Effects of compost organic amendments on chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

The following fertiliser treatments were compared during the years 2002 and 2003 on alfalfa forage (Medicago sativa L.): compost obtained from the organic fraction of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW); olive pomace compost (OPC); mineral fertiliser (Min). All the treatments allowed a distribution of 75kg ha-1 of P2O5. Three cuttings occurred: at 168, 206 and 351 days after compost application (DAA) in 2002; 119, 152 and 320 DAA in 2003. Cumulative biomass and dry matter yields were measured during each experimental year. Furthermore, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DMd), organic matter (OMd), crude protein (CPd) and NDF (NDFd) were determined. MSW treatment showed a significantly (P<0.01) higher content of ADL than OPC and Min (77.0, 66.0 and 65.0g kg-1 DM, respectively). Fertiliser treatments also affected (P<0.01) digestibility parameters. In fact, DMd and OMd values showed the same trend with lower percentages in MSW treatment than in the OPC and Min ones. The NDFd differed in all treatments having the highest value in OPC (40.1%). The results indicated that the soil distribution of organic materials offer the possibility to reduce the application of mineral fertilisers and production costs without decreasing alfalfa yield, forage chemical composition and in vitro digestibility

Mill wastewater and olive pomace compost as amendments for rye-grass

A two-year experiment was carried out to study the effects of applying untreated Olive Wastewater (OWW), treated OWW and olive pomace compost as soil amendments on both rye-grass growth and soil characteristics. We analysed growth parameters (Leaf Area Index, and fresh and dry weight), leaf green colour (SPAD readings), N uptake of the rye-grass and chemical soil characteristics. The results indicate that the highest untreated OWW application increased growth parameters by 18.2% in 2001 and by 41.1% in 2002, indicating the possible use of OWW as an amendment to rye-grass. We observed a significant increase in total, extracted and humified organic carbon, and humification parameters. No accumulations of heavy metals in the soil were observed. Furthermore, the N content in OWW was used by the rye-grass for plant growth that increases N uptake, and consequently, dry matter accumulation

Soil Phytoparasitic Nematodes Suppression and Changes of Chemical Properties Determined by Waste Residues from Olive Oil Extraction

Abstract: The effect of olive mill wastes soil amendments on phytoparasitic nematodes and on soil fertility was investigated in a field experiment in southern Italy (Apulia region). Fresh and composted olive pomace were distributed at 10 t/ha, 20 t/ha, 40 t/ha rates and raw sewage was supplied at 40 m 3 /ha, 80 m 3 /ha, 160 m 3 /ha, 240 m 3 /ha in a sandy soil (Castellaneta, province of Taranto) infested by Meloidogyne incognita. Untreated and 300 kg/ha granular fenamiphos treated soil were also used as control. Cantaloupe crop yield, soil nematode population and root infestation index were recorded. Soil fertility parameters, C and N contents, nitrates and ammonium, total organic, extracted and humified C, were also determined. The results obtained may suggest that incorporation of OWW into the soil results in a suppression of soil nematode populations and, at low initial soil infestation, also in a crop yield increase. On the other hand the soil system is positively affected by the increase of soil organic matter content; perhaps the incorporation into the soil of organic substances containing, as average, 40 % of C, can contribute to C sequestration and to reduce greenhouse effect

Alternative sugar beet production using shallow tillage and municipal solid waste fertiliser

