Dependence on the socio-economic system impairs the sustainability of pasture-based animal agriculture.

Livestock systems contribution to environmental change is controversial. Pasture-based systems are considered a sustainable alternative due to their adaptation to the use of local natural resources. However, they have limited productivity per product unit and, in Europe, depend on public economic support. Furthermore, they are heterogeneous in farm structure and resources use, which may determine their sustainability. We use emergy accounting to assess the sustainability of mountain pasture-based cattle systems and analyse the variability among farms. Emergy accounting assesses the sustainability performance of complex systems (i.e., farming systems) and their interaction with other systems (i.e., the environment and the socio-economic system) focusing on the origin, quality and quantity of the energy required for the system to function. Results show that pasture-based systems largely use local natural renewable resources but depend largely on the wider socio-economic system given their reliance on public economic support and purchased animal feeds. This economic dependence turns out in most farms largely using non-renewable resources. Increasing self-produced feeds and grazing on natural pastures can reduce the dependence on the socio-economic system and improve farm sustainability.

People's attitudes towards the agrifood system influence the value of ecosystem services of mountain agroecosystems.

Studies covering the social valuation of ecosystem services (ES) are increasingly incorporating people's attitudes, which allows social heterogeneity to be identified. This is especially relevant in mountain areas, where diverse complex interactions occur among the environment, the socioeconomic system, and a wide variety of farming practices. In this context, we aimed to: (i) identify the attitudinal dimensions that build people views about the agrifood system; and (ii) analyse how these attitudinal dimensions influence the value given to ES delivered by mountain agroecosystems of two European countries. We conducted a survey with a sample of 1008 individuals evenly distributed in the Italian Alps and Spanish Mediterranean mountain areas to collect information on people's attitudes toward: (i) the economy and the environment; (ii) rural development and agricultural intensification; (iii) food quality, production, and consumption; and (iv) agricultural and environmental policies. The survey included a choice experiment to assess the value that individuals attach to the most relevant ES provided by mountain agroecosystems in these areas (i.e., landscape, biodiversity, quality local products, wildfires prevention and water quality). The results showed four common attitudinal dimensions, namely Economy over environment, Mass-Market distribution reliability, Agricultural productivism, and Environmentalism and rural lifestyle. These attitudinal dimensions resulted in six groups of respondents. Most groups positively valued an increase in the delivery of all the analysed ES, which suggests that agricultural policies which aim to promote ES are likely to receive social support in the study areas. However, the differing attitudinal dimensions underlying people's preferences may result in disagreements about the steps to be taken to achieve the desired increase in ES delivery.

Gene-Edited Meat: Disentangling Consumers' Attitudes and Potential Purchase Behavior.

Novel gene-editing (GE) technologies provide promising opportunities to increase livestock productivity and to tackle several global livestock production sustainability and food security challenges. However, these technologies, as with previous genetic modification technologies in food production, are very likely to generate social controversy and opposition toward their use in the meat industry. Here, we explored public attitudes and consumption predisposition toward gene-edited meat products and their potential added benefits to livestock farming. Our results show that societal perception currently comes as a package, where the use of gene-editing technology acts as an extrinsic cue of meat products quality, and is used to make a range of inferences about all quality facets at once. Although consumers with anti-GE attitudinal positions generally were not sensitive to price discounts or added benefits, added benefits increased the consumption predisposition of most moderate and pro-GE consumers, where benefits related to animal welfare had larger effects than those relating to the environment or human health issues.

Market Intelligence and Incentive-Based Trait Ranking for Plant Breeding: A Sweetpotato Pilot in Uganda.

