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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]

• A novel fusion method is proposed in view of multi-source pig-body images. • A novel content loss function is constructed to raise the pig-body multi-feature representation. • The shape feature representation method in view of proposed fusion model can realize 1.551–3.876% higher average accuracy rate than current algorithms. The detection of pig-body health has been a hot topic since it is closely related to the safety of agricultural products quality in recent years. In this paper, shape and temperature feature are viewed as health representation, and the multi-source image fusion method should be used to obtain pig-body multi-feature. However, traditional infrared and visible fusion algorithm could not represent more thermal radiation and texture information of fused images. To more usefully represent pig-body mulit-feature, a novel multi-source image fusion method is proposed in view of Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), named as MGANFuse. Firstly, multi-source images are fused by modified GAN fusion framework. Then, based on fused images, pig-body shape feature is represented by automatic threshold of Otsu segmentation and morphology method. Finally, maximum temperature feature is obtained based on pig-body shape representation. Experimental results reveal that representation method in view of proposed fusion model is capable of realizing 1.551–3.876% higher average accuracy rate than more recently published algorithms. Moreover, it lays the foundation for effective representation of pig-body multi-feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Economical loss caused by piglet crushing in pig farming industry is huge. • Piglet crushing is affected by multiple factors. • Many treatments can be used to mitigate piglet crushing. • The selection of anti-crushing techniques should take into account the welfare of pigs, practicality and economy. Piglet crushing is one of the leading causes of pre-weaning piglet mortality, which accounts for more than 50% of live-born preweaning losses in the pig farming industry. This paper aims to review factors that influence piglet crushing. The behaviors of sows and piglets related to piglet crushing are also analyzed. In addition, potential methods to avoid piglet crushing and research trends on reducing piglet crushing are introduced. Data show that piglet crushing is affected by multiple factors that modulate behavior and health of piglets and sows. Although piglet crushing is affected by genetic factors, it may be difficult to reduce piglet crushing only by genetic control. In addition, there is a vast difference in the behavior between sows that crush no piglets and sows that crush piglets. Besides, piglet behavior (e.g. activeness) is also related with being crushed by sows. To reduce piglet crushing, a combination of adequate management, appropriate stall design, advanced confinement systems, development of anti-crushing devices, and improvement of breeding could be applied in pig farms. However, in order to achieve intelligent anti-crushing, more research needs to be conducted to precisely predict and recognize the occurrence of piglet crushing owing to different posture changes of sows. This review could provide a better understanding of factors related with piglet crushing, and contribute in improving the solutions for crushing minimization. [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]

How to improve the luminescence efficiency of PiG conversion materials has become a hot topic and challenge in recent years for high-efficiency white LD (w-LD). In this paper, a low-temperature and high-pressure technology is raised, which successfully synthesized the PiG composed of Y 3 Al 5 O 12 : Ce3+ (YAG) phosphor and SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 –K 2 O–Na 2 O glass frit. The hosts possess a relatively perfect and rigorous structure with few pores benefiting from this gentle preparation method. In addition, three configurations of transmission, reflection, and total-emission are adopted in w-LD, which can achieve the highest luminous efficiency of 77.78 lm/W, 178.72 lm/W, and 206.35 lm/W, respectively. Compared with the traditional high-temperature and normal-pressure method, the saturation luminous flux increases by 4.8%, 13.7%, and 14.3% for 10%, 20%, 30% content phosphor PiG, respectively. This technology shows the significant application potential in preparing high-brightness and high-efficiency w-LDs. • Phosphor-in-glass (PiG) with rigorous structure were successfully synthesized by low-temperature and high-pressure sintering technology. • A configuration of total-emission was came up which can realize higher luminescence flux and luminescence efficacy than traditional transmissive and reflective configurations when laser power lower than 3 W. • White LD properties of PiG with different concentration of phosphor were investigated in detail. • White LD properties of PiG synthesized by traditional way and low-temperature high-pressure technology were compared and analyzed detailedly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive heavy metals in pig feed represent a substantial threat to the health of pigs, meat quality, humans who consume the meat, and the environment. In this paper, a method to improve the detection of heavy metal (Cu) in pig feed is introduced and investigated. It uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with cavity-confinement and microwave-assistance to increase the intensity of the spectrum used for analysis. The test results show that, compared to conventional LIBS, the characteristic spectral intensity and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the Cu I 324.75 nm line can be increased 32.3-fold and 22.2-fold, respectively. The plasma temperature measured using the Boltzmann diagram method is 1677 K higher than the microwave-assistance method (alone). These results show that the combined application of cavity-confinement and microwave-assistance can increase the characteristic spectral intensity, the SNR, and the plasma temperature associated with elemental Cu in pig feed, which is generally not easy to detect. This study also offers theoretical guidance for the rapid characterization (and improvement) of pig feed, which contains Cu, using LIBS. • Makes the characteristic signal enhancement of low-concentration samples more obvious. • Further enhanced the characteristic