Sow and litter performance after cross-fostering one surplus piglet and co-mingling the litters at early lactation.

The number of piglets born alive is frequently greater than the functional teats, and some farms are equalizing litters with surplus piglets, limiting piglet udder access. Removing the barrier among farrowing crates may allow piglets to socialize and seek other sows. Thus, we evaluated the effects litter size at cross-fostering and socialization on the sow and piglet performance during lactation.

Artificial insemination and optimization of the use of seminal doses in swine.

The optimization of processes associated with artificial insemination (AI) is of great importance for the success of the pig industry. Over the last two decades, great reproductive performance has been achieved, making further significant progress limited. Optimizing the AI program, however, is essential to the pig industry's sustainability.

Effect of peripartum dexamethasone treatment on farrowing outcomes and newborn piglet traits in multiparous sows.

This study assessed the effects of dexamethasone treatment on farrowing performance and piglet traits in the first 5 days of life in multiparous sows, a high-risk group for stillbirths and prolonged farrowing. In this study, 185 multiparous sows (parity 4.25 ± 0.

Whitening efficacy of activated charcoal-based products: A single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Objective: This randomized controlled clinical trial evaluated the whitening efficacy, tooth sensitivity (TS), and volunteers' satisfaction following the use of activated charcoal powder and toothpaste.

Methods: Fifty-six volunteers were randomly allocated into 4 groups (n = 14) according to a 14-day toothbrushing or whitening treatment with activated charcoal powder (ACPW), activated charcoal toothpaste (ACT), regular fluoridated toothpaste (RT), and 10 % carbamide peroxide (CP). Objective (ΔE) and subjective (ΔSGU) color and whiteness index (ΔWI) changes were calculated.

Managing Reproduction in Hyperprolific Sow Herds.

The rearing of large litters from hyperprolific sows is a characteristic of modern genotypes. However, these sows have body and reproductive characteristics that differentiate them from the genotypes of the past decades, making it necessary to adopt different management strategies. This review describes the main care and challenges associated with the hyperprolificity of sows during the period in which replacement gilts are selected, along with gestation, parturition, lactation, and the weaning-estrus interval.

Dental aesthetic perception of patients submitted to activated charcoal-based bleaching agents: A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of activated charcoal-based products used in two presentation forms (powder or toothpaste), compared to 10 % carbamide peroxide and conventional toothpaste on aesthetic perception and psychosocial impact before and after treatment.

Methods: Fifty-six participants were divided into 4 experimental groups (n = 14). Activated charcoal-based powder (PW); Activated charcoal-based dentifrice (AC); Conventional fluoride toothpaste (CD) and 10 % carbamide peroxide (CP).

In vitro assessment of activated charcoal-based dental products.

Objective: Assess the effects of activated charcoal-based products on whitening and changes on dental enamel surface.

Material And Methods: Fifty-two blocks of bovine dental enamel were randomly distributed in four groups (n = 13): brushing with activated charcoal-based powder (PW); brushing with activated charcoal-based dentifrice (AC); brushing with a conventional dentifrice containing 1450 ppm of fluoride (CD); and whitening with 10% carbamide peroxide (CP). Color, microhardness, and surface alteration were analyzed at baseline and after 14 days of treatment.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Brazilian adolescents over time: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To estimate the burden of excess weight in Brazilian adolescents.

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis.

Setting: We searched the literature in four databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, SciELO and LILACS).

Thirty-year monitoring of s-triazine herbicide contamination in the aquifer north of Vicenza (north-east Italy).

The aquifer north of Vicenza, Italy, is one of the main and most studied drinking water reservoirs within the Veneto region. The area is an intensive cropland, and monitoring of s-triazine herbicides and metabolites has been carried out since the late eighties. This study analysed the trends of atrazine (ATR), terbuthylazine (TBZ), deethyl-atrazine (DEA), and deethyl-terbuthylazine (DET) concentrations from 1987 to 2016 and related the variations of agricultural land use, herbicide load, and pesticide regulations to the residence time of pollutants in the aquifer.

Composition and quality traits of vegetables grown in a low-tech aquaponic system at different fish stocking densities.

Background: Aquaponics is considered a sustainable system for the production of fish and vegetables. However, little is known about the effects of different system variables on vegetable quality. Hence, the aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of aquaponics on the composition and quality traits of three vegetable species in relation to stocking density of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.

Weed Seed Decay in No-Till Field and Planted Riparian Buffer Zone.

Field management practices can alter the physical and chemical properties of the soil, also causing changes to the seed bank. Alterations can also occur to the soil microbial community, which in turn can increase or diminish the process of weed seed decay. In this research, the issue of seed degradation was studied in an undisturbed and a no-till soil, trying not only to uncover where seeds are more degraded, but also to investigate the microbial activities that could be involved in this process.

Decyl glucoside surfactant Triton CG-110 does not significantly affect the environmental fate of glyphosate in the soil at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Glyphosate is the most common herbicide worldwide, and its impact on the environment has increasingly been scrutinized. Glyphosate-based formulations can contain co-formulants, among which are surfactants. This study aimed to investigate whether the presence of an alkyl polyglucoside-based surfactant, Triton CG-110, affects the adsorption, leaching, and mineralisation of glyphosate in the soil.

Development and evaluation of dapsone tablets coated for specific colon release.

Drug release systems based on colonic microbiota have been explored with the use of polysaccharides, which are biodegradable. In order to modulate the release into the colon, dapsone tablets were developed, coated with Surelease and chondroitin sulfate (SC). The formulation was developed using the wet granulation method, in the form of 9-millimetre circular tablets.

Effect of stocking density of fish on water quality and growth performance of European Carp and leafy vegetables in a low-tech aquaponic system.

Aquaponics (AP) is a semi-closed system of food production that combines aquaculture and hydroponics and represents a new agricultural system integrating producers and consumers. The aim of this study was to test the effect of stocking densities (APL, 2.5 kg m-3; APH, 4.

A new rapid procedure for simultaneous determination of glyphosate and AMPA in water at sub μg/L level.

Glyphosate is the most used pesticide worldwide and its impact on the environment is becoming increasingly significant. Glyphosate and its main metabolite AMPA are frequently detected in streams and rivers. In this study, an analytical method is presented that combines Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography with mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) for glyphosate and AMPA analysis in environmental water samples.

Buffer Strips on the Low-Lying Plain of Veneto Region (Italy): Environmental Benefits and Efficient Use of Wood as an Energy Resource.

Vegetated buffer strips (VBS) are recognized as a cost-effective way to reduce agricultural nonpoint-source pollution. In agroecosystems with high field fragmentation, only narrow VBS that partially compromise farmers' revenue are accepted. This study aimed to identify some ecosystem services as provided by VBS in terms of soil and water quality, and VBS performance in terms of wood for energy purposes.

Effect of sewage amendment on the dissipation of terbuthylazine, its degradation compound desethyl-terbuthylazine, and S-metolachlor in a field study.

This study evaluates the effect of sewage amendment (SA) on the dissipation of terbuthylazine, its degradation compound desethyl-terbuthylazine, and S-metolachlor in the soil. The experiment was conducted at Padua Experimental Farm (Italy). Herbicides dissipation was evaluated in soils differently fertilized for three years: with inorganic fertilizer, with sewage sludge, and with a combination of them.

Dissipation of terbuthylazine, metolachlor, and mesotrione in soils with contrasting texture.

This study evaluates the dissipation of terbuthylazine, metolachlor, and mesotrione at different depths in soils with contrasting texture. The field trial was conducted at the Padua University Experimental Farm, north-east Italy. The persistence of three herbicides was studied in three different soil textures (clay soil, sandy soil, and loamy soil) at two depths (0-5 and 5-15 cm).

Effects of Triton X-100 and PEG on the Catalytic Properties and Thermal Stability of Lipase from Free and Immobilized on Glyoxyl-Agarose.

Background: Lipase (CRL) shows a very low alkaline stability that comprises its immobilization on glyoxyl-agarose, which requires pH above 10. In this way, an adaptation from the original method was used; an enzyme solution at pH 7 was slowly added at a suspension of glyoxyl-agarose prepared in bicarbonate buffer, pH 10. This change of protocol was enough for allowing the preparation of derivatives actives of CRL on glyoxyl-agarose and verifying the effect of this modified procedure on the properties of the immobilized enzyme.

Vegetated Ditches for the Mitigation of Pesticides Runoff in the Po Valley.

In intensive agricultural systems runoff is one of the major potential diffuse pollution pathways for pesticides and poses a risk to surface water. Ditches are common in the Po Valley and can potentially provide runoff mitigation for the protection of watercourses. The effectiveness depends on ditch characteristics, so there is an urgent need for site-specific field trials.

Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) Succession in Different Substrates as Affected by the Co-Application of Three Pesticides.

Introduction: In intensive agriculture areas the use of pesticides can alter soil properties and microbial community structure with the risk of reducing soil quality.

Materials And Methods: In this study the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) evolution has been studied in a factorial lab experiment combining five substrates (a soil, two aged composts and their mixtures) treated with a co-application of three pesticides (azoxystrobin, chlorotoluron and epoxiconazole), with two extraction methods, and two incubation times (0 and 58 days). FAMEs extraction followed the microbial identification system (MIDI) and ester-linked method (EL).

Spray drift reduction techniques for vineyards in fragmented landscapes.

In intensive agricultural systems spray drift is one of the major potential diffuse pollution pathways for pesticides and poses a risk to the environment. There is also increasing concern about potential exposure to bystanders and passers-by, especially in fragmented landscapes like the Italian pre-Alps, where orchards and vineyards are surrounded by residential houses. There is thus an urgent need to do field measurements of drift generated by air-blast sprayer in vineyards, and to develop measures for its reduction (mitigation).

Beck Anxiety Inventory: psychometric characteristics in a sample from the clinical Spanish population.

Even though the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) is one of the most popular instruments to assess anxiety today, only limited data is available about its psychometric characteristics and normative values in clinical Spanish populations. A study was conducted to test the psychometric characteristics of a Spanish adaptation of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) in a sample of 918 outpatients being treated at a community mental health center in Spain. Results confirmed the adaptation's high internal consistency (∝ = .

Investigating the need for complex vs. simple scenarios to improve predictions of aquatic ecosystem exposure with the SoilPlus model.

A spatially-explicit version of the recent multimedia fate model SoilPlus was developed and applied to predict the runoff of three pesticides in a small agricultural watershed in north-eastern Italy. In order to evaluate model response to increasing spatial resolution, a tiered simulation approach was adopted, also using a dynamic model for surface water (DynA model), to predict the fate of pesticides in runoff water and sediment, and concentrations in river water. Simulation outputs were compared to water concentrations measured in the basin.