bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal Study of Lameness Incidence and Association with Animal-Based Welfare Measures in Dairy Cows
Authors: Sadiq Mohammed Babatunde , Ramanoon Siti Zubaidah , Mossadeq Wan Mastura Shaik , Mansor Rozaihan , Syed-Hussain Sharifah Salmah
Published: February 2021

The objective of this study was to investigate time to lameness event, prevalence of claw lesions, and their associations with animal-based welfare measures (ABWMs) in dairy cows. A total of 120 non-lame lactating cows (n = 30 each from four intensive dairy farms) having no claw lesion were enrolled in the study. The cow-level enrollment criteria included good body condition score (BCS), normal hock condition score, absence of body injuries, and normal claw length. Information on cows’ parity, milk yield, and previous lameness event (PLE) were recorded. The cows were observed twice monthly (every 2 weeks) for locomotion scores (LS), and ABWMs, whereas claw lesions were recorded upon onset of lameness and at the end of the observation period. Cows were considered lame when 2 consecutive LS = 3, or any assessment with score 4. Cox regression models were used to investigate lameness incidence and the association with ABWMs, while association between the latter and claw horn lesions (CHL) prevalence were analyzed using logistic regression models. Twenty-four percent (29/120) of the cows were lame during the study period. Lameness risk was associated with PLE (Hazard ratio; HR = 7.4; 95% CI 2.4-23.0), presence of overgrown claw (HR = 3.7; 95% CI 1.1-12.6) and low BCS pre-lame (HR = 4.5; 95% CI 1.3-16.6). Amongst the cows affected with claw lesions, 68.4% (37/44) were lame and CHL were predominant (75.4%) compared to infectious claw lesions (24.7%). Cows with lower BCS (< 3.0) (OR = 5.7; 95% CI 1.6- 20.4) and those with PLE (OR = 7.2; 95% CI = 2.1-24.7) were more likely to have CHL. Management practices such as maintaining cows’ body condition, improved care for those with history of lameness, and proper claw trimming could assist farmers to reduce lameness incidence in the studied herds.
Synbiotic Efficacy as Therapeutic Approach in Human Disease: A Review
Authors: Akter Beauty , Rabeta Mohd Salleh , Abu Bakar Mohamad Hafizi
Published: February 2021

In combatting the increase in healthcare costs, at present, one of the preventive approaches to medicine has been developed with the upliftment of new synbiotic products. Synbiotic is the synergistic effect of probiotics and prebiotics which exert multiple beneficial effects and have been increasingly used in preventing or treating human diseases since the last ten years. Several trials have reported that synbiotic therapy could help in the treatment of human disease prevention. PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were searched by keywords ‘prebiotic’, ‘probiotic’, and ‘synbiotic’ for relevant literature from 2000 to 2020. A total of 58 articles were selected and revised. This paper evaluates the effect of synbiotic supplementation on different diseases, for instance, obesity, insulin resistance syndrome, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The progressive knowledge on the outcome of synbiotic supplementation on health, recent trends and developments in this field are summarised. However, further research is required to understand the mechanism of how synbiotics affect in different diseases.
Evaluation of Antagonism Activity and Control of Vibrio alginolyticus in Artemia Culture Using Mixed Probiotic
Authors: Chean Mei Yun Beryl , Puvanasundram Puvaneswari , Yaminudin Jasmin , Karim Murni
Published: February 2021

Supplementation with mixed probiotic in aquaculture has been proven to benefit the hosts as disease resistance tool. In this study, a mixed probiotic which consisted of three isolated strains (Lysinibacillus fusiformis strain SPS11, A2, and Bacillus megaterium strain I24) was formulated for the in vitro assays against Vibrio alginolyticus and in vivo preliminary study towards Artemia nauplii. These strains showed antagonism activities against V. alginolyticus in in vitro assay. An increase in biofilm formation of this mixed probiotic was observed which indicated that the strains could work synergistically with each other to confer benefits to the hosts. Enrichment of Artemia nauplii with the formulated mixed probiotic was done to investigate its role in enhancing resistance against the V. alginolyticus. Artemia nauplii were cultured in two different concentrations of mixed probiotic (106 and 108 CFU mL-1) and challenged via immersion method. The mixed probiotic at both concentrations resulted in significantly higher survival of Artemia compared to the challenged group with no probiont added (106 CFU mL-1, 65.00 ± 0.00 % and 108 CFU mL-1, 77.50 ± 3.53 %). Significant reduction of Vibrio loads was observed in Artemia and its culture water supplemented with mixed probiotic at 108 CFU mL-1 whereas there was no reduction of Vibrio at 106 CFU mL-1. This study suggests that the usage of formulated mixed probiotic at high concentration (108 CFU mL-1) as opposed to single-strain probiotic can confer protection against V. alginolyticus infection towards Artemia.
Thiết kế bộ điều khiển H∞/LPV cho hệ thống treo bán tích cực trên ô tô
Authors: Vũ Văn Tấn
Published: February 2021

