Effect of breeding system and farm hygiene on performances of growing rabbits and lactating does over two reproductive cycles

[EN] The aim of this paper was to study the effect of the intensive breeding system (IBS: insemination 4 d postpartum and weaning age at 25 d) vs. the semi-intensive breeding system (SIBS: insemination 11 d post-partum and weaning age at 35 d) on lactating does' performance and the combined effect of the type of farm hygiene (cleaned and disinfected or not) on the performance of growing rabbits from weaning until 56 d of age. A total of 58 New Zealand x Californian rabbit does (29/reproductive rhythm) and 168 young rabbits per combination weaning age x type of farm were selected at random over two consecutive reproductive cycles. Mortality during lactation presented higher values (P=0.067) in young rabbits weaned at 35 d than in those weaned at 25 (19.1 vs. 9.60%). In the first cycle, the number of kits weaned per litter was similar for both reproductive rhythms (7.89 and 8.01 for IBS and SIBS, respectively), whereas in the second cycle, the number of rabbits weaned was lower in rabbit does that weaned their litters later (6.90 vs. 9.06; P=0.049). Weight at parturition and at weaning, fertility, parturition interval, numerical productivity and the number of young rabbits born dead and weaned were not affected by treatments. The fattening mortality was higher in the second cycle than in the first (20.2 vs. 14.5 %, P=0.051), in the farm without cleaning and disinfection between cycles (20.0 vs. 14.2%, P=0.032) and in the animals weaned at 35 d than at 25 d (20.0 vs. 14.7 %, P=0.063). Animals weaned at 25 and 35 d of age both had a peak of mortality around two weeks after weaning. The average weight of rabbits at 56 d was not significantly different between the animals weaned at 25 or 35 d (1805 vs. 1787 g, respectively; P=0.64). However, the feed efficiency in the whole fattening period was higher in young rabbits weaned at 25 d than in those weaned at 35 d (0.392 vs. 0.298 g/g; P<0.001).Garrido, S.; Nicodemus, N.; García, J.; Chamorro, S.; Blas, JD. (2009). Effect of breeding system and farm hygiene on performances of growing rabbits and lactating does over two reproductive cycles. World Rabbit Science. 17(2):71-78. doi:10.4995/wrs.2009.660717817

Delocalization in harmonic chains with long-range correlated random masses

We study the nature of collective excitations in harmonic chains with masses exhibiting long-range correlated disorder with power spectrum proportional to $1/k^{\alpha}$, where $k$ is the wave-vector of the modulations on the random masses landscape. Using a transfer matrix method and exact diagonalization, we compute the localization length and participation ratio of eigenmodes within the band of allowed energies. We find extended vibrational modes in the low-energy region for $\alpha > 1$. In order to study the time evolution of an initially localized energy input, we calculate the second moment $M_2(t)$ of the energy spatial distribution. We show that $M_2(t)$, besides being dependent of the specific initial excitation and exhibiting an anomalous diffusion for weakly correlated disorder, assumes a ballistic spread in the regime $\alpha>1$ due to the presence of extended vibrational modes.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figure

Physical and chemical properties of the groundwater of the Santo Domingo-Salinas ranges, South Central Pyrenees

The Santo Domingo-Salinas ranges represent a unique Natural Area in the south-central Pyrenees, and they were declarationas a Protected Landscape in 2015. Available biological and geological knowledge is extensive but lacks of information on groundwater quality. In this work we provide new hydrogeological results and integrate them with previously available hydrogeological data. To do so, we have: (i) compiled existing hydrogeological information, (ii) exhaustively developed an inventory of water points, (iii) sampled, analyzed and interpreted the hydrochemical facies detected, and (iv) developed a preliminary conceptual model for the hydrogeological functioning of the area. These information has been integrated in an map that displays the chemical analyses of the two new campaigns (Stiff diagrams), the flow rates and the three aquifer systems defined. This new information improves and synthetizes the knowledge of the hidrogeology of the Santo Domingo-Salinas ranges Protected Landscape and it will help in its future management and planning

Breakup Reactions of 11Li within a Three-Body Model

We use a three-body model to investigate breakup reactions of 11Li (n+n+9Li) on a light target. The interaction parameters are constrained by known properties of the two-body subsystems, the 11Li binding energy and fragmentation data. The remaining degrees of freedom are discussed. The projectile-target interactions are described by phenomenological optical potentials. The model predicts dependence on beam energy and target, differences between longitudinal and transverse momentum distributions and provides absolute values for all computed differential cross sections. We give an almost complete series of observables and compare with corresponding measurements. Remarkably good agreement is obtained. The relative neutron-9Li p-wave content is about 40%. A p-resonance, consistent with measurements at about 0.5 MeV of width about 0.4 MeV, seems to be necessary. The widths of the momentum distributions are insensitive to target and beam energy with a tendency to increase towards lower energies. The transverse momentum distributions are broader than the longitudinal due to the diffraction process. The absolute values of the cross sections follow the neutron-target cross sections and increase strongly for beam energies decreasing below 100 MeV/u.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, RevTeX, psfig.st

Application of Drought Management Guidelines in Spain

The Spanish case study presents the drought planning process carried in the Tagus Basin. The presentation is structured in four parts: organizational, methodological, operational and public review components. The organizational component presents the framework and specific legislations and the organizations and institutions in Spain that work on drought preparedness and mitigation. The methodological component presents the analytical techniques used for drought risk analysis and management. The operational component describes the proposed structure for the drought management plan and presents the specific actions that are contemplated in it. The process review component identifies stakeholders that are involved in the decision making process and presents their views on the process

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of cancer patients in Spain

Background: Studies evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public healthcare systems are limited, particularly in cancer management. As no such studies have been carried out in Spain, our objective is to describe and quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients in Spanish hospitals during the first wave of the pandemic. Materials and methods: This retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study collected information from hospital departments treating oncology patients. An electronic questionnaire comparing outcomes and management of oncohematological patients for the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods was used. Results: Information from 78 departments (36 tertiary hospitals) was analyzed. Forty-four departments implemented adapted protocols during March 2020. Most of these (n = 38/44; 86.4%) carried out COVID-19 triage, while 26 of 44 (59.1%) carried out onsite polymerase chain reaction tests for clinically suspected cases. A shift from in-person to telephone visits was observed in 43 of 44 (97.7%) departments. Comparing the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods, the number of new patients decreased by 20.8% (from 160.2 to 126.4). Decreases were also seen in the mean number of total (2858.2 versus 1686.1) and cancer (465.5 versus 367.2) biopsies, as well as the mean number of bone marrow biopsies (30.5 versus 18.6). Concerning the number of patients visiting specific cancer care departments, a decrease from 2019 to 2020 was seen for mean number of chemotherapy treatments (712.7 versus 643.8) and radiation therapy (2169.9 versus 2139.9). Finally, a reduction from 2019 to 2020 of 12.9% (from 8.6 to 7.4) in the mean number of patients included in clinical trials was noted. Conclusions: This study provides the first comprehensive data concerning the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care in Spain. The pandemic caused a 20.8% decrease in newly diagnosed patients, which may impact future outcomes. Measures must be taken to ensure cancer management receives priority in times of healthcare emergencies

Soluble/MOF-Supported Palladium Single Atoms Catalyze the Ligand-, Additive-, and Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohols to Benzoic Acids

Metal single-atom catalysts (SACs) promise great rewards in terms of metal atom efficiency. However, the requirement of particular conditions and supports for their synthesis, together with the need of solvents and additives for catalytic implementation, often precludes their use under industrially viable conditions. Here, we show that palladium single atoms are spontaneously formed after dissolving tiny amounts of palladium salts in neat benzyl alcohols, to catalyze their direct aerobic oxidation to benzoic acids without ligands, additives, or solvents. With this result in hand, the gram-scale preparation and stabilization of Pd SACs within the functional channels of a novel methyl-cysteine-based metal-organic framework (MOF) was accomplished, to give a robust and crystalline solid catalyst fully characterized with the help of single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). These results illustrate the advantages of metal speciation in ligand-free homogeneous organic reactions and the translation into solid catalysts for potential industrial implementation.This work was supported by the Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (Italy) and the MINECO (Spain) (Projects PID2019−104778GB−I00, CTQ 2017–86735–P, RTC–2017–6331–5, Severo Ochoa program SEV–2016–0683 and Excellence Unit “Maria de Maeztu” CEX2019−000919−M). E.T. and M.M. thank MINECO and ITQ for the concession of a contract. D.A. acknowledges the financial support of the Fondazione CARIPLO/“Economia Circolare: ricerca per un futuro sostenibile” 2019, Project code: 2019–2090, MOCA and Diamond Light Source for awarded beamtime and provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and thanks Dr. Sarah Barnett and David Allan for their assistance at I19 beamline (Proposal No. MT18768-1). Thanks are also extended to the “2019 Post-doctoral Junior Leader-Retaining Fellowship, la Caixa Foundation (ID100010434 and fellowship code LCF/BQ/PR19/11700011” (J.F.-S.) and “La Caixa” scholarship (ID 100010434) LCF/BQ/DI19/11730029 (J.B.-S). E.P. acknowledges the financial support of the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme/ERC Grant Agreement No 814804, MOF reactors. J.O.-M. acknowledges the Juan de la Cierva program for the concession of a contract (IJC2018-036514-I). We gratefully acknowledge to ALBA synchrotron for allocating beamtime and CLÆSS beamline staff for their technical support during our experiment. The computations were performed on the Tirant III cluster of the Servei d’Informàtica of the University of Valencia.Peer reviewe

1/f Noise in Electron Glasses

We show that 1/f noise is produced in a 3D electron glass by charge fluctuations due to electrons hopping between isolated sites and a percolating network at low temperatures. The low frequency noise spectrum goes as \omega^{-\alpha} with \alpha slightly larger than 1. This result together with the temperature dependence of \alpha and the noise amplitude are in good agreement with the recent experiments. These results hold true both with a flat, noninteracting density of states and with a density of states that includes Coulomb interactions. In the latter case, the density of states has a Coulomb gap that fills in with increasing temperature. For a large Coulomb gap width, this density of states gives a dc conductivity with a hopping exponent of approximately 0.75 which has been observed in recent experiments. For a small Coulomb gap width, the hopping exponent approximately 0.5.Comment: 8 pages, Latex, 6 encapsulated postscript figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.