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This work deals with the study of a pre-treatment method promoting degradability of lignocellulosic biomass and hence biogas yield therefrom, as this material is challenging to decompose due to its structure. The investigated pre-treatment methods are hydrolysis of the material in NaOH (0.5% and 5%) and H₂SO₄ (0.5% and 5%) at temperatures of 90-100 °C for 2 h. This work aimed to compare the effects of these pre-treatment methods on the lignocellulosic composition of maize waste (maize stalks, leaves and cobs), rapeseed straw and wheat straw and the biogas yields from its subsequent anaerobic digestion. Pre-treatment by 0.5% NaOH increased the biogas production the most (by 159% for rapeseed straw, 240% for wheat straw and 59% for maize waste) also the degrees of solubilisation was higher, at the same time the proportions of total organic carbon (TOC) in the solid component appear to be sufficiently high, it could be assumed that there has been sufficient disturbance of the material structure. Alkaline methods have proven to be more suitable compared to acid pre-treatment methods, also the use of alkali with a lower concentration has shown to be more efficient, which is more advantageous for use in practice from an environmental and economic point of view.

Soil and water losses in purple soil area is becoming an increasingly severe problem, bringing enormous challenges to environmental protection in rural areas. In this study, simulated rainfall experiments were conducted to analyse the effects of rainfall and the slope conditions on the soil and water loss. Purple soil from a typical slope in the Beibei District of Chongqing was selected as the experimental soil. Twenty rainfall scenarios with varying rainfall intensities and slope conditions were created in the simulation. The results indicate that the runoff initiation time shortened with an increased rainfall intensity and slope gradient. There was a logarithmic relationship between the effect of the rainfall amount on both the runoff intensity and sediment yield intensity. Generally, both the runoff and sediment yield showed a positive linear relationship with the rainfall intensity under different slope gradient conditions. In terms of the same rainfall intensity, both the runoff intensity and sediment yield intensity increased with the slope. Furthermore, a critical slope gradient for the soil and water loss was found between 20° and 25°. This study aimed to provide a reference for soil and water conservation research in a purple soil area.

Environmental valuation studies in the context of developing countries have become more frequent in recent years. However, literature which reviews and examines the environmental valuation studies is limited. Thus, this paper performed a literature review on forest contingent valuation studies conducted in the Ethiopian context in the past two decades (2000 to May 2022), focusing on two specific objectives: (i) to examine amounts of resources that households are willing to pay (WTP) for forest conservation, and (ii) to identify determinants of households' WTP. Results indicate the mean lower annual WTP of USD 0.41 (2.63 birr) and 7.04 man-days per household in money and labour time, respectively. Whereas the mean upper annual WTP of USD 53.52 per household in monetary payment and 94.34 man-days per household in labour time contribution are found for the management and conservation of forest in Ethiopia. The finding reveals that there is a limited proportion of the examined studies that included and estimated WTP in a non-monetary payment vehicle, implying a need for future researches on the topic. The result shows that demographic and socio-economic variables, physical assets ownership, institutional and infrastructural services and bid price variables were the main determinants of households' WTP. This suggests that the forest conservation intervention program involving public participation in the country needs to consider the identified determinants of WTP in design and implementation of the program. Moreover, the finding indicates the presence of mixed results on the effect and direction in which some determinants of WTP are affected. This recommends a pressing need for comprehensive future studies on the research theme.

Galicia is one of Spain's leading regions regarding agricultural and livestock production. In the light of the COVID-19 crisis, the permeability to the economic shocks of these sectors led to an unprecedented recession, given the heterogeneity of their characteristics, resulting in widespread losses. The main objective of this article is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 in the agricultural and livestock sectors in Galicia and, at the same time, identify the degree of affectation in each of these sectors, determine the impact of the pandemic in each province and study the institutional responses to the COVID-19 crisis. For this purpose, financial analysis of these sectors will be carried out through a sample of 998 companies. The results show a variation in operating income of -16.41% in the agricultural sector and -9.15% in the livestock sector in Galicia, although they are mixed across the different provinces of the region. Despite the articulation of a network of public aids and the adoption of new commercialization strategies, there are sub-sectors with high losses, such as the ornamental plant industry and the subsector dedicated to the production of beef.

To meet rapid and non-destructive identification of selenium-enriched agricultural products selenium-enriched millet and ordinary millet were taken as objects. Image regions of interest (ROI) were selected to extract the spectral average value based on hyperspectral imaging technology. Reducing noise by the Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing algorithm, variables were used as inputs that were screened by successive projections algorithm (SPA), competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), uninformative variable elimination (UVE), CARS-SPA, UVE-SPA, and UVE-CARS, while sample variables were used as outputs to build support vector machine (SVM) models. The results showed that the accuracy of CARS-SPA-SVM was 100% in the training set and 99.58% in the test set equivalent to that of CARS-SVM and UVE-CARS-SVM, which was higher than that of SPA-SVM, UVE-SPA-SVM, and UVE-SVM. Therefore, the method of CARS-SPA had superiority, and CARS-SPA-SVM was suitable to identify selenium-enriched millet. Finally, 454.57 nm, 484.98 nm, 885.34 nm, and 937.1 nm, which were obtained by wavelength extraction algorithms, were considered as the sensitive wavelengths of selenium information. This study provided a reference for the identification of selenium-enriched agricultural products.

In general, it can be stated that the economics of non-dairy sheep breeding in the Czech Republic experienced a worsening trend in recent years. One of the ways to improve this situation is to use some of these breeds also for milk production. One of the possible breeds usable for milk production, especially for the good milk production of mothers, is the Clun Forest (CF). The aim of our experiment was to evaluate the daily milk yield (DMY) and the contents of fat (F), total protein (TP) and lactose (L), pH, titratable acidity (TA), concentration of urea (CU) and somatic cell count (SCC) in CF ewes during lactation. In our experiment, the following means of individual traits for the whole lactation were found: DMY: 579 g, contents of F, TP and L: 6.73%, 5.82% and 4.98%, pH: 6.55, TA: 8.74 °SH, CU: 36.08 mg/100 ml and log SCC: 4.71. The stage of lactation had a significant (P < 0.01) effect on DMY, contents of F and TP and pH and TA. The results of our experiment show that CF ewes had lower DMY than dairy breeds (DB). However, the majority of the milk quality traits was comparable to DB. Moreover, the high fat and protein contents and the values of most other milk quality traits are good prerequisites for high cheese yield and optimal final quality of other sheep’s milk products. The results of our experiment suggest that CF ewes could be used for milk production while the milk production of CF ewes should ensure an improvement in the economics and competitiveness of smaller farms in particular.

The determination of the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks on a field scale presents a challenge in which several variables have to be considered. As there is no benchmark or reference method for the Ks determination, the suitability of each available method has to be evaluated. This study is aimed at the functional evaluation of three publicly available types of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) with different levels of utilised predictors. In total, ten PTF models were applied to the 56 data sets including the measured Ks value and the required predictors (% sand, silt and clay particles, dry bulk density, and organic matter/organic carbon content). A single agricultural field with a relatively homogenous particle size distribution was selected for the study to evaluate the ability of the PTF to reflect the variability of Ks. The correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, mean error, and root mean square error were determined to evaluate the Ks prediction quality. The results showed a high variability in Ks within the field; the measured Ks values ranged between 10 and 1261 cm/day. Although the tested PTF models are based on a robust background of soil databases, they could not provide estimates with satisfactory accuracy unless local soil data were incorporated into the PTF development.

A reassessment of factors related to milk production economics is needed because of continuing genetic improvements within the main dairy breeds and changes in farm management and the economic environment. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the development of economic indicators between 2016 and 2020 on Czech dairy farms that kept either Czech Fleckvieh or Holstein breeds and that had different average milk yields. We used a questionnaire to obtain data from 66 dairy farms from different regions of the Czech Republic. The farms were divided into four groups according to breed and 2016 milk yield. Production costs increased during the period in all groups by 13% to 17% because of increasing milk yields, the associated higher feed consumption and increasing input prices. We observed a higher annual growth rate of costs per litre of milk on farms with above-average milk yields compared with the groups with below-average yields. The highest profitability before subsidies was achieved on farms with Holstein cows and above-average milk yields. Higher-income over feed costs were consistently observed in groups with higher milk yields. Because of low farm gate milk prices, profitability was significantly lower across all groups during 2016 than in other years.

The roasting coffee process is the compilation of time-temperature-dependent physical and chemical transformations induced by heat. Through the study of the time-temperature curve, the correct definition of the degree of roasting of coffee is an area of active and non-trivial research, which intervenes in obtaining consistent roasting profiles reflected in the acceptability of the drink perceived by consumers. This paper used the methodology of response surfaces (RSM) with the central composite design (CCD). A consumer study was conducted with 104 individuals, each tasting 13 cups of specialty coffee from Cauca-Colombia. Predictive equations for acidity and body perception were obtained. The roasting profile points in charge, turning point, yellow, brown, first crack, and drop step were included. Mathematical models predict the acidity and body perceptions by integrating the roasting profile points characteristics of coffee. The Cauca coffee beans produced using the optimied conditions contribute to obtaining a roasting time/temperature of 468 s at 192 °C, respectively, with acidity (9/15) and body (5.5/15) in the (0–15) intensity consumer's perception scale.

Agriculture is one of the main contributors to carbon emissions and is also significantly affected by changing climate. This article investigates the impacts of agricultural support on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from agriculture in the European Union. Panel regression models were used to examine the influence of subsidies in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on reducing GHGs from agriculture. First, estimates show that direct agricultural subsidies encouraged agricultural-related carbon emissions. Second, the study concludes that the expansion of organic agriculture and the rural development expenditures contributed to emissions reduction in the member states. Finally, the CAP Health Check reform decreased while the Ciolos reform stimulated GHG emissions.

While even-aged forestry is the dominating forest management system in Sweden, there is an increasing interest in Continuous Cover Forestry. Consequently, the conversion of even-aged stands into uneven-aged ones using e.g. selection cutting can be expected to become more common in Sweden. However, there are no up-to-date studies available on harvester productivity during selection cutting under Nordic conditions. Studying harvest intensity during selection cutting is of interest because lighter harvest intensities lead to higher volume growth and better-preserved forest ambience than heavier intensities. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of harvest intensity on harvester productivity during selection cutting. The field study entailed harvesting either 14%, 28% or 48% of a mature stand’s basal area. Harvester productivity was mainly explained by piece size (stem volume), while other factors, including harvest intensity, had only minor effects. This reality means that during selection cutting (thinning from above), piece size increases with decreasing harvest intensity, which in turn increases harvester productivity. Moreover, we observed a mild tendency that operators could select the stems’ felling directions and order more freely when fewer trees are harvested. This amelioration increases productivity additionally during lighter harvesting intensities.

Designing and constructing a road network is one of the most critical steps of the development process in managing natural resources. The current research is going to investigate the application of network connectivity indices to the analysis of road networks in the forested watershed. First, the road network suitability map (RNSM) was created to emphasize the technical and physiographic criteria and integrated management scenarios using a weighted linear combination (WLC) and analytic network process (ANP). Subsequently, three road network alternatives (RNA) were assigned based on the priorities in the RNSM. In order to try to determine the appropriate alternative, the network connectivity of the designed alternatives looked into the forest and non-forest land uses, as well as the whole study area, using the values of alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), eta (η), network density (ND) and detour indices (DI) in the context of the graph theory. Results show that the road density of the RNA2 variant (11.56 m·ha^–1) is shorter than the other alternatives and the existing road network (ERN). In addition, dealing with the whole study area, we realized that the index values which are related to the number two reflect a better status than the other alternatives of alpha, beta, gamma, eta and detour index, in which they were identified to be 0.44, 1.34, 1.16, 0.45 and 0.83, respectively. RNA2 is chosen as the appropriate road network according to the network connectivity, technical and physiographical criteria, along with integrated management scenarios. Further control measures and field surveys are recommended to achieve more relevant results.

The lignin content of forage crops significantly affects the livestock’s forage intake and its dry matter digestibility. The brown midrib (bmr) trait is known for its association with a reduced lignin content and increased digestibility. Pearl millet inbreds having the bmr trait were derived from two populations ICMV bmr and WRajPop bmr via continued selfing up to 6–8 generations. The results from the crosses revealed the presence of the same single recessive gene that controlled the bmr in both the populations. The stable expression of the bmr gene in the new genetic background indicated that there was no effect of modifier genes. Four inbreds were identified with the stable expression of bmr (three in ICMV 155 and one in the WRajPop background) with a high biomass potential, which can serve as a bmr source in future pearl millet forage breeding programmes.

Political and security stability have the potential to support developing countries‘ efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, as this region is home to the majority of the global population. This study examines the impact of political and security stability and other factors on food security [as measured by the prevalence of undernourishment (PUN)] in developing countries. We analysed 2002–2020 data from 83 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, using the system General Method of Moment (sys-GMM). Our study indicates that political and security stability and the use of the internet can increase food security or reduce PUN in developing countries. Other factors contributed to an increase in PUN: the previous year’s PUN, the cereal import dependency ratio and the unemployment to total population ratio. Meanwhile, other factors have varying effects on the PUN in developing countries.

Chilli peppers (Capsicum spp.) are important plants usually consumed as food or used as a spice or medicine. They contain a wide range of phytochemicals such as capsaicinoids, polyphenols (PPH), carotenoids (CC) and vitamins. This study aimed to quantify the contents of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, total PPH, phenolic acids (PHA) and total CC, and the antioxidant activities of the chilli peppers Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia, Habanero Red, Habanero Maya Red, Habanero Red Savina, Jamaica Rosso, Serrano, and Jalapeño. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the contents of the bioactive compounds. The capsaicin contents in the peppers ranged from 2.1 to 124.2 mg·g^–1, the dihydrocapsaicin content ranged from 5.1 to 151.3 mg·g^–1, the total PPH content ranged from 3.53 to 25.9 mg GAE·g^–1, and the total CC content ranged from 114.7 to 1 390.8 μg·g^–1. The chlorogenic acid content was highest in Habanero Red (82.6 µg·g^–1). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl test of free-radical scavenging activity indicated that the ethanolic extract of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper had the highest antioxidant activity correlated with the contents of phenolic substances.

Dried fruits are popular ready-to-eat snacks. However, due to cross-contamination or contact with infected persons, Escherichia coli could be present, of which some strains are pathogenic, thus, the consumption of contaminated dried fruits could pose a public health risk. Microbial cells subjected to stress factors such as osmotic shock, radiation and antimicrobials could induce complex stress response systems and adaptation. Radiation and antimicrobials have been shown to cause an SOS response in E. coli, which affects cellular metabolism, such as the enhanced ability to repair DNA and mutagenesis. Studies have shown that glucose plays a critical role in the down- or upregulation of locus for enterocyte effacement (LEE)-encoded virulence of E. coli. Gamma radiation could also cause the formation of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells. If these cells are present in a sample, the number of viable cells will be underestimated by the plate count method leading to the false conclusion that the product is germ-free. We have reviewed in this article how stressors such as high sugar content, gamma radiation, and antimicrobials affect the survival of E. coli in dried fruits.

The aims of this study were to examine bacterial communities in relation to the rumen digestion of rice straw and to understand how concentrate supplements affect gut bacteria involving the digestion of a rice straw-based diet. The substrates were rice straw (RS) alone (experiment 1) and RS with 25% concentrates (barley and kidney beans) (experiment 2). The genomic DNA was collected to determine bacterial diversity by conducting denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). V6–V8 region group-specific (Clostridium and Bacteroides) primers were employed in the analyses. The DGGE band pattern was subjected to cluster analysis to demonstrate the similarity and difference between dietary treatments and solid-liquid fractions. Fibre digestibility, gas production, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration were increased with incubation time. The differences between solid and liquid fractions were great in total bacteria, Clostridium, and Bacteroides communities. Clostridium and Bacteroides communities appeared unaffected by incubation time, whereas great differences existed between solid and liquid fractions throughout incubations (experiment 1). Barley and kidney bean supplements increased gas production and lowered rumen fluid pH, whereas changes in VFA concentration were significant only for kidney bean supplement. The Clostridium, and Bacteroides groups were affected by barley and kidney beans in the liquid fraction. However, the solid fraction was stable (experiment 2). These results indicate a rigid and stable community structure of Clostridium and Bacteroides groups involved in the digestion of rice straw-based diets in the rumen. Distinctive differences between solid and liquid fractions were described; hence, separate analyses of two fractions may greatly help understand the relationship between fermentation patterns and microbial communities in the rumen.

This paper presents the results of a two-year trial on the yield, total phenolic and flavonoid contents and total antioxidant capacity of the ‘Willamette’ red raspberry under organic and conventional farming. A trial was conducted in a commercial plantation of ‘Willamette’ raspberries located in the southwestern part of Serbia. The total phenolics and flavonoids in the raspberry fruits were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminium chloride assay, respectively. The ferric reducing antioxidant power assay was used to evaluate the total antioxidant capacity of the raspberry fruits. The results of this study showed that the raspberry yields were significantly affected by the different farming systems. The raspberry yield in conventional farming was higher than that of organic farming. Contrastingly, the raspberries from the organic farming contained higher levels of the total phenolics and flavonoids and also had a higher total antioxidant activity compared to those from the conventional farming in both 2021 and 2022. This study also showed that the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the ‘Willamette’ red raspberry have a significant and positive correlation with their total antioxidant capacity, indicating that the phenolic compounds play an important role in the antioxidant activity of the raspberry.

This study aimed to investigate the variations in nutritional composition among different breeds of cattle in Guizhou. Specifically, this study selected Guanling, Weining, Sinan, Wuchuan, and Simmental cattle as experimental subjects. Assessing the nutritional quality of the longissimus dorsi muscle involves evaluating various parameters, including ultimate pH (pHu), meat colour, water-holding capacity, shear force, protein and fat content, levels of organic acids and amino acid composition. The study's findings indicated notable variations among the muscles of different cattle breeds tested. Guanling, Wuchuan, and Simmental cattle exhibited the highest water-holding capacity, while Wuchuan cattle displayed the highest shear forces. Guanling cattle and Simmental cattle had the highest levels of protein and fat. Weining cattle and Simmental cattle demonstrated the highest concentrations of lactic acid and oxalic acid. Guanling cattle exhibited the highest total amino acid and essential amino acid content. Moreover, Guanling cattle and Weining cattle showed the highest lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) values, indicating lighter meat colour, while Weining cattle had the highest redness (a*) value, indicating redder meat colour. No significant differences among the five cattle breeds were observed in pHu and propionic acid content. These results provide a theoretical basis and serve as a data reference for assessing the suitability of different beef varieties for various processing purposes.

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of feed restriction on the growth performance and carcass composition of chicken, rabbit and nutria males and females. Feed restriction was applied at a rate of 70% ad libitum from 14 to 21 days of age in chickens, 70% ad libitum from 42 to 49 days of age in rabbits, and 70% ad libitum from 12 to 15 weeks of age in nutrias. Animals were fed ad libitum prior to and following restriction. Carcass composition was evaluated at common slaughter ages, i.e., 31 days in chickens, 70 days in rabbits, and eight months in nutrias. The results showed stronger effects of feed restriction, sex, and their interaction in broiler chickens than in rabbits and nutrias. In chickens, feed restriction increased the sex differences in final body weight, which were associated with interaction of feed restriction and sex (P = 0.009). Feed restriction as a fixed factor significantly affected growth and feed conversion in chickens and it was with no effect in rabbits and nutrias. The effect of feed restriction on carcass composition was negligible in all selected species. With respect to sex, significant differences were observed in chickens in final body weight, daily weight gain, dressing out percentage and breast percentage, in rabbits in loin percentage, and in nutrias in growth and perirenal fat percentage. Results of the study indicated that interactions of feed restriction and sex in growth might be associated with a short realimentation period.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests belong to the most relevant forest types in the Western Ukrainian Roztochia area. The promotion of close-to-nature forest management in Ukraine in the framework of the forest strategy 2 035 supports natural regeneration and the application of diverse felling methods beyond clearcutting. In the present study, natural regeneration was analysed in mixed Scots pine stands on poor and relatively rich soils, after small clearcuts, shelterwood cutting and gap fellings (with or without soil preparation), with respect to tree species composition, species abundance and height growth. It could be shown that Scots pine is the most abundant species in all the felling systems, with on average more than 100 000 plants per ha on poor soils. Other admixed tree species only occur with small shares. Natural regeneration, especially of Scots pine, was less abundant on rich soils and in shelterwood, compared to a small clearcut. After the young plants have established, their abundance declined in the second and third year due to competing herbaceous plants and thick litter.

