Different protein source (soybean or faba bean) in postweaning diets for Apennine and Sopravissana (Italian Merino) light lamb: slaughtering performances

While Apennine is an autochthonous medium-large size Italian meat sheep breed well placed in Central Italy, Italian Merino (Sopravissana) is an ancient endangered sheep breed once raised all over Central Italy and now interesting a marginal sheep farming. Due to economical problems in fattening lamb at high weights for Italian farmers (Sanudo et al., 2000; Sarti, 1992), light lamb is one of the main products in Italian meat sheep farming

Consumer acceptance of Italian or New Zealander lamb meat: an Italian case study

A Central location test was performed to compare heavy Apennine lamb meat to New Zealander lamb meat in order to create a Protected Geographical Indication for lamb meat. Roasted New-Zealander and heavy Apennine lamb legs were tested by 106 consumers according to the following experimental plan: blind phase (B) without any possibility to recognize the meat type tasted, expected phase (E) in which were described the characteristics of the two types of meat without tasting, informed phase (I) in which the tasted meat was recognized in provenience. Results showed in a nine point scale of appreciation for flavour, juiciness and overall pleasure, the highest values in Apennine lamb meat. B test showed the highest value for overall pleasure (P<0.01). Interaction, Italian lamb x Informed test showed the highest values for all the parameters except for overall liking for which Italian lamb x E test showed the highest values. About foreign lamb meat B test showed higher values than I and E test. Information about lamb meat origin showed disconfirmation for tenderness in Italian lamb meat. Foreign lamb meat showed a positive disconfirmation for flavour and overall pleasure, that confirm the better perception by consumers in blind consumption than in the informed one

Molecular Structural Dynamics in Water-Ethanol Mixtures: Spectroscopy with Polarized Neutrons Simultaneously Accessing Collective and Self-Diffusion

Binary mixtures of water with lower alcohols display non-linear phase behaviour upon mixing which are attributed to potential cluster formation at molecular level. Unravelling such elusive structures requires the investigation of hydrogen-bonding sub-nanosecond dynamics. We employ high-resolution neutron time-of-flight spectroscopy with polarization analysis in combination with selective deuteration to study the concentration-dependent structural dynamics, in the water rich part of the phase diagram of water-ethanol mixtures. This method enables the simultaneous access to atomic correlations in space and time, and allows us to separate spatially incoherent scattering probing self-diffusion of the ethanol fraction from the coherent scattering probing collective diffusion of the water network as a whole. Our observations indicate an enhanced rigidity of the hydrogen bond network at mesoscopic lengthscale compared to the intra-molecular scale as the ethanol fraction increases, which is consistent with the hypothesis of clusters

Optical measurements of atmospheric particles from airborne platforms: in situ and remote sensing instruments for balloons and aircrafts

Multiwavelength laser backscattersondes (MAS) have been widely used from a variety of airborne platforms for in situ measurements of optical properties of clouds and atmospheric particulate as well as their phase and composition. Recently, a new miniaturized LIDAR (MULID) has been developed using state-of-art technology for balloon borne profiling of the same quantities. A description of the two instruments, a survey of preliminary results obtained during test flights and indications for future use are given

Inclusion of cocoa by-product in the diet of dairy sheep: Effect on the fatty acid profile of ruminal content and on the composition of milk and cheese.

Abstract In this study, we hypothesized that dietary cocoa bean shell (CBS) as a partial replacer of human edible cereal grains in the diet of lactating ewes may affect performance and milk and cheese composition. Twenty Comisana lactating ewes allotted into control (CTRL; n = 10) or cocoa (CBS; n = 10) group received alfalfa hay ad libitum and 800 g of conventional (CTRL) or experimental (CBS) concentrate containing 11.7% CBS to partially replace corn and barley of the CTRL concentrate. Milk yield and composition did not differ between groups, and only urea concentration was lower in CBS milk. Dietary CBS increased cheese fat and reduced protein percentage in CBS group. Fatty acid composition of rumen content partially reflected that of the ingested diet, with total saturated fatty acids (SFA), total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 16:0, 18:0 and 18:1c9 greater in the CBS group. Moreover, all the identified trans- and cis-18:1 isomers were greater in CBS rumen content. Milk and cheese showed a similar fatty acid composition. Total MUFAs were greater in milk and cheese of CBS, mainly due to the proportion of 18:1c9, and conversely, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFAn-6 and PUFAn-6-to-PUFAn-3 ratio was greater in CTRL group. Concluding, the inclusion of CBS in the diet of lactating ewes within the limit imposed by the current legislation did not cause detrimental effects on animal performance and milk composition. Interestingly, dietary CBS reduced milk urea concentration probably due to the phenols contained in CBS concentrate. However, our results support that biohydrogenation was weakly impaired by dietary CBS. Finally, CBS negatively affected cheese nutritional characteristics due to lower protein and greater fat content, but improved fat health indexes in milk and cheese

Updates after the Near-Earth Commissioning Phase of Italian Spring Accelerometer – ISA

AbstractISA (Italian Spring Accelerometer) is a high sensitivity accelerometer flying, as scientific payload, on-board one of the two spacecraft (the Mercury Planetary Orbiter) of BepiColombo, the first ESA mission to Mercury. The first commissioning phase (performed in the period November 2018 - August 2019) allowed to verify the functionality of the instrument itself as well as of the related data handling and archiving system. Moreover, the acceleration measurements gathered in this time frame allow to envisage the potentiality of such an instrument as a high-accuracy monitor of the spacecraft mechanical environment

A Quantitative Investigation of Thermosonics

Abstract The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between the ultrasonic vibrations of a specimen, with a vertical surface crack, and the thermal response. The heat required to be liberated by the defect to obtain a detectable surface temperature rise was modelled analytically for energy liberated only at the crack tip and over the sides of a crack. Experiments were carried out on a nickel based superalloy plate with a vertical surface crack. The strain around the defect and thermal image were measured simultaneously. Parameters were varied to change the strain to enable a correlation between the strain and surface temperature rise. From this the energy released from the defect was estimated using an optimisation algorithm

Optical measurements of atmospheric particles from airborne platforms: in situ and remote sensing instruments for balloons and aircrafts

Multiwavelength laser backscattersondes (MAS) have been widely used from a variety of airborne platforms for in situ measurements of optical properties of clouds and atmospheric particulate as well as their phase and com- position. Recently, a new miniaturized LIDAR (MULID) has been developed using state-of-art technology for balloon borne profiling of the same quantities. A description of the two instruments, a survey of preliminary re- sults obtained during test flights and indications for future use are given

Design, construction, and test of the Gas Pixel Detectors for the IXPE mission

Due to be launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization measurements in the 2-8 keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy and timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane is a set of three polarization-sensitive Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD), each based on a custom ASIC acting as a charge-collecting anode. In this paper we shall review the design, manufacturing, and test of the IXPE focal-plane detectors, with particular emphasis on the connection between the science drivers, the performance metrics and the operational aspects. We shall present a thorough characterization of the GPDs in terms of effective noise, trigger efficiency, dead time, uniformity of response, and spectral and polarimetric performance. In addition, we shall discuss in detail a number of instrumental effects that are relevant for high-level science analysis -- particularly as far as the response to unpolarized radiation and the stability in time are concerned.Comment: To be published in Astroparticle Physic

Correction to: SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo

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