Hệ thống treo điều khiển bán tích cực đã nhận được nhiều sự quan tâm trong thời gian gần đây do có khả năng nâng cao chất lượng dao động của ô tô. Bài báo này trình bày một bộ điều khiển mới cho hệ thống treo bán tích cực sử dụng mô hình thông số thay đổi tuyến tính kết hợp với phương pháp điều khiển bền vững. Ba chuyển động chính của động lực học dao động thẳng đứng của ô tô (dịch chuyển thẳng đứng, góc lắc ngang và góc lắc dọc) được sử dụng để xem xét độ êm dịu chuyển động. Cách tiếp cận mới này nhằm mục đích thiết kế bộ điều khiển có khả năng điều chỉnh lực của giảm chấn ở bốn bánh xe để giảm thiểu các dao động do mấp mô mặt đường và gia tốc ngang gây ra. Ý tưởng chính của phương án này là sử dụng ba thông số thay đổi kể trên để tổng hợp bộ điều khiển chung cho các cơ cấu chấp hành của hệ thống treo. Mô hình tổng quát của ô tô con với 7 bậc tự do được sử dụng để mô tả dao động của ô tô (thân và bánh xe) và để tổng hợp bộ điều khiển H∞/LPV (Linear Parameter Varying). Giải pháp xác định bộ điều khiển được phát triển trong nền tảng mô hình thông số thay đổi tuyến tính và dựa trên phương pháp bất đẳng thức ma trận LMI (Linear Matrix Inequality) với phương thức đa giác. Các kết quả mô phỏng trên miền thời gian đã chứng minh tính hiệu quả của cách tiếp cận này khi biên độ và giá trị sai lệch bình phương trung bình của ba tín hiệu khảo sát giảm khoảng 25% so với ô tô sử dụng hệ thống treo bị động.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on the Basic Life Support among Medical Interns of the Philippine General Hospital
Authors: Velasco, Jr. Rogelio N. , Francisco Mark David G. , Llanes Elmer Jasper B.
Published: February 2021

Objective. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice on the Basic Life Support (BLS) among the Philippine General Hospital medical interns, compare the scores between trained and untrained interns, and determine the proportion of respondents with updated BLS training.

Methods. This was a cross-sectional study using a thirty-five item questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical interns at the Philippine General Hospital on the BLS.

Results. A total of 262 interns were included in the study. Although the mean knowledge scores of untrained and trained medical interns did not differ significantly (7.00 vs. 7.30, p=0.1637), more than 20% committed mistakes on questions on the following: jaw-thrust, rescue breaths, defibrillation, and CPR check. Generally, interns followed the BLS guidelines in their practice and had a positive attitude towards BLS. However, only 37% of trained participants had training within the past two years.

Conclusion. Most medical interns have a fair knowledge on BLS regardless of training status and adhere to them in practice. Since the training duration did not affect their knowledge scores, initial training in medical school and continuous exposure in the wards may have provided adequate BLS reinforcement. Recertification may not be needed during their formative years in medical school.
Comparative Evaluation of Completeness of Traditional Narrative versus Electronic Synoptic Operative Reports for Ovarian, Peritoneal and Fallopian Tube Cancer Surgery in a Tertiary Government Hospital
Authors: Señeris Aubrey Y. , Toral Jean Anne B.
Published: February 2021

Objective. This study aimed to compare the completeness and ease of use of narrative reports (NR) submitted by residents compared to electronic synoptic reports (SR) by gynecologic oncology fellows for patients who underwent ovarian, fallopian, and peritoneal cancer surgery.

Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology of the Philippine General Hospital from August to November 2019. We assessed the NRs and electronic SRs for completeness of data using quality indicators.

Results. The average percentage of completeness of quality indicators is 77.1% (35.7/65). Eight indicators were absent in all NRs. Reporting of residual lesions was low (29.1%). The mean time to accomplish SRs (10.4 minutes) was significantly shorter than the mean time to accomplish NRs (21.9 minutes) (p value = 0.0001). SRs were assessed to be superior to NRs in several areas of surgery for quality, completeness and timeliness.

Conclusion. This study showed that the NRs should be improved and periodic audit must be done to maintain quality assurance. The use of SR appears to be favorable and superior in terms of time required to accomplish.
Práticas de governança e futebol: um estudo em clubes do Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Nazi Régis Michels , Amboni Nério
Published: February 2021

Este artigo apresenta e analisa os resultados do estudo multicasos sobre a relação da aplicação de práticas de governança corporativa e desempenho esportivo nas seguintes agremiações de futebol profissional: GE Brasil, SER Caxias, EC Juventude e EC Pelotas entre 2012 e 2016. Por meio de análise bibliográfica, documental e entrevistas, busca-se identificar a adoção de princípios governança a partir de cinco dimensões presentes na literatura: estrutura de governança, transparência, accountability, retorno social e práticas gerenciais. Observou-se que as dimensões estrutura de governança e práticas gerenciais foram determinantes para o bom desempenho de GE Brasil e EC Juventude no período. A SER Caxias, apresentou melhora somente em 2016, enquanto que o EC Pelotas possui problemas nas dimensões preponderantes para o sucesso dos demais clubes pesquisados. Em consonância com estudos anteriores na área, percebeu-se que os clubes que adotaram práticas de governança com maior intensidade, obtiveram melhores resultados esportivos.
Information System for Registering the Result of Scientific Institution Employees’ Intellectual Activity
Authors: Vlasova Svetlana , Kalenov Nikolay
Published: February 2021

The article describes an object-oriented WEB-system designed for storing and providing various reference and statistical data on the
scientific works of employees of an institution (group of institutions), developed by specialists of the Joint Supercomputer center of Russian Academy of Sciences (JSCC RAS). The system contains information about publications of employees and reports made by them at scientific conferences, symposiums, and seminars. The system is focused on working with objects belonged to classes connected between each other, such as "author", "organization", "publication", "report", "event". The metadata profile of objects of each class includes attributes that are necessary to get detailed information about both an individual object of this class and a group of objects associated with the specified attribute values of objects of other classes. For example, you can get a list of articles by employees of a given organization published articles in a given journal for a given period of time. A distinctive feature of the system is the introduced concept of "equivalent" objects. Such objects are "persons" corresponding to the same author with different spellings of the last name in the bibliographic descriptions of publications; organizations with different versions of names; articles which are published without changes in different languages. This article describes in detail the features of the system, its user interface, and provides examples of performing
specific queries.
A 20 años de la firma de los Acuerdos de Paz en El Salvador
Authors: Gaborit Mauricio
Published: February 2021

En ocasión del veinte aniversario de la firma de los Acuerdos de Paz que pusieron fin a la guerra civil salvadoreña, se investigó lo que pensaban sobrevivientes de la guerra civil sobre la recuperación de la memoria histórica. Existe un deseo claro y mayoritario entre pobladores del área metropolitana de El Salvador y de comunidades del norte del departamento de Chalatenango, en mantener viva la memoria histórica. Las personas que manifestaron una actitud más favorable a recuperar la memoria histórica fueron: los que sufrieron un trauma psicosocial alto, los que perdieron familiares en la guerra, los pobladores del campo y las personas jóvenes. Un porcentaje alto de personas piensan con frecuencia sobre lo que pasó en la guerra. Se aborda el tema de la memoria y el olvido y las implicaciones de la petición de perdón de parte del Estado por su participación en graves violaciones de los derechos humanos.

ECA Estudios Centroamericanos, Vol. 67, No. 728, 2012: 21-39.
El Mozote
Authors: Ayala Ramírez Carlos
Published: February 2021

No abstract available.
ECA Estudios Centroamericanos, Vol. 67, No. 728, 2012: 135-148.
İzmir-Bayraklı Höyük'te Bulunan Gümüş Takılara Dair İlk Gözlemler
Authors: ÜMİT ERDEM OTMAN Aylin
Published: February 2021

Abstract Early Bronze Age Western Anatolia is characterized with the appearance of first cities and ruling class based on the archaeological evidence such as city walls, citadels and metal prestige objects. However, the precious metal objects like gold and silver have been rarely found in the Western Anatolian settlements. In this paper, we will enlighten the discovery at Bayraklı Mound (Old Smyrna) in 2019 where hoard of silver jewelry has been found in a ceramic pot in the Early Bronze Age layer. Özet Batı Anadolu’nun Erken Tunç Çağı, sur duvarları, sitadeller ve metal eserler gibi arkeolojik verilere dayanarak, ilk kentlerin ve yöneticilerin ortaya çıktığı bir dönem olarak tanımlanır. Ancak Batı Anadolu’da altın ve gümüş gibi değerli metal eserlerle ilgili veriler oldukça az sayıdadır. Bu makalede, 2019 yılında Bayraklı Höyüğü’nde bir çömlek içinde bulunan gümüş takı grubu hakkında bilgi verilecektir.
Utilization of hatchery waste meal in cassava products based broiler finisher diets
Authors: Agunbiade J. A. , Adeyemi O. A. , Salau K. O. , Taiwo A. A.
Published: February 2021

The trial reported herein investigated the use of hatchery waste meal as a replacement for fish meal in a cassava products-based broiler finisher diet. One hundred and twenty five (125) four-week old broilers were randomly allotted to five iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous experimental diets such that each dietary treatment was replicated five times with five birds /replicate. All the diets contained whole cassava root meal (WCRM) as source of energy with soybean meal (SBM) and cassava leaf meal (CLM) (plant protein sources) supplying 50% and 25% of the total dietary protein respectively. The experimental treatment consists of fishmeal (FM) and hatchery waste meal (HWM) as animal protein sources supplying the remaining 25% of the total dietary protein. Additionally, In Dier 1 (FM and HWM supplied 100.0 and 0% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 2 (FM and HWM supplied 75.00 and 25.00% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 3 (FM and HWM supplied 50.00 and 50.00% of dietary animal protein respectively), diet 4 (FM and HWM supplied 25.00% and 75.00% of dietary animal protein respectively) while in diet 5 (FM and HWM supplied 0 and 100.00% of dietary animal protein respectively).. The diets were fed over a five-week period. Average daily feed intake was not significantly affected by dietary treatments, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were however significantly affected (P< 0.05) by dietary treatment. Protein retention was significantly influenced (P<0.05) by dietary treatments. Blood biochemical indices showed that hatchery waste meal was well utilized by finishing broilers. All hatchery waste meal based diets compared very favorably with the control with Diet 3 appearing as the best with respect to performance indices and protein retention. In conclusion, the results of this experiment indicated that hatchery waste meal holds promise as a replacement for fishmeal in cassava root-cassava leaf-based diers.
Rumen degradation characteristics of two tropical forages supplemented with monensin in the rumen of N’dama Steer
Authors: Aderinboye R. Y.
Published: February 2021

Rumen degradation characteristics of Panicum maximum and Gmelina arborea forages in response to monensin supplementation were studied in a 2 x 4 factorial experiment using an Ndama fistulated steer. Monensin had no significant effect (P>0.05) on the soluble fraction 'a' of nutrients but showed reductions (P<0.05) in the degradable fractions b' of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre at 30 and 45 mg/kg DM supplementation levels relative to the control. These reductions were within the range of 45.76 - 49.52, 37.88 - 43.57, 44.60 - 45.31 and 45.18 - 46.85% for DM, CP, NDF and ADF, respectively. The potenti al degradation 'p' of DM, NDF, and ADF reduced (P<0.05) at 30 and 45 mg/kg DM while p' for CP reduced at 45 mg/kg DM. Forage type had significant effect (P<0.05) on nutrient degradation with Panicum maximum having lower nutrient degradation characteristics values than those of Gmelina arborea. While monens resulted in reduced nutrient degradation from Panicum maximum at 30 and 45 mg/kg DM, reduction in nutrients degradation from Gmelina arborea was observed only at 45 mg/kg DM. Comparatively, at similar levels of 15, 30 and 45 mg of monensin/kg DM, Panicum maximum had lower (P<0.05) degradation values to those observed for Gmelina arborea. The reduction effect of monensin on nutrient degradation from both forages suggests an inhibition of microbial digestion. This could increase rumen fill, reduce ruminal outflow rate and possibly increase the proportion of un-degradable proteins leaving the rumen for the lower tract. The particular level of monensin supplementation at which such reductions would occur depends on forage type 

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Assessment of oxidative stress indicators of West African Dwarf sheep under semi intensive management system
Authors: Jack A. A. , Jimoh O. A. , Ihejirika U. G. , Uwaeziozi U. C, , Adenekan O. O.
Published: February 2021

Oxidative stress results from increased production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species, and a decrease in antioxidant defense. This study was conducted to assess sexual dimorphism in serum biochemistry and oxidative status of West African dwarf lambs. Sixteen each of rams and ewes 8months old were randomly selected from a herd purchase from livestock market, Oyo. The average body weights of the lambs were 12.08±3.26 and 12.76kg ewes and rams, respectively. Fastened blood samples were collected from the sheep and assayed for serum biochemical, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant activity, catalase and superoxide dismutase using standard procedures, data obtained were subjected to T-test. The result indicated that both sex had similar serum biochemical indices except total protein. Ewes had significantly higher serum protein than ram. Rams had apparently higher total antioxidant activity and significantly higher serum catalase activity than ewes, while serum lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase were statistically similar in both sexes. This indicates that rams have better antioxidant activity than ewes. During oxidative stress prone conditions and environment, measures to boost antioxidant activity of ewes should be emphasized.
Effect of Daniellia oliveri leaf meal in total mixed rations on the performance of Savannah Brown goats
Authors: Suleiman A. O. , Alemede I. C. , Aremu A. , Olafadehan O. A. , Muftau M. A.
Published: February 2021

The study was carried out to determine the effect of Daniellia oliveri leaf meal (DOLM) in complete diets on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization and growth of Savannah Brown goats in a 90-day trial using the completely randomized design. Thirty-six does, with an average initial weight of 10.66 kg, were randomly divided into four groups of similar body weight (BW) and allocated to one of the four complete diets with DOLM inclusion levels at 0%, 20%, 30% and 40% respectively. Intakes of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM), and cost/kg BW gain were higher (p<0.05) in the control diet than in the treatment diets. Intake of crude protein (CP) was higher (p<0.05) for the control diet compared to the 30 and 40% DOLM diets. Feed conversion ratio and faecal nitrogen excretion of animals on 20% DOLM diet were lower (p<0.05) than other diets. Final body weight, total weight gain and average daily weight gain were not (p>0.05) affected by the diets. Digestibility of DM and CP, and nitrogen balance of animals on 0 and 20% DOLM diets were higher than those on 30 and 40% DOLM. Digestibility of OM and crude fibre was lowest (p<0.05) for the control diet relative to other diets. Nitrogen intakes (NI) of 0 and 40% DOLM diets were lower (p<0.05) compared to those of 20 and 30% DOLM diets. Nitrogen absorbed (NA) and nitrogen retention (as % of NA) were marginal (p<0.05) for 30% DOLM diet relative to other diets Nitrogen retention (as % of NI) was highest and lowest (p<0.05) for 20%DOLM diet, and 30 and 40% DOLM diets respectively. The study shows that Daniellia oliveri leaf meal can be used up to 40% inclusion level to replace 100% of maize offal in the diet of Savannah Brown goats without adversely affecting the performance of the animals.
Chemical composition of camel (Camelus dromedarius) milk as affected by parity and seasons under pastoral production systems in north-west, Nigeria
Authors: Ghude M. I. , Maigandi S. A. , Muhammad I. R. , Alkali H. A.
Published: February 2021

