REGULAR GENUS AND PRODUCTS OF SPHERES

Fulvia Spaggiari 대한수학회 2010 대한수학회지 Vol.47 No.5

A crystallization of a closed connected PL manifold M is a special edge-colored graph representing M via a contracted triangulation. The regular genus of M is the minimum genus of a closed connected surface into which a crystallization of M regularly embeds. We disprove a conjecture on the regular genus of S2 × Sn, n ≥ 3, stated in [J. Korean Math. Soc. 41 (2004), no. 3, p. 420].

Comparison of Rabbit Caecal Content and Rabbit Hard Faeces as Source of Inoculum for the In vitro Gas Production Technique

Bovera, Fulvia,D'Urso, Simona,Di Meo, Carmelo,Piccolo, Giovanni,Calabro, Serena,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.11

In order to find an alternative source of inoculum to caecal content for studying the fermentation activity of rabbit hindgut, caecal content and faeces of 25 hybrid Hyla rabbits were used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial. About 1 g of three substrates (dehydrated alfalfa meal, dehydrated beet pulp, barley) was weighed, in quadruplicate per inoculum, in 120 ml bottles; 75 ml of anaerobic medium and 4 ml of reducing solution were added and bottles were placed at $39^{\circ}C$. Caecal content and faeces were diluted respectively 1:2 (CI) and 1:8 (FI) with anaerobic medium and were introduced in the respective bottles (10 ml). Gas production was recorded 20 times at 2-24 h intervals throughout fermentation (96 h). The fermentation characteristics (i.e. degraded organic matter, OMd; potential gas production, A; fermentation rate, Rmax; time at which it is reached, Tmax; pH, volatile fatty acid, VFA) were studied by inoculum and feedstuffs. The feedstuffs, according to their chemical composition, showed very different fermentation characteristics. In particular, OMd, A and Rmax allowed feedstuff classification as follows: barley>beet pulp>alfalfa. The inocula differ (p<0.05) in Tmax, were higher for CI (15.53 vs. 11.96 h) and in VFA production. In particular, CI produced higher levels of acetate (38.9 vs. 33.4 mM/g OM incubated, p<0.01) and isobutyrate (0.72 vs. 0.42, p<0.01) but less propionate (7.1 vs. 10.3, p<0.01) and butyrate (11.3 vs. 14.0, p<0.01). However, the trend of gas production, similar for the inocula according to the fermented substrate, and the good regression equation to estimate some caecal fermentation parameters from faeces suggest that, after standardisation, the faeces could be used as an alternative inoculum for gas tests in rabbit.

Effect of Different Raising Techniques on In vivo Performance and Carcass and Meat Traits of Ischia Grey Rabbit

Bovera, Fulvia,Di Meo, Carmelo,Nizza, Sandra,Piccolo, Giovanni,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.9

One-hundred and twenty Ischia grey rabbits, traditionally raised in pits, were equally divided after weaning (32 days) into three groups: group C, housed in cages (4 rabbits/cage) and fed a commercial concentrate; group GF, housed as C group and fed grasses collected on the island and crushed faba beans supplemented with an appropriate mineral vitamin mix; group P, housed in pits (8 rabbits/pit) and fed as GF group. Feed intake was recorded daily and live weight monthly up to slaughter (92 days). At slaughter, 10 rabbits per group were used to measure carcass and meat traits. The carcasses were weighed and measured according to the standard procedures and meat samples from the Longissimus dorsi and left hind leg were analysed for water holding capacity and chemical composition, respectively. During the entire trial, group C consumed significantly (p<0.01) a higher quantity of feed than the other groups (126.1 vs. 63.4 and 66.5 g/d, resp. for groups C, GF and P) and at slaughter showed a significantly (p<0.01) higher body weight (2,529.7 vs. 1,324.4 and 1,375.4 g, resp. for groups C, GF and P). Significant differences (p<0.01) were found also for dressing out percentage (68.6 vs. 66.6 and 66.9%, resp. for groups C, GF and P) and for meat chemical composition, in particular lipid percentage (4.13 vs. 1.84 and 1.93%, resp., for groups C, GF and P, p<0.01) and moisture (73.7 vs. 76.4 and 76.3%, resp. for groups C, GF and P, p<0.01). The results suggest the opportunity to obtain heavier animals raised in the pits if their diets were integrated with commercial feed.

