Preliminary Study on the Effects of Two Different Sources of Organic Manure on the Growth Performance of Moringa oleifera Seedlings

The study was designed to investigate the effects of application of two sources of organic manure, namely poultry droppings and cow dung manure on the vegetative growth and photosynthetic pigments of Moringa oleifera seedlings. The experimental design was completely randomized design, consisting of 540 seedlings in black polythene bags fertilized with 15 g of organic manure per plant by point application of poultry dropping and cow dung. Thus, each seedling in the treatments received 15 g of either partly decomposed poultry droppings or 15 g of partly decomposed cow dung or none of the manure (ie controls). Seedling height, stem girth, root length and root girth were measured with a metre rule and the aid of a thread. Seedling dry weight and leaf relative water contents were also determined. Photosynthetic pigments were determined by the spectrophotometer technique. The results indicated that both sources of organic manure significantly (p < 0.01) increased growth performance of Moringa oleifera seedlings but the photosynthetic pigments in the leaves were not significantly affected by the effects of both sources of organic manure. The results thus showed that both poultry manure and cow dung are valuable sources of fertilizer for Moringa oleifera seedlings but poultry manure out-performed cow dung in all growth attributes assessed because it produced higher values for all the attributes. However, the values for chlorophyll and carotenoid content did not show clear-cut differences between the two sources of organic manure. It is therefore, recommended that in the event of a choice between the two for crop production in general and Moringa in particular, poultry manure would be a better option. Keywords: Cow dung, Moringa oleifera, Organic manure, Poultry manure, Seedling

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of coagulase negative Staphylococci isolated from pigs and in-contact humans in Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

The nasal carriage and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of coagulase negative  staphylococci (CoNS) isolates from healthy pigs and in-contact humans were  investigated in 300 pigs and 101 in-contact humans from pig farms and abattoir. The results indicate that 13.2% (53/401) of the isolates were CoNS species based on confirmatory test with Microgen biochemical kit and were further subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing. Nine CoNS species were identified; S. haemolyticus (n = 10), S. simulans (n =5), S. chromogen (n = 9), S. warneri (n =5), S. xylosus (12), S. epidermidis (n = 5), S. schleiferi (n = 5) and S. hominis (n = 2). Overall, resistance to beta-lactams was the most observed; 79.2% of the isolates were resistant to penicillin while 11.3% and 7.5% were respectively resistant to oxacillin and cefoxitin, respectively.  Resistance to 2 or more antimicrobial agents was observed in 39.6% (21/53) of the CoNS isolates. All the isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent except for gentamicin. Multidrug resistant CoNS are common colonizers of apparently healthy pigs and in-contact humans in the study area with S. xylosus and S. haemolyticus being the major species detected.Key words: Antibiotics, CoNS, pigs, humans

Nitrogen Excretion from Beef Cattle for 6 Cover Crop Mixes as Estimated by a Nutritional Model

Excretion of nitrogen (N) from cattle within crop‐livestock systems is an important component of nutrient cycling, but measuring fecal and urinary N excretion in grazing cattle is a difficult and time consuming task. Nutritional models are available to estimate feed utilization and have been used to predict N excretion in grazing cattle. Using the Large Ruminant Nutrition Model, we predicted N losses from mature pregnant beef cows and growing beef heifers from compositional analysis of cover crop mixes grown in central South Dakota. All of the mixes used contained crude protein (CP) concentrations greater than cattle requirements. Estimates of both total fecal and urinary N excretion were greater for cows than heifers due to the greater BW and N intake of cows, however, the proportion of total N intake excreted in the feces was not predicted to differ between cattle maturities. Urinary excretion of N was predicted to be less for heifers, both when expressed as lb/d of N excreted or as a percentage of N intake. When accounting for potential stocking rate differences, it was predicted that slightly less urinary N excretion per acre could be expected by grazing younger cattle that utilize some N for growth compared to a mature animal

Ventilatory Effects of Isoflurane Sedation via the Sedaconda ACD-S versus ACD-L : A Substudy of a Randomized Trial

Devices used to deliver inhaled sedation increase dead space ventilation. We therefore compared ventilatory effects among isoflurane sedation via the Sedaconda ACD-S (internal volume: 50 mL), isoflurane sedation via the Sedaconda ACD-L (100 mL), and propofol sedation with standard mechanical ventilation with heat and moisture exchangers (HME). This is a substudy of a randomized trial that compared inhaled isoflurane sedation via the ACD-S or ACD-L to intravenous propofol sedation in 301 intensive care patients. Data from the first 24 h after study inclusion were analyzed using linear mixed models. Primary outcome was minute ventilation. Secondary outcomes were tidal volume, respiratory rate, arterial carbon dioxide pressure, and isoflurane consumption. In total, 151 patients were randomized to propofol and 150 to isoflurane sedation; 64 patients received isoflurane via the ACD-S and 86 patients via the ACD-L. While use of the ACD-L was associated with higher minute ventilation (average difference (95% confidence interval): 1.3 (0.7, 1.8) L/min, p < 0.001), higher tidal volumes (44 (16, 72) mL, p = 0.002), higher respiratory rates (1.2 (0.1, 2.2) breaths/min, p = 0.025), and higher arterial carbon dioxide pressures (3.4 (1.2, 5.6) mmHg, p = 0.002), use of the ACD-S did not significantly affect ventilation compared to standard mechanical ventilation and sedation. Isoflurane consumption was slightly less with the ACD-L compared to the ACD-S (−0.7 (−1.3, 0.1) mL/h, p = 0.022). The Sedaconda ACD-S compared to the ACD-L is associated with reduced minute ventilation and does not significantly affect ventilation compared to a standard mechanical ventilation and sedation setting. The smaller ACD-S is therefore the device of choice to minimize impact on ventilation, especially in patients with a limited ability to compensate (e.g., COPD patients). Volatile anesthetic consumption is slightly higher with the ACD-S compared to the ACD-L

Perspectives of Long-Haul WDM Transmission Systems Based on Phase-Insensitive Fiber-Optic Parametric Amplifiers

International audienceThe deployment of phase-insensitive fiber-optic parametric amplifiers (PI-FOPAs) as inline amplifiers in long-haul WDM transmission systems is discussed, and it is outlined how to design PI-FOPAs to be a valuable upgrade option for this application

Synthesis, characterization and ab initio study of WO3 nanocubes with peculiar electrochemical properties

Simple sol–gel method has been exploited to deposit Sn-doped TiO2 thin flms on glass substrates. The resultant coatings were characterized by X-ray difraction (XRD), UV–visible techniques (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and photoluminescence analysis (PL). The XRD pattern reveals an increase in crystallite size of the prepared samples with the increasing doping concentration. A decrease in doping concentrating resulted in the decrease in bandgap values. The diferent chemical bonds on these flms were identifed from their FTIR spectra. The photoluminescence analysis shows an increase in the emission peak intensity with increasing dopant concentration, and this can be attributed to the efect created due to surface states. The prepared samples were tested as antibacterial agent toward both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria like S.aureus (Staphylococcus aureus) and E.coli (Escherichia coli), respectively. The size of the inhibition zones indicates that the sample shows maximum inhibitory property toward E.coli when compared to S.aureus