Carcass yield and characteristics of Karadi lambs as affected by dietary supplement of rumen undegradable nitrogen fed with Nigella sativa

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of two levels of rumen undegradable nitrogen (7 and 10 g UDN/kg DM) fed with two levels of Nigella sativa (0 and 7.5 g NS/ kg DM) supplementation to rations of karadi lambs on carcass characteristics, using 2 x 2 factorial experiment. Sixteen individual Karadi male lambs were used (four lambs for each treatment). They were weighing approximately 34 kg live weight and 7 months old. The diets were formulated to be given a 40% NaOH-treated barley straw DM to 60% concentrates DM. At the end of feeding trial the lambs were slaughtered after over night with feeding draw. Differences in daily nutrients intake among treatments were not statistically significantly. The UDN and total N intake were followed the intended treatments composition (P < 0.01). Live weight gain was not significantly affected by levels of UDN and NS supplementation. Slaughter body weight, hot and cold carcass weights and killing out proportion were not significantly affected by both NS supplementation and levels of UDN. Moreover, no differences in leg cut tissue (lean, subcutaneous fat: intramuscular fat and bone) among treatments. The main wholesale cuts weights were not significantly different among treatments. The differences in fat-tail weights between the NS and UDN treatments were not statistically significant.Key words: Lambs, rumen undegredable nitrogen, Nigella sativa, carcass characteristic

The Effects of Carbon Emissions and Agency Costs on Firm Performance

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Islamic banking stability amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of digital financial inclusion

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the role of digital financial inclusion (DFI) in stabilizing the Islamic banking sector amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study has used the Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), Two-Stage Panel Least Squares-Instrumental Variables (2SLS-IV) and Two-Step System Generalized Method of Moments (2SGMM) dynamic panel estimation method to investigate the DFI-Islamic banking stability nexus using an unbalanced panel data of 65 Islamic banks from six countries over the period 2011–2020. Findings: The result suggests that greater implementation of DFI promotes Islamic banking stability, which reduces the default risk of the banks in the studied region. Consequently, incorporating DFI into the Islamic banking sector encourages inclusive economic growth that can keep the financial sector sustainable even in a crisis period like the current COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: Unlike previous studies, the authors have focused mainly on DFI and the Islamic banking sector. This is one of the first to explore how DFI contribute to the stability and productivity of the Islamic banking sector during the pandemic. Also, this study provides fresh evidence on how the supply and demand side of DFI impact Islamic banking stability

Cancers attributable to overweight and obesity from 2012 to 2014 in Nigeria: A population-based cancer registry study

Background: Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for chronic diseases including cancers. In this study, we evaluated the age standardized incidence rates (ASR) and proportion of cancers attributable to overweight and obesity in Nigeria. Methods: We obtained incidence data from the databases of two population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) in Nigeria (Abuja and Enugu cancer registries), on cancer site for which there is established evidence of an association with overweight or obesity based on the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) classification. We analyzed the data using population attributable fraction (PAF) for overweight or obesity associated cancers calculated using prevalence data and relative risk estimates in previous studies. Results: The two PBCRs reported 4,336 new cancer cases (ASR 113.9 per 100,000) from 2012 to 2014. Some 21% of these cancers were associated with overweight and obesity. The ASR for overweight and obesity associated cancers was 24.5 per 100,000; 40.7 per 100,000 in women and 8.2 per 100,000 in men. Overall, only 1.4% of incident cancers were attributable to overweight and obesity. The ASR of cancers attributable to overweight and obesity was 2.0 per 100,000. Postmenopausal breast cancer was the most common cancer attributable to overweight and obesity (n = 25; ASR 1.2 per 100,000). Conclusion: Our results suggest that a small proportion of incident cancer cases in Nigeria are potentially preventable by maintaining normal body weight. The burden of cancer attributed to overweight and obesity in Nigeria is relatively small, but it may increase in future

Light and temperature effects on sprout yield and its proximate composition and vitamin C content in Lignosus and Mung beans

Bean sprout is used as vegetables. The present study investigated the effect of temperature and light on seed germination and sprout yield, and proximate (crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, nitrogen free extract and ash) composition of sprout in Lignosus (Dipogon lignosus (L.) Verdc.) and Mung (Vigna radiata Wilczek) beans. Three temperatures (ambient, 25o and 30oC) and two light regimes; continuous dark, (CD) and continuous dark alternated by ½ hour light daily, (DAL) were used for seed germination and bean sprout yield. Data were collected 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours after setting the presoaked seeds in the petri dishes. Of the temperature regimes, generally better seed germination and sprout fresh weight (yield) were observed at 25oC in Mung bean and 30oC in Lignosus bean. Germination and sprout yield were similar under CD and DAL. Both under CD and DAL, sprout yield was higher after 120 hours compared to 96 hrs after germination in both the beans. Proximate composition of dry seeds and their sprouts was also determined. Irrespective of species, crude protein content was significantly higher in sprout (average of 29.33%) than dry seed (average of 24.33%).Vitamin C was significantly higher in Lignosus bean sprout (20.93 mg 100g-1) compared to Mung bean sprout (9.52 mg 100g-1). This is the first world report on Lignosus bean sprout. It may be concluded that better sprout yield and good protein content were obtained at 25oC in Mung bean and 30oC in Lignosus bean after 120 hrs of germination irrespective of dark and light

Impact of high turbidity on reverse osmosis: evaluation of pretreatment processes

This study evaluates the performance of sand filtration (SF) and ultra-filtration (UF) as pretreatment processes for reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater with turbidities of 4.8, 23.2, and 99.7 NTU. For seawater with a turbidity of 4.8 and 23.2 NTU, the average membrane flux and the water recovery rate in the RO process did not improve significantly by pretreating the seawater using SF or UF. However, when the turbidity of seawater was 99.7 NTU, pretreating the seawater with UF improved the average membrane flux and the water recovery rate in the RO process by 5 LMH and 1.7%, respectively. Pretreatment of seawater with a turbidity of 99.7 NTU with UF reduces the specific energy demand and increases the average membrane flux and water recovery rate

Cardiopulmonary bypass via common carotid artery cannulation in redo sternotomy

There are certain situations in redo cardiac surgery in adults where it may not be possible to use alternate arterial cannulation sites like the common femoral artery and axillary artery. We report a case where we established safe cardiopulmonary bypass with common carotid artery cannulation in an adult patient. The patient underwent aortic valve replacement for severe aortic regurgitation 8 months after repair of type A aortic dissection plus aortic valve resuspension

Impact of BRCA1/2 cascade testing on anxiety, depression, and cancer worry levels among unaffected relatives in a multiethnic Asian cohort

Cascade testing for families with BRCA pathogenic variants is important to identify relatives who are carriers. These relatives can benefit from appropriate risk management and preventative strategies arising from an inherited increased risk of breast, ovarian, prostate, melanoma, and pancreatic cancers. Cascade testing has the potential to enable cost-effective cancer control even in low- and middle-income settings, but few studies have hitherto evaluated the psychosocial impact of cascade testing in an Asian population, where the cultural and religious beliefs around inheritance and destiny have previously been shown to influence perception and attitudes toward screening. In this study, we evaluated the short- and long-term psychosocial impact of genetic testing among unaffected relatives of probands identified through the Malaysian Breast Cancer Genetics Study and the Malaysian Ovarian Cancer Study, using validated questionnaires (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Cancer Worry Scale) administered at baseline, and 1-month and 2-year post-disclosure of results. Of the 305 unaffected relatives from 98 independent families who were offered cascade testing, 256 (84%) completed predictive testing and family history of cancers was the only factor significantly associated with uptake of predictive testing. We found that the levels of anxiety, depression, and cancer worry among unaffected relatives decreased significantly after result disclosure and remained low 2-year post-result disclosure. Younger relatives and relatives of Malay descent had higher cancer worry at both baseline and after result disclosure compared to those of Chinese and Indian descent, whereas relatives of Indian descent and those with family history of cancers had higher anxiety and depression levels post-result disclosure. Taken together, the results from this Asian cohort highlight the differences in psychosocial needs in different communities and inform the development of culture-specific genetic counseling strategies