1,356 research outputs found
Effects of total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage on milk yield, composition, and quality
BACKGROUND: In the last years, difficulties occurring in corn cultivation (i.e., groundwater shortages, mycotoxin contamination) have been forcing dairy farmers to consider alternative silages. Some experiments conducted on lactating cows have proven that the total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage did not reduce milk yield. However, this kind of substitution involves supplementing sorghum-based diets with grains, to compensate for the lower starch content of sorghum silage compared to corn silage. Change of silage type and inclusion of starch sources in the diet would influence rumen fermentations, with possible effects on milk composition (i.e., fatty acid profile) and coagulation properties. A worsening of milk coagulation properties would have a negative economic impact in Italy, where most of the milk produced is processed into cheese. This study was designed to compare milk composition and quality, with emphasis on fatty acid profile and coagulation properties, in dairy cows fed two diets based on corn or sorghum silage. RESULTS: The sorghum diet reduced milk yield (P = 0.043) but not 4% fat corrected milk (P = 0.85). Feeding sorghum silage did not influence milk contents of protein (P = 0.07) and lactose (P = 0.65), and increased fat content (P = 0.024). No differences emerged for milk concentrations of saturated (P = 0.61) and monounsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.50), whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids were lower (P < 0.001) for the sorghum diet. Concentrations of n-6 (P < 0.001) and n-3 fatty acids (P = 0.017) were lower in milk of cows fed the sorghum diet. Milk coagulation properties did not differ between the two diets, except the “a30” (the curd firmness, expressed in mm, 30 min after rennet addition), that was lower (P = 0.042) for the sorghum diet. CONCLUSIONS: Feeding a forage sorghum silage, properly supplemented with corn meal, as total replacement of corn silage maintained milk composition and did not influence negatively milk coagulation properties, which have a great economic relevance for the Italian dairy industry. Thus, silages obtained from forage sorghums could have a potential as substitute of corn silages in dairy cow diets
Large mixing angle solution to the solar neutrino problem and random matter density perturbations
There are reasons to believe that mechanisms exist in the solar interior
which lead to random density perturbations in the resonant region of the Large
Mixing Angle solution to the solar neutrino problem. We find that, in the
presence of these density perturbations, the best fit point in the
(sin^2(2\theta), Delta_m^2) parameter space moves to smaller values, compared
with the values obtained for the standard LMA solution. Combining solar data
with KamLAND results, we find a new compatibility region, which we call
VERY-LOW LMA, where sin^2(2\theta) ~ 0.6 and Delta_m^2~2e-5 eV^2, for random
density fluctuations of order 5% < \xi< 8%. We argue that such values of
density fluctuations are still allowed by helioseismological observations at
small scales of order 10 - 1000 km deep inside the solar core.Comment: References and discussion added, with some small numerical
corrections implemente
Quantum Dissipation in a Neutrino System Propagating in Vacuum and in Matter
Considering the neutrino state like an open quantum system, we analyze its
propagation in vacuum or in matter. After defining what can be called
decoherence and relaxation effects, we show that in general the probabilities
in vacuum and in constant matter can be written in a similar way, which is not
an obvious result in this approach. From this result, we analyze the situation
where neutrinos evolution satisfies the adiabatic limit and use this formalim
to study solar neutrinos. We show that the decoherence effect may not be
bounded by the solar neutrino data and review some results in the literature.
We discuss the current results where solar neutrinos were used to put bounds on
decoherence effects through a model-dependent approach. We conclude explaining
how and why this models are not general and we reinterpret these constraints.Comment: new version: title was changend and was added a table. To appear at
Nucl. Physic.