One hundred and seven camels and twelve lactating camel cows were used in a such comprising three seasons (wet, cold-dry and hot-dry) and three purities (one, three and five). The study was conducted using a 3 x 3 factorial in a completely randomized design. Four animals were selected in each parity level and were at early stage of lactation. The calving time and health status of the animals were carefully examined before selection. Milk samples were analyzed for chemical composition. The mean chemical composition of the milk obtained indicated significantly (P<0.05) higher total solids, solid non far, far, ash and viscosity in hot-dry season, however no significant (P>0.05) difference existed in the pH and density while lactose level of milk was significantly (P<0.05) higher in cold-dry season respectively. It is concluded that there is lower fat content in camel milk compared to other dairy animals despite the feed and water challenges during hot season.
Surgical management of a case of subcutaneous abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus in adult White Fulani cow
Authors: Sogebi E. A. O. , Talabi O. A. , Salami I. O. , Eze C. A.
Published: February 2021

A White Fulani cow whose record reveals three-year old, weighing about 350kg belonging to DUFARMS of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta was presented with a swelling on the left flank. Clinical evaluation of the animal revealed the following: rectal temperature, 38.2°C, heart rate, 60bpm and respiratory rate, 35bpm. A rectangular shaped mass, soft and warm to touch was palpated on the left flank. Pus was aspirated from the swelling with a sterile needle and syringe, and taken for biogram. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the aspirate which was sensitive to antibiotic, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and gentamycin (Table 1). Total surgical extirpation of the encapsulated abscess was carried out aseptically under sedation and local anaesthesia and managed chemotherapeutically using antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory agents post operatively.
Performance of Laying Hens Fed Sorghum Based Diets Supplemented with Enzymes
Authors: Agunbiade O. M. , Onimisi P. A. , Omage J. J.
Published: February 2021

Sorghum is the primary alternative feedstuff for corn in some developed countries in the production of poultry. Thus, four hundred and fifty 32 weeks old Lohmann Brown laying hens were used in a study to evaluate the effect of replacing maize with sorghum with or without enzymes supplementation, on egg laying performance and egg quality characteristics of laying hens. Birds were distributed randomly into six dietary treatments with three replicates per treatment, each replicate had 25 birds with uniform initial group weights. The treatments included maize without enzymes (T1); sorghum without enzymes (T2); as controls respectively, while T3, T4, T5, and T6 contained sorghum based diets with phytase, protease, G2G, and a combination of protease and G2G respectively. Laying performance, cost of production, and egg quality characteristics were determined for the period of the trial, 33-56 weeks of age of the birds. All data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance, using the completely randomized design (CRD) and significant differences among treatment means were compared using the Tukey test. Significant (p<0.05) differences were observed among dietary treatments but with no defined trend observed for egg production traits. Daily feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) higher in maize control diet compared to the other treatments. Diets supplemented with phytase (T3), protease (14), and combination of protease and roxazyme G2G (T6) had significantly (p<0.05) better feed conversion ratio with T3 having the lowest value of 4.01 compared to the other treatments. For feed cost/dozen egg (N), Kg feed/dozen eggs, income above feed cost at N30 per egg, and income above control treatment; phytase (T3), protease (T4), roxazyme 626 (T5), and protease + roxacyme G2G (T6) diets in this study showed better performance than the control. Sorghum diet without enzyme had significantly (p<0.05) least performance for egg number. Hen housed egg production (HHP) and hen day egg production (HDP) compared to the other treatments while sorghum diet with phytase had the highest value (60.12g/day) for average egg weight compared to the other treatments. Egg quality characteristics showed the best performance for dietary treatments supplemented with phytase (T3) in all the other parameters considered, apart from the albumen height, yolk diameter, and yolk index. It was concluded therefore, that sorghum with phytase and protease supplementations can be used in layers' diets as a substitute for maize for optimum egg production.
Determinants of biosecurity utilisation among small scale broiler farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria
Authors: Oluwasusi J. O. , Nwosu K. R. , Olajuyigbe B. F.
Published: February 2021

Predictors of biosecurity utilization among broiler farmers are of concern on the need for guaranteed safe meat supply to consumers, guarding against epidemics and sustainability of profitable poultry enterprise. Therefore, this study looked into the determinants of biosecurity utilization among broiler farmers in Ekiti State. Multistage and random sampling techniques were used to select 135 respondents for the study; data were collected using structured interview schedule, frequency counts, percentages, PPMC' and linear regression. Majority (60.7%) of the respondents was males, young (31-40years), more than half (51.1% and 53.3%) were married and had poultry as their primary occupation. Majority (67.4% and 65.9%) always sourced information on biosecurity practices from friends and had high level of biosecurity awareness. Non-compliance of visitors with parking of cars away from the poultry house was rated as a very serious constraint to biosecurity utilization. Level of education (β=0.621), poultry experience (β=0.416), membership of organization (β=0.511), income level (β=0.401), awareness of biosecurity (β=0.317) and constraints to biosecurity utilization (β=0.266) were contributors to utilization of biosecurity for broiler production. Hence, further information on biosecurity practices for broiler production and how the respondents can market their broilers effectively should be provided by public extension agents and channeled through poultry association.
Gut morphology, meat yield and sensory properties of laying hens fed water hyacinth {Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms-Laubach} meal diets supplemented with Maxigrain® enzyme
Authors: Malik A. A. , Aremu A. , Ayanwale B. A. , Ijaiya A. T. , Ibrahim B. A.
Published: February 2021

