Short communication: Socio-psychological factors influencing dairy farmers' intention to adopt high-grain feeding in Brazil.

This study aimed to apply the theory of planned behavior to determine the effects of attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms on the intention of dairy farmers toward high-grain feeding. Quantitative data were collected through interviews with 150 dairy farmers in Paraná, Brazil. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. We observed that farmers with a positive perception of grain feeding (attitude) and a positive perception of their ability to increase the use of grains (perceived behavioral control) had higher intention to increase grain feeding. Social pressure (subjective norm) had no effect on the intention to grain feed. These results can contribute to the development of public strategies and policies that encourage the use of high-grain diets in dairy farms.

Farmers' actions toward sustainability: a typology of dairy farms according to sustainability indicators.

Milk production is an important economic and social activity in Brazil. Failure to meet institutional and market demands for quality and sustainability has led farmers, particularly small-scale farmers, to leave agriculture. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the sustainability of dairy farms in Paraná, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 75 dairy farm operators. Sustainability indicators were generated on the basis of economic, environmental and social data using exploratory factor analysis. Factor scores were subjected to hierarchical clustering, which resulted in the formation of three groups of dairy farms. Groups 1, 2 and 3 had high, intermediate and low levels of sustainability, respectively. Group 1 comprised large-scale dairy farms with high productivity. Dairy farms with intermediate sustainability (group 2) had medium production capacity, and farms with low sustainability (group 1) had the smallest production scale and capacity. Large-scale dairy farms have greater economic, environmental and social sustainability and are, therefore, more likely to survive in the medium and long term.

Production performance and milk composition of dairy cows fed whole or ground flaxseed with or without monensin.

Eight multiparous Holstein cows averaging 570 +/- 43 kg of body weight and 60 +/- 20 d in milk were used in a double Latin square design with four 21-d experimental periods to determine the effects of feeding ground or whole flaxseed with or without monensin supplementation (0.02% on a dry matter basis) on milk production and composition, feed intake, digestion, blood composition, and fatty acid profile of milk. Intake of dry matter was similar among treatments. Cows fed whole flaxseed had higher digestibility of acid detergent fiber but lower digestibilities of crude protein and ether extract than those fed ground flaxseed; monensin had no effect on digestibility. Milk production tended to be greater for cows fed ground flaxseed (22.8 kg/d) compared with those fed whole flaxseed (21.4 kg/d). Processing of flax-seed had no effect on 4% fat-corrected milk yield and milk protein and lactose concentrations. Monensin supplementation had no effect on milk production but decreased 4% fat-corrected milk yield as a result of a decrease in milk fat concentration. Feeding ground compared with whole flaxseed decreased concentrations of 16:0, 17:0, and cis6-20:4 and increased those of cis6-18:2, cis9, trans11-18:2, and cis3-18:3 in milk fat. As a result, there was a decrease in concentrations of medium-chain and saturated fatty acids and a trend for higher concentrations of long-chain fatty acids in milk fat when feeding ground compared with whole flaxseed. Monensin supplementation increased concentrations of cis9 and trans11-18:2 and decreased concentrations of saturated fatty acids in milk fat. There was an interaction between flaxseed processing and monensin supplementation, with higher milk fat concentration of trans11-18:1 for cows fed ground flaxseed with monensin than for those fed the other diets. Flaxseed processing and monensin supplementation successfully modified the fatty acid composition of milk fat that might favor nutritional value for consumers.

Physical-chemical composition of in natura goat milk from cross Saanen throughout lactation period.

The analyzed milk samples were collected from cross Saanen goats of different ages and different cross breeding types, throughout the lactation period, from September 1996 to December 1997. For the physical-chemical characteristics measured in this experiment, the following average values were obtained, followed by their respective standard deviations: pH (6.69 +/- 0.20); acidity (12.96 +/- 3.64 degrees D); density (1.030 +/- 0.009 mg.cm-3); fat (3.83 +/- 1.04%); crude protein (3.34 +/- 0.73%) and total solids (12.25 +/- 1.94 g.100 g-1). The lactation period influenced the values of acidity, fat, crude protein and total solids; these values decreased during the initial months and increased at the end of the lactation. The correlations were analyzed among the studied characteristics during the lactation, resulting in positive (p < 0.05) acidity/density correlation (r = 0.2115), stand out also the positive correlations (p < 0.01) among fat/total solids (r = 0.7715) and crude protein/total solids (r = 0.6228).

Ion beam nanopatterning and micro-Raman spectroscopy analysis on HOPG for testing FIB performances.

This work reports Ga(+) focused ion beam nanopatterning to create amorphous defects with periodic square arrays in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and the use of Raman spectroscopy as a new protocol to test and compare progresses in ion beam optics, for low fluence bombardment or fast writing speed. This can be ultimately used as a metrological tool for comparing different FIB machines and can contribute to Focused Ion Beam (FIB) development in general for tailoring nanostructures with higher precision. In order to do that, the amount of ion at each spot was varied from about 10(6) down to roughly 1 ion per dot. These defects were also analyzed by using high resolution scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The sensitivities of these techniques were compared and a geometrical model is proposed for micro-Raman spectroscopy in which the intensity of the defect induced D band, for a fixed ion dose, is associated with the diameter of the ion beam. In addition, the lateral increase in the bombarded spot due to the cascade effect of the ions on graphite surface was extracted from this model. A semi-quantitative analysis of the distribution of ions at low doses per dot or high writing speed for soft modification of materials is discussed.

Short communication: effect of tannic acid on composition and ruminal degradability of bermudagrass and alfalfa silages.

We measured the effects of the addition of tannic acid on chemical composition and crude protein (CP) ruminal degradability of bermudagrass, cv. coast cross (Cynodon dactylon L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silages with nylon bags incubated in the rumen of two fistulated lactating cows. Silage pH was greater for alfalfa than for bermudagrass. The addition of tannic acid had no effect on silage pH. Ammonia N was greater in alfalfa than in bermudagrass silage. Treated and control silages had similar ammonia N concentrations. The percentage of CP that was solubilized at time 0 was lower for alfalfa than for bermudagrass silage. The addition of tannic acid decreased the portion of CP solubilized at time 0 and increased the potentially degradable fraction of CP. The potentially degradable fraction of CP was greater for alfalfa than for bermudagrass. There was an interaction of species and treatment; the disappearance rate of CP increased with tannic acid treatment of alfalfa but decreased with acid treatment of bermudagrass. The effective degradability of CP was similar for control and treated alfalfa but lower for treated than for control bermudagrass. Tannic acid treatment is effective in decreasing the rapidly soluble fraction of alfalfa and bermudagrass silages, which could be beneficial to the animal because it would decrease the excess of N in the rumen after feeding. Tannic acid treatment decreased CP degradability of bermudagrass silage but had no effect on alfalfa silage, suggesting that tannic acid concentration required to effectively decrease CP degradability differs among forages.

Inclusão de silagem de rama de mandioca em substituição à pastagem na alimentação de vacas em lactação: produção, qualidade do leite e da gordura / Substitution of pasture by cassava foliage silage in the diet of dairy cows: production and quality of milk and milkfat

Avaliou-se o efeito da substituição da pastagem pela silagem de rama de mandioca (SRM) sobre a produção e constituintes do leite e sobre a qualidade da gordura do leite de vacas da raça Holandesa. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi um duplo quadrado latino 4x4, e para o fator níveis de suplementação, foi usado regressão. A dieta-controle foi 50 por cento concentrado e 50 por cento volumoso, e as proporções de substituição do volumoso foram 0, 20, 40 e 60 por cento com base na matéria seca. Todas as dietas eram isoprotéicas. Foram analisados: produção de leite (PL), PL corrigida a 4 por cento (PLC), acidez, gordura ( por cento), densidade, proteína, lactose, sólidos totais, contagem de células somáticas (CCS), ureia e perfil dos ácidos graxos da gordura do leite. Houve efeito linear decrescente da substituição do volumoso pela SRM sobre a PL, PLC e ureia no leite, e efeito (P<0,05) linear crescente sobre a concentração de ácido gama linolênico e ácido palmítico. A acidez, densidade, proteína, gordura, lactose, sólidos totais, CCS e demais ácidos graxos da gordura do leite permaneceram inalterados com a incorporação da SRM na dieta.

The effect of a partial substitution of pasture for cassava foliage silage (CFS) on milk production and composition on fat quality of Holstein cow milk was studied using a replicated 4 X 4 Latin square design with four treatments. Regression was used for the comparison of nutrition levels. The control diet contained 50 percent pasture and 50 percent concentrate on a dry matter basis. The substitution levels of pasture for CFS were 0, 20, 40, or 60 percent of the forage dry matter. All diets were isonitrogenous. The analyzed parameters were: milk production (MP); 4 percent fat-corrected milk production (FCM); acidity; density; concentrations of fat, protein, lactose, urea, and total solids; somatic cell counts (SCC), and milk fatty acids profile. There was a linear decrease effect (P<0.05) in MP, FCM, and urea content with increasing levels of CFS in the diet. Concentrations of gamma linolenic and palmitic acids in milk fat linearly increased (P<0.05) with higher proportions of CFS in the diet. Other contents of milk fatty acids remained similar among treatments as well as acidity; density; concentrations of protein, fat, lactose, and total solids; and SCC.

Digestibilidade e metabólitos sanguíneos de vacas da raça Holandesa superovuladas que receberam Lac100® ou linhaça em grão como fontes de gordura / Digestibility and blood concentration of metabolites in superovulated dairy cows fed Lac100® or linseed as fat sources

Foram avaliados os efeitos de duas fontes de gordura, Lac100® (Yakult), fonte de ácido graxo ômega-6, e linhaça em grão (Linum usitatissimum) (LIN), fonte de ácido graxo ômega-3, sobre a digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca (DMS), proteína bruta (DPB), fibra em detergente neutro (DFDN), fibra em detergente ácido (DFDA) e extrato etéreo (DEE), e concentrações sanguíneas de HDL, LDL, VLDL, colesterol, triglicerídeos, glicose, cálcio, fósforo, N-ureico e progesterona. Foram utilizadas 10 vacas da raça Holandesa em lactação, distribuídas nos dois tratamentos, em um delineamento estatístico inteiramente casualizado. Os animais alimentados com Lac100® apresentaram maiores valores de DFDN (57,44 por cento vs. 50,80 por cento) e DEE (77,70 por cento vs. 72,18 por cento) quando comparados aos alimentados com LIN. Os animais alimentados com Lac100® apresentaram maiores concentrações de LDL (111,00 vs. 45,46mg/dL), HDL (82,27 vs. 64,93mg/dL) e colesterol total (203,60 vs. 116,13mg/dL) e menor concentração de N-ureico (13,22 vs. 15,19mg/dL) em relação aos animais alimentados com linhaça em grão. As concentrações sanguíneas de glicose, cálcio, fósforo e progesterona não foram alteradas. Os resultados sugerem que a fonte de gordura na dieta modifica a DFDN e a DEE e, as concentrações sanguíneas de LDL, HDL e colesterol total em vacas em lactação.

The effect of two sources of fat, calcium salts of soybean oil, Lac100® (Yakult), a source of omega-6 fatty acids or whole flaxseed (Linum usitatissiumum), a source of omega-3 fatty acids were evaluated to determine the apparent digestibility of dry matter (DDM), crude protein (DCP), neutral detergent fiber (DNDF), acid detergent fiber (DADF), and ether extract (DEE); and blood concentrations of HDL, LDL, VLDL, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, N-urea, and progesterone. Ten lactating Holstein cows were allocated in two treatments and a completely randomized design was used. Cows fed Lac100® had higher values of DNDF (57.44 percent vs. 50.80 percent) and DEE (77.70 percent vs. 72.18 percent) compared to those fed flaxseed. Cows fed Lac100® had higher blood concentrations of LDL (111.00 vs. 45.46mg/dL), HDL (82.27 vs. 64.93mg/dL), and total cholesterol (203.60 vs. 116.13mg/dL) and lower N-urea (13.22 vs. 15.19mg/dL) compared to those fed flaxseed. Blood concentrations of glucose, calcium, phosphorus, and progesterone were similar between the treatments. These results suggest that dietary fat modifies DNDF and DEE and blood concentrations of LDL, HDL, VLDL, and total cholesterol in lactating dairy cows.

Produção, composição do leite e constituintes sangüíneos de cabras alimentadas com diferentes volumosos / Production, milk composition and blood parameters in goats fed different forages

Utilizaram-se nove cabras da raça Saanen, para estudar o efeito de dietas compostas por três diferentes fontes de volumosos, feno de alfafa, silagem de milho e feno de aveia, sobre a ingestão de matéria seca, produção e composição do leite e sobre os constituintes sangüíneos, glicose e uréia plasmáticas, em triplo quadrado latino 3x3. Os consumos de matéria seca e proteína bruta dos animais alimentados com feno de alfafa foram mais altos que os à base de silagem de milho (P<0,05), e os que receberam feno de aveia consumiram mais constituintes da parede celular que os demais (P<0,05). Não houve efeito (P>0,05) das dietas sobre a produção diária de leite (kg/dia), sobre os teores ( por cento) de gordura, proteína, lactose e sólidos totais e sobre a contagem de células somáticas (cels/mlx1000). Os animais que consumiram feno de alfafa produziram maiores quantidades (P<0,05) de proteína, gordura e lactose comparados àqueles que receberam dietas com silagem de milho. Não houve efeito das dietas sobre a concentração de glicose plasmática (P>0,05). Os resultados indicaram que a fonte de volumoso, em rações isoenergéticas e isoproteicas, afeta o desempenho dos animais pela alteração no consumo de MS e PB e produção dos constituintes do leite (kg/dia).

