1,721,011 research outputs found
Historical snowfall precipitation data in the Apennine Mountains, Italy
No full textThis database includes a large collection of quality-controlled and homogenized historical snow records measured in the 1951-2001 period in the Central and Southern Apennine Mountains (Italy). Such data have been manually digitized from the Hydrological Yearbooks of the Italian National Hydrological and Mareographic Service (hereafter, NHMS), the institution that managed the hydro-meteorological data collection in Italy from 1917 to 2002. More specifically, the rescued dataset includes the monthly observations of three different variables:
· The snow cover duration (SCD), which is defined as total number of days in a given month with snow depth on the ground >=1 cm. This variable is available for 110 stations between 288 and 1430 m above the sea level (ASL).
· The number of days with snowfall (NDS), which is total number of days in a given month on which the accumulated snowfall (i.e. the amount of fresh snow with respect to the previous observations) is at least 1 cm. This variable is available for 114 stations between 288 and 1430 m ASL.
· The height of new snow (HN), which is defined as the monthly amount of fresh snow (expressed in cm). The monthly value is intended as the sum of daily HN data observed in a determined month. This variable is available for 120 stations between 288 and 1750 m ASL.
Note that for HN variable, the data availability is restricted to the period 1971-2001.
The considered dataset has been subjected to an accurate quality control consisting of several statistical tests: the gross error test, which flags the data that are above or below acceptable physical limits, the consistency test, which involves an inter-variable check, and the tolerance test, which is focused on the outlier detection. In addition, the homogeneity of the rescued time series has been checked using Climatol method (Guijarro, 2018). The latter is based on the Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (Alexandersson, 1986) for the identification of the breaks and on a linear regression approach for the adjustments (Easterling and Peterson, 1995). Climatol has been also employed for the filling of missing values.
The database is structured into three different folders (one for each variable). In a determined folder, the user finds two files, one containing the main information regarding the available stations (code, station name, latitude and longitude (in decimal degrees) and altitude ASL (in m)), the other one the monthly time series for the considered variable.
Note that the original data sources of this database, the Hydrological Yearbooks of the NHMS, are freely accessible in printed version (i.e. as scanned images in portable document format) through the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) website (http://www.bio.isprambiente.it/annalipdf).
Additional information about the data rescue processing can be found in the preprint “Historical snowfall measurements in the Central and Southern Apennine Mountains: climatology, variability and trend”, open for discussion in The Cryosphere journal (https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1056)
Can hydroponic forage affect the chemical and sensory properties of PDO buffalo Mozzarella cheese?
Full text linkThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydroponic barley forage in the diets of lactating Italian Mediterranean buffaloes on Mozzarella cheese chemical and sensory properties. Thirty-six buffaloes were evenly assigned to three groups: control (C) with standard maize silage-based ration, and low hydroponic (LH) and high hydroponic (HH) barley forage substitution for 50% and 100% of maize silage, respectively. HH Mozzarella had lower hardness, reduced saturated fatty acids, increased oleic and α-linolenic fatty acids. Hydroponic forage could be an innovative system for sustainable livestock production with a positive impact on the Mozzarella cheese improving its nutritional value. © 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Dairy Technology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Dairy Technology
An Innovative Use of Propolis in the Production of Dipping Sauce Powder as a Functional Food to Mitigate Testicular Toxicity Induced by Cadmium Chloride: Technological and Biological Evidence
Full text link: Propolis is a common natural ingredient used in food production, food packaging, and pharmaceutical products. Therefore, the aim of our study was to prepare dipping sauce powders as an innovative functional product with a regular and spicy taste from economical raw materials with high nutritional value. The developed products were fortified with propolis powder at 250, 500, and 750 mg/kg. All studied dipping sauces were subjected to a palatability test, a nutritional evaluation, and a microbiological assay performed during 6 months of storage. In addition, an in vivo study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of these products in preventing the testicular toxicity disorders induced by cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in albino rats. Based on the palatability test, the dipping sauces supplemented with propolis at 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg were preferred. Moreover, all samples were safe to consume within 6 months. Biological results showed that all investigated propolis-enriched dipping sauce samples caused an improvement in all CdCl2-induced testicular histopathological and biochemical changes, especially the spicy dipping sauce powder fortified with 500 mg/kg of propolis
Dairy sheep carbon footprint and ReCiPe end-point study
No full textSheep milk production is an important livestock sector for the European Mediterranean countries including the regions of southern Italy. The main objective of this study was to investigate the carbon footprint and the related damages generated by dairy sheep farming by using a simplified LCA approach based on the ReCiPe End-point method. We used 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) as functional unit (FU). The average flock size was about 400 animals and the average farm size was about 66 ha. In addition to milk all farms produced meat and wool. Therefore, we performed an economic allocation by dividing all inputs and outputs among milk and the other two co-products (meat and wool), based on farm financial statements. The CF impact determined by 1 kg of FPCM was 3.78 kg CO2-eq. The highest CF impact was mainly due to the enteric fermentation, producing biogenic CH4 as the prevalent chemical compound, followed by the production of meadow hay. Based on the ReCiPe End-point method the impact of 1 kg of FPCM from dairy sheep farming was 7.35 E-06 Disability Adjusted Life Years, whereas the Damage to Ecosystem Diversity was 3.29 E-07 Species*year and the value of the Damage to Resource Availability 0.025 $. In conclusion, the environmental management and sustainability of sheep farms should be constantly controlled with the aim of minimizing their impacts without compromising the competitiveness of this productive sector
Progetto Valorizzazione Foraggi Campani (VALFOCAM) “
Full text linkLe attività del progetto VALFOCAM, approvato con DRD n.163 del .231 del 25/11/2019, sono finalizzate ad incrementare l’efficienza degli allevamenti e migliorare la qualità della mozzarella di bufala e del fiordilatte bovino utilizzando nuovi miscugli foraggeri ad alta incidenza di leguminose, in due areali differenti della Campania, le colline del Beneventano e la Piana del Sele.
Nelle aree montane, la bovinocoltura ha difficoltà a garantire redditività agli operatori in un mercato dei prodotti caseari sempre più globalizzato e aggressivo, mentre in quelle di pianura, i problemi sono essenzialmente connessi alla valorizzazione della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP e all’impatto ambientale degli allevamenti bufalini. Per entrambi i settori, ridurre i costi di produzione e migliorare la qualità, anche in termini di maggiore ecosostenibilità, del prodotto finale ai fini di un premio di prezzo, rappresentano obiettivi da raggiungere nel breve periodo, pena la stessa permanenza sul mercato delle aziende più fragili.
I foraggi rappresentano in media il 60% della sostanza secca della razione per ruminanti da latte. Ne consegue che la qualità dei foraggi influenza quantità e qualità delle produzioni, il bilancio dei nutrienti e dell’energia, e il risultato economico aziendale dato che, qualunque sia la specie allevata e il prodotto finale, l’alimentazione rappresenta la parte più consistente dei costi variabili.
Proprio a causa dei suoi numerosi risvolti, la scelta del foraggio da coltivare deve tener conto sia dei costi di produzione del foraggio alla mangiatoia (vale a dire prendendo in considerazione costi e perdite di trasformazione) sia dell’impatto del foraggio sul costo di approvvigionamento dei concentrati, sulle prestazioni degli animali e sulla qualità dei prodotti. Va tenuto conto, inoltre, della stabilità della resa e della qualità della coltura foraggera e degli effetti sulla fertilità del suolo e sulla produttività della coltura successiva.
In Campania, gli erbai autunno-vernini rappresentano una quota importante dell’approvvigionamento foraggero. Un loro miglioramento è potenzialmente in grado di ridurre l’approvvigionamento esterno degli alimenti, di influenzare positivamente la qualità dei prodotti caseari, e di limitare l’impatto ambientale degli allevamenti.
L’obiettivo del progetto è quello di selezionare i miscugli foraggeri in grado di innalzare la quota foraggera della razione consentendo di: (a) ridurre l’acquisto di concentrati; (b) potenziare la fertilità dei suoli; (c) incrementare l’ecosostenibilità delle aziende; (d) migliorare la qualità della mozzarella di bufala, del fiordilatte e del latte bovino (e) migliorare il reddito degli agricoltori
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
Variations 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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