Electroweak and QCD Physics at CMS

We present recent standard model measurements performed by the CMS experiment at the LHC, using proton-proton collision data at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. Standard model processes involving jets and electroweak gauge bosons span many orders of magnitude in production cross section. Measurements of high-rate processes provide stringent tests of the standard model and help tune the theoretical predictions and Monte Carlo simulations. Thanks to the unprecedented energy and the integrated luminosity provided by the LHC, rare electroweak processes can also be measured for the first time, such as triboson production and vector boson production through vector boson scattering. In addition, new physics phenomena, even beyond the LHC reach, may manifest as enhancements in the multiboson production rate at high energy. Limits on such possible scenarios are set using an effective field theory with anomalous electroweak gauge couplings

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) characterization of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from different rearing systems.

The present study aimed to predict by NIRS the proximate chemical composition and some carcass traits of sea bass coming from 11 farms with different rearing systems (extensive, intensive in land-based basins, sea cages) and located in northern (Friuli, Veneto), central (Tuscany) and southern (Puglia and Sicily) Italy. NIRS analysis of freeze dried sea bass fillets gave fairly good predictions of slaughter weight and fillet yield (R2cv=0.48-0.55), while results for carcass yield were poor. NIRS analysis was highly predictive for the condition factor (R2cv=0.790, SECV=0.09) and for water, ether extract and gross energy showing high correlations (R2cv>0.90) with NIR spectral infor- mation and high accuracy (SECV=0.67%, 0.46% and 0.38 kJ/g for water, ether extract and energy, respectively). Crude protein prediction showed lower performance, even if still good, compared to pre- vious variables (R2cv=0.734, SECV=0.34). The score plot of principal component analysis showed in- tensively-reared sea bass separated from extensively reared fish

Effect of dietary supplementation with insect fats on growth performance, digestive efficiency and health of rabbits

Background: The present work aimed at evaluating the effect of the dietary replacement of soybean oil (S) by two types of insect fats extracted from black soldier fly larvae (H, Hermetia illucens L.) and yellow mealworm larvae (T, Tenebrio molitor L.) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, intestinal morphology and health of growing rabbits. Methods: At weaning, 200 crossbred rabbits (36 days old) were allotted to five dietary treatments (40 rabbits/group): a control diet (C) containing 1.5% of soybean oil and four experimental diets where soybean oil was partially (50%) or totally (100%) substituted by H (H50 and H100) or T (T50 and T100) fats. Total tract digestibility was evaluated on 12 rabbits per treatment. The growth trial lasted 41 d and, at slaughtering (78 days old), blood samples were collected from 15 rabbits per treatment, morphometric analyses were performed on duodenum, jejunum and ileum mucosa, and samples of liver, spleen and kidney were submitted to histological evaluation. Results: No difference was observed between the control and the experimental groups fed insect fats in terms of performance, morbidity, mortality and blood variables. The addition of H and T fats did not influence apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, protein, ether extract, fibre fractions and gross energy. Gut morphometric indices and organ histopathology were not affected by dietary inclusion of H and T fats. Conclusions: H and T fats are suitable sources of lipid in rabbit diets to replace soybean oil without any detrimental effect on growth performance, apparent digestibility, gut mucosa traits and health

Poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in European sea bass from different rearing systems

The chemical composition and the level of seven indicator congeners of PCB (BZ/IUPAC no. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) were determined in 133 specimens of farm-raised European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). The fish were caught from different aquaculture rearing systems: extensive fish valley, semi-intensive ponds, sea-cages, and intensive concrete tanks. Fresh fillet chemical composition differed among the rearing systems (fat: 2.9, 7.5, 7.1, and 9.4%; P<0.001). Total concentrations of indicator congeners were below the EU limit (200ng/g fat) for meat, poultry and eggs, being the lowest in extensively-reared sea bass (75ng/g fat), intermediate in sea bass from semi-intensive ponds (119) and sea cages (116), and the highest in intensively-reared fish (133) (P<0.001). Similarly, PCB concentrations in fresh fillets were 2,438, 10,116, 8,491, and 12,952pg/g in the four systems (P<0.001). The congener 153 was the most represented in all rearing systems. TEQ concentrations for the dioxin-like congener no. 118 were 50 to 200 times lower than the maximum admitted value. Total concentration of indicator congeners of PCB was poorly correlated with fish slaughter weight (R2=0.17), while highly correlated with fat concentration of fish (R2=0.75)

Effect of genotype, gender and feed restriction on growth, meat quality and the occurrence of white striping and wooden breast in broiler chickens

Due to their importance for the control of meat quality in broiler chickens, the present study aimed at identifying the factors associated with the occurrence of myopathies and characterizing the meat properties when affected by myopathies. To this aim, a total of 768 broiler chickens were reared until slaughter (46 d) to evaluate the effect of genotype, gender, and feeding regime (ad libitum vs. restricted rate, 80% from 13 to 21 d of age) on performance and meat quality. Standard broilers were heavier (3,270 vs. 3,139 g; P &lt; 0.001) and showed lower feed conversion (1.56 vs. 1.61; P &lt; 0.001) than the high-yield broilers. Males showed higher final live weight (3,492 vs. 2,845 g) and lower feed conversion (1.54 vs. 1.63) than females (P &lt; 0.001). Feed restriction decreased final live weight (3,194 vs. 3,142 g; P &lt; 0.01) and feed conversion (1.60 vs. 1.57; P &lt; 0.01) compared to ad libitum feeding. At gross examination, feed restriction tended to increase white-striped breasts (69.5 vs. 79.5%; P &lt; 0.10), whereas females showed less wooden breasts than males (8.0 vs. 16.3%; P &lt; 0.05). White-striped fillets had higher pHu (5.87 vs. 5.83), and lower a* (-0.81 vs. -0.59) and b* color indexes (13.7 vs. 14.5) (P &lt; 0.05), whereas wooden breast fillets exhibited higher cooking losses (25.6 vs. 22.1%) and AK-shear force (4.23 vs. 2.84 kg/g) compared with normal fillets (P &lt; 0.001). At histological examination, 3.1% of pectoralis major were normal, 26.6% mildly degenerated, 45.3% moderately degenerated, and 25.0% severely degenerated. In conclusion, genotype had a moderate effect on growth without modifying myopathy occurrence. In contrast, gender and feed restriction affected performance, meat quality, and breast abnormalities

