Informing People about CCS: A Review of Social Research Studies

This contribution examines studies on CCS public perception which have investigated the introduction of CCS information to the public. Studies published between 2007 and 2011 are considered and analysed with regard to research methods and tools and the construction of information. The relationship within which the communication of information takes place and content characteristics of the information emerge as two key aspects to be developed both from a methodological and an operational point of view

Youth employment in start up ventures in Jordan: an exploratory study

Youth in developing countries are faced with high unemployment rates, even when they possess higher education degrees. In the developing world, small business and entrepreneurial ventures constitute the main drivers of economic development and offer employment opportunities for youth. Nevertheless, when faced with a career decision after their studies, youth seem to prefer careers in established companies over start-ups. As a consequence, start-ups find it more difficult to find and hire the right employees although they are available in the market. This study aims at examining the factors behind youth career decisions to work for a start-up company and provides suggestions for both research and practice. By relying on both entrepreneurship and career decision-making literature, we developed a theoretical model that includes background factors and individual characteristics. Results from a survey on youth graduates from Jordan show that a high school education fostered critical thinking and international exposure, the participation in entrepreneurial events and creativity, which predicted the willingness to work for a start-up

Different carbohydrate sources affect swine performance and post-prandial glycaemic response

The type of starch and fibre in the diet affects several parameters, including glycaemic and insulin response, that are involved in pig growth performance. Four experimental diets for growing pigs differing for carbohydrates source (corn, barley, faba bean and pea) were tested. The diets were analysed in vitro to assess the carbohydrates characteristics, and they were administered to 56 crossbreed growing pigs (Landrace × Large White) randomly divided into four groups (mean age of 95 ± 6 days; body weight 80 kg ± 4 days). Clinical examination and average daily gain were performed before recruitment and after 40 days of experiment. The metabolic effects were investigated by blood count and serum biochemical parameters and by the glycaemic and insulin post-prandial response. The study revealed substantial differences among the diets, suggesting that alternative feedstuffs for swine affect several parameters, including glycaemic and insulin response, with no negative effects on growing performance. The Barley group showed the highest daily weight gain (p < .05) associated with the highest glycaemic (p < .05) and insulin response at 1 and 2 h post-prandial (p < .01), suggesting that the barley-based diet can support performance comparable to that of the corn-based diet in growing pig. By contrast, the lowest glycaemia was observed in the Faba bean group (p < .05), confirming the capacity of this legume to modulate post-prandial glucose levels. Moreover, the ability of some ingredients in lowering glucose and insulin response enriches the knowledge on functional nutrients for animal diets and to prevent the incidence of enteric diseases.Highlights The type of starch and fibre used in the diet highly affected some blood parameters, such as glycaemic and insulin responses. The Barley group showed the highest daily weight gain . Lower glycaemia levels were observed in the Faba bean group compared to the Corn one. Alternative protein sources for swine diets can limit the glycaemic and insulin response with no negative effects on growing performance

The Berlekamp-Massey Algorithm revisited

We propose a slight modification of the Berlekamp-Massey Algorithm for obtaining the minimal polynomial of a given linearly recurrent sequence. Such a modification enables to explain it in a simpler way and to adapt it to lazy evaluation.Comment: in English and French version

Aloe arborescens supplementation in cat diet: Evaluation of effects by in vitro gas production technique

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Aloe arborescens on organic matter digestibility (OMD), cumulative gas (OMCV) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production, using the in vitro gas production technique (IVGPT). Three adult cats were fed with a commercial diet (CP 31.21; EE 16.64% as fed) for 20 days before the collection of their faeces used as inoculum. The same diet, used as substrate, was incubated in vitro supplemented with different amounts (0, 0.7, 1.6 and 3.2%) of lyophilised Aloe arborescens. OMD, OMCV and SCFA significantly decreased with the increase of Aloe addition; an increase of L-lactic acid production was detected, even if pH was within physiological range. A potential prebiotic role of the Aloe arborescens car- bohydrates was hypothesised in cats, but it needs further investigations. As a whole, our results show that IVGPT can represent a useful tool for nutritional evaluation of novel ingredient and/or additive also in cats

Nutritional Characterization of Hay Produced in Campania Region: Analysis by the near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Technology

: Since the dietary characteristics of hays can be very variable, it is of great importance for nutritionists to know their chemical composition in order to formulate adequate rations for the animals. Laboratory analyses are time-consuming and expensive while the Near Infrared Spectroscopy offers several advantages, including obtaining information on feeds nutritional characteristics very quickly and in situ at the farm, thanks to portable NIRS. In this trial, over 400 hay samples collected in the Campania region (Italy) were analyzed with portable NIRS device. The final aim was to analyze the differences in hay quality in different production areas, highlighting the possible factors involved and suggesting possible corrective measures. All the analyzed hays (polyphite, Gramineae and alfalfa) were significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by the area of cultivation/preservation. In particular, the polyphite and Gramineae hays produced in most of the areas of Campania region showed poor nutritional value due to the low protein content and high structural carbohydrate that significantly reduced its digestibility. The use of high-quality forages in the ration represents a pivotal factor to allow the production of high-quality products of animal origin. The use of NIRS seems to be a valuable strategy to select potential treatments that can increase feed digestibility and to avoid long chemical analysis

Trichoderma and its secondary metabolites improve yield and quality of grapes

Trichoderma is one of the most studied and applied fungal biocontrol agents. The benefits of these microorganisms to the plant include: suppression of pathogens, growth promotion, enhanced nutrient availability and induction of resistance. The biological activity is related to the variety of metabolites that they produce. These metabolites have been found to directly inhibit the pathogens, increase disease resistance and enhance plant growth. In this study, we have examined the effect of two Trichoderma strains and their secondary metabolites on Vitis vinifera in terms of induction of disease resistance, plant growth promotion and increase of polyphenols or antioxidant activity in the grapes. Applications of T. harzianum M10 or T. atroviride P1, as well as their respective major secondary metabolites, harzianic acid (HA) and 6-pentyl-a-pyrone (6PP), have been conducted in greenhouse by foliar spray or drenching. The treatments suppressed the development of powdery mildew caused by Uncinula necator. In a field experiment, a spore suspension of T. harzianum strain T22 or a 6PP solution was applied until fruit harvest. The results indicated that both T. harzianum T22 and 6PP are able to improve crop yield and increase the total amount of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in the grapes. The effects of the isolated natural compounds were comparable with those obtained by using the living fungus

In vitro fermentation of structural carbohydrate-rich feeds using faecal inoculum from pigs

Seven feeds were tested in vitro using faecal inoculum from pigs. Sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, soybean hulls, grapecake, glutamic beet pulp, citrus by-product and fructo-oligo- saccharides (FOS) were fermented for 96 h. Cumulative gas production was measured as indicator of the fermentation kinetics. At the end of incubation organic matter disappearance and fermentation end-products (short-chain fatty acids and NH3) were also measured. The gas production profiles were fitted with a multi- phasic model. Significant differences were detected between grapecake and FOS: the very low gas production for the first one was probably due to the high lignin and tannins contents of this by-product, while the higher organic matter cumulative gas volume (OMCV) and organic matter disappearance (OMD) values for FOS were due to the high soluble fibre proportion. Soybean hulls and citrus by-product, showed similar values of degradability and gas production and were characterised by different fermentation profiles. Grapecake showed the lower fermentation, while citrus by-product was characterized high gas and short-chain fatty acids production. These characteristics could be particularly useful to optimize the caecum-colon fermentation in order to obtain a high butyrate acid production

Burkitt's lymphoma mimicking EBV disease as first sign of vertical HIV infection in an adolescent

Burkitt's Lymphoma (BL) rarely represents the first clinical manifestation of vertical HIV infection in adolescent in Western Europe. We report the case of a 17 year-old boy with two week history of fever and enlarged cervical lymph nodes firstly misdiagnosed as EBV infection, subsequently diagnosed as Burkitt's Lymphoma and vertical HIV infection