Nine Saanen dairy goats, consuming diets composed of three different sources of roughage (alfalfa hay, corn silage, and oat hay) were used to study the effect of those diets on the ingestion of dry matter (DM), on milk production, milk composition, and plasmatic glucose and urea levels. The experimental design was a triple latin square 3x3. The intakes of DM and crude protein by the animals fed on alfalfa hay were higher than those fed ration based on corn silage (P<0.05), while those receiving oat hay presented a higher intake of the cellular wall compared to the others (P<0.05). There was no percentual effect (P>0.05) of the diets on the daily milk production and on the fat, protein, lactose, and total solids contents, and on the somatic cells count (SCC), but those cows that received diets with alfalfa hay produced higher amounts (g/day) (P<0.05) of protein, fat, and lactose than those that received diets with corn silage. There was no effect of the diets on the concentration of plasmatic glucose (P>0.05). It can be concluded that the forage sources affect the animal performance from changes in both DM and CP intakes and production of milk components (kg/day).

Digestibilidade dos nutrientes do bagaço de mandioca em dietas de novilhas leiteiras / Digestibility of nutrients of cassava bagasse in diets of milk heifers

Avaliou-se o efeito da inclusão de quatro proporções, 0, 7, 14 e 21 por cento, de bagaço de mandioca na digestibilidade aparente dos nutrientes em 20 novilhas leiteiras, ¾Gir x »Holandês, com peso corporal médio inicial de 180kg. Os animais foram distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso e receberam dietas compostas por silagem de sorgo como volumoso. Avaliaram-se os coeficientes de digestibilidade (CD) aparente de matéria seca (MS), matéria orgânica (MO), proteína bruta (PB), extrato etéreo (EE), fibra em detergente neutro (FDN), fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), carboidratos não-fibrosos (CNF) e determinaram-se os nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT) das dietas. Os CD de MS, MO, PB e FDA não foram afetados pelos tratamentos. Os CD do EE foram de 80,9; 73,2; 74,7 e 68,3 por cento; da FDN de 55,0; 48,3; 49,1 e 37,4 por cento e do CNF de 87,9; 89,5; 84,6 e 83,1 por cento para as proporções de 0, 7, 14 e 21 por cento, respectivamente. O teor de NDT das dietas teve redução linear quando se elevou a proporção de bagaço na dieta, apresentando valores de 68,0; 66,2; 67,0 e 62,5 por cento para os tratamentos com 0, 7, 14 e 21 por cento, respectivamente. Recomenda-se a de inclusão de bagaço de mandioca na dieta de novilhas leiteiras em até 14 por cento.

The inclusion of 0, 7, 14, and 21 percent of cassava bagasse was evaluated on apparent digestibility of nutrients in dairy heifers. Twenty ¾Gir x »Holstein dairy heifers averaging 180kg initial mean body were used. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design and received diets composed by sorghum silage as roughage. The apparent digestibility coefficients (DC) of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) were evaluated and total digestible nutrients of diets (TDN), were determined. DM, OM, CP, and ADF digestibility coefficients were not affected by treatments. DC of the EE were 80.9, 73.2, 74.7, and 68.3 percent; for NDF 55.0, 48.3, 49.1, and 37.4 percent and for NFC of the 87.9, 89.5, 84.6, and 83.1 percent for 0, 7, 14, and 21 percent treatments, respectively. TDN content had linear reduction as diet cassava bagasse level increased, showing values of 68.0, 66.2, 67.0, and 62.5 percent for 0, 7, 14, and 21 percent treatments, respectively. It is recommended the inclusion of cassava bagasse for dairy heifers diet until 14 percent.

Effect of NaCl and HCl concentrations on primary pH measurement for the certification of standard materials

O pH é um importante parâmetro para o controle do processo de produção de inúmeros insumos e produtos finais da indústria alimentícia, farmacêutica, petroquímica, entre outras. Assim, o uso de soluções tampão certificadas na calibração de medidores de pH é necessário para conferir confiabilidade às medições. Uma das missões da Divisão de Metrologia Química (Dquim) do Inmetro é a certificação de materiais de referência, no caso do pH, soluções tampão, utilizando o sistema primário de medições de pH implantado em 2003. A solução tampão de fosfato com valor nominal de pH igual a 6,865 será a primeira solução a ser certificada, sendo importante para isso o estudo de determinados parâmetros de medição, tais como: concentração de HCl e NaCl, potencial padrão do eletrodo de Ag/AgCl e temperatura. Neste trabalho, a influência de alguns parâmetros na medição exata da grandeza pH é discutida, valendo-se dos resultados obtidos pelo Inmetro com amostras da comparação SIM 8.11P, utilizando o sistema primário de medição de pH. Observou-se que a influência dos valores nominais e experimentais das concentrações de NaCl e HCl afetam o valor de pH em 0,33% e 0,11%, respectivamente, em comparação ao valor de consenso da comparação, utilizado como valor de referência.