Effects of total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage on milk yield, composition, and quality

BACKGROUND: In the last years, difficulties occurring in corn cultivation (i.e., groundwater shortages, mycotoxin contamination) have been forcing dairy farmers to consider alternative silages. Some experiments conducted on lactating cows have proven that the total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage did not reduce milk yield. However, this kind of substitution involves supplementing sorghum-based diets with grains, to compensate for the lower starch content of sorghum silage compared to corn silage. Change of silage type and inclusion of starch sources in the diet would influence rumen fermentations, with possible effects on milk composition (i.e., fatty acid profile) and coagulation properties. A worsening of milk coagulation properties would have a negative economic impact in Italy, where most of the milk produced is processed into cheese. This study was designed to compare milk composition and quality, with emphasis on fatty acid profile and coagulation properties, in dairy cows fed two diets based on corn or sorghum silage. RESULTS: The sorghum diet reduced milk yield (P = 0.043) but not 4% fat corrected milk (P = 0.85). Feeding sorghum silage did not influence milk contents of protein (P = 0.07) and lactose (P = 0.65), and increased fat content (P = 0.024). No differences emerged for milk concentrations of saturated (P = 0.61) and monounsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.50), whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids were lower (P < 0.001) for the sorghum diet. Concentrations of n-6 (P < 0.001) and n-3 fatty acids (P = 0.017) were lower in milk of cows fed the sorghum diet. Milk coagulation properties did not differ between the two diets, except the “a30” (the curd firmness, expressed in mm, 30 min after rennet addition), that was lower (P = 0.042) for the sorghum diet. CONCLUSIONS: Feeding a forage sorghum silage, properly supplemented with corn meal, as total replacement of corn silage maintained milk composition and did not influence negatively milk coagulation properties, which have a great economic relevance for the Italian dairy industry. Thus, silages obtained from forage sorghums could have a potential as substitute of corn silages in dairy cow diets

Evaluation of co-production processes in a community-based mental health project in Wandsworth

The notion of partnerships and co-production has been introduced in the latest public services policies, suggesting that the key to reforming them is to encourage users to design and deliver services in equal partnerships with professionals. It is argued that co-production has the potential to deliver a major shift in the way we provide health, education, policing and other services in ways that make them much more effective, more efficient, and therefore more sustainable. This report presents findings from an evaluation study of the co-production processes in a community-based mental health project at the London Borough of Wandsworth. The evaluation sought to describe actions, changes, and functions that brought about a co-productive way of offering Improve Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in this locality. The study aimed at producing transferable knowledge about a novel model of public service provision, which was developed by Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network (WCEN) in association with the South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust. The ‘Wandsworth Model’ entails canvassing partnerships with local faith-based and other community groups, who got engaged in co-producing responsive mental health services, in an attempt to address issues such as access and effectiveness of service delivery. The study applied a participatory research approach to capture the co-production processes that took place in establishing the partnership between the mental health services and WCEN and the impact of such initiatives in reaching out to local BME communities. Our main method of gathering evidence was narrative interviews which were conducted with key informants from the three groups involved in delivering co-produced services: IAPT professionals, WCEN workers, and community/religious leaders. The thematic interview areas were: the participants’ involvement in the co-produced services, views about co-production, benefits and challenges of co-production for all stakeholders, and suggestions for improvement. The findings for this study suggest that co-production can be very rewarding for both public agencies and communities, if supported and implemented with a view to empower people instead of making false economies for the welfare services. The ultimate goal should be that service users become partners in managing their own health however this is a major shift that requires a lot of experience and commitment in the co-production of services and, perhaps, it can only be possible when systemic barriers at community, public agency and state levels are brought down. Nonetheless, the ‘Wandsworth model’ of co-production appears to be a promising approach and should be further explored and supported to achieve its full potential

KRAS early testing. Consensus initiative and cost-effectiveness evaluation for metastatic colorectal patients in an italian setting

KRAS testing is relevant for the choice of the most appropriate first-line therapy of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Strategies for preventing unequal access to the test should be implemented, but their relevance in the practice is related to economic sustainability. The study adopted the Delphi technique to reach a consensus on several topics. Issues related to execution of KRAS testing were identified by an expert's board and proposed to 108 Italian oncologists and pathologists through two subsequent questionnaires. The emerging proposal was evaluated by decision analyses models employed by technology assessment agencies in order to assess cost-effectiveness. Alternative therapeutic strategies included most commonly used chemotherapy regimens alone or in combination with cetuximab or bevacizumab. The survey indicated that time interval for obtaining KRAS test should not exceed 15 days, 10 days being an optimal interval. To assure the access to proper treatment, a useful strategy should be to anticipate the test after radical resection in patients at high risk of relapse. Early KRAS testing in high risk CRC patients generates incremental cost-effectiveness ratios between 6,000 and 13,000 Euro per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. In extensive sensitivity analyses ICER's were always below 15,000 Euro per QALY gained, far within the threshold of 60,000 Euro/QALY gained accepted by regulatory institutions in Italy. In metastatic CRC a time interval higher than 15 days for result of KRAS testing limits access to therapeutic choices. Anticipating KRAS testing before the onset of metastatic disease in patients at high risk does not affect the sustainability and cost-effectiveness profile of cetuximab in first-line mCRC. Early KRAS testing may prevent this inequality in high-risk patients, whether they develop metastases, and is a cost-effective strategy. Based on these results, present joined recommendations of Italian societies of Oncology and Pathology should be updated including early KRAS testing

OpenML Benchmarking Suites

Machine learning research depends on objectively interpretable, comparable, and reproducible algorithm benchmarks. Therefore, we advocate the use of curated, comprehensive suites of machine learning tasks to standardize the setup, execution, and reporting of benchmarks. We enable this through software tools that help to create and leverage these benchmarking suites. These are seamlessly integrated into the OpenML platform, and accessible through interfaces in Python, Java, and R. OpenML benchmarking suites are (a) easy to use through standardized data formats, APIs, and client libraries; (b) machine-readable, with extensive meta-information on the included datasets; and (c) allow benchmarks to be shared and reused in future studies. We also present a first, carefully curated and practical benchmarking suite for classification: the OpenML Curated Classification benchmarking suite 2018 (OpenML-CC18)

Relação entre índices morfométricos de bacias hidrográficas e índices de integridade de floresta ciliar na Bacia do Alto Capivari, Primeiro Planalto Paranaense.

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Unveiling the nature of three INTEGRAL sources through optical spectroscopy

The results of an optical spectroscopy campaign performed at the Astronomical Observatory of Bologna in Loiano (Italy) on three hard X-ray sources detected by INTEGRAL (IGR J17303-0601, IGR J18027-1455 and IGR J21247+5058) are presented. These data have allowed a determination of the nature for two of them, with IGR J17303-0601 being a low mass X-ray binary in the Galaxy and IGR J18027-1455 a background Type 1 Seyfert galaxy at redshift z = 0.035. IGR J21247+5058, instead, has a quite puzzling spectroscopic appearance, with a broad, redshifted H_alpha complex superimposed onto a `normal' F/G-type Galactic star continuum: these features, together with the spatially coincident extended radio emission, might suggest a chance alignment between a relatively nearby star and a background radio galaxy. These results underline the still non-negligible importance of smaller telescopes in modern astrophysics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A Letter

A retrospective study examining the adverse effect of childhood abuse among adult psychiatric service users in Britain

The long‐term effects of childhood abuse have been well studied though the effects of abuse of specific types in adult psychiatric service users are less known. This study aimed to assess the association between childhood abuse and the development of harmful social and behavioural outcomes among adult psychiatric service users. Adult psychiatric service users were accessed from secondary mental health services in South London. A retrospective analysis was conducted of a randomly selected sample of 342 mental health records. Chi‐square tests and logistic regression models were used to examine associations between childhood abuse – sexual abuse, physical abuse and psychological/emotional abuse – and health and behavioural outcomes. This study identified that 109 (31.8%) psychiatric service users had some history of childhood abuse and more often presented with high‐risk or severe behaviours. Sexual abuse in childhood was linked with social isolation related to loss of friends (odds ratio (OR) = 2.68, P < 0.01), risky behaviours such as binge drinking (OR = 2.15, P < 0.05) and self‐harming (OR = 2.86, P < 0.01), while childhood physical abuse was associated with drug abuse in adulthood (OR = 1.88, P < 0.05). Revictimization (adult domestic violence) also impacted on service users’ quality of life in terms of loss of housing (OR = 2.21, P < 0.05) and loss of friends/family contact (OR = 2.73, P < 0.01). These findings suggest childhood abuse may play an important role in shaping risk and vulnerability for mental health problems across a lifespan. In acute mental health services, the incorporation of a trauma‐informed nursing care model is necessary to generate a shift in culture in the delivery of care

Hepatobiliary surgeons meet immunologists : the case of colorectal liver metastases patients

The burgeoning field of cancer immunology demands a change in the paradigm of cancer patient management. The understanding of the course of a given malignant disease should also include the host immune system as one of the key factors in determining the patient's prognosis. Surgical and medical oncologists need to understand the basic and advanced applications of immunotherapies, which are rapidly evolving, and are nowadays an integral part of the armamentarium for the treatment of cancer patients. In the present work, we review the current knowledge concerning the immune landscape of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with liver metastases, as recently discovered

The Plant NF-Y DNA Matrix In Vitro and In Vivo

Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) is an evolutionarily conserved trimer formed by a Histone-Fold Domain (HFD) heterodimeric module shared by core histones, and the sequence-specific NF-YA subunit. In plants, the genes encoding each of the three subunits have expanded in number, giving rise to hundreds of potential trimers. While in mammals NF-Y binds a well-characterized motif, with a defined matrix centered on the CCAAT box, the specificity of the plant trimers has yet to be determined. Here we report that Arabidopsis thaliana NF-Y trimeric complexes, containing two different NF-YA subunits, bind DNA in vitro with similar affinities. We assayed precisely sequence-specificity by saturation mutagenesis, and analyzed genomic DNA sites bound in vivo by selected HFDs. The plant NF-Y CCAAT matrix is different in nucleotides flanking CCAAT with respect to the mammalian matrix, in vitro and in vivo. Our data point to flexible DNA-binding rules by plant NF-Ys, serving the scope of adapting to a diverse audience of genomic motifs