signal without affecting the background spectrum. • Contrast the influence of cavity-confinement and microwave-assistance on signals. • Cavity-confinement and microwave-assistance make up for each other's shortcomings. • Tried out a better way to enhance the LIBS characteristic signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed interdisciplinary terms and concepts in precision management of animals. • Sources of uncertainty in animal behavior labeling for computer vision applications. • Directions of advanced computer vision algorithms in pig production facilities. • Image dataset construction workflows for computer vision algorithm development. Surveillance and analysis of behavior can be used to detect and characterize health disruption and welfare status in animals. The accurate identification of changes in behavior is a time-consuming task for caretakers in large, commercial pig production systems and requires strong observational skills and a working knowledge of animal husbandry and livestock systems operations. In recent years, many studies have explored the use of various technologies and sensors to assist animal caretakers in monitoring animal activity and behavior. Of these technologies, computer vision offers the most consistent promise as an effective aid in animal care, and yet, a systematic review of the state of application of this technology indicates that there are many significant barriers to its widespread adoption and successful utilization in commercial production system settings. One of the most important of these barriers is the recognition of the sources of errors from objective behavior labeling that are not measurable by current algorithm performance evaluations. Additionally, there is a significant disconnect between the remarkable advances in computer vision research interests and the integration of advances and practical needs being instituted by scientific experts working in commercial animal production partnerships. This lack of synergy between experts in the computer vision and animal health and production sectors means that existing and emerging datasets tend to have a very particular focus that cannot be easily pivoted or extended for use in other contexts, resulting in a generality versus particularity conundrum. This goal of this paper is to help catalogue and consider the major obstacles and impediments to the effective use of computer vision associated technologies in the swine industry by offering a systematic analysis of computer vision applications specific to commercial pig management by reviewing and summarizing the following: (i) the purpose and associated challenges of computer vision applications in pig behavior analysis; (ii) the use of computer vision algorithms and datasets for pig husbandry and management tasks; (iii) the process of dataset construction for computer vision algorithm development. In this appraisal, we outline common difficulties and challenges associated with each of these themes and suggest possible solutions. Finally, we highlight the opportunities for future research in computer vision applications that can build upon existing knowledge of pig management by extending our capability to interpret pig behaviors and thereby overcome the current barriers to applying computer vision technologies to pig production systems. In conclusion, we believe productive collaboration between animal-based scientists and computer-based scientists may accelerate animal behavior studies and lead the computer vision technologies to commercial applications in pig production facilities. [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]

The use of syndromic surveillance (SyS) has grown in animal health since the 2010s, but the use of production data has been underexplored due to methodological and practical challenges. This paper aimed to tackle some of those challenges by developing a SyS system using production data routinely collected in pig breeding farms. Health-related indicators were created from the recorded data, and two different time-series types emerged: the weekly counts of events traditionally used in SyS; and continuous time-series, where every new event is a new observation, and grouping by time-unit is not applied. Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) and Shewhart control charts were used for temporal aberration detection, using three detection limits to create a "severity" score. The system performance was evaluated using simulated outbreaks of porcine respiratory and reproduction syndrome (PRRS) as a disease introduction scenario. The system proved capable of providing early detection of unexpected trends, serving as a useful health and management decision support tool for farmers. Further research is needed to combine results of monitoring multiple parallel time-series into an overall assessment of the risk of reproduction failure. [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]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes significant reproductive losses in the sow herd and respiratory disease in growing pigs. The virus belongs to the family Arteriviridae and there are two major genotypes. Type 1 is represented by Lelystad virus, the European prototype virus, and Type 2 is represented by the North American prototype virus, VR-2332. Depending on husbandry, immune status of the herd, and virulence of the isolate, the severity of disease and magnitude of economic loss can be variable. Vaccine use is not always successful indicating a lack of cross-protection between vaccine strains and circulating wild-type viruses. To date, there is no clear method to demonstrate if a vaccine confers protection against a specific isolate except for empirical animal studies. In 2006, a new lineage of Type 2 PRRSV emerged in Chinese swine herds that were suffering dramatic losses resulting in those viruses being described as “Highly Pathogenic PRRSV” (HP-PRRSV). Experimental reproduction of severe disease with HP-PRRSV isolates and virus derived from HP-PRRSV clones demonstrated the causal role of this virus. Recently, partial heterologous protection has been reported for Type 1 and Type 2 attenuated PRRSV vaccines against challenge by different Chinese HP-PRRSV isolates providing some hope for reducing economic loss. This paper reports the efficacy of a commercially available Type 2 attenuated vaccine in young pigs against heterologous challenge with a Chinese and Vietnamese HP-PRRSV isolate. When compared to unvaccinated pigs, vaccination