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Positronen-Lebensdauer-Messungen gewonnen an der Positronen-Strahlanlage MePS (pELBE), August 2023 Doppler-Verbreiterungs-Messungen gewonnen an der Positronen-Strahlanlage SPONSOR (pELBE), September 2023

Cassava is a mainstay crop for food security in Africa, its tubers being a large source of carbohydrates for the human diet. In some regions (e.g., the Democratic Republic of the Congo; DRC), leaves are also consumed as a source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Cassava adapts well to a range of soil-climate conditions and requires low inputs, yet yields are often unsatisfactory because of failures in disseminating improved genotypes and agricultural practices. The aim of this study was to test the effect of (i) seedbed preparation for planting cassava (i.e., flat, mounds, and ridges) and (ii) local landraces (i.e., Kakuanga, Kasongoy, Kasonie, Ndunda, and Ngoymuamba) on yield components and their nutritional quality in the Lomami province (DRC). In-depth measurements of yield components were performed, including the number of tubers and stems per plant, leaf biomass, stem biomass, root yield, and peeling yield. Tubers and leaves were also analyzed for chemical composition. Our results demonstrated that mound and ridge seedbed preparations may highly increase tuber yield (+32–68%) compared with flat. This is not the case for leaves and stems, which were not affected. The Ngoymuamba landrace showed a tuber yield about three times larger than Ndunda, which represented the common productivity values (5–8 Mg ha-1). No effect of seedbed preparation was observed and only minor differences between landraces were observed for the chemical composition of roots and leaves. We concluded that selecting the best-performing seedbed preparations landraces could have a significant potential for achieving in a relatively short time the goal of “Zero Hunger” and improving the diet in the DRC.

Serum collected from multiparous Holsteins (n = 73) in a previous experiment was used to determine the effect of prepartum plane of energy intake on me-tabolites related to inflammation and liver function in periparturient cows. Prepartum diets were in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement over the far-off (d -65 to -26 before expected parturition) and close-up (d -25 relative to parturition until parturition) dry periods. During the far-off period, 2 diets were fed for ad libitum intake (ADLIB) to supply either 100% (100E) or 150% (150E) of National Research Council recommendations for net energy for lactation for mature cows in late gestation. For the third dietary far-off treatment, the 150E diet was fed at restricted intake (REST) to supply 80% (80E) of recommendations. During the close-up period, cows were fed a diet either at ADLIB or REST to supply 150% of net energy for lactation or 80% of net energy for lactation requirements, respectively. Beginning at parturition, all cows were fed a lactation diet through 56 d in milk. Cows fed 150E tended to accumulate more liver lipid postpartum; peak lipid accumulation occurred in all groups on d 14 postpar-tum. Cows fed 150E tended to have lower serum Ca on d 1 after calving, and cows fed REST had higher Ca than those fed ADLIB. Cows fed 150E tended to have higher serum bilirubin prepartum compared with other groups. Feeding REST in the close-up period resulted in higher bilirubin prepartum compared with ADLIB; bilirubin was positively associated (r = 0.34) with lipid accumulation postpartum. Feeding REST resulted in lower serum vitamin A (an indirect measure of retinol binding protein) prepartum compared with ADLIB, especially when coupled with 80E. Postpartum paraoxonase was negatively associated (r = -0.27) and ceruloplasmin was positively associated (r = 0.21) with liver lipid accumulation postpartum. A larger spike in haptoglobin was observed on d 1 and 7 postpartum for cows fed 100E and 150E during the far-off period f

Having single atoms or small clusters docked onto a single layer graphene represents a charming feature for energy-storage and catalysis. Unfortunately, the large cohesion energy of transition metals often prevents the isolation of nanoscopic clusters, which invariably tend to aggregate. The decoration of defective graphene layers with single Pt atoms and sub-nanometric clusters is herein achieved by exploiting metal carbonyl clusters, as precursor, and investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Unexpectedly, the process of aggregation of Pt into larger clusters is inhibited onto the surface of defective graphene, where the Pt-clusters are found to fragment even into single metal atoms.