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Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is renowned for its high yield as forage and is primarily cultivated by small-scale farmers to nourish their livestock. When harvested at the recommended age, it can offer premium-quality feed. Conversely, sweet potato vines (SPV) are often treated as agricultural residue due to being underutilized, despite their potential nutritional benefits. This disregard for Sweet Potato vines stems from a lack of interest in further processing them into feed. This study aimed to assess the chemical composition and physical attributes of ensiled napier grass mixed with different proportions of Sweet Potato vines for 30 days. The experimental groups included 100% NG, 75% NG:25% SPV, 50% NG:50% SPV, 25% NG:75% SPV, and 100% SPV. The research utilized ordinary Napier grass and Bukit Naga Sweet Potato vines, both harvested at 6 weeks old during the second harvesting cycle. The quality of silage was evaluated through physical characteristics such as colour and pH. All treatments displayed optimal pH levels for quality silage, falling within the range of 3.5 to 4.0. The colour assessment indicated that all treatments had a greenish-brown hue with a discernible structure. Chemical composition analysis was performed using proximate analysis procedures. In conclusion, incorporating SPV elevated OM and CP content, demonstrating the potential benefits of combined ensiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is a herbaceous plant in the family of Malvaceae, native to Africa and India and primarily produced for its fibre. It has been suggested that the immature kenaf is suitable to be used as fodder for ruminants. The crude protein content of the kenaf depends on the soil nutrient levels and other environmental and management factors. The study aims to evaluate the use of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer at different levels on the plant height, yield, nutrient content and in vitro gas production of immature kenaf. There were five different levels of additional inorganic nitrogen fertilizer (urea: 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 kg/ha) and were given to Kenaf V36 which was initially fertilized with NPK (15:15:15). Kenaf V36 seeds were obtained from National Kenaf and Tobacco Board and used as planting materials. The kenaf plants were watered twice daily and fertilized with inorganic fertilizer on day 10 and 20 after planting. On day 35 after planting, the dry matter yield (DM yield), plant height, proximate analysis, Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and in vitro gas production were determined. The result shows that the DM yield ranged from 0.55 to 0.62 tonnes per hectare. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in CP, NDF and ash of kenaf fertilized with different levels of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer. There are highly significant differences (P<0.01) in plant height, DM content and gas production of kenaf fertilized with different levels of inorganic fertilizer application of immature kenaf fertilised with 40 kg/ha and harvested on day 35 post-planting was observed to reach the optimum performance and suitable as ruminant feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Used cooking oil (UCO) is a waste, and creates environmental issues due to its hydrophobic property. UCO, with its high content of fatty acid, can be used as source material for animal feed. However, high unsaturated fatty acid in UCO is harmful to the ruminant's microflora. This can be resolved by transforming UCO into functional product such as ruminant's protected fat (PF). In the present work, the production of used cooking oil protected fat (UCOPF) using fusion method via saponification process was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effect of calcium oxide concentration (CaO), initial temperature (iTemp.), and percentage of water (H2O) on the solidification score and free fatty acid (FFA) content of PF. Results showed that all the studied parameters significantly affected the responses. The coefficient of determination (R 2) for solidification score and FFA were high at 0.9433 and 0.9599, respectively. The optimum condition to produced UCOPF by fusion method was CaO (20%), iTemp. (80°C), and percentage of water (30%), which yielded solidification score and FFA of 5.33 ± 0.53 and 0.85 ± 0.07%, respectively. The FFA content of the optimised PF was lower than permitted; thus, it can be used as animal supplement. In conclusion, the UCO can be converted into PF by using calcium fusion method. However, the property and stability of the produced PF should be assessed prior to commercialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate the agronomic properties of Aleman grass (Echinochloa polystachya), Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) and Setaria grass (Setaria splendida) mixture and its palatability in sheep. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the agronomic properties in mix planting of Aleman grass, Para grass, and Setaria grass and to evaluate the palatability of their mixture by sheep. The grass was planted in monocrop, two grass species mixture and three grass species mixture in a research area, Department of Animal Science Universiti Putra Malaysia. The grass was planted for two months in a randomized complete block design and was cut about 15 cm above ground level for each grass and the data was collected weekly. Botanical composition and grass tiller count showed there was no difference (P>0.05) among the grass planted as single grass to the planted two and three grass species. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in grass height that decreased in two and three grass mixtures. The study on palatability was conducted using single-bowl and double-bowl methods. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in both tests that the single grass was more palatable than the mixture of two or three grasses. The mixture of three grass takes a long time for the sheep to finish grass compared to the mixture of two and single grass species. In conclusion, this result showed that different mixtures of planting and feeding to the animal affect agronomic properties and palatability in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoset and biothermoset applications have been advancing tremendously in recent years due to their easy processing, versatility, and exceptional mechanical and thermal properties. Biothermoset is a type of thermoset that is produced using biological resources, either in portions by blending with the conventional resin, or completely. Various research has been employed to accommodate their high and rapidly growing demands and broaden their functions and implementation in numerous fields. One of these attempts is the reinforcement of nanofillers. Nanofillers such as nanoclay, graphene nanoplatelets, carbon nanotubes, nanodiamond, etc., possess diverse and outstanding properties and are also easily accessible. Recently, there has been a developing trend of hybridizing two or more types of nanofillers as a hybrid reinforcement system to address the limitations of single-filler reinforcement systems and to establish better-supporting properties of the nanocomposites. In this review, we discussed the use of hybrid nanofillers in different thermoset and biothermoset applications. Emphasis is given to the types of hybrids, their interactions with each other and the host polymer, and the effects of their contents and ratios. Limitations from the previous works are also discussed and the future undertaking of research on hybrid nanofillers is also proposed.

Gender inequality is recognised as an impediment to economic growth and development. In Nigeria, several policies have been enacted to eliminate gender inequality. However, studies show that women are grossly marginalised, exploited, and discriminated against in their socioeconomic life. This paper examines the impact of gender inequality and female labour participation in the Nigerian civil service on the economic growth of Nigeria using mix-methods. First, an estimation of the impact of gender inequality on economic growth using panel data regression, followed by content- and consistency-based analysis that examines the factors responsible for gender inequality and discrimination issues women experience in the Nigerian civil service using content- and consistency-based analysis. The findings suggest that gender inequality negatively impacts economic growth and distorts the pool of human capital available to the Nigerian civil service and recommends the use of education and outsourcing of some employment functions to eliminate it effectively.

Limited data are available regarding the effects of Brachiaria decumbens on sheep's growth performance at different times. Therefore, this current study focused on sheep's nutrient apparent digestibility, feed efficiency, body index, and growth hormone when they are fed with low and high levels of B. decumbens diets. A total of 30 six-month-old male Dorper cross sheep were divided randomly into three treatment groups with 10 sheep per treatment. Treatment 1 (control) sheep were fed with Pennisetum purpureum and pellets as the basal diet, whereas Treatment 2 and 3 sheep were fed with feed mixed with low (10%) and high (60%) levels of B. decumbens , respectively. The study was conducted in two phases consisting of short-term feeding (seven days) and long-term feeding (90 days). Throughout the experiment, daily fecal voided were collected in the morning for seven days continuous before the end of each feeding phases for the determination of nutrient apparent digestibility. The amount of feed offered and refusals plus body weight gain were recorded daily to determine the feed efficiency (FE). Besides, the body measurements of each sheep from every treatment were measured weekly and blood samples were collected for the analysis of growth hormone (GH) concentration. There were significant differences ( p < 0.05) in the nutrient apparent digestibility, growth performance, body measurement, and GH concentration among treatment sheep throughout the study period. Treatment 3 sheep fed with 60% of B. decumbens diet revealed the lowest dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) digestibility during the long-term feeding. Likewise, Treatment 3 (T3) sheep had the lowest total bodyweight gain, average daily gain, total feed intake, and daily feed intake among treatment sheep. The heart girth index (HGI) of T3 sheep was also significantly lower during the short-term feeding. Moreover, the GH concentration of T3 sheep was significantly lower as compared to the control that decreases steadily throughout the study period. In conclusion, high levels of B. decumbens showed the most significant results out of all three treatments indicating the presence of saponins, which produce negative effects on the sheep's overall performance., (© Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2023.)

Background: Lately, smoking among adolescents is increasing despite various campaigns to address it being carried out. Previously, this habit was common among men, however, nowadays, smoking has become a habit for women as well. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and its associated factors that influence smoking behavior among women inmates in Kelantan., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among women inmates from Pengkalan Chepa Women's Prison, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A total of 274 respondents were needed to answer a self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Multiple Logistic Regression., Results: A total of 183 participants were smokers. Women who were single and divorced had a lower chance of being influenced to smoke compared to married women. Parents with smoking habits were more associated with children who smoked compared to parents who did not smoke. A participant with secondary level education had higher odds of smoking compared to a participant with primary level education. Smoking peers significantly influenced their friends and, therefore, peer practice was a main factor influencing smoking among women inmates., Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking among women inmates in Kelantan was found to be quite high. Religion (majority (90.5%) of women in the study were Muslims; it would be inappropriate to draw conclusion that religion is an influencing factor), marital status, parents' practice, peer practice and education significantly influenced women inmates to smoke.

Ammoniation of oil palm frond (OPF) with non-protein nitrogen (N) sources has been shown to improve the nutritional value and digestibility of OPF in ruminants. This study evaluated the effect of treating OPF without (control) or with different urea levels (1%-5%) on chemical composition and in vitro gas production, digestibility and fermentation properties using goat rumen fluids. The results showed that the treated OPF with urea (1%-5%) had significantly lower (p < 0.05) dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and ash contents than that of the control. The crude protein (CP) content of treated OPF increased (linear p < 0.05; quadratic p < 0.05) with increasing levels of urea inclusion (1%-5%), whereas the contents of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased. The CH 4 (ml/500 mg DM incubated) production decreased (linear p < 0.05) with increasing levels of urea inclusion in treated OPF silage. However, in vitro DM and OM degradability were significantly (p < 0.05) increased by higher inclusion levels of urea (4% and 5%). OPF treated with 4% or 5% urea also revealed significantly (p < 0.05) higher total volatile fatty acids and ammonia-N than the control and OPFs treated with 1%-3% urea. Ammoniation of OPF with urea improved its nutritional value and in vitro rumen fermentation profiles in goats. The impact was more pronounced for 4% or 5% urea-treated OPF., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Plant extracts are rich in various bioactive compounds exerting antioxidants effects, such as phenolics, catechins, flavonoids, quercetin, anthocyanin, tocopherol, rutin, chlorogenic acid, lycopene, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, vitamin C, protocatechuic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, β-carotene, myricetin, kaempferol, carnosine, zeaxanthin, sesamol, rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, and carnosol. The extraction processing protocols such as solvent, time, temperature, and plant powder should be optimized to obtain the optimum yield with the maximum concentration of active ingredients. The application of novel green extraction technologies has improved extraction yields with a high concentration of active compounds, heat-labile compounds at a lower environmental cost, in a short duration, and with efficient utilization of the solvent. The application of various combinations of extraction technologies has proved to exert a synergistic effect or to act as an adjunct. There is a need for proper identification, segregation, and purification of the active ingredients in plant extracts for their efficient utilization in the meat industry, as natural antioxidants. The present review has critically analyzed the conventional and green extraction technologies in extracting bioactive compounds from plant biomass and their utilization in meat as natural antioxidants.