Cattle are less active than humans. Hence, it was hypothesized in this study that transmitting acceleration signals at a 1 min sampling interval to reduce storage load has the potential to improve the performance of motion sensors without affecting the precision of behavior classification. The behavior classification performance in terms of precision, sensitivity, and the F1-score of the 1 min serial datasets segmented in 3, 4, and 5 min window sizes based on nine algorithms were determined. The collar-fitted triaxial accelerometer sensor was attached on the right side of the neck of the two fattening Korean steers (age: 20 months) and the steers were observed for 6 h on day one, 10 h on day two, and 7 h on day three. The acceleration signals and visual observations were time synchronized and analyzed based on the objectives. The resting behavior was most correctly classified using the combination of a 4 min window size and the long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm which resulted in 89% high precision, 81% high sensitivity, and 85% high F1-score. High classification performance (79% precision, 88% sensitivity, and 83% F1-score) was also obtained in classifying the eating behavior using the same classification method (4 min window size and an LSTM algorithm). The most poorly classified behavior was the active behavior. This study showed that the collar-fitted triaxial sensor measuring 1 min serial signals could be used as a tool for detecting the resting and eating behaviors of cattle in high precision by segmenting the acceleration signals in a 4 min window size and by using the LSTM classification algorithm.

This study aimed to determine the blood lipid profiles, fatty acid composition, and lipogenic enzyme activities in rat adipose tissues as affected by the Angus beef fat (ABF) and Hanwoo beef fat (HBF) containing high oleic acid (OA) content. We assigned 60 Sprague Dawley rats with a mean bodyweight of 249 ± 3.04 g to three groups (n = 20 each) to receive diets containing 7% coconut oil (CON), 7% ABF, or 7% HBF. The OA content was highest in the HBF (45.23%) followed by ABF (39.51%) and CON (6.10%). The final body weight of the HBF-fed group was significantly increased, probably due to increased feed intake, indicating the palatability of the diet. The HBF and ABF significantly increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), decreased triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels, and also tended to attenuate glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels in the bloodstream of the rats compared to CON. As compared to CON, lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids were significantly lower, and those of OA and α-linolenic acid (ALA) were significantly higher in the adipose tissues of HBF and ABF-fed groups. The HBF and ABF also reduced lipogenesis as induced by depleted fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity in rat adipose tissues. Nevertheless, between the two fats, HBF showed high feed intake due to its high palatability but reduced lipogenic enzyme activity, specifically that of FAS, and increased HDL-C, decreased TC and TG levels in the bloodstream, reduced saturated fatty acids (SFA), and increased oleic and ALA contents in rat adipose tissues indicating that HBF consumption does not pose significant risks of cardiovascular disease.

One of the main challenges in the adoption of artificial intelligence-based tools, such as integrated decision support systems, is the complexities of their application. This study aimed to define the relevant parameters that can be used as indicators for real-time detection of heat stress and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. Moreover, this study aimed to demonstrate the use of a developed data-mining hub as an artificial intelligence-based tool that integrates the defined relevant information (parameters or traits) in accurately identifying the condition of the cow. A comprehensive theoretical framework of the data-mining hub is demonstrated, the selection of the parameters that were used for the data-mining hub is listed, and the relevance of the traits is discussed. The practical application of the data-mining hub has shown that using 21 parameters instead of 13 and 8 parameters resulted in a high overall accuracy of detecting heat stress and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows with a high precision effect reflecting a low percentage of misclassifying the conditions of the dairy cows. This study has developed an innovative approach in which combined information from different independent data was used to accurately detect the health and wellness status of the dairy cows. It can also be implied that an artificial intelligence-based tool such as the proposed theoretical data-mining hub of dairy cows could maximize the use of continuously generated and underutilized data in farms, thus ultimately simplifying repetitive and difficult decision-making tasks in dairy farming.

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship among market weight, slaughter age, yield grade, and primal cut yield in Hanwoo. A total of 403 Hanwoo (Korean native cattle) was assessed for carcass traits such as carcass cold weight, backfat thickness, ribeye area, dressing percentage, yield index, and marbling score. The production yield of the individual major primal cuts of Hanwoo beef was also measured. Carcass cold weight, ribeye area, and backfat thickness, which affect meat quality increased with increased market weight (p < 0.05). The production yield of the ten major primal cuts also increased with increased market weight (p < 0.05). In terms of slaughter age, carcass cold weight, ribeye area, and backfat thickness all increased from 25 months to 28-29 months, and the production yield of all prime cuts also increased with increasing slaughter age. According to the meat yield grade, carcass cold weight and backfat thickness increased from grade A to grade C, although the ribeye area was not affected. The combined findings of the study suggest that slaughtering Hanwoo at the weight of 651-700 kg and 701-750 and age of 28.23 and 29.83 months could be desirable to achieve the best quality and quantity grade of Hanwoo beef. However, the positive correlation of carcass cold weight and backfat thickness, and the negative correlation of the yield index according to primal cuts yield indicated that it is necessary to couple the slaughtering management of cattle with improved genetic and breeding method of Hanwoo to increase the production yield of the major prime cuts of Hanwoo beef.

Fossil fuels are associated with problems such as resource depletion and pollution, necessitating the exploration of alternatives. Giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu), a perennial that can be harvested yearly, requires a low production energy input. It has less ash content and high heat efficiency and has attracted attention as an energy source. An on-site processing equipment, powered via a tractor and equipped with a chipper and a two-stage compression roller, was developed that can harvest 1000 kg of giant miscanthus per hour and simultaneously produce compressed pellets eliminating unnecessary processes such as transportation and processing. With its use, 33–74.5 kWh/t of electrical energy can be saved by producing pellets. The changes in moisture content between the produced compressed pellets and two samples of the ground product were measured immediately before compression for 24 h at relative humidity ranging from 65% to 80%. The moisture content was 6% initially; it ranged from 6.71% to 7.81% in compressed pellets, depending on the conditions, and from 7.44% to 9.82% in the ground sample immediately before compression, indicating the effect of the physical form of the biomass and humidity in the environment. The possible storage period (while maintaining the moisture content at 8–10% for optimal biofuel efficiency based on the measured data) was predicted. The optimal relative humidity of the storage environment for maintaining biomass quality for more than 6 months was predicted to be ≤77% and ≤70% for the compressed pellet and ground sample, respectively. Moreover, at a relative humidity ≥77%, giant miscanthus biomass, immediately before compression, had >10% moisture content in 2 days, warranting caution in storage.