The study of rural landscape at the farm scale: changes in traditional signs and structures

The importance of cultural, historical and identity values of traditional rural landscapes is widely acknowledged in the relevant scientific fields and in legislation. Furthermore, the knowledge of their evolution represents a fundamental basis in order to manage landscape transformations appropriately. The work is part of a broader research aimed at developing and testing a method for the systematic high time and spatial resolution assessment of changes in traditional rural landscape signs. We describe here the main phases of this original quantitative method and a summary of the first results over an Italian case study. A set of parameters allows to provide complementary information about the evolution of the main characters of rural settlements and their components. This proves to be essential to achieve a deep understanding of the traditional physiognomy of places, and to support landscape management and restoration, and the definition of transformation projects

Identification of an α(1→6) mannopyranosyltransferase (MptA), involved in Corynebacterium glutamicum lipomanann biosynthesis, and identification of its orthologue in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Corynebacterium glutamicum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis share a similar cell wall architecture, and the availability of their genome sequences has enabled the utilization of C. glutamicum as a model for the identification and study of, otherwise essential, mycobacterial genes involved in lipomannan (LM) and lipoarabinomannan (LAM) biosynthesis. We selected the putative glycosyltransferase-Rv2174 from M. tuberculosis and deleted its orthologue NCgl2093 from C. glutamicum. This resulted in the formation of a novel truncated lipomannan (Cg-t-LM) and a complete ablation of LM/LAM biosynthesis. Purification and characterization of Cg-t-LM revealed an overall decrease in molecular mass, a reduction of α(1→6) and α(1→2) glycosidic linkages illustrating a reduced degree of branching compared with wild-type LM. The deletion mutant's biochemical phenotype was fully complemented by either NCgl2093 or Rv2174. Furthermore, the use of a synthetic neoglycolipid acceptor in an in vitro cell-free assay utilizing the sugar donor β-d-mannopyranosyl-1-monophosphoryl-decaprenol together with the neoglycolipid acceptor α-d-Manp-(1→6)-α-d-Manp-O-C8 as a substrate, confirmed NCgl2093 and Rv2174 as an α(1→6) mannopyranosyltransferase (MptA), involved in the latter stages of the biosynthesis of the α(1→6) mannan core of LM. Altogether, these studies have identified a new mannosyltransferase, MptA, and they shed further light on the biosynthesis of LM/LAM in Corynebacterianeae

Lipoarabinomannan in urine during tuberculosis treatment: association with host and pathogen factors and mycobacteriuria

BACKGROUND: Detection of lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cell wall antigen, is a potentially attractive diagnostic. However, the LAM-ELISA assay has demonstrated variable sensitivity in diagnosing TB in diverse clinical populations. We therefore explored pathogen and host factors potentially impacting LAM detection. METHODS: LAM-ELISA assay testing, sputum smear and culture status, HIV status, CD4 cell count, proteinuria and TB outcomes were prospectively determined in adults diagnosed with TB and commencing TB treatment at a South African township TB clinic. Sputum TB isolates were characterised by IS61110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and urines were tested for mycobacteriuria by Xpert® MTB/RIF assay. RESULTS: 32/199 (16.1%) of patients tested LAM-ELISA positive. Median optical density and proportion testing LAM positive remained unchanged during 2 weeks of treatment and then declined over 24 weeks. LAM was associated with positive sputum smear and culture status, HIV infection and low CD4 cell counts but not proteinuria, RFLP strain or TB treatment outcome. The sensitivity of LAM for TB in HIV-infected patients with CD4 counts of ≥ 200, 100-199, 50-99, and < 50 cells/μl, was 15.2%, 32%, 42.9%, and 69.2% respectively. Mycobacteriuria was found in 15/32 (46.9%) of LAM positive patients and in none of the LAM negative controls. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary LAM was related to host immune factors, was unrelated to Mtb strain and declined steadily after an initial 2 weeks of TB treatment. The strong association of urine LAM with mycobacteriuria is a new finding, indicating frequent TB involvement of the renal tract in advanced HIV infection