decreased the length of viremia and viral titer, diminished the time of high fever and reduced macroscopic lung scores following homologous and heterologous PRRSV challenge. These results demonstrate the potential use of vaccine as an aid in the control of HP-PRRSV outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Administration of antimicrobials to livestock increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal bacteria. Antimicrobials in pig production are usually administered per pen via feed which implies treatment of sick alongside with healthy animals. The objective of this systematic literature review was to investigate the effect of orally administered antimicrobials on AMR in Escherichia coli of swine. Studies published in peer reviewed journals were retrieved from the international online databases ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus and the national electronic literature data base of Deutsches Institut für Medizinische Dokumentation und Information. The studies were assessed using the eligibility criteria English or German language, access to full paper version, defined treatment and control group (initial value or non-treatment) as well as administration and resistance testing of the same antimicrobial class. In the qualitative synthesis, only studies were included presenting the summary measures odds ratio or prevalence of resistance, the category of the applied antimicrobial and the dosage. An effect of the antimicrobial on AMR in E. coli was evaluated as an “increase”, “no effect” or “decrease” if the odds or alternatively the prevalence ratio were >1.0, 1.0 or <1.0, respectively. Eleven studies, describing 36 different trials, fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were finally assessed. An increase of AMR in E. coli was found in 10 out of 11 trials comparing AMR after with AMR prior to oral treatment and in 22 of the 25 trials comparing orally treated with untreated groups. Effects expressed as odds or prevalence ratios were highest for the use of aminoglycosides, quinolones and tetracycline. There was no clear association between the reported dosage and AMR towards tetracycline. Information on antimicrobial substance and dosage was missing in 4 and 5 of the 11 finally selected studies. The 36 identified trials were inhomogenous in usage and provision of information on sample size. Oral administration of antimicrobials increases the risk of AMR in E. coli from swine. There is however a lack of studies on the impact of dosage and longitudinal effects of treatment. The published studies have a number of issues concerning their scientific quality. More high quality research is needed to better address and quantifiy the effect of orally administered antimicrobials on AMR in swine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Though potential zoonotic swine enteric viruses are common and thought to be evolving, the level and type of health risk they pose to the public have been understated. • The transmission risk of potential zoonotic enteric viruses from swine to humans is higher in individuals with occupational work related to swine. • The intensification and globalization of pig production increase the interactions of human-swine/pig products and the risk of zoonotic pathogens. Swine could serve as a natural reservoir for a large variety of viruses, including potential zoonotic enteric viruses. The presence of viruses with high genetic similarity between porcine and human strains may result in the emergence of zoonotic or xenozoonotic infections. Furthermore, the globalization and intensification of swine industries exacerbate the transmission and evolution of zoonotic viruses among swine herds and individuals working in swine-related occupations. To effectively prevent the public health risks posed by zoonotic swine enteric viruses, designing, and implementing a comprehensive measure for early diagnosis, prevention, and mitigation, requires interdisciplinary a collaborative "One Health" approach from veterinarians, environmental and public health professionals, and the swine industry. In this paper, we reviewed the current knowledge of selected potential zoonotic swine enteric viruses and explored swine intensive production and its associated public health risks. [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]

• A 2D and 3D fusion method is proposed to exploit animal body measurement. • 3D landmarks on livestock surface can be obtained using 2D detector and projection. • The freely available application has been successfully tested on cows and pigs. The body measurement of livestock is an important task in precision livestock farming. To reduce the cost of manual measurement, an increasing number of studies have proposed non-contact body measurement methods using depth cameras. However, these methods only use 3D data to construct geometric features for body measurements, which is prone to error on incomplete and noisy point clouds. This paper introduces a 2D-3D fusion body measurement method, developed in order to exploit the potential of raw scanned data including high-resolution RGB images and 3D spatial information. The keypoints for body measurement are detected on RGB images with a deep learning model. Then these keypoints are projected onto the surface of livestock point clouds by utilizing the intrinsic parameters of the camera. Combining the process of interpolation and the pose normalization method, 9 body measurements of cattle and 5 body measurements of pig (including body lengths, body widths, body heights, and heart girth) are measured. To verify the feasibility of this method, the experiments are performed on 103 cattle data and 13 pig data. Compared with manual measurements, the MAPEs (mean absolute percentage errors) of 5 cattle body measurements and 1 pig body measurement are reduced to less than 10%. Body widths are more susceptible to non-standard posture. The MAPEs of 2 cattle body widths are larger than 20% and the MAPE of 1 pig body width reaches 30%. In comparison with a previous girth measurement method, the presented method is more accurate and robust for the cattle dataset. The same approach can be adapted and implemented for non-contact body measurement for different livestock species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both acoustic and deep features were investigated for pig cough. • A novel acoustic and deep feature fusion framework for pig cough recognition was proposed. • The proposed method reached an