Population history and genetic variability in the Spanish Arab Horse assessed via pedigree analysis

The important role of values is very evident when it comes to citizens' concept of sustainability. The present paper had the objective to define sustainability as a socio-cultural concept for livestock production systems. The main research question was: how do Dutch citizens value various aspects of dairy production systems? We conducted farm visits with citizens panels in The Netherlands. We asked citizens about their on-farm perception (smelling, hearing, seeing and feeling) and what they perceived valuable to preserve for the future. We presented sustainability as a socio-cultural concept which included citizens' valuable aspects (SCA) and concerns (SCI). We defined a socio-cultural aspect (SCA) as an aspect of a livestock production system which is mentioned by society as being valuable to preserve for the future. We identified an SCA as a socio-cultural issue (SCI) when it evokes societal concern in present time or is expected to do so in the future. By qualitative analysis we identified SCAs and SCIs of dairy production systems and combined these into socio-cultural themes (SCT). We found ten socio-cultural themes which contained 42 socio-cultural aspects (SCA), of which 27 were identified as socio-cultural issues (SCI). We can conclude that that livestock production systems have more values for society than solely food production, because only one of the ten identified socio-cultural themes directly concerned food production (SCT 1), whereas the nine other themes concerned values that go beyond food production: farming activities (SCT 2), farm income (SCT 3), animals (SCT 4), landscape (SCT 5), nature (SCT 6), environment (SCT 7), farming culture (SCT 8), national culture (SCT 9) and services for society (SCT 10). One of the main values of agriculture seems the combination of apparently contradicting aspects such as technology and nature within one system. In conclusion, sustainability as a socio-cultural concept for livestock production systems is defined by a wide range of socio-cultural aspects and issues, reflecting citizens' values and concerns of that system and for a sustainable agriculture it is important that both SCIs and SCAs are taken into account.     

Development of short-snouted seahorse (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippocampus hippocampus</Emphasis>, L. 1758): osteological and morphological aspects

Information about early development after male release lags behind studies of juveniles and adult seahorses, and newborn seahorses, similar in shape to adults, are considered juveniles or fry. During early life, Hippocampus hippocampus present behavioural (shift in habitat, from planktonic to benthic) and morphological changes; for this reasons, the aims of this study are to define the stage of development of H. hippocampus after they are expelled from the male brood pouch and to establish direct or indirect development through an osteological analysis. The ossification process was studied in 120 individuals, from their release to 30 days after birth. To analyse the osteological development, Alcian Blue-Alizarin Red double staining technique for bone and cartilage was adapted to this species. At birth, H. hippocampus presents a mainly cartilaginous structure that ossifies in approximately 1 month. The bony armour composed of bony rings and plates develops in 10 days. The caudal fin, a structure absent in juveniles and adult seahorses, is present at birth and progressively disappears with age. The absence of adult osteological structure in newborns, like coronet, bony rings and plates, head spines and components allowing tail prehensile abilities, suggests a metamorphosis before the juvenile stage. During the indirect development, the metamorphic stage started inside brood pouch and followed outside and leads up to reconsider the status of H. hippocampus newborns.     

Selecting and ranking areas for conservation of Aegla (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) in southern South America integrating biogeography,phylogeny and assessments of extinction risk

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Designing a Score-Based Method for the Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of the Gluten-Free Bakery Products and their Gluten-Containing Counterparts

Gluten-free (GF) products are consumed both by individuals with celiac disease and by an increasing number of people with no specific medical needs. Although the technological quality of GF products has been recently improved, their nutritional quality is still scarcely addressed. Moreover, the few published studies report conflicting results, mostly because the information from product nutrition facts is the only considered factor. The aim of the present study was to develop a score-based method for the nutritional evaluation of 134 packaged Italian GF bakery products and to compare it with that of 162 matched gluten-containing (GC) food items. The score included the information from the nutrition facts and the presence/absence of some nutritionally relevant components in the ingredients list. Results indicated an overall low nutritional quality of the considered GF bakery products. Additionally, with the sole exception of GF bread substitutes, there was no difference in nutritional quality between GF and equivalent GC bakery products. Future research and development of GF bakery products may take advantage of this scoring method, as it may represent an easy approach to evaluate their nutritional quality. The present findings do not justify the consumption of packaged GF bakery products by people without any specific medical needs.     

Science mapping approach to analyze the research evolution on precision agriculture: world,EU and Italian situation

The relevance of precision agriculture produced a growth of the related literature over the years. However, a structured analysis of the published material is still missing. Thus, this study attempts to analyze the global scientific output of precision agriculture researches published during the period 2000–2016. By using a science mapping approach, mainly based on the application of network analysis tools, it was possible to investigate pivotal aspects of this research field such as publication trends, research topics and their geographical distribution. Using the Scopus database 17,756 scientific publications were retrieved from the chosen period. The number of publications increased after 2006, highlighting the vibrancy of the field. By authoring 35% of the publications, U.S.A. and China were the most active knowledge producer countries. Moreover, the generation of time resolved maps allowed us to identify agriculture engineering, computer science and agriculture studies as three main research areas characterizing precision agriculture panorama. The paper discusses the distribution of these topics at global level, among European countries and in Italy. Overall, this analysis represents the first holistic view of precision agriculture research providing valuable information for farmers, policy makers and researchers.     

Effect of nitrogen fertilization on yield and quality of durum wheat cultivated in northern Italy and their interaction with different soils and growing seasons

Durum wheat in temperate regions can lead to yields with higher technological quality and stability compared to Mediterranean areas. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of nitrogen (N fertilization on grain yield and quality, in different pedo-climatic conditions of temperate areas. Field experiments were conducted in two sites (sandy-loam and silty-clay-loam) in Northern-West Italy for three years: five different N rates, two different types of fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, nutritional activator, slow-release fertilizer) were compared considering yield, protein content and yellowberry. N fertilizer rate had a more consistent effect on protein than yield; the response was affected by soil texture and rainfall during the growing season. The use of different types of fertilizer seem to play a minor role. The management of N fertilization must consider mainly the effect on quality parameters of N rates and rainfall during the growing season and their interaction with soil texture.     

Mercury in Biota and Surficial Sediments from Coatzacoalcos Estuary, Gulf of Mexico: Distribution and Seasonal Variation

Variation of mercury (Hg) in sediments and biota from Coatzacoalcos estuary during the dry, rainy and windy seasons was estimated. In sediments, Hg concentrations ranged from 0.07 μg g^?1 in site 13 (Ixhuatepec) located upstream, to 1.06 μg g^?1 in site 3 (Coatzacoalcos river), located in the industrialized area. Highest enrichment factor (EF) and index of geoaccumulation (I _geo) in surficial sediments were 53 and 5.1 respectively. From EF and I _geo, it is considered that Coatzacoalcos estuary is from moderately contaminated to contaminated. In most fish species from Coatzacoalcos estuary, the sequence of Hg concentration was liver>muscle>gills. Average Hg concentrations in soft tissue of bivalves ranged from 0.09 μg g^?1 in Corbicula fluminea to 0.18 μg g^?1 in Polymesoda caroliniana. Biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) ranged from 0.9 in P. caroliniana during the rainy season (site 4) to 3.8 in P. caroliniana from the same site during the windy season.     

Merino sheep breed's genetic resistance to scrapie: genetic structure and comparison of five eradication strategies

Three thousand one hundred and ninety-three Merino-breeding males were genotyped for Scrapie-resistance gene. They showed a high frequency of ARQ allele while VRQ allele frequency, linked to the highest susceptibility, was close to 0. Alleles linked to Scrapie-susceptibility frequencies have been studied in different Merino flocks. Most of the variability is intraflock, not interflock. In addition, there is an excess of heterozygotes due to crossbreeding or Wahlund effect.

Five control and prevention strategies were studied: first genotyping males and females and eliminating VRQ carriers and ARQ/ARQ rams; second genotyping males and females and eliminating VRQ carriers; third genotyping males and eliminating VRQ carriers and ARQ/ARQ rams; fourth genotyping males and using only as breeders ARR/ARR, ARR/AHQ, AHQ/AHQ and ARQ/ARQ rams; fifth genotyping males and using only as breeders ARR/ARR, ARR/AHQ and AHQ/AHQ rams. They were simulated from allelic and genotypic frequencies to decide which animals had to be genotyped and which animals had to be eliminated due to their genotypes and risk levels. The third option, to genotype rams and to eliminate ARQ/ARQ and VRQ carriers, would be the best strategy to improve the resistance and would cause minimal cost and loss of animals.     

The impact of sea erosion on coastal Pinus pinea stands: A diachronic analysis combining tree-rings and ecological markers

Coastal erosion is a widespread phenomenon on sandy coasts throughout the Mediterranean region; along the Thyrrenian coast of Tuscany (Italy), stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) stands originally planted for the protection of agricultural crops further inland are often damaged. In the present study, a pairwise comparison of stands at different distance from the sea at eroded and control sites highlighted the effects of coastal erosion alone on pine growth and function. Dendroecological analyses made it possible to determine the temporal dynamics of the phenomenon since 1930 and the interactions with climate, whilst additional structural (LAI, sapwood area) and functional (carbon isotope discrimination) measurements were used to discriminate between stress mechanisms. Salty winds, exacerbated by the removal of dunal vegetation, were found to be the most likely cause of the observed growth decline. The presence and, in more recent times, the reduction of surfactants in sea water played an important synergistic effect. The intrusion of salty water in the water table, on the contrary, played a marginal role at the site. Finally, stressed trees were more sensitive to the inter-annual variability in precipitation; at all sites, growth was stimulated by June, November and December precipitation in the current and two preceding years.