Growth and slaughtering performance, carcase fleshiness and meat quality according to the plumage colour in Padovana male chickens slaughtered at 18 weeks of age

The aim of this trial was to investigate on the growth and meat quality of Padovana male chickens with different plumage varieties, chamois (PC - light brown feathers with white edge), silver (PS - white feathers with black edge), and their cross. The body weight of PC during the growth period was higher (p<.01) than PS, and it was 1.7 and 1.5 kg, respectively, at 126 d of age. At slaughter, PC showed higher weight of carcase (p<.05), breast and total fleshiness (breast, wings and legs) (p<.01), and thigh meat:bone ratio (p<.05). PS showed higher shanks weight on carcase weight (p<.01), Ilio tibialis a value (p<.01), water losses (p<.01) and shear force (p<.05) in breast meat than PC. Crossing PC males to PS females gave birds with white (Cross- W) and silver (Cross-S) plumage (3:1 ratio, respectively). The offspring genotypes showed similar body weight, and almost all slaughtering, carcase and meat quality traits studied. Cross-W and Cross-S showed significantly higher final body weight, breast and leg weight, total fleshiness and thigh meat:bone ratio than PS. For the Padovana breed, the plumage colour can involve productive and slaughtering performance, and carcase and meat quality, throughout the growing period. At 18 weeks of age, the Padovana male chickens show body weight and carcase fleshiness similar to that of a hybrid laying hen belonging to a light strain

A morphometrical study on the skull of Padovana chicken

A trial was carried out to study the head and skull characteristics in a crested chicken breed with cerebral hernia located in a frontal bony protuberance, an uncrested chicken hybrid strain and their relative crosses. Males and females from five genotypes were used: two Padovana breed varieties (two colour plumages: Padovana argentata, silver -PA- and Padovana camosciata, chamois -PC-), the relative cross (PCxPA), a commercial single comb medium-growing strain (Berlanda gaina - B) and the cross between PC and B (PCxB). As regards skull dimensions B showed heavier, longer, and wider skull than Padovana group (P<0.001); the cross PCxB had skulls heavier than Padovana purebreds (P<0.05). In the Padovana purebreds the frontal bone height varied from 9.2 to 16.2 mm, whereas in the groups with B component the height ranged from 4.2 to 6.8 mm. The frontal bone height was higher in PC and PCxPA than in PA (P<0.01), whereas B and PCxB did not show any bony protuberance. No correlation resulted in Padovana groups between the frontal bone height and the skull length and width. A positive relationship between frontal bone height and skull height was significant only in PCxPA. For the skull characters of PCxPA both the two genotypes seems to be involved and no predominant and relevant effect of only one genotype was seen. The PCxB cross showed relevant differences in the skull morphometry, particularly in the absence of frontal bony protuberance and in the presence of comb

Testicular growth and comb and wattles development in three Italian chicken genotypes reared under free range conditions

Abstract Male chickens belonging to three Italian purebreds \u2013 Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER), Robusta lionata (RL) and Robusta maculata (RM) \u2013 were studied. All the birds were reared under the same rearing conditions (from May until autumn). Chickens were reared under infra-red lamps from birth until 4 weeks of age with a 24L:0D photoperiod. Then they were kept outdoor: the photoperiod changed according to the season (from 16L:8D to 12L:12D). At 138 and 168 days of age 20 birds/breed were weighed and then slaughtered. Testicular samples were collected, after evisceration, processed and embedded in paraffine wax. Sections were stained for morphological observations, observed with light microscope, and then classified according to the testis maturation stage. Ermellinata di Rovigo chickens showed the lowest (P<0.01) body weight and the highest (P<0.01) testes weight; testes maturity was higher (P<0.01) in ER than in RL, whereas RM was intermediate. For each genotype testes weight and testes maturity did not significantly differ with aging. Correlations between testes weight and body, comb, and wattles weight, according to the breed, were calculated at 168 days of age. For ER no significant correlation was found, whereas RL showed a significant (P<0.01) positive relationship between testes weight and body weight, and sexual secondary characters. Robusta maculata showed a significant correlation between testes weight and comb (P<0.01) and wattles weight (P<0.10). Our results suggest that under the studied environmental conditions ER showed the highest testes development according to its more precocious achievement of adult body weight, whereas RL was the least precocious purebred

Density Matrix Renormalization Group for Dummies

We describe the Density Matrix Renormalization Group algorithms for time dependent and time independent Hamiltonians. This paper is a brief but comprehensive introduction to the subject for anyone willing to enter in the field or write the program source code from scratch.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures. Published version. An open source version of the code can be found at http://qti.sns.it/dmrg/phome.htm