accuracy of 97.35%. The recognition of pig cough sound is a prerequisite for early warning of respiratory diseases in pig houses, which is essential for detecting animal welfare and predicting productivity. With respect to pig cough recognition, it is a highly crucial step to create representative pig sound characteristics. To this end, this paper proposed a feature fusion method by combining acoustic and deep features from audio segments. First, a set of acoustic features from different domains were extracted from sound signals, and recursive feature elimination based on random forest (RF-RFE) was adopted to conduct feature selection. Second, time-frequency representations (TFRs) involving constant-Q transform (CQT) and short-time Fourier transform (STFT) were employed to extract visual features from a fine-tuned convolutional neural network (CNN) model. Finally, the ensemble of the two kinds of features was fed into support vector machine (SVM) by early fusion to identify pig cough sounds. This work investigated the performance of the proposed acoustic and deep features fusion, which achieved 97.35% accuracy for pig cough recognition. The results provide further evidence for the effectiveness of combining acoustic and deep spectrum features as a robust feature representation for pig cough recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pig breeding industry is one of the pillar industries of China's agriculture. The measurement of pig production efficiency, and the way to improve pig production efficiency through the measurement, thereby reducing pollution emissions, is of great significance to the development of China's pig industry. Existing research focuses on measuring the efficiency of pig breeding, while ignores the emissions of large amounts of pollutants in the breeding process, as well as the heterogeneity of scale and region. In view of this, based on the DEA model, this paper constructs a three-level Metafrontier-Malmquist-Luenberger index to evaluate the green total factor productivity of pig breeding (PBG) by considering negative output. The results indicate that: (i) China's PBG, overall, dropped by 0.34% from 2004 to 2018. In terms of scale, large-scale was the highest, medium-sized was the second and small-scale was the lowest. (ii) China's PBG is distributed in a stepped manner, with the highest in the eastern area, the second in the central area, and the lowest in the western area. The differences between regions and provinces are affected by factors, such as the level of economic development, the government's emphasis on the scale of pig breeding and local resource conditions. (iii) The three decomposition efficiencies of PBG are manifested in the decline of scale structure efficiency and management efficiency, and the improvement of technical efficiency. Among them, the low efficiency of scale structure is the leading reason for the decline of overall PBG. According to the above empirical results, this article finally puts forward policy suggestions and environmental protection recommendations for pig breeding to improve PBG. • Add negative output into the evaluation system of pig breeding efficiency. • The scale heterogeneity and regional heterogeneity of PBG were considered. • Construct three-levels DDF-MML model, namely meta-frontier, scale frontier and regional frontier. • Decompose PBG into scale structure efficiency, technical efficiency and management level. • Select the data in China's 17 major pig production areas from 2004 to 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pigging of long-distance gas-liquid pipelines, the sealing disks and the inner wall of the pipeline will inevitably wear out. This may cause the diameter of the pig seal disks to be smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe, resulting in a clearance. The presence of clearance has a significant influence on the liquid flow pattern. Aiming to explore liquid flow characteristics in the pipeline, the paper conducted a series of numeric simulations based on the CFD method to investigate the process. The calculated model and experimental data verified the accuracy of simulations. Our results show that both the front and back of the pig are gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the higher the clearance, the lower the volume fraction of the liquid slug at the front of the pig. The increase in the speed of the pig will increase the length of the liquid slug segment and the front-end speed of the liquid slug. And as the inlet gas velocity gradually increases, the liquid at the front of the pig gradually scatters and becomes chaotic. The time for the liquid to reach the terminal outlet is only related to the pig speed. When increasing the clearance, the residual liquid in the pipeline increases, and the pigging effect worsens. Our results can provide some reference in pigging of gas-liquid pipelines. • A overset moving grid pigging simulation is proposed. • Gas-liquid two-phase flow of pigging is elucidated. • Inlet gas velocity has a great influence on the liquid phase distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we analyze the impact of the sensitivity and specificity of a Mycobacterium avium (Ma) test on pig producer incentives to control Ma in finishing pigs. A possible Ma control system which includes a serodiagnostic test and a penalty on finishing pigs in herds detected with Ma infection was modelled. Using a dynamic optimization model and a grid search of deliveries of herds from pig producers to slaughterhouse, optimal control measures for pig producers and optimal penalty values for deliveries with increased Ma risk were identified for different sensitivity and specificity values. Results showed that higher sensitivity and lower specificity induced use of more intense control measures and resulted in higher pig producer costs and lower Ma seroprevalence. The minimal penalty value needed to comply with a threshold for Ma seroprevalence in finishing pigs at slaughter was lower at higher sensitivity and lower specificity. With imperfect specificity a larger sample size decreased pig producer incentives to control Ma seroprevalence, because the higher number of false positives resulted in an increased probability of rejecting a batch of finishing pigs irrespective of whether the pig producer applied control measures. We conclude that test sensitivity and specificity must be considered in incentive system design to induce pig producers to control Ma in finishing pigs with minimum negative effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The main objective of this review is to provide current information regarding non-infectious risk factors associated with stillborn piglets. These factors can be roughly categorized as genetic, maternal, piglet and environmental factors, but also interactions exist between several factors. An understanding of this multifactorial problem should help practitioners and farmers implementing a more effective farrowing management to obtain a high reproductive efficiency. From the papers studied in this review, it can be concluded that litter size, parity, sow's body condition and farrowing supervision/birth assistance seems to be the most relevant risk factors associated with stillborn piglets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Greenhouse gas emissions represent a major environmental problem associated with the management of manure from the livestock industry. Methane is the primary GHG emitted during manure outdoor storage. In this paper, the variability of two swine and two dairy manure storage tanks was surveyed, in terms of physico-chemical and microbiological parameters. The impact of the inter-tank and spatio-temporal variations of these parameters on the methanogenic activity of manure was ascertained. A Partial Least Square regression was carried out, which demonstrated that physico-chemical as well as microbiological parameters had a major influence on the methanogenic activity. Among the 19 parameters included in the regression, the concentrations of VFAs had the strongest negative influence on the methane emission rate of manure, resulting from their well-known inhibitory effect. The relative abundance of two amplicons in archaeal fingerprints was found to positively influence the methanogenic activity, suggesting that Methanoculleus spp. and possibly Methanosarcina spp. are major contributors to methanogenesis in storage tanks. This work gave insights into the mechanisms, which drive methanogenesis in swine and dairy manure storage tanks. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The average dressed weight for barrows and gilts slaughtered in the United States has increased 23% since 1977, from an annual average of 163lbs to 201lbs in 2010. This measure of pork production includes pork produced from US born and raised hogs as well as hogs imported from Canada. This paper addresses technological change in US born and raised pork production. Since pork produced from Canadian hogs could distort estimates of technological improvement and other variables describing changes in US born and raised pork production, a method of adjusting production data series for the portion of US pork production that comes from foreign-born hogs is developed. The resulting data are used to estimate the rate of change in average dressed weight, assumed to be due to technical change in the US swine herd. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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 reviews the effects of road transport on the welfare, carcass and meat quality of cattle, swine and poultry in North America (NA). The main effects of loading density, trailer microclimate, transport duration, animal size and condition, management factors including bedding, ventilation, handling, facilities, and vehicle design are summarized by species. The main effects listed above all have impacts on welfare (stress, health, injury, fatigue, dehydration, core body temperature, mortality and morbidity) and carcass and meat quality (shrink, bruising, pH, color defects and water losses) to varying degrees. It is clear that the effect of road transport is a multi-factorial problem where a combination of stressors rather than a single factor is responsible for the animal''s well-being and meat quality post transport. Animals least fit for transport suffer the greatest losses in terms of welfare and meat quality while market ready animals (in particular cattle and pigs) in good condition appear to have fewer issues. More research is needed to identify the factors or combination of factors with the greatest negative impacts on welfare and meat quality relative to the species, and their size, age and condition under extreme environmental conditions. Future research needs to focus on controlled scientific assessments, under NA conditions, of varying loading densities, trailer design, microclimate, and handling quality during the transport process. Achieving optimal animal well-being, carcass and meat quality will entirely depend on the quality of the animal transport process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Information obtained from peripheral blood could help us understand the underlying mechanisms in autoimmune diseases, cancer, pregnancy, and other conditions. In this paper, we present the protein map of porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to better understand the molecular expression changes that occur during pregnancy using proteomic analysis. We detected 94 differentially expressed proteins in pregnant vs. non-pregnant (NP) pigs, and a representative set of the proteins was subjected to LC–MS/MS analysis. Furthermore, the identified proteins were categorized according to their biological process and molecular function. By classifying the proteins according to their functions, a large number of differentially regulated proteins involved in anti-oxidant, detoxification and stress response pathways were found, including peroxiredoxin (PRX) 1, 2, and 6, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), annexin A2, and A6, and heat shock protein 27 (HSP 27) during pregnancy (pregnancy d of E40, embryonic day 40; E70, embryonic day 70; and E93, embryonic day 93) compared with non-pregnancy. In this study, a proteomic approach utilizing 2-DE and LC–MS/MS was applied to evaluate specific molecular expression changes during pregnancy compared with non-pregnancy. Together, these data offer new information about the proteome map and factors that are differentially regulated during maintenance of normal pregnancy. [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: The aim of my paper is to discuss the phenomenon of nostalgia for socialism in rural Poland. More precisely, I discuss how experiences of rurality and diverse religious beliefs intertwine with nostalgia. Depicting the memories of socialism, shared with me by the inhabitants of a multi-religious rural commune in Southern Poland, I aim to demonstrate the ways in which day-to-day