1,721,094 research outputs found
The sustainability of biodynamic horticultural production : The case of Po valley
Full text linkMore and more attention is paid to environmental, economic and social sustainability of the agricultural activity as it is proved at European level by the new setting of CAP toward 2020. It is therefore interesting to understand which production practices better react to these characteristics. Biodynamic appears to respond well in terms of environmental sustainability: can the same be affirmed in terms of economic sustainability? In this paper Italian biodynamic sector has been analyzed focusing on horticultural production: its economic sustainability has been verified especially for small farms that are facing increasing problems in terms of profitability. The Italian Demeter database was used to identify biodynamic farms that have been georeferenced at a national level and then only the ones specialized in vegetable production have been selected for Italy. In order to assess its economic sustainability the production costs for three farms located in the area of the High Po valley that are converting from organic to biodynamic have been examined, focusing on five items: lettuce (Lactuca sativa), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), eggplant (Solanum melongena), cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Then these costs have been compared to the ones associated with organic and traditional methods. Their prices have been also compared in order to achieve an economic assessment of the different production methods. Finally a SWOT analysis regarding the adoption of the biodynamic method has been performed. This paper proves that the biodynamic method is economically sustainable in the horticultural production based on higher retail prices that-for some products-compensate higher costs, in comparison to the organic and traditional methods. Another factor that strengthens the use of the biodynamic method is a favorable European legislation
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Prevalence and impact on clinical uotcome of concomitant peripheral arterial disease in patients with coronary and cerebrovascular symptoms: the PATHOS study
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Streptokinase and rt-PA activate platelets by different way: implications on the rethrombosis rate after their administration in myocardial infarction.
No full textMicroclimatic and environmental parameters in relationship with air quality in a swine housing
No full textSwine welfare and human health, in modern intensive swine breeding, depends mostly on indoor air quality. The interaction among internal and external temperature, relative humidity, ammonia production, type of floor, air speed and ventilation system, growth performance of pigs were studied in a trial conducted from the 17th July to 13th November 2002 in a swine finishing building in Northern Italy. In all rooms, ammonia concentrations were generally higher than the 7 ppm value suggested by Donham et al. (1989), except for the totally slatted floor room, but lower than the 25 ppm value indicated by ACGIH (1993) and similar to those published by Donham et al. (1989) and Kourkamp et al. (1998) for the Northern Europe. Ammonia concentration, inversely related to temperature, and internal relative humidity were significantly lower in the totally slatted floor room. Relative humidity seems positively related to ammonia levels. Air speed didn’t affect the pollutant level in the environment. The floor ventilation system, when compared to the ceiling system, seems to affect positively indoor air quality. It can be concluded that floor ventilation system and the totally slatted floor (even for the less amount of manure retained on the floor) can take part in improving indoor air quality and growth performance in a swine housing
Direct oral anticoagulants in patients with VTE and cancer : a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBACKGROUND:
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAs) have been shown to be as effective and at least as safe as conventional anticoagulation for the prevention of recurrences in patients with VTE. Whether this is the case in patients with cancer-associated VTE remains undefined.
METHODS:
We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with the aim of assessing the efficacy and safety of DOAs in patients with VTE and cancer. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched up to December 2013 with no language restriction. The primary outcome of the analysis was recurrent VTE. Data on major bleeding (MB) and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding were analyzed. Data were pooled and compared by ORs and 95% CIs.
RESULTS:
Overall, 10 studies comparing DOAs with conventional anticoagulation for treatment of VTE including patients with cancer were included in the review. Six studies were included in the meta-analysis (two with dabigatran, two with rivaroxaban, one with edoxaban, and one with apixaban), accounting for a total of 1,132 patients. VTE recurred in 23 of 595 (3.9%) and in 32 of 537 (6.0%) patients with cancer treated with DOAs and conventional treatment, respectively (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.37-1.10; I2, 0%). MB occurred in 3.2% and 4.2% of patients receiving DOAs and conventional treatment, respectively (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.41-1.44; I2, 0%).
CONCLUSIONS:
DOAs seem to be as effective and safe as conventional treatment for the prevention of VTE in patients with cancer. Further clinical trials in patients with cancer-associated VTE should be performed to confirm these results
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