Due to changes in the climate and the existence of a wide range of Asparagus officinalis L. cultivars, it is necessary to identify their suitability for cultivation in Poland and investigate their susceptibility to infection by the most common pathogens. The identification of the species composition of fungi of the Fusarium genus found in green spears of edible A. officinalis cultivars and the factors contributing to their occurrence will enable the effective protection of these crops. The study was conducted on seven A. officinalis cultivars bred in different countries, which were dioecious cultivars with male and female specimens: 'Ariane' (Germany), 'Cipres' (France), 'Eposs' (Germany), as well as cultivars with male specimens only: 'Andreas' (France), 'Gynlim', 'Grolim' (Netherlands), and 'Hannibal' (Germany). The analysis of the composition of the fungi isolated from the green A. officinalis spears showed that most of the isolates belonged to the Fusarium genus (F. culmorum Wm.G. Sm., F. equiseti (Corda) Sacc., F. oxysporum Schltdl., F. proliferatum (Matsush.) Nirenberg ex Gerlach & Nirenberg, F. solani (Mart.) Sacc., and F. fujikuroi Nirenberg). Other fungal species (Alternaria, Botrytis, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Stemphylium) were rarely isolated. The majority of the Fusarium genus isolates came from the spears of the 'Ariane' and 'Eposs' cultivars showing disease symptoms and from the spears of the 'Grolim' cultivar without showing disease symptoms. The fungi of the Fusarium genus colonised both the spears with and without disease symptoms, but there were always more isolates on the ones with disease symptoms. Fungi of the Fusarium genus occurred more often in the epidermis than in the parenchyma. F. oxysporum was the dominant fungus in the A. officinalis spears under analysis. The number of fungi isolates of the Fusarium genus collected from the green A. officinalis spears tended to increase at the consecutive harvest dates, which means that the spears harvested at the latest date (late June) were the most heavily colonised by fungi. All of the fungi isolates of the Fusarium genus collected from the spears exhibited pathogenicity against A. officinalis plants.

This study aims to describe the most important cardiac structures in the Heterodon nasicus through echocardiography and anatomical dissection. Echocardiographic and echo-Doppler measurements were performed on twenty healthy adult Heterodon nasicus (10.10). The values of the ventricular length, aortic diameter, pulmonary trunk diameter, the mean thickness of the interventricular septum, and thicknesses of the wall of the cavum pulmonale (Cav. P) and cavum arteriosum (Cav. A), were measured. The aortic flow and pulmonary trunk flow were recorded. Two dead specimens (1.1) were dissected. The male’s pulmonary trunk diameter was bigger compared to the female’s in both the long and short axis. The reproductive ecology of Heterodon nasicus has yet to be fully elucidated upon, however, male territorialism and dispersal from the hibernacula, and multiple male courtships toward a single female were described, hence, the more active reproductive activity of the male and the consequent sexual selection toward a higher aerobic performance can be hypothesised. A moderate interventricular right to left shunt was noticed in the Cav. V of all the specimens, which is considered normal and should not confuse the clinician. Congenital defects, cardiomyopathies, valvulopathies, and pericardial diseases are known to occur in ophidians and other reptiles. Reliable data and profound knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ophidian heart are fundamental for the in vivo diagnosis of cardiac diseases in snakes.

Determining reference intervals (RI) is a valuable asset for assessing the health of wildlife species. This is the first study to establish serum biochemical RIs in Siberian weasels. Forty-two healthy free-ranging Siberian weasels were captured live and brought to Seoul Wildlife Center between June 2021 and August 2022. Blood samples from 42 healthy Siberian weasels of both sexes were used to calculate RIs. An automated analyser was used to perform serum biochemistry profiles. The American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology recommendations were used to calculate a nonparametric RI with 90% confidence intervals. The RIs of albumin, total protein, globulin, calcium, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, phosphorus, amylase, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, and creatine kinase were determined. The RIs established in this study will serve as a good starting point for analysing serum biochemical data in Siberian weasels.

Tillage intensity can affect soil quality through soil aggregates, which are strongly associated with organic carbon. In this study, we evaluated the effect of different intensity tillage (conventional ploughing (CP), shallow ploughing (SP), deep cultivation (DC), shallow cultivation (SC), no-tillage (NT)) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil aggregates at the 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm layers and root biomass at the 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm layers. The field experiment on spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) consisted of a split-plot arrangement with four replications. Dry soil aggregates were evaluated using the mean weight diameter (MWD) index. Wet aggregates were assessed using a water-stable aggregate (WSA) index. We identified that tillage intensity significantly influenced the MWD index at four soil levels. Shallow tillage showed greater results at 0-5 and 5-10 cm depths. However, deep tillage increased the MWD at 10-20 and 20-30 cm depth. NT was dominated by evaluating the WSA at every level of the soil. SOC was correlated with WSA. The highest SOC was found under NT. The different tillage intensities did not significantly affect root biomass.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) has been implicated in mammalian testicular and epididymal development. This study aimed to investigate ERK expression in the immature and mature testes and epididymides of bulls. We evaluated ERK expression using immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Immunoblot analysis revealed that immature bull testes and epididymides had higher phosphorylated ERK (pERK) expression than mature bull testes and epididymides. pERK immunoreactivity was higher in immature epididymides than in immature testes. pERK was localised mostly in spermatogonia, undifferentiated sustentacular (Sertoli) cells, and interstitial (Leydig) cells in immature testes, as well as in some spermatocytes and spermatids in mature testes. In immature epididymides, the body and tail had higher pERK expression than the head, whereas pERK was broadly distributed throughout the stereocilia, basal cells, and connective tissues. pERK distribution in the head of mature epididymides was similar to that in immature epididymides, whereas few connective tissue cells were expressed in the body and tail of mature epididymides. Collectively, these results suggest that ERK is expressed in the testis and epididymis of immature and mature bulls with varying intensities, and the role of ERK in male reproductive organs may include the specific function of its development.

