Effect of Duroc genes proportion on growth performance and on carcass and meat quality characteristics in heavy pigs

By means of the application of covariance models, the linear effects of the proportion of Duroc genes were evaluated with respect to growth (from 6 to 170 kg live weight) and feed/gain ratios, as well as carcass (lean cuts, adipose cuts, linear measures, backfat thickness, loin area and lean percentage) and meat quality (L* a* b* colour, reflectance, electrical conductivity, pH) in 167 heavy pigs (87 castrated males, 80 females) from different crosses of Duroc (D), Large White (LW) and Landrace (L) breeds, from 25 to approximately 300 d of age. The pigs were weighed at 25, 105, 170, 235 d and at the end of the trial (298 ± 6 d of age), and were raised under the same conditions. The proportion of Duroc genes was 0% (LWxL; no. 33), 25% [(LWx(DxL); n. 31 and Lx(DxLW); n. 35)] and 50% [Dx(LWx(LWxL)); n. 68]. The increase in the proportion of Duroc genes negatively affected the live weight at the different ages (P0.10). In fact, during the final phase (from 120 to 170 kg l.w.) the effect of the Duroc breed on daily gain became positive (P=0.08), and the feed/gain ratios were significantly lower (P=0.02). The carcass composition was not significantly influenced by the increase in the proportion of Duroc genes, with the exception of a rise in the weight of neck (P<0.01) and flare fat (P=0.02) and a reduction of ham (P=0.09). Carcass length resulted lower as the proportion of Duroc genes increased (P<0.01); at 24 h from slaughtering, meat colour showed lower values for lightness (P=0.08), redness (P=0.02) and yellowness (P=0.03)

Limits on the low energy antinucleon-nucleus annihilations from the Heisenberg principle

We show that the quantum uncertainty principle puts some limits on the effectiveness of the antinucleon-nucleus annihilation at very low energies. This is caused by the fact that the realization a very effective short-distance reaction process implies information on the relative distance of the reacting particles. Some quantitative predictions are possible on this ground, including the approximate A-independence of antinucleon-nucleus annihilation rates.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Breakdown rates and macroinvertebrate colonisation of alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves in an acid lake (Lake Orta, N Italy), before, during and after a liming intervention

To test the effectiveness of the liming intervention on Lake Orta, the speed of leaves decay and of colonisation processes by macrobenthonic fauna were studied on alder leaves (Alnus glutinosa) placed on the bottom of the lake and recovered after appropriate time intervals. Experiments were performed at two sites (North and South) and two depths (-3 and –18 m), during three successive winters: 1988-1989 (pre-liming), 1989-1990 (liming), 1990-1991 (post-liming). Two main results emerged: 1) alder leaves, which are known to have a medium to high decaying speed in a number of aquatic environments, behave in Lake Orta as a low speed species. Decaying processes in the three years are significantly different only in station N3, where the mean breakdown rate in 1988- 1989 is more than twice that measured in the two subsequent winters. 2) The species richness of colonising benthic fauna is low: the community is made up almost exclusively of Chironomidae, which form 70 to 100% of the whole population; among them, the genus Phenopsectra is always present, while Tanytarsus was collected only during the first year and in the less deep sampling sites. The mean population abundances were higher before liming

Sequence Specificity in the Entropy-Driven Binding of a Small Molecule and a Disordered Peptide

Approximately one-third of the human proteome is made up of proteins that are entirely disordered or that contain extended disordered regions. Although these disordered proteins are closely linked with many major diseases, their binding mechanisms with small molecules remain poorly understood, and a major concern is whether their specificity can be sufficient for drug development. Here, by studying the interaction of a small molecule and a disordered peptide from the oncogene protein c-Myc, we describe a "specific-diffuse" binding mechanism that exhibits sequence specificity despite being of entropic nature. By combining NMR spectroscopy, biophysical measurements, statistical inference, and molecular simulations, we provide a quantitative measure of such sequence specificity and compare it to the case of the interaction of urea, which is diffuse but not specific. To investigate whether this type of binding can generally modify intermolecular interactions, we show that it leads to an inhibition of the aggregation of the peptide. These results suggest that the binding mechanism that we report may create novel opportunities to discover drugs that target disordered proteins in their monomeric states in a specific manner.G.T.H. is supported by the Churchill Scholarship and the Gates Cambridge Trust Scholarship

Investigating the possibility of leakage detection in water distribution networks using cosmic ray neutrons in the thermal region

Water distribution systems can experience high levels of leakage, originating from different sources, such as deterioration due to aging of pipes and fittings, material defects, and corrosion. In addition to causing financial losses and supply problems, leakages in treated water distribution also represent a risk for public health. Despite several techniques for leak detection are already available, there is still a lot of interest in new non-invasive approaches, especially for scenarios where acoustic techniques struggle, such as in noisy environmental conditions. In this work we investigated the possibility of using cosmic ray (CR) neutrons for the detection of underground leakages in water distribution networks, by exploiting the difference in the above ground thermal neutron flux between dry and wet soil conditions. The potential of the technique has been assessed by means of an extensive set of Monte Carlo simulations based on GEANT4, involving realistic scenarios based on the Italian aqueduct design guidelines. Simulation studies focused on sandy soils and results suggest that a significative signal, associated with a leakage, could be detected with a data-taking lasting from a few minutes to a half-hour, depending on the environmental soil moisture, the leaking water distribution in soil, and the soil chemical composition. Finally, a brief description of a new portable and low-cost detector for thermal neutrons, currently under commission, is also presented

The megalithic building of S.Erasmo di Cesi: architecture, astronomy, and landscape

Abstract. One of the most enigmatic megalithic buildings of Italy is the structure which lies on the S. Erasmo hill near Cesi, in Umbria, a huge complex encompassing an area of around 8000 square meters and enclosed by refined cyclopean walls. Although its date is uncertain, suggested dates comprise the Iron Age and archaic period, down to the third century B.C. The building’s function is also uncertain. Usually identified as a fortified structure, in fact there is a megalithic platform at the southern end of the enclosure which could have served as foundation of a temple or palace and, from the top of Monte Torre Maggiore, a complex of temples dating from the fourth century B.C. overlooks the hill. Similar combinations of megalithic buildings resting half-way to temples placed on high peaks are known to exist. In order to clarify the function of this structure and its position in relation to the surrounding landscape, with particular attention to its visibility and to the directions of visibility from the complex, as well as to the possible astronomical alignments, we present a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the S. Erasmo complex, which includes the mapping of the sky at the various possible epochs of construction, the creation of a digital model of the landscape in forms of digital maps using Geographic Information System technologies, and a 3D model using various 3D software packages

Evidence For The Production Of Slow Antiprotonic Hydrogen In Vacuum

We present evidence showing how antiprotonic hydrogen, the quasistable antiproton-proton (pbar-p) bound system, has been synthesized following the interaction of antiprotons with the hydrogen molecular ion (H2+) in a nested Penning trap environment. From a careful analysis of the spatial distributions of antiproton annihilation events, evidence is presented for antiprotonic hydrogen production with sub-eV kinetic energies in states around n=70, and with low angular momenta. The slow antiprotonic hydrogen may be studied using laser spectroscopic techniques.Comment: 5 pages with 4 figures. Published as Phys. Rev. Letters 97, 153401 (2006), in slightly different for