Feed prices and production costs on Spanish dairy farms

This paper analyses the impact of livestock feed prices and pasture quality on the long and short-term costs of milk production in a region of Spain (Navarre). The empirical results are obtained from the estimation of a flexible short-run cost function, followed by the approximation of long-run equilibrium based on the quasi-fixed factors adjusted to their optimal levels. The results reveal a high sensitivity of milk production costs to changes in livestock feed prices due to two reasons. One is that, as milk production expands, it tends to become technologically more intensive. The other is that, in the current structure of dairy farming, land input is suboptimal, particularly in the case of large farms and areas of poor pasture. The results reveal that short-run substitution between feed and livestock is a potential strategy for farms to respond to feed price increases. They also suggest that structural policies designed to strengthen the dairy sector’s competitiveness should vary according to agro-climatic conditions. In areas of poor pasture, herd growth might be used as a long-term measure to increase competitiveness through economies of scale; while the alternatives for farms in better-endowed regions also include extensification of dairy production.This paper analyses the impact of livestock feed prices and pasture quality on long and short-term milk production costs in a region in Spain (Navarre). The empirical results are obtained by estimating a flexible short-run cost function and then approximating long-run equilibrium by adjusting the quasi-fixed factors to their optimal levels. The results reveal a high sensitivity of milk production costs to changes in livestock feed prices due to two reasons. One is that milk production tends to become technologically more intensive as milk production expands. In optimum conditions, large dairy farms appear to become less land-dependent and to rely more heavily on purchased livestock feed. The other is that the current dairy farm structure shows suboptimal quantity of land, particularly by large farms and in areas with poor pasture quality. The results reveal that short-run substitution between feed and livestock is a potential strategy for farms to respond to feed price increases. The results also suggest that structural policies to strengthen the dairy sector’s competitiveness could be made to vary across agro-climatic areas. In poor pasture areas, herd growth might be used as a long-term measure to increase competitiveness through economies of scale; while the alternatives for farms in better-endowed regions also include extensification of dairy production

Cerebrospinal fluid chitinases as biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease that affects motor neurons controlling voluntary muscles. Survival is usually 2-5 years after onset, and death occurs due to respiratory failure. The identification of biomarkers would be very useful to help in disease diagnosis and for patient stratification based on, e.g., progression rate, with implications in therapeutic trials. Neurofilaments constitute already-promising markers for ALS and, recently, chitinases have emerged as novel marker targets for the disease. Here, we investigated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) chitinases as potential markers for ALS. Chitotriosidase (CHIT1), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), chitinase-3-like protein 2 (CHI3L2) and the benchmark marker phosphoneurofilament heavy chain (pNFH) were quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from the CSF of 34 ALS patients and 24 control patients with other neurological diseases. CSF was also analyzed by UHPLC-mass spectrometry. All three chitinases, as well as pNFH, were found to correlate with disease progression rate. Furthermore, CHIT1 was elevated in ALS patients with high diagnostic performance, as was pNFH. On the other hand, CHIT1 correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC). The three chitinases correlated with pNFH, indicating a relation between degeneration and neuroinflammation. In conclusion, our results supported the value of CHIT1 as a diagnostic and progression rate biomarker, and its potential as respiratory function marker. The results opened novel perspectives to explore chitinases as biomarkers and their functional relevance in ALS.We acknowledge iNOVA4Health – UIDB/04462/2020 and UIDP/04462/2020, a program financially supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, through national funds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Axial longitudinal flow in volcaniclastic materials of the Late-Carboniferous-Permian Cadí basin (Southern Pyrenees) determined from Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility

The aim of this work is the application of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) to the study of volcanic materials from the Late Carboniferous-Permian Cadí basin (southern Pyrenees) in order to (i) explore the limits of this technique in ancient volcanic materials that have undergone strong chemical alteration and a complex tectonic evolution and (ii) provide new insights on the deposition of volcanic materials in this tectonically controlled sedimentary basin. To establish a comparison with the petrofabric of rocks, AMS was complemented with observations and orientation analyses at the outcrop scale, in oriented polished blocks and in thin sections under the microscope. High resolution sampling (620 specimens from 56 sites located in five transects along a sequence 150 m thick) allowed to characterize the volcaniclastic and lava flow series. The AMS results show a fairly constant average magnetic lineation oriented WNW-ESE (in situ and tilt-corrected) and two secondary maxima (N-S to NE-SW in some areas). The magnetic mineralogy analyses indicate the contribution of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic (magnetite, Tc 580 °C) phases to susceptibility. The magnetic fabric has a close relationship with the spatial distribution and orientation of the mineral and grain components of the studied rocks, mainly controlled by depositional processes, with a negligible contribution of the tectonic imprint. Therefore, the magnetic lineation (i.e. K1 axes) can be reliably used as a paleoflow indicator. Nevertheless, it was not possible to establish a clear correspondence between lithological and magnetic fabric types. The results obtained indicate that the AMS approach represents a powerful tool to infer the paleoflow pattern in ancient volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, even under a priori unfavourable conditions

Axial longitudinal flow in volcanic materials of the late carboniferous-permian Cadí basin (Southern Pyrenees) determined from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility

The aim of this work is the application of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) to the study of volcanic materials from the Late Carboniferous-Permian Cadí basin (southern Pyrenees) in order to (i) explore the limits of this technique in ancient volcanic materials that have undergone strong chemical alteration and a complex tectonic evolution and (ii) provide new insights on the deposition of volcanic materials in this tectonically controlled sedimentary basin. To establish a comparison with the petrofabric of rocks, AMS was complemented with observations and orientation analyses at the outcrop scale, in oriented polished blocks and in thin sections under the microscope. High resolution sampling (620 specimens from 56 sites located in five transects along a sequence 150 m thick) allowed to characterize the volcaniclastic and lava flow series. The AMS results show a fairly constant average magnetic lineation oriented WNW-ESE (in situ and tilt-corrected) and two secondary maxima (N-S to NE-SW in some areas). The magnetic mineralogy analyses indicate the contribution of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic (magnetite, Tc 580 °C) phases to susceptibility. The magnetic fabric has a close relationship with the spatial distribution and orientation of the mineral and grain components of the studied rocks, mainly controlled by depositional processes, with a negligible contribution of the tectonic imprint. Therefore, the magnetic lineation (i.e. K1 axes) can be reliably used as a paleoflow indicator. Nevertheless, it was not possible to establish a clear correspondence between lithological and magnetic fabric types. The results obtained indicate that the AMS approach represents a powerful tool to infer the paleoflow pattern in ancient volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, even under a priori unfavourable condition

Hydrological Variability In Chilean Altiplano Lakes during the Last Millennia

Peer Reviewe

Effect of biological and physical pre-treatments of Ulva rigida in the quality of on-growing European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax

[Excerpt] Content A growth trial with European seabass was performed to assess the effect of the dietary inclusion of Ulva rigida as is or with technological pre-treatment with ultrasounds (US) or solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Aspergillus ibericus. Promising results of the pre-treatment of U. rigida prior to dietary inclusion on growth performance and feed utilization efficiency of seabass were obtained, however, the effect of these treatments on fillet nutritional and sensory quality was not yet evaluated.[...]Supported by PhD grant by FCT ref.SFRH/BD/131219/2017, IJFCT-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030377 and MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0111info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Desigualdades sociales y salud en el nivel local: hacia la conformación del observatorio socio-sanitario para Concepción del Uruguay

El objetivo del presente proyecto fue analizar la relación entre las desigualdades sociales y las inequidades en salud en la ciudad de Concepción del Uruguay para el período 2001 - 2018. Para alcanzar este objetivo se llevó adelante un estudio descriptivo de diseño mixto de corte transversal y longitudinal retrospectivo, sustentado en datos de fuentes primarias y secundarias que combinó el análisis estadístico y la georreferenciación de datos a nivel local para el análisis de seis problemáticas de salud específicas. De esta forma, se analizó la distribución temporal y espacial de la mortalidad materna e infantil, los embarazos de riesgo, el cáncer, el VIH-SIDA y las muertes violentas y su relación con dimensiones socioeconómicas, ambientales y culturales, generando conocimiento sobre la relación entre las inequidades en salud y las desigualdades sociales en Concepción del Uruguay y sentando las bases de un sistema de información que oriente el diseño de políticas de salud en el nivel local. ARK: http://id.caicyt.gov.ar/ark:/s22504559/zzdzo1xk1

UFMylation of MRE11 is essential for telomere length maintenance and hematopoietic stem cell survival

International audienc

Molecular fragmentation of wheat-germ agglutinin induced by food irradiation reduces its allergenicity in sensitised mice

WGA, an agglutinin from wheat germ which is largely responsible for many of wheat's allergies, was used as a model to investigate the action of ionising radiation on WGA's anti-nutritive effects in sensitised mice. Based on the molecular structure, the present study also examined the structural modification of WGA in relation to the range of dose. Structural integrity was monitored using HPLC, fluorescence spectrometry and circular dichroism. Results showed a loss of intrinsic activity and the formation of insoluble amorphous aggregates with a lack of native conformational structures after irradiation. Current findings suggest that the allergenic epitopes of WGA became less active and antigenic after high-dose radiation. the reduction of cytokines typical of allergic reactions, with decreased lymphocytic infiltrate, was observed in the gut of mice given irradiated versus native WGA. Food irradiation proved effective and safe in combating immunological and allergic effects of WGA. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia (Brazilian)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao de Amparo a Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE)Univ Fed Pernambuco, Dept Bioquim, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Pernambuco, Dept Histol & Embriol, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Pernambuco, Dept Biofis & Radiobiol, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Fed Pernambuco, Dept Antibiot, Recife, PE, BrazilUniv Estadual Oeste Parana, Ctr Engn & Ciencias Exatas, Toledo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Multimedia means for professional guidance

El contexto de cambio en que nos ha tocado vivir plantea considerables retos a los procesos educativos y formativos. La orientación pretende aportar en esta situación un proceso de ayuda técnica que dote al individuo de los instrumentos y herramientas necesarias para hacer frente a dichas demandas. Con este propósito hemos abordado el diseño de una herramienta telemática para la formación de los orientadores, que presentamos en este trabajoThe changing context in which we are living raises considerable challenges in the educational and formative processes. Vocational guidance tries to bring the technical assistance that provides the individuals with the instrument and tools which are necessary to face these demands. With this intention, the authors have designed a telematic tool for the formation of the guiders, which they present in this paper