Genetic characterization of the Aceh cattle using phenotypic, mitochondrial DNA of D-loop region and microsatellite DNA analyses

The present study reports the phenotypic variation of body weight and body size, the genetic variation of D-loop of mtDNA and microsatellite DNA allele in Aceh cattle in Indonesia within the frame of the design of a conservation programme for this indigenous species. Aceh cattle differ from Bali, Madura, Java-Ongole and Pesisir cattle, but its ancestry relates it closest to Pesisir, thus adding more information to its entry from the Indian sub-continent.     

Effect of increasing pre-pubertal concentrate levels on reproductive and lactation performance of Nili-Ravi Buffalo heifers

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing total nutrient supply by increasing level of concentrate supplementation in forage-based diet of growing Nili-Ravi buffalo replacement heifers on pre-pubertal growth rate and its impact on age at puberty and post-pubertal productive and reproductive performance. Twenty-eight Nili-Ravi buffalo heifers of 7 ± 1 month age were divided into 3 groups. The treatments were 3 levels of concentrate (crude protein (CP) = 17.9%, metabolisable energy (ME) = 2.66 Mcal/kg), i.e. 0.5, 1, and 1.5% of the body weight referred as low, medium, and high treatments, respectively. Irrespective of pre-pubertal treatment, all the heifers received similar feed after puberty up to completion of their first lactation. The results of the study showed a similar response across the treatments in age, weight, and condition at puberty, weight at calving, lactation length, and yield. The medium and high treatments resulted in poor reproductive performance because of higher services per conception and less number of heifers confirmed conceived compared with low treatment. The low treatment resulted in less mortality compared with medium and high treatments. The feeding cost per animal at puberty, conception, and calving was lowest for treatment low as compared with medium and high. In conclusion, the results of the study showed that Nili-Ravi buffalo heifers achieved puberty at 23 months with feeding of concentrate (CP = 17.9%, ME = 2.66 Mcal/kg) during pre-pubertal stage at the rate of 0.5% of the body weight with better reproductive performance.

     

Cefotaxime pharmacokinetics in Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) calves after single intravenous injection

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Cefotaxime is a third-generation broad-spectrum cephalosporin acting on a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, the...     

Effect of feeding Acacia nilotica pods to sheep on nutrient digestibility,nitrogen balance,ruminal protozoa and rumen enzymes activity

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplying two levels of Acacia nilotica (A. nilotica) pods to rations of sheep on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and rumen liquor parameters (pH, total protozoa count, protein concentration and enzymes activity). Twelve mature rams (50 ± 1.25 kg B.W.) were distributed into three groups, each with four rams. Animals in group one were considered as a control which fed a basal diet, consisting of concentrate mixture and Egyptian clover. The second group and the third one received the same basal diet with supplying the concentrate mixture by 1.5% and 3.0% of A. nilotica pods meal respectively. The experiment lasted for 3 weeks. It was found that supplementation of A. nilotica pods to the concentrate mixture at a rate of 1.5% and 3.0% significantly improved the total feed intake compared to the control. The digestibility of dry matter and crude fibre was significantly reduced with A. nilotica supplements, whereas the digestibility of crude protein was significantly improved. All of nitrogen intake and N‐retained were significantly increased in rams fed on concentrates with 1.5% and 3.0% A.  nilotica pods when compared to the control. The pH of ruminal fluid was not affected by the dietary treatments. Nevertheless, the total rumen protozoa count was significantly decreased in A. nilotica pods supplemented groups. Also, the rumen protein concentration and the ruminal enzymes activity, especially α‐amylase, cellulase and protease, were lower in A. nilotica pods supplemented treatments. In conclusions, inclusion of low levels of A. nilotica pods (1.5% and 3.0%) in the concentrates can be used as a natural protein protectant in ruminants by forming tannin protein complexes in the rumen to maximize the amino acids available in the lower digestive tract. Also, these levels can increase the protein digestibility as well as the N‐retained in the body .     

Historical profile of gender in Turkish veterinary education

Women in Turkey were first given the opportunity to attend schools of higher education in 1914. Following the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923, a number of social, judicial, and economic reforms took place that enabled women to participate actively in both the public and private sectors, and, as a consequence, the number of women students in higher education increased rapidly. The first woman graduated from the veterinary school in Ankara in 1935, becoming the first female veterinarian in the country. Since that time, the number of female veterinary graduates in Turkey has steadily increased.     

Effect of palm kernel cake as protein source in a concentrate diet on intake, digestibility and live weight gain of goats fed Napier grass

The effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) as a protein source in a concentrate diet (comprising 35 % crushed maize, 30 % rice bran, 32 % PKC, 2 % vitamin mineral premix and 1 % salt) were examined on intake, live weight (LW) gain and digestibility in female goats (average LW of 12.4?±?2.6 kg). Four goats were randomly allocated to each of the four treatment diets: (a) Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) offered ad libitum (T1), (b) T1 + concentrate at 0.5 % of LW (T2), (c) T1 + concentrate at 1.0 % of LW (T3) and (d) T1 + concentrate at 2.0 % of LW (T4). A 7-day digestibility trial and an 82-day growth experiment were conducted. No differences were observed among diets for intakes of roughage dry matter (DM), total DM, organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). The crude protein (CP) intake increased (P?<?0.05) as the level of concentrate in the diets increased. Goats fed the T2, T3 and T4 diets gained 10.2, 34.1 and 52.5 g/head/day, respectively, while the control group (T1) lost weight (?12.7 g/head/day). The apparent digestibilities of DM, OM and CP were similar (P?>?0.05) among treatments. The digestibility of dietary NDF decreased (P?<?0.05) with increasing levels of concentrate, but there was no significant (P?>?0.05) difference between T2 and T3 diets. Supplementing a basal diet of Napier grass with PKC-based concentrate improved CP intake and LW gain. The PKC-based concentrate diet can therefore be exploited for the use of local feed resources for goat production; however, further research is required to achieve the best growth response.     

Protective efficacy of H5 inactivated vaccines in meat turkey poults after challenge with Egyptian variant highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus

In contrast to chickens, there is a paucity of information on the potency of H5 vaccines to protect turkeys against the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus infections. In this study, 4 groups, 10 turkey poults each, were vaccinated at seven days old with one of H5N2 or H5N1 commercial vaccines or one of two prepared H5N1 vaccines from a local Egyptian variant HPAI H5N1 (EGYvar/H5N1) strain. At 35 days age, all vaccinated and 10 non vaccinated birds were challenged intranasal with 10(6) EID(50)/0.1 ml of EGYvar/H5N1. All vaccines used in this study were immunogenic in turkeys. There was no cross reaction between the commercial vaccines and the Egyptian variant H5N1 antigen as obtained by the hemagglutination inhibition test. Birds vaccinated with H5N2 vaccine were died, while other H5N1 vaccinated groups have had 20-40% mortality. The highest virus excretion was found in non-vaccinated infected and H5N2 vaccinated birds. Eleven peculiar amino acid substitutions in H5 protein of the variant strain were existed neither in the vaccine strains nor in the earliest H5N1 virus introduced into Egypt in 2006. In conclusion, single vaccination at seven days old is inadequate for protection of meat turkeys against variant HPAI H5N1 challenge and multi-dose vaccination at older age is recommended. For the foreseeable future, continuous evaluation of the current vaccines in H5N1 endemic countries in the face of virus evolution is a paramount challenge to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the virus.     

Impact of Ambient Air Pollution on Locally Grown Rice Cultivars (Oryza Sativa L.) in Malaysia

This study presents the first experimental evidence of the sensitivity of rice plants to ambient air pollution from the Southeast Asian tropical region. Two widely adopted local cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L.), MR84 and MR185, were grown in open top chambers ventilated with charcoal-filtered air and non filtered air, and in adjacent open plots on the campus of University Putra Malaysia. This is located on the south side of the Klang Valley, a rapidly developing area embracing Kuala Lumpur and other satellite cities, but where agriculture remains important The experimental period was from October 2000 to January 2001, corresponding to the main rice growing season in peninsular Malaysia. Adverse impacts on rice growth and yield were observed and were attributed to phytotoxic levels of ambient ozone. There was a clear difference in the sensitivity of the two selected cultivars. A yield reduction of 6.3% was observed for cultivar MR185 (p < 0.01) which was largely due to an increase in grain sterility, whilst the yield reduction for cultivar MR84 was not statistically significant. The reasons for these differing responses are discussed, and a comparison of the present findings with crop responses to ozone found under European conditions suggests a higher sensitivity in our study crops. With increasing industrialisation and urbanisation, this study highlights the need for further examination of the sensitivity of a wider range of crops and cultivars to ambient air pollution in this region, and also points to the potential for appropriate cultivar selection to ameliorate impacts.     

Evaluating ligand-receptor networks of TGF-beta with membrane computing

Ligand-Receptor Networks of TGF-beta plays essential role in transmitting a wide range of extracellular signals that affect many cellular processes such as cell growth. However, the modeling of these networks with conventional approach such as ordinary differential equations has not taken into account, the spatial structure and stochastic behavior of processes involve in these networks. Membrane computing as the alternatives approach provides spatial structure for molecular computation in which processes are evaluated in a non-deterministic and maximally parallel way. This study is carried out to evaluate the membrane computing model of Ligand-Receptor Networks of TGF-beta with model checking approach. The results show that membrane computing model has sustained the behaviors and properties of Ligand-Receptor Networks of TGF-beta. This reinforce that membrane computing is capable in analyzing processes and behaviors in hierarchical structure of cell such as Ligand-Receptor Networks of TGF-beta better than the deterministic approach of conventional mathematical models.     

Multi-temporal analysis of terrestrial laser scanning data to detect basal stem rot in oil palm trees

Terrestrial laser scanning technology is an advanced active remote sensing ranging method that is well suited for yielding high-resolution scans of the morphology of a tree, which is an indicator of the health of the plant. The Ganoderma boninense fungus causes basal stem rot (BSR), which threatens the oil palm industry in Malaysia. To date, the current practice of inspection in a plantation is conducted every 6 months. Monitoring the progress with a closer gap is required to comprehend if any changes can be seen earlier than 6 months. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify the most suitable parameters of the oil palm trees to detect the BSR disease based on temporal laser scanning data and to identify suitable time frames for monitoring the progress of the symptoms of the disease. Terrestrial laser scanning data was used to analyse changes in the crown and frond metrics of oil palm trees with two different scan durations i.e., 2- and 4-months after the first scan. This spatio-temporal data is important in the precision agriculture field for better oil palm management, to understand the disease development for long-term solutions and also to provide a fast response so that appropriate treatment can be given to the palm as early as possible. Statistical analyses, i.e., the Kruskal–Wallis test with α?=?0.05 and the Wilcoxon post-hoc test, were conducted to determine significant differences in the parameters at different points in time. The results show that crown strata number 17 (850 cm from the top) and the crown area were the most suitable parameters to be used. Furthermore, the oil palm trees with BSR can be detected by comparing the 4-month scan or the second 2-month scan. The results have shown that the effect of Ganoderma boninense infection can be differentiated at the later stage. In conclusion, the changes can be measured at 4-months after the first inspection, thus helping to preventing crop losses.