Online optical monitoring of polymer melting in a twin-screw extruder

An experimental setup containing a sliding online optical device is used to monitor in real‐time the melting process of a commercial polypropylene in a corotating intermeshing twin‐screw extruder. Turbidity and birefringence are measured at several axial locations upstream and along the first restrictive zone of the screw, where melting develops. The experiments are performed using different set barrel temperatures, extruder feed rates, and screw speeds, to generate distinct flow histories and, accordingly, changes in the onset and rate of melting of the polymer. The local flow conditions are characterized in terms of residence time distribution and data equivalent to axial pressure profiles. Turbidity and birefringence are sensitive to changes in the operating conditions providing a coherent description of melting. The onset of melting seems to take place in partially filled conveying elements, and then melting develops quickly as the latter become fully filled, and is completed well before flow through the kneading blockCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001, PDSE 88881.132167/2016- 01 scholarship to L.A. Bicalho, grant PVE 30484/2013-01 to J.A. Covas and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for a PQ scholarship 311790/2013-5 to S.V. Canevarolo, and the Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais (PPG-CEM) of UFSCar

The effect of claw horn disruption lesions and body condition score at dry-off on survivability, reproductive performance, and milk production in the subsequent lactation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL; sole ulcers and white line disease) and body condition score (BCS) at dry-off on survivability, milk production, and reproductive performance during the subsequent lactation. An observational prospective cohort study was conducted on a large commercial dairy in Cayuga County, New York, from September 2008 until January 2009. A total of 573 cows enrolled at dry-off were scored for body condition and hoof trimmed; digits were visually inspected for the presence of CHDL. The BCS data were recategorized into a 3-level variable BCS group (BCSG), with cows with BCS \u3c3 placed in BCSG 1 (n = 113), cows with BCS = 3 placed in BCSG 2 (n = 254), and cows with BCS \u3e3 placed in BCSG 3 (n = 206). Cows in BCSG 2 were 1.35 and 1.02 times more likely to conceive than cows in BCSG 1 and 3, respectively. The cull/death hazard for BCSG 1 cows was 1.55 and 1.47 times higher than for cows in BCSG 2 and BCSG 3, respectively. Milk yield for cows in BCSG 2 (44.6 kg/d, 95% CI 43.4–45.8) was significantly greater than that for cows in BCSG 1 (41.5 kg/d, 95% CI 39.8–43.3). Cows with previous lactation days open ≤91 had 1.6 times higher odds of being classified into BCSG 1 at dry-off; cows with previous lactation mature-equivalent 305-d milk \u3e14,054 kg had a similar 1.6 times higher odds of being classified into BCSG 1. Claw horn disruption lesions were found in 24.4% of the cows (n = 140) at dry-off. Cows without CHDL were 1.4 times more likely to conceive than cows with CHDL. Additionally, lesion cows were 1.7 times more likely to die or be culled than nonlesion cows. Absence of CHDL did not have a significant effect on milk yield. These findings highlight the importance of claw health and BCS at the end of lactation on future survival and performance

Sustentabilidade social em Paty do Alferes - RJ.

bitstream/CNPS/11846/1/bpd02_2002_paty.pd

Percepção ambiental em Paty do Alferes - RJ.

bitstream/CNPS/11844/1/bpd06_2002_paty.pd

Farmer and scientific knowledge of soil quality: a social ecological soil systems approach.

This article focuses on how farmers identify and evaluate the quality of soils cultivated and how their indicators compare to those used by agricultural scientists. The aim is to bridge the gap between specific farmer knowledge and universal scientific knowledge by adopting an ecosystem framework applied to agriculture through the concept of agro-ecosystems. This approach was applied to farming in mountainous areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a global environmental hotspot that has been degraded over time. In order to reverse this trend, local actors have to build agro-ecological systems that maintain environmental quality, agronomic sustainability and socio-economic viability. For this to happen, local and scientific knowledge must be bridged and mutually adapted in order to be successful. This study therefore concentrates on processes of inter-communication between farmers and agricultural scientists concerning the role of soil quality in farming and conservation

The bovine milk microbiota: insights and perspectives from -omics studies

Recent significant progress in culture-independent techniques, together with the parallel development of -omics technologies and data analysis capabilities, have led to a new perception of the milk microbiota as a complex microbial community with great diversity and multifaceted biological roles, living in an environment that was until recently believed to be sterile. In this review, we summarize and discuss the latest findings on the milk microbiota in dairy cows, with a focus on the role it plays in bovine physiology and health. Following an introduction on microbial communities and the importance of their study, we present an overview of the -omics methods currently available for their characterization, and outline the potential offered by a systems biology approach encompassing metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metametabolomics. Then, we review the recent discoveries on the dairy cow milk microbiome enabled by the application of -omics approaches. Learning from studies in humans and in the mouse model, and after a description of the endogenous route hypothesis, we discuss the role of the milk microbiota in the physiology and health of both the mother and the offspring, and report how it can be changed by farming practices and during infection. In conclusion, we shortly outline the impact of the milk microbiota on the quality of milk and of dairy products

The bovine foot skin microbiota is associated with host genotype and the development of infectious digital dermatitis lesions

Abstract Background Bovine Digital Dermatitis (BDD) is a prevalent infectious disease, causing painful foot skin lesions and lameness in cattle. We describe herein the bovine foot skin microbiota and its associations with BDD using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing on samples from 259 dairy cows from three UK dairy farms. Results We show evidence of dysbiosis, and differences in taxonomy and functional profiles in the bovine foot skin microbiome of clinically healthy animals that subsequently develop BDD lesions, compared to those that do not. Our results suggest that taxonomical and functional differences together with alterations in ecological interactions between bacteria in the normal foot skin microbiome may predispose an animal to develop BDD lesions. Using genome-wide association and regional heritability mapping approaches, we provide first evidence for interactions between host genotype and certain members of the foot skin microbiota. We show the existence of significant genetic variation in the relative abundance of Treponema spp. and Peptoclostridium spp. and identify regions in the bovine genome that explain a significant proportion of this variation. Conclusions Collectively this work shows early changes in taxonomic and functional profiles of the bovine foot-skin microbiota in clinically healthy animals which are associated with subsequent development of BDD and could be relevant to prevention of disease. The description of host genetic control of members of the foot skin microbiota, combined with the association of the latter with BDD development offer new insights into a complex relationship that can be exploited in selective breeding programmes. </jats:sec