Policy Reform on Poultry Industry in Indonesia

The Indonesian poultry industry is a key sector for the national economy, supplying 65% of all animal protein and employing 10% of the national labour force. All over the country, though local production successfully copes with domestic demand, the potential for growth is high, consistent with expectations of rising GDP per capita. The market looks healthy and attractive, which has resulted in this gradual entry of new foreign groups. In past decades, the production process has evolved and modernized. The market is dominated by five main players—three foreign companies operating in feed production and two in day-old chick production. Even though expectations for the industry are strongly positive, prices for both broiler chicken and eggs are consistently higher in Indonesia than in Europe and America. From March–October 2018, Indonesian broiler chicken meat cost an average of about IDR 40,500/kg, while in the EU the price was around IDR 32,600/kg (+24%). Over the same period, the average egg price in Indonesia was around IDR 28,000/kg, compared to just above IDR 21,000/kg (+33%) in the EU. The differences in price are partially due to differences in demand and supply—Indonesia is a Muslim country, so the demand for chicken meat may be stronger than in countries with higher pork consumption. However, Indonesia’s higher prices are surprising given lower production costs. In Indonesia, farm salaries are lower than in Europe. In addition, the EU banned egg layer battery cages in 2012, forcing layer farmers to decrease bird density and therefore to implement more expensive methods of production, pushing up egg production costs. So production costs are higher in the EU, but consumer prices are lower. Price differences can also be explained in part by general market conditions in the EU and Indonesia. While the European market is a mature one, the constant growth in Indonesia, supported by growing demand, is an important element keeping prices high. While many economic factors are out of Indonesia’s control, prices are also affected by Indonesian public policy. Therefore, we propose policy modifications that aim to support sound growth of the industry, which might be accompanied by lower prices. The first important act would be to resolve conflicts between existing regulations, in particular between Regulation of the Minister of Trade (MOT) 21/2018 and Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture (MOA) 57/2015 on the ministerial recommendation letter for maize import and maize import rights. Our second suggestion, related to MOA 26/2016, is to liberalize parent stock1 imports, enabling poultry producers to more freely implement sound entrepreneurial strategies rather than relying on incorrect government estimations. At the same time, we believe that it is necessary to open Indonesia to the international market for maize, rather than using trade protections to force local production. Current regulations have driven domestic maize prices incredibly high compared to the international price. Since maize is the main component of poultry feed, and feed is in turn the major cost in Indonesian poultry production, free access to international markets would heavily and positively affect production costs in the poultry industry, helping prices to cool down. Finally, the government could play an important role in improving infrastructure, which, at the moment, burdens the industry—particularly in the case of transporting raw materials for feed from the ports to the mills. An improvement in road infrastructure would also allow the transport of heavy machinery, further boosting modernization of the poultry industr

A computational and experimental investigation of the anchoring of organosilanes on the halloysite silicic surface

In this work, the effect of halloysite nanotubes alkali activation on its grafting efficiency with organosilanes was studied by Density Functional Theory and experimental investigations. In particular, computational analysis allowed to enlight the structural properties of the organic molecules attached to the silanol groups on halloysite outer surface. The energetics of the reactions showed that the pretreatment with a base is crucial for the modification of the surface due to the appearance of a high number of active sites which lead to thermodynamically favored exothermic processes. Experimental evidences are in good agreement with calculation hypothesis. For instance, the coating efficiency is higher after the alkali activation of the inorganic counterpart for both the investigated organosilanes. The findings here reported are important in order to improve any functionalization protocols for aluminosilicates without variations or loss of the hollow nanotubular morphological features and it paves the ground to halloysite based technological applications in many fields, from nanotechnology to catalysis

Body condition score (BCS) and metabolic status of shelter dogs

A group of 147 shelter dogs were weighted and assigned a body condition score (BCS) using a 9 point scale system, in order to evaluate the prevalence of obesity in the kennel. More than 60% of the animals showed a BCS³6 (overweight and obese) and this condition was mainly attributed to an excess of carbohydrates and fat in the diet. In 67/147 dogs, a blood sample was drawn and the effects of BCS, age and time spent in the shelter were evaluated on biochemical parameters. Obese dogs showed significantly higher levels of triglycerides (P<0.01), while increasing BCS determined only an increasing non significant trend on cholesterol values. Age influenced creatinine (P<0.05) and the oldest dogs scoring BCS³6 registered significant higher NEFA (P<0.05) and CK (P=0.01) levels. Time spent in the shelter did not affect any parameter. The dogs' metabolic condition reflects the need of taking more care of the quality of feed administered in the shelters to avoid the negative health effects caused by chronic obesity