A new estimate on Evans' Weak KAM approach
We consider a recent formulation of weak KAM theory proposed by Evans. As
well as for classical integrability, for one dimensional mechanical Hamiltonian
systems all the computations can be explicitly done. This allows us on the one
hand to illustrate the geometric content of the theory, on the other hand to
prove new lower bounds which extend also to the generic n degrees of freedom
case
Effects of magnetohydrodynamics matter density fluctuations on the solar neutrino resonant spin-flavor precession
Taking into account the stringent limits from helioseismology observations on
possible matter density fluctuations described by magnetohydrodynamics theory,
we find the corresponding time variations of solar neutrino survival
probability due to the resonant spin-flavor precession phenomenon with
amplitude of order O(10%). We discuss the physics potential of high statistics
real time experiments, like as Superkamiokande, to observe the effects of such
magnetohydrodynamics fluctuations on their data. We conclude that these
observations could be thought as a test of the resonant spin-flavor precession
solution to the solar neutrino anomaly.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
Slow Solar Magnetosonic Waves And Time Variation In The Solar Neutrino Data
We analyze the perturbations of the solar magnetic field generated by general solar plasma displacements and investigate their consequences in the left-right conversion probability of neutrinos produced in the Sun. We solve the Hain-Lüst equation and the evolution equations of neutrinos interacting with the solar magnetic field through a nonvanishing neutrino magnetic moment to conclude that the appearance of slow magnetosonic waves (with a period around 100 days) simulate the time behavior of solar neutrino data. © 1995.3574602607Davis, (1990) Proc. of the XXI Int. Cosmic Ray Conference, 7, p. 155. , Adelaide, AustraliaHirata, (1991) Phys. Rev. D, 44, p. 2241Anselmann, (1992) Phys. Lett. B, 285, p. 390Abazov, (1991) Phys. Rev. Lett., 67, p. 3332Voloshin, Vysotsky, Okun, (1986) Yad. Fiz., 44, p. 677Voloshin, Vysotsky, Okun, (1986) Sov. J. Nucl. Phys., 44, p. 440Mikheyev, Smirnov, (1986) Nuovo Cimento C, 9, p. 17Mikheyev, Smirnov, (1985) Yad. Fiz., 42Mikheyev, Smirnov, (1985) Sov. J. Nucl. Phys., 42, p. 913Wolfenstein, (1978) Phys. Rev. D, 17, p. 2369Wolfenstein, (1979) Phys. Rev. D, 20, p. 2634Bahcall, Ulrich, Solar models, neutrino experiments, and helioseismology (1988) Reviews of Modern Physics, 60, p. 298Gloedbloed, Sakanaka, New approach to magnetohydrodynamic stability: I. A practical stability concept (1974) Physics of Fluids, 17, p. 908Bernstein, Frieman, Kruskal, Kulsrud, (1958) Proc. Roy. Soc. A, 224, p. 1Hain, Lüst, (1958) Z. Naturforsch., 13 a, p. 936Akhmedov, Bychuk, (1989) Sov. Phys. JETP, 68, p. 250Smirnov, (1991) Phys. Lett. B, 260, p. 161Future Solar Neutrino Experiments (1995) Nuclear Physics B - Proceedings Supplements, 38, pp. 90-95Tatsuka, Superkamiokande (1990) ICCR-Report 227-90-20Chen, (1985) Phys. Rev. Lett., 55, p. 153
Observational Constraints on General Relativistic Energy Conditions, Cosmic Matter Density and Dark Energy from X-Ray Clusters of Galaxies and Type-Ia Supernovae
New observational constraints on the cosmic matter density and an
effectively redshift-independent equation of state parameter of the dark
energy are obtained while simultaneously testing the strong and null energy
conditions of general relativity on macroscopic scales. The combination of
REFLEX X-ray cluster and type-Ia supernova data shows that for a flat Universe
the strong energy condition might presently be violated whereas the null energy
condition seems to be fulfilled. This provides another observational argument
for the present accelerated cosmic expansion and the absence of exotic physical
phenomena related to a broken null energy condition. The marginalization of the
likelihood distributions is performed in a manner to include a large fraction
of the recently discussed possible systematic errors involved in the
application of X-ray clusters as cosmological probes. This yields for a flat
Universe, and
( errors without cosmic variance). The scatter in the different
analyses indicates a quite robust result around , leaving little room
for the introduction of new energy components described by quintessence-like
models or phantom energy. The most natural interpretation of the data is a
positive cosmological constant with $w_x=-1 or something like it.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, Astron. Astrophys. (in press
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