Crop breeding programs must accelerate crop improvement, spur widespread adoption of new varieties and increase variety turnover they are to meet the diverse needs of their clients. More comprehensive quantitative approaches are needed to better inform breeding programs about the preferred traits among farmers and other actors. However, the ability of current breeding programs to meet the demands of their clients is limited by the lack of insights about value chain actor preference for individual or packages of traits. Ranking traits based on monetary incentives, rather than subjective values, represents a more comprehensive, consistent, and quantitative approach to inform breeding programs. We conducted a large pilot in Uganda to assess the implementation of a novel approach to trait ranking, using a uniquely large sample of diverse sweetpotato value chain actors. We found meaningful differences in trait ranking and heterogeneity among different actors using this approach. We also show our approach's effectiveness at uncovering unmet demand for root quality traits and at characterizing the substantial trait demand heterogeneity among value chain players. Implementing this approach more broadly for sweetpotato and other crops would increase the effectiveness of breeding programs to improve food security in developing countries.

Photophysical properties and bioimaging application of an aminonaphthalimide-squaraine non-conjugated system.

An aminonaphthalimide-squaraine non-conjugated system was designed and synthetized with the purpose of preparing fluorescent molecule in the 650-700 nm region that could operate via energy transfer (ET) between covalently linked naphthalimide and squaraine chromophores. The photophysical properties of the new fluorescent system were explored with the aim of understanding the ET in one- and two-photon excitation modes. The spectroscopic techniques employed in the characterization includes; absorption, fluorescence, quantum yields and fluorescence lifetime measurements in different solvents. The effect of polarity of solvents on efficiencies of ET were evaluated using one- and two-photon excited fluorescence. The optical behavior of the non-conjugated system was compared with its individual squaraine and naphthalimide moieties. The two-photon absorption (TPA) spectrum of the molecule was obtained between 750 and 1040 nm, with the largest two-photon cross section (δTPA)above 4200 GM. Finally, the applicability of the molecule for fluorescence imaging in the one- and two-photon excitation mode was demonstrated in N13 Microglial cells. The in vitro and in vivo confocal microscopy studies indicated that the non-conjugated system efficiently accumulated in the cytoplasm suggesting it could be utilized as a subcellular probe.

Disentangling the Multidimensional Relationship between Livestock Breeds and Ecosystem Services.

There is an increasing interest in assessing livestock breed contributions to ecosystem services (ES) and including this knowledge in decision making. However, this task has been limited due to the complexity of the multidimensional relationship between livestock diversity and ecosystem services. In this work, we elaborate on the livestock breed characteristics central to developing a comprehensive approach to livestock breed inclusion in the ecosystem services framework. Thus, we explore the multidimensional nature of livestock breeds, i.e., as eco-cultural entities, biodiversity components, and drivers of livestock system heterogeneity and functioning. First, anthropogenic and natural factors have acted jointly to develop breeds as eco-cultural entities. This fact represents an opportunity to move toward farming system sustainability by Nature-Based Solutions and Nature's Contribution to People paradigms. Second, livestock breeds are components of biodiversity, and as such, can be framed as goods, as final ecosystem services, and as regulators of ecosystem processes. Third, livestock breeds contribute to livestock system heterogeneity and resilience. By integrating these aspects, we might better understand how livestock breeds provide and modulate ecosystem service provision and, therefore, how to improve breed conservation and livestock policies toward farming system sustainability.

European Consumers' Willingness to Pay for Red Meat Labelling Attributes.

Food consumption in Europe is changing. Red meat consumption has been steadily decreasing in the past decades. The rising interest of consumers for healthier and more sustainable meat products provides red meat producers with the opportunity to differentiate their offers by ecolabels, origin and health claims. This international study analyses the European consumer preferences for red meat (beef, lamb and goat) in seven countries: Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Through a choice experiment, 2900 responses were collected. Mixed multinomial logit models were estimated to identify heterogeneous preferences among consumers at the country level. The results indicate substantial differences between the most relevant attributes for the average consumer, as well as their willingness to pay for them in each country. Nevertheless, national origin and organic labels were highly valued in most countries.

Estimation of economic value for efficiency and animal health and welfare traits, teat and udder structure, in Canadian Angus cattle.

The Canadian Angus Association recently developed genetic evaluations for teat and udder structure, which impact efficiencies, and animal health and welfare. Genetic selection tools are most effective incorporated into economic selection indexes. An important factor in the development of economic indexes is the estimation of the economic value and discounted gene expression coefficients, and thereby the economic weight, of each trait. Traditional estimation methods, interrogation of previous studies quantifying the impact of the traits and bioeconomic modelling, were reinforced using producer surveys that employed pairwise ranking methods. Estimates of discounted genetic expression coefficients, economic value and economic weight for teat and udder score in Canadian Angus cattle were 0.31 per sire, $52.47, and $16.91 per score change on a per calf born basis, respectively, indicating that functional traits such as teat and udder structure have a significant impact on profitability and should be included in genetic selection programmes. Limitations in previous studies illustrate the need for longitudinal studies on traits that impact efficiencies and animal health and welfare.

Coherent silicon photonic interferometric biosensor with an inexpensive laser source for sensitive label-free immunoassays.

Over the past two decades, integrated photonic sensors have been of major interest to the optical biosensor community due to their capability to detect low concentrations of molecules with label-free operation. Among these, interferometric sensors can be read-out with simple, fixed-wavelength laser sources and offer excellent detection limits but can suffer from sensitivity fading when not tuned to their quadrature point. Recently, coherently detected sensors were demonstrated as an attractive alternative to overcome this limitation. Here we show, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that this coherent scheme provides sub-nanogram per milliliter limits of detection in C-reactive protein immunoassays and that quasi-balanced optical arm lengths enable operation with inexpensive Fabry-Perot-type lasers sources at telecom wavelengths.

Motivations and Barriers for Sheep and Goat Meat Consumption in Europe: A Means-End Chain Study.

This international study involving seven European countries (Italy, UK, Finland, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey) was conducted to explore the relevant reasons that affect both consumer and non-consumer perceptions of sheep and goat meat. Laddering and means-end chain theory were applied. The results indicate that consumers associate sheep and goat meat with a unique taste, authenticity and natural production, linked with values such as health and enjoyment of life. In contrast, non-consumers mainly feel disgusted when they think and feel about these meats, and do not associate any specific health benefits to their consumption, disliking their taste, odour and fat content. This study is based on qualitative research. Only analytical generalizations are possible, expanding the theory on what drives consumer behaviour when purchasing meat. No previous means-end chain studies are available in the literature regarding small ruminants' meat consumer preferences.

Cyanine-Like Boronic Acid-Derived Salicylidenehydrazone Complexes (Cy-BASHY) for Bioimaging Applications.

Boronic acid-derived salicylidenehydrazone complex (BASHY) dyes with a polymethine backbone were designed to yield efficient red-emitting and two-photon absorbing fluorophores that can be used as markers for astrocytes. The dyes are chemically stable in aqueous solution and do not undergo photodecomposition. Their photophysical properties can be electronically fine-tuned and thereby adapted to potentially different imaging situations and requirements.

Naphthalimide Dyes with Orthogonal Functional Groups for "Click" Chemistry: Attachment to Solid Supports and Applications in Drug Allergy Diagnosis.

The preparation and characterization of new functional materials for sensing have an important role in clinical diagnosis. Monitoring the surface functionalization of functional material is crucial because the final sensing properties are affected by how the (bio)molecules are immobilized on the surface of solid supports. Here, a new approach for the preparation of functional materials for biomedical diagnosis was developed. This method employs a fluorescent dye comprising 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide with two orthogonal functional groups suitable for click chemistry. The orthogonal reactivity of these groups allows the sequential functionalization of the fluorophore, firstly with (bio)molecules, and then binding of the (bio)molecule-naphthalimide macrostructure onto the surface of a solid support. The fluorescent properties confirm the immobilization of the (bio)molecule on the surface of the solid support, without requiring other indirect methods to verify the immobilization. These functional materials were tested successfully with sera of patients, thus proving their potential application for allergic drug diagnosis.

π-Extended Four-Coordinate Organoboron N,C-Chelates as Two-Photon Absorbing Chromophores.

