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Sustainability and long-term nutrients flows in conventional and low-input globe artichoke cropping systems
Get PDFGlobe artichoke cultivation causes high nitrogen (N) balance surpluses. The planning and cropping of sustainable systems (with no mineral fertilizer supply) can contribute to the reduction of the nutrients surplus.
The research hypothesis was that artichoke conventional system may be shifted to a sustainable one, by means of building-fertility crops use and rotation.
In the present work three different management systems, conventional (continuous monoculture with chemical fertilizers use), alternative monoculture (continuous monoculture with introduction of a short-cycle legume catch-crop and without chemical fertilizers supply) and biannual rotation (globe artichoke in a biannual rotation with cauliflower without chemical fertilizers supply and with cover-crop use) were compared over a ten years period. Soil initial and final conditions were monitored. Nitrogen, P, and K gross balances, for each growing season, were calculated and, also, soil respiration over the last two growing seasons were monitored.
Results show that soil total N content was significantly higher in alternative monoculture and biannual rotation than conventional systems. Planning a biannual rotation and introducing a legume cover-crop species were more beneficial for a well-balanced N budget with respect to conventional (N surplus), and alternative monoculture (N deficit). The mean seasonal CO2 emissions increased significantly with residues return. Overall, globe artichoke traditional systems may highly benefit of rotation with another crop (e.g. cauliflower). The results, also, suggest that introducing legume species as catch- and cover-crops is the most promising approach to foster sustainability
A Phononic band gap model for long bridges: the ‘Brabau’ bridge case
No full textIn this paper, we study the dynamic flexural behaviour of a long bridge, modelled as an infinite periodic structure. The analysis is applied to the ‘Brabau’ bridge across the river Tirso in Italy. The approach reduces to a spectral problem leading to the analytical expression of the dispersion relation, which provides the ranges of frequencies for which waves do and do not propagate. The contributions of the bridge structural elements on the dispersive properties of the structure are investigated in detail. The direct link between frequency intervals determined by the proposed approach and distribution of eigenfrequencies of the full three-dimensional structure is demonstrated. The analysis of the unit cell allows to avoid the tedious computations required when using a finite element code, at least at a preliminary stage of the design. Finally, we demonstrate that a more precise prediction of the eigenfrequency ranges of the bridge can be obtained by studying a single repetitive cell numerically and imposing Floquet-Bloch conditions at its ends. The proposed approach can be implemented as a simple procedure to design structures with repetitive units, with the advantage of simplifying numerical simulations and reducing the computational cost
Towards a new national cork plan for Italy, between critical issues and new challenges
No full textConservation of the unique cork oak habitat (both as sparse forest with a well-developed shrub and herbaceous layer, and as semi-natural systems maintainedby livestock breeding), sustainable cork utilization, solid ties with the wine industry, appropriate legislation oriented towards rural development and research into innovative cork products are some of the main key-points discussed recently in the framework of the National Cork Plan update. We emphasize here the most relevant topics, which have emerged in the discussion between representatives of research institutions and cork oak stakeholders, coordinated by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies
Postnatal growth in a cohort of Sardinian intrauterine growth-restricted infants
No full textRecent studies have shown that infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) undergo catch-up growth during infancy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the postnatal growth in a cohort of IUGR infants born in a tertiary-level Obstetric University Hospital of Northern Sardinia. An observational retrospective study was conducted on 12 IUGR (group A) and 12 control infants (group B) by measuring the anthropometric parameters of weight (W), length (L) and head circumference (HC) from birth to the 3rd postnatal year. At birth, significant differences were found between group A and group B with regard to all the auxological parameters (W, mean 1846.6 versus 3170.8 g, p < 0.0001; HC, 30.1 versus 34.4 cm, p < 0.0001; L, mean 43.4 versus 49.4 cm, p < 0.0001). During the 1st year, 8 of 12 (70%) IUGR infants exhibited a significant catch-up growth in the 3 anthropometric parameters and a regular growth until the 3rd year of follow-up. The majority but not all infants born with IUGR in our series showed significant postnatal catch-up growth essentially during the first 12 months of life. An improved knowledge of the causes of IUGR will help to develop measures for its prevention and individualized treatment