Agroecological practices and agrobiodiversity. A case study on organic orange in southern Italy

7noopenThe integration of Agroecological Service Crops (ASCs) into agroecosystems can provide several ecological services, such as nutrient cycling and disease and weed management. A two-year experiment on an organic orchard was carried out to compare barley (B) and horse bean (HB) ASCs with a control without ASC (Cont) in combination with fertilizers. Their effects on soil fertility and weed- and soil-borne fungi communities were evaluated by direct measurements, visual estimation, and indicators computation. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify latent patterns and redundancy among variables, whereas a correlation analysis was used to discriminate the compared systems within the PCA matrix. The empirical results of this study put in evidence the correlation among soil, weed, and fungal variables. A slight contribution of fertilizers on the system’s variability was observed, whereas a clear effect of ASCs was highlighted. The systems differed in weed communities, with the lowest density associated to B and the highest to Cont. B showed the highest fungal diversity, with changes in community compared to HB. HB showed a contribution on soil fertility, being associated to organic matter increase and N availability, and evidencing mixed impacts on soil quality and ecosystem functioning. Overall, the above-ground diversity and below-ground community results were inter-correlated.openCiaccia C.; La Torre A.; Ferlito F.; Testani E.; Battaglia V.; Salvati L.; Roccuzzo G.Ciaccia, C.; La Torre, A.; Ferlito, F.; Testani, E.; Battaglia, V.; Salvati, L.; Roccuzzo, G

The MEV project: design and testing of a new high-resolution telescope for Muography of Etna Volcano

The MEV project aims at developing a muon telescope expressly designed for the muography of Etna Volcano. In particular, one of the active craters in the summit area of the volcano would be a suitable target for this experiment. A muon tracking telescope with high imaging resolution was built and tested during 2017. The telescope is a tracker based on extruded scintillating bars with WLS fibres and featuring an innovative read-out architecture. It is composed of three XY planes with a sensitive area of \SI{1}{m^2}; the angular resolution does not exceeds \SI{0.4}{\milli\steradian} and the total angular aperture is about $\pm$\SI{45}{\degree}. A special effort concerned the design of mechanics and electronics in order to meet the requirements of a detector capable to work in a hostile environment such as the top of a tall volcano, at a far distance from any facility. The test phase started in January 2017 and ended successfully at the end of July 2017. An extinct volcanic crater (the Monti Rossi, in the village of Nicolosi, about 15km from Catania) is the target of the measurement. The detector acquired data for about 120 days and the preliminary results are reported in this work

Determinants of delay and association with outcome in head and neck cancer:A systematic review

Introduction: Head and neck cancers (HNC) are relatively fast-growing tumours, and delay in treatment initiation is associated with tumour progression and adverse outcome. An overview of factors contributing to delay can provide critical insights on necessary adjustments to optimize care pathways. This systematic review aims to identify factors associated with delay and summarize the effect of delay on oncological outcome measures. Methods: A search strategy was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to search electronic data-bases for studies assessing the carepathway interval (days between first visit in head and neck oncology center and treatment initiation) and/or time-to-treatment-initiation interval (days between histological diagnosis and treatment initiation) and 1) determinants of delay and/or 2) effect of delay on outcome within these timeframes. Due to heterogeneity between included studies, a meta-analysis was not possible. Results: Fifty-two studies were eligible for quantitative analysis. Non-Caucasian race, academic setting, Medicaid/no insurance and radiotherapy as primary treatment were associated with delay. Advanced tumour stage was related to increased time-to-treatment initiation in the four common sites combined (oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx). Separate determinants for delay in different tumour locations were identified. In laryngeal, oral cavity cancer and the four common HNC sites combined, delay in start of treatment is associated with decreased overall survival, although no cut-off time point could be determined. Conclusion: Race, facility type, type of insurance and radiotherapy as primary treatment were associated with delay and subsequent inferior survival in the four common sites combined. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd