Molds and mycotoxins in poultry feeds from farms of potential mycotoxicosis

Forty five finished poultry feed samples, collected from different broilers, broiler breeders and layers farms were divided into two parts, for mycological and mycotoxins examination. In counting of molds, dilute plate technique was used, whereas feed parts were used for mycotoxin estimation, they were subjected to four standard kits of Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin, T-2 toxin and Fumonisins. Mold counts were around 105 cfu.g-1 sample. Fourteen mold genera were recovered. From the systematic point of view, 2 genera belonged to Zygomycetes (i.e. Mucor, Rhizopus,), 1 genus belong to Ascomycetes (i.e. Eurotium); the majority, within so-called mitotic fungi (formerly Deuteromycetes), encompassed 11 genera (i.e. Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Scopulariopsis,, Trichothecium, Ulocladium and Aerobasidium). The most frequent fungi were those from the genus Aspergillus. The concentrations of the four analyzed mycotoxins in the poultry finished feeds, and the percentages of the recovered mycotoxins, revealed that aflatoxins was recovered in 91.1% of the examined samples, with a mean value of 179.1µg/kg. The same percentage was found with Ochratoxins, but with lower mean concentration of 159.4µg/kg. In the third order were Fumonisins mycotoxins were in the third order, and they were recovered in 51.1% of the tested samples with a mean value of 127µg/kg. In the fourth order was T-2 toxin, with a percentage of 2.2% and a value of 50.0µg/kg

Managing Logistics Activities for Improving Business Performance

This paper examines the relationships between three logistics activities: customer service, warehouse management, and distribution activity on business performance. The research adopts a quantitative research approach. A survey was utilized to assess managing logistics activities and business performance and evaluate the created research hypotheses. The author tests the hypotheses with a sample in Nawras Company in Erbil with SmartPLS version 4.0 to evaluate and process the data. The results show that the three logistics activities positively related to business performance. The research guides logistics managers in understanding how logistics activities enhance business performance. This research is one of the scholarly works to uncover the logistics activities performed by the company rather than outsourcing logistics activities for enhancing business performance in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

Mycofix ameliorative effect on Newcastle disease antibody production in broiler chickens during aflatoxicosis

Three experiments were conducted to elucidate the alleviation effects of Mycofix plus 3.0 on Newcastle antibody formation during aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens. Three levels of Mycofix (0.05%, 0.15%, and 0.25%) and aflatoxin (2.5ppm, 3.5ppm, and 5ppm) were used. Chickens were vaccinated at 8 and 18 days of age. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Haemagglutination inhibition tests were employed for determination Newcastle antibody titers at 28 days. The results showed that, Mycofix , and only at its high level of addition (0.25%) was effective in ameliorating the negative effect of aflatoxin at the rates 2.5ppm and 3.5 ppm levels of inclusion on antibody production but not at the high level of 5ppm on antibody production, comparing with titers in control groups

Effectiveness and costeffectiveness of screening immigrants schemes for tuberculosis (TB) on arrival from high TB endemic countries to low TB prevalent countries

Background:Immigrants to developed countries are a major source of TB. Therefore amongst strategies adopted for TB control in developed countries include; 1) Screening immigrants at ports of entry referred to as “Port of Arrival Screening” (PoA) and 2) Passive screening (PS) for TB which means screening immigrants through general practices, hospitals, chest-clinics and emergency departments. Evidence of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of these strategies is not consistent.Objective:Evaluate efficiency of active PoA TB screening for immigrants from TB endemic-regions compared with Passive Screening of immigrant-populations from TB endemic-regions.Methods:Major electronic-databases and reference lists of relevant studies were searched. Experts of immigrants’ TB screening were contacted for additional studies published or unpublished.Systematic search of major databases identified only retrospective cohort-studies. Their qualities were assessed using Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) methodological checklist for comparative cohort-studies.Results:Systematic electronic searches identified 1443 citations. Of these 74 studies were retrieved for evaluation against the review’s inclusion/exclusion criteria (see study inclusion/exclusion criteria). Four studies met the inclusion criteria (figure 2) which were low in the evidence hierarchy of primary effectiveness studies and had heterogeneities between them. Thus descriptive data-synthesis was performed.Proportionately PoA screening had the lowest percentage of receipt of tuberculin skin test (TST) and the highest percentage of non-attendance for TST reading (table 2). Active PoA screening reduced infectiousness by 34% compared to 30% by passive screening and new entrants screened at PoA were 80% less likely to be hospitalised Odds ratio (OR) = 0.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1 – 0.2).Economic analysis:One cost effectiveness analysis was found that compared the costs of; active PoA screening, general practice screening and homeless screening groups. The cost of detecting a case of TB were; £1.26, £13.17and £96.36 for PS, homeless screening and active PoA screening respectively. The cost of preventing a case of TB were; £6.32, £23.00 and £10.00 for PS, homeless screening and PoA screening respectively, showing there is little difference between the different strategies.Conclussion:Active PoA screening is worth doing with significant benefits including early identification of risk groups with possible timely treatment/chemoprophylaxis intervention, prevention of transmission by significantly reducing infectiousness with subsequent avoidance of hospitalisation in active PoA screening group

Detection of streptomycin residues in local meat of bovine and ovine

From meat retails in Mosul province, forty-five meat samples of local ovine and bovine (23 bovine samples and 22 ovine samples) were collected. The period of collection was during November 2010 to May 2011, by means of multistage random sampling for detection of streptomycin residues. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detection of streptomycin residues. The results revealed that eleven ovine meat samples (50%) were positive to streptomycin residue, with a mean value 35.06 µg kg-1, while 14 bovine meat samples (60.86%) were positive to residual streptomycin with a mean value 59.56 µg kg-1. From the results, it is clear that all tested meat samples (ovine and bovine) were safe enough for human consumption

Porokeratosis ptychotropica: a rare case report with unusual presentation

Porokeratosis is a rare disorder of epidermal keratinization characterized clinically by annular plaque with thread like hyperkeratotic border with a central groove that expand centrifugally and this border corresponds to coronoid lamellae histologically which are the columns of parakeratosis that overlie an epidermal invagination with loss of granular layer and dyskeratosis of upper spinous keratinocytes. The disorder was erroneously named porokeratosis because the coronoid lamella was initially described as being present over a sweat pore, which is a fixed structure that cannot expand peripherally. Five primary clinical variants have been described: classic porokeratosis of mibelli, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, linear porokeratosis, punctate porokeratosis and porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminate. Porokeratosis ptychotropica one of the rare variants of porokeratosis described by lucker et al which has been added recently in the classification. It is characterized clinically by symmetrical verrucous papules and plaques resembling psoriasis plaque in the gluteal cleft, buttocks and rarely extends to genitalia and histologically by multiple coronoid lamella. We report a case of 43year old female, presented with 10years duration of pruritic raised skin lesion over the left gluteal region. Dermatological examination revealed single well defined erythematous scaly plaque with central atrophy, hyperpigmentation and peripheral thread like elevated border. Histopathological examination revealed multiple coronoid lamella which is the hallmark for porokeratosis ptychotropica, confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was treated with 5-fluorouracil cream. we report this case due to its rarity and the unusual presentation of single plaque of porokeratosis ptychotropica

Simulation of flow over stepped and traditional spillways

There are several challenges that are faced by these structures, such as cavitation and high speed of flow during the dissipation of flow energy. The spillway is one of the key basic elements of dams that are utilized to pass huge volumes of discharge. The current work used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to numerically estimate the water surface flow and pressure distribution over stepped and traditional spillways. The numerical findings were compared with experimental data using the Renormalization group k- model. The numerical and experimental data have been compared, and it has been determined that there is an acceptable agreement between the two sets of findings

Cost Performance in Construction Industry of Pakistan

Construction industry is notorious and infamous as far as cost base lines and project budgets are concerned. More than 90 percent of projects delay gets over budgeted or completely abandoned due to either paucity of funds or mismanagement at different levels. Despite a major contributor in the Gross Domestic Product of a country, its full potential has never been exploited. Perhaps this retrogressive atmosphere has been cultivated by callous, careless and unprofessional attitudes of all stakeholders of construction industry. The primary stakeholders which affect the projects positively or negatively in cost dimension are; the government, the contractors, the consultants and the clients or owners. The authors conducted interviews as well as surveys with construction professionals, contractors, architects, design engineers, suppliers and sub contractors in order identify the most occurring causes of cost overruns in construction projects. In addition to this contemporary literature was studied and reviewed with a purpose to assess the current and ongoing issues in the construction industry. A questionnaire was distributed among respondents on cost performance of various completed and under construction projects, with a view to highlight the concrete reasons which push the projects out of approved budgets. The major conclusions from this research paper which have been drawn are; corruption and bribery, political interests, poor site management, delay in site mobilization, rigid attitude by consultants, extra work without approvals, frequent changes during execution, gold platting, safety and health and limited access to job sites. In order to avoid, eliminate or mitigate effects of these causes viable recommendations have been recommended. Keywords: Cost Performance, Construction Industry, Pakista