Prediction of feed intake in the Italian dairy sheep

Recommendations on feed intake for sheep are based on assessments of genetic types, feeding systems and environ- mental conditions that are very different from Italian ones. These considerations underline the need for intake data or models that derive from local trials. For this reason intake data of lactating and dry ewes, pregnant ewes, rams and growing lambs have been collected from selected literature based on sheep feeding trials mainly conducted on dairy breeds in Italy or in other Mediterranean countries. Equations and intake tables differentiated according to the physio- logical and productive categories, as well as feeding typology are reported. Particular consideration is given to pasture intake with supplementation, reporting three equations developed for three qualitative levels of the pasture, recogniz- able from the CP content of herbage: 16% DM. The equations include animal and pasture variables and supplementation, expressed as grams of CP given with feeds other than pasture. Only when pas- ture CP content is lower than 10% DM, supplement is not included in the equation, as no or negative substitution effect is expected

Philip Morris international delivering a smoke-free future - launching a product in a highly regulated environment

The work project consists of a case study, teaching note and project evaluation report on Philip Morris International’s mission of delivering a smoke-free future. The case study presents the company’s transformation and introduces PMI’s next-generation product IQOS that is said to have the potential to be less harmful than conventional cigarettes. The teaching note focuses on the impact of regulators on heated tobacco products. The evaluation report analyzes and provides recommendations for PMI’s main challenges: widespread mistrust from stakeholders and lack of awareness for IQOS

Traceability of pasture feeding using some fatty acids and spectrophotometric parameters in milk

Seventy-three cow milk individual samples deriving from seven farms with different feeding system (pasture, P vs. stall, S), were collected with the aim to trace pasture feeding from different milk characteristics. Samples were analyzed for: linoleic and linolenic acids, colour parameters (L*, b*, a* C and H) using a Minolta CM-2002 spectrophotometer; the integral value of reflectance spectrum between 530 and 450 nm was also calculated. The linoleic/linolenic acids ratio resulted significantly lower in P group (P<0.001), whereas yellowness (b*) and the absolute integral value resulted significantly higher in P group (P<0.001). Linoleic/linolenic acids ratio allowed the complete discrimination between feeding groups, whereas the integral value and yellowness allowed only a partial discrimination (respectively 90.4% and 79.5% of cases). However, a milk fatty acid composition is strongly dependent on fat intake, any additional fat inclusion in the ration can modify it, apart from pasture presence in the diet. On the contrary integral value and yellowness are strongly related to carotenoids pigments, recognized as biomarkers of fresh herbage in the diet. For these reasons, integrating linoleic/linolenic ratio and colour parameters in a principal components analysis, a complete discrimination between pasture and stall feeding was obtained, with a greater reliability of results due to the combination of milk characteristics associated to different sources of variation (fats intake and carotenoids intake)

Shaping of a three-dimensional carnivorous trap through modulation of a planar growth mechanism

Leaves display a remarkable range of forms, from flat sheets with simple outlines to cup-shaped traps. Although much progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of planar leaf development, it is unclear whether similar or distinctive mechanisms underlie shape transformations during development of more complex curved forms. Here, we use 3D imaging and cellular and clonal analysis, combined with computational modelling, to analyse the development of cup-shaped traps of the carnivorous plant Utricularia gibba. We show that the transformation from a near-spherical form at early developmental stages to an oblate spheroid with a straightened ventral midline in the mature form can be accounted for by spatial variations in rates and orientations of growth. Different hypotheses regarding spatiotemporal control predict distinct patterns of cell shape and size, which were tested experimentally by quantifying cellular and clonal anisotropy. We propose that orientations of growth are specified by a proximodistal polarity field, similar to that hypothesised to account for Arabidopsis leaf development, except that in Utricularia, the field propagates through a highly curved tissue sheet. Independent evidence for the polarity field is provided by the orientation of glandular hairs on the inner surface of the trap. Taken together, our results show that morphogenesis of complex 3D leaf shapes can be accounted for by similar mechanisms to those for planar leaves, suggesting that simple modulations of a common growth framework underlie the shaping of a diverse range of morphologies

The Target Silicon Detector for the FOCUS Spectrometer

We describe a silicon microstrip detector interleaved with segments of a beryllium oxide target which was used in the FOCUS photoproduction experiment at Fermilab. The detector was designed to improve the vertex resolution and to enhance the reconstruction efficiency of short-lived charm particles.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure

Macro optical projection tomography for large scale 3D imaging of plant structures and gene activity

Optical projection tomography (OPT) is a well-established method for visualising gene activity in plants and animals. However, a limitation of conventional OPT is that the specimen upper size limit precludes its application to larger structures. To address this problem we constructed a macro version called Macro OPT (M-OPT). We apply M-OPT to 3D live imaging of gene activity in growing whole plants and to visualise structural morphology in large optically cleared plant and insect specimens up to 60 mm tall and 45 mm deep. We also show how M-OPT can be used to image gene expression domains in 3D within fixed tissue and to visualise gene activity in 3D in clones of growing young whole Arabidopsis plants. A further application of M-OPT is to visualise plant-insect interactions. Thus M-OPT provides an effective 3D imaging platform that allows the study of gene activity, internal plant structures and plant-insect interactions at a macroscopic scale

The role of polymorphism at αs1-casein locus on milk fatty acid composition in Girgentana goat

Sixteen lactating Girgentana goats were used to evaluate the effect of polymorphism at αs1-casein locus on milk fatty acids composition. Animals, homogeneous for milk production, days of lactation and body weight, were divided into two groups: eight homozygous for strong allele (AA group) and eight homozygous for weak allele (FF group). The experimental diet, identical for the two groups, consisted of alfalfa hay (1.5 kg), whole barley, whole maize, pelleted sunflower and whole faba bean (0.5 kg each). In spite of identical selected diets, also in terms of fatty acids, milk fatty acid composition resulted different between the two groups. In particular, except for C8:0, short and medium chain fatty acids and odd chain fatty acids resulted in higher percentage in the AA group. Taking in account that the difference reported in our experiment concerns above all de novo synthesized fatty acids, our results seem to confirm the hypothesis that polymorphism at αs1-casein locus can influence milk fatty acid composition in goats

Prognostic Accuracy of Sepsis-3 Criteria for In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With Suspected Infection Presenting to the Emergency Department.

An international task force recently redefined the concept of sepsis. This task force recommended the use of the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score instead of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria to identify patients at high risk of mortality. However, these new criteria have not been prospectively validated in some settings, and their added value in the emergency department remains unknown. To prospectively validate qSOFA as a mortality predictor and compare the performances of the new sepsis criteria to the previous ones. International prospective cohort study, conducted in France, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland between May and June 2016. In the 30 participating emergency departments, for a 4-week period, consecutive patients who visited the emergency departments with suspected infection were included. All variables from previous and new definitions of sepsis were collected. Patients were followed up until hospital discharge or death. Measurement of qSOFA, SOFA, and SIRS. In-hospital mortality. Of 1088 patients screened, 879 were included in the analysis. Median age was 67 years (interquartile range, 47-81 years), 414 (47%) were women, and 379 (43%) had respiratory tract infection. Overall in-hospital mortality was 8%: 3% for patients with a qSOFA score lower than 2 vs 24% for those with qSOFA score of 2 or higher (absolute difference, 21%; 95% CI, 15%-26%). The qSOFA performed better than both SIRS and severe sepsis in predicting in-hospital mortality, with an area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74-0.85) vs 0.65 (95% CI, 0.59-0.70) for both SIRS and severe sepsis (P &lt; .001; incremental AUROC, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.09-0.22). The hazard ratio of qSOFA score for death was 6.2 (95% CI, 3.8-10.3) vs 3.5 (95% CI, 2.2-5.5) for severe sepsis. Among patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected infection, the use of qSOFA resulted in greater prognostic accuracy for in-hospital mortality than did either SIRS or severe sepsis. These findings provide support for the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) criteria in the emergency department setting. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02738164