In an experiment to determine the effect of feeding varying levels of water Hyacinth Meal (WHM) supplemented with and without exogenous enzymes (Maxigrain®) on the gut morphology, meat yield and sensor properties of laying hens, a total of 216 laying hens aged 24 weeks and 4 weeks in lay were used. Six experimental diets were formulated based on the Completely Randomized Design model using a 2r3 factorial arrangement made up of no levels of enzyme (No enzyme, With enzyme) and three dietary inclusion levels of WHM (0.10 and 20%). At the end of the feeding trial, two birds per replicate were randomly selected, kept of feed for 12 hours, slaughtered, defeathered, eviscerated and dressed. The meat of the breast and thigh of each replicate sample were then selected for sensory evaluation. All parameters were expressed as percentage of live weight. Results showed that there were no significant (p>0.05) differences in live weight(LW), slaughter weight (SW), defeathered weight(DIN), eviscerated weight (EW) and dressed weight (DW) between birds fed diets supplemented with exogenous enzymes and those without exogenous enzyme supplementation and between birds fed the varying dietary inclusion levels of WHM (0,10 and 20%). Also, there were no significant (p>0.05) differences in the weight of the head, neck, breast, back, thigh, drumsticks, wings and shanks between the birds fed diets supplemented with exogenous enzymes and those without exogenous enzyme supplementation; and between the birds fed the varying dietary inclusion levels of WHM (0. 10 and 20% ). Of all the internal organs assessed, only the gizzard weight was significantly (P<0.05) higher for the non-enzyme-supplemented diets than for the enzyme-supplemented diets. There were no significant (p>0.05) differences in appearance, flavour juiciness, tenderness and overall acceptability between the meat of birds fed diets supplemented with exogenous enzymes and those without exogenous enzyme supplementation, but the meat of birds fed 10 and 20% dietary inclusion levels of WHM had significantly (p<0.05) higher scores for tenderness and general acceptability than the meat of birds fed the 0% dietary inclusion levels of WHM. Hence, WHM can be included up to 20% in layer diets for optimal meat yield, gut morphology and sensory properties.
Socio-economic characteristics of camel (Camelus dromedarius) marketers in Mai'adua livestock market, Katsina State, Nigeria
Authors: Ghude M. I. , Maigandi S. A. , Muhammad I. R. , Alkali H. A.
Published: February 2021

The study was conducted to assess the socio-economic characteristics of camel marketers at Mai'adua livestock market in Katsina state. Random technique methods were used to select 45 marketers and an interview was used to generate the information. All the correspondents were males and married. Majority (46.67%) were between the age category of 35-40 years and only 11.11% were 55 years and above. Majority (75.56%) attended Qur'anic schools. Niger republic was the major source of the camels as indicated by 68.89% of the respondents while 17.78% and 11.11% indicated Katsina and Jigawa states respectively. Among the animal brought to the marker for sales males out-numbered the females while in the frequency of sales, females out-numbered the males because of variation in prices as indicated by 71.17% and 55.5% of the respondents respectively. Majority of the camels purchased were transported to Kano main abattoir for slaughter: There was variation in prices between males and females, stages of growth and development and physiological status. Camel calf (male) had a high price of N70,000 and above while that of female costs N60,000 and above, bull and heifer are sold at a minimum of N90,000 to N95,000 and N70.000 to N75,000 while old camel bull and cow were sold at medium price of between N160,000-N165,000 and N130,000-N135,000 respectively. However; (53.33%) of the respondents indicated lack of weighing devices as a major constraint and most (46.67%) indicated inconsistency in pricing among others. I seasonal variation was said to determine the demand. During early rain' season, farmers purchased male camel bulls for farming activities as indicated by the respondents (40.00%). Lack of awareness on the importance of camel meat also posed a constraint as camel meat was widely consumed (73.33%) in the area. Cost of camels increased during Eid-El-Kabir as indicated by 44.44%. The study reported information on marketing, sources, uses and destination of camels respectively.
Whole Unfermented African Locust Bean (WUALBF) Flour (Parkia biglobosa) as Non-Conventional Extender in Frankfurter-type Sausage
Authors: Attoh-Kotoku V. , Olusola O. O. , Osafo F. , Omojola A. B.
Published: February 2021

Frankfurter-type sausages were produced using Whole Unfermented African Locust Bean Flour (WUALBF) to substitute Ground Beef (GB) in the product formulation at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% respectively. Dried African Locust bean seeds (Parkia biglobosa) were obtained from the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Kumasi, Ghana. They were cooked overnight to soften the testa, which was carefully removed by pressing between palms and separated by swirling in water bath through a colander of 25mm sieve diameter: The resultant beans were sun dried, milled into flour for incorporation into the sausage formulations. Protein, fibre and cooking yield increased significantly (P<0.05) with increasing use of WUALBF while moisture, ash, fat and cooking loss reduced significantly (P>0.05). Sensory evaluation revealed very high score (P<0.05) for formulations with 5% WUALBF for taste, flavor, mouth-feel and Overall Acceptability (OA). The use of WUALBF had no significant effect (P>0.05) on appearance, tenderness, juiciness and pH of the product. Production cost reduced by 6.5%, 12.92% 24.32% and 29.60% respectively when using 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% WUALBF in Frankfurter-type sausages. The results suggest that WUALBF has promising potential as a non-conventional extender in Frankfurter-type Sausage.
Spectral correction of turbulent energy damping on wind lidar measurements due to spatial averaging
Authors: Puccioni Matteo , Iungo Giacomo Valerio
Published: February 2021

Abstract. Continuous advancements in pulsed wind lidar technology have enabled compelling wind turbulence measurements within the atmospheric boundary layer with probe lengths shorter than 20 m and sampling frequency on the order of 10 Hz. However, estimates of the radial velocity from the back-scattered lidar signal are inevitably affected by an averaging process within each probe volume, generally modeled as a convolution between the true velocity projected along the lidar line-of-sight and an unknown weighting function representing the energy distribution of the laser pulse along the probe length. As a result, the spectral energy of the turbulent velocity fluctuations is damped within the inertial subrange, thus not allowing one to take advantage of the achieved spatio-temporal resolution of the lidar technology. We propose to correct the turbulent energy damping on the lidar measurements by reversing the effect of a low-pass filter, which can be estimated directly from the power spectral density of the along-beam velocity component. Lidar data acquired from three different field campaigns are analyzed to describe the proposed technique, investigate the variability of the filter parameters and, for one dataset, assess the corrected velocity variance against sonic anemometer data. It is found that the order of the low-pass filter used for modeling the energy damping on the lidar velocity measurements has negligible effects on the correction of the second-order statistics of the wind velocity. In contrast, the cutoff wavenumber plays a significant role in spectral correction encompassing the smoothing effects connected with the lidar probe length. Furthermore, the variability of the spatial averaging on wind lidar measurements is investigated for different wind speed, turbulence intensity, and sampling height. The results confirm that the effects of spatial averaging are enhanced with decreasing wind speed, smaller integral length scale and, thus, for smaller sampling height. The method proposed for the correction of the second-order turbulent statistics of wind-velocity lidar data is a compelling alternative to existing methods because it does not require any input related to the technical specifications of the used lidar system, such as the energy distribution over the laser pulse and lidar probe length. On the other hand, the proposed method assumes that surface-layer similarity holds.
Physiological responses of Skeletonema costatum to the interactions of seawater acidification and the combination of photoperiod and temperature
Authors: Li Hangxiao , Xu Tianpeng , Ma Jing , Li Futian , Xu Juntian
Published: February 2021

Abstract. Ocean acidification (OA), which is a major environmental change caused by
increasing atmospheric CO2, has considerable influences on marine
phytoplankton. But few studies have investigated interactions of OA and
seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod on marine diatoms. In the
present study, a marine diatom Skeletonema costatum was cultured
under two different CO2 levels (LC, 400 µatm; HC,
1000 µatm) and three different combinations of temperature and
photoperiod length (8:16 L:D with 5 ∘C, 12:12
L:D with 15 ∘C, 16:8 L:D with
25 ∘C), simulating different seasons in typical temperate oceans, to
investigate the combined effects of these factors. The results showed that
specific growth rate of S. costatum increased with increasing
temperature and day length. However, OA showed contrasting effects on growth
and photosynthesis under different combinations of temperature and day length:
while positive effects of OA were observed under spring and autumn conditions,
it significantly decreased growth (11 %) and photosynthesis (21 %) in
winter. In addition, OA alleviated the negative effect of low temperature and
short day length on the abundance of RbcL and key photosystem II (PSII)
proteins (D1 and D2). These data indicated that future ocean acidification may
show differential effects on diatoms in different clusters of other factors.
Atmospheric radiative profiles during EUREC4A
Authors: Albright Anna Lea , Fildier Benjamin , Touzé-Peiffer Ludovic , Pincus Robert , Vial Jessica , Muller Caroline
Published: February 2021

Abstract. The couplings among clouds, convection, and circulation in trade-wind regimes remain a fundamental puzzle that limits our ability to constrain future climate change. Radiative heating plays an important role in these couplings. Here we calculate clear-sky radiative profiles from 2580 in situ soundings (1068 dropsondes and 1512 radiosondes) collected during the field campaign EUREC4A (Elucidating the role of clouds–circulation coupling in climate). EUREC4A took place in the downstream trades of the western tropical Atlantic in January–February 2020. We describe the method used to calculate these cloud-free, aerosol-free radiative profiles. We then present preliminary results sampling variability at multiple scales, from the variability across all soundings to groupings by diurnal cycle and mesoscale organization, as well as individual soundings associated with elevated moisture layers. We also perform an uncertainty assessment and find that the errors resulting from uncertainties in observed sounding profiles and ERA5 reanalysis employed as upper and lower boundary conditions are small. The present radiative profile data set can provide important additional details missing from calculations based on passive remote sensing and aid in understanding the interplay of radiative heating with dynamic and thermodynamic variability in the trades. The data set can also be used to investigate the role of low-level radiative cooling gradients in generating shallow circulations. All data are archived and freely available for public access on AERIS (Albright et al., 2020a, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25326/78).
A climate service for ecologists: sharing pre-processed EURO-CORDEX regional climate scenario data using the eLTER Information System
Authors: Rennie Susannah , Goergen Klaus , Wohner Christoph , Apweiler Sander , Peterseil Johannes , Watkins John
Published: February 2021

Abstract. eLTER was a “Horizon 2020” project with the aim of
advancing the development of long-term ecosystem research infrastructure in
Europe. This paper describes how eLTER Information System infrastructure has
been expanded by a climate service data product providing access to
specifically pre-processed regional climate change scenario data from a
state-of-the-art regional climate model ensemble of the Coordinated Regional
Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) for 702 registered ecological
research sites across Europe. This tailored, expandable, easily accessible
dataset follows FAIR principles and allows researchers to describe the
climate at these sites, explore future projections for different climate
change scenarios and make regional climate change assessments and impact
studies. The data for each site are available for download from the EUDAT
collaborative data infrastructure B2SHARE service and can be easily accessed
and visualised through the Dynamic Ecological Information Management System
– Site and Dataset Registry (DEIMS-SDR), a web-based information management
system which shares detailed information and metadata on ecological research
sites around the globe. This paper describes these data and how they can be
accessed by users through the extended eLTER Information System
architecture. The data and supporting information are available from B2SHARE. Each
individual site (702 sites are available) dataset has its own DOI. To aid
data discovery, a persistent B2SHARE lookup table has been created which
matches the DOIs of the individual B2SHARE record with each DEIMS site ID.
This lookup table is available at https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.bf41278d91b445bda4505d5b1eaac26c (eLTER
EURO-CORDEX Climate Service, 2020).
Bedrock River Erosion through Dipping Layered Rocks: Quantifying
Erodibility through Kinematic Wave Speed
Authors: Mitchell Nate A. , Yanites Brian J.
Published: February 2021

Abstract. Landscape morphology reflects drivers such as tectonics and climate but is also modulated by underlying rock properties. While geomorphologists may attempt to quantify the influence of rock strength through direct comparisons of landscape morphology and rock strength metrics, recent work has shown that the contact migration resulting from the presence of mixed lithologies may hinder such an approach. Indeed, this work counterintuitively suggests channel slopes within weaker units can sometimes be higher than channel slopes within stronger units. Here, we expand upon previous work with 1-D stream power numerical models in which we have created a system for quantifying contact migration over time. Although previous studies have developed theory for bedrock rivers incising through layered stratigraphy, we can now scrutinize this theory with contact migration rates measured in our models. Our results show that previously developed theory is generally robust and that contact migration rates reflect the pattern of kinematic wave speed across the profile. Furthermore, we have developed and tested a new approach for estimating kinematic wave speeds. This approach utilizes stream steepness, a known base level fall rate, and contact dips. Importantly, we demonstrate how this new approach can be combined with previous work to estimate erodibility values. We demonstrate this approach by accurately estimating the erodibility values used in our numerical models. After this demonstration, we use our approach to estimate erodibility values for a stream near Hanksville, UT. Because we show in our numerical models that one can estimate the erodibility of the unit with lower steepness, the erodibilities we estimate for this stream in Utah are likely representative of mudstone and/or siltstone. The methods we have developed can be applied to streams with temporally constant base level fall, opening new avenues of research within the field of geomorphology.
A fully coupled Arctic sea-ice–ocean–atmosphere model (ArcIOAM v1.0) based on C-Coupler2: model description and preliminary results
Authors: Ren Shihe , Liang Xi , Sun Qizhen , Yu Hao , Tremblay L. Bruno , Lin Bo , Mai Xiaoping , Zhao Fu , Li Ming , Liu Na , Chen Zhikun , Zhang Yunfei
Published: February 2021

Abstract. The Arctic regional coupled sea-ice–ocean–atmosphere
model (ArcIOAM) has been developed to provide reliable Arctic sea ice
prediction on seasonal timescales. The description and implementation of
ArcIOAM and its preliminary results for the year of 2012 are presented in
this paper. In the ArcIOAM configuration, the Community Coupler 2
(C-Coupler2) is used to couple the Arctic sea-ice–oceanic configuration of
the MITgcm (Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model)
with the Arctic atmospheric configuration of the Polar WRF (Weather Research
and Forecasting) model. A scalability test is performed to investigate the
parallelization of the coupled model. As the first step toward reliable
Arctic seasonal sea ice prediction, ArcIOAM, implemented with two-way
coupling strategy along with one-way coupling strategy, is evaluated with
respect to available observational data and reanalysis products for the year
of 2012. A stand-alone MITgcm run with prescribed atmospheric forcing is
performed for reference. From the comparison, all the experiments simulate
reasonable evolution of sea ice and ocean states in the Arctic region over a
1-year simulation period. The two-way coupling has better performance in
terms of sea ice extent, concentration, thickness and sea surface temperature (SST), especially in
summer. This result indicates that sea-ice–ocean–atmosphere interaction
plays a crucial role in controlling Arctic summertime sea ice distribution.