Relationship between body weight and hip width in dairy buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between body weight (BW) and hip width (HW) in dairy buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). HW was measured in 215 Murrah buffaloes with a BW of 341 ± 161.6 kg, aged between three months and five years, and raised in southeastern Mexico. Linear and non-linear regressions were used to construct the prediction models. The goodness of fit of the models was evaluated using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), coefficient of determination (R2), mean squared error (MSE), and root MSE (RMSE). Additionally, the developed models were evaluated through internal and external cross-validation (k-folds) using independent data. The ability of the fitted models to predict the observed values was assessed based on the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), R2, and mean absolute error (MAE). The relationship between BW and HW showed a high correlation coefficient (r = 0.96, P < 0.001). The chosen fitted model to predict BW was: -176.33 (± 40.83***) + 8.74 (± 1.79***) × HW + 0.04 (± 0.01*) × HW2, because it presented the lowest MSE, RMSE, and AIC values, which were 1228.64, 35.05 and 1532.41, respectively. Therefore, with reasonable accuracy, the quadratic model using hip width may be suitable for predicting body weight in buffaloes.

Anatomy and Physiology of Water Buffalo Mammary Glands: An Anatomofunctional Comparison with Dairy Cattle.

The present review aims to analyze the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the mammary gland and udders of water buffalo by making an anatomofunctional comparison with dairy cattle. It will also discuss the knowledge generated around the physiological regulation of milk ejection in the water buffalo. It was found that buffalo's average udder depth and width is approximately 20 cm smaller than Bos cattle. One of the main differences with dairy cattle is a longer teat canal length (around 8.25-11.56 cm), which highly influences buffalo milking. In this sense, a narrower teat canal (2.71 ± 0.10 cm) and thicker sphincter muscle are associated with needing higher vacuum levels when using machine milking in buffalo. Moreover, the predominant alveolar fraction of water buffalo storing 90-95% of the entire milk production is another element that can be related to the lower milk yields in buffalo (when compared to Bos cattle) and the requirements for prolonged prestimulation in this species. Considering the anatomical characteristics of water buffalo's udder could help improve bubaline dairy systems.

Inclusion of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) and pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita moschata) in dairy sheep diets.

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed (CS) and Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) seed (PS) are used in ruminant diets as energy sources. The current experiment studied the impact of dietary inclusion of CS and PS on nutrient intake and digestibility, milk yield, and milk composition of dairy sheep. Twelve primiparous Texel × Suffolk ewes [70 ± 5 days in milk (DIM); 0.320 ± 0.029 kg milk yield] were distributed in a 4 × 3 Latin square design and fed either a butter-based control diet [CON; 13 g/kg dry matter] or two diets with 61 g/kg DM of either CS or PS. Dietary inclusion of CS and PS did not alter live weight (p >0.1) and DM intake (p >0.1). However, compared to the CON, dietary inclusion of both CS and PS increased the digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (p <0.001) and acid detergent lignin (p < 0.001). Milk production (p = 0.001), fat-corrected milk (p < 0.001), and feed efficiency (p < 0.001) were enhanced with PS, while the highest milk protein yield (p < 0.05) and lactose yield (p < 0.001) were for CS-fed ewes. Compared to the CON diet, the ingestion of either CS and/or PS decreased (p < 0.001) the C16:0 in milk. Moreover, both CS and PS tended to enhance the content of C18:3n6 (p > 0.05) and C18:3n3 (p > 0.05). Overall short-term feeding of CS and/or PS (up to 6.1% DM of diet) not only maintains the production performance and digestibility of nutrients but also positively modifies the milk FA composition.

Modulation of PM2.5 in tropical South America by the upper-level atmospheric circulation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases.

In the Amazon basin, biomass burning has been identified as a major cause of poor regional air quality and the dominant source of particulate matter (PM). In this study, we analyse the impact of the upper-level jet on PM2.5 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm) concentrations in tropical South America (SA) from December to February during the period 2003-2022. Furthermore, we investigate the response of air pollutants to the joint modulation by the upper-level jet and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We find that PM2.5 concentrations in north-eastern Brazil are reduced on days when the subtropical jet (STJ) is absent due to enhanced convection and precipitation over the region. This improvement in air quality is independent of the ENSO phase. Conversely, a prominent STJ inhibits convection and contributes to dry conditions that favour increased biomass burning and elevated pollutant concentrations. Furthermore, the co-occurrence of a prominent STJ with an El Niño phase acts synergistically to increase pollutant concentrations, as both reduce precipitation in north-eastern Brazil. In combination with La Niña, this upper-level pattern does not exert any modulation of the PM2.5 concentrations, as the wet conditions favoured by this ENSO phase prevail to reduce biomass burning.

Prediction of Body Weight by Using PCA-Supported Gradient Boosting and Random Forest Algorithms in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Reared in South-Eastern Mexico.

This study aims to use advanced machine learning techniques supported by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to estimate body weight (BW) in buffalos raised in southeastern Mexico and compare their performance. The first stage of the current study consists of body measurements and the process of determining the most informative variables using PCA, a dimension reduction method. This process reduces the data size by eliminating the complex structure of the model and provides a faster and more effective learning process. As a second stage, two separate prediction models were developed with Gradient Boosting and Random Forest algorithms, using the principal components obtained from the data set reduced by PCA. The performances of both models were compared using R2, RMSE and MAE metrics, and showed that the Gradient Boosting model achieved a better prediction performance with a higher R2 value and lower error rates than the Random Forest model. In conclusion, PCA-supported modeling applications can provide more reliable results, and the Gradient Boosting algorithm is superior to Random Forest in this context. The current study demonstrates the potential use of machine learning approaches in estimating body weight in water buffalos, and will support sustainable animal husbandry by contributing to decision making processes in the field of animal science.

The Challenge of Global Warming in Water Buffalo Farming: Physiological and Behavioral Aspects and Strategies to Face Heat Stress.

Water buffaloes have morphological and behavioral characteristics for efficient thermoregulation. However, their health, welfare, and productive performance can be affected by GW. The objective of this review was to analyze the adverse effects of GW on the productive behavior and health of water buffaloes. The physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics of the species were discussed to understand the impact of climate change and extreme meteorological events on buffaloes' thermoregulation. In addition, management strategies in buffalo farms, as well as the use of infrared thermography as a method to recognize heat stress in water buffaloes, were addressed. We concluded that heat stress causes a change in energy mobilization to restore animal homeostasis. Preventing hyperthermia limits the physiological, endocrine, and behavioral changes so that they return to thermoneutrality. The use of fans, sprinklers, foggers, and natural sources of water are appropriate additions to current buffalo facilities, and infrared thermography could be used to monitor the thermal states of water buffaloes.

Thermal Balance in Male Water Buffaloes Transported by Long and Short Journeys.

Transport is a stressor that can cause physiological and metabolic imbalances in livestock, resulting in stress-induced hyperthermia. In water buffaloes, studies regarding the thermal state of animals during mobilization are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the thermal response of 1516 water buffaloes using infrared thermography (IRT) during 15 short trips (783 animals, 60,291 records, average duration = 50.33 min ± 5.48 min) and 14 long trips (733 animals, 56,441 records, average duration = 13.31 h ± 47.32 min). The surface temperature was assessed in 11 regions (periocular, lacrimal caruncle, nasal, lower eyelid, auricular, frontal-parietal, pelvic limb, torso, abdominal, lumbar, and thoracic) during seven phases from pasture to post-transport. It was found that the surface temperature of the periocular, lacrimal caruncle, nasal, auricular, frontal-parietal, pelvic limb, torso, abdominal, lumbar, and thoracic regions was significantly higher during SJs (+3 °C) when compared to LJs (p < 0.0001). In particular, the frontal-parietal region had a significant increase of 10 °C during the post-transport phase (p < 0.0001) in both groups, recording the highest temperatures during this phase. Likewise, a strong positive significant correlation between the different regions was found (r = 0.90, p < 0.0001). It is worth mentioning that the herding, loading, pre-, and post-transport phases were the ones where the greatest thermal response was recorded, possibly due to the influence of human interaction. Finally, a strong positive correlation (r above 0.9, p > 0.001) between the periocular, lacrimal caruncle, pinna, and pelvic limb was found. According to the results, SJ could be considered a stressful event that hinders thermal generation, contrarily to LJ.

Shifting summer holidays in Spain as an adaptation measure to climate change.

This paper assesses whether moving summer holidays to the warmest period of the year in Spain could be a useful climate change adaptation strategy. While the most popular period for Spanish summer holidays has traditionally been August, we illustrate that the second half of July is the hottest period of the year and when the negative effects of high temperatures are most pronounced. If the holiday period in the second fortnight of August was moved to the second fortnight of July, some of the associated impacts would be mitigated due to the reduced anthropogenic activity during non-working days. In particular, we find a significant reduction in the annual peak of labour productivity loss (~25 %) and, to a lesser extent, of electricity demand and near-surface ozone concentrations (~3-4 %). Finally, we also show that global warming could lead to enhanced differences between both fortnights (even with no change in the seasonal cycle of temperature) because of the non-linear relationships between temperature and its impacts. Therefore, the positive effect of shifting holidays would be even larger in the coming future.

Predicting carcass tissue composition in Blackbelly sheep using ultrasound measurements and machine learning methods.

This study aimed to predict Blackbelly sheep carcass tissue composition using ultrasound measurements and machine learning models. The models evaluated were decision trees, random forests, support vector machines, and multi-layer perceptrons and were used to predict the total carcass bone (TCB), total carcass fat (TCF), and total carcass muscle (TCM). The best model for predicting the three parameters, TCB, TCF, and TCM was random forests, with mean squared error (MSE) of 0.31, 0.33, and 0.53; mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.26, 0.29, and 0.53; and the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.67, 0.69, and 0.76, respectively. The results showed that machine learning methods from in vivo ultrasound measurements can be used as determinants of carcass tissue composition, resulting in reliable results.

Predicting body weight through biometric measurements in growing hair sheep using data mining and machine learning algorithms.

Determination of live weight, which is one of the most important features that determine meat production, is a very important issue for herd management and sustainable livestock. In this context, the necessity of finding alternative methods has emerged, especially in rural conditions, due to the difficulties to be experienced in finding the weighing tool. Especially for conditions with no weighing tool, it has been tried to establish relations between the information obtained from body measurements and live weight. Since these studies will differ from species to species and breed to breed, the need for new studies is extremely high. For this aim, it is to evaluate the body measurement information obtained with the present study using several statistical approaches. To implement this aim, several data mining and machine learning algorithms such as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), classification and regression tree (CART), and support vector machine regression (SVR) algorithms were used for training (70%) and test (30%) sets. To predict final body weight, 280 hair sheep breeds (162 female and 118 male) ranging from 2 months to 3 years were used with different data mining and machine learning approaches. Various goodness-of-fit criteria were used to evaluate the performances of the aforementioned algorithms. Although the MARS and SVR algorithms gave the same and highest results in terms of R2 and r values for both the train and the test sets, the SVR algorithm is one of the methods to be recommended as a result of this study, especially when other goodness-of-fit criteria are evaluated. In conclusion, the usage of SVR algorithms may be a useful tool of machine learning approaches for detecting the hair sheep breed standards and may contribute to increasing the sheep meat quality in Mexico.

DOCU-CLIM: A global documentary climate dataset for climate reconstructions.

Documentary climate data describe evidence of past climate arising from predominantly written historical documents such as diaries, chronicles, newspapers, or logbooks. Over the past decades, historians and climatologists have generated numerous document-based time series of local and regional climates. However, a global dataset of documentary climate time series has never been compiled, and documentary data are rarely used in large-scale climate reconstructions. Here, we present the first global multi-variable collection of documentary climate records. The dataset DOCU-CLIM comprises 621 time series (both published and hitherto unpublished) providing information on historical variations in temperature, precipitation, and wind regime. The series are evaluated by formulating proxy forward models (i.e., predicting the documentary observations from climate fields) in an overlapping period. Results show strong correlations, particularly for the temperature-sensitive series. Correlations are somewhat lower for precipitation-sensitive series. Overall, we ascribe considerable potential to documentary records as climate data, especially in regions and seasons not well represented by early instrumental data and palaeoclimate proxies.

Predicting live weight using body volume formula in lactating water buffalo.

Live weight (LW) is an important piece of information within production systems, as it is related to several other economic characteristics. However, in the main buffalo-producing regions in the world, it is not common to periodically weigh the animals. We develop and evaluate linear, quadratic, and allometric mathematical models to predict LW using the body volume (BV) formula in lactating water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) reared in southeastern Mexico. The LW (391.5 ± 138.9 kg) and BV (333.62 ± 58.51 dm3) were measured in 165 lactating Murrah buffalo aged between 3 and 10 years. The goodness-of-fit of the models was evaluated using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), coefficient of determination (R2), mean-squared error (MSE) and root MSE (RMSE). In addition, the developed models were evaluated through cross-validation (k-folds). The ability of the fitted models to predict the observed values was evaluated based on the RMSEP, R2, and mean absolute error (MAE). LW and BV were significantly positively and strongly correlated (r = 0.81; P < 0.001). The quadratic model had the lowest values of MSE (2788.12) and RMSE (52.80). On the other hand, the allometric model showed the lowest values of BIC (1319.24) and AIC (1313.07). The Quadratic and allometric models had lower values of MSEP and MAE. We recommend the quadratic and allometric models to predict the LW of lactating Murrah buffalo using BV as a predictor.

Public Health Implications of Drought in a Climate Change Context: A Critical Review.

Extreme weather events are expected to increase due to climate change, which could pose an additional burden of morbidity and mortality. In recent decades, drought severity has increased in several regions around the world, affecting health by increasing the risk of water-, food-, and vector-borne diseases, malnutrition, cardiovascular and respiratory illness, mental health disorders, and mortality. Drought frequency and severity are expected to worsen across large regions as a result of a decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperature and atmospheric evaporative demand, posing a pressing challenge for public health. Variation in impacts among countries and communities is due to multiple factors, such as aging, socioeconomic status, access to health care, and gender, affecting population resilience. Integrative proactive action plans focused on risk management are required, and resources should be transferred to developing countries to reduce their vulnerability and risk.

Effect of the Inclusion of Bacillus spp. in Growing-Finishing Pigs' Diets: A Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analysis determined the effect of Bacillus spp. on growth performance of growing−finishing pigs and then assessed causes for the heterogeneity of responses detected using meta-regression. A database of 22 articles published from 2000 to 2020 was identified, and 9 articles fitted the selection criteria and were integrated in the final database. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the effect size for ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and F:G ratio using a standardized means difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval. A meta-regression analysis was used to investigate the cause of heterogeneity, using the individual SMD for each study assessment as the outcome and the associated SE as the measure of variance. Dietary Bacillus spp. supplementation had no effect on ADFI (SMD: −0.052, p = 0.138) and numerically increased ADG (SMD: 0.113, p = 0.081) and reduced the F:G ratio SMD: −0.127, p < 0.001). Meta-regression outcomes suggested that the number of animals per group was an essential component promoting heterogeneity in ADG. Overall, the inclusion of Bacillus spp. (median 486 mg/d) in growing−finishing pigs can increase ADG and can decrease the F:G ratio.

Estimation of Carcass Tissue Composition from the Neck and Shoulder Composition in Growing Blackbelly Male Lambs.

This study was designed to develop predictive equations estimating carcass tissue composition in growing Blackbelly male lambs using as predictor variables for tissue composition of wholesale cuts of low economic value (i.e., neck and shoulder). For that, 40 lambs with 29.9 ± 3.18 kg of body weight were slaughtered and then the left half carcasses were weighed and divided in wholesale cuts, which were dissected to record weights of fat, muscle, and bone from leg, loin, neck, rib, and shoulder. Total weights of muscle (CM), bone (CB) and fat (CF) in carcass were recorded by adding the weights of each tissue from cuts. The CM, CF and CB positively correlated (p < 0.05; 0.36 ≤ r ≤ 0.86), from moderate to high, with most of the shoulder tissue components, but it was less evident (p ≤ 0.05; 0.32≤ r ≤0.63) with the neck tissue composition. In fact, CM did not correlate with neck fat and bone weights. Final models explained (p < 0.01) 94, 92 and 88% of the variation observed for CM, CF and CB, respectively. Overall, results showed that prediction of carcass composition from shoulder (shoulder) tissue composition is a viable option over the more accurate method of analyzing the whole carcass.

Residual Feed Intake and Rumen Metabolism in Growing Pelibuey Sheep.

This study was carried out to evaluate the residual feed intake (RFI), volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and enteric methane (CH4) from growing Pelibuey sheep. In this case, 12 non-castrated Pelibuey with an initial average live weight (LW) of 21.17 ± 3.87 kg and an age of 3 months, were housed in individual pens and fed a basal diet with 16% of crude protein and 11 MJ ME for 45 days. Dry matter intake (DMI) was measured and the daily weight gain (DWG) was calculated using a linear regression between the LW and experimental period. Mean metabolic live weight (LW0.75) was calculated. RFI was determined by linear regression with DWG and LW0.75 as independent variables. Lambs were classified as low, medium, and high RFI. Feed efficiency was determined as DWG/DMI. For determining rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration NH3-N), and VFA, ruminal fluid was obtained using an esophageal probe on day 40. Feed intake of low RFI lambs was approximately 16% lower (p < 0.05) while growth rate was not significantly different. Their average energy loss, expressed as CH4 production per kilogram of metabolic weight, was 17% lower (p < 0.05).

Dating historical droughts from religious ceremonies, the international pro pluvia rogation database.

Climate proxy data are required for improved understanding of climate variability and change in the pre-instrumental period. We present the first international initiative to compile and share information on pro pluvia rogation ceremonies, which is a well-studied proxy of agricultural drought. Currently, the database has more than 3500 dates of celebration of rogation ceremonies, providing information for 153 locations across 11 countries spanning the period from 1333 to 1949. This product provides data for better understanding of the pre-instrumental drought variability, validating natural proxies and model simulations, and multi-proxy rainfall reconstructions, amongst other climatic exercises. The database is freely available and can be easily accessed and visualized via http://inpro.unizar.es/ .

Requirements of milk intake and intake of milk components for pre-weaning growth of Pelibuey lambs.

The objective of the present study was to determine the needs of milk intake (MI) and their components (i.e., lactose, fat, protein, and energy) to increase the average daily gain (ADG) of Pelibuey lambs during the pre-weaning period. Data of 62 lambs were used (35 males and 27 females; 32 of single lambing and 30 twins). All lambs were housed in individual pens with their mothers during the first 45 days post-lambing, without access to mother's food. Every 10 d, MI was estimated by the double lamb weighing method, and then, the intake of each milk component was calculated, considering both milk chemical composition and its estimated intake. The ADG was associated with MI and its components through a linear regression analysis. All milk variables were highly (P < 0.05; 0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.85) correlated with ADG. The ADG explained (P < 0.0001) between 48 and 72% of the variation observed for MI and its components, being lower for fat intake and higher for MI. Given the positive slope parameter (ß1), an increase of one kilogram of body weight required intakes of 3.1 kg of milk, 117 g of fat, 203 g of protein, 187 g of lactose, or 16.8 MJ of energy. In conclusion, Pelibuey lambs to gain one kilogram of live weight during the pre-weaning period need to consume 3.1 kg of milk having an adequate amount of protein, fat, lactose, and energy.

Relationships among body condition score, FAMACHA© score and haematological parameters in Pelibuey ewes.

The objective of the present study was to determine the associations between the FAMACHA© score, body condition score (BCS) and several haematological parameters of Pelibuey ewes. In total, 52 clinically healthy Pelibuey ewes were evaluated in this study. A blood sample was collected from each animal to determine haematological variables. The BCS was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 and subsequently grouped into four categories: (1) < 1.5, (2) 2.0-2.5, (3) 3.0-3.5 and (4) > 4.0. The coloration of conjunctival mucosa was evaluated using the FAMACHA© system. The analysed haematological parameters were red blood cell (RBC) count, haemoglobin (HGB), haematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red blood cell distribution width standard deviation (RDW-SD) and red blood cell distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW-CV). A descriptive statistical analysis was performed, and the Pearson correlation coefficients between variables were estimated. Haematological parameters were analysed with one-way analyses of variance, and the Tukey test was applied when significant differences were detected. The FAMACHA© score was only associated with MCHC (r = - 0.30, P < 0.05). The haematological parameters of RBC count, HCT, RDW-SD and RDW-CV statistically differed among BCS groups. The BCS was associated with RBC count, HCT, RDW-SD and RDW-CV, with r values ranging from 0.35 to 0.48. The haematological values were similar to those reported in ewes from Iran and Iraq. Hence, the optimization of the BCS calculation of Pelibuey ewes can generate association tables with haematological parameters to aid in the sanitary and feeding management of sheep.

Predicting milk yield in Pelibuey ewes from the udder volume measurement with a simple method.

In this research communication we describe the creation of an equation for the prediction of milk yield (MY) from udder volume (UV). A total of 280 measurements were collected between 5 and 15 d postpartum (pp) from 36 multiparous Pelibuey ewes. Study variables were measured between 2 and 9 weeks pp and MY was measured by manual milking, UV prior to and following milking was measured using the technique of making moulds from aluminium foil. The MY ranged from 0.09 to 0.83 kg/d, meanwhile UV prior and following milking ranged from 155 to 1940 and 90 to 1520 cm3, respectively. Measurements of UV had a moderate to high (P < 0.01; 0.58 ≤ r ≤ 0.78) correlation with MY. The UV prior to milking was the best prediction model for MY, which explained 62% of the variation in MY. This equation presented moderate precision (r2 = 0.61) and high accuracy (bias correction factor = 0.94), confirming a good reproducibility index (concordance correlation coefficient = 0.73). Modelling efficiency (MEF = 0.59) showed moderate concordance between observed and predicted values. In conclusion, MY in lactating Pelibuey ewes could be predicted in a moderate way using the predictor variable UV measured with the technique of moulds made with aluminium foil.