Variation of Meat Quality Parameters Due to Conformation and Fat Class in Limousin Bulls Slaughtered at 25 to 27 Months of Age

Guzek, Dominika,Glabska, Dominika,Pogorzelski, Grzegorz,Kozan, Karolina,Pietras, Jacek,Konarska, Malgorzata,Sakowska, Anna,Glabski, Krzysztof,Pogorzelska, Ewelina,Barszczewski, Jerzy,Wierzbicka, Agnie Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.5

The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of age of animal, hot carcass weight, pH, conformation and fat class on basic beef quality attributes (tenderness, sarcomere length, basic chemical composition, marbling and colour) in a group of purebred animals. The object of the study was beef of Limousin bulls (25 to 27 months, hot carcass weight - $432{\pm}31$ kg, "U" conformation class, "2"-"3" fat class). Analysed cuts were Infraspinatus muscle from the blade and Longissimus dorsi muscle from the cube roll and the striploin. Tenderness was analysed with universal testing machine, colour - chromometer analysis, sarcomere length - microscopic method, basic chemical composition - near-infrared spectroscopy and marbling - computer image analysis. No differences in tenderness and sarcomere length were observed within the age groups of Limousin bulls (age of 25, 26, 27 months) (p>0.05). Moisture (p = 0.0123) and fat (p = 0.0250) content were significantly different for meat of animals slaughtered at the age of 25 and 27 months. No influence of pH value on tenderness was observed, but at the same time, influence on sarcomere length (p = 0.039) and $b^*$ component of colour (0.045) was found. For "U" conformation class, in subclasses, as well as for fat classes "2"-"3", there were no differences in tenderness, sarcomere length and colour components. Higher fat content was observed in the higher fat class, rather than in lower, however this feature was not associated with marbling.

Clinical findings, rhinoscopy and histological evaluation of 54 dogs with chronic nasal disease

Marco Pietra,Flavio Pasquali,Noemi Romagnoli,Giuliano Bettini,Alessandro Spadari,Giuseppe Spinella 대한수의학회 2010 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.11 No.3

Nasal diseases are very common in dogs and rhinoscopy is often required for a definitive diagnosis. Rhinoscopy, while superficial in nature, can guide the clinician to the final diagnosis. In this study, rhinoscopy was performed on 54 dogs with symptoms of chronic nasopharyngeal disease. The endoscopic diagnosis of neoplasia or chronic nasal inflammation was validated with histological examination of pathological samples, in order to evaluate the degree of concordance between endoscopic findings and histological diagnosis. The agreement between endoscopy and histology was tested by application of Cohen’s kappa coefficient. We conclude that correlation between endoscopic results and histological diagnosis, expressed by a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.73,is only possible with a constant cooperation between the clinician and the pathologist.

Accurate in-operando study of molten carbonate fuel cell degradation processes -part I: Physiochemical processes individuation

Santoni, F.,Della Pietra, M.,Pumiglia, D.,Boigues Muñ,oz, C.,McPhail, S.J.,Cigolotti, V.,Nam, S.W.,Kang, M.G.,Yoon, S.P. Elsevier 2018 ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA Vol.291 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>This work has the difficult task to deeply study the electrochemical processes that occur inside a 100 cm<SUP>2</SUP> of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) impedance spectra using the high resolution of Distribution of Relaxation Time (DRT) method. Using this method, it is possible to shed light on the different physicochemical processes occurring within these cells, identifying the characteristic relaxation times by means of an appropriate experimental campaign where temperature and gas compositions in anode and cathode were varied one at a time. The quality of the recorded spectra was verified by Kramers-Kronig relation before applying DRT calculations. In this work, five distinct and separated peaks with different time constants ranging from 0.01 to 500 Hz were identified and associated with physiochemical processes of the cell. Three peaks at high frequency represent the charge transfer processes in anode and cathode active sites. The other two, located at low frequency, are associated with the gas diffusion in the electrodes and to the gas conversion process. This study represents the first application of the DRT approach to this technology allowing to understand the physicochemical origin of the individual polarization processes controlling the cell performance and the degradation. The analysis of degradation processes using the DRT method and the physiochemical processes identification presented in this paper will be shown in part II of this work.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> The first application of DRT approach to MCFC impedance Spectra is presented. </LI> <LI> Five processes controlling the cell performance are individuated using DRT method. </LI> <LI> Repeatability and reproducibility of the DRT results in MCFCs are demonstrated. </LI> <LI> Three peaks with a high-frequency domain are related to Charge Transfer Processes. </LI> <LI> Two peaks with a low-frequency domain are associated with Mass Transfer Mechanisms. </LI> </UL> </P>

Accuracy of capillary blood 3-β-hydroxybutyrate determination for the detection and treatment of canine diabetic ketoacidosis

Francesca Bresciani,Marco Pietra,Sara Corradini,Massimo Giunti,Federico Fracassi 대한수의학회 2014 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.15 No.2

In human medicine, diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA) is usually based on measurement of capillary3-β-hydroxybutyrate (3-HB) with a hand held ketonesensor. This study was conducted to determine ifmeasurement of capillary 3-HB could be useful for thediagnosis and monitoring of canine DKA. Fifteen dogs withdiabetic ketosis and 10 with DKA were evaluated. Pairedmeasurements of 3-HB of capillary and venous bloodsamples were analysed by the electrochemical sensor andreference method. Use of capillary 3-HB measurementduring DKA management was then evaluated throughsimultaneous measurements of capillary 3-HB, urinaryAcAc and venous blood gas analysis. Good agreementbetween capillary and venous 3-HB measurement wasdetected by the electrochemical sensor and referencemethod. Monitoring treatment of DKA revealed asignificant correlation between capillary 3-HB and acidosismarkers, while no significant correlation was observedbetween AcAc and acidosis markers. A cut-off value ofcapillary blood 3-HB >3.8 mmol/L for diagnosis of DKAresulted in 70% and 92% sensitivity and specificity. Theelectrochemical sensor accurately measures 3-HBconcentration in both capillary and venous blood samples, isaccurate in diagnosing canine DKA, and appears to reflectthe patient’s metabolic status during DKA treatment.

