Breeding performance in the Italian chicken breed Mericanel della Brianza

In Italy, 90 local avian breeds were described; the majority (61%) were classified as extinct and only 8.9% as still widely spread. Therefore, efforts for conservation of Italian avian breeds are urgently required. The aim of this study was to record the breeding performance of the Italian breed Mericanel della Brianza to multiply a small population, in order to develop a conservation programme. Fourteen females and eight males were available at the beginning of the reproductive season in 2009 and organised into eight families (1 male/1-2 females) kept in floor pens. Birds received a photoperiod of 14L:10D and were fed ad libitum. Breeding performance was recorded from March to June. Egg production and egg weight were recorded daily; eggs were set every two weeks and fertility, embryo mortality and hatchability were recorded. Mean egg production was 37% and mean egg weight was 34±3.49 g. High fertility values from 94% to 87% were recorded in the first three settings and the overall mean fertility value was 81.6%. Overall hatchability was only 49.6% owing to a high proportion of dead embryos. Embryo mortality occurred mainly between days 2 and 7 of incubation and during hatching. The highest hatchability values were recorded in settings 1 and 2, 69% and 60% respectively, and a large decrease was found in the subsequent settings. Marked variations in egg production, fertility, hatchability and embryo mortality were found among families. The present results represent the basic know ledge of reproductive parameters necessary to improve the reproductive efficiency of the breed within a conservation plan

egg quality and productive performance of laying hens fed different levels of skimmed milk powder added to a diet containing lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract The current trial was carried out on a commercial poultry farm to study the effect of skim milk powder (SMP) added to a diet containing Lactobacillus acidophilus on performance and egg quality of laying hens from 20 to 49 wk of age. A total of 2,400 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens were housed in 600 unenriched cages (4 hens each) located over 4 tier levels. Animals were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental treatments (0, 3, and 4). The laying hens assigned to treatments 3 and 4 received a diet enriched respectively with 3 and 4% SMP, whereas the animals in treatment 0 were fed a diet without SMP. All diets, moreover, were supplemented with L. acidophilus D2/CSL. Hen performance was determined throughout the experimental period and egg quality was measured on 30 eggs per treatment every week. Results showed that productive performance in terms of egg production, egg weight, and feed conversion ratio was not influenced by SMP at 3 or 4% of the diet. Egg quality was significantly affected by SMP included at 3 or 4% of the diet. Eggs from treatments 3 and 4, in fact, displayed higher shell thickness than those from treatment 0 (

Quality of Life in COVID-Related ARDS Patients One Year after Intensive Care Discharge (Odissea Study): A Multicenter Observational Study

Background: Investigating the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge is necessary to identify possible modifiable risk factors. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the HRQoL in COVID-19 critically ill patients one year after ICU discharge. Methods: In this multicenter prospective observational study, COVID-19 patients admitted to nine ICUs from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2021 in Italy were enrolled. One year after ICU discharge, patients were required to fill in short-form health survey 36 (SF-36) and impact of event-revised (IES-R) questionnaire. A multivariate linear or logistic regression analysis to search for factors associated with a lower HRQoL and post-traumatic stress disorded (PTSD) were carried out, respectively. Results: Among 1003 patients screened, 343 (median age 63 years [57–70]) were enrolled. Mechanical ventilation lasted for a median of 10 days [2–20]. Physical functioning (PF 85 [60–95]), physical role (PR 75 [0–100]), emotional role (RE 100 [33–100]), bodily pain (BP 77.5 [45–100]), social functioning (SF 75 [50–100]), general health (GH 55 [35–72]), vitality (VT 55 [40–70]), mental health (MH 68 [52–84]) and health change (HC 50 [25–75]) describe the SF-36 items. A median physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were 45.9 (36.5–53.5) and 51.7 (48.8–54.3), respectively, considering 50 as the normal value of the healthy general population. In all, 109 patients (31.8%) tested positive for post-traumatic stress disorder, also reporting a significantly worse HRQoL in all SF-36 domains. The female gender, history of cardiovascular disease, liver disease and length of hospital stay negatively affected the HRQoL. Weight at follow-up was a risk factor for PTSD (OR 1.02, p = 0.03). Conclusions: The HRQoL in COVID-19 ARDS (C-ARDS) patients was reduced regarding the PCS, while the median MCS value was slightly above normal. Some risk factors for a lower HRQoL have been identified, the presence of PTSD is one of them. Further research is warranted to better identify the possible factors affecting the HRQoL in C-ARDS

Identification of tuna species by computer-assisted and cluster analysis of PCR-SSCP electrophoretic patterns

Four species of tuna fish (T albacares, T obesus, T alalunga and E. pelamis) were subjected to PCR-SSCP and resulting electrophoretic patterns were analysed with a "computer assisted" method of gel analysis followed by cluster analysis. With this method the species were differentiated at intra-gel level. Inter-gel electrophoretic patterns variability was observed

Role of hydrophobicity on interfacial fluid flow: Theory and some applications

The fluid flow through a seal interface depends on the percolating non-contact channels morphology, size and length, and on the interfacial surface energies. In particular, hydrophobic interfaces may expel fluids and decrease the fluid flow of seals, while increasing the sliding friction. We present results of interfacial fluid flow experiments on a hydrostatic column device which demonstrate how interfacial hydrophobicity can block fluid flow at interfaces and reduce the leak rate of seals. The presented results may help to understand the role of interfacial hydrophobicity in many practical applications, some of which we discuss briefly in this paper, e.g., rubber wiper blades on hydrophobic (usually wax-coated) glass, the locomotion of insects on surfaces in water, and syringes

Lubricated sliding friction: Role of interfacial fluid slip and surface roughness

We derive approximate mean field equations for the fluid flow between elastic solids with randomly rough surfaces including interfacial fluid slip and shear thinning. We present numerical results for the fluid flow and friction factors for realistic systems, in particular, we consider the case of an elastic cylinder with random surface roughness in relative sliding contact with a flat rigid (low-energy) counter-surface. We present experimental data for the sliding friction between rubber stoppers and glass barrels lubricated with baked-on silicone oil. We find that the frictional shear stress acting in the rubber asperity contact regions is nearly velocity independent for velocities in the 10-1000μm/s range, and very small τf≈0.04 MPa, while for bare glass in silicone oil τf is much larger and velocity dependent

A comparative study of radiation damage on high resistivity silicon

In future particle accelerators, silicon detectors will be exposed with large doses of different types of radiation. To understand the corresponding produced damage mechanisms, a systematic study of the influence of the irradiation on the silicon from which the detectors are made has to be carried out. Samples of low n-doped silicon $(n\leq 10^{12}~{\rm cm}^{-3})$ have been irradiated with swift krypton ions $(\langle E\rangle=5.2~{\rm GeV})$, neutrons from a nuclear reactor $(\langle E\rangle \sim 1~{\rm MeV})$ and energetic electrons $(\langle E\rangle=1.5~{\rm MeV})$. Resistivity and Hall effect measurements performed after irradiation show that the silicon is changed to a quasi-intrinsic state, characterized by a very high resistivity. The electrically active defects responsible for that evolution are Maynly acceptor centers, namely divacancy and/or vacancy-doping complexes. Besides, for the highest fluences, only the appearance of a donor center located at about 0.59 eV below the conduction band may explain the observed stabilization of the Fermi level at 0.61 eV. Finally, using a simulation method, the rates of generation of the different defects are estimated