Heat ameliorative measures in Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) heifers during summer: effect on microclimate, thermal comfort, and behavior.

Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is the mainstay of milk production in Asian countries including India. However, the hot climate of the country remains the biggest bottleneck to exploit the potential of this species. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the effect of heat ameliorative measures on microclimate, thermal comfort, and behavior of Murrah buffalo heifers during summer. Buffalo heifers (n = 24) between the age of 15 and 20 months with a mean body weight of 363.75 ± 11.27 kg were randomly grouped into four treatments based on their age and body weight. The heifers kept in the shed without any cooling served as CON (control), while the animals of group CJ were tied with a cooling jacket. The buffalo heifers of the CJF group were subjected to the cooling jacket with forced air ventilation, whereas the intermittent (10 min at 2-h intervals) sprinkling followed by forced air ventilation was practiced in group SF between 900 and 1800 h throughout the experiment. The microclimatic variables were low in the sheds of groups CJ, CJF, and SF than the CON. The physiological responses such as rectal temperature, skin temperature, respiration rate, and pulse rate were reduced in groups CJ, CJF, and SF than the CON at 1400 h. The serum cortisol was less in the CJF and SF than those of CON group. The animals of the CJ, CJF, and SF groups spent more time for feeding and rumination with less frequent longer bouts. The extended periods of lying followed by shorter standing and idling were observed in groups CJ, CJF, and SF when compared with the CON. It may be therefore concluded that cooling jacket and intermittent sprinkling in combination with forced air ventilation might be helpful in improving the micro-environment, thermal comfort, and behavior of buffalo heifers particularly under tropical climates during summer.

A novel service robot assignment approach for COVID-19 infected patients: a case of medical data driven decision making.

Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a major concern for the entire world in the current era. Coronavirus is a very dangerous infectious virus that spreads rapidly from person to person. It spreads in exponential manner on a global scale. It affects the doctors, nurse and other COVID-19 warriors those who are actively involved for the treatment of COVID-19 infected (CI) patients. So, it is very much essential to focus on automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in different hospitals for the treatment of such infected patients and all should be very much careful to break the chain of spreading this novel virus. In this paper, a novel patient service robots (PSRs) assignment framework and a priority based (PB) method using fuzzy rule based (FRB) approach is proposed for the assignment of PSRs for CI patients in hospitals in order to provide safety to the COVID-19 warriors as well as to the CI infected patients. This novel approach is mainly focused on lowering the active involvement of COVID-19 warriors for the treatment of high asymptotic COVID-19 infected (HACI) patients for handling this tough situation. In this work, we have focused on HACI and low asymptotic COVID-19 infected (LACI) patients. Higher priority is given to HACI patients as compared to LACI patients to handle this critical situation in order to increase the survival probability of these patients. The proposed method deals with situations that practically arise during the assignment of PSRs for the treatment of such patients. The simulation of the work is carried out using MATLAB R2015b.

Microclimate modification in Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) heifers during summer: Effect on intake, growth and hematobiochemistry.

The present investigation evaluated the effect of microclimate modification on feed intake, growth performance, and hemato-biochemical profile of Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) heifers during summer. Twenty-four buffalo heifers, between 15 and 20 months of age with an average body weight of 363.75 ± 11.27 kg, were randomly assigned to 4 groups based on their age and body weight. The heifers of the T0 (control) group were kept under the shed without any cooling treatment, while the animals in group T1 were tied with a cooling jacket. Buffalo heifers of group T2 were subjected to a cooling jacket with forced ventilation and animals in group T3 were treated with intermittent sprinkling (10 min., at 2 h intervals) and forced ventilation between 9.00 AM and 6.00 PM during the experiment. The ambient temperature inside the shed and core body temperature were reduced in groups T1, T2, and T3 compared to T0. Heifers had higher dry matter intake when subjected to cooling treatments T1, T2, and T3, whereas water intake was reduced in T2 and T3 groups. The animals in T2 and T3 groups attained higher average daily weight gain, while the feed conversion was better in the T3 group compared to T0. The hematological measures such as hemoglobin, total erythrocyte count, and total leucocyte count were found higher in T0. The serum glucose, sodium, and potassium levels increasedand alkaline phosphatase activity decreased in groups T1, T2 and T3 when compared with T0. It can be concluded that the provision of intermittent sprinkling and cooling jacket in combination with forced ventilation could improve the microclimate, which in turn could enhance the performance of Murrah heifers during hot summer days in the tropics.

Outcome Analysis of Dual Plating in Management of Unstable Bicondylar Tibial Plateau Fracture - A Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Bicondylar tibial plateau fractures account for 10-30% of tibial plateau fractures. Despite recent advancements in the management of unstable bicondylar tibial plateau fractures, the outcomes are often poor. The present study aimed to evaluate the functional outcomes and complications of internal fixation of bicondylar tibial plateau fractures with the dual plating using two incisions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included 30 patients (26 males; 4 females, mean age 35.6 years; range, 19 to 65 years) with bicondylar tibial plateau fractures who were treated with dual plating between January 2017 to August 2019. Out of 30 patients, 5 patients had Schatzker type (V) and 25 patients had Schatzker type (VI) bicondylar tibial plateau fracture. All patients were treated with dual plating using two incisions. In all patient's similar standard physical rehabilitation therapy was followed. All complications including intra and post-operative were assessed and recorded. The patients were followed-up for over 24 months. Functional outcomes were assessed with Rasmussen's functional grading system, Oxford knee score, and range of motion of knee joint. Radiological outcomes were evaluated using Rasmussen's radiological scoring system. RESULT: All fractures united with a mean time of 18 weeks. The average knee range of motion was 1.5° - 130° (range: 0° - 10° for extension lag, range: 100° -135° for flexion). Mean Rasmussen's functional grading score at the final follow-up was 26.75. All patients showed excellent or good radiographic results according to Rasmussen's radiological scoring with a mean score of 8.5 (range 6-10). The post-operative radiographs showed mean MPTA was 84.3° and the mean PPTA was 6.2°. In the present study, complications were encountered in five patients. However, there were no cases of secondary loss of reduction, failure of the implant, malunion, or non-union. CONCLUSION: The surgical treatment of bicondylar tibial plateau fractures with dual locking represents a significant treatment option and provides rigid fixation in these fractures with good functional and radiological outcomes.

Tuning the interface in epoxy-based composites and laminates through epoxy grafted graphene oxide enhances mechanical properties.

Improved dispersion together with enhanced interfacial adhesion of the reinforcement is the key to superior structural properties in polymer nanocomposites. Herein, graphene oxide (GO) is employed to reinforce epoxy, and in order to improve the interfacial adhesion, epoxy chains were grafted directly onto GO prior to composite preparation. The functionalized GO sheets were systematically characterized using FTIR, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, and XPS. The epoxy composites with GO and epoxy grafted graphene oxide (Ep-g-GO) were prepared with the addition of only a small amount (0.5 wt%) of GO using a mechanical stirrer coupled to a bath sonicator. This strategy resulted in an impressive increase in mechanical properties, 40% in storage modulus, 70% in hardness, 39% in fracture toughness, and 8% in tensile strength, as compared to neat epoxy. In addition, the modified composites were thermally stable up to 300 °C as inferred from the thermogravimetric analysis. The enhanced properties of the composites further led to investigating the effect of Ep-g-GO on epoxy/carbon fiber (CF) laminates. Interestingly, incorporation of 0.5 wt% Ep-g-GO resulted in improved interfacial adhesion between GO and the epoxy matrix, which enhanced the tensile strength by 12% and inter-laminar shear strength by 9% as compared to neat epoxy/CF laminates. This study clearly demonstrates the positive effect of the tailored interface, offered by Ep-g-GO, on the mechanical properties of epoxy composites and epoxy/CF laminates.

Nematicidal effect of cruciferous bio-fumigants against the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita infesting okra.

In Haryana, India, only carbofuran is registered for the management of root-knot nematodes. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of cruciferous bio-fumigants for the management of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) in okra. The experiments were conducted at research area Department of Nematology in 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. During this investigation, cruciferous bio-fumigants such as cabbage leaves and cauliflower leaves were used as bio-fumigant sources to protect Okra cv. Hisar Unnat. Fresh and chopped leaf mass of cabbage and cauliflower was incorporated uniformly into a naturally infested field. The initial nematode population in both years was 224 and 256 J2/200 cc soil, respectively. The results of our investigation showed that in both the years okra yield was enhanced significantly by the measures of nematode management. In addition, both of the tested bio-fumigant plants leaves proved to be potentially promising for the management of root-knot nematodes. Among the bio-fumigants, the highest decrease in nematode population, root gall index and increase in yield was observed in cabbage leaves @ 50 t/ha in both years, consecutively.In Haryana, India, only carbofuran is registered for the management of root-knot nematodes. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of cruciferous bio-fumigants for the management of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) in okra. The experiments were conducted at research area Department of Nematology in 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019. During this investigation, cruciferous bio-fumigants such as cabbage leaves and cauliflower leaves were used as bio-fumigant sources to protect Okra cv. Hisar Unnat. Fresh and chopped leaf mass of cabbage and cauliflower was incorporated uniformly into a naturally infested field. The initial nematode population in both years was 224 and 256 J2/200 cc soil, respectively. The results of our investigation showed that in both the years okra yield was enhanced significantly by the measures of nematode management. In addition, both of the tested bio-fumigant plants leaves proved to be potentially promising for the management of root-knot nematodes. Among the bio-fumigants, the highest decrease in nematode population, root gall index and increase in yield was observed in cabbage leaves @ 50 t/ha in both years, consecutively.

Endobronchial ultrasound for tubercular mediastinal adenopathy and its comparison with traditional tools.

SETTING: Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is now the preferred tool to sample malignant mediastinal lesions. Data on its role in tubercular mediastinal adenopathy are limited.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of EBUS in diagnosing tubercular mediastinal lymphadenopathy and correlate the cytological and microbiological results obtained on aspirate with standard methods (radiology and the tuberculin skin test) suggesting tuberculosis (TB).DESIGN: A prospective study of 125 patients with suspected tubercular mediastinal lymphadenopathy who underwent EBUS-transbronchial needle aspiration. Only patients with a microbiologically confirmed diagnosis or unequivocal clinico-radiological response to anti-TB treatment during follow-up were included.RESULTS: A total of 122 patients showed findings suggesting TB on cytopathology (sensitivity 97.6%), 105 (84%) of whom had microbiological evidence of TB (positive smear/culture or both). Performing staining for acid-fast bacilli on slides prepared during the procedure vs. only on samples submitted in saline significantly improved the yield. Only 92 patients (73.6%) were Mantoux-positive. Cytology was more sensitive than computed tomography in picking up necrosis. Granulomas, with or without necrosis, were equally likely to be microbiologically positive. However, presence of only necrosis in a TB-endemic region invariably points towards TB diagnosis.CONCLUSIONS: EBUS was highly sensitive and specific for diagnosis of mediastinal TB and may be considered the investigation of choice for tubercular mediastinal adenopathy.

Lattice defect-formulated ferromagnetism and UV photo-response in pure and Nd, Sm substituted ZnO thin films.

The induction of charge and spin in diluted magnetic semiconductor ZnO is explored for spintronic devices and its wide direct band gap (3.37 eV) and large exciton binding energy (60 meV) exhibit potential in UV photodetectors. We reported the ferromagnetic and optical properties of pure ZnO, Zn0.97Nd0.03O and Zn0.97Sm0.03O thin films. These thin films were synthesized by a metallo-organic decomposition method and annealed at 500 °C for 7 h. Rietveld refinement of the XRD data results in a wurtzite ZnO structure with Nd, Sm doping. The dopants and nanoparticle size are responsible for wurtzite structural deformation, inducing lattice strain effect, which may influence the band gap energy and high-TC ferromagnetism of ZnO. The average size of ZnO nanoparticles with Nd, Sm doping is 10 nm, confirmed with atomic force microscopy. The Raman spectra confirm the wurtzite structure of ZnO with crystalline quality and lattice defect formation with dopant Nd, Sm ions. A near-band-edge emission due to band gap energy is evaluated with photoluminescence spectra, which also involved multiple visible emissions due to oxygen vacancies. The oxygen vacancies-mediated magnetic interactions impart room temperature ferromagnetism in pure ZnO which is enhanced with Nd, Sm doping. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra revealed the effects of defects and unpaired electrons responsible for observed room temperature ferromagnetism. The zero field cooling and field cooling magnetic measurements include antiferromagnetic interactions without any spin-glass formation. The observed ferromagnetism also correlates with first principle calculations reported for Nd, Sm-doped ZnO and suggests long-range ferromagnetic ordering attributed to defect carriers. The Nd, Sm doping into ZnO thin films significantly enhances absorption in the UV region and suggests its usability for UV detectors. Under UV irradiation (λ = 325 nm), the value of photocurrent in Nd, Sm:ZnO thin films is highly enhanced for possible use in UV sensors.

Unintentional injury and role of different predictors among 1-5 years children: a community based cross sectional study in a rural population of a developing country.

Injury has been increasing exponentially, especially in children, and it has become a public health concern. The present study was conducted with the objective of determining the prevalence and profile of unintentional injury among children of 1-5-year age group in a rural community of India and also to find out the predictors. Primary caregiver was interviewed by using a structured interview schedule. Parent supervisory behaviour was assessed using Parent Supervision Attributes Profile Questionnaire (PSAPQ), and child injury risk-taking behaviour was assessed by using injury behaviour checklist (IBC). Children encountered any unintentional injury event during last three-month period were 261 (62.7%). PSAPQ score was significantly higher in those parents where children had no episode of injury compared to others. Among four components of the PSAPQ, protectiveness (p = 0.049) and risk tolerance (p = 0.001) score had significant positive association with the incidence of unintentional injury. Binary multivariable logistic regression technique had found that age of the child, gender, primary care giver, birth order of the baby, the number of siblings, social class and IBC score has significant association with history of unintentional injury. There is utmost need for the development of effective programmes and training strategies to prevent unintentional injury among under-five children in future.

Biochemical constituents of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) collected from different geographical regions of Himachal Pradesh.

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), one of the major traditional, underexploited crop having good nutritional value, can be grown in poor agroclimatic regions requires low inputs for its cultivation. Variability in biochemical parameters were observed in biotypes of buckwheat collected from different geographical regions. 1000 seed weight was varied from 9.48 to 15.22 g. Buckwheat biotypes contains high amount of protein (7.69-15.47%). Rutin, the most important ingredient of buckwheat was also varies (3.74-6.53%) in different biotypes. It was also found that many essential amino acids are also found in buckwheat. Variations among almost all estimated parameters were found to be highly significant.

Persistent involvement of anterior mesorectal fascia in carcinoma rectum - extended resection of rectum vs total pelvic exenteration: results from a single-centre retrospective study.

AIM: Involvement of the anterior mesorectal fascia (iAMRF) after neoadjuvant treatment leads to either resection of the involved organ alone [extended resection of the rectum (ERR)] or total pelvic exenteration (TPE). The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of recurrence and survival of patients undergoing ERR or TPE for iAMRF after neoadjuvant treatment. The outcome of patients who underwent total mesorectal excision after downstaging was also compared. METHOD: This was a retrospective study of primary rectal cancer patients. RESULTS: Of 237 patients, 61 (21.5%) patients with nonmetastatic carcinoma rectum had iAMRF at baseline. Ten patients defaulted before completion of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. After neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, 22 patients (43.1%) developed systemic metastases, seven patients (13.8%) were downstaged to free anterior mesorectal fascia and underwent total mesorectal excision (anterior resection/abdominoperineal resection) and the remaining 22 patients (43.1%) had persistent iAMRF. Thirteen patients with persistent iAMRF underwent ERR, whereas nine patients underwent TPE. The median duration of hospital stay in the TPE group was 13 days (10-26), whereas it was 7 days (5-21) in the ERR group. A clear circumferential resection margin, R0 resection, was achieved in all patients with TPE and ERR. After a median follow-up of 31.6 months, five patients with TPE (55.6%), four patients with ERR (30.7%) and three patients in the downstaged group (42.9%) developed systemic recurrence. None of the patients with TPE and the downstaged group developed local recurrence, whereas three patients with ERR (23.1%) developed local recurrence. Median disease-free survival was 12.3 months in the TPE group, 18.9 months in the ERR group and 10.6 months in the downstaged group, whereas mean overall survival was 36.2, 32.8 and 27.9 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although there is no significant difference in the overall survival and disease-free survival, ERR is associated with a high risk of local recurrence compared to TPE and the downstaged group.

Improvement in sperm functional competence through modified low-dose packaging in French mini straws of bull semen.

To achieve the targeted artificial insemination coverage with the current rate of semen production, without affecting the conception rate, it needs to reduce the number of spermatozoa per insemination dose in India as per international practice. Therefore, this study was planned to perform different levels of semen dilution, compare in vitro post-thaw semen quality and develop a modified low-dose semen packaging method in French mini straw to minimise semen dilution effect. Sixteen ejaculates were collected from Karan Fries bulls (n = 4). The mean percentage post-thaw motility, viability, membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, lipid peroxidation and capacitation status were estimated as post-thaw sperm function assays in semen sample diluted to 20, 15, 10 and 5 million spermatozoa per 0.25 ml and filled in the French mini straw by conventional packaging. No significant (p > .05) difference in post-thaw sperm quality was observed between 15 and 20 million doses; however, below 15 million sperm quality get reduced. There was no significant difference in post-thaw semen quality traits between 20 million conventional packaging and 5 million spermatozoa/dose in modified packaging. In conclusions, the modified packaging is a very effective method for low-dose cryopreservation with acceptable post-thaw semen quality.

Geospatial distribution of metal(loid)s and human health risk assessment due to intake of contaminated groundwater around an industrial hub of northern India.

The study focused on analyzing concentrations of metal(loid)s, their geospatial distribution in groundwater around an industrial hub of northern India. Human health risk posed due to the intake of contaminated groundwater was also evaluated. For this, 240 samples were assayed using inductively coupled plasma emission spectrophotometer. For risk assessment, the methodology proposed by US Environmental Protection Agency was adopted. Geometric mean of Al, As, Mo, Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn was 193.13, 27.35, 4.22, 2.85, 92.81, 14.97, 271.78, 25.76, 54.75, 19.50, 16.94, and 1830.27 µg/l, respectively. Levels of Al (84%), As (63%), Ni (63%), Pb (49%), and Se (41%) exceeded the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Principal component analysis is accounted for ~ 88% of the total variance and reflected pollution loads of Al, As, Mo, Cr, Fe, Se, and Pb in the groundwater. Based on it, four sources of metal(loid)s, namely geogenic (34.55%), mixed (industrial and agricultural, 26.76%), waste dumping (15.31%), and industrial (11.25%) were identified. Semi-variogram mapping model demonstrated significant geospatial variations of the metal(loid)s. Hazard index (HI) suggested potential non-carcinogenic risks to the inhabitants due to As, Al, Ni, Se, and Pb, which were the largest contributors. Based on maximum concentrations of metal(loid)s, HI for child and adult was above unity. Arsenic was identified as the most hazardous pollutant that may have chronic carcinogenic health implications. At western side of study area, carcinogenic health risks exceeded critical threshold of 1 × 10-4, indicating that As posed health risks to residents by intake of groundwater.

Immunogenetics of cytokine genes in parthenium dermatitis: a review.

Summary: Parthenium dermatitis is a chronic immuno-inflammatory, distressing skin disease and is mediated by activated T-lymphocyte which is primarily manifested on the exposed sites of the face, neck, hand and flexures. Parthenium hysterophorus is ubiquitous, hence it is diffi-cult to avoid the aero-allergenic antigen parthenin, responsible for the contact dermatitis. The pathogenesis of parthenium dermatitis is characterized by infiltration of T-lymphocytes into challenged skin sites and the development of a cutaneous inflammation due to altered regulatory network of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Regulation of inflammatory events perpetuated by cytokines continues to complicate efforts to analyze both the function of individual cytokine and the influence of candidate gene polymorphism on expression and disease severity. The genetic polymorphisms in these cytokines are significantly affecting immunological parameters and, subsequently, modulation and polarization of immune responses. This review has focused mainly on understanding of the mechanisms of genetic susceptibility of cytokine genes in this disease and, further, this process is likely to achieve significant advances in the diagnosis and management of parthenium dermatitis.