Comparative efficacy of herbal and synthetic methionine on performance of some haematological and biochemical parameters in domestic laying hens

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the bioefficacy of herbal methionine (HM) compared to synthetic methionine (SM) in the diets of domestic laying hens. The herbal methionine (Meth-o-Tas®) was supplied by Intas Pharmaceutical Limited, India. The HM and SM were added to a standard diet at 0.5 and 1.0 kg per ton and fed to 144 laying birds, 30 weeks of age, housed in 3 birds per cage unit. The birds were divided into 4 dietary treatments of 36 birds each and each treatment group was replicated 4 times with 9 birds per replicate. The trial lasted for 112 days and was divided into 4 periods of 28 days each. At the end of the feeding trial, 2 birds per replicate, representing 8 birds per treatment were sacrificed for the determinations of haematological and plasma biochemical profiles, liver weight and abdominal fat pad. Layers fed on diets supplemented with HM produced less (P ≤ 0.01) eggs, had lower egg mass output (P ≤ 0.01) and final body weight (P ≤ 0.05) and poorer feed conversion efficiency (P ≤ 0.05) than those layers fed on diets supplemented with SM. Feed intake was not affected (P ≥ 0.05) by dietary methionine source. Exterior and interior egg quality characteristics such as egg weight, shell thickness, albumen weight and albumen height decreased (P ≤ 0.05) with dietary supplementation of HM. Dietary supplementation of HM reduced (P ≤ 0.05) abdominal fat pad. Total protein and albumin decreased (P ≤ 0.05) with dietary supplementation of HM. Plasma and liver total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were lowered (P ≥ 0.05) in birds fed on diets supplemented with HM. The activities of plasma and liver alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were not altered (P ≥ 0.05) by HM supplementation. All haematological variables determined were not affected by HM supplementation. Under the conditions of this study, it was concluded that herbal methionine (Meth-o-Tas®) is not an effective substitute for synthetic methionine for optimum production performance.Keywords: Herbal methionine, synthetic methionine, performance, laying hen

Effect of Different Media Combination on Growth and Biomass Production of Oil Palm (Elaeis. guineensis) Seedlings

The study evaluates the effect of different media on growth and vegetative traits of oil palm seedlings. The treatments were T1 Control, T2 100% coco peat, T3 20% soil + 80% coco peat, T4 40% soil + 60% coco peat, T5 60% soil + 40% coco peat. Oxisol soil used for plantation crops was designated as a control evaluation. The new media were filled in polybag size 38cm x 57cm before transplanting the seedlings. The seedlings used were from Calix 600 series (D x P oil palm seeds). The newly produced growth media combination had the equal potential as standard media for oil palm nursery. The treatment (T4) which contained 60% coco peat and soil noticeably, enhanced growth of the seedling like plant height. Root dry weight (g) of seedlings grown in this planting medium greatly impacted plant root. This could have been due to the presence of silica content in the coco-peat which provided good aeration in the medium and indirectly stimulated root expansion. Increased in shoot dry weight of the seedlings grown in T4 was recorded compared to the plants grown in other media. The results obtained generally indicated that compost- based planting medium has the potential to influence seedling as an alternative growth medium

INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD FEEDING PRACTICES IN THE EAST END OF FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

Adequate dietary intake may be a major determinant of the health outcome of children. This study aims at describing the infant and young child feeding practices amongst a group of mothers, factors affecting such practices and the effect of the practice on the nutritional status of the children.Semi-closed ended questionnaire was used to address some of the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) indicators among the three hundred and forty-seven mothers.Almost all of the index children in this study were breastfed with a majority within 30 minutes of delivery. Breast milk was the first drink in 79.8% of cases, and Exclusive breastfeeding rate was 26.3%. Breastfeeding for less than six months tends to be more prevalent among the low socioeconomic group and those who had Antenatal Care in the private clinics. Complimentary feeds for the majority of the children consisted mainly of cereal based gruels. There was a positive correlation between the nutritional status and the first drink, educational level of mother and length of breastfeeding.Poor infant and young child feeding practices impinged negatively on the nutritional status of the children. Improved training of health care workers, female education, and empowerment are recommended.

Comparison of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status of Children in Suburban with those in Rural Population of Southwestern Nigeria

Objective: To compare prevalence of dental caries, oral hygiene status and associated risk factors of children in suburban and rural communities in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Material and Methods: Secondary data was extracted from cross-sectional researches conducted in two study locations involving 8 to 12 year olds.  Data retrieved included age, gender, family structure, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene and dental caries. Caries assessment was done using WHO Oral Health Survey methods. Oral hygiene data was collected using Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) by Greene and Vermillion. Statistical significance was established at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in Group A and Group B study participants were 13.4% and 22.2% respectively. Children from rural community had significant higher caries prevalence (p=0.00) and poorer oral hygiene (P=0.00) compare with their counterparts in the suburban community. There was a significant association between oral hygiene, age and dental caries in suburban participants (p=0.02) while among the rural participants there was significant association between gender and dental caries (p=0.04). Children with poor oral hygiene have increased odds of having dental caries compared to children with good oral hygiene in the two study communities. Conclusion: Dental caries was more prevalent among the rural dwellers than the sub-urban dwellers. There is a need to make oral health care services/products available, accessible and affordable for the rural community

The Conscious Being & the Problem of Consciousness: Implications for Theory and Practice for 21st Century Researchers

Sense perception is certainly a sensible way in which we relate to the world, but thought tends to occur unconsciously. While some thinkers argue for the certainty of some mental states, others think that these mental states cannot provide sure foundations for certain interpretations of mental states which belong to other individuals. Consequently, it has been argued that due to the nature of the problem of consciousness, results obtained from empirical tests tend to lack the capacity to provide intrinsic road maps for future studies and understanding of consciousness. While adopting the traditional reconstructive methods of critical analysis in philosophy, the study analysed various attempts '·. l('j made towards developing test measures and theories aimed at providing operational definitions and a direction towards the understanding of the study of consciousness. Most tests and theories studied were identified as capable of providing ample evidence for the proof of consciousness in certain living and non-living organisms. Some flaws in these tests however, made laudable efforts in the study of consciousness amount to near nothing, thereby condemning thinkers to endless debates. The study recommends that thinkers of the 21'' century resolve to adopting synthetic and pluralistic approaches in the formulation of theories as the road to future progress in the study of consciousness

Effect of Two Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Fodder Cultivars as Supplements on Voluntary Intake; Milk Yield and Manure Production of Bunaji Cows

The feeding value of fodder from two cowpea cultivars to a basal maize stover diet was investigated using fifteen lactating White Fulani (Zebu) cows. The two cultivars were IT-716 and 994-DP. Diet was constituted as 50g DM/kg live weight and each of the cultivars was supplemented at 50% of the daily dry matter requirement of individual animals. The experimental design was a complete randomize. The parameters measured included feed intake, milk yield and composition and manure production. In a separate trial, dry matter degradation of the fodder was assessed. There were no significant differences in dry matter intake of the supplements. However, the dry matter intake of stover in the control diet was higher than those on the supplemented groups. The milk yields ranged from 887 to 1378 ml/day. Milk yield differed among treatments. Supplementation did not affect (P 0.05) fat, protein, total solids and ash contents of the milk across the treatments. Manure productions were not significantly different among the treatments. Similarly, content of N, P and K in manure were comparable among the treatments except for N that was lower (P 0.05) in the control group. The dry matter degradation was influenced by the fodder cultivars. The feeding of dual-purpose forage legumes residues could enhance milk production in lactating Zebu cows. This may be further increased by exploring other ways of improving feed residue utilization in the dry season

Can environmental DNA be used to detect first arrivals of the cane toad, Rhinella marina, into novel locations?

Eradicating invasive species is difficult, but success is more likely when populations are small after arrival. The cane toad, Rhinella marina, is an invasive pest species that threatens native fauna worldwide. Increasingly, environmental DNA (eDNA) is used as a technique to monitor the presence of invasive species given its power to detect low numbers of individuals. We aimed to investigate eDNA persistence in freshwater at three different temperatures (25, 30 and 35°C) and eDNA detection thresholds for R. marina using controlled experiments in aquaria. For the latter, two water volumes and two cane toad exposure times were used (800 or 200 L volume with 5 or 30 min exposure). A 15‐ml water sample was collected from each replicated aquaria and preserved with 5 ml Longmire's buffer. Environmental DNA was extracted and four technical quantitative PCR replicates were analyzed targeting the cane toad 16S rDNA mitochondrial gene. Environmental DNA decayed rapidly in water and was reliably detected for up to 3 days after cane toad removal, regardless of the temperature treatment. Also, cane toad eDNA was detected in the water after a 5‐min initial exposure of a single individual in 800 L of water. Under the physical parameters tested here, a positive detection means that a cane toad has been in contact with the water body between 1 and 3 days prior to the sampling event. The results of the present study show the importance of eDNA for determining the presence of a species that occurs at low abundance in a small water body, such as at the onset of a cane toad invasion

Electrocatalytic properties of prussian blue nanoparticles supported on poly(m-aminobenzenesulfonic acid)–functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes toward the detection of dopamine

Edged plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE) was modified with and without Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles and polyaminobenzene sulphonated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTPABS) using the chemical deposition method. The electrodes were characterised using microscopy, spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. Results showed that edged plane pyrolytic graphite-single-walled carbon nanotubes-prussian blue (EPPGE-SWCNT-PB) electrode gave the best dopamine (DA) current response which increases with increasing PB layers

The use of recycled concrete aggregate for concrete production incorporating calcined clay as pozzolanic admixture

Concrete is the most widely used construction material thereby required a lot of raw resources to keep up with its demand. This leads to depletion of raw resources as well as a continuous build-up of demolished concrete wastes (DCW). In most developing nations like Nigeria, the usual way of disposing these DCW is landfilling. However, recycling has become a viable options for conserving the raw resources and reducing greenhouse gases. This study examines the alternative way of reusing concrete wastes for production of fresh structural concrete. The DCW was obtained from the demolition of an existing concrete building and were treated by soaking in water to help reduce the amount of adhered mortar. A mix ratio of 1:1:2 was adopted with a water-cement ratio of 0.25 to attain a relatively high strength concrete and superplasticizer was added to ensure workable mixes. The recycled aggregates (RCA) were used as partial and complete substitute for natural coarse aggregates in percentages of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%, while calcined clay was added as pozzolanic admixture into the mixes at 15% and 20% partial replacement for cement. Tests carried out include the physical characterization of the constituent materials and the compressive strength of the hardened concretes were determined after 7, 14 and 28 days of curing in water using cubes of 100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm. Results showed that the recycled concrete aggregates has high water absorption due to its porous interface. Moreso, results clearly indicate a continual decreasing trend in the compressive strength as the percentages of the RCA increases, however, a significant increase in compressive strength was observed when calcined clay was added as substitute for cement thereby improving the strength development of concrete

Sesamum indicum diet prevents hyperlipidemia in experimental rats

Cardiovascular diseases and metabolic complications caused by hyperlipidemia are the leading cause of death globally. In this study, the hypolipidemic potency of Sesamum indicum (SI) seeds was investigated. Of the thirty-five (35) male rats used in the study, five (5) were randomly selected for baseline measurements and thirty (30) were fed high fat diet (HFD) for four (4) weeks before random assignment into three (3) groups. The experimental group was treated with 50% SI seed, the positive control group was given a hypolipidemic drug, atorvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) while the untreated group served as the negative control. With SI administration, the dyslipidemia induced by the HFD consumption in the plasma and the investigated body organs was reversed to a comparable degree with that of atorvastatin treatment. Taken together, this study demonstrates the hypolipidemic potency of SI in ameliorating hyperlipidemia and its associated complications, facilitated by the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity