Potential summer heat-stress of sheep at Greek husbandry areas of different landscape

During the last years and due to its economic importance sheep farming expands at flat land areas in Greece exhibiting less favourable climatic conditions especially during summer. It is therefore justifiable to assess the potential summer heat-stress of sheep growing at areas of different landscape. Potential heat-stress of sheep during summer was studied at three Greek husbandry areas of different landscape, namely Larissa - flat land, Ioannina - semi-mountainous and Trikala Korinthias - mountainous. Indices used were the night hours during which ambient temperature was below 21ºC, the Temperature Humidity Index (THI), the time percentage (%) within predefined heat-stress categories and the THI-hrs index. Overall, the area of Larissa exhibited the worst heat-stress conditions. Average ambient summer temperatures were above 21ºC during the whole 24 h period, whereas at Ioannina and Trikala Korinthias average temperatures were below 21ºC for almost half of the day including night. Daily average THI values were 27.2±0.2 for Larissa, 21.8±0.2 for Ioannina and 21.3±0.2 for Trikala Korinthias. During the hottest and the coolest summer days the average daily THI values at the area of Larissa were higher than those at Ioannina, which were also higher than at Trikala Korinthias. At Larissa the time percentage (%) within the extreme severe heat-stress category (IV) was significantly (P<0.05) higher, namely 58.3%, compared to Ioannina (34.3%) and Trikala Korinthias (9.2%). Average (2010-2014) THI-hrs under heat-stress were 11491 for Larissa, 5722 for Ioannina (49.8% of Larissa) and 1868 for Trikala Korinthias (16.3% of Larissa). Expansion of sheep husbandry at flat land areas and design criteria (e.g. breed used, feeding strategy, housing density, floor type, etc.) within sheep facilities should be implemented very cautiously

Optimization of Ventilation Rates for Growing-finishing Piggeries

A methodology to optimize the ventilation rates for growing-finishing piggeries having no heating or cooling systems and compare them with the current ASABE recommendations was developed. It was based on transient simulation and hourly climatic data of Heraklion in S. Greece coinciding with US climatic zone I and Kastoria in N. Greece coinciding with US climatic zone II. The ASABE values were not justifiable for both areas and during all seasons apparently resulting to higher potential heat stress for growing-finishing pigs.. At the area of Heraklion they were lower from 26% during summer up to 87% during winter,  resulting in 8393 annual hours out of the PS compared to 6504 (1.3 times more). Similarly, at Kastoria they were lower from 34% during summer up to 60% during fall resulting in 6420 annual hours outside the PS compared to 4310 (1.5 times more). The average seasonal optimum ventilation rates were proven to be more effective for Kastoria as they reduce the annual hours outside the PS by 32.8% compared to 22.5% for Heraklion

Optimal Financial Insulation Thickness of a Broiler House

A common method for environmental control in livestock facilities is to use thermal insulation for exterior walls and roof. In regions with cool winters increasing the insulation thickness decreases the heating requirements, however in regions with hot summers may lead to unwanted increase of inside temperature, thus intensifying cooling loads. It is worth noting that financial thickness optimization of a broiler house external walls and gable roofs insulation for different orientations has not been sufficiently addressed, thus a detailed transient simulation was used to model existing energy audited broiler house and to calculate its annual heating and cooling loads. For that, hourly climatic data and all the heat and moisture gains and losses resulting from birds, heat flow through the building envelope and ventilation were taken into account. An economic analysis based on the Life Cycle Savings (LCS) method was performed for the walls and gable roofs for various insulation thicknesses and orientations. The comparison of the annual heating load per unit area with that of similar energy audited broiler houses was satisfactory. The optimum insulation thickness of external walls and gable roofs was found to be between 4.0 cm and 4.5 cm depending on their orientation, while the wall facing north offered the greatest economic benefit compared to other orientations. According to the results, the annual cooling load was 3.3 times higher than that of heating

Precision Livestock Farming Applications (PLF) for Grazing Animals

Over the past four decades the dietary needs of the global population have been elevated, with increased consumption of animal products predominately due to the advancing economies of South America and Asia. As a result, livestock production systems have expanded in size, with considerable changes to the animals’ management. As grazing animals are commonly grown in herds, economic and labour constraints limit the ability of the producer to individually assess every animal. Precision Livestock Farming refers to the real-time continuous monitoring and control systems using sensors and computer algorithms for early problem detection, while simultaneously increasing producer awareness concerning individual animal needs. These technologies include automatic weighing systems, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors for individual animal detection and behaviour monitoring, body temperature monitoring, geographic information systems (GIS) for pasture evaluation and optimization, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for herd management, and virtual fencing for herd and grazing management. Although some commercial products are available, mainly for cattle, the adoption of these systems is limited due to economic and cultural constraints and poor technological infrastructure. This review presents and discusses PLF applications and systems for grazing animals and proposes future research and strategies to improve PLF adoption and utilization in today’s extensive livestock systems

Environmental conditions, potential heat-stress state and their relations in a sheep barn under hot climate

The aim of this study was to examine climate conditions, air quality, potential heat stress and their relations in a sheep barn under Greek hot weather conditions. Hourly averaged values of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and coarse and fine airborne Particulate Matter (PM) concentration recorded inside and outside a naturally ventilated sheep barn during July, August and September of 2015 were used. Indoors potential heat-stress levels were assessed by means of the Temperature Humidity Index (THI). Descriptive statistics were presented and relations between the environmental parameters and the THI values were investigated. The results showed that inside the sheep barn, THI was positively correlated (p < 0.0001) with temperature and wind speed and negatively correlated with relative humidity. Additionally, inside the sheep barn, the concentration of coarse PM was positively and negatively correlated (p < 0.0001) with temperature and relative humidity, respectively, whereas the opposite was observed for the concentration of fine PM. Measures that could be applied to alleviate animals’ heat-stress were proposed

The transition from Agricultural to Biosystems Engineering University Studies in Europe

This paper describes the main result produced by the ERABEE (Education & Research in Biosystems Engineering in Europe) Thematic Network. The ERABEE Thematic Network was a follow-up of a previous Thematic Network called USAEE (University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe) and both were co-financed by the European Community in the framework of the LLP Programme (Lifelong Learning Programme). The innovative and novel goal of the ERABEE Network was to promote the critical and inevitable transition from the traditional discipline of Agricultural Engineering to the emerging discipline of Biosystems Engineering, exploiting along this direction the outcomes accomplished by the earlier USAEE Thematic Network. It also aimed at enhancing the compatibility among the new programmes of Biosystems Engineering, supporting their recognition and accreditation at European and International level and facilitating greater mobility of skilled personnel, researchers and studentsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

The Impact of Treatment with IL-17/IL-23 Inhibitors on Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis and/or Psoriatic Arthritis: A Systematic Review

Accumulating evidence considers psoriasis a systemic inflammatory disorder that is associated with comorbidities such as psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Although the precise pathogenetic links between psoriasis and atherosclerosis warrants further investigation, it is believed that chronic systemic inflammation along with the T helper (Th)-1 and Th17 polarization are associated with endothelial dysfunction and subsequent acceleration of atherosclerosis. Considering the above, several studies have evaluated if optimal control of the inflammation in psoriasis by inhibiting interleukins targeting the Interleukin (IL)-23/Th17 axis could subsequently reduce the atherosclerotic process during anti-psoriatic treatment by using a variety of surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. This systematic review summarizes current knowledge on the pathogenetic mechanisms and diagnostic evaluation of atherosclerosis in the context of psoriasis and provides a systematic review of the literature on the impact of treatment with biologics targeting the IL-23/Th17 axis on subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with plaque psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis