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Animal biodiversity is essential for maintaining the functionality of local food systems and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Starting in 2000, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O.) has drawn attention to the decline in cattle populations, including the Transylvanian Pinzgau breed from Romania. Renowned for its hardiness, adaptability, and enhanced resistance to diseases and climate change, the Transylvanian Pinzgau is regarded as an important genetic asset for advancing livestock production. As a result, tracking genetic diversity has become a key focus in breeding programs, particularly for small, endangered local populations that play a vital role in regional agro-ecological systems. This research paper sought to assess the genetic diversity of a group of 24 head of cattle from the Transylvania region by analyzing two mtDNA markers, cytochrome b and D-loop sequences, both widely recognized for their relevance and importance in the analysis of genetic diversity of cattle and phylogenetic studies. The findings, derived through statistical analysis of nucleotide sequences using specialized software, indicated that the analyzed cattle are part of the ancestral T haplogroup, with a direct lineage tracing back to Bos taurus. This information can aid in developing crossbreeding programs focused on conserving essential genetic resources, improving other cattle breeds, and protecting biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality poultry meat products, characterized by freshness, flavor, and safety, are essential for consumer satisfaction and loyalty in the food industry. The consistent maintenance of quality standards in poultry meat products ensures not only consumer confidence but also contributes to their overall health and well-being. This paper aims to assess and verify the quality of turkey liver pate cans obtained within a poultry meat processing unit in the Moldova region, through organoleptic, physico-chemical, and microbiological analyses. The analysis of the chemical composition showed a content of 1.35% NaCl, protein content with an average value of 8.76%, and fat content with an average value of 24.6%. Also, microbiological analysis of the cans demonstrated the absence of pathogenic bacteria from the genera Salmonella and Escherichia coli. In conclusion, quality assurance of canned meat is achieved through the implementation of total supervision through the correct and impartial evaluation of all risk factors for the health of the final consumer. Hygiene must be ensured in all stages of production, starting from hygiene on the technological flow of canning, the hygiene of the storage space and the sale of preparations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article was to evaluate the efficacy of heat treatment procedures used on sour cream, a raw material used to make butter. To investigate the safety of sour cream, 25 samples of unpasteurized sour cream, 25 samples of pasteurised sour cream, and 25 samples of butter were evaluated. The samples were then subjected to enzymatic and biochemical analysis. The titratable acidity of unpasteurized sour cream resulted was 19.84±0.10 °T. All 25 samples tested positive for peroxidase activity. The titratable acidity of pasteurised sour cream was 20.24°T, although the peroxidase activity was negative. Using the reductase test with methylene blue, the samples of unpasteurized sour cream ranged in the second quality class, with a discoloration interval of samples substrate till 289.60±3.49 minutes. The titratable acidity of the butter was 2.59±0.04°T, and the peroxidase activity was negative in all 25 samples. The sour cream heat treatment techniques have been validated, with the examination of the two dairy products yielding good findings in compliance with standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study refers to the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), which is an adaptable species that enriches the variability of quantitative and qualitative characteristics and increases genetic diversity. Local aquaculture populations of common carp, called "landraces," have developed due to different environmental conditions and breeding efforts. However, the introduction of carp in some areas has led to negative impacts on natural aquatic ecosystems. To improve the quality of economically important fish species, the variation in morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics is utilized. In this study, a patent application for a system for reproduction, selection, and growth of fish fry with the simulation of natural conditions is described. The article explains the method used to replicate the natural aquatic environment and create viable products with high genetic adaptability to its conditions. The process falls into the category of extensive aquaculture, promoting sustainable aquaculture by increasing the percentage of ecological and environmentally friendly productions. The study concludes with the results and the development of a set-up of the station for laboratory use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to estimate correlations between milk yield and growth traits. The biological material was 282 Lacaune ewes and traits studied were: milk yield (MY), body weight (BW), height at withers (HW), height at rump (HR), torso length (TL), chest width (CW), rump width (RW), chest depth (CD), chest girth (CG) and metacarpal circumference (MC). The data obtained were statistically processed and interpreted. Average values for milk yield was 120.86 kg for 135 days; average values for morphological traits was 65.10 kg for BW, 62.48 cm for WH, 63.23 cm for RW, 55.25 cm for TL, 25.04 cm for CW, 23.60 cm for RW, 24.06 cm for CD, 84.07 cm for CG and 6.91 cm for MC. Correlations were determined by Pearson test and correlation coefficients had values of +0.13 between MY x BW, -0.02 between MY x WH, -0.19 MY x RH, +0.12 between MY x TL, -0.03 between MY x CW, -0.08 between MY x RW, +0.03 between MY x CD, +0.002 between MY x CG and -0.06 between MY x MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the increasing demand for sheep meat, it is necessary to optimize the breeding strategies and the management of sheep breeding in Romania in order to satisfy this demand by obtaining animals with high genetic potential in terms of body development traits. Knowing that some of the main factors such as sex, parity, type of birth are considered sources of variation of several growth-related traits within the sheep species, the aim of the present work was to determine the influence of these factors on the birth weight of a population of Teleorman Black Head sheep. In order to achieve the scope, the birth weight character of 732 lambs born in the 2021 lambing season was studied. The data obtained by weighing were statistically processed in Excel using the software 'Real statistics'. The sex ratio was 1:0.77, with 407 females and 316 males, which had an average birth weight of 4.053 ± 0.039 kg and 4.19 ± 0.044 kg, respectively. The results showed that birth weight was insignificantly influenced by sex (p>0.01), strongly influenced by parity (p<0.01) and strongly influenced by birth type (p<0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to estimate the heritability of milk, fat, and protein yields in Holstein cows from a dairy farm in Iaşi, Romania. The heritability of these traits during the first lactation is examined using 16 bulls and their 542 progeny and was estimated the heritability of milk, fat, and protein yields during the first lactation. Data was statistically processed with ANOVA. The findings reveal a lower heritability for milk yield (0.15 ± 0.06), a moderate heritability for fat yield (0.30 ± 0.12), and a strong heritability for protein yield (0.64 ± 0.23). These results showed that protein yield exhibits the most significant genetic influence, while milk yield demonstrates the least. The findings regarding milk yield and fat percentage should be interpreted with caution due to their proximity to the limits of the specialized data range. However, it is important to note that the observed heritability for protein percentage may be of particular difference, potentially influenced by human error or the transmission of data in an improper manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger study, the present work highlights the way fish specimens affect the parameters of the aquatic environment, which is essential in fish farming. Six common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were subjected to an experiment where they were transferred to new aquatic environments, while two specimens remained in the water of origin. Each individual modified the initial values of the aquatic environments by balancing them to create a framework conducive to their survival. During the experiment, no feeding methods were applied, and the individuals' intervention on the water was strictly observed. The results demonstrated the high degree of adaptability of the species, but there was also an early case of fatality, which was justified. The intervention of the individuals was highlighted by the value of the parameter PO₄, which exceeded the recommended value in aquaculture. However, the value was identical when each individual was removed from the experimental module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep flocks of the Teleorman Black Head breed started to grow and spread almost all over Romania since 2010 when this breed was homologated and a breeding programme was implemented to improve the productive traits of the animals within the breed, especially milk production. However, the animals of this breed have a large body size, a high growth gain for lambs and good carcass weights are obtained at slaughter. On the Romanian market, lambs that are not kept for fattening are destined for export, especially to Arab countries, or for slaughter and consumption during the period around Easter. Since average daily gain is a trait with medium heritability (h=0.16-0.45) [1], the environment in which animals are reared needs to be studied and optimized. The aim of this study is to identify the environmental factors that influenced the performance of young sheep from two farms in different areas in the NE of Romania. The biological material taken in the study was the lambs from the two farms, 277 in farm A and 380 in farm B obtained from the 2021 lambing campaign from a flock of 252 mother ewes in farm A and 376 mother ewes in farm B. The lambs were weighed according to the COP (Official Production Control) procedure, both at birth and at weaning. The average daily gain of lambs on farm A ranged from 229.5 g to 319.8 g, with an average of 273.23 g for females, and from 280.7 g to 405.7 g for males, with an average of 340.66 g, and on farm B from 243.2 to 275.2 for females, with an average of 259.43 g, and from 307.2 g to 408.5 g for males, with an average of 368.7 g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lacaune sheep breed was started to be recently imported and in small numbers on the Romanian territory, and the number of animals of this breed is still low, so, it was considered necessary to carry out a study on a sheep population from the NE area of the country, where a herd of 382 Lacaune sheep was imported from France. The aim of the paper was to study the adaptability of the breed in this area using prolificacy as its main criterion. The study was made in the period between 2020, September to 2021, April, including the 2020 September-October mating campaign and the 2021 February-March lambing campaign, the period in which the factors that could influence the reproductive indices were studied, but also the overall development of the flock. After the lambing period, the collected data were processed and it was concluded that the prolificacy index registered values that fall within the values recorded in the specialty literature and that are considered as standard values of the breed. There were 282 females studied, 186 of them lambed twins and out of this number, 48 of the females were primiparous and 138 were multiparous. In the studied farm, the prolificacy had values of 144,4% for primiparous and 179,3% for multiparous females, like as the specialty literature data, where the "Lacaune du lait" sheep breed has an average prolificacy of 145% in primiparous and 170% in multiparous. These data reveal that the breed has adapted well to the conditions in the area, not negatively influencing the prolificacy index, which indicates that animals of this breed can fully express their genetic potential and could even improve their performance if a good management is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical character recognition (OCR) remains a difficult problem for noisy documents or documents scanned at low resolution. Many current approaches rely on stored font models that are vulnerable to cases in which the document is noisy or is written in a font dissimilar to the stored fonts. In this paper we test two approaches for preprocessing, or correcting the input images. The focus is on noise reduction, lightness correction and binarization, all relative to found letters with a slow but more accurate method and a fast and less accurate method. We then compare the results and see if the extra time spent in developing more complex letter deduction technique offers significant improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]