In long-term cultivation of apple trees, replantation disease may occur, caused by a set of biotic and abiotic factors, occurring in the soil, e.g. the accumulation of pathogenic and harmful microorganisms. Beneficial microorganisms can be of great importance in limiting orchard replant disease. In our study, the Urea fertilizer was enriched with Aspergillus niger and Purpureocillium lilacinum fungi, while the Polifoska 6 and Super Fos Dar 40 fertilizers with strains of the bacteria Bacillus spp., Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Paenibacillus polymyxa. The aim of the three-year study was to determine what effects the application of mineral fertilizers enriched with beneficial microorganisms, applied in 100% doses and in doses lower by 40% had on the microorganisms in the rhizosphere of apple trees. The number of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas in the rhizosphere of apple trees was the highest in the combination with Urea 60% + fungi and Polifoska 60% + bacteria. These values were 2–3 times higher compared with the control. In the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria, the number of fluorescent Pseudomonas bacteria was five times higher compared to the control. The highest number of actinomycetes was observed in the third year of the study, in the combination with Polifoska 60% + bacteria. The use of this fertilizer increased the number of these bacteria more than five-fold compared with the control. The beneficial effect of Polifoska 60% + bacteria, Super Fos Dar 100% + bacteria, and Urea 60% + fungi on phosphate-solubilizing bacteria was observed in the third year of cultivation. The additional application of filamentous fungi together with Urea did not have a significant effect on this group of microorganisms. The obtained results show that in many cases the application of the selected fertilizers positively influenced the microorganisms inhabiting the apple-tree rhizosphere. Particularly noteworthy is Polifoska enriched with the selected bacteria, the use of which significantly increased the number of beneficial bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different cooking methods (boiling for 5 min and 8 min, microwave cooking for 3.5 min and 6.5 min, and stir-fry for 5 min and 10 min) on wild chard's antioxidant activity and total phenolic content. It was determined that the total phenolic content [1 552.00 ± 299.82 mg GAE·(100 g)^–1, GAE – gallic acid equivalents] increased in 3.5 min in the microwave [2 611.33 ± 311.76 mg GAE·(100 g)^–1] and 5 min in stir-frying [2 434.33 ± 197.75 mg GAE·(100 g)^–1] compared to the raw chard samples (P < 0.05). Two different antioxidant activity determination methods [2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)] were used in the study. In both methods, it was determined that antioxidant activity decreased in the 10-min application of stir-frying. In contrast, the antioxidant activity increased by applying 3.5 min and 6.5 min in the microwave (P < 0.05). As a result, it was found that the antioxidant activity and total phenol content of wild chard changed when the cooking method and time were changed.

This case report follows a 10-year-old castrated male Miniature Schnauzer dog presented with a history of incomplete surgical resection of an oral malignant melanoma (amelanotic type) on the right mandible. Melanoma vaccine therapy was administered due to incomplete surgical resection, however, new masses were detected on the contralateral mandible and suspected pulmonary metastasis occurred at 2 weeks and 7 months, respectively, following the first melanoma vaccination. At the time of detecting the pulmonary metastasis, targeted chemotherapy was initiated with the owner’s consent using imatinib (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). The patient did not show any significant adverse events related to both anticancer treatments. Three months following the first dose of imatinib, the absence of the suspected pulmonary metastatic nodules on radiography indicated complete remission. In conclusion, this report describes the achievement of clinical remission of suspected pulmonary metastatic oral malignant melanoma and an extension of survival time in a dog given a combination treatment of immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitor.