Microhabitat breadth of fish community along the Vamanapuram River, south Kerala

The microhabitat breadth of Vamanapuram River fish community was studied in detail. The microhabitat variables selected were relative depth, focal point velocity, water column depth, mean water velocity and substrate. Puntius filamentosus had the highest breadth in three dimensions in both stream and river habitats showing a generalistic mode of resource utilization. Garra mullya, Labeo dero and Glossogobius giuris are specialists in the usage of microhabitat variables in the stream habitat while these are G. mullya, Etroplus maculatus and Aplocheilus lineatus in river habitat. Danio aequipinnatus showed extreme variations along focal point velocity variable in both habitats indicating an. opportunistic behaviour

Length-weight relationship and relative condition factor in Macrobrachium (Hellex)

The length-weight relationship was calculated for the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium idae. About 150 specimens of M. idae (males 50, females 50 and 50 juveniles) were utilised for this study. The length-weight relationship was assessed separately for males, females and indeterminants. The regression equation for males, females and indeterminants showed significant differences whereas it was insignificant for males and females. The variations in length-weight relation between sexes and indeterminants were compared and discussed. The relationship between total length with carapace length and total length with rostral length were also determined

Leaves of High Yielding Perennial Ryegrass Contain Less Aggregated Rubisco Than S23

Breeding diploid perennial ryegrass for improved dry matter yield under nitrogen-limiting conditions has reduced the nitrogen (N) concentration of the herbage (Wilkins et al., 2003). Reduced N concentration in the ruminant diet is one potential way to reduce losses of N to the environment by reducing the amount of N that animals excrete. The underlying physiological basis of this increased N-use efficiency in ryegrass was investigated

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS FALSE TEETH EXTRACTION AMONG THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF ATANGA SUB-COUNTY, PADER DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background. The Global Burden of Disease Study (2017) estimated that oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people worldwide, with untreated dental caries being among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (WHO, 2017). The main objective of this study was to determine the factors affecting the utilization of oral and dental services at Katate Health Centre IV, Kanungu district. Methodology. A descriptive cross-sectional study was done on 61 randomly sampled respondents from whom data was collected using a questionnaire and then analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results. Affecting Utilization of Oral and Dental services include traditional beliefs (4.6%), traditional healers being part of dental care (67%), use of native herbs (63.9%), lack of awareness (80%), myths and misconceptions (21.3%) and some believe that dental caries and tooth extractions do not require medical interventions (9.8%), high costs of dental service (71%), unemployment (19.7%), lack of insurance (75%), low levels of education (77%), and low family income (50.8%). Poor transport systems (55.7%), long distances (47.4%), poor relationship with the health workers (23%), long waiting times and delays (19.7%), lack of confidentiality (29.5%), inconveniences at oral and dental care clinics (32.8%). Conclusion. There were many factors identified from this study that affected the uptake of oral dental services. Individual factors were traditional beliefs and traditional healers, myths, and misconceptions. Socioeconomic factors were unemployment, low education levels, low family income, and high costs. Health system-related factors were long waiting times, lack of confidentiality, and poor relationship with health workers. Recommendation. There is a need for the administration of Katate Health Centre IV in Kanungu district in conjunction with the Ministry of Health to ensure that dental services including dental equipment, sundries, drugs, and medical dental practitioner available for clients at every level of health care

Leaves of High Yielding Perennial Ryegrass Contain Less Aggregated Rubisco than S23

Breeding diploid perennial ryegrass for improved dry matter yield under nitrogen-limiting conditions has reduced the nitrogen (N) concentration of the herbage (Wilkins et al., 2003). Reduced N concentration in the ruminant diet is one potential way to reduce losses of N to the environment by reducing the amount of N that animals excrete. The underlying physiological basis of this increased N-use efficiency in ryegrass was investigated

Morphological overlap of fish community in Vamanapuram River, south Kerala

The morphological characteristics and overlap of fish community in Vamanapuram River have been studied in detail. In the 12 study sites, 19 fish species were encountered. Based on the body shape, four different types are apparent. The elongate bodied fishes (RBD3.5) like Puntius filamentosus, P. ticto, P. vittatus, P. melanampyx, P. sarana, Etroplus maculatus and E. suratensis come under a separate category. Fishes with round to square cross section like Garra mullya and Glossogobius giuris form a separate group. All the other species are grouped as generalized bodied fishes. The morphological overlap studied for the Vamanapuram fish community showed that out of 190 combinations, 30 combinations have high overlaps (≥ 67). P. melanampyx has maximum number (6) of high overlaps. Puntius spp., which constituted 49.5% of the total population, have a mean morphological overlap of 52%. The morphological overlap of fish species in relation to the trophic structure is discussed in detail

The Death of Plants in Animals

It is necessary first to understand some of the basic concepts associated with the digestion of the plant biomass within the rumen when considering mechanisms for altering/enhancing N-conversion efficiency in the forage-fed ruminant. Although it is generally assumed that breakdown of plant proteins in the rumen is mediated by microbial enzymes, there is increasing evidence to suggest that both plant and microbial proteases are active during degradation of ingested fresh forage (Beha et al., 2002; Kingston-Smith & Theodorou, 2000; Kingston-Smith et al., 2003, 2004). After fresh plant biomass enters the rumen and prior to extensive plant cell wall degradation, there is often a phase of rapid proteolysis in excess of that needed to maintain the rumen microbial population and we now believe that plant enzymes largely mediate this initial proteolysis. Recent evidence also suggests a role for plant lipases in the rumen (Lee et al., 2003). An understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these processes is essential if we are to devise plant-based strategies to manipulate them. This paper presents a new rumen model which, by taking account of the plants biological attributes, provides us with a novel framework for describing the plant contribution to rumen function in grazing livestock

Protection against Bordetella pertussis in mice in the absence of detectable circulating antibody: implications for long-term immunity in children

Most vaccines used for humans work through humoral immunity, yet many appear to be protective even after specific circulating antibody levels have waned to undetectable levels. Furthermore, it has been difficult to define a serologic correlate of protection against a number of infectious diseases, including those caused by Bordetella pertussis. B. pertussis clearance in immunized mice has been shown to correlate with pertussis vaccine efficacy in children. This murine respiratory challenge model was used to demonstrate persistent vaccine-induced protection against B. pertussis in the absence of circulating antibody at the time of challenge. Whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccines induced persistent memory T and B cells and anamnestic antibody responses after challenge. The findings suggest that immunologic memory is more significant in protection than is the induction of immediate antibody responses and imply that vaccinated children still may be protected against disease following the disappearance of specific serum IgG