Effect of garlic supplementation on zootechnical performance and hepato-renal functions in nitrate-treated rabbits

The effect of garlic supplementation on zootechnical performance and hepato-renal functions of rabbits exposed to experimental nitrate poisoning was evaluated. Adult male 6-8 week-old albino rabbits (n= 24) were randomly divided into four groups (A - D) and subjected to nitrate intoxication through the oral administration of sodium nitrate solution at 2 ml/kg bodyweight per day for 40 days. Group A was a control that received no treatment except sodium nitrate. Rabbits in groups B and C were treated with 1% methylene blue solution (2 mg/kg bodyweight per day) and aqueous garlic extract (500 mg/kg bodyweight per day) through intraperitoneal and oral routes, respectively. Rabbits in group D were treated with both 1% methylene blue solution (2 mg/kg bodyweight per day, intraperitoneally) and aqueous garlic extract (500 mg/kg bodyweight per day, orally). On completion of the treatment period, the groups were compared in growth performance, biochemical profile and histopathological changes of hepato-renal tissues. Although the total feed consumption of the groups remained comparable, Group C showed relatively better weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Likewise, garlic extract significantly increased the serum bilirubin concentration and reduced the level of other biochemical attributes in comparison with control animals. The hepatic and renal tissues of Groups C and D remained normal, whereas those of the control group exhibited distinct histopathological alterations. It was concluded that garlic supplementation ameliorated the deleterious effects of nitrate intoxication on production performance and hepato-renal functions of rabbits

Temperature dependence of electrical properties of electrodeposited Ni-based nanowires

The influence of annealing on the microstructure and the electrical properties of cylindrical nickel-based nanowires has been investigated. Nanowires of nickel of nominally 200 nm diameter and of permalloy (Py) of nominally 70 nm were fabricated by electrochemical deposition into nanoporous templates of polycarbonate and anodic alumina, respectively. Characterization was carried out on as-grown nanowires and nanowires heat treated at 650°C. Transmission electron microscopy and diffraction imaging of as-grown and annealed nanowires showed temperature-correlated grain growth of an initially nano-crystalline structure with ≤8 nm (Ni) and ≤20 nm (Py) grains towards coarser poly-crystallinity with grain sizes up to about 160 nm (Ni) and 70 nm (Py), latter being limited by the nanowire width. The electrical conductivity of individual as-grown and annealed Ni nanowires was measured in situ within a scanning electron microscope environment. At low current densities, the conductivity of annealed nanowires was estimated to have risen by a factor of about two over as-grown nanowires. We attribute this increase, at least in part, to the observed grain growth. The annealed nanowire was subsequently subjected to increasing current densities. Above 120 kA mm -2 the nanowire resistance started to rise. At 450 kA mm -2 the nanowire melted and current flow ceased

Mengukur Kebebasan Beragama di Jawa Barat 2014: Catatan dari Indeks Demokrasi Indonesia

Laporan ini memuat hasil studi tinjauan terhadap pengukuran kebebasan beragama yangmerupakan bagian dari Indeks Demokrasi Indonesia (IDI) dengan mengambil kasus Jawa Barat pada 2014. IDI diterbitkan pemerintah setiap tahun sejak 2009 untuk mengukur kualitas demokrasi, yang antara lain ditentukan oleh tingkat kebebasan beragama lintas-provinsi. Kehadiran indeks ini melengkapi laporan-laporan kebebasan beragama dari lembaga non-pemerintah yang sebelumnya juga pernah kami pelajari pada 2008. Yang membedakan indeks ini dari laporan-laporan tersebut adalah metode pengukurannya yang berbasis indikator dan cakupannya yang meliputi seluruh provinsi

Scaling up Land Restoration Approaches to Reclaim the Hardpans of Niger for Agriculture using Sentinel 2 Imagery

Degraded lands, widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, are used mainly for grazing and firewood harvesting and have low agricultural production potential. Such areas have become degraded through overuse and removal of surface cover and associated erosion processes and are termed hardpans. Hardpans with high clay content, high cation exchange capacity (CEC) and water holding capacity have productive potential. ICRISAT has developed and scaled a gender sensitive approach Bioreclamation of Degraded Land” (BDL) that combines water harvesting technologies (planting pits, half-moon and trenches), application of compost and plantation of high value fruit trees and annual drought tolerant indigenous vegetables. In partnership with CRS in Niger, BDL was scaled to over 3000 villages (2014-18) which led to many benefits in food security and income generation for the local population. To scale further multi-spectral remote sensing based imagery of high resolution (10 m) can identify and map hardpans and differentiate higher potential sites for the BDL approach. These maps will be used to quantify the area under hardpans and the potential area in which the interventions can be scaled up

Simulation and experimental study of the sensor emitting frequency for ultrasonic tomography system in conducting pipe

Ultrasonic tomography techniques provide flow visualization capability, non-invasively and non-intrusively, to enhance the understanding of complex flow processes. There is limited ultrasonic research in tomography imaging systems in the tomogram analysis of fluid flow in a conducting pipe because of a high acoustic impedance mismatch, which means that very little ultrasonic energy can be transmitted through the interface. The majority of industrial pipelines are constructed from metallic composites. Therefore, the development and improvement of ultrasonic measurement methods to accommodate a stainless steel pipe are proposed in this paper. Experimental and simulation distribution studies of the ultrasonic emitting frequency in acrylic versus stainless steel pipes were studied, measured and analyzed. During the simulation, ultrasonic transducers were placed on the surface of the investigated pipe to inspect the ultrasonic sensing field. The distribution of the sound wave acoustic pressure was simulated based on the physical dimensions and parameters of the actual experimental hardware set-up. We developed ultrasonic acoustic models using the finite element method with COMSOL software, and experiments were carried out to validate the simulation results. Finally, by performing the static phantoms tests, a feasibility study of ultrasonic tomography system was presented to investigate the void fraction of liquid column inside a stainless steel pipe