REGULAR GENUS AND PRODUCTS OF SPHERES

Spaggiari, Fulvia Korean Mathematical Society 2010 대한수학회지 Vol.47 No.5

A crystallization of a closed connected PL manifold M is a special edge-colored graph representing M via a contracted triangulation. The regular genus of M is the minimum genus of a closed connected surface into which a crystallization of M regularly embeds. We disprove a conjecture on the regular genus of $\mathbb{S}\;{\times}\;\mathbb{S}^n$, $n\;{\geq}\;3$, stated in [J. Korean Math. Soc. 41 (2004), no. 3, p. 420].

Performance of Suckling Rabbits Fed a Low Fibre Concentrate

Piccolo, Giovanni,Bovera, Fulvia,Meo, Carmelo Di,Gazaneo, Maria Pia,Nizza, Antonino Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.10

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two diets different in crude fibre content and ingredients on performance and on caecal characteristics of rabbits around weaning. Thirty litters from thirty New Zealand White does were divided at Day 18 in two groups fed, respectively, a low fibre concentrate (LFC, consisting mainly of soybean meal, delactated whey, barley) from Day 18-28 followed by a creep feed (CF, consisting mainly in alfalfa meal, barley and wheat bran) from Day 29-32, and a CF from Day 18-32. After weaning (32 days) both groups were fed the CF ad libitum for two weeks. During the pre-weaning period, mortality, milk intake and solid feed intake (from Day 20) were recorded daily, while the live weight of kits was recorded twice, at 18 and 32 days. At day 28, one rabbit/litter was slaughtered in order to obtain data on caecal content characteristics. After weaning, the rabbits were located in collective cages, feeding ad libitum CF; feed intake, live weight and mortality were recorded weekly for two weeks. During the preweaning period, there were no differences between the groups in milk and solid feed intake and, by consequence, in live weight at weaning; instead, the mortality was higher (12.5 vs 4.5%) for the group (A) that changed diet at 28 days. Group A showed also a higher caecal pH (6.12 vs. 5.72), propionate to butyrate ratio (0.73 vs. 0.46), ammonia content (9.3 vs. 7.1 mmol/l), but a lower total volatile fatty acid content (66.8 vs. 82.1 mmol/l) than B Group, probably due to the dried milk whey in the concentrate. After weaning, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The authors concluded that the use of a low fibre concentrate for suckling rabbits is not recommended.

Diets with Different Forage/Concentrate Ratios for the Mediterranean Italian Buffalo: In vivo and In vitro Digestibility

Fabio, Zicarelli,Calabro, Serena,Piccolo, Vincenzo,D'Urso, Simona,Tudisco, Raffaella,Bovera, Fulvia,Cutrignelli, Monica I.,Infascelli, Federico Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.1

In vivo and in vitro digestibility of 6 diets with a forage to concentrate ratio (F/C) ranging from 100 to 50:50 (diet 1: all hay, diet 2: 90:10, diet 3: 80:20, diet 4: 70:30, diet 5: 60:40, diet 6: 50:50) were investigated using 6 buffaloes in a $6{\times}6$ Latin square design. For the in vivo trial, the individual faeces of buffaloes were collected 3 times per day for 7 days. Individual pooled faeces and samples of each diet were analysed for chemical composition and insoluble acid ash (AIA) contents in order to estimate the coefficient of apparent digestibility (ADC). On the last day of the in vivo trial a sample of faeces was collected from each animal and used as inoculum for the in vitro test, using the gas production technique (IVGPT). The in vivo organic matter digestibility (ADC) rose as the percentage of concentrate increased up to the 70:30 (F/C) diet (67.01, 73.03, 78.06 and 79.05, respectively for diets 1, 2, 3 and 4); the other two diets (60:40 and 50:50 F/C) unexpectedly did not follow this trend (75.11 and 79.06, respectively for diet 5 and 6). However, these data agree with the results of the in vitro trial. The ADC was positively correlated with the dOM (p<0.001), but not with the gas production at different times; cumulative gas production recorded at the end of incubation (OMCV) showed an irregular trend and was not closely correlated to degraded OM. Estimation of in vivo digestibility from in vitro fermentation data was acceptable, despite leaving room for improvement.

Constituents of Egyptian Astragalus tribuloides Del.

El-Sebakhy, Nadia A.,Asaad, Aya M.,Abdallah, Rokia M.,Toaima, Soad M.,Verotta, Luisella,Orsini, Fulvia The Korean Society of Pharmacognosy 2000 Natural Product Sciences Vol.6 No.1

Two soyasaponins were isolated from the aerial parts of Astragalus tribuloides Del. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical methods. In addition, ursolic acid, ${\beta}-sitosterol\;{\beta}-D-glucoside$ and isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside were isolated and identified by comparing their mp, spectral and chromatographic data with those of authentic samples. This is the first report of screening and isolation of the chemical constituents of this species of genus Astragalus.