Four-coordinate N,C-chelate organoboron dyes with alkynyl spacers were synthesized by Heck alkynylation. These dyes are π-extended analogues of the recently reported class of four-coordinate borylated arylisoquinolines (BAI). Depending on the electron-donor substitution, they feature an intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) character in the excited state. This translates into pronounced apparent Stokes shifts (up to 8500 cm-1) and a solvatofluorochromic behavior. In general, the observed emission quantum yields are high in nonpolar media (ΦF ca. 0.5-0.6). For the dye with the most pronounced ICT rather high emission quantum yields (ΦF ca. 0.4) are observed for emissions with maxima longer than 600 nm in solvents of moderate polarity. The π-extended dyes show interesting two-photon absorption (TPA) properties, maintaining high cross sections (up to 60 GM) in the near-infrared wavelength window (>900 nm). One of the dyes was designed as dimeric chromophore, integrating the acceptor-π-acceptor (A-π-A) format. This alternative design showed no ICT behavior but led to the observation of high two-photon-absorption (TPA) cross sections (ca. 220 GM at 700 nm). All investigated dyes show pronounced photostability, providing added value to this structural and photofunctional extension of the BAI dye platform.

Complexity of animal breeding choice making.

The last decades of developments in animal breeding, genetics, genomics and data recording technologies have allowed the evaluation of larger numbers of animal and animal traits than ever before. This should help make animal breeding choices more informed, but it also makes them far more complex. This complexity may be overwhelming farmers, thus compromising realization of potential genetic gain in livestock industries. However, the effect of complexity of animal breeding choices on farmers' selection of animals has received very little theoretical consideration to date. This paper reviews the theoretical principles of complex decisions, contextualizes the findings to the field of animal breeding, and analyses how farmers and the animal breeding industry are currently dealing with complexity. According to the findings of the analyses of complex decisions in other fields, the complexity of animal breeding choices is likely to lead to farmers using conscious or unconscious simplifying strategies (heuristics) to handle such complexity. When these heuristics are ineffective, poor selection decisions and a potential loss of genetic progress can be expected. Further, studies using survey experiments to understand farmer behaviour and selection preferences may be compromised by the complexity of the survey´s choice tasks. Thus, while many animal breeding industries recognize the complexity of animal breeding choices for farmers and attempts are made to assist farmers in their choice making, the effectiveness of these attempts is not well quantified and understood. We discuss three areas of research that could be key to disentangling how, and by how much, animal breeding choice complexity affects farmers' decisions.

Variation in the actual preferences for AI bull traits among Finnish dairy herds.

Changing production circumstances, a wide range of traits and the international bull market enable dairy farmers to make increasingly specific choices concerning artificial insemination (AI) bulls. Finland is part of the joint Nordic dairy cattle breeding programme where in addition to yield, high emphasis is given to health, fertility, conformation and longevity. The aims of our study were (a) to investigate whether Finnish dairy farmers differ in their selection preferences for AI bull traits and can be clustered into herd groups, (b) to determine whether AI bull selection in different herd groups is in line with the Nordic Total Merit index (NTM) and (c) to analyse how the herd groups are related to herd characteristics. We used a statistical cluster analysis to analyse AI bull usage and to group herds according to each herd's bull selection profile determined by the traits' estimated breeding value (EBV) mean weighted by the number of inseminations for the various traits. We identified four herd groups in both Ayrshire (AY) and Holstein (HOL) breeds: Production, Fertility, All-rounders, and Conformation. The herds' bull selection profiles were mostly close to the NTM except in the Conformation herd groups where traits other than conformation were nearly neglected. This led to poorer expected genetic and economic outcomes than with the NTM selection. Conformation herds were a minority, but they were larger in herd size and investments had recently been made. The data suggest that either fine-tuning the weights in the NTM, forming alternative indices or developing a herd-specific total merit index (TMI) could fulfil the needs of very diverse herds.

Dendrimer-based Uneven Nanopatterns to Locally Control Surface Adhesiveness: A Method to Direct Chondrogenic Differentiation.