Valutazione ecografica degli indici di resistività (RI) e di pulsatilità (PI) delle arterie oculari e della biometria oculare nei cani affetti da Leishmaniosi
Get PDFCanine leishmaniosis is a protozoan disease endemic in the Mediterranean area, caused by Leishmania infantum. It is a chronic and severe systemic disease with various manifestation, one of these being ocular lesions. Pulsed Wave Doppler ultrasonography provides indirect information about ocular and orbital vascular flow resistance through the measurements of the Resistive (RI) e and the Pulsatility (PI) indices. The main purposes of the present study were to evaluate the ophthalmic and ciliary artery resistance and to determine the prevalence and type of ocular lesions in a population of dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum, before and after medical therapy. 18 dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum and 15 healthy dogs as a control group were included in this prospective clinical study. The results showed that ocular flow resistance was significantly higher in the sick dogs compared to the control group and that ocular and periocular tissues were affected in 83% of dogs with systemic Leishmaniasis. The ocular lesions improved or completely resolved and mean PI returned within the reference limits following the therapy, on the contrary, the mean RI remained high in dogs who have undergone therapy. Microcirculatory involvement is well recognised in canine Leishmaniasis, assessment of vascular ocular RI and PI could be a useful tool for assessing disease activity and for monitoring response to treatment
Cross sectional study on the variation of plaque pH in diabetic patients: a clinical randomized trial on the capability of Probiotic (<i>Lactobacillus Brevis</i> CD2) to reduce plaque acidogenicity in a sample of diabetic children
Get PDFObjective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in caries experience and different
caries-related variables between diabetic and non-diabetic children aged 5-13 years old. A
further analysis was carried out on diabetic children after they were divided in two groups based
on their metabolic control.
Material and Methods: We designed a case-control study on two categories of children: the
first group consisted of 68 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and the second group
consisted of 136 non-diabetic control children. The diabetic children were then divided into two
subgroups: a) 20 children with adequate metabolic control (Hb1ac≤7.5) and b) 48 children with
poor metabolic control (Hb1ac>7.5). Data on dietary and oral hygienic habits was obtained on
all the subjects participating in the study. Collection of saliva was carried out after stimulating
salivation by chewing on a piece of paraffin for 5 minutes. Microbial flora was analyzed using
the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridisation method. Plaque acidogenity was recorded using pH
indicator strips up to 30 min after a sucrose rinse. Caries registration was performed using the
ICDAS index.
Results: No statically significant difference in clinical data was found in the two study groups
with similar caries status. No statistically significant difference was found for tooth brushing
frequency, use of fluoridated toothpaste, mouthwash and other fluoride supplements and the
pattern of dental check-ups between the groups examined. Statistically significant differences
for plaque-pH when analyzed as minimum pH, AUC6.2 and AUC5.7 between all diabetic and the
non-diabetic children (p<0.01 or p<0.05) were found. The bacterial counts differed significantly
between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects regarding S. Mutans, S. Sobrinus, L. Salivarius and
L. Fermentum (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus patients showed a more cariogenic bacterial environment and a direct effect on plaque pH reducing it from normal levels was detected
Identificazione di proteine secrete da <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> e loro caratterizzazione come potenziali marcatori d’infezione
Get PDFTrichomonas vaginalis is the agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most diffused sexually transmitted infections in humans. Routine diagnosis is based on direct microscopic examination and molecular techniques, which are limited by a low sensitivity, being dependent on the number of protozoa in samples. Indirect immunological techniques could represent an efficient alternative. The aim of this study was to identify immunological markers suitable for serodiagnosis of infection.
We have performed proteomic analyses of T. vaginalis-secreted proteins and three proteins, heat-shock-protein70 (HSP70), ubiquitin (Ubi) and peroxiredoxin (Prx), were selected for their hypothetical immunogenicity and role in carcinogenesis.
A total of 53 Tv-positive and 40 Tv-negative sera from women and 30 Tv-positive and 10 Tv-negative sera from males, were used to test the immunogenicity of selected proteins. To verify the presence of antibodies against the selected proteins by ELISA, we designed three specific peptides for each protein.
Results demonstrate that selected peptides were able to induce an immune response in females. Interestingly, sera from male were much less reactive to TvHSP70, TvUbi and TvPrx peptides than female sera. Peptide combinations designed to minimize false-positives among tested sera were performed.
These findings confirm that peptide of TvPrx, TvUbi and TvHsp70 are suitable candidate as sex-specific markers of T. vaginalis infections, representing a useful alternative to direct diagnostic methods
Mechatronics applications and prototyping sensors for the precision livestock farming
Get PDFThe study is subdivided into 5 chapters and comprises a review of the main components of Plf, the development of a prototype for EC monitoring in ewe milk, a prototype for monitoring animals body temperature, the optimization of collection rounds of goat milk and the development of a prototype for somatic cell count (SCC) through the measurement of Sodium ions in ewe milk. The first chapter is a review of the advancements of the main components of Plf, i.e. software, hardware and data transmission, focusing on issues related to hardware modularity and differences between licensed and unlicensed software. From the review it emerges that image processing is one of the most used techniques in Plf systems, in that it allows the detection of behavioral, biological and pathological parameters without interfering with the animals routine activities. In this regard the area occupied by a lamb carcass was calculated by using an image analysis open source software, CellProfiler (Jones et al., 2008). The second chapter deals with the realization of an innovative portable tool for somatic cells count in ewe milk by measuring its electrical conductivity. There are over 15,000 dairy sheep farms in Sardinia, which represent both historically and economically the most important agricultural and livestock sector in the island. Indeed, Sardinia holds more than 40% of the national sheep population thanks to more than 3 million sheep heads that provide about 60% of the total national milk production. One of the most common problems in sheep farms is mastitis, an intramammary infection which may cause a quantitative reduction up to 50% in milk production and a qualitative drop, in particular of lactose and casein. One of the indirect methods for the assessment of somatic cell count (SCC) in ruminants’ milk is through the measurement of its electrical conductivity (EC). In small ruminants, EC has a reasonable correlation R2 = 0.35 with somatic cells but to date there is still not a portable tool that can estimate SCC based on the milk’s EC reading. The prototype was calibrated on Sarda ewe milk. The aim of Chapter 3 was to develop a system using a open source sensors, actuators and micro-controller. The system is able to monitoring the rectal temperature of the animals, sending data via Bluetooth to a smart phone. The micro-controller used was an ATmega32U4, the temperature was read using the LM35 analogic sensor and a Class 1 Bluetooth serial module was connected to Arduino creating a wireless serial link between an Android phone and the Arduino board. The application for receiving data on an android smart phone was created using App Inventor that is an innovative Android application creation software developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This app is free available on Google Play Store under the name animal_temp. The costs of sheep milk collection rounds in Sardinia have been analysed in chapter fourth. The escalating costs incurred by the dairy processing industries for milk collection from individual farms have focused the attention on the rationalization of milk collection and transport systems. In this regard, the case of the Sardinian goat sector has characteristics that make it unique and not comparable to other logistics optimization realities. The problems of this sector are mainly represented by the particular conditions of the rural road network and the fragmented nature of livestock farms. The aim of the present study was to test a milk collection route optimization software, MilkTour, in the collection rounds of a sample cheese dairy. The software has been developed by the Land Engineering Section of the Agriculture Department of the University of Sassari. A total of 5 routes were analysed and optimized. The results have highlighted the importance of optimizing collection routes as they have a significant impact on business costs. A important contribution that has emerged is the strong correlation between collection density and the cost per litre of collected milk (€cent/l), which allows to detects the cost-effectiveness of a round of collection and its relative optimized around. The objective of chapter 5 was to study the relationship between the ione Na+ and the main components of sheep milk, in particular somatic cells. Moreover, a portable device for estimating SCC in sheep milk was designed. The study was conducted on over 2000 samples. The milk components examined were: fat, proteins, lactose, pH, sodium chloride, urea and the ions Na+. The correlation between Na + and SCC corresponded to R2 = 0.76 (P <0.01). The prototype developed incorporates two containers which receives milk samples taken from each half udder. Each container has integrated inside two sensors, one to detect the level of Na+ in the milk and the other one to compensate the milk temperature. The mathematical model, loaded into the microcontroller by a firmware written in C / C ++, analyze the data and gives back the estimate of SCC level, so it allows farmers to monitor the ewes health status by periodically comparing the somatic cell counts of each half udder. While dealing with different topics the 5 chapters can be enclose in a big new topic, called Precision Livestock Farming (Plf). Plf is the discipline that allows to monitor in real-time the numerous biological and environmental parameters concerning each individual animal of the herd. A Plf system is always made up by three components: a physical element, i.e. the hardware; an element for data processing and presentation, known as the software; and an element for the transmission of data, i.e. the network. The hardware comprises the sensors, the computers and/or microcontrollers, the data transmission and acquisition systems and the actuators. Mathematical models for data processing and the data presentation interface are included in the software loaded into the microcontroller
A Study on the cardio-metabolic risk factors in vietnamese females with long-term vegan diet
Get PDFA study of the cardio- metabolic risk factors in Vietnamese females with vegan diet.
