysis and sampling. Physical hazards in CW including, but not limited to, paper, metal and plastic are separated manually and/or mechanically. Spoilage of CW has been little studied and one study suggests that community structures in CW which is composed of the same food constituents vary when it is collected from different locations. Furthermore, biogenic amines are associated with spoilage and may affect animal health and performance. Lipid peroxidation is another issue that should be limited through measures such as adding antioxidants in the diet and lowering exposure of CW to heat during thermal processing. Salt content of CW is elevated and this should be taken into account during feed formulation. Processing of FW is essential to substantially decrease the risk of animal diseases transmission. • Part of food for human consumption is lost or wasted throughout the food supply chain. • Catering waste may be incorporated in swine and poultry diets. • Minimization of any hazards in catering waste prior to potential application is essential. • Application of a HACCP plan may be necessary in order to implement the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Methane capture and use from intensive livestock industries in Australia is relatively new and there is a lack of reliable kinetic data to design anaerobic systems both in Australia and internationally. This paper evaluates two parameters, degradability (B O ) and apparent first order hydrolysis rate coefficient (k hyd) from 5 different sites (one sampled twice), and six different pig growth stages. Hydrolysis rate was not significantly influenced by the production stage and was statistically similar at 0.1 d−1 and ranged from 0.06 d−1 to 0.3 d−1. However, degradability, as defined by estimated ultimate methane yield (referenced to standard temperature and pressure) per kg organics loaded varied substantially. Specifically, we found that the methane yields (per unit organic substrate (volatile solids) added) from finisher (470 ± 170 L kg−1), weaner (450 ± 150 L kg−1) and grower (460 ± 160 L kg−1) effluent streams were more compared to yields from dry sow (260 ± 120 L kg−1) and farrowing streams (380 ± 160 L kg−1). A possible indicator of the extent of degradation is the organic fraction of solids in the effluent. Variability in the degradation kinetics and chemical properties of the different effluent streams could be traced back to the differences in various industry management practices such as feed type, feeding techniques and effluent handling methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An integral solution for the recovery of fertilizer elements contained in swine farm slurry is the joint composting of diverse solid wastes generated in the installation and surroundings, in which the composting material was watered with swine slurry. In such a system, a high percentage of the water contained in the slurry is evaporated while nutrients are, in part, retained in the compost produced. This paper presents the results of a pilot vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) treating the high strength leachate generated from the compost piles. The VFCW was provided with effluent recycling in order to deal with high influent concentrations of nitrogen compounds, which reached up to 459mg NH3-N/L and 904mg TKN/L without the need for dilution with clean water. After start-up, and operating at 10°C with surface loading rates (SLRs) of 9.2, 17.9, 4.8 and 1.9g/m2 d of TSS, TCOD, BOD5 and TN, respectively, the VFCW reduced the concentration of all these parameters by more than 93%. Effluent concentration of nitrate was high during the two first months of operation (178mg NO3-N/L), but afterwards simultaneous nitrification and denitrification developed, reaching total nitrogen removal of 93% and low effluent nitrogen concentration (16mg NH3-N/L and 10mg NO3-N/L). Furthermore, options to avoid clogging or to facilitate the application of higher SLR are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of using gravitational sedimentation to separate raw swine slurry into two substances: one thick and highly-concentrated, the other a low-concentration liquid. The volume of the concentrated liquid, accounting for 18.3% of the raw slurry, contained about 61.0% of the chemical oxygen demand or biochemical oxygen demand and could produce about 60% of the total biogas production potential. The digestion temperature could be raised by approximately 22 °C by heating the concentrated liquid with the excess heat of biogas generation but only by about 6.43 °C by heating the raw slurry. The size of digester with the new process could be reduced by two-thirds that of the digester with the conventional process. After separation, the digestate of the concentrated liquid, with nearly three times total nutrient content as that of raw slurry, can readily be used as fertilizer and the low content liquid can easily meet discharge standards after aerobic treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Due to its environmental impact, pig slurry management is of great importance in the Region of Murcia, Spain, where pig production is considerable. The current slurry management system consists in its direct use in agricultural land, yet this entails an important associated problem, i.e., the limits of nitrogen imposed by legislation (<170 kg N ha−1 yr−1). The use of constructed wetlands affords another possibility, achieving a reduction of physicochemical parameters of up to 80%. This paper presents the comparison of both the alternatives by means of life cycle assessment, and reports a major impact in the categories of acidification and eutrophication potential. However, the abiotic depletion potential could be minimized by avoiding the application of fertilizers and irrigation water. For the category of global warming potential, the wetland building displayed a negative role as compared to direct use. After normalization of the data, the main environmental problem for both management alternatives proved to be eutrophication, followed by acidification and global warming potential. The use of the great amounts of pig slurry produced in the Region of Murcia generates a problem of eutrophication in the Valle del Guadalentín, the Campo de Cartagena and the Mar Menor lagoon. For the purposes of normalizing, a database is needed to take all the inputs and outputs into account, in order to establish more realistic scenarios for the use and management of pig slurries in different geographical areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Carbohydrates are naturally occurring compounds with a diverse composition and present in all plant feeds. The linkages between the different carbohydrate components and the way the carbohydrate molecules are organised have a great impact on the site of its digestion and how the carbohydrates influence the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. This paper will address the impact of carbohydrates on the gastrointestinal environment, the commensal microbiota, the fermentation processes and the resistance to infection diseases as exemplified by the influence on post weaning enteric disorders and swine dysentery. The gastrointestinal tract of pigs can be considered as a tube with regions that have different structure and functional elements, which provide optimal conditions for the digestion and absorption processes. In the immediate post-weaning period, the secretion of α-amylase is compromised, which leads to malabsorption of starch in the small intestine the first 2 weeks after weaning. These conditions make it difficult to assess a specific effect of dietary carbohydrates on gut health expressed by the protection to post-weaning digestive disorders. However, inclusion of fructose containing oligo- and polysaccharides seem to stimulate beneficial bacteria, i.e. lactobacilli, which may give rise to some protection. Two routes have been shown to protect against the expression of swine dysentery; feeding a highly digestible cooked rice-animal protein based diet providing limited amounts of fermentable carbohydrates to the large intestine or feeding diets containing prebiotic carbohydrates, i.e. fructose containing oligo- and/or polysaccharides, which stimulate beneficial microorganism. However, whilst the protective effect of the highly digestible cook rice diet have not been proved outside Australia, the concept of stimulating beneficial microorganism by fructose containing oligo- and polysaccharides have demonstrated protective effects both in Europe and Australia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) were determined from a swine concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in North Carolina. NMVOCs were measured in air samples collected in SUMMA and fused-silica lined (FSL) canisters and were analyzed using a gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GC–FID) system. Measurements were made from both an anaerobic lagoon and barn in each of the four seasonal sampling periods during the period June 2007 through April 2008. In each sampling period, nine to eleven canister samples were taken from both the anaerobic lagoon and barn over a minimum of four different days during a period of ∼1 week. Measurements of meteorological and physiochemical parameters were also made during the sampling period. In lagoon samples, six NMVOCs were identified that had significantly larger emissions in comparison to other NMVOCs. This included three alcohols (ethanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, and methanol), two ketones (acetone and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)) and an aldehyde (acetaldehyde). The overall average fluxes for these NMVOCs, ranged from 0.18 μg m−2 min−1 for 2-ethyl-1-hexanol to 2.11 μg m−2 min−1 for acetone, with seasonal fluxes highest in the summer for four (acetone, acetaldehyde, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and MEK) of the six compounds In barn samples, there were six NMVOCs that had significantly larger concentrations and emissions in comparison to other NMVOCs. These consisted of two alcohols (methanol and ethanol), an aldehyde (acetaldehyde), two ketones (acetone and 2,3-butanedione), and a phenol (4-methylphenol). Overall average barn concentration ranged from 2.87 ppb for 4-methylphenol to 16.12 ppb for ethanol. Overall average normalized barn emission rates ranged from 0.10 g day−1 AU−1 (1 AU (animal unit) = 500 kg of live animal weight) for acetaldehyde to 0.45 g day−1 AU−1 for ethanol. The NMVOCs, 4-methylphenol and 2,3-butanedione, which have low odor thresholds (odor thresholds = 1.86 ppb and 0.068–0.264 ppb for 4-methylphenol, and = 4.37 ppb and 1.42–7.39 ppb for 2-3-butanedione) and an offensive odor were identified in canister samples. Both 4-methylphenol and 2,3-butanedione barn concentrations exceeded their odor thresholds frequently. HAPs were identified in lagoon samples (methanol, acetaldehyde and MEK) and barn samples (methanol, acetaldehyde and 4-methylphenol) that were also classified as NMVOCs with significantly larger lagoon and barn emissions in comparison with other NMVOCs. The overall average lagoon fluxes and overall average normalized barn emissions for NMVOCs reported in this paper were used to estimate their North Carolina swine CAFO emissions. Of the NMVOCs, ethanol was estimated to have the largest North Carolina swine CAFO emission at 206,367 kg yr−1. The barns were found to have higher emissions than the lagoons for all NMVOCs, contributing between 68.6 to ∼100% of individual compounds estimated North Carolina swine CAFO emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There are two types of the structure of supply chain upstream pig in mainland China. The first one is distribution channel model, a businessman and pig raiser and piglets, also called the traditional mode supplier. The second one is to direct model, the pig raiser vendor selling directly, and that large-scale cultivation mode. This paper analyzes two transactions attribute in three aspects: the asset specificity, transaction frequency, and uncertainty in exchange. Then, establish the transaction cost functions as parameters, and compared their trade between the scale of the structure of the transaction cost types upstream. The conclusion is that the expansion of the scale of and cultivation, the structure of the supply chain upstream pigs are changing, from the distribution channel mode, with direct sales model. Finally, a numerical example shows that this method with the conclusion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper mix pig effluent and corn stalk to anaerobic fermentation in order to raise the effect of biogas generation during anaerobic fermentation. An orthogonal experiment program was carried out to determine effects of granularities of corn stalk, temperature, the quality ratio between pig effluent and corn stalk, feed ratio on biogas production of anaerobic fermentation moisture, time and on the degradation rate. Results show that four factors had significant influence effect on biogas production. The optimal conditions for anaerobic fermentation were corn stalk keeping 4-6cm, 35°C in temperature, the quality ratio between corn stalk and pig manure to 1.5:1 and 90% in feed ratio. Under such conditions, the biogas production is much better than the others and the yield peaked higher. The highest number of daily biogas production reached 2120mL. During the 30 days of fermentation period cumulative biogas production attain to the 24830mL. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Methane and N2O fluxes during composting of solid swine manure were studied using three aeration systems being, forced aeration (FA), wire mesh (WM) and turnover (TO) and no aeration, for 85d to suggest strategies of mitigating GHG emissions during composting. Manure was collected from a swine research barn by a scraper system and mixed with sawdust as a bulking agent. The manure sawdust mixture was placed in linear low density polyethylene containers for each composting method. A steady state chamber covering each container was used to measure CH4 and N2O fluxes during composting in order to sample temporal and spatial heterogeneous fluxes. Air samples were continuously analyzed for CH4 and N2O by a high frequency trace gas analyzer. Mean CH4 fluxes from FA, WM, TO, and no aeration were 5.2, 3.8, 7.5, and 34.6μg/m2/s, respectively. Mean N2O fluxes from FA, WM, TO, and no aeration were 1.6, 3.1, 7.9, and 11.4μg/m2/s, respectively. Ratios of CO2-equiv. emitted from FA, WM, TO and no aeration were 0.14, 0.24, and 0.59, respectively. Nitrous oxide was the main contributor to CO2-equiv. fluxes. The FA system had the lowest emissions, but WM had the advantage of not requiring electricity for aeration. This paper is part of the special issue entitled: Greenhouse Gases in Animal Agriculture – Finding a Balance between Food and Emissions, Guest Edited by T.A. McAllister, Section Guest Editors: K.A. Beauchemin, X. Hao, S. McGinn and Editor for Animal Feed Science and Technology, P.H. Robinson. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]