Effect of Feed Restriction on the Behaviour and Welfare of Broiler Chickens

Under intensive rearing conditions, the welfare of broiler chickens may be at risk depending on genotype and sex, due to their different growth rates. The practice of quantitative feed restriction may also impact on welfare. This study aimed to evaluate behaviour and corticosterone content in plasma and faeces at different ages using 896 one-day-old chicks housed in 32 pens, allocated to 8 groups, i.e., 2 genotypes (standard vs. high breast yield) 7 2 sex 7 2 feeding plans (ad libitum vs. restricted, AL vs. FR). The feeding system affected the percentage of standing (9.84% vs. 11.7% in AL vs. FR; p 64 0.001), feeding (7.51% vs. 8.17%; p 64 0.01) and sitting/lying (67.0% vs. 64.1%; p 64 0.001), and the faeces corticosterone content (12.2 vs. 13.6 ng/g in AL vs. FR; p 64 0.10). Sex affected the percentage of pecking other chickens, standing and comfort behaviours. Changes in behaviour were recorded between high and standard breast yield genotypes with faeces corticosterone which tended to be higher in the former (p 64 0.10). Significant interactions between the main factors and age were observed. Major changes in behaviour were due to feed restriction, which stimulated activity during restriction

Effect of feed restriction timing on live performance, breast myopathy occurrence, and muscle fiber degeneration in 2 broiler chicken genetic lines

During recent years, research on meat quality in poultry has aimed to evaluate the presence and consequences of breast myopathies as well as the factors which can affect their occurrence by modifying the growth rate. A total of 900 broiler chickens were reared until slaughter (48 D) to evaluate the effect of 2 genetic lines (A vs. B) and feeding plans (ad libitum [AL], early restricted [ER], from 13 to 23 D of age, and late restricted [LR], from 27 to 37 D of age; restriction rate: 80%) on performance, meat quality, and breast muscle myopathies. Calsequestrin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions, and muscle fiber degeneration (MFD) were recorded at 22, 36, and 48 D. Chickens in the AL treatment had greater final live (P < 0.01) and carcass weights and proportion of pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.04) compared to chickens in the LR treatment, whereas chickens in the ER treatment had intermediate final live (3,454 g) and carcass weights, and proportion of pectoralis major muscle (25.6%). Chickens of line A were heavier than chickens of line B (P < 0.001), and had a greater feed conversion rate. Chickens of line A also had a greater dressing out percentage (P < 0.001), but a lower proportion of pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.04), as well as a greater meat pH (P < 0.001), meat cooking losses (P < 0.01), and shear force of the pectoralis major muscle (P = 0.03). Calsequestrin and VEGF mRNA were significantly lower in ER and LR chickens compared to AL chickens after feed restriction and during refeeding (P < 0.05). MFD scores increased with chicken age (P < 0.001) and differed between genetic lines (P < 0.001). Neither feeding plan nor genetic line affected the occurrence of white striping or wooden breast condition

Antimicrobial effects of black soldier fly and yellow mealworm fats and their impact on gut microbiota of growing rabbits

This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activities of two types of insect fats extracted from black soldier fly larvae (HI, Hermetia illucens L.) and yellow mealworm larvae (TM, Tenebrio molitor L.) and their effects as dietary replacement of soybean oil (S) on cecal fermentation pattern, and fecal and cecal microbiota in rabbits. A total of 120 weaned rabbits were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments (40 rabbits/group) —a control diet (C diet) containing 1.5% of S and two experimental diets (HI diet (HID) and TM diet (TMD)), where S was totally substituted by HI or TM fats during the whole trial that lasted 41 days. Regarding the in vitro antimicrobial activities, HI and TM fats did not show any effects on Salmonella growth. Yersinia enterocolitica showed significantly lower growth when challenged with HI fats than the controls. The insect fat supplementation in rabbit diets increased the contents of the cecal volatile fatty acids when compared to the control group. A metataxonomic approach was adopted to investigate the shift in the microbial composition as a function of the dietary insect fat supplementation. The microbiotadid not show a clear separation as a function of the inclusion, even if a specific microbial signature was observed. Indeed, HI and TM fat supplementation enriched the presence of Akkermansia that was found to be correlated with NH3-N concentration. An increase in Ruminococcus, which can improve the immune response of the host, was also observed. This study confirms the potential of HI and TM fats as antibacterial feed ingredients with a positive influence on the rabbit cecal microbiota, thus supporting the possibility of including HI and TM fats in rabbit diets

Proceedings of the Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC PART II

These proceedings collect the presentations given at the first three meetings of the INFN "Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC", held at the Frascati National Laboratories in 2006. The first part of these proceedings contains pedagogical introductions to several basic topics of both theoretical and experimental high pT LHC physics. The second part collects more specialised presentations.Comment: 157 pages, 136 figures; contribution by M. Grazzini has been adde