1,721,127 research outputs found
The hidden costs of livestock environmental sustainability: The case of Podolian Cattle
Full text linkLife cycle assessment (LCA) is currently one of the most widely used methods for assessing the environmental impacts and performance of livestock products. According to this procedure, intensification of animal production is generally advocated to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions compared with extensive grazing systems due to the use of selected breeds, with enhanced productivity, and the significant reductions in CH4 emissions consequent to the use of concentrates rather than forages. In addition, the impact of intensive systems on land use is much lower. However, free-ranging Podolian cattle show a number of positive environmental effects, such as increased climate stability, improved soil functionality, water quality and footprint and preservation from fires along with maintaining an economically active social community in otherwise unproductive, marginal areas. Other beneficial effects of extensive Podolian farming system include low competition with human nutrition and high level of animal health and welfare. An economic evaluation of these non-commodity outputs should be indirectly estimated by the avoided costs (e.g. reduced veterinary interventions and therapy treatments) or the lack of profits (e.g. direct payments for the enhancement of environmental performance) that would have incurred in their absence. These economic evaluations should be used in order to allocate them as further outputs to be included in the LCA in order to achieve a more accurate estimation of the impact of the Podolian farming system
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
Effect of space availability on productive and reproductive performances in buffalo cows
No full textThe effects of space availability on productive and reproductive performances have been evaluated in buffalo cows. The trial was carried out on 124 lactating buffaloes (69±84 days in milk) equally divided in two experimental groups (group 1 and group 2) with different space availability (15 vs 20m2/ head). Daily milk production was recorded in each group and a sample of milk was monthly analysed for fat and protein contents. Furthermore, fertility and intercalving and start trial-conception (number of days from the beginning of the trial until conception) intervals were also evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with repeated measures for productive parameters and by Student’s t Test for intercalving and start trial-conception intervals. Buffaloes in Group 2 showed higher (P<0.05) milk production in both the initial (74 to 104 days in milk) and final (around 230 days in milk) phases of the lactation curve compared to animals in Group 1. No differences emerged for qualitative characteristics of milk and reproductive parameters. In conclusion the increase of space availability improve animal milk yield in buffalo cows while reproductive performances are not modified
Studio del profilo metabolico in capre autoctone della Basilicata
No full textL’indagine è stata condotta su 2 gruppi di capre autoctone allevate in Basilicata, di cui uno con parti avvenuti in novembre e l’altro con parti avvenuti in febbraio. Ciascun gruppo era costituito da 5 primipare e 10 pluripare. Gli animali venivano allevati al pascolo con integrazione di concentrato in alcuni periodi dell’anno. Su ciascun soggetto, a partire dal 5° giorno dopo il parto, sono stati effettuati 5 prelievi di sangue a cadenza mensile per la determinazione dei seguenti parametri: proteine totali, albumine, globuline, urea, glucosio, colesterolo, trigliceridi, calcio e fosforo. L’ordine di parto e la distanza dal parto costituiscono due importanti fonti di variazione dei valori della maggior parte dei parametri ematochimici considerati. Il marcato effetto interativo della stagione di parto con la distanza dal parto e con l’ordine di parto denota una diversa influenza della stagione sulle risposte metaboliche in relazione allo status fisiologico e all’età dei soggetti
Environmental impacts of beef as corrected for the provision of ecosystem services
No full textWe aimed to assess whether the environmental impacts in terms of global warming
potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), and land occupation (LO) of beef can be decreased when ecosystem and cultural/provisioning services are included in the evaluation. We used four Italian production systems: Fat, with beef imported calves kept in confinement; CoCaI, with beef cows and calves kept in confinement; SpEx, with beef cows and calves kept on pasture and finishing conducted in confinement; and Pod, with Podolian cows and calves kept on pasture and finishing conducted in confinement. After the economic allocation, the GWP of system Pod decreased considerably and showed values lower than those computed for
systems CoCaI and SpEx (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). System Pod showed the lowest AP and EP as compared with all the other systems (P < 0.01). Systems Fat and CoCaI showed the smallest LO, with values lower than systems Pod (P < 0.05) and SpEx (P < 0.001). We conclude that the environmental impacts of extensive and local beef production systems in terms of GWP, AP, and EP was markedly reduced when the provision of accessory services was included in the calculation. Conversely, LO did not markedly change due to the high absolute values needed to allow pasture-based feeding. The estimation of additional positive aspects linked to the use of natural pastures, such as removal of carbon dioxide, increased biodiversity, and exploitation of
feeds nonedible by humans, may allow a further reduction of LO
Control of OXPHOS efficiency by complex I in brain mitochondria
No full textIn the present work we have analysed the efficiency (P/O ratio) of energy production by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in rat brain, liver and heart mitochondria. This study has revealed tissue-specific differences in the mean values of P/O ratios and ATP production rates. A marked dependence of the P/O ratio on the respiration rates has been observed with complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase), but not with complex II (succinate dehydrogenase) respiratory substrates. The physiological impact of the P/O variations with complex I substrates has been further confirmed by extending the analysis to brain mitochondria from three independent groups of animals utilized to study the effects of dietary treatments on the age-related changes of OXPHOS. The general site-specificity of the rate-dependent P/O variability indicates that the decoupling, i.e. decreased coupling between electron transfer and proton pumping, is likely to be mostly due to slip of mitochondrial complex I. These findings suggest an additional mechanism for the pivotal role played by the energy-conserving respiratory complex I in the physiological and adaptive plasticity of mitochondrial OXPHOS
Superovulation in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes using P-FSH with different treatments.
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
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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