Kadaknath Chicken Meat Scope and Source of Animal Origin Nutrients for High Altitude Regions

Leh-Ladakh falls in the category of a high-altitude region with low oxygen, low atmospheric pressure and lack of moisture in the air, thus rendering the climate harsh. Therefore, humans staying in this region need different diets, nutrient levels, and other health supplements compared to low-lander people to thrive under these stressful conditions. Chicken meat and eggs have high biological value proteins that play an important role in nutrient supply in human diets. Among them, Kadaknath chicken meat is very famous for its nutritious brown and greyish-black flesh. Its meat contains more protein, less cholesterol and less fat. Its flesh is also known for its various medicinal properties, so it is very popular among health-conscious people. However, fresh chicken production at high-altitude is very limited due to stressful conditions, making poultry rearing very difficult and uneconomical. Kadaknath is an Indian breed of chicken from the Jhabua region of Madhya Pradesh known for its hardy nature to thrive in any harsh environment. Therefore, the Kadaknath breed can be a good choice for high-altitude due to its hardy nature and disease-resistant ability. Hence, Kadaknath chicken meat can prove to be a superfood in high-altitude and such remote regions, especially during the acclimatization period. We have recently started working on the propagation of Kadaknath chicken among the farmers of Ladakh and evaluating their meat quality and medicinal value. The present review focuses on the scope of Kadaknath chicken at Leh-Ladakh under backyard farming, its acceptance, and the advantage of its meat in providing complete nutrition to human consumers

The dynamics of measles in sub-Saharan Africa.

Although vaccination has almost eliminated measles in parts of the world, the disease remains a major killer in some high birth rate countries of the Sahel. On the basis of measles dynamics for industrialized countries, high birth rate regions should experience regular annual epidemics. Here, however, we show that measles epidemics in Niger are highly episodic, particularly in the capital Niamey. Models demonstrate that this variability arises from powerful seasonality in transmission-generating high amplitude epidemics-within the chaotic domain of deterministic dynamics. In practice, this leads to frequent stochastic fadeouts, interspersed with irregular, large epidemics. A metapopulation model illustrates how increased vaccine coverage, but still below the local elimination threshold, could lead to increasingly variable major outbreaks in highly seasonally forced contexts. Such erratic dynamics emphasize the importance both of control strategies that address build-up of susceptible individuals and efforts to mitigate the impact of large outbreaks when they occur

An environmentally benign antimicrobial nanoparticle based on a silver-infused lignin core

Silver nanoparticles have antibacterial properties, but their use has been a cause for concern because they persist in the environment. Here, we show that lignin nanoparticles infused with silver ions and coated with a cationic polyelectrolyte layer form a biodegradable and green alternative to silver nanoparticles. The polyelectrolyte layer promotes the adhesion of the particles to bacterial cell membranes and, together with silver ions, can kill a broad spectrum of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and quaternary-amine-resistant Ralstonia sp. Ion depletion studies have shown that the bioactivity of these nanoparticles is time-limited because of the desorption of silver ions. High-throughput bioactivity screening did not reveal increased toxicity of the particles when compared to an equivalent mass of metallic silver nanoparticles or silver nitrate solution. Our results demonstrate that the application of green chemistry principles may allow the synthesis of nanoparticles with biodegradable cores that have higher antimicrobial activity and smaller environmental impact than metallic silver nanoparticles

Effect of weaning on milking behaviour and temperament of Murrah buffaloes

The study was conducted to compare the milking behaviour and temperament of Murrah buffaloes due to suckling and weaning at different ages. Initially, 42 recently calved buffaloes were selected and assigned alternately in to 3 groups as suckling (Gr 1), weaning at birth (Gr 2) and weaning on 45th day (Gr 3). The different behavioural parameters of the buffaloes were recorded for the first 15 days of milking/weaning during each milking. The overall average milk let down time was non-significant among the groups. The average milk yield per milking (morning and evening) was significantly (P<0.01) higher in Gr 1 (3.44±0.14 kg) and Gr 2 (3.18±0.46 kg) in comparison to Gr 3 (2.24±0.25 kg). The overall average milking time was significantly (P<0.01) higher in Gr 1 (4.41±0.14 min) than Gr 3 (3.05±0.21 min); however milking time in Gr 2 (4.29±0.41min) was not significantly different from Gr 1. The percent of dams showing stepping behaviour in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 20.23, 27.57 and 44.11, respectively, and the corresponding value for kicking behaviour was 2.61, 10.60 and 13.39, respectively. The average number of dams showing bellowing behaviour in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 3.56, 9.09 and 12.66, respectively. Similar trends were observed among the groups as mentioned in stepping and kicking. The percentage of dams which licked calf or looked at milker in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 34.99, 9.38 and 33.33 respectively. The percentage of dams showing head shaking activity during milking operation in Gr 1, Gr 2 and Gr 3 was 26.42, 0.00 and 10.00 percent, respectively. The overall mean milking temperament score was significantly (P<0.05) higher in Gr 3 (1.73±0.18) than Gr 1 (1.20±0.05) and Gr 2 (1.48±0.17). The success rate of weaning practice in dairy buffaloes was higher at calving than later stage of lactation

Performance of aquatic plant species for phytoremediation of arsenic-contaminated water

This study investigates the effectiveness of aquatic macrophyte and microphyte for phytoremediation of water bodies contaminated with high arsenic concentration. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and two algae (Chlorodesmis sp. and Cladophora sp.) found near arsenic-enriched water bodies were used to determine their tolerance toward arsenic and their effectiveness to uptake arsenic thereby reducing organic pollution in arsenic-enriched wastewater of different concentrations. Parameters like pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and arsenic concentration were monitored. The pH of wastewater during the course of phytoremediation remained constant in the range of 7.3–8.4, whereas COD reduced by 50–65 % in a period of 15 days. Cladophora sp. was found to survive up to an arsenic concentration of 6 mg/L, whereas water hyacinth and Chlorodesmis sp. could survive up to arsenic concentrations of 2 and 4 mg/L, respectively. It was also found that during a retention period of 10 days under ambient temperature conditions, Cladophora sp. could bring down arsenic concentration from 6 to <0.1 mg/L, Chlorodesmis sp. was able to reduce arsenic by 40−50 %; whereas, water hyacinth could reduce arsenic by only 20 %. Cladophora sp. is thus suitable for co-treatment of sewage and arsenic-enriched brine in an algal pond having a retention time of 10 days. The identified plant species provides a simple and cost-effective method for application in rural areas affected with arsenic problem. The treated water can be used for irrigation