Cellular adhesion and differentiation is conditioned by the nanoscale disposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components, with local concentrations having a major effect. Here we present a method to obtain large-scale uneven nanopatterns of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-functionalized dendrimers that permit the nanoscale control of local RGD surface density. Nanopatterns are formed by surface adsorption of dendrimers from solutions at different initial concentrations and are characterized by water contact angle (CA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning probe microscopy techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The local surface density of RGD is measured using AFM images by means of probability contour maps of minimum interparticle distances and then correlated with cell adhesion response and differentiation. The nanopatterning method presented here is a simple procedure that can be scaled up in a straightforward manner to large surface areas. It is thus fully compatible with cell culture protocols and can be applied to other ligands that exert concentration-dependent effects on cells.

Bis(dioxaborine) Dyes with Variable π-Bridges: Towards Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorophores with Very High Brightness.

Bis(dioxaborine) dyes of the A-π-A format (A: acceptor, π: conjugated bridge) were prepared and photophysically characterized. The best performing dyes feature (a) visible-light absorption (>400 nm), (b) high molar absorption coefficients (up to 70000 m-1  cm-1 ), (c) Stokes shifts in the range of ca. 2500-5800 cm-1 , and (d) strong fluorescence emission with quantum yields of up to 0.74. This yields very bright-emitting dyes for one-photon excitation. However, the most intriguing feature of the dyes is their strong two-photon absorption. This was achieved by means of increased π-conjugation in the phenylene or phenylene-thiophene bridges through the variation of the conjugation length and rigidity. This provided two-photon absorption cross sections of up to 2800 GM (1 Goeppert-Mayer (GM)=10-50  cm4 s photon-1 ). Considering the mentioned high fluorescence quantum yields, exceptionally bright-emitting A-π-A two-photon absorbing dyes with low molecular mass are obtained. Time-dependent density-functional theory calculations corroborated the experimental results.

Electronic and Functional Scope of Boronic Acid Derived Salicylidenehydrazone (BASHY) Complexes as Fluorescent Dyes.

A series of boronic acid derived salicylidenehydrazone (BASHY) complexes was prepared and photophysically characterized. The dye platform can be modified by (a) electronic tuning along the cyanine-type axis via modification of the donor-acceptor pair and (b) functional tuning via the boronic acid residue. On the one hand, approach (a) allows the control of photophysical parameters such as Stokes shift, emission color, and two-photon-absorption (2PA) cross section. The resulting dyes show emission light-up behavior in nonpolar media and are characterized by high fluorescence quantum yields (ca. 0.5-0.7) and brightness (ca. 35000-40000 M-1 cm-1). Moreover, the 2PA cross sections reach values in the order of 200-300 GM. On the other hand, the variation of the dye structure through the boronic acid derived moiety (approach (b)) enables the functionalization of the BASHY platform for a broad spectrum of potential applications, ranging from biorelevant contexts to optoelectronic materials. Importantly, this functionalization is generally electronically orthogonal with respect to the dye's photophysical properties, which are only determined by the electronic structure of the cyanine-type backbone (approach (a)). Rare exceptions to this generalization are the presence of redox-active residues (such a triphenylamine or pyrene). Finally, the advantageous photophysics is complemented by a significant photostability.

Red-Emitting Tetracoordinate Organoboron Chelates: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties, and Fluorescence Microscopy.

Seven tetracoordinate organoboron fluorophores with heterobiaryl N,O- or N,N-chelate ligands were prepared and photophysically characterized (in toluene). The electronic variation of the heteroaromatic moiety provided a means for the fine-tuning of the UV/vis absorption and emission spectra. In the most interesting cases, the spectra were red-shifted to maximum absorbance at wavelengths longer than 500 nm and emission maxima between 620 and 660 nm. The pronounced intramolecular charge-transfer character of the dyes yielded large Stokes shifts (3500-5100 cm-1), while maintaining appreciable fluorescence quantum yields of up to 0.2 for emission maxima longer than 600 nm. The lipophilic character of the dyes enabled their application as stains of vesicle substructures in confocal fluorescence microscopy imaging.