The application of conventional agricultural practices, e.g. deep soil tillage and repeated, plentiful mineral fertilisation, can lead to a progressive deterioration of soil fertility, especially in Mediterranean environments characterised by scanty rains and high summer temperatures. As a consequence, to maintain high levels of both crop productivity and soil organic matter and to improve some soil properties, a reduction of agricultural inputs and a greater supply of organic material are needed. In the light of these considerations, we carried out a two-year field experiment in Southern Italy to determine the effects of reduced soil tillage and municipal solid waste compost application on growth parameters, production and quality of sugar beet crops, and on both soil chemical characteristics and mineral nitrogen deficit. Two soil tillage depths were compared: conventional tillage, till 40–45 cm and shallow tillage, at 15–20 cm. Within each soil tillage, the following N-fertilising strategies were tested: (1) mineral fertilisation, with 100 kg N ha$^{-1}$; (2) organic fertilisation with municipal solid waste compost at 100 kg N ha$^{-1}$; (3) mixed fertilisation, with 50% of organic N as municipal solid waste compost, and 50% of mineral N; and (4) slow-release organic-mineral N fertiliser, at 100 kg N ha$^{-1}$. All these treatments were compared with a lower level of mineral fertiliser at 50 kg N ha$^{-1}$, and with an unfertilised control. Our findings show first the absence of a significant difference in root and sucrose yields between reduced tillage and deep tillage; as shown by roots (36.02 t ha$^{-1})$ and sucrose (3.41 t ha$^{-1})$ yields for reduced tillage and 35.76 and 3.51 t ha$^{-1}$, respectively, for the deepest tillage. Secondly, among the N treatments, the mixed organic-mineral N fertilisation gave productions statistically not different from mineral N fertilisation; as shown by root yields (36.38 versus 36.40 t ha$^{-1})$ and sucrose yields (3.56 versus 3.65 t ha$^{-1})$. Third, the mixed organic-mineral N induced a reduction of 13.2% in $\alpha$-amino N content by comparison with the mineral treatment of 100 kg N ha$^{-1}$. Fourth, our results showed that the applications of the municipal solid waste compost increased the extracted and the humified organic carbon by +27.7 and +25.4%, compared with the mineral fertiliser, and did not raise the content of heavy metals. These findings highlighted that in Southern Italy it is sustainable to adopt alternative sugar beet production, safeguarding crops' quantitative and qualitative performance, decreasing the production costs and using the natural resources better

Improvement of soil properties and nitrogen utilisation of sunflower by amending municipal solid waste compost

We studied the effects of municipal solid waste compost applied to soil on sunflower nitrogen (N) uptake, N utilisation, yield, soil mineral N deficit and soil characteristics. One unfertilised control was compared with the optimal N dose for the sunflower crops in the test area (100 kg N ha–1) supplied as: organic fertilisation, with municipal solid waste compost; mineral fertilisation, with ammonium nitrate; and mixed fertilisation, with 50 kg N ha–1 from compost and 50 kg N ha–1 from mineral nitrogen. The results obtained showed that the compost, at the end of the experiment, modified the soil chemical properties. In particular, it significantly improved available phosphorus (111.3% increase for compost treatment in respect to 57.6% for the control), maintained almost the same level of exchangeable potassium (6.0% reduction for compost treatment in respect to 9.8% for the control), and significantly enhanced total soil organic matter (50.0% vs. 32.1%) and extracted organic carbon (16.6% vs. 11.8%). In addition, the application of this material did not increase the total content of heavy metals. The results showed that the municipal waste compost did not modify N uptake, utilisation, or efficiency of sunflower plants. The mean value of N uptake during the vegetative stage was 60.9%, while postanthesis N uptake reached only 39.1% and was positively and significantly correlated with yields and total N uptake, showing that the late N absorption could influence yield performance of sunflower cropped in Mediterranean conditions. Furthermore, the compost, alone or in association with mineral fertiliser, allowed similar yield performance as mineral fertilisation in oil yield (1.51, 1.48 and 1.58 t ha–1, for the three treatments, respectively) and protein yield (0.66, 0.64 and 0.65 t ha–1, respectively)

Confronto delle caratteristiche del MMPI-A tra minorenni autori di reato e adolescenti che hanno subito maltrattamenti

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescent (MMPI–A) is the self-report test most commonly applied to assess personality charatceristics, behavior difficulties, and psychopathology among adolescents. However, the literature on the use of the MMPI-A in different forensic populations remains limited. The current investigation was designed to identify differences in the MMPI–A scales between adolescents with a history of child maltreatment (CM), juvenile convicted of different type of&nbsp;offenses (JOs) or adolescents who never had contact with the Juvenile Justice and with no history childhood maltreatment. We found that adolescents in CM group had higher ANX, BIZ, LSE, and SOD scores compared with adolescents in JOs group; while they had higher BIZ, TRT and MAC scores compared with adolescents in control group. Adolescents in JOs group had higher LSE and MAC scores compared with adolescents in control group. Finding differences in personality profiles between differentforensic populations could lead to the creation of more appropriate treatments as well as a better understanding of the possible responses to outcomes of treatments.Il Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) è il test di autovalutazione più comunemente applicato per valutare i tratti della personalità, le difficoltà comportamentali e la psicopatologia tra gli adolescenti. Tuttavia, la letteratura sull'uso dell'MMPI-A in diverse popolazioni forensi rimane limitata. L'attuale indagine è stata progettata per identificare le differenze nelle scale MMPI-A tra adolescenti con una storia di maltrattamenti subiti (CM), minori condannati per diversitipi di reati (JO) o adolescenti che non hanno mai avuto contatti con la Giustizia Minorile e senza storia maltrattamenti infantili. Abbiamo scoperto che gli adolescenti nel gruppo CM avevano punteggi ANX, BIZ, LSE e SOD più alti rispetto agli adolescenti nel gruppo JOs; mentre avevano punteggi BIZ, TRT e MAC più alti rispetto agli adolescenti nel gruppo di controllo. Gli adolescenti nel gruppo JOs avevano punteggi MAC più alti rispetto agli adolescenti nel gruppo di controllo. Trovare differenze nei profili di personalità tra diverse popolazioni forensi potrebbe portare alla creazione di trattamenti più appropriati, nonché a una migliore comprensione delle possibili risposte agli esiti dei trattamenti.&nbsp

The aging process in prison: pathologies and health conditions in old inmates. An epidemiological research in Italy

Background &amp; Aims. Elderly may suffer from different pathologies during their detention in jail because of their age. Conditions in jails were tough and adapting to that life could be problematic for the elder population. This article aimed to analyse the pathologies and health conditions in a sample of elder inmates from Italy. Methods. The sample was composed by 94 elderly inmates. The research is multicentric. We selected jails from the cities of Bari, Taranto, Foggia, Lecce, Brescia, Bergamo, Cremona and Mantua. The study was conducted by interviewing the prisoners over 60 years of age, in the period between September and December 2017. Results. 64% of the sample was in a “Not Optimal” health status. Most of pathologies were Cardiac pathologies (23.4%), Diabetes (12.8 %) and Surgery (9.6%). Statistically significant differences were found for heart disease (p=0.02) and Neoplasia (p=0.025) in the prison of Bari compared to all the other prisons. Statistically significant differences were found for Hypertension in Foggia and Taranto prisons compared to all the other (p=0.023). Furthermore, 18.1% of inmates ended up having an addiction. Conclusions. Our analysis showed that in our sample physical problems were more frequent than psychological one. In fact, in spite of in the literature there was a high prevalence of mental health problems among elderly inmates, we did not find this result. However, stress conditions may increase the risk of pathologies: for example, being in jail and adapt to new hard environment may increase the risk of getting sick. Heart disease pathologies and diabetes were very common in our sample as confirmed by the literature

Effect of centre volume on pathological outcomes and postoperative complications after surgery for colorectal cancer: results of a multicentre national study

Background: The association between volume, complications and pathological outcomes is still under debate regarding colorectal cancer surgery. The aim of the study was to assess the association between centre volume and severe complications, mortality, less-than-radical oncologic surgery, and indications for neoadjuvant therapy.Methods: Retrospective analysis of 16,883 colorectal cancer cases from 80 centres (2018-2021). Outcomes: 30-day mortality; Clavien-Dindo grade >2 complications; removal of >= 12 lymph nodes; non-radical resection; neoadjuvant therapy. Quartiles of hospital volumes were classified as LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, and VERY HIGH. Independent predictors, both overall and for rectal cancer, were evaluated using logistic regression including age, gender, AJCC stage and cancer site.Results: LOW-volume centres reported a higher rate of severe postoperative complications (OR 1.50, 95% c.i. 1.15-1.096, P = 0.003). The rate of >= 12 lymph nodes removed in LOW-volume (OR 0.68, 95% c.i. 0.56-0.85, P = 12 lymph nodes removed was lower in LOW-volume than in VERY HIGH-volume centres (OR 0.57, 95% c.i. 0.41-0.80, P = 0.001). A lower rate of neoadjuvant chemoradiation was associated with HIGH (OR 0.66, 95% c.i. 0.56-0.77, P < 0.001), MEDIUM (OR 0.75, 95% c.i. 0.60-0.92, P = 0.006), and LOW (OR 0.70, 95% c.i. 0.52-0.94, P = 0.019) volume centres (vs. VERY HIGH).Conclusion: Colorectal cancer surgery in low-volume centres is at higher risk of suboptimal management, poor postoperative outcomes, and less-than-adequate oncologic resections. Centralisation of rectal cancer cases should be taken into consideration to optimise the outcomes

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P &lt; 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)