Unraveling the genetic basis of methane emission in dairy cattle: a comprehensive exploration and breeding approach to lower methane emissions.

Ruminant animals, such as dairy cattle, produce CH4, which contributes to global warming emissions and reduces dietary energy for the cows. While the carbon foot print of milk production varies based on production systems, milk yield and farm management practices, enteric fermentation, and manure management are major contributors togreenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle. Recent emerging evidence has revealed the existence of genetic variation for CH4 emission traits among dairy cattle, suggests their potential inclusion in breeding goals and genetic selection programs. Advancements in high-throughput sequencing technologies and analytical techniques have enabled the identification of potential metabolic biomarkers, candidate genes, and SNPs linked to methane emissions. Indeed, this review critically examines our current understanding of carbon foot print in milk production, major emission sources, rumen microbial community and enteric fermentation, and the genetic architecture of methane emission traits in dairy cattle. It also emphasizes important implications for breeding strategies aimed at halting methane emissions through selective breeding, microbiome driven breeding, breeding for feed efficiency, and breeding by gene editing.

The ongoing cut-down of the Amazon rainforest threatens the climate and requires global tree planting projects: A short review.

The Amazon rainforest has sustained human existence for more than 10,000 years. Part of this has been the way that the forest controls regional climate including precipitation important for the ecosystem as well as agroforestry and farming. In addition, the Amazon also affects the global weather systems, so cutting down the rainforest significantly increases the effects of climate change, threatening the world's biodiversity and causing local desertification and soil erosion. The current fire activities and deforestation in the Amazon rainforest therefore have consequences for global sustainability. In the light of this, the current decisions made in Brazil regarding an increase in Amazon deforestation require policy changes if the global ecosystems and biodiversity are not to be set to collapse. There is only one way to move forward and that is to increase efforts in sustainable development of the region including limitation in deforestation and to continuously measure and monitor the development. The G7 countries have offered Brazil financial support for at least 20 million euros for fighting the forest fires but the president denies receiving such financial support and says that it is more relevant to raise new forests in Europe. In fact, this is exactly what is happening in Denmark and China in order to reduce climate change. Such activities should be global and include South America, Europe, Africa and Asia where deforestation is important issue. Forest restoration reduces climate change, desertification, and preserves both the regional tropical and global environment if the wood is not burned at a later stage but instead used in e.g. roads as filling material. Changes are therefore needed through improved international understanding and agreements to better avoid the global climate changes, from cutting down the precious rainforest before it is too late as rainforest cannot be re-planted.

Dry powder inhalation, part 2: the present and future.

INTRODUCTION: The manufacture of modern dry powder inhalers (DPIs), starting with the Spinhaler (Fisons) in 1967, was only possible thanks to a series of technological developments in the 20th century, of which many started first around 1950. Not until then, it became possible to design and develop effective, cheap and mass-produced DPIs. The link between these technological developments and DPI development has never been presented and discussed before in reviews about the past and present of DPI technology. AREAS COVERED: The diversity of currently used DPIs with single dose, multiple-unit dose and multi-dose DPIs is discussed, including the benefits and drawbacks of this diversity for correct use and the efficacy of the therapy. No specific databases or search engines otherwise than PubMed and Google have been used. EXPERT OPINION: Considering the relatively poor efficacy regarding lung deposition of currently used DPIs, the high rates of incorrect inhaler use and inhalation errors and the poor adherence to the therapy with inhalers, much effort must be put in improving these shortcomings for future DPI designs. Delivered fine particle doses must be increased, correct inhaler handling must become more intuitive and simpler to perform, and the use of multiple inhalers must be avoided.

Single-stage fermentation process for high-value biohythane production with the treatment of distillery spent-wash.

The current communication reports the development of a single-stage biosystem for biohythane production from wastewater treatment. A semi-pilot scale bioreactor with 34 L capacity was used for this study. Maximum biohythane production of 147.5 ± 2.4 L was observed after five cycles of operation with production rate of 4.7 ± 0.1L/h. The biohythane composition (H2/(H2+CH4)) varied from 0.60 to 0.23 during stabilized fifth cycle of operation. During each cycle of operation, higher H2 fraction was noticed within 12h of cycle period followed by CH4 production for rest of operation (36 h). During biohythane production, COD removal efficiency of 60 ± 5% (SDR, 29.0 ± 1.9 kg CODr/m(3)-day) was also achieved. The synergistic function of volatile fatty acids (VFA) production and consumption during process in hybrid biosystem played vital role on the composition of biohythane. The single-stage biosystem facilitates production of high valued and cost efficient biofuel (biohythane) with fewer controls than individual acidogenic and methanogenic processes.