GABA Receptors Genes Polymorphisms and Alcohol Dependence: No Evidence of an Association in an Italian Male Population

Claudio Terranova,Marianna Tucci,Laura Di Pietra,Santo Davide Ferrara 대한정신약물학회 2014 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.12 No.2

Objective: The genes encoding for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) A and B receptors may be considered as candidatesfor alcoholism; genetic alterations at this level may produce structural and functional diversity and thus play a role in the responseto alcohol addiction treatment. To investigate these aspects further, we conducted a preliminary genetic association study ona population of Italian male alcohol addicts, focusing on GABA A and B receptors. Methods: A total of 186 alcohol-dependent subjects (in the first phase 139, then 47 more samples) and 182 controls were genotypedfor 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes encoding the alpha-1 subunit of GABA A receptor (GABRA1) andsubunits 1 and 2 of GABA B receptor (GABBR1 and GABBR2). The chi-squared test for allele and genotype distributions andHardy-Weinberg equilibrium analysis of both subjects and controls were performed. Bonferroni’s correction for multiple comparisonswas applied. Results: Preliminary results comparing 139 alcohol-dependent subjects and 182 controls showed differences in genotype distributionin the former for SNP rs29253, located in the intron region of the GABBR1 gene. In order to clarify the meaning ofthis association, 47 more samples from alcohol-dependent subjects were tested for this SNP only: the previously found associationwas not confirmed. Conclusion: The lack of significant differences between the two groups does not provide evidence that GABRA 1 and GABBR1and 2 genes are candidates for alcoholism in this population. Further studies with larger samples are needed, together with investigation of other components of the GABA pathway.

A Statistical Approach to Machine Translation

Brown, Peter F.,Stephen, John Cocke,Pietra, A. Della,Della, Vincent J.,Jelinek, Pietra Fredrick,Lafferty, John D.,Mercer, Robert L.,Roossin, Paul S. 서울대학교 어학연구소 1991 語學硏究 Vol.27 No.1

In this paper, we present a statistical approach to machine translation. We describe the application of our approach to translation from French to English and give preliminary results.

Serum homocysteine concentration in dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy

Elena Benvenuti,Alessio Pierini,Eleonora Gori,Enrico Botter,Marco Pietra,Ilaria Lippi,Valentina Meucci,Veronica Marchetti 대한수의학회 2020 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.21 No.4

Background: Homocysteine (HCY) was evaluated in healthy and chronic enteropathic dogs, however no studies on dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy are available. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate serum HCY concentrations and its prognostic role in dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy compared to healthy dogs. Methods: Serum HCY concentration was statistically compared between 24 healthy dogs and 29 dogs with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy. Correlation analyses between serum total protein, albumin (ALB), C-reactive protein (CRP), folate and cobalamin, and serum HCY concentration were performed in immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathic dogs. Results: The associations between serum HCY concentration and clinical, histological, endoscopic scores and follow-up were evaluated. Mean serum HCY concentration was higher in immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathic dogs compared to control dogs (30.22 ± 8.67 μmol/L vs. 5.26 ± 2.78 μmol/L; p < 0.0001). No association between serum HCY concentration and total protein, ALB, CRP, folate concentration as well as, clinical score, histological and endoscopic scores was found. A negative correlation between serum HCY concentration and cobalamin was noted (p = 0.0025, r = −0.54). No significant difference in HCY was found between responsive and non-responsive dogs or between survivors and non-survivors. Conclusions: Although, serum HCY concentration was higher in immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy, its prognostic value remains unclear. However, further prospective, large-scale studies are warranted to better investigate the possible prognostic role of HCY in immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathic dogs.

An atypical case of respiratory actinobacillosis in a cow

Peli Angelo,Spadari Alessandro,Romagnoli Noemi,Scarpa Filippo,Pietra Marco,Bettini Giuliano 대한수의학회 2009 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.10 No.3

A not pregnant 4-year-old Jersey cow was presented with the sudden appearance of respiratory noise, nasal discharge and moderate respiratory difficulty. Upon physical examination a snoring-like noise, extended head and neck position, exaggerated abdominal effort, bilateral nasal discharge and left prescapular lymph node enlargement were noted. Sub-occlusion of the initial portion of the respiratory tract was suspected. Radiographic and endoscopic examinations revealed a pedunculate mass on the dorsal aspect of the rhinopharynx, which was removed with endoscopically assisted electrosurgery. Histologic examination revealed a chronic pyogranulomatous inflammation with eosinophilic club-like bodies surrounding small colonies of rod-shaped bacteria. Results of histochemical staining were consistent with Actinobacillus-like bacteria and a diagnosis of respiratory actinobacillosis was reached. Surgery and antibiotic therapy were resolutive, as demonstated by an endoscopic check at the second month after surgery, even without the association of the traditional iodine cure, which is regarded as the treatment of choice for actinobacillosis.