experiences of rural life as well as religious diversity contribute to shaping people''s remembrances. In order to do so, I describe both the present situation and the historical experiences of the inhabitants of the commune. I introduce representatives of different Christian communities – Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Orthodox and Pentecostals – and, by presenting their life stories, I address the issue of how villagers'' religious creeds interrelate with the memories and (re)evaluation of the socialist past. My aim here is twofold. Firstly I aim to deconstruct the nostalgia for socialism, showing its complexity and proving that this nostalgia means in fact longing for very concrete experiences of rural life. Secondly, I argue that the study of various religious beliefs and practices is very important for a fuller interpretation of nostalgic discourses and responses to postsocialist transformations. [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: This paper deals with tactical planning decisions for breeding farms producing piglets through a linear optimization model. A medium-term planning horizon based on weekly periods is considered. The proposed model maximizes the profit of the farm and takes into account sow herd dynamics, housing facilities, reproduction management, available stocks and a target quota of a weekly number of farrowing to integrate piglet production into the pig supply chain management. As result, an optimal replacement policy of sows and a scheduling of purchases of gilts during the whole planning horizon are provided. The model is solved using the algebraic modeling language ILOG OPL 6.1 with CPLEX 11.2 as the linear optimization solver. The article also discusses results obtained from a sensitivity analysis performed to assess the suitability of the model approach and the benefits of representing real variability over time against time homogeneity. In addition, the analysis and results presented lead to better understand sow herd dynamics over a finite time-horizon and corresponding performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: The conjunctiva of the eyelid is coated by secretion products from the lacrimal and eyelid glands, and by mucins produced by conjunctival goblet cells, which together form a glycoprotein-rich layer that lubricates and protects the surface of the eye. However, these ocular carbohydrates may also act as adhesives for viruses and bacteria and thereby facilitate their colonization. This paper provides histochemical demonstration of the in situ localization of such carbohydrate receptors in the form of sialylated glycans and mucins in the lacrimal and eyelid glands and conjunctiva from both humans and pigs. The pig is included in this study because viruses of swine origin may be capable of transmission to humans. We found that the human and pig ocular surfaces contain receptors for bacteria and viruses in the form of mucins (both membrane bound and secreted) and carbohydrates terminating in Sialylα2-6Gal epitopes and to a lesser degree in Sialylα2-3Gal. The glycosylation of the human soft palate could indicate a mucinous route for the spread of microorganisms from the eye via the nasolacrimal duct to the nasopharynx and thus to the upper part of the respiratory tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Abstract: Swine manure storage is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study was conducted to quantify CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from swine manure stored at different stack heights using dynamic emission vessels. Stack heights of 10, 20, and 40cm to cover the typical range of manure stack heights, were examined at 25°C with a ventilation rate of 20air changes/h with each regimen replicated thrice. Results show that the GHG emissions increased on the 2nd to 3rd day of manure storage then decreased to became stable after 10d of storage. Manure stack height affected GHG emissions from stored swine manure, with the lower stack height having higher CO2 and N2O, but lower CH4, emissions/kg of initial manure weight. On the basis of 100yr global warming potential for CH4 and N2O, cumulative emissions were 7.5±1.11, 6.8±1.32 and 10.8±1.23g CO2-eqv/kg initial manure, respectively, for the 10, 20, and 40cm stacks over the 6wk storage period. Results suggest that 20cm stack height produced the least GHG emissions. 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]

Abstract: The removal of the organic matter of the swine manure liquid fraction has been carried out by an integral process based on two stages: anaerobic digestion in an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor followed by ultrafiltration (UF) as a tertiary treatment. The lab-scale EGSB reactor was operating for 39 weeks with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3.8 days; leading to a 70% tCOD removal and a biogas production of 0.15Nm3 CH4 kg−1 tCOD removed. The UF process was studied in two different geometry and configuration membrane modules: external tubular (E-T) and submerged hollow fiber (S-HF). Both lab-scale systems have been compared in terms of the filtration selectivity and productivity and the S-HF has been the most selective and productive configuration in the filtration of the EGSB effluent. The whole process (EGSB+S-HF) provides a permeate flow without solids and yields a tCOD removal around 90%. Finally this paper proposes a satisfactory model for the UF of the EGSB effluent in the S-HF module. Both the membrane intrinsic resistance (R M) and the specific cake resistance (α) have been calculated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A study was conducted to assess the effect of UV254 on the concentration and viability of PRRSV on surfaces and materials commonly encountered on swine farms. A standard quantity (5×106 TCID50, total dose) of a PRRSV modified live vaccine virus was inoculated onto 2 matched sets of surfaces/materials including wood, plastic, latex, rubber, styrofoam, metal, leather, cloth, concrete, cardboard, glass and paper. One set was exposed to UV254 radiation (treatments) and the other to incandescent light (controls) for a 24h period. During this time, treatments and controls were swabbed at 10min intervals from 0 to 60min post-inoculation (PI) and again at 24h PI. The quantity of PRRSV RNA on each item at each sampling time was calculated by RT-PCR and the presence of viable PRRSV in each sample was determined by swine bioassay. A significant reduction (p <0.0001) in the quantity of PRRSV RNA was demonstrated at 24h PI independent of treatment. In addition, a significant reduction (p =0.012) in the number of UV254-treated surfaces which harbored viable virus was observed at 60min (0/12 positive) when compared to control surfaces (5/12 positive). In addition, all UV254 treated samples collected between 10 and 50min PI were bioassay negative. These results suggest that UV254 is an effective means to inactivate PRRSV on commonly encountered farm surfaces and materials and inactivation can be accomplished following 10min of exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Somatostatin (SS) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) are synthesized and secreted by the hypothalamus, which mediates the synthesis and secretion of the growth hormone (GH) from the hypophysis, as well as regulates the GH concentrations in animals and humans. In this paper, we describe the regulation of animal growth using plasmid DNA-encoding GHRH gene. In this study, we introduce a gene transfer technique mediated by PLGA microspheres. The eukaryon expression vectors based on the RNA replicon, namely, pCMV-Rep-GHRH, were constructed; further, poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microsphere-encapsulating plasmids were prepared. Gilts were intramuscularly injected at day 85 of gestation with 1 or 5mg of pCMV-Rep-GHRH microspheres. Piglets were weighed following birth and at days 20 and 50 postbirth. Blood samples were collected at day 50 to evaluate serum IGF-1 and GHRH concentrations. The result showed that the birth weight of the piglets at 20d and 50d were significantly higher (by 20.32–110.76%; P< 0.01) than that in the group injected with saline-MP. After 50days, the concentrations of serum IGF-I in the treatment groups injected with plasmid were observed to be significantly higher (2.5 times; P< 0.01) than that in the group injected with saline-MP; the concentration of serum GHRH was higher than 21% in 1 case (P< 0.01). The lymphocyte stimulation indices detected confirmed that GHRH gene transfer could improve immunity in first-generation progeny pigs. The results of this study confirmed that PLGA microsphere-mediated GHRH expression in pregnant pig skeletal muscle enhanced the body weight of piglets prior to and following birth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Little is known about the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Klebsiella pneumoniae from swine in China. Thus, this paper aims to demonstrate the β-lactam resistance phenotypes and genotypes of K. pneumoniae isolates from swine in southwestern China, detect possible new β-lactamase variants, and determine whether or not the variants differ in their antibiotic resistance. Isolates from 58 unrelated diseased swine were collected from 61 pig farms in southwestern China from 2007 to 2009. Among the 58 isolates, 75.8–100% were resistant to β-lactam, 62.0–68.97% to fluoroquinolone, 44.8–46.55% to aminoglycoside, and 8.62–17.24% to β-lactam inhibitors. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing showed that bla TEM-1 was detected in 100% (n =58) of the isolates, bla SHV in 82.76% (n =48), bla CTX-M in 39.66% (n =23), and bla OKP in 17.24% (n =10). The bla SHV types included bla SHV-1, bla SHV-11, bla SHV-12, and bla SHV-27. None of the isolates harbored bla KPC, bla LEN, or bla GES gene. Four novel variants (bla OKP-A-13, bla OKP-A-14, bla OKP-A-15, and bla OKP-A-16) were identified among the 10 OKP β-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae isolates resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, oxacillin, cefalexin, and cefadroxil. Plasmid analysis and PCR amplification indicated that bla TEM-1 genes were detected in the total plasmid. Molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of 10 distinct pulsotypes of OKP producer isolates. Plasmid DNA digested with XbaI yielded two to six bands of ca. 0.15–30kb. Transformants of the 10 OKP producer isolates showed no differences in their antibiotic susceptibility, except for the pulsotype B transformant, which carried bla CTX-M. In China, β-lactam resistance appeared to be common among K. pneumoniae isolates from swine, suggesting that K. pneumoniae may be a reservoir for the dissemination of β-lactam resistance among Chinese pig farms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The oestrous cycle in pigs spans a period of 18–24 days. It consists of a follicular phase of 5–7 days and a luteal phase of 13–15 days. During the follicular phase, small antral follicles develop into large, pre-ovulatory follicles. Being a polytocous species, the pig may ovulate from 15 to 30 follicles, depending on age, nutritional status and other factors. During the luteal phase, follicle development is less pronounced, although there is probably a considerable turnover of primordial to early antral follicles that fail to further develop due to progesterone inhibition of gonadotrophic hormones. Nevertheless, formation of the early antral follicle pool during this stage probably has a major impact on follicle dynamics in the follicular phase in terms of number and quality of follicles. Generally, gilts are mated at their second or third estrous cycle after puberty. After farrowing, pigs experience a lactational anoestrus period, until they are weaned and the follicular phase is initiated, resulting in oestrus and ovulation 4–7 days after weaning. This paper describes the major endocrine processes during the follicular and luteal phases that precede and follow ovulation. The role of nutrition and metabolic status on these processes are briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, aerobic biological filter is applied to treat swine farms wastewater. Laboratory experiments are conducted to confirm the optimum parameters for start-up and operation of filter by investigating the effect of temperature on the start-up of the filter and the influence of temperature, pH value and recirculation rate on the treatment effect of the filter. The results show temperature increasing is benefit for accelerating start-up of filter in the range of 17.0-33.0°C. COD removal of the filter enhances slightly by temperature rising during normal operation. High NH3-N reduction (above 84.0%) is obtained in range of 25.0-30.0°C. pH in range of 7.1-8.0 is recommended for operation treatment, in which pollutants reduction for COD and NH3-N is 85.7%-86.9 and 86.8%-89.5%, respectively. COD and NH3-N reduction enhances with recirculation rate increasing. When the recirculation rate is above 4, the increasing of COD and NH3-N reduction is slight. Swine wastewater treatment project utilizing aerobic biological filter as a key element is established in a swine breeding farm of Daxing district, Beijing. The whole project runs well by start-up and operation of filter. COD reduction of wastewater in aerobic biological filter is 63.0-89.3%. And the COD concentration of effluent in filter is below 150mg/L, which achieves the national requirement of pollutants output standard of livestock and poultry breeding industry and water quality standard of farmland irrigation. The aerobic biological filter is worth to be generalized for treating swine wastewater in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, clinoptilolite, as an adsorbing material, which adsorption capability of ammonia was studied. Clinoptilolite is a porous crystal material, which adsorption properties of clinotiolite are strongly related to the framework structure, which has performance for the physical adsorption and ion exchange. China is in rich of nature clinoptilolite, which is cheap and suitable for extensive application in pig house. The experiment indicated that clinoptilolite had a characteristic of “rapid adsorption, slow equilibrium”, it took 3hours to reach adsorption equilibrium, clinoptilolite''s particle size, moisture content and dosage had important effects on saturation adsorption time and ammonia adsorption capacity. With decreasing the particle size, clinoptilolite adsorption capacity increased, and the higher ammonia concentration, the better adsorption effect in the “rapid adsorption” phase. Different clinoptilolite''s moistures also played an important role for adsorption effect, in the “rapid adsorption” phase, the effect was the best when moisture content of clinoptilolite was 40%; in the phase of “slow equilibrium”, wet clinoptilolite adsorption would be better than the natural, the rank was: 40%>50%>30%>20%>60%>the natural. By regression analyze, when moisture content was 42%, adsorption capability could be the best. Besides, clinoptilolite adsorption capacity was studied, per unit saturation adsorption capacity of 10g nature clinoptilolite was 0.09mg/g, 20g nature clinoptilolite''s was 0.13mg/g. Therefore, it could be seen that increasing the amount of clinoptilolite would improve the total and units clinoptilolite adsorption capacity. Considering the significant sorption for ammonia, the method of clinoptilolite adsorption could be simple and economic, it should be foreseeable that clinoptilolite adsorption would have a good prospect for air purification in pig farm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A model has been developed to predict pig manure evolution (mass, dry and organic matter, N, P, K, Cu and Zn contents) and related gaseous emissions (methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3)) from pig excreta up to manure stored before spreading. This model forms part of a more comprehensive model including the prediction of pig excretion. The model simulates contrasted management systems, including different options for housing (slatted floor or deep litter), outside storage of manure and treatment (anaerobic digestion, biological N removal processes, slurry composting (SC) with straw and solid manure composting). Farmer practices and climatic conditions, which have significant effects on gaseous emissions within each option, have also been identified. The quantification of their effects was based on expert judgement from literature and local experiments, relations from mechanistic models or simple emission factors, depending on existing knowledge. The model helps to identify relative advantages and weaknesses for each system. For example, deep-litter with standard management practices is associated with high-greenhouse gas (GHG) production (+125% compared to slatted floor) and SC on straw is associated with high NH3 emission (+15% compared to slatted floor). Another important result from model building and first simulations is that farmer practices and the climate induce an intra-system (for a given infrastructure) variability of NH3 and GHG emissions nearly as high as inter-system variability. For example, in deep-litter housing systems, NH3 and N2O emissions from animal housing may vary between 6% and 53%, and between 1% and 19% of total N excreted, respectively. Thus, the model could be useful to identify and quantify improvement margins on farms, more precisely or more easily than current methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proliferative enteropathy caused by the intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracefiulads is an endemic disease with high herd prevalences reported worldwide. The infection has a considerable impact on pig production and herd economics and. with the development of new diagnostic techniques. L. inrracellularis is being identified in an increasing number of pig herds and a wider range of species, This paper reviews current knowledge of the disease, with a focus on the epidemiology in pigs. The prevalence of infection, transmission, predisposing factors, microbial features, pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and control are discussed. The disease is mainly controlled by antibiotic treatment and vaccination at herd level. In the development of effective measures to prevent the spread of the infection, increased knowledge of the transmission and persistence of the microorganism are crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a quantitative investigation and analysis of anammox activity in sludge taken from biological swine wastewater treatment plants. An incubation experiment using a 15N tracer technique showed anammox activity in sludge taken from 6 out of 13 plants with the rate ranging from 0.0036μmol-N2/g-VSS/h to 3.1μmol-N2/g-VSS/h, and in a biofilm with the highest activity at 25.8μmol-N2/g-VSS/h. It is notable that 9 out of 11 sludges in which the pH was maintained between 6.6 and 8.1 retained anammox activity, while those with either a lower or higher pH did not. Moreover, anammox-positive sludge had a significantly higher concentration of plus than did anammox-negative sludge. A significant difference was not observed between anammox-positive and -negative sludge regarding in the influent, DO concentration in aeration tanks, and the concentrations of , free nitric acid, and free ammonia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]