Study on Availability of Various Macro and Micro-Minerals in Lactating Buffaloes under Field Conditions of Sabarkantha District of Gujarat

Abstract: A study was conducted in the Sabarkantha district of Gujarat to assess the status of some macro and micro-minerals in lactating buffaloes. Feeds and fodder samples were collected from 17 representative villages of the district for analysis of macro and micro-minerals. Calcium content in cottonseed cake (0.17%), crushed maize (0.03%) and maize cake (0.22%) was found to be below the critical level (0.30%). The phosphorus content in concentrate ingredients was high (0.32-0.67%) but low in dry roughages (0.06-0.20%). Feeds and fodder were found to be adequate in magnesium (0.40%), sodium (0.29%) and potassium (1.15%). Straws were found to be deficient in sulphur (0.16%). Green roughages were good source of copper (12.31 ppm). Wheat straw was found to be low in zinc (19.71 ppm) but comparatively high in manganese (47.88 ppm) and iron (630.24 ppm). Lucerne and chikori green were found to be rich source of cobalt (>0.35 ppm). Selenium (0.68 ppm) was present in appreciable quantities in most of the feedstuffs. Lactating buffaloes were also found to be excess in energy and crude protein (70%), whereas, calcium and phosphorus were deficient in the ration (65%). Ration of lactating buffaloes was found to be deficient in Ca, P, S, Cu, Zn and Co. Supplementing the deficient minerals through area specific mineral mixture could alleviate the deficiency and improve productivity and reproduction efficiency of lactating buffaloes

DISTRICTING FOR ROUTING APPLICATIONS FOR DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION SERVICES

Districting is the partitioning a large geographical region into sub areas according to some criteria in order to carry out operations that have to be conducted within the region. Districting problems and models have been developed extensively in literature for various applications such as political applications, sales territory applications, health care applications, school design applications, routing applications for emergency services and routing applications for distribution and collection services. This dissertation will primarily focus on routing applications for distribution and collections services. This aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of different techniques and models that have been developed in the past for the different distribution and collection applications such as road maintenance, waste collection, postal deliveries and parcel services. This thesis will provide an insight on the importance of conducting districting under each application. The main objectives and aims of different districting problems considered by researchers will be closely examined under each application. Districting algorithms, models and procedures used to solve districting problems will be presented for each application and the results obtained from the different solution methods will be discussed. At the end of the dissertation an area for further investigation will be proposed based on the conclusions made after studying the problems in the various applications under the distribution or collection services

Assessing Minerals Status of Dairy Animals in South-West Zone of Punjab

A study was carried out to assess dietary macro and micro-minerals status of milch buffaloes in Firozpur, Mansa and Muktsar districts, under South-West Zone of Punjab. Feeds and fodder samples were collected at random from various locations, following standard sampling procedure. The average calcium (Ca) content in straws was low (0.28%). Green fodders such as berseem (1.88%), chikori (1.26%), oat (0.45%), rye grass (0.56%) and mustard (1.34%) were found to be rich source of Ca. Concentrate feed ingredients such as mustard cake (0.68%), cottonseed cake (0.23%), rice polish (0.11%) and wheat flour (0.053%) were high to low in Ca. The phosphorus (P) content in crop residues and green fodders was 0.08 and 0.47 per cent, respectively. Concentrate feed ingredients were high (0.78%) in P. The magnesium content in roughages and concentrate feed ingredients was 0.31 and 0.41 per cent, respectively. The sodium content was low in concentrate ingredients (0.043%) and dry fodder (0.065%), but high in green fodder (0.63%). The sulphur content was adequate in green fodder (0.32%), whereas, crop residues (0.16%) and concentrate ingredients (0.18%), except mustard cake (0.33%) were deficient in sulphur; hence, its supplementation was necessary in the ration of milch animals. The cobalt was deficient in the diet of animals to the extent of 45 per cent; however, iron (average level > 500 ppm) and manganese (average level > 60 ppm) in most of the feed ingredients were adequate, with traditional feeding system. The average copper content was very low in straws (2.94 ppm) and moderate in green fodders (11.93 ppm). Concentrate ingredients were again low in copper (9.19 ppm). Zinc was deficient in most of the feedstuffs (average level<38 ppm) and needed to be supplemented for proper productive and reproductive functions. From the present study, it was apparent that the levels of certain minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, zinc, copper and cobalt were inadequate, as per the prevailing feeding practices and requirement of buffalo yielding 10 kg milk (6% fat) per day. However, the levels of some other mineral elements such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese and selenium were found to be adequate in the South-West Zone of Punjab

Izdvajanje, identifikacija i molekularne značajke mikoplazama izdvojenih iz koza u Gujaratu u Indiji.

A total of 358 samples [nasal discharges (215), lung tissue (6), pleural fluid (4), joint fluid (5), milk (60), preputial swabs (22), conjunctival swabs (16), ear swabs (5) and vaginal discharges (25)] were subjected for cultural isolation on MBHS-L and MBHS-A media. Of these, a total of 30 isolates (8.35 %) of Mycoplasma species, (20 from nasal discharges, 4 from lung tissue, 2 from pleural fluid, 3 from milk and 1 from joint fluid) were isolated and characterized biochemically and identified as M. mycoides subsp. capri and M. capricolum subsp. capricolum by PCR and PCR-RFLP. The isolates were identified as the Mycoplasma species by their cultural, morphological, biochemical characteristics and this was further confirmed by PCR and PCR-RFLP using different cluster, group and species specific primer pairs and by restriction enzyme respectively. This is a rare report on the isolation, identification and molecular characterization of goat Mycoplasma species in Western India. These studies have revealed a high prevalence of Mycoplasma species infection in Western India.Ukupno je 358 uzoraka različitog materijala koza bilo nacijepljeno na hranjive podloge MBHS-L and MBHS-A radi izdvajanja mikoplazama. Pretraženo je bilo 215 uzoraka nosnog iscjetka, šest uzoraka plućnog tkiva, četiri uzorka pleuralne tekućine, pet uzoraka zglobne tekućine, 60 uzoraka mlijeka, 22 uzorka prepucijskog ispirka, 16 uzoraka obriska očne spojnice, pet uzoraka obriska uške i 25 uzoraka vaginalnog iscjetka. Mikoplazme su bile izdvojene iz 30 (8,35%) uzoraka, od čega iz 20 uzoraka nosnog iscjetka, četiri uzorka plućnog tkiva, dva pleuralne tekućine, tri uzorka mlijeka i jednog uzorka zglobne tekućine. Izolati su bili identificirani kao M. mycoides subsp. capri i M. capricolum subsp. capricolum i to na osnovi kulturalnih, morfoloških i biokemijskih svojstava te dodatne potvrde lančanom reakcijom polimerazom i PCR-RFLP rabeći različite skupine specifičnih početnica i restrikcijskih enzima. Ovo je rijetko izvješće o izdvajanju, identifikaciji i molekularnim svojstvima mikoplazama u Zapadnoj Indiji, koje ujedno pokazuje da je na tom području velika učestalost mikoplazmalnih zaraza u koza