The Rhombi-Chain Bose-Hubbard Model: geometric frustration and interactions

We explore the effects of geometric frustration within a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model using a chain of rhombi subject to a magnetic flux. The competition of tunnelling, self-interaction and magnetic flux gives rise to the emergence of a pair-superfluid (pair-Luttinger liquid) phase besides the more conventional Mott-insulator and superfluid (Luttinger liquid) phases. We compute the complete phase diagram of the model by identifying characteristic properties of the pair-Luttinger liquid phase such as pair correlation functions and structure factors and find that the pair-Luttinger liquid phase is very sensitive to changes away from perfect frustration (half-flux). We provide some proposals to make the model more resilient to variants away from perfect frustration. We also study the bipartite entanglement properties of the chain. We discover that, while the scaling of the block entropy pair-superfluid and of the single-particle superfluid leads to the same central charge, the properties of the low-lying entanglement spectrum levels reveal their fundamental difference.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Incremental Predictive Process Monitoring: How to Deal with the Variability of Real Environments

A characteristic of existing predictive process monitoring techniques is to first construct a predictive model based on past process executions, and then use it to predict the future of new ongoing cases, without the possibility of updating it with new cases when they complete their execution. This can make predictive process monitoring too rigid to deal with the variability of processes working in real environments that continuously evolve and/or exhibit new variant behaviors over time. As a solution to this problem, we propose the use of algorithms that allow the incremental construction of the predictive model. These incremental learning algorithms update the model whenever new cases become available so that the predictive model evolves over time to fit the current circumstances. The algorithms have been implemented using different case encoding strategies and evaluated on a number of real and synthetic datasets. The results provide a first evidence of the potential of incremental learning strategies for predicting process monitoring in real environments, and of the impact of different case encoding strategies in this setting

Citizen empowerment and innovation in the data-rich city

This book analyzes the ongoing transformation in the “smart city” paradigm and explores the possibilities that technological innovations offer for the effective involvement of ordinary citizens in collective knowledge production and decision-making processes within the context of urban planning and management. To so, it pursues an interdisciplinary approach, with contributions from a range of experts including city managers, public policy makers, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists, and researchers. The first two parts of the book focus on the generation and use of data by citizens, with or without institutional support, and the professional management of data in city governance, highlighting the social connectivity and livability aspects essential to vibrant and healthy urban environments. In turn, the third part presents inspiring case studies that illustrate how data-driven solutions can empower people and improve urban environments, including enhanced sustainability. The book will appeal to all those who are interested in the required transformation in the planning, management, and operations of data-rich cities and the ways in which such cities can employ the latest technologies to use data efficiently, promoting data access, data sharing, and interoperability

Organic farming production. Effect of age on the productive yield and egg quality of hens of two commercial hybrid lines and two local breeds

Hens of 2 hybrid lines (Hy Line Brown - HLB, Hy Line White - HLW) and 2 local breeds (Robusta maculata – RM and Ermellinata of Rovigo – ER) were reared following the organic production procedure and their egg yield and quality were studied at two different ages (30 and 42 weeks). The experimental period was between 26 and 42 weeks of age, starting in summer and lasting until autumn. Age significantly (P<0.01) affected the hen-day egg production and the daily egg mass of the HLB (84 vs. 94% and 44.5 vs. 59.4 g), of the HLW (81 vs. 89% and 42.4 vs. 54.7 g) and of the RM hens (27 vs. 63% and 12.9 vs. 36.7 g), which was the least precocious. Age did not affect the daily egg production of the ER hens (which was maintained around 58%), although it was observed a slight (P<0.05) increase of the daily egg mass (28.6 vs. 32.1 g). Age increased (P<0.01) the egg weight, yolk colour, yolk percentage and yolk:albumen ratio and decreased the albumen percentage in all groups

Simplified Models to Capture the Effects of Restraints in Glass Balustrades under Quasi-Static Lateral Load or Soft-Body Impact

Structural glass balustrades are usually composed of simple glass panels which are designed under various restraint solutions to minimize large out-of-plane deflections and prematurely high tensile/compressive stress peaks under lateral loads due to crowd. Linear supports, point-fixing systems, and others can be used to create geometrical schemes based on the repetition of simple modular units. Among others, linear restraints that are introduced at the base of glass panels are mechanically described in the form of ideal linear clamps for glass, in which the actual geometrical and mechanical details of real fixing components are reduced to rigid nodal boundaries. This means that, from a modelling point of view, strong simplifications are introduced for design. In real systems, however, these multiple components are used to ensure appropriate local flexibility and adequately minimize the risk of premature stress peaks in glass. The present study draws attention to one of these linear restraint solutions working as a clamp at the base of glass panels in bending. The accuracy and potential of simplified mechanical models in characterizing the effective translational and rotational stiffness contributions of its components are addressed, with the support of efficient and accurate Finite Element (FE) numerical models and experimental data from the literature for balustrades under double twin-tyre impact. Intrinsic limits are also emphasized based on parametric calculations in quasi-static and dynamic regimes