1,721,423 research outputs found
Precision Farming
No full textUsing sensors to early detect diseases in beef and dairy cattle/ Portable NIRs on farm accuretely assess the homogeneity of TMR / Activity and rumination data allow to predict the onset of diseases 3-6 days before the onset of clinical signs in young bull
Information on diet use of captive red panda: preliminary results
No full textThe red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species which requires actions for its protection and conservation both in the wild, through in-situ conservation projects (Bista, et al., 2017) and in captivity, through ex-situ conservation actions (Eriksson, Zidar, White, Westander, & Andersson, 2010).
The aim of this study was to assess the diets fed to captive red pandas throughout the year, and relate them to the animals’ activity and nutritional status, through the analysis of diet composition and digestibility. In addition, it aimed to compare diet digestibility with physical characteristics of faeces. These data are the preliminary results of a larger project that would like to include more zoos over a period of at least one year.
The trial took place at Pistoia Zoo (Italy) and involved a captive pair of adult red pandas hosted in an open-topped naturalistic enclosure. The subjects were video-recorded for eight consecutive days using five camera traps placed inside the enclosure. The pair’s faeces were photographed and classified utilizing a ranked score from 1 to 4 (FS 1 = diarrhea-like, FS 2 = soft, FS 3 = normal, FS 4 dry and firm) (Clark, Silva-Fletcher, Fox, Kreuzer, & Clauss, 2016) (Cabana & Tay, 2019), collected for 4 days and then frozen until analysis. The pair’s feed intake was estimated by difference between the feed given to the animals and the residuals left after 24 hours (Tovar et al., 2009), and feed samples were collected to be analyzed. Using positive reinforcement training technique the male panda was weighed and manually measured to assess its size. Feed samples and faeces were chemically analyzed to determine dry matter, protein and fiber and allow the calculation of digestibility
Genes and lifestyle: Which of the two is more relevant in driving NAFLD progression?
No full textA wide spectrum of factors conjointly operate in the pathogen- esis of NAFLD and in liver disease progression towards advanced liver disease and comorbidities [1]. At one extreme we find ge- netic factors: they provide mechanism(s) facilitating liver fat accu- mulation well before birth, as expressed by epigenetic studies [2], and are operative throughout life. In recent years several studies have shown that a lot of gene polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of NAFLD, variably linked with obesity, with the risk of cardiovascular events, with the risk of progression to hep- atocellular cancer [3]. They have expanded to the area of NAFLD solid concepts linking non-communicable diseases to familial clus- tering and studies in homozygotic/dizygotic twins [4]. A few genes may also drive different outcomes, or make individuals more re- sistant to NAFLD development (protective genes) [5]. Scores have been generated to predict risks, although based on the number of mutated alleles, without any balance according to risk severity [6]
Referral pathways for NAFLD fibrosis in primary care – No longer a ‘needle in a haystack’
No full textNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest form of liver disease in primary care, with rates up to 25%.1 This figure, however, encompasses the whole spectrum of NAFLD from simple steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) through to advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis. Due to the strong associ-ation with liver-related morbidity and premature death,2,3 fibrosis has become the main focus in secondary care for risk stratification, targeted lifestyle and metabolic risk management and drug trial recruitment. Indeed, all recent liver guidelines (EASL-EASD-EASO,4 AASLD,5 BSG,6 NICE)7 are in agreement in recommending screening for advanced fibrosis (histological stage Kleiner F3-4) in patients diagnosed with NAFLD. The man-agement of patients with NAFLD in primary care, however, lacks consistency and is ad hoc, with an excess dependence on sec-ondary care liver services, for what is in the majority a bystan-der to obesity and diabetes. In the absence of established diagnostic pathways, identification of patients at risk of liver disease progression in primary care is very challenging and is compounded by the fact that only 1 in 20 patients with NAFLD have advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis in this setting.
Effetto del sistema di ventilazione sull'ambiente, lo stato di salute e le performance in vitelloni in fase di ristallo
No full textHigh energy gravitational scattering: a numerical study
No full textThe S-matrix in gravitational high energy scattering is computed from the region of large impact parameters b down to the regime where classical gravitational collapse is expected to occur. By solving the equation of an effective action introduced by Amati, Ciafaloni and Veneziano we find that the perturbative expansion around the leading eikonal result diverges at a critical value signalling the onset of a new regime. We then discuss the main features of our explicitly unitary S-matrix down to the Schwarzschild's radius R=2G s^(1/2), where it diverges at a critical value b ~ 2.22 R of the impact parameter. The nature of the singularity is studied with particular attention to the scaling behaviour of various observables at the transition. The numerical approach is validated by reproducing the known exact solution in the axially symmetric case to high accuracy.The S-matrix in gravitational high energy scattering is computed from the region of large impact parameters b down to the regime where classical gravitational collapse is expected to occur. By solving the equation of an effective action introduced by Amati, Ciafaloni and Veneziano we find that the perturbative expansion around the leading eikonal result diverges at a critical value signalling the onset of a new regime. We then discuss the main features of our explicitly unitary S-matrix down to the Schwarzschild's radius R=2G s^(1/2), where it diverges at a critical value b ~ 2.22 R of the impact parameter. The nature of the singularity is studied with particular attention to the scaling behaviour of various observables at the transition. The numerical approach is validated by reproducing the known exact solution in the axially symmetric case to high accuracy
NAFLD-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Threat to Patients with Metabolic Disorders
No full textHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most
common cancers worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing
in relation to the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes
mellitus, via non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Unhealthy lifestyles associated with metabolic disorders are
per se risk conditions for NAFLD progression, and specific
gene polymorphisms may also favor oncogenesis, particularly
in the presence of advanced fibrosis or cryptogenic cirrhosis.
However, NAFLD-associated HCC may also develop in noncirrhotic
NAFLD and is frequently diagnosed at a more advanced
tumor stage, compared with virus/alcohol-related
HCC. This highlights the need for screening programs and
long-term surveillance for earlier HCC detection in patients
with metabolic risk factors, a policy hindered by the large
number of cases at risk, with costs unaffordable by National
health systems. New screening tools and cost-utility studies
are eagerly awaited to develop more appropriate programs for
early detection and treatment of NAFLD-associated HCC
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