The disc generator model construction

Presents the results of the calculations and measurements of disc generator model without core in stator, which produces a power of 3 kW at the rotary speed of 200 RPM. The model uses a modified winding type of SEMA, which ensures a good fill in copper space between trapezoid magnets on two discs of the rotor. Generator has very little starting torque. It is adapted for cooperation with wind turbines, especially about vertical axis

Ocena sensoryczna mięsa jagnięcego przez studentów z uwzględnieniem wybranych uwarunkowań konsumenckich

The aim of the study was to analyse consumer preferences for different types of meat and factors influencing the sensory acceptability of lamb meat among a group of surveyed university students. A survey and sensory analysis of roast leg of lamb was conducted among 202 students (17.8% men and 82.2% women; 33.2% respondents from rural areas and 66.8% from urban areas) from the Poznań University of Life Sciences. All the students had eaten chicken and pork, which were shown to be the most frequently consumed and most preferred meats. Almost 40% had eaten lamb, but only 1% indicated lamb as their favourite kind of meat. The highest ratings for the sensory quality of roast leg of lamb were given by men, by students who favour fried and roasted meat, and by those who declared interest in eating lamb in the future. Over 92% of the students surveyed found lamb acceptable and declared interest in eating lamb in the future. Of these 92%, about 40% of respondents declared interest in eating lamb often and about 50% in eating it occasionally. The high acceptability observed for the sensory traits of lamb may suggest that if lamb was appropriately promoted, distributed and made available, lamb consumption in Poland would increase.Doświadczenie przeprowadzono w celu przeanalizowania preferencji żywieniowych młodzieży akademickiej, wpływających na spożycie różnych rodzajów mięsa oraz czynników warunkujących sensoryczną akceptację jagnięciny. Doświadczenie oraz konsumencka ocena sensoryczna pieczonego udźca jagnięcego przeprowadzona została wśród 202 studentów Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Poznaniu (17,8% mężczyzn i 82,2% kobiet; 33,2% respondentów z obszarów wiejskich i 66,8% z obszarów miejskich). Wszyscy badani respondenci spożywali mięso z kurczaka i wieprzowinę. Prawie 40% respondentów spożywało jagnięcinę, ale tylko 1% studentów wskazało mięso jagnięce jako ulubione. W trakcie oceny sensorycznej jagnięcinę najwyżej ocenili mężczyźni, osoby które preferują mięsa smażone lub pieczone oraz osoby, które deklarowały chęć spożywania jagnięciny w przyszłości. Ponad 92% badanych studentów zaakceptowało cechy sensoryczne mięsa jagnięcego oraz zadeklarowało chęć spożywania tego rodzaju mięsa. Pośród nich 40,6% zadeklarowało częste spożywanie jagnięciny, a 51,5% – sporadyczne. Wysoka akceptacja cech sensorycznych jagnięciny może sugerować, że odpowiednia promocja, dystrybucja i dostępność tego rodzaju mięsa zwiększyłyby poziom jego spożycia w Polsce

