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In beef cows, cycle is expected to resume within 30–35 days postpartum. Uterine diseases may delay these processes, extending the partum to conception to 50 days. Biomarkers for the diagnosis of Purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) in beef cows remain undefined. Creatine kinase (CK) has been investigated in dairy cows as a marker for clinical endometritis but not in beef cows. Mucus score and blood sampling were performed at 30 ± 5 in 264 non-pregnant Piedmontese beef cows and 28 of them were diagnosed with PVD. Cows that showed no successful conception after more than three AI with no apparent clinical disease were defined as repeat breeders (N = 33). Kruskal-Wallis test was used to detect difference in CK between cows with PVD and heathy ones and RB (p = <.001 and p = .048 respectively). No difference was found between healthy cows and RB (p > .05), cows PVD showed lower reproductive performances (PC and n°/IA) than healthy ones. Parity and farm didn’t show differences between healthy and PVD cows. ROC curve was created to define a CK cut-off value for PVD detection (241 U/L, Sp 69%, Se 92%, AUC 0.81, Younden Index (J) 0.61) and to determine CK accuracy in predicting infertility at 120- and 150-days postpartum (Sp 77%, Se 42%, AUC 0.57, J 0.19 and Sp 82%, Se 34%, AUC 0.59, J 0.16 respectively). This study underlines the potential of CK as a marker of PVD in beef cows.HIGHLIGHTSCreatine kinase seems to be a useful on field marker of PVD in beef cows Creatine kinase cut-off for PVD is 241 U/L Creatine kinase has low accuracy in prevision of infertility

This essay retraces the last stage in the articulated history of the normal method, after the Pietist, the Habsburg Chamberlain and the French revolutionary seasons. In Restoration Italy, [much less than]normal[much greater than] is no more than a synonym for method (for good method), without further specification, so much so that [much less than]normal[much greater than] or [much less than]method[much greater than] schools are called the schools for the teachers training, on which Piedmont, for example, would focus from 1840 onwards. This is the starting point for the so-called Piedmontese Methodical Movement, inspired by the lesson of Ferrante Aporti and made up of politicians and schoolmen such as Giovanni Antonio Rayneri, Domenico Berti, Vincenzo Troya, Carlo Boncompagni, Vincenzo Gerelli and Agostino Fecia, whose ideas would inspire teacher training in united Italy. Keywords. History of education - School history - Piedmontese pedagogical school -History of primary teacher training

What determines violent reaction during state formation processes? To address this question, we exploit the uprisings that occurred when southern Italy was annexed to Piedmont during Italian unification in the 1860s. We assemble a novel dataset on episodes of brigandage, a form of violent rebellion against the unitary government, and on pre-unification social and economic characteristics of southern Italian municipalities. We find that the intensity of brigandage is ceteris paribus lower in and close to settlements of Piedmontese origin. We argue that geographical distance from these communities is a proxy for cultural distance from the Piedmontese rulers. Thus, our results suggest that, in the context of state formation, cultural proximity to the new ruler reduces social unrest by local communities. After ruling out alternative mechanisms consistent with the economic literature, we provide suggestive evidence of cultural persistence and diffusion in our context, and discuss two possible culture-based drivers of our results: social identification with the Piedmontese rulers, and a clash between local values and some specific content of the new institutions.

Microplastics (MPs) raise environmental concerns. However, their effects on the ruminal–gastro-intestinal system have not yet been studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) MPs on the ability of the ruminal–gastro-intestinal system to degrade and digest mixed hay. Using a three-step in vitro ruminal–gastro-intestinal incubation system, PET MPs were introduced at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, and 15 g/L in ruminal and gastro-intestinal solutions. Ruminal fluid was collected from three 16-month-old Piedmontese bulls. The experiment was conducted on three mixed hays and was repeated three times, with triplicate incubations in each run. The results reveal that PET MPs reduced the degradability and digestibility of crude protein. Specifically, crude protein degradation was reduced by 9% at medium and 16% at high PET MP concentrations in the ruminal phase, while the crude protein digestibility of undegraded crude protein was reduced by 8% at the lowest PET MPs concentration in the gastro-intestinal tract. Additionally, PET MPs reduced the degradation of neutral detergent fiber at medium and high PET MP concentrations in the ruminal phase by 9% and 13%, respectively. These results highlight the risks of PET MPs contamination on ruminal–gastro-intestinal functions and underscore the urgent need to mitigate MPs contamination in the livestock sector.

Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) enzymes catalyze the metabolism of a wide range of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Genetic variations in the 3 CYP3A isoforms (CYP3A28, CYP3A74, and CYP3A76) may influence their expression and activity, leading to inter-individual differences in xenobiotic metabolism. In domestic cattle, understanding how genetic variations modulate CYP3A activity is crucial for both its therapeutic implications (clinical efficacy and adverse drug effects) and food safety (residues in foodstuff). Here, we updated the variant calling of CYP3As in 300 previously sequenced Piedmontese beef cattle, using the most recent reference genome, which contains an updated, longer sequence for CYP3A28. All but one previously identified missense variants were confirmed and a new variant, R105W in CYP3A28, was discovered. Through computational mutagenesis and molecular docking, we computationally predicted the impact of all identified CYP3A variant enzymes on protein stability and their affinity for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a potent carcinogen and food contaminant. For CYP3A28, we also computationally predicted its affinity for the probe substrate nifedipine (NIF). We found that CYP3A28 with R105W variant cannot accommodate NIF nor AFB1 in the binding pocket, thus affecting their metabolism. Our work provides computational foundation and prioritized ranking of CYP3A variants for future experimental validations.

This study surveys the poetry written in Piedmontese today. It identifies the main trends as well as the principal centers of production and provides a profile for some of the most significant voices. It concentrates on the work of poets Remigio Bertolino and Giovanni Tesio, the latter a scholar of Piedmontese and Italian literature who recently turned writer.

Introduction Italy was one of the first EU countries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Italy has reported 15.5 million cases of COVID-19 and 161000 deaths. Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 began in Italy at the end of 2020, using mRNA and viral vector vaccines (immunizing people against Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of this study was to estimate, in a representative sample of the Italian population, the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV2 in 2019 (before case zero, identified in Italy in February 2020) and in 2021, after 3 pandemic waves and a vaccination campaign. Methods During October / November 2019: 365 participants were selected in the Piedmontese population among those who went to a hospital for routine blood tests. The population was selected on the basis of age and gender to be representative of the Italian population. The same number of patients was selected in the first quarter of 2021, the inclusion and exclusion criteria remained the same. Sera were searched for spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and, if positive, tested for anti-nucleocapsid antibodies. Results Our preliminary data show that half of the sample for both years is female. In the 2019 sample, i.e. before case zero was identified in Italy (Lombardy), five of the sera (4 males and one female) tested positive for anti-Spike,indicating a previous infection (vaccine didn't exist). In the 2021 sample, 152 males and 139 females tested positive for IgG anti-spike, for a total of 291. The prevalence therefore passed from 1.37% to 79.73%. As regards the search for ANti-Nantibodies, one male and one female tested positive in 2019; in 2021 9 males and 13 females. Conclusions The results of our study show that in 2019, before the first official case in Italy was highlighted, coronavirus was already circulating. The prevalence has risen exponentially, going from less than 2% to around 80%. Key messages • Covid-19 was circulating in Italy in 2019. • Seroprevalence of anti-S in 2021 was about 20%.

We present two experimental studies on the Italian expressive ‘stronzo’ (English ‘jerk’). The first study tests whether, and to which extent, the acceptability of using an expressive is sensitive to the information available in the context. The study looks both at referential uses of expressives (as in the complex demonstrative ‘that jerk Marco’) and predicative uses of expressives (as in ‘Marco is a jerk’). The results show that expressives are sensitive to contextual information to a much higher degree than the non-expressive control items (such as ‘Piedmontese’) in their referential use, but also, albeit to a lesser degree, in their predicative use. The second study tests whether the lower acceptability of expressives in their predicative use may be simply due to saying something negative about someone. A comparison between expressives, such as ‘jerk’, and non-expressive negative terms, such as ‘nasty’ or ‘unbearable’, suggests that it is the expressive nature of these terms, rather than the mere negative valence, that affects acceptability. Our studies present a major challenge to the existing accounts of expressives, and raise several theoretical issues that still call for an answer.

The recent rediscovering of the Millefiori Piemontese breed, previously considered as extinct, has led to its genetic characterisation: establishing the basis for its recovery and preservation. This study describes the morpho-biometric traits and compares the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of other local chicken breeds using 26 microsatellite markers. A subset of 14 markers was used to compare the genetic variation of the Millefiori Piemontese breed with that of two other Piedmontese chicken breeds (Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo) as well as 17 Italian and 2 commercial hybrids, whose genetic variability has already been investigated. The present study confirmed the sexual dimorphism and assessed the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese in terms of number of alleles/locus (Na = 4), the effective number of alleles (Nea = 3), observed (Ho = 0.56) and expected heterozygosity (He = 0.53), self-coancestry (IB = 0.65), potential extinction risk (ERI = 2), and its contribution to the Italian poultry biodiversity (GDT = −0.60). The results indicate that, despite its small population size (Ne = 56), the Millefiori Piemontese population exhibits significant genetic diversity, making it a valuable resource for breeding programs focused on preserving the breed and safeguarding its biodiversity. This study is the first to investigate the genetic variability of the Millefiori Piemontese breed and compare it with other local poultry breeds. The findings highlight the genetic uniqueness of the Millefiori breed and its significant contribution to the biodiversity of chickens in Piedmont and Italy, emphasising the importance of its conservation.

Background Distinct domestication events, adaptation to different climatic zones, and divergent selection in productive traits have shaped the genomic differences between taurine and indicine cattle. In this study, we assessed the impact of artificial selection and environmental adaptation by comparing whole-genome sequences from European taurine and Asian indicine breeds and from African cattle. Next, we studied the impact of divergent selection by exploiting predicted and experimental functional annotation of the bovine genome. Results We identified selective sweeps in beef cattle taurine and indicine populations, including a 430-kb selective sweep on indicine cattle chromosome 5 that is located between 47,670,001 and 48,100,000 bp and spans five genes, i.e. HELB , IRAK3 , ENSBTAG00000026993 , GRIP1 and part of HMGA2 . Regions under selection in indicine cattle display significant enrichment for promoters and coding genes. At the nucleotide level, sites that show a strong divergence in allele frequency between European taurine and Asian indicine are enriched for the same functional categories. We identified nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions that are fixed for different alleles between subspecies, eight of which were located within the DNA helicase B ( HELB ) gene. By mining information from the 1000 Bull Genomes Project, we found that HELB carries mutations that are specific to indicine cattle but also found in taurine cattle, which are known to have been subject to indicine introgression from breeds, such as N’Dama, Anatolian Red, Marchigiana, Chianina, and Piedmontese. Based on in-house genome sequences, we proved that mutations in HELB segregate independently of the copy number variation HMGA2 -CNV, which is located in the same region. Conclusions Major genomic sequence differences between Bos taurus and Bos indicus are enriched for promoter and coding regions. We identified a 430-kb selective sweep in Asian indicine cattle located on chromosome 5, which carries SNPs that are fixed in indicine populations and located in the coding sequences of the HELB gene. HELB is involved in the response to DNA damage including exposure to ultra-violet light and is associated with reproductive traits and yearling weight in tropical cattle. Thus, HELB likely contributed to the adaptation of tropical cattle to their harsh environment.