Extension services can promote pasture restoration: Evidence from Brazil's low carbon agriculture plan.

Innovation and improved practices in the livestock sector represent key opportunities tomeet global climate goals. This paper provides evidence that extension services can pro-mote pasture restoration in cattle ranching in Brazil. We use a randomized controlledtrial implemented in the context of the ABC Cerrado (a large-scale program launched in2014 aimed at fostering technology adoption through a combination of training andtechnical assistance) to examine the effects of different types of extension on agriculturalpractices, input use, and productivity.

The use of chitosan as alternative to bentonite for wine fining: Effects on heat-stability, proteins, organic acids, colour, and volatile compounds in an aromatic white wine.

This investigation focuses on the use of chitosan treatment simulating a bentonite fining in order to detect any modification of the wine haze potential by simultaneously evaluating the secondary effects on untargeted fixed and volatile compounds. A significant removal of chitinases was observed after fining an aromatic white wine with 1 g/L of a fungoid chitosan. Even if the more stable thaumatin like protein fractions were not significantly affected, the heat stability of the fined chitosan wine samples were highly improved in the 55-62 °C range.

Metabolite profiling and volatiles of pineapple wine and vinegar obtained from pineapple waste.

Vinegar is an inexpensive commodity, and economic considerations require that a relatively low-cost raw material be used for its production. An investigation into the use of a new, alternative substrate - pineapple waste - is described. This approach enables the utilization of the pineapple's (Ananas comosus) peels and core, which are usually discarded during the processing or consumption of the fruit.

Autohydrolysis and organosolv process for recovery of hemicelluloses, phenolic compounds and lignin from grape stalks.

A combination of two environment-friend processes for hemicelluloses and lignin recovery from red grape stalks were investigated: an autohydrolysis pretreatment at 180°C for 30 min followed by a non-catalysed ethanol organosolv step at 180°C for 90 min. Hemicelluloses were precipitated by ethanol addition to autohydrolysis liquor, while lignin was tentatively precipitated by acidification of liquors from both the processes. Results suggest that stalks hemicelluloses can be easily hydrolysed requiring a milder treatment to reduce sugar degradation, while the organosolv process did not give a consistent delignification.

Multicenter comparison of high concentration contrast agent iomeprol-400 with iso-osmolar iodixanol-320: contrast enhancement and heart rate variation in coronary dual-source computed tomographic angiography.

Objectives: To compare a contrast agent with high iodine concentration with an iso-osmolar contrast agent for coronary dual-source computed tomography angiography (DS-CTA), and to assess whether the contrast agent characteristics may affect the diagnostic quality of coronary DS-CTA.

Materials And Methods: Patients were randomized to receive either 80 mL of iodixa:nol-320 (Visipaque, GE Healthcare, Chalfont St. Giles, United Kingdom) or iomeprol-400 (Iomeron, Bracco Imaging SpA, Milan, Italy) at 5 mL/s.

The value of 64-detector row computed tomography for the exclusion of pulmonary embolism.

Recently, a diagnostic strategy using a clinical decision rule, D-dimer testing and spiral computed tomography (CT) was found to be effective in the evaluation of patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). However, the rate of venous thromboembolic complications in the three-month follow-up of patients with negative CT was still substantial and included fatal events. It was the objective to evaluate the safety of withholding anticoagulants after a normal 64-detector row CT (64-DCT) scan from a cohort of patients with suspected PE.

Off-flavours in wines through indirect transfer of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from coatings.

This paper assesses the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the drying of coatings on the sensory characters of corks and wines. According to Italian National Standard Method 11021:2002, a small-scale chamber was used (1) to expose wines to the drying of coatings with both low and high VOCs, and (2) to expose corks to the same coatings. After exposure to the coatings, the corks were then placed in direct contact with wine.

Cellulose and hemicelluloses recovery from grape stalks.

In this work, two mild chemical fractionation procedures were compared to separate and recover lignocellulosic components from grape stalks. The first method consisted of mild acid hydrolysis for hemicelluloses separation, followed by an alkaline/oxidative step for lignin solubilization, while in the second method the acid hydrolysis was preceded by an alkali steeping phase. Influence of the length of the first step of both methods (from 2 to 24 h) on monosaccharides and cellulose yields was investigated.

Modeling of a vapor-phase fungi bioreactor for the abatement of hexane: fluid dynamics and kinetic aspects.

During some previous works, a packed-bed lab-scale biofilter (177 . 10(-6) m3), inoculated with a selected strain of Aspergillus niger had been tested for the abatement of hexane vapors, showing a maximum elimination capacity of 200 g hexane/m3 reactor/h. A steady-state mathematical model taking into account axial dispersion effect was applied to describe the process and predict experimental results, but many model parameters could not be calculated from experimental data.

[Endo-urology in diseases of the upper urinary tract other than tumors and calculi].

Thirty-three patients underwent percutaneous treatment for upper urinary obstructive disease in our Institute. Cold-knife incision of 16 cases of uretero-pelvic junction obstruction and 4 cases of infundibular stenosis was performed. Balloon dilatation of the caliceal neck was performed in 1 patient with caliceal diverticulum.

Echography in vena cava invasion from renal tumors.

The last 4 cases of our case series of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with caval or cavo-atrial invasion were studied by ultrasonography (US), computerized tomography (CT scan), arteriography (AG) and venocavography (VC) (inferior and/or superior). A comparison is made with these different methods, with particular emphasis on (US). The authors' conclusions are that ultrasound may replace anterograde inferior cavography in the evaluation of thrombotic extension and, in addition, it seems to be capable of eliminating the false-positives or -negatives of this method.

CT appearance of generalized von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis.

Two cases of von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (VRN) with thoracic and abdominal involvement are described. Computed tomography demonstrated the typical lesions of this disease: meningoceles, neurofibromas, and skeletal alterations. In both cases lesion morphology and location were similar and characteristic, in particular in the pelvic region.

CT demonstration of portal and superior mesenteric vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Three cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in which computed tomography (CT) demonstrated thrombosis of the portal vein are reported. In one patient, extension of the thrombus into the superior mesenteric vein was identified as well. The outstanding CT features of portal vein thrombosis were: (a) enlargement of the vein, (b) intraluminal low density area, and (c) hyperdense peripheral ring due to the enhancement of the venous wall.