Production performance, nutrient digestibility, and milk composition of dairy ewes supplemented with crushed sunflower seeds and sunflower seed silage in corn silage-based diets

This study determined production performance, nutrient digestibility, and milk composition of dairy ewes supplemented with crushed sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus) and sunflower seed silage in corn silage-based diets. Six ewes were grouped in a double 3 × 3 Latin square design with three periods of 21 days. All treatments were based on ad libitum corn silage. Control diet was based on alfalfa hay (333 g/kg DM), sorghum grain (253 g/kg DM), triticale grain (200 g/kg DM), soybean meal (167 g /kg DM), and vitamin and mineral premix (47 g/kg DM). Sunflower seeds (SF) and sunflower seed silage (SFS) treatments consisted of alfalfa hay (333 g/kg DM), sorghum grain (267 g/kg DM), triticale grain (100 g/kg DM), soybean meal (167 g /kg DM), SF or SFS (87 g/kg DM) and vitamin and mineral premix (47 g/kg DM). Compared to control, SF and SFS increased intake and digestibility of fiber components, such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF). Body weight, nitrogen balance, milk yield, milk fat yield, milk protein yield, lactose yield and milk urea N were similar between treatments. Overall, results demonstrated that crushed sunflower seeds and ensiled seeds do not change significantly productive parameters of dairy sheep

Wavelength-tunable picosecond pulses from a passively mode-locked figure-eight Erbium-doped fiber laser with a Sagnac fiber filter

We experimentally demonstrated a wavelength-tunable passively mode-locked Erbium-doped figure-eight fiber laser. Wide tunability is achieved using a high-birefringence (hi-bi) fiber Sagnac loop. The filter transmission function is controlled by selecting the hi-bi fiber loop length. The output pulses are wavelength tunable over a range from 1525 nm to 1555 nm. The FWHM of the autocorrelation trace is about 3.1 ps and the pulse spectrum has a FWHM of 1.5 nm. The pulse temporal and spectral widths remain constant over the tunable range

Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach

A pressurized irrigation network may operate in two ways, namely, on demand and organized under operating sectors. In the first case, the user decides when to irrigate, and the pumping station has to meet the discharge and pressure head requirements of the group of users that is demanding water at any time. In the second case, the operating hydrants at a given moment are previously established, which permits identification of scenarios related to lesser energy consumption. In this work, a new model was developed that identifies such scenarios. The optimization process is carried out by means of simulated annealing (SA). The model was applied to an example and the result obtained was compared with the same network operating on demand and sectorized using the criterion of hydrant elevation with respect to the pumping station. The scenario adopted for SA saved 11.8% and 15.5% in energy consumption compared with the two other scenarios, and decreased the installed power requirement by 38.3% and 21.6%, respectively.García Prats, A.; Guillem Picó, S.; Martínez Alzamora, F.; Jiménez Bello, MA. (2012). Random scenarios generation with minimun energy consumption model for sectoring optimization in pressurized irrigation networks using a simulated annealing approach. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 138(7):613-624. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000452S613624138

Ocratoxina A en plasma humano: nuevos datos de exposición en España

Se ha investigado la presencia de Ocratoxina A en plasma humano en la provincia de Granada, por medio del análisis de 83 muestras obtenidas de mujeres residentes en esa zona. El método analítico está basado en la extracción líquido-líquido, con posterior análisis por cromatografía líquida de alta resolución (HPLC) con detección de fluorescencia. Este método analítico ha sido validado obteniéndose un límite de detección de 0,21 ng/mL. Se ha detectado la presencia de ocratoxina A en un 72% de las muestras. La concentración media hallada ha sido de 0,63 ng/mL, con una desviación estándar de 0,41 ng/mL y un rango de concentraciones entre 0,11 ng/mL y 6,96 ng/mL. Estos resultados son equiparables a los encontrados previamente en otras dos zonas del norte y del centro de España, y en los países del entorno. El análisis estadístico de los datos, por medio de un test de Kruskal-Wallis (n = 70; x2 = 4,591; p = 0,597), no evidenció que existiera ninguna diferencia significativa de los niveles plasmáticos de ocratoxina A en relación con la época del año en la que fueron extraídas las muestras. Estos resultados constituyen una prueba más de la exposición generalizada de la población española a esta micotoxina, si bien el valor de la ingesta diaria de ocratoxina A calculado a partir de la concentración media hallada en el presente estudio, es muy inferior al máximo recomendado por el Comité de expertos sobre aditivos alimentarios de la Organización Mundial de la Salud

Effect of the inclusion of Bacillus spp. in growing–finishing pigs’ diets: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis determined the effect of Bacillus spp. on growth performance of growing–finishing pigs and then assessed causes for the heterogeneity of responses detected using meta-regression. A database of 22 articles published from 2000 to 2020 was identified, and 9 articles fitted the selection criteria and were integrated in the final database. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the effect size for ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and F:G ratio using a standardized means difference (SMD) at a 95% confidence interval. A meta-regression analysis was used to investigate the cause of heterogeneity, using the individual SMD for each study assessment as the outcome and the associated SE as the measure of variance. Dietary Bacillus spp. supplementation had no effect on ADFI (SMD: −0.052, p = 0.138) and numerically increased ADG (SMD: 0.113, p = 0.081) and reduced the F:G ratio SMD: −0.127, p < 0.001). Meta-regression outcomes suggested that the number of animals per group was an essential component promoting heterogeneity in ADG. Overall, the inclusion of Bacillus spp. (median 486 mg/d) in growing–finishing pigs can increase ADG and can decrease the F:G ratio

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially