Milkability is defined as the ability of an animal to give a regular, complete, and rapid milk secretion by the mammary gland in response to a proper milking technique. The aim of the present study ...was to investigate the relationship of milkability pattern with milk yield and somatic cell score in buffaloes. Milk yield and milkability can be observed through the milk flow profiles recorded by an electronic milkmeter (Lactocorder). A total of 2,288 milk flow curves of Mediterranean Italian buffaloes were used for one-way analysis of variance, and eight milk emission patterns were studied. The most represented milk flow curve was type 3 (27.32%), followed by type 6 (17.79%) characterized by a very long plateau phase. The less represented curve was type 1 (4.41%) characterized by long lag time and low peak flow rate. According to analysis of variance, milk yield ranged from 2.21 to 5.22 kg per milking for types 1 and 6, respectively, whereas the peak flow rate was minimum (0.50 kg/min) and maximum (1.73 kg/min) for types 1 and 4, respectively. The total milking time was on average 11.29 ± 3.68 min; lag time and milk emission time averaged 2.19 ± 2.34 min and 4.30 ± 2.33 min, respectively. The 12.5% (n = 286) of total curves were classified as bimodal and 60 of these were found in type 4. Based on literature, type 4 curves are representative of very short teat canals and very high milk flow. Average somatic cell score was 3.63 ± 1.67 units, with maximum least-squares mean found for type 1 and minimum for type 6. Buffaloes showing curves of type 5 and 6 were characterized by the greatest milk yield at milking, lowest somatic cell score, and lowest milking time. Results of the present study evidenced that such traits could be used in the dairy buffaloes as indicators to improve udder health and milkability.
Data about diet and digestion process of cattle are important for the fine-tuning of the diet and from an environmental point of view. Given the capacity of the near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy ...(NIRS) to provide easily, quickly and cheap data its ability in predicting dietary and faecal chemical composition, fibre-bound N and total-tract apparent digestibility (ttaD) of beef cattle were tested. The ttaD was estimated using the dietary and faecal undigestible neutral detergent fibre (uNDF) as an internal marker. A total of 172 pool faecal samples and 164 total mixed ration (TMR) samples were randomly collected 24 h post-feeding across the fattening groups of young males and females Charolaise beef cattle. Both TMR and faeces were analysed chemically and through visible/NIRS instrument. Calibration models were developed using a modified partial least squares (mPLS) regression analysis and tested by a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure and the best calibrations were selected based on various parameters including the coefficient of determination of calibration (R
2
CrV
) and the residual predictive deviation (RPD). The overall composition of TMR and faeces were similar to that reported in literature and the coefficient of variation was higher than 12% for most of the parameters studied. The NIRS was able to accurately predict the ADF, nitrogen (N), and ash content in the TMR, whereas in faeces only the ADF prediction was acceptable. The ttaD and total-tract true digestibility of N using the uNDF as an internal marker were inaccurately predicted both in TMR and in faeces (R
2
CrV
≤0.66; RPD ≤ 1.71).
Highlights
Near-infrared spectroscopy was not a suitable technology to predict total tract apparent digestibility.
NIRS was able to accurately predict the ADF, nitrogen and ash content in the TMR.
NIRS was able to accurately predict the ADF in faeces.
Abstract We present a JWST imaging survey with NIRCam and MIRI of NGC 346, the brightest star-forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud. By combining aperture and point-spread function photometry ...of 11 wavelength bands across these two instruments, we have detected more than 200,000 unique sources. Using a near-infrared color analysis, we observe various evolved and young populations, including 196 young stellar objects (YSOs) and pre-main-sequence stars suitable for forthcoming spectroscopic studies. We expand upon this work, creating mid-infrared color–magnitude diagrams and determining color cuts to identify 833 reddened sources which are YSO candidates. We observe that these candidate sources are spatially associated with regions of dusty, filamentary nebulosity. Furthermore, we fit model YSO spectral energy distributions to a selection of sources with detections across all of our MIRI bands. We classify with a high degree of confidence 23 YSOs in this sample and estimate their radii, bolometric temperatures, luminosities, and masses. We detect YSOs approaching 1 M ⊙ , the lowest-mass extragalactic YSOs confirmed to date.
The buffalo milk industry has economic and social relevance in Italy, as linked to the manufacture of traditional dairy products. To provide an overview of the current status of buffaloes' ...performances on a large scale, almost 1 million milk test-day records from 72,294 buffaloes were available to investigate milk yield, energy corrected milk, fat, protein, and lactose content, and somatic cell score (SCS). Phenotypic correlations between milk traits were calculated and analysis of variance was carried out through a mixed model approach including fixed effect of parity, stage of lactation, sampling time, month of calving, and all their interactions and random effects of buffalo, herd-test-date, and residual. Third-parity buffaloes were the most productive in terms of milk yield, while the lowest solid content was detected in sixth parity buffaloes. A considerable gap between primiparous and multiparous buffaloes was observed for milk yield, especially in early- and mid-lactation. Overall, SCS progressively increased with parity and showed a negative correlation with milk yield in both primiparous (-0.12) and multiparous (-0.14) buffaloes. Results suggested that, at the industrial level, milk of primiparous buffaloes may be preferred for transformation purposes, since it was characterized by greater solid content and lower SCS. Results of this study provide a picture of the Italian population of buffaloes under systematic performance records and might be beneficial to both dairy industry and breeding organizations.
This study aimed to assess the feasibility of visible/near-infrared reflectance (Vis-NIR) and near-infrared transmittance (NIT) spectroscopy to predict total and gelatinized starch and fiber ...fractions in extruded dry dog food. Reference laboratory analyses were performed on 81 samples, and the spectrum of each ground sample was obtained through Vis-NIR and NIT spectrometers. Prediction equations for each instrument were developed by modified partial least squares regressions and validated by cross- (CrV) and external validation (ExV) procedures. All studied traits were better predicted by Vis-NIR than NIT spectroscopy. With Vis-NIR, excellent prediction models were obtained for total starch (residual predictive deviation; RPD
= 6.33; RPD
= 4.43), gelatinized starch (RPD
= 4.62; RPD
= 4.36), neutral detergent fiber (NDF; RPD
= 3.93; RPD
= 4.31), and acid detergent fiber (ADF; RPD
= 5.80; RPD
= 5.67). With NIT, RPD
ranged from 1.75 (ADF) to 2.61 (acid detergent lignin, ADL) and RPD
from 1.71 (ADL) to 2.16 (total starch). In conclusion, results of the present study demonstrated the feasibility of at-line Vis-NIR spectroscopy in predicting total and gelatinized starch, NDF, and ADF, with lower accuracy for ADL, whereas results do not support the applicability of NIT spectroscopy to predict those traits.
The aim of this study was to investigate the sources of variation of milk fatty acids (FA) routinely predicted by mid-infrared spectroscopy in Holstein-Friesian (HF), Brown Swiss (BS), Simmental (SI) ...and Alpine Grey (AG) cattle breeds. A linear mixed model was used to analyse the data which included 153,801 individual milk samples from 14,301 cows. Fixed effects included in the model were breed, month of sampling, year of sampling, stage of lactation, parity and first order interactions between them, and random effects were herd nested within breed, cow nested within breed and the residual error. Milk of AG cows exhibited the lowest content of saturated FA and the greatest content of unsaturated FA, whereas milk of BS had an opposite pattern. Holstein-Friesian and SI were intermediate between AG and BS breeds for all the FA except for total C18:1, which was the greatest in HF. Saturated FA, C14:0 and C16:0 increased from calving until 120 days in milk, whereas unsaturated FA and C18:1 decreased. First parity cows produced milk with lower concentration of de novo FA than multiparous animals. The greatest content of unsaturated FA and C18:1 was observed in summer, whereas saturated FA, C14:0, C16:0 and C18:0 decreased in summer and increased in winter. The differences in milk FA profile among breeds are useful for genetic selection and for feeding strategies.
Plant feed additives (PFA) such as essential oils, extracts, and by-products from plant processing can be included in poultry diets. A total of 39 peer-reviewed articles were selected from the ...literature published in the last 20 years (2000-2020) comparing PFA antioxidant effects with synthetic antioxidant vitamins (mainly vitamin E) in poultry nutrition. The PFA can be used as an effective nutritional strategy to face poultry's oxidative stress with positive impact also on their productivity and efficiency. They can partially or completely replace antioxidant synthetic vitamins (the latter administered at doses between 150 and 500 mg/kg) in animal diets, sometimes affecting important physiological functions or expressing synergistic effect with the synthetic antioxidants. It is crucial to take into consideration the issues related to the absorption and the metabolism of these additives and their interaction with gut microbiota. However, some form- and dose-dependent negative effects on growth performances are observed.
Extreme events related to climate change are increasing in intensity, frequency, and duration worldwide. Europe is identified as a heatwave hotspot, with trends three-to-four time faster than the ...northern mid-latitudes; effects of heatwaves are combined in urban contexts with the heat island phenomenon, making cities critical for climate risk prevention and management. Land surface temperature represents an essential parameter for assessing the intensity of thermal impact on urban ecosystems and on public health. This parameter is widely used to map and assess urban heat islands in light to support climate-resilient adaptation planning. The general aim of this study is to assess urban heat island intensity, during a significant heatwave, in a critical heat-related risk region in Southern Italy (Salento). Specific objectives are 1) assessing climate change trends for heat-related extremes (hot days and heatwaves), 2) calculating urban heat islands intensity at regional and urban scale, 3) assessing spatial relationships among thermal intensity and urban characteristics (soil sealing and surface albedo). Identification of heatwaves is based on climatological data and statistical analyses; spatial thermal analyses and correlations are based on Landsat-8 imagery while land cover data are derived from ortho-photos. Climate analyses show a notable increase of the maximum annual temperature of 0.5°C per decade, with an increase of eight hot days per decade. Spatial analyses on thermal impact highlight that urban heat island intensity is much lower within cities and towns than in rural areas, showing a “reverse effect” compared to the typical microclimatic characteristics of urban contexts. In fact, thermal intensity in the city of Lecce ranges from −11°C to 5.6°C. Also, by NDVI analyses, we found that permeable surfaces were 2°C higher than impermeable surfaces, with statistically significant differences. Results from albedo analysis suggest that the characteristics of building material in historical sectors of cities may play a crucial role in this “reverse effect” of urban heat islands. Further studies are required to better investigate the contribution of different factors in this context.
Patients with adrenal incidentalomas (AI) may experience detrimental consequences due to a minimal cortisol excess sustained by adrenal adenoma. SNPs of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) ...modulate individual sensitivity to glucocorticoids and may interfere with the clinical presentation.
To compare the frequency of N363S, ER22/23EK and BclI SNPs in patients with AI with the general population and to evaluate whether these SNPs are linked to consequences of cortisol excess.
Multicentric, retrospective analysis of patients referred from 2010 to 2014 to 4 centers (Orbassano, Milano, Messina Italy and Zagreb Croatia).
411 patients with AI; 153 males and 258 females and 186 from blood donors.
All patients and controls were genotyped for BclI, N363S and ER22/23EK and SNPs frequency was associated with clinical and hormonal features.
SNP frequency was: SNP frequency was: N363S 5.4% (MAF 0.027), BclI 54.7% (MAF 0.328), ER22/23EK 4.4% (MAF 0.022), without any significant difference between patients and controls. N363S was more frequent in hypertensive patients (p = 0.03) and was associated with hypertension (p = 0.015) in patients with suppressed cortisol after the 1-mg DST.
Our results demonstrate that SNPs of the glucocorticoid receptor gene do not play a pathogenetic role for AI. The impact of any single SNP on the phenotypic expression of minimal cortisol excess is limited and their analysis does not provide additional data that may be exploited for patient management.
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of chemical composition, coagulation properties, pH, and titratable acidity (TA, SH°/50 ml) of vat milk on Grana Padano cheese yield (CY) under field ...conditions. Twelve cheese-making sessions were carried out from February to December 2009 in a dairy cooperative of Grana Padano Consortium (Italy), for a total of 96 vats of milk processed. For each vat, samples of raw milk were collected and analysed for quality traits (fat, protein, and casein contents), pH, TA, and milk coagulation properties (MCP), measured as rennet coagulation time (RCT, min), curd-firming time (k₂₀, min), and curd firmness (a₃₀, mm). Cheese yield was expressed as kilograms of cheese per 100 kg milk transformed, and was measured after 2 d of drainage. Fat, protein, and casein contents were positively and strongly correlated with CY (coefficients of correlation, r = 0·72, 0·88, and 0·84, respectively; P < 0·001). Coagulation properties were moderately and significantly (P < 0·001) related to CY: milk that coagulated earlier and had stronger a₃₀ was associated to greater CY. Cheese yield was analysed with a model that accounted for fixed effects of cheese-making day, fat and protein content, TA, and a₃₀. Significance was found for all the effects (P < 0·05). Milk characterised by high values of a₃₀ resulted in higher CY than milk with low values of a₃₀, indicating that MCP could be used as indicators of cheese-making efficiency. Future research should investigate the relationships between MCP and quality of cheese, and explore the feasibility of including MCP in multiple component milk pricing system for Grana Padano cheese production.
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