bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sistema IoT basado en ESP32 para el control y monitoreo de cultivos en invernadero con enfoque de agricultura 4.0
Authors: Berrios Gomez Sebastian , Rivera Herrera Hugo Javier
Published: July 2023

La agricultura 4.0 incorpora tecnologías de información y comunicación como el Internet de las Cosas (IoT), bases de datos y aplicativos de teléfonos inteligentes. El cultivo bajo invernaderos a su vez, permite el uso racional del recurso hídrico y obtener mayor producción en menores áreas de cultivo. El incremento de la productividad genera las condiciones propicias para asegurar la alimentación de poblaciones en un futuro cercano. La investigación presenta una propuesta de un sistema IoT para monitorear y controlar parámetros inherentes a los cultivos bajo invernadero basado en el microcontrolador ESP32, utiliza nodos sensores para recolectar mediciones de temperatura, humedad relativa, humedad del suelo, así como el nivel de agua para riego. Mediante el protocolo de comunicación inalámbrica ESP-NOW, los nodos sensores envían la información al nodo central. El nodo central activa y desactiva los actuadores para controlar los parámetros climáticos y registra la información en una base de datos para monitorearlos en tiempo real. La aplicación móvil muestra lecturas de la base de datos y permiten encender y apagar actuadores de forma manual. El sistema se desarrolló para el cultivo de lechugas en invernaderos tipo túnel, pero puede aplicarse a otro tipo de cultivos e invernaderos debido a su flexibilidad.
Effects of road geometric parameters on safety: A case study of Mugling-Narayanghat road in Nepal
Authors: Giri Om Prakash , Shahi Padma Bahadur , Selvam Janani , Poddar Sandeep , Bhaumik Amiya
Published: July 2023

Road safety has emerged as a global priority due to the multifaceted consequences of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in modern society. The study is focused on the development of an accident prediction model (APM) and identifying the influence of geometric factors on road safety. The study section of the highway was divided into 190 identical segments based on geometric characteristics. Eight models have been developed for establishing the relationship between crash numbers and respective parameters. The significance of the models has been validated by the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The study unveils that the shoulder and lane width, numbers, and radius of the horizontal curve significantly influence RTAs. However, the gradient and shoulder type have less impact on road accident frequency. The research recommendations for the improvement of safety are increasing the radius of the curves, lane, and shoulder width. Similarly, the study suggests the reduction of the number of horizontal curves for the reduction of crash frequency.
Operation Theatre Nurses’ Job Satisfaction in a Teaching Hospital in Mangalore - A Case Study
Authors: M. Rashmi , Dsouza Linus Benedicta
Published: July 2023

Purpose: Operation theatre management has always been a challenging aspect for any hospital administrator because it includes staff from various categories, a large amount of infrastructure, maintenance work, risk management, infection control priorities, and, most importantly, patient safety. Nurses play a crucial part in the healthcare team. Nursing work is demanding. Nurses work to prevent illness, promote health, and extend people's lives and the lives of the community. Nurses are involved in patient care, doctor care, and administrative care. Nurses' job satisfaction is crucial for healthcare institutions because it influences both the nursing care quality and patients' satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach: The research approach adopted is a descriptive study approach.
Findings/Result: The individual's satisfaction levels can be influenced and shaped by various factors. Due to rising labor costs and the enormous shortage of nurses, satisfaction in the nursing job sector is a very important but also a crucial challenge for healthcare organizations. The key importance is the motivation of this discipline (Nurses) so that their involvement in the hospitals they work and practice their profession will be as satisfactory as possible. The aspects that affect a nurse's satisfaction with their work in operation theatres were identified to be appreciable salary with increment, duty time management, experienced staff as peers, reduced workload & stress, more leave privileges, teamwork, the advanced technology at work, in-service education & training, and more respect at their place of work, from the study as perceived by the operation theatre nurses’ themselves.
Originality/value: Employee job satisfaction is the level at which an individual is content with a range of variety in their work, like the overall nature of their work. However, a person's needs and personality traits also have a role in their level of job satisfaction.
Paper Type: Case study
Automated Test Equipment Simulation In CoppeliaSim Using C# Over WebSocket
Authors: Chakraborty Sudip , Aithal P. S.
Published: July 2023

Purpose: Nowadays, we are surrounded by electronic gadgets. Most gadgets have more or less printed circuit boards (PCB). It needs to test before it is launched into the market. Otherwise, it can fail to sustain itself in the market. If we test manually in all aspects, a motherboard will take so many times that the production will go very slowly. So automated tests are becoming popular. There is various vendor that produces automated test equipment. ATE or automated test equipment is too costly. Purchasing the ATE system for training or learning the process flow is sometimes not feasible. This research work demonstrates a simulation framework to view the ATE working procedure. We use CoppeliaSim for animation and C# to control it over Websocket. All source codes are available. The researcher can customize and extend the functionality to their need.
Design/Methodology/Approach: We developed a framework to demonstrate the ATE activity. It consists of CoppeliaSim Simulation software. We use C# language to control the simulator. At first, we created a model of ATE inside the CoppeliaSim. Add LUA code to receive commands from the remote host. When CoppeliaSim starts, it starts a WebSocket server. It listens to port number 8088. Then we created an application using C#. We designed a graphical user interface (GUI). We added some text boxes, buttons, and a WebSocket client. When connect button is pressed, the apps try to connect with CoppeliaSim. Then send the command by pressing the button.
Findings/Result: To understand the ATE working principle, we developed a simulation in CoppeliaSim, which controls using a C# websocket client. The simulation works like a natural system. Observing the process flow, the researcher gets an understanding better. So using this example and customizing it according to the need is the best way to understand it.
Originality/Value: Several procedures are available to understand the ATE system. Here we developed a simplistic approach to it. The CoppeliaSim is suitable for visualizing process automation. The C# language is better for controlling the simulation. The communication between two software is websocket which is easy to integrate, and send/received command string is also comparatively easy. The researcher trying to understand or work with the ATE system can get some reference information for their research work. So the complete framework process is the best value to the researcher.
Paper Type: Experimental-based Research.
Pengembangan Game Edukasi Matematika Berbasis Aplikasi Android untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Literasi Numerasi Siswa SMP
Authors: Adrillian Hendrisa , Nizaruddin Nizaruddin , Aini Aurora Nur
Published: July 2023

Interactive learning media can be used as a learning tool to improve the numeracy literacy skills of junior high school students, one of which is educational games. Educational games are games that contain educational content and are used to make it easier for students to understand the material provided. Development research using the ADDIE model was used to develop numeracy literacy educational games for junior high school students on statistics material. The population of this study were students of class VIII SMP Kesatrian 1 Semarang. The sample of this research is class VIII A, VIII C, and VIII D. The research design is Posttest Only Control Design. The data collection used is the observation method, the test method, the documentation method. The results of this study indicate that math educational games to improve numeracy literacy skills in statistical material are valid and practical to use based on validation assessments by media experts, material experts, and student response questionnaires. Furthermore, the developed educational game is effectively used in learning mathematics to improve the numeracy literacy skills of junior high school students based on the right-tail side t test, the percentage of student activity, the teacher's ability to manage learning, and student completeness in learning. Android-based math educational games are said to be valid, practical, and effective for improving junior high school students' mathematical numeracy literacy skills in statistics material.
Daytime isoprene nitrates under changing NOx and O3
Authors: Mayhew Alfred W. , Edwards Peter M. , Hamilton Jaqueline F.
Published: July 2023

Abstract. Organonitrates are important species in the atmosphere due to their impacts on NOx, HOx, and O3 budgets, and their potential to contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass. This work presents a steady-state modelling approach to assess the impacts of changes in NOx and O3 concentrations on the organonitrates produced from
isoprene oxidation. The diverse formation pathways to isoprene organonitrates dictate the responses of different groups of organonitrates
to changes in O3 and NOx. For example, organonitrates predominantly formed from the OH-initiated oxidation of isoprene favour
formation under lower-ozone and moderate-NOx concentrations, whereas
organonitrates formed via daytime NO3 oxidation show the highest
formation under high-O3 concentrations with little dependence on
NOx concentrations. Investigating the response of total organonitrates
reveals complex and nonlinear behaviour with implications that could inform
expectations of changes to organonitrate concentrations as efforts are made
to reduce NOx and O3 concentrations, including a region of
NOx–O3 space where total organonitrate concentration is relatively insensitive to changes in NOx and O3. These conclusions are further contextualised by estimating the volatility of the isoprene organonitrates revealing the potential for high concentrations of low-volatility species under high-ozone conditions.
Investigation of the effects of the Greek extreme wildfires of August 2021 on air quality and spectral solar irradiance
Authors: Masoom Akriti , Fountoulakis Ilias , Kazadzis Stelios , Raptis Ioannis-Panagiotis , Kampouri Anna , Psiloglou Basil E. , Kouklaki Dimitra , Papachristopoulou Kyriakoula , Marinou Eleni , Solomos Stavros , Gialitaki Anna , Founda Dimitra , Salamalikis Vasileios , Kaskaoutis Dimitris , Kouremeti Natalia , Mihalopoulos Nikolaos , Amiridis Vassilis , Kazantzidis Andreas , Papayannis Alexandros , Zerefos Christos S. , Eleftheratos Kostas
Published: July 2023

Abstract. In August 2021, a historic heatwave was recorded in
Greece which resulted in extreme wildfire events that strongly affected the
air quality over the city of Athens. Saharan dust was also transferred over
Greece on certain days of the same period due to the prevailing southern
winds. The impact of these events on air quality and surface solar radiation is investigated in this study. Event characterization based on active and passive remote sensing instrumentation has been performed. The study shows that significantly increased levels of air pollution were recorded from the end of July to the first week of August. The smoke led to unusually high aerosol optical depth (AOD) values (up to 3.6 at 500 nm), high Ångström exponent (AE) (up to 2.4 at 440–870 nm), and a strong and negative dependence of single-scattering albedo (SSA) on wavelength that was observed to decrease from 0.93 at 440 nm to 0.86 at 1020 nm, while the dust
event led to high AOD (up to 0.7 at 500 nm), low AE (up to 0.9 at 440–870 nm), and a positive dependence of SSA on wavelength that was observed to increase from 0.89 at 440 nm to 0.95 at 1020. Furthermore, the smoke plume was also detected over the PANhellenic GEophysical observatory of Antikythera on 7 August, which is about 240 km away from Athens. Increased AOD values (up to ∼ 0.90 at 500 nm) associated with a high
fine-mode AOD (up to ∼ 0.85 at 500 nm) and decrease in SSA
with wavelength suggested the dominance of fine biomass burning
aerosols. The impact of dust and smoke on solar irradiance revealed
significant differences in the spectral dependence of the attenuation caused by the two different aerosol types. The attenuation of solar irradiance in the ultraviolet (UV-B) spectrum was found to be much lower in the case of dust compared to smoke for similar AOD500 values. Differences were less pronounced in the near-infrared and visible spectral regions. The large AODs during the wildfires resulted in a decrease in the noon UV index by up to 53 %, as well as in the daily effective doses for the production of vitamin D (up to 50 %), in the daily photosynthetically active radiation (up to 21 %) and in the daily global horizontal irradiance (up to 17 %), with serious implications for health, agriculture, and energy. This study highlights the wider impacts of wildfires that are part of the wider problem
for Mediterranean countries, whose frequency is predicted to increase in
view of the projected increasing occurrence of summer heatwaves.
Absence of photophysiological response to iron addition in autumn phytoplankton in the Antarctic sea-ice zone
Authors: Singh Asmita , Fietz Susanne , Thomalla Sandy J. , Sanchez Nicolas , Ardelan Murat V. , Moreau Sébastien , Kauko Hanna M. , Fransson Agneta , Chierici Melissa , Samanta Saumik , Mtshali Thato N. , Roychoudhury Alakendra N. , Ryan-Keogh Thomas J.
Published: July 2023

Abstract. The high nutrient–low chlorophyll condition of the
Southern Ocean is generally thought to be caused by the low bioavailability
of micronutrients, particularly iron, which plays an integral role in
phytoplankton photosynthesis. Nevertheless, the Southern Ocean experiences
seasonal blooms that generally initiate in austral spring, peak in summer,
and extend into autumn. This seasonal increase in primary productivity is
typically linked to the seasonal characteristics of nutrient and light
supply. To better understand the potential limitations on productivity in
the Antarctic sea-ice zone (SIZ), the photophysiological response of
phytoplankton to iron addition (2.0 nM FeCl3) was investigated during
autumn along the Antarctic coast off Dronning Maud Land. Five short-term (24 h) incubation experiments were conducted around Astrid Ridge (68∘ S) and along a 6∘ E transect, where an autumn bloom was identified
in the region of the western SIZ. Surface iron concentrations ranged from
0.27 to 1.39 nM around Astrid Ridge, and 0.56 to 0.63 nM along the
6∘ E transect. Contrary to expectation, the photophysiological
response of phytoplankton to iron addition, measured through the
photosynthetic efficiency and the absorption cross-section for photosystem
II, showed no significant responses. It is thus proposed that since the
autumn phytoplankton in the SIZ exhibited a lack of an iron limitation at
the time of sampling, the ambient iron concentrations may have been
sufficient to fulfil the cellular requirements. This provides new insights
into extended iron replete post-bloom conditions in the typically assumed
iron deficient high nutrient–low chlorophyll Southern Ocean.
Parflow 3.9: development of lightweight embedded DSLs for geoscientific models
Authors: Piotrowski Zbigniew P. , Hokkanen Jaro , Caviedes-Voullieme Daniel , Stein Olaf , Kollet Stefan
Published: July 2023

Abstract. Recognizing the leap in high-performance computing with accelerated co-processors, we propose a lightweight approach to adapt legacy codes to next generation hardware and achieve efficiently a high degree of performance portability. We focus on abstracting the computing kernels at the loop levels based on the lightweight, preprocessor-based embedded Domain Specific Language (eDSL) concept in conjunction with Unified Memory management. We outline a set of code pre-adaptations that facilitate the proposed abstraction. In two geophysical code applications programmed in C and Fortran, we demonstrate the efficiency of the eDSL approach in adaptation to NVIDIA GPUs with: native CUDA and Kokkos eDSL backends achieving up to 10–30 fold speedup. Our experience suggests that the proposed lightweight eDSL code adaptation is less expensive in terms of Full Time Equivalent of effort than adaptation based on complex DSL approaches, even if no earlier GPU competence exists.
Developing the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System – SIOS
Authors: Christiansen Hanne H. , Baddeley Lisa , Hoppe Clara J. M. , Loonen Maarten J. J. E. , Storvold Rune , Vitale Vito , Zaborska Agata , Matero Ilkka S. O. , Lihavainen Heikki
Published: July 2023

Abstract. We present an overview of the current gaps in knowledge and infrastructure based on an overall synthesis of all recommendations developed as the main outcome of the annual State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) reporting of the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS). Recommendations from the first four years of SESS reporting represent the point of view of the wide scientific community operating the large observing system implemented in Svalbard (SIOS) since 2018, and aim to identify the scientific potential to further develop the observing system. The recommendations are bottom-up inputs for a continuous process that aims to accomplish the vision and mission of SIOS: optimising, integrating and further developing the observing system in an Earth System Science (ESS) perspective. The primary outcome of the synthesis work is the evidence that ESS in SIOS has, during the first 4 years of operation, naturally developed from individual scientists or smaller groups of scientists to larger disciplinary international groups of scientists working together within the different environments (atmosphere, cryosphere, marine and terrestrial environments). It is clear that strategic efforts towards interdisciplinarity are necessary for operating fully at ESS scale in Svalbard. As Svalbard is experiencing the largest ongoing warming in the Arctic and worldwide, SIOS is in a unique position to perform a full-scale study of all processes impacting ESS dynamics and controlling the water cycle, using all parts of the SIOS observation network, with a large potential for increasing the understanding of key mechanisms in the Earth System. We also identify the potential to upscale Svalbard-based observations collected in SIOS to pan-Arctic scale, and to global scale, contributing to full scale ESS.
New Routine NLTE15μmCool-E v1.0 for Calculating the non-LTE CO2 15 μm Cooling in GCMs of Earth’s atmosphere
Authors: Kutepov Alexander , Feofilov Artem
Published: July 2023

Abstract. We present a new routine for calculating the non- local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) 15 μm CO2 cooling/heating of mesosphere and lower thermosphere in General Circulation Models. It uses the optimized models of the non-LTE in CO2 for day and night conditions and delivered cooling/heating with an error not exceeding 1 K/Day even for strong temperature disturbances. The routine uses the Accelerated Lambda Iteration and Opacity Distribution Function techniques for the exact solution of the non-LTE problem and is about 1000 faster than the standard matrix/line-by-line solution. It has an interface for feed-backs from the model and is ready for implementation. It may use any quenching rate coefficient of the CO2(ν2)+O(3P) reaction, handles large variations of O(3P) and allows the user to vary the number of vibrational levels and bands to find a balance between the calculation speed and accuracy. The suggested routine can handle the broad variation of CO2 both below and above the current volume mixing ratio, up to 4000 ppmv. This allows using this routine for modeling the Earth’s ancient atmospheres and the climate changes caused by increasing CO2.
Comparison of four machine learning models for forecasting daily reference evaporation based on public weather forecast data
Authors: Liang Yunfeng , Feng Dongpu , Sun Zhaojun
Published: July 2023

Abstract. Real-time accurate prediction of daily reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is critical for real-time irrigation decisions and water resource management. Although many public weather forecast-based machine learning models have been successfully used for daily ETo prediction, these models are developed with long-term historical daily observed meteorological data. The use of training and testing samples from different data sources can lead to the selection of the best model, and the performance of the best model for predicting daily ETo is not ideal. In this study, based on Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 56 Penman–Monteith (PM) equations, four machine learning models (multilayer perceptron (MLPo), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoosto), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBMo), and gradient boosting with categorical features support (CatBoost1o)) were trained and validated with daily observed meteorological data from 1995–2015 and 2016–2019, respectively, and five machine learning models (MLPp, XGBoostp, LightGBMp, CatBoost1p, and CatBoost2) were trained and validated with daily public weather forecast data with a 1-day lead time (2014–2018 and 2019, respectively). Based on public weather forecast and daily observed meteorological data (2020–2021), the predicted daily ETo performance of nine machine learning models (MLPo, XGBoosto, LightGBMo, CatBoost1o, MLPp, XGBoostp, LightGBMp, CatBoost1p, and CatBoost2) was compared. The results show that for all three studied climate zones, the performance of the four models developed based on public weather forecast data with a 1-day advance is better than that of the four models developed based on daily observed meteorological data with corresponding input combinations, and the mean MAE and RMSE ranges for the four models (MLP, XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost1) in the three studied climate zones were reduced by 2.93 %–11.67 % and 2.20 %–9.46 %, respectively, and the mean R range was improved by 1.31 %–5.31 %. The top three models for the AR climate zone were XGBoostp, LightGBMp, and MLPp, the top three models for the SAR climate zone were MLPp, XGBoostp, and LightGBMp, and the top three models for the SHZ climate zone were XGBoostp, MLPp, and LightGBMp. In addition, the prediction performance for daily ETo is found to be highest in winter and lowest in summer in all three climate zones. Wspd from public weather forecasts was the most important source of daily ETo error in model predictions for the AR climate zone, followed by SDun, Tmax, and Tmin, while SDun from public weather forecasts was the most important source of daily ETo error in model predictions for the SAR (SHZ) climate zone, followed by Wspd, Tmax, and Tmin (Tmax, Wspd, and Tmin).
What controls the tail behaviour of flood series: Rainfall or runoff generation?
Authors: Macdonald Elena , Merz Bruno , Guse Björn , Nguyen Viet Dung , Guan Xiaoxiang , Vorogushyn Sergiy
Published: July 2023

Abstract. Many observed time series of precipitation and streamflow show heavy tail behaviour. For heavy-tailed distributions the occurrence of extreme events has a higher probability than for distributions with an exponentially receding tail. If we neglect heavy tail behaviour we might underestimate rarely observed, high-impact events. Robust estimation of upper tail behaviour is often hindered by the limited length of observational records. Using long time series and a better understanding of the relevant process controls can help with achieving more robust tail estimations. Here, a simulation-based approach is used to analyse the effect of precipitation and runoff generation characteristics on the upper tail of flood peak distributions. Long, synthetic precipitation time series with different tail behaviour are produced by a stochastic weather generator. These are used to force a conceptual rainfall-runoff model. In addition, catchment characteristics linked to a threshold process in the runoff generation are varied between model runs. We characterize the upper tail behaviour of the simulated precipitation and discharge time series with the shape parameter of the generalized extreme value distribution (GEV). Our analysis shows that runoff generation can strongly modulate the tail behaviour of flood peak distributions. In particular, threshold processes in the runoff generation lead to heavier tails. Beyond a certain return period, the influence of catchment processes decreases and the tail of the rainfall distribution asymptotically governs the tail of the flood peak distribution. Beyond which return period this is the case depends on the catchment storage in relation to the mean annual rainfall amount. We conclude that, for return periods that are mostly of interest to flood risk management, runoff generation is often a more pronounced control of flood heavy tails than precipitation.
The solid effect of dynamic nuclear polarization in liquids II: Accounting for g-tensor anisotropy at high magnetic fields
Authors: Sezer Deniz , Dai Danhua , Prisner Thomas F.
Published: July 2023

Abstract. In spite of its name, the solid effect of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is operative also in viscous liquids, where the dipolar interaction between the polarized nuclear spins and the polarizing electrons is not completely averaged out by molecular diffusion. Under such slow-motional conditions, it is likely that the tumbling of the polarizing agent is similarly too slow to efficiently average the anisotropies of its magnetic tensors. Here we extend our previous analysis of the solid effect in liquids to account for the effect of g-tensor anisotropy at high magnetic fields. Building directly on the mathematical treatment of slow-tumbling in electron spin resonance (Freed et al., 1971), we calculate solid-effect DNP enhancements in the presence of both translational diffusion of the liquid molecules and rotational diffusion of the polarizing agent. To illustrate the formalism, we analyze high-field (9.4 T) DNP enhancement profiles from nitroxide-labeled lipids in fluid lipid bilayers. By properly accounting for power-broadening and motional-broadening, we successfully decompose the measured DNP enhancements into their separate contributions from the solid and Overhauser effects.
Current Status of Antimicrobial Use in Animals
Authors: Gupta Sushim Kumar , Biggs Rosslyn , Ramachandran Akhilesh
Published: July 2023

Antimicrobials are used for preventing and treating infectious diseases in animals and humans. In animals they are also commonly used to improve productivity and welfare. The overuse or misuse of antimicrobials can contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which can have serious implications on both human and animal health. It is important to increase AMR awareness and coordinated surveillance at the global, continental, and national levels to quantify antimicrobial usage and monitor AMR spread. This will help to formulate better and effective strategies and policies for the judicious use of antimicrobials and combat AMR.
Detection of carbapenem resistant Escherichia coli in cattle and pigs
Authors: Sandeep P. R. , Ambily R. , Irshad A. , Joseph S.
Published: July 2023

The aim of this study was to detect the presence of carbapenem resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in cattle and pigs. Altogether, 100 samples were collected, 50 each from cattle and pigs including mastitic milk and faecal samples from healthy as well as diarrhoeic cattle and faecal samples and slaughter specimens from pigs. Bacteria were isolated from the samples and antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out. Eight isolates of E. coli were obtained from cattle and 15 isolates from pigs. The phenotypic resistance patterns against carbapenems (ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem) were analysed. In cattle, the four isolates from milk were observed to be sensitive to all the three carbapenems whereas, all the isolates obtained from faecal samples were resistant to all the three carbapenems. The four faecal and three intestinal isolates of E. coli from pigs showed sensitivity to all the three carbapenems. From a total of 10 faecal samples from pigs, four, three and one isolates showed resistance to ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem respectively. Among five isolates from intestine, one isolate showed resistance to ertapenem and imipenem and no isolate showed resistance to meropenem. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out to find the presence of carbapenem resistance genes (blaSHV, blaCTX, blaTEM and blaNDM) in all the 23 isolates and the results revealed that seven (58.3 per cent) E. coli isolates carried blaSHV gene and four (33.3 per cent) contained blaCTX gene which encodes carbapenem resistant enzymes. Antibiogram using 14 commonly used antimicrobial agents revealed varied multidrug resistant patterns among the E. coli isolates.
Effect of nano zinc supplementation on serum biochemical and mineral levels in Malabari kids fed on complete rations with varying energy levels
Authors: Reddy P. Satish , Deepa A. , Ally K. , Venkatachalapath R. Thirupathy , Lalu K.
Published: July 2023

A study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary supplementation of nano zinc oxide (Zn) on mineral retention and serum mineral levels of Malabari kids. Fifteen Malabari kids of 2-3 months of age were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments with five replicates in each. The dietary treatments were: T1 (Control)- Complete feed containing CP- 14%, TDN- 70%, T2- Complete feed containing CP-14%, TDN- 65% with supplementation of 20 ppm nano zinc, T3 – Complete feed containing CP- 14%, TDN- 60% with supplementation of 20 ppm nano zinc for a period of 90 days. Blood was collected subjected to assess serum mineral status and serum biochemical analysis at end of trial. Serum zinc levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in group T2 (1.65±0.23 mg/L), T3 (1.77±0.31 mg/L) compared to T1 (0.82±0.07 mg/L) group. Supplementation of nano zinc had no effect on mineral levels of calcium, phosphorous, copper and manganese. Supplementation of nano zinc at 20 ppm had no effect (P>0.05) on haemoglobin (g/dL), serum glucose, total protein, globulin and serum enzymes like ALT (IU/L), AST (IU/L), ALP (IU/L) and creatinine (mg/dL) levels. The study concluded that nano zinc supplementation to complete ration having lower energy (60 % TDN or 65 % TDN) in kids did not alter the serum calcium, phosphorous, copper , manganese and serum biochemical parameters while significantly (p<0.05) higher serum zinc levels was observed showing improved bioavailability.
Evaluation of serum mineral status in dermatological disorders of dogs
Authors: Sai G. Srujana , Babitha V. , Ramnath V. , Beena V. , Unny N. Madhavan
Published: July 2023

The study was undertaken to evaluate serum mineral status, specifically zinc, copper and selenium in dogs affected with dermatological disorders in comparison to normal healthy dogs. The study included 40 dogs of 2-5 years of age with skin diseases presented to University Veterinary Hospitals at Mannuthy and Kokkalai under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, and ten apparently healthy dogs brought to the hospital for routine health check-up which served as control. Serum concentrations of the three minerals were compared not only between normal and dogs with skin diseases as a whole but also between individual skin diseases- six different skin diseases- with the control group. On comparing the dogs with skin ailments (n=40) and control group, the serum mineral levels analysed through Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) revealed that the concentration of zinc was significantly lower (p<0.01) in the diseased group (0.53 ± 0.04 mg/L) of dogs (n=40) than the control group (1.11 ± 0.09 mg/L) and the serum copper concentration was also significantly reduced (p<0.05) in diseased dogs (0.91 ± 0.08 mg/L) with respect to the control animals (1.23 ± 0.11 mg/L). The serum selenium concentration of diseased group of animals(n=40), however failed to show any significant difference from the control group of animals. The outcome of the study suggests a need for supplementation of zinc and copper in dogs with skin ailments like canine demodicosis that relapse even after prolonged therapy with acaricides.
Evaluation of response to combination therapy with enalapril and torasemide in dogs with mitral valve disease
Authors: Greeshma J. , Rajan Sindhu K. , Pillai Usha Narayana , Unny N. Madhavan , Gleeja V.L.
Published: July 2023

The present study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the response to a combination therapy of enalapril and torasemide in dogs with mitral valve disease (MVD). Dogs diagnosed with stage C of MVD as per the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines were included in the study. Treatment was initiated with enalapril at 0.5 mg/kg BID and torasemide at 0.2 mg/kg OD orally on 0th day. Detailed clinical examination with special reference to the cardiovascular system including measurement of blood pressure, radiographic, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters of the animals were performed on 0th and 30th day of treatment. The treatment was well tolerated by all the animals. Amelioration of clinical signs with a noticeable reduction in cough was noticed in all the animals. On 30th day of treatment, a significant decrease was noticed in the vertebral heart score and left ventricular internal diameter during diastole and a non-significant decrease was noticed in left atrium to aortic root ratio, left ventricular internal diameter during systole, with a considerable reduction in severity of mitral regurgitation. Post- treatment clearing of lung fields was noticed in dogs with radiographic evidence of pulmonary oedema on 0th day. In addition to this, ventricular premature complexes noticed in three animals pre- treatment was not noticed post treatment.
Occurrence of canine transmissible venereal tumour
Authors: Nazer Aja Taj , Becha B. Bibin , Jayakumar C. , Unnikrishnan M. P. , Devi S. S
Published: July 2023

Canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) is the most common neoplasm of the genital sites transmitted through allogenic transplantation of tumour cells during coitus or at extragenital sites like oral or nasal mucosa by licking, scratching or sniffing affected area. In this study the overall occurrence of CTVT and its occurrence was analysed based on breed, age, gender, parity, season, reproductive status and breeding history, collected from retrospective data of clinical records maintained at University Veterinary Hospitals. The overall occurrence of CTVT was 0.15 per cent among total presented cases, 0.88 per cent among total reproductive disorders, 21.42 per cent among total canine tumour cases and 4.74 per cent among cases with vaginal bleeding. Higher occurrence was recorded in female dogs (88.59%), dogs aged 2-5 years (73.91%), intact females (88.04%), pluriparous dogs (41.10%) and during south-west monsoon season (32.07%). Breed wise occurrence was higher in Labrador Retriever dogs (41.30%) followed by non-descript dogs (22.28%). Occurrence was higher in dogs with history of mating with stud dogs (81.60%) when compared to stray dogs (18.40%).
Identification of bacterial pathogens in dry bovine udder and their antimicrobial susceptibility
Authors: Prabhakar Karishma , Janus A. , Deepa P. M. , Rathish R. L. , Habeeb Biju P.
Published: July 2023

Mastitis is a multi-etiological production disease of dairy cows worldwide. The likelihood of developing clinical mastitis in subsequent calving is enhanced by intramammary infections with pathogens during the late dry and post-calving period. There is an increase in the occurrence of intramammary infections during early and late dry period. Thirty apparently healthy, pregnant cross-bred dairy cows were screened for the presence of contagious mastitis pathogens in the secretions taken after 48 h of cessation of milking. A total of 118 bacterial isolates were obtained from the secretions collected from 108 quarters, and identified using morphological and cultural characteristics. Among them, 50.8 per cent were coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS), 16 per cent were coagulase positive Staphylococci (CPS) and 27.1 per cent were Streptococci isolates. Micrococci and E. coli constituted 2.5 per cent each and Klebsiella spp. formed 0.8 per cent of the total isolates obtained. The CNS isolates identified included 22 S. chromogens, 14 S. xylosus, 12 S. saprophyticus, six S. hominis and S. epidermidis each. Among the CPS isolated 11.8 per cent were S. aureus and 4.2 per cent were non-aureus coagulase positive Staphylococcus which included three S. hyicus and two S. pseudointermedius. Molecular confirmation of S. aureus, CNS isolates, St. agalactiae were done by targeting nuc, cns and 16SrRNA gene respectively. Identification of bacterial pathogens that are present during dry period can help in formulating an effective dry cow therapy. Antibiogram studies of the isolates obtained were done using in vitro antibiotic sensitivity testing method.
Effect of extenders and sperm concentration on migration efficiency of Malabari buck spermatozoa in bovine cervical mucus
Authors: Urmila S. , Bhai K. Lekshmi , Becha B. Bibin , Jayakumar C. , Divya P.D.
Published: July 2023

The study evaluated the effect of extenders and sperm concentration on the migration efficiency of Malabari buck spermatozoa in bovine cervical mucus. Fresh semen ejaculates collected on six different days from three adult healthy Malabari bucks were pooled and divided into four groups based on the extender used (tris-egg yolk-based or liposome-based extender) and rate of extension (200 or 400 million motile spermatozoa per 0.5 mL) (n=6 per group) and subjected to cryopreservation. After freezing and thawing, Malabari buck spermatozoa cryopreserved in liposome-based extender travelled significantly (p<0.05) greater distance in bovine cervical mucus compared to those preserved in tris-egg yolk-based extender when packed in French medium straws with 200 million progressively motile spermatozoa. The corresponding values with 400 million progressively motile spermatozoa also showed the same trend. It was also observed that Malabari buck semen extended with 200 million progressively motile spermatozoa was significantly (p<0.05) better in terms of migration efficiency in bovine cervical mucus compared to that with 400 million progressively motile spermatozoa in both the extenders.
Developmental competence of bovine oocytes in maturation media supplemented with follicular fluid exosomes
Authors: Arya Theres , Abhilash R.S. , Jayakumar C. , Amritha A. , Naicy T. , Harshan Hiron M. , Revathy M.M.
Published: July 2023

The present study evaluated the role offollicular fluid exosomes on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes. Ovaries from slaughtered crossbred cattle were collected, all visible surface follicles aspirated, and culture-grade oocytes were subjected to further study. Exosomes were isolated from bovine follicular fluid by differential ultracentrifugation. A total of 358 oocytes selected for the study were randomly divided into two groups. Group I constituted 111 oocytes, in which normal maturation was carried. Group II constituted 247 oocytes, in which in vitro maturation (IVM) medium was supplemented with follicular fluid exosomes at 1 μL/100 μL IVM medium. Maturation was assessed after 24h of culture in a CO2 incubator maintained at 38.5°C in 95 per cent humidified atmosphere of 5 per cent CO2. Following IVM of oocytes for 24 h, in vitro fertilisation (IVF)was carried out by co-incubating with capacitated spermatozoa for 18 h and embryo culture was carried out subsequently. In group II oocytes supplemented with exosomes, a significantly higher maturation rate (p ≤0.01) (95.80 ±1.67 vs76.10 ± 0.95), fertilisation rate (53.68 ± 3.02vs37.85 ± 7.01) and cleavage rate (p ≤0.01) (43.66 ± 2.13vs(32.47 ± 5.23) was noticed compared to oocytes in group I without any supplementation.The present study established that supplementation of follicular fluid exosomescould improve the developmental competence of bovine oocytes.
Detection of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal strongyles of cattle in Thrissur district, Kerala
Authors: Das V. J. Merin , Priya M. N. , Rajagopal Asha , Lakshmanan Bindu , Syamala K. , Sujith S.
Published: July 2023

Gastro intestinal parasite (GIP) infection is an economically important disease that affects cattle population worldwide and contributes to decreased productivity and profitability in the livestock sector. An important obstacle to the management of helminth infections in cattle is the failure of therapy owing to anthelmintic resistance. The present study is aimed to identify the predominant gastrointestinal strongyles in cattle of Thrissur district, Kerala and to determine the incidence of benzimidazole resistance against these gastrointestinal strongyles in organised cattle farms and small holder farmers’ herd. Coproculture studies revealed that predominant strongyle was Mecistocirrus spp. (29.75 per cent) followed by Haemonchus spp. (21.5 per cent) and Oesophagostomum spp. (13 per cent). The in vivo method of benzimidazole resistance detection by faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) with albendazole was done in three organised cattle farms and three small holder farmers’ herd. The per cent FEC reduction in three organised farms were 38, 55 and 85 per cent and that of small holder farmers’ herd ranged between 75 - 100. This study forms the first report of anthelmintic resistance in cattle in south India and the results indicated that benzimidazole resistance was highly progressed in organised cattle farms and in a progression state in small holder farmers’ herd that necessitates the judicial utilisation of anthelmintics for the parasite control.
Chemical properties of aerobic compost from abattoir and poultry slaughter waste
Authors: Manasa M. , Vasudevan V. N. , Latha A. , Sunil B. , Irshad A. , Suraj P.T. , Akhila V.V. , Hridhya C. , Anjitha K.
Published: July 2023

The present study was undertaken to analyse the chemical properties of aerobic compost from abattoir and poultry slaughter waste. Various abattoir waste materials like rumen contents, abattoir sewage sludge, poultry feathers and commercially available coir pith were preprocessed and separately analysed for their physico-chemical properties. Based on the analysis of physico-chemical properties of raw materials, five different combinations were selected for aerobic composting viz. sludge and coir pith (1:1); rumen contents alone (100); rumen contents and poultry feathers (1:1); rumen contents and sludge (1:1); rumen contents, sludge and coir pith (1:1:0.5).The selected combinations were subjected for aerobic composting for a period of 60 days in biobins. Chemical properties like organic carbon, total nitrogen, carbon to nitrogen ratio (C: N ratio), total phosphorus and total potassium before and after composting were analysed. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium content and significant (p<0.05) decrease in C: N ratio and organic carbon content after composting.
Determination of the median lethal dose of indoxacarb pesticide in Wistar rat
Authors: Raj Archana , Nair N. Suresh , Nisha A.R. , Sujith S. , Divya C. , Shankar R.
Published: July 2023

Indoxacarb is a novel organophosphate substitute and is considered a “lower risk” pesticide in agriculture. However, in humans and animals, indoxacarb exposure had been linked to substantial health problems. This study was carried out to investigate the acute oral toxicity and histopathological changes of indoxacarb in female Wistar albino rats. The acute oral toxicity of indoxacarb was performed as per the OECD guidelines No. 425, (Acute Oral Toxicity - Up-anddown procedure). The LD50 of indoxacarb was estimated using AOT425StatPgm (version: 1.0) statistical program and found to be 1098 mg/kg. Hence the pesticide is categorized as Type II class of pesticide according to the WHO standards. All the animals dosed at 2000 mg/kg died within 12 h exhibiting clinical signs of intermittent episodes of tremors, incoordination, respiratory distress and open-mouth breathing. Histopathological examination of indoxacarb treated rats at 2000mg/ kg degeneration of hepatocytes and necrosis in haematoxylin and eosin staining.
Sensory and chemical evaluation of laboratory ensiled hybrid Napier grass prepared using Lactobacillus plantarum and propionic acid as additives
Authors: Prasad K.A. Akhil , Dipu M.T. , Mathew Jith John , Ally K. , Mathew D.K. Deepak , Rejeesh R.
Published: July 2023

The present study was undertaken to evaluate silage made from hybrid Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) ensiled in the laboratory using various additives with regard to sensory as well as chemical characteristics. Four different silages were prepared viz., grass ensiled without additives (GS) as control, and grass silage with Lactobacillus plantarum at 1 x 105 CFU per gram of fresh forage (GSL), grass silage with propionic acid at the rate 0.45 kg per ton of fodder (GSA), and grass silage with combination of Lactobacillus plantarum (1 x 105 CFU per gram of fresh forage) and propionic acid (0.45 kg per ton of fodder) (GSLA) in triplicates. One from each triplicate was opened on 21, 30 and 45 days of ensiling and was evaluated for sensory (colour, aroma, presence or absence of extraneous matter) and chemical (pH, lactic acid, proximate analysis and fibre fractions) characteristics. From the overall results, it could be concluded that hybrid Napier grass, ensiled for 21 days using L. plantarum was effective in preserving its nutritive value.
Evaluation of factors associated with biosecurity, antimicrobial use and mortality in broiler farms in Northern Kerala
Authors: Femin S. , Akash R. , Sachin C. , Sumayya S.R. , Aarathi S. , Deepa P.M.
Published: July 2023

A survey was conducted (March 2020 to October 2020) on biosecurity practices, disease occurrence and antimicrobial usage of 77 broiler farms from five districts of Northern Kerala. Data were collected through a questionnaire and field-level disease diagnostic tests were conducted. Biosecurity status varied from farm to farm with 97.4 per cent promoted vaccination and 61.04 per cent disposed carcasses by burning. However, limitations were observed in the use of a footbath, quarantine of new stock, isolation of diseased birds and quality of water. The five most common diseases recorded were Chronic respiratory disease (48.1%), Acute Death Syndrome (27.3%), Colibacillosis (23.4%), Pullorum (18.2%) and Coccidiosis (18.2%). The commonly used antibiotics in poultry farms were Enrofloxacin (35.1%), Cephalexin (14.3%), Tylosin (11.7%) and Levofloxacin (10.4%). Some of the farmers (14.3%) were unaware of the antibiotics used in their farms, a potent risk factor for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. About 19.49 per cent of farms restricted antibiotic use and 44.15 per cent of farms supported herbal traditional medicines as an alternative to antimicrobials.