MONITORING CHANGING LANDSCAPES: IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE OF SPATIAL RESOURCES

As it is well known, for a long time economic and land use management policies paid poor or inadequate attention to the study of landscape considered as a complex system. However, in the last decades various landscape topics have been arousing growing interest. Thus several critical issues have been pointed out and some well-established and shared considerations have been outlined, on which both scholars in various fields and legislation policies agree. The greater attention to the need for a renewed management of landscape transformations has also been driven by recent regulations and various documents and activities by several international organizations (such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, Council of Europe and European Union). It is acknowledged that the European Landscape Convention (Florence, 2000) and its conceptual and practical outcomes proved fundamental in such process. It is worth mentioning the well-known and shared principle that landscape is not a simple aggregate of natural and artificial features, and that it has to be analyzed through a systemic approach, capable of considering it as an articulated complex of systems made up of manifold elements and relations (spatial, functional, ecological-environmental, visual, symbolic), which followed one another intertwined over the centuries on the same territory. Moreover, landscape resources are considered a heritage to be characterized and assessed not only from an economic or ecological point of view, but also in terms of cultural identity. The appropriate management (protection, restoration, enhancement) of such heritage requires broad and deep knowledge. Each spatial system, meant as a landscape resource, must thus be read and characterized in detail by analysing its various features in order to interpret it within the entirety of the systems and relations that create the landscape. This paper proposes a methodological contribution aimed at developing improved-efficiency techniques for analysing the various natural and anthropic landscape resources, through a systematic and interdisciplinary approach. First of all, a critical analysis of the scientific literature is reported, focusing on the techniques available for the study of landscape characters and their changes based on complex and multivariable geographic data, also referring to areal sampling methods. Then, based on this critical review, we further developed a technique for the multi-time inventory of landscape resources. This system, aimed at assessing the changes in the various landscape systems, is based on the definition of suitable representative sample areas and their cartographic and photographic GIS survey. The methodology consists in the development of an inferential statistical technique which allowed us to define a stratified random sampling design, according to the following main steps: construction of appropriate sampling frames by means of spatial discretization; stratification of the resulting areal units according to ad-hoc variables and criteria; definition of parameters suitable to assess the structure and evolution of the various resources of the landscape systems

Nieinwazyjna ocena marmurkowatości tusz jagnięcych

An important, and not yet solved problem in meat industry is the issue of estimating the intramuscular fat level content in the carcass. Solution of the problem of identification of quantity of the intramuscular fat, on the basis of Information in ultrasound images taken on lamb's carcasses or even living animal, is ofessential utilitarian importance. The amount of intramuscular fat (known as marbling) has significant impact on market value and meat's culinary usefulness. Previoitsly used methods for marbling classification in carcasses based on an analysis of animal 's age, weight and gender, or had invasive nature. These methods were estimated as unreliable and inefficient. There have been noticed growing explorers' interest in drawing conclusions based on information of data coded in a graphic form. The neuronal identification of pictorial data, with special emphasis on both quantitative and qualitative analysis, is more frequently utilized to gain and deepen the empirical data knowledge. Extraction and then classification of selected picture features, such as color or surface structure, enables one to create computer tools in order to identify these objects presented as, for example, digital pictures. Thispaper presents an attempt to create noninvasive method to classify marbling, based on ultrasound images, computer image analysis and artificial neural networks.Ważnym, i dotychczas nierozwiązanym problemem w branży mięsnej jest ocena poziomu zawartości tłuszczu śródmięśniowego w tuszy zwierzęcej. Rozwiązanie problemu identyfikacji ilości tłuszczu śródmięśniowego na podstawie informacji pozyskanej z obrazów USG tusz zwierzęcych, a także żywych zwierząt, ma istotne znaczenie utylitarne. Ilość tłuszczu śródmięśniowego (tzw. marmurkowatość) ma znaczny wpływ na wartość rynkową i przydatność kulinarną mięsa. Stosowane dotychczas metody oceny otłuszczenia zwierząt bazują na analizie ich wieku, masy ciała oraz płci lub maja charakter inwazyjny. Metody te są zawodne oraz mało efektywne. Widoczny jest wzrost zainteresowania wyciąganiem wniosków bazując na danych zakodowanych w formie graficznej. Neuronowa analiza obrazu, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem analiz ilościowych i jakościowych, jest coraz częściej wykorzystywana analizy danych empirycznych. Wydobycie a następnie klasyfikacja wybranych cech obrazu, takich jak kolor, kształt czy tekstura, możliwa jest dzięki wykorzystaniu systemów informatycznych analizujących i przetwarzających obrazy cyfrowe. W artykule przedstawiono próbą wytworzenia nieinwazyjnej metody klasyfikacji marmurkowatości, z wykorzystaniem zdjęć USG, komputerowej analizy obrazu oraz sztucznych sieci neuronowych