Antibiogram of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Milk Sold in Kathmandu District

The emergence of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms and the presence of such isolates in milk pose a great risk to public health. Therefore, this study aims to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from milk and assess the microbial quality of milk. For this, a total of 70 milk samples were collected and the total bacterial count (TBC) was determined. E. coli and S. aureus were isolated using their respective selective media while antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out by Kirby Bauer Disc Diffusion method. The TBC showed that the raw milk samples contained two-fold higher microbial load while the pasteurized milk samples contained four-fold higher microbial loads than the standard guidelines. A total of 62 isolates were identified from culture-positive milk samples of which 32 were E. coli and 30 were S. aureus. A significant correlation was observed between microbial load and the organism isolated (r = 0.339, p<0.01). All S. aureus isolates were susceptible to Chloramphenicol while 40% were resistant to Cefoxitin, indicating the presence of Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Also, 12 multidrug resistant (MDR) S. aureus were identified. While for E. coli, all were susceptible to Chloramphenicol but resistant to Ampicillin. Also, 9 MDR E. coli were detected. Higher resistance was observed among isolates from the raw milk samples than the pasteurized milk. It can be concluded that the milk produced by small-scale farms and dairy industries of Kathmandu district are of poor quality. Hence, routine microbial quality assessment and antimicrobial resistance monitoring should be followed to safeguard public health

Crystal growth, optical, luminescence and scintillation characterization of Li2Zn2(MoO4)(3) crystal

A Li2Zn2(MoO4)(3) (LZMO) single crystal was grown by the flux method under the condition of a low temperature-gradient. The obtained crystal has a single-phase confirmed by a powder X-ray diffraction study. Luminescence properties of the crystal have been studied from room to cryogenic (300-6 K) temperatures under excitation by a 280 nm light-emitting diode (LED). At 6 K, the grown crystal exhibits an intrinsic emission band with emission wavelength ranges from 400 to 900 nm, and the maximum peak at similar to 612 nm. From 6 to 280 K, the luminescence decay time of the crystal was studied using the 280 nm LED. The decay times for the entire temperature range were fitted with two exponential decay functions. The temperature-dependent (300-10 K) scintillation light yield was studied under the excitation of a Sr-90 (beta) radioactive source. We compared scintillation and luminescence light yields of the LZMO with a reference CaMoO4 crystal. Thermoluminescence study of the crystal was carried out from 9 to 300 K and different kinematic parameters such as activation energy and frequency factor have been calculated. From this study, it shows that the LZMO crystal has potential as detector material in experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay of Mo-100 at cryogenic temperatures. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.11Nsciescopu

Potential Distribution of the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Different Land Covers of Nepal: Implications for Conservation

Anthropogenic activities have driven many wildlife species towards extinction. Among these species, the geographic distributions of many are poorly documented, which can limit the effectiveness of conservation. The critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is experiencing population decline throughout its range due to land-use changes and illegal trade for food and traditional medicine. Using distribution records and maximum entropy modeling, we predicted the potential distribution of the Chinese pangolin across Nepal. Most suitable potential habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred in forest areas of the mid-hill region in central and eastern Nepal, followed by cultivated land. Almost all potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred outside of protected areas, and most of them were encroached upon by cultivated land, human settlements, and infrastructure developments. The results from this study provide baseline information on the potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin in Nepal, which helps to develop site- and species-specific management plans and to identify priority areas to minimize the current threats to the pangolin and enhance the stewardship of species conservation