Effects of different fertilizers on quantity and quality of silage corn

Different fertilizers, ammonia sulfate and urea (MIN), Fertil 12.5 (ORG) and Azoslow (ORG-MIN) were compared in a silage corn crop. Total biomass yield was above 55.0 t ha-1 for all fertilizers. Azoslow showed the highest dry matter content (40.8%). No differences among the fertilizers were found in protein content (4.9% on average) at waxy ripening, with the control showing the lowest value (3.9%). There were also no differences in silage quality among the fertilizers. The N budget was estimated in order to quantify the residual nitrogen amounts at harvest and the efficiency of fertilizers

Effect of Lupinus albus as protein supplement on yield, constituents, clotting properties and fatty acid composition in ewes' milk

The effect of feeding lupin seeds (Lupinus albus L.) as an alternative protein source in ewe diets was investigated. Two groups of 18 Sarda ewes were fed two different isonitrogenous diets: with lupin (L) seed, given after 12 h soaking, or soybean meal (SBM) as the main protein source. DMI, variations of body weight and milk production were unaffected by the treatment. Although not statistically significant, in the group fed L diet the production of milk fat and protein was higher. Clotting properties of milk were similar for the two treatments, probably due to the small differences in the milk protein contents. The fatty acid profile of milk was affected by treatment with a larger content of short (14.19 wt% versus 12.26 wt%)- and medium (49.37 wt% versus 47.76 wt%)-chain fatty acids in milk from ewes fed the L diet. CLA content was unaffected by treatment. Triglyceride content of fat from the two diets reflects the milk fatty acid composition. Indeed, milk from L diet showed a higher level of medium-chain triglycerides, which are of particular interest to consumers with concerns over health and heart disease. The inclusion of lupin seed in the diet of lactation ewes can be a means of achieving a more desirable triglyceride profile in milk fat. Milk with enhanced nutritive quality may promote wider market penetration of sheep dairy products

Focus on the use of Green Tea in cancer setting: between lights and shadows

Green tea (GT) is a beverage derived from the unfermented leaves of Camellia sinensis, a plant native to Asia. Green tea extract is marketed as an antioxidant and dietary supplement to support cardiovascular, metabolic, cognitive, and cellular health. Data on the use of GT in oncology are controversial, mainly because of the risk of interference with anticancer drugs. To date, the use of GT is recommended as supportive treatment in most oncological diseases

Hemp cakes composition and ruminal degradability as influenced by the cold pressing parameters

The growing consumers interest in the oil has made available several hemp by-products for animal feeding. The main of them are the cakes resulting from mechanical extraction of oil which may contain remarkable levels of protein, but also varying amounts of fibre and fat in relation to both seeds’ composition and extraction process. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the pressure and the botanical variety on hemp cakes composition. Seeds from Futura75 and Uso31 cultivars with rather similar composition (respectively, in percent of dry matter, Crude protein, CP, 20.9 vs. 19.9, fat 23.6 vs. 23.3, NDF 48.8 vs. 49.6) were pressed in an experimental mechanical screw press powered by 2.2 kW electric motor and equipped with temperature sensors to control the oil extraction temperature. Each hemp variety was pressed at growing extraction pressures gained by fitting four different nozzle diameters on the screw press (14, 12, 8, 6mm). For each pressure level, the seeds were pressed twice for a total of 16 cake samples which were analysed for chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of DM (IVDMD) and NDF (IVNDFD), determined based on a 48-h incubation in a Daisy II system. A two-way analysis of variance (proc GLM) was performed with variety (n=2), pressure (n=4), and their interaction as factors. Statistical significance was attained only between the extreme values of pressure (14 vs. 6mm) and resulted in an increment of the concentration of NDF, ADF and lignin (p < .05) as an effect of the reduction of the fat content (p < .05). Despite the small differences between the whole seed compositions, the Uso31 and Futura75 cakes diverged for the CP, ADF (p < .05), NDF and lignin (p < .001), whereas no differences were observed for fat. It is self-evident that the pressure worked differently on the two varieties, though no significant interactions pressure*- variety were highlighted. The IVDMD and IVNDFD were affected by both pressure and variety (p < .001) with the higher values observed for pressure at 14mm and the variety Uso31. Overall, the nutritional characteristics of hemp cakes can be strongly influenced by the botanical variety even regardless of the chemical composition whereas they can be significantly modified only by more than doubling the pressure applied to seeds

String Lessons for Higher-Spin Interactions

String Theory includes a plethora of higher-spin excitations, which clearly lie behind its most spectacular properties, but whose detailed behavior is largely unknown. Conversely, string interactions contain much useful information on higher-spin couplings, which can be very valuable in current attempts to characterize their systematics. We present a simplified form for the three-point (and four-point) amplitudes of the symmetric tensors belonging to the first Regge trajectory of the open bosonic string and relate them to local couplings and currents. These include the cases first discussed, from a field theory perspective, by Berends, Burgers and van Dam, and generalize their results in a suggestive fashion along lines recently explored by Boulanger, Metsaev and others. We also comment on the recovery of gauge symmetry in the low-tension limit, on the current-exchange amplitudes that can be built from these couplings and on the extension to mixed-symmetry states.Comment: 68 pages, LaTeX. Appendix on off-shell vertices and conserved (Bose and Fermi) currents added, typos corrected, references added. Final version to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Fatty acid composition of Mediterranean buffalo milk fat

The purpose of this research was to investigate the variation in fatty acid composition of milk fat from four buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) herds under different feeding management and ration composition. Changes in milk fatty acid composition were monitored on a weekly basis. Saturated fatty acids (65.5%) predominated in buffalo milk fat; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were 27.0% and 4.5%, respectively. Of saturated fatty acids, the content of palmitic acid was the highest (30.6%) followed by stearic acid (12.0%) and myristic acid (10.7%). Of the unsaturated fatty acids the content of oleic acid was the highest (26.6%). The average content of conjugated linoleic acid (0.76±0.33) was higher than the maximal values generally reported for dairy cow

Cloud based sensor network for environmental monitoring

This paper describes a complete infrastructure for environmental monitoring, which is based on a cloud architecture. The proposed system employs small button-like battery-operated sensors, which connect through a wireless link to small receivers capable of routing data to the cloud system. Cloud data can be accessed in real time through smart-phones and downloaded for further analyses. Each button-like sensor is capable of measuring temperature and humidity for more than one year without attendance. All data are sent to the receiver and in addition stored inside the button memory so that the system can work also in the absence of power and Internet connection. The architecture takes advantage of the μPanel environment, which is conceived to work also with unreliable and slow Internet connections and permits to implement a cloud-based infrastructure with the capability to control the sensors locally and in absence of Internet connectivity. The proposed architecture is currently used in different museums to monitor the local environment inside the display rooms, but the system can be easily extended to open environments without additional costs

Gravitational diffraction radiation

We show that if the visible universe is a membrane embedded in a higher-dimensional space, particles in uniform motion radiate gravitational waves because of spacetime lumpiness. This phenomenon is analogous to the electromagnetic diffraction radiation of a charge moving near to a metallic grating. In the gravitational case, the role of the metallic grating is played by the inhomogeneities of the extra-dimensional space, such as a hidden brane. We derive a general formula for gravitational diffraction radiation and apply it to a higher-dimensional scenario with flat compact extra dimensions. Gravitational diffraction radiation may carry away a significant portion of the particle's initial energy. This allows to set stringent limits on the scale of brane perturbations. Physical effects of gravitational diffraction radiation are briefly discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX4. v2: References added. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Multimodal approach of advanced gastric cancer: Based therapeutic algorithm

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in both sexes worldwide, with the highest estimated mortality rates in Eastern Asia and the lowest in Northern America. However, the availability of modern treatment has improved the survival and the prognosis is often poor due to biological characteristics of the disease. In oncology, we are living in the "Era" of target treatment and, to know biological aspects, prognostic factors and predictive response informations to therapy in GC is mandatory to apply the best strategy of treatment. The purpose of this review, according to the recently published English literature, is to summarize existing data on prognostic aspects and predictive factors to response to therapy in GC and to analyze also others therapeutic approaches (surgery and radiotherapy) in locally, locally advanced and advanced GC. Moreover, the multidisciplinary approach (chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy) can improve the prognosis of GC