Background. Numerous studies have shown that vegan diet has beneficial effects on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, the effects of vegan diet on cardio-metabolic risk factors and the association between duration of vegan diet and those risk factors, are still unclear.
Objectives. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence and influence of duration of vegan diet on cardio- metabolic risk factors.
Materials and Methods. 144 Buddhist nuns aged 20-75 years with duration of vegan diet ranged 10-70 years, were screened for cardio-metabolic risk factors. They were compared with 68 age-matched women 22-84 years of age on non-vegan diet.
Cardio-metabolic risk factors were assessed, including BMI, WC, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, plasma concentration of TC, LDL.C, HDL.C, TG, non-HDL.C, TC/HDL.C, LDL.C/HDL.C, TG/HDL.C, hsCRP, IMT of carotid artery and ischemic heart disease detected by ECG.
Results.
1. Cardiovascular disease risk factors of female in vegan group
There was no significant difference in the mean BMI between vegan and control group (21.9 ± 3.1 vs 21.09 ± 2.50, p > 0.05). The prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥ 23) in vegan group was significantly higher than in control group (34.7% vs 10.3%, p < 0.05).
There was significant difference in the mean WC between vegan and control group (81.2 ±13.0 vs 74.18 ± 7.14cm, p < 0.05). The prevalence of android obesity (WC ≥ 80 cm) in vegan group was higher than in control group (53.5% vs 20.6%, p < 0.05).
The prevalence of hyper ABP (SBP and/or DBP) in vegan group was higher than in control group (26.45% vs 11.8 %, p < 0.05). The average SBP in vegan group was higher than that in control group (120.9±19.50 vs 115.59 ± 17.22 mmHg, p < 0.05)
The prevalence of ABP ≥ 130/85 mmHg (metabolic syndrome) in Vegan group was higher than in control group (34.03 % vs 26.47 %, p < 0.05).
The average fasting glucose in Vegan group was higher than in control group (5.00 ±1.4 vs 4.67 ± 0.98 mmol/l, p <0.05). The prevalence of hyperglycemia (based on fasting glucose) in Vegan group was higher than in control group (13.2% vs 10.3%, p < 0.05).
There were significant differences in HbA1c levels between two groups. The average HbA1c in Vegan group was higher than in control group (5.9 ±0.9 vs 4.3 ± 0.90 %, p < 0.05).
The prevalence of hyperglycemia (based on HbA1c) in Vegan group was higher than in control group (45.1% vs 13.2%, p < 0.05); prediabetes was 34% in Vegan group and 10.3% in control group.
The average fasting insulinemia in Vegan group was higher than that in control group (6.9 ± 4.3 vs 5.55 ± 2.13 µU/ml, p < 0.05). The proportion of fasting insulin ≥ 12 µU/ml in Vegan group was 7.6%.
The average HOMA-IR index in Vegan group was higher than in control group (1.67±1.62 vs 1.16 ± 0.55, p < 0.05). The proportion of HOMA-IR ≥ 2.6 in Vegan group was higher than control group (9.7% vs 1.5%, p < 0.05).
The mean TC in vegan group was significantly lower than in control group (4.8±1.11 vs 5.31±1.32 mmol/l, p < 0.05). The proportion of TG ( ≥ 1.7 mmol/l) in Vegan group was significantly lower than in control group (43.8% vs 63.2%, p < 0.05). The proportion of LDL.C (≥ 3.4 mmol/L) in Vegan group was significantly lower than in control group (20.1% vs 41.1. p < 0.05).
The average HDL.C in Vegan group was significantly lower than in control group (1.2 ± 0.2 vs 1.35 ± 0.39 mmol/l, p < 0.05). The proportion of HDL-C (< 1.3 mmol/L) in Vegan group was significantly higher than in control group (60.4 % vs 45.59%, p < 0.05).
The mean non-HDL.C in Vegan group was significantly lower than in the control group (3.6 ± 1.00 vs 3.97 ± 1.20 mmol/l, p < 0.05). The proportion of non-HDL.C (≥ 3.4 mmol/L) in Vegan group was significantly lower than in control group (50.7% vs 67.65 % p < 0.05).
The average IMTc in Vegan group was thinner than in control group (0.64 ± 0.39 mm vs 0.73 ± 0.11 mm, p < 0.05).
The prevalence of MS (+) in Vegan group was significantly higher than in controls (31.35% vs 2.9%, p < 0.001).
2. The prediction of age appeared the cardio-metabolic risk factors in study groups.
Benefits of Vegan diet with respect to the prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors were studied by using the ROC curves for predicting the age cut-off points between Vegan group and control group to; BP (58 vs 52 years), TC (61 vs 44 years), LDL.C (62 vs 44 years), non-HDL.C (46 vs 35 years), LDL.C/HDL.C (46 vs 39 years), CIMT (61 vs 56 years), respectively. Vegan diet seems to be disadvantageous towards prediabetes (43 vs 49 years), HOMA-IR (44 vs 68 years), TG (43 vs 53 years), hsCRP (50 vs 57 years) and MS (44 vs 68 years).
3. The relationship between duration of vegan diet and the cardio-metabolic risk factors with predicted values in Vegan females.
BMI was 20 yrs, WC was 30 yrs, SPB was 40 yrs, Hyper SBP and / SDP was 41 yrs, IMTc was 40 yrs, IHD (+) was 28 yrs, CRP was 49 yrs.
Prediabetes was 18 yrs and diabetes was 42 yrs, IR was 22 yrs.
Dyslipidemia: TC was 29 yrs, TC was 27 yrs, decrease HDL.C was 27 yrs, increase LDL.C was 44 yrs and atheroclerosis was 18 yrs.
MS (+) was 30 yrs.
There were correlations between duration of vegan diet and cardio- metabolic risk factors including BMI (r = 0.374), WC (r = 0.411), SBP (r = 0.539), FG (r = 0.312), HbA1c (r = 0.403), lipid profile (r = 0.307 - 0.525), hsCRP (r = 0.486) and IMTc (r = 0.463), in which the duration of vegan diet was considered as an independent risk factor for hyperglycemia.
Conclusions. A decrease in multiple cardio-metabolic risk factors such as BP, TG, LDL.C, non-HDL.C, LDL.C/HDL.C and cIMT… was associated with vegetarian diet in female subjects. However, a long-term Vegan diet could increase metabolic syndrome (obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, decreased HDL) in this population. These problems required an urgent need for greater public awareness on risk factors that correlated with the duration of vegan diet
Technical efficiency and total factor productivity changes in European dairy farm sectors
No full textThis paper aims to evaluate the technical efficiency and the total factor productivity change of dairy farms in EU countries. Analyses were carried out in order to determine which countries showed the best performance adaptations when the quota regime was relaxed and to evaluate the technical conditions of European farmers at the starting point of the new regime (milk quota abolition). A data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied on aggregate data related to 22 European countries for the period from 2004 to 2012. The findings suggest that milk farms show small scope for improving efficiency using their own technical input. The estimation of total factor productivity and its components suggest that the European milk sector has suffered a decline in productivity. This means that external factors, independent of the farmers’ capacity to use technical inputs, can play a greater role than efficiency in conditioning productivity and profitability in the near future