The impact of pig breed on stress levels and meat quality: a study on mangalita purebred and Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs in Romania

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the impact of pig breed on stress levels and meat quality in two commercial pig farms in the north-eastern part of Romania. One farm raised 52 Mangalita pure-bred pigs and the other 82 Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs. Serum cortisol, a biomarker of stress, and serum glucose were measured before and after slaughtering, while meat pH was measured at 45 minutes and 24 hours post-mortem. Results showed that the Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs had higher serum cortisol and glucose values before and after slaughtering compared to the Mangalita purebred pigs. The meat pH values of the two breeds were similar, with the pH45 and pH24 values being 6.67 and 5.48 for Duroc x Landrace crossbred and 6.53 and 5.52 for Mangalita purebred, respectively. These results suggest that pig breed can have an impact on stress levels and meat quality, with Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs showing higher stress levels and meat quality being not affected by the breed of pig. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to understand the underlying mechanisms

Kesterite thin films of Cu2ZnSnS4 obtained by spray pyrolysis

Thin films of Cu2ZnSnS4 CZTS were deposited using the spray pyrolysis method as relatively fast and vacuum free method. Obtained samples were analyzed using the X Ray Fluorescence, grazing incidence X Ray Diffraction and Raman Spectroscopy techniques. Analysis showed close to stoichiometry composition of the films with kesterite type structure but poor crystalline quality and possible existence of secondary phases. To improve the quality of the films, the as prepared layers were annealed in the presence of elemental Sn and S. Comparison of the results before and after annealing showed a strong improvement of the crystalline quality and a significant reduction of concentration of secondary phases of the films without significant change of composition. The measured optical band gap is equal to 1.52 and 1.55 eV in the as prepared and annealed films, respectively. The optical absorption coefficient is found to be gt; 10 4 cm

Silicon solar cells based on pSi/nSi3N4 nanolayers

Thin films of Si3N4 were prepared by non-reactive magnetron sputtering in an Ar atmosphere. A previously synthesized Si3N4 was used as a solid-state target. Deposition was carried out on a cold substrate of p-Si (100) with a resistivity of 2 Ohm cm. The Raman spectrum of the deposited Si3N4 layers has been investigated. The position of the maximum in the Raman scattering spectrum of Si3N4 layers corresponds to the Si3N4 compound and the shape of the spectrum is characteristic for the nanocrystalline state of the cubic modification of silicon nitride.The film thickness has been determined from atomic force microscopy measurements. The results of electron diffraction investigations of n-Si3N4 nanolayers with thicknesses up to 20 nm demonstrates that as-deposited Si3N4 thin films consist of a mixture of microcrystalline and amorphous phases.Solar cells based on heterostructures consisting of a p-type Si (100) and n-type Si3N4 nanolayers were fabricated and studied. Keywords: Photovoltaic cells, Heterostructures, Magnetron sputtering, Si3N4 thin film