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Objective An experiment was conducted to study the effect of supplementing DL methionine (DL Met) at graded concentrations on performance, carcass variables, immune responses and antioxidant variables in broiler chicken fed folic acid (FA) fortified (4 mg/kg) low-methionine diet. Methods A basal diet (BD) without supplemental DL Met, but with higher level (4 mg/kg) of FA and a control diet (CD) with the recommended concentration of methionine (Met) were prepared. The BD was supplemented with DL Met at graded concentrations (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% supplemental DL Met of CD). Each diet was fed ad libitum to 10 replicates of 5 broiler male chicks in each from 1 to 42 d of age. Results Body weight gain (BWG) reduced, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) increased in broilers fed low-Met BD. At 30% and 20% inclusion of DL met, the BWG and FCR, respectively were similar to those fed the CD. Similarly, supplementation of 10% DL Met to the BD significantly increased ready to cook meat yield and breast meat weight, which were similar to those of the CD fed broilers. Lipid peroxidation reduced, the activity of antioxidant enzymes (GSHPx and GSHRx) in serum increased and lymphocyte proliferation increased with increased supplemental DL Met level in the BD. The concentrations of total protein and albumin in serum increased with DL Met supplementation to the BD. Conclusion Based on the data, it can be concluded that supplemental Met can be reduced to less than 50% in broiler chicken diets (4.40, 3.94, and 3.39 g/kg, respectively in pre-starter, starter and finisher phases) containing 4 mg/kg FA.

The increasing interest in liquid metal cooled nuclear reactors provides technical and scientific challenges such as the understanding, prevention, and prediction of the degradation of materials in liquid lead. Critical components include the fuel rods, heat exchanger tubes, and pump impellers. These functional elements are exposed to mechanical loading (up to 40 MPa), high temperatures (450–550 °C), and fluid-induced vibrations (up to 25 Hz). Under such conditions, fretting wear occurs between e.g., the spacer wire and the outer surface of the fuel or heat exchanger tubes. This work is aimed to establish a laboratory-scale fretting wear test setup and develop test methodology to enable systematic material characterisation in liquid metal environments. The results obtained by using the described methodology indicate that adhesive wear is the dominant degradation mechanism, and 316L stainless steel shows a higher coefficient of friction but a lower wear volume/tribolayer volume compared to 100Cr6 bearing steel. These results are in agreement with those reported in open literature and demonstrates the suitability of the presented method for conducting fretting tests and analysis for various materials and contact configurations in liquid lead environment.

SUMMARY: A major portion of the total P present in maize grain is in the form of phytic acid, which affects P bioavailability. The study was undertaken to determine the effect of feeding low phytate maize (LPM) with varying levels of nonphytate phosphorous (NPP) on performance, bone-breaking strength, and intestinal gene expression of phosphorous transporters in Gramapriya birds during the starter phase (up to 42 d). A total of 432 one-day-old Gramapriya chicks were randomly distributed into 6 dietary treatments having 12 replicates with 6 chicks in each replicate. The experimental diets were formulated to contain each of 3 levels of NPP (0.25, 0.33, and 0.45%) using normal maize (NM) or LPM. Higher body weight gain (BWG) and better feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the groups fed diets with LPM compared to those groups fed diets with NM. The variations in the different parameters recorded were analyzed using the general linear model multivariate procedure. The P content of the tibia was higher among the groups fed LPM-based diets compared to those groups fed NM. Na-dependent phosphate co-transporter (NaPi-IIb) expression was higher among the groups fed NM. Further, the mRNA expression of NaPi-IIb was linearly increased among the groups fed lower levels of NPP. At the ileum, the inorganic phosphate transporter-1 expression was linearly increased with decreased levels of NPP supplementation. This study demonstrated the feeding diets with LPM revealed improved BWG, FCR, and higher bone mineralization in Gramapriya birds during the starter phase. Further, it is observed that feeding diets with varying levels of NPP and NM or LPM influenced the expression profile of genes involved in the active transport of P in the small intestine of chickens.

Introduction The heterogeneity of schizophrenia (SCZ) regarding clinical features including symptomatology, disease course and their inter-relationships with underlying biological substrates remain incompletely understood. Objectives In a bid to reduce illness heterogeneity using biological substrates, our study aimed to employ brain neurostructural measures for subtyping SCZ patients, and evaluate each subtype’s relationship with clinical features such as illness duration, psychotic psychopathology, and deficit status. Methods We recruited 240 subjects (160 SCZ patients, 80 healthy controls) for this study. All participants underwent brain structural magnetic resonance imaging scans and clinical assessments using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Biological subtypes of SCZ were identified using “Heterogeneity through discriminative analysis” (HYDRA), a clustering technique which accounted for relevant covariates and the inter-group normalized percentage changes in brain volume were also calculated. Results We found two neuroanatomical subtypes (SG-1 and SG-2) which were found amongst our patients with SCZ. The subtype SG-1 was associated with enlargements in the third and lateral ventricles, volume increase in the basal ganglia (putamen, caudate, pallidum), longer illness duration, and deficit status. The subtype SG-2 was associated with reductions of cortical and subcortical structures (hippocampus, thalamus, basal ganglia). Conclusions These findings have clinical implications in the early intervention, response monitoring, and prognostication of SCZ. Future studies may adopt a multi-modal neuroimaging approach to enhance insights into the neurobiological composition of relevant subtypes. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Abstract Background DNA testing in the cattle industry undergoes multiple hurdles. Successful genotyping involves the transportation of samples from the field to the laboratory in a chilled environment followed by DNA extraction, and finally, a specific genotyping protocol is followed. Various researches are focused on overcoming these issues. Microcards offer blood transportation at ambient temperature. Direct PCR methods can save the time of DNA extraction but available only for simplex PCR. Tetra Primer-Amplification Refractory Mutation System based Polymerase Chain Reaction (T-ARMS PCR) can make DNA testing faster in a low-cost setting. The present study was aimed to design, optimize, and validate a T-ARMS PCR for faster DNA testing of SNP responsible for Complex Vertebral Malformation (CVM)-an important genetic disease of the cattle industry. Further, a direct T-ARMS PCR from whole blood was developed to avoid the DNA extraction steps. Lastly, using the optimized protocol, genotyping of blood spotted on Microcard eliminates the need for cold chain maintenance in the transportation of samples. Results The present study demonstrated a novel T-ARMS PCR-based genotyping of the SNP rs438228855, which is responsible for CVM. Here, wild genotypes were recognized by 389 bp and 199 bp bands in agarose gel, while the carrier genotype showed an additional 241 bp band. The developed protocol was validated using PCR-Primer Introduced Restriction Analysis (PCR-PIRA) and sequencing. The present study further established a direct T-ARMS PCR for this SNP from whole blood. Different conditions such as heparin and EDTA treated blood, the need for pre-treatment, and two different DNA Polymerases for the direct PCR were optimized. Finally, our optimized protocol successfully genotyped the whole blood samples dried on Insta™DNA cards. Conclusions The present study reported the usefulness of primer modified T-ARMS PCR for detecting CVM for the first time. To the best of our knowledge, direct PCR in T-ARMS PCR has never been reported. Lastly, the use of microcards in the developed protocol can make the assay useful in the DNA testing of field samples.

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus is a major chronic disease associated with many complications and high morbidity. The need for lifestyle modification and regular adherent treatment makes the management of the disease difficult. This study examines the scope of m-Health in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in terms of glycemic control. Methods: A randomized controlled study was performed among the patients attending the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Mysuru city. A mobile application named DIAGURU, mainly focusing on lifestyle modification and medication management was used for a period of 6 months from April 2019 to September 2019 by 150 patients in the study group while another 150 participants served as controls. The change in glycosylated haemoglobin levels was assessed after six months. Results: The mean HbA1C levels at the starting of the study was found to be 7.36% ± 1.04 in the study group and 7.84% ± 1.33% in the control group. A repeat HbA1c test after six months showed a mean level of 7.10% ± 0.96% among the participants who received the intervention and 7.97% ± 1.37% among the control group. The values were showing a trend of reduction in the intervention group, with a median reduction HbA1c of −0.2% (−0.3% to −0.2%). Among the participants who did not receive our intervention, a median increase of 0.1% (0%–0.2%) in HbA1c was noticed. Mann Whitney U test was performed, and it showed a statistically significant association with a p value less than 0.001. Conclusion: From this study, we conclude that an intervention with a mobile application aimed at lifestyle modification and medication management in addition to regular medical treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients resulted in a better glycemic control compared to a control group who did not receive the adjuvant intervention. CTRI registration number: CTRI/2020/02/023115.

The right testicular vein drains into inferior vena cava and left testicular vein drains into the left renal vein. Testicular veins show several variations in number, course and termination. Testicular veins were studied in 40 adult cadavers. Two anatomical aspects were considered: Number of testicular veins and their site of termination. In the present study duplication of testicular veins were observed on both right and left sides. Two testicular veins occurred and their termination was normal into Inferior venacava on right side and on left side to left renal vein. The presence of such variations can increase risk of occurrence of varicocele and infertility in patients. Variations of the testicular veins are due to alterations in the embryological origin of the veins. The knowledge of anatomic variations of testicular veins will help surgeons and radiologists to avoid potential complications during surgical procedures.

During routine dissection of abdomen an accessory left gastric artery was found arising from the splenic artery in one out of 30 adult formalin fixed cadavers in the Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College Manipal. The origin of left gastric artery was normal. The accessory artery was running upwards behind usual left gastric artery and run along lesser curvature of the stomach and also gave oesophageal branch supplying the lower part of esophagus. Before attempting any surgical procedure on stomach or lower end of oesophagus, preoperative evaluation of the arterial pattern and variations is desirable for correct surgical approach and to reduce postoperative complications. However, accessory left gastric origin from splenic artery becomes important to be noted when the patient undergoes angiography for diagnostic bleeding or during trans catheter therapy. Knowledge about these variations is also important to be noted prior to surgery in order to prevent postoperative complications which would be fatal.

The increasing demand for electricity and global attention to the environment has led energy planners and developers to explore developing control techniques for energy stability. The primary objective function of this research in an interconnected electrical power system to increase the stability of the system with the proposed RRVR technique is evaluated in terms of the different constraints like THD (%), steady-state error (%), settling time (s), overshoot (%), efficiency (%) and to maintain the frequency at a predetermined value, and controlling the change of the power flow of control between the areas renewable energy generation (solar, wind, and fuel cell with battery management system) based intelligent grid system. To provide high-quality, reliable and stable electrical power, the designed controller should perform satisfactorily, that is, suppress the deviation of the load frequency. The performance of linear controllers on non-linear power systems has not yet been found to be effective in overcoming this problem. In this work, a fractional high-order differential feedback controller (FHODFC) is proposed for the LFC problems in a multi-area power system. The gains of FHODFC are best adjusted by resilience random variance reduction technique (RRVR) designed to minimize the overall weighted absolute error performance exponential time. Therefore, the controller circuit automatically adjusts the duty cycle value to obtain a desired constant output voltage value, despite all the grid system’s source voltage and load output changes. The proposed interconnected multi-generation energy generation topology is established in MATLAB 2017b software.

Summary: Four experiments were conducted to study the effect of supplementing different concentrations of xylanase (Xyl) (3,200–24,000 u/kg) and α-amylase (Amy) (300–2,250 u/kg) to corn-soybean meal (SBM)–based diets on performance, carcass variables, and apparent ileal digestibility of energy (AIDE) in broiler chicken. Corn–SBM–based diet without the enzymes was kept as the control. Each diet was fed ad libitum from day 1 to 42 to birds in 10 pens (6′ × 4′5″), each containing 25 broiler male chicks. The carcass variables and AIDE were studied in experiment IV. The meta-analysis on performance data of 4 experiments indicated that feed intake reduced (8,000 X + 850 A and 16,000X + 1,700 A) feed efficiency (8,000 X + 850 A and 12,800X + 1,200 A) improved with supplementation of enzymes compared with the control group fed without the enzymes. The magnitude of response in performance variables was dependent on the dose of the enzymes. Enzymes supplementation quadratically improved the ready to cook yield and apparent ileal digestibility of energy. Based on the results, it is concluded that the performance and ready-to-cook yield of broilers can be improved with supplementation of Xyl and Amy in broilers fed corn-SBM–based diets. The improvement in broiler performance could partly be due to improvement in the apparent ileal digestibility of energy with supplemental enzymes.

The diffusion bonding (DB) method is used in this investigation to connect high-temperature dissimilar materials. The existence of difficult-to-remove oxide coatings on the titanium surfaces, as well as the arrangement of breakable metallic interlayers and oxide enclosures inside the bond region, provides the most significant challenges during the transition from AISI304 to Ti-6Al-4V alloying. In addition, an effort was made to advance DB processing maps for the operational connection of Ti-6Al-4V to AISI304 alloys to improve their performance. Joints had been created by combining several process factors, such as bonding temperature (T), bonding pressure (P), and holding time (t), to create diverse designs. Based on the findings, database processing maps were created. This set of processing maps may be used as a rough guideline for selecting appropriate DB process parameters for generating virtuous excellent bonds between Ti-6Al-4V and AISI304 alloys. The maximum lap shear strength (LSS) was achieved at 800°C, 15 MPa, and 45 min.

Abstract Objectives In a recent publication, we reported the successful use of tetra primer-amplification refractory mutation system based polymerase chain reaction (T-ARMS-PCR) for genotyping of rs445709131-SNP responsible for the bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) in cattle. The SNP is characterized by higher GC content of the surrounding region, hence, the previous protocol utilized dimethyl sulfoxide as PCR enhancer. Here, the reaction cocktail was modified with the use of thermostable strand displacement polymerase (SD polymerase) instead of commonly used Taq DNA Polymerase. The amplification efficiency, reaction sensitivity, specificity, and need of PCR enhancer in reactions containing SD polymerase and Taq polymerase were compared. Results T-ARMS-PCR assay is influenced by multiple factors for the correct genotyping necessitating extensive optimization at the initial stages. The described modification enabled generation of all amplicons by 25 cycles whereas the assay with Taq polymerase needed a minimum of 35 cycles. The modified assay amplified all amplicons at a wider range of annealing temperature (50–60 °C), without the addition of dimethyl sulfoxide. The replacement of Taq polymerase with SD polymerase may be beneficial in the T-ARMS assay for development of user-friendly, faster assay which is less affected by the reaction and cyclic conditions.

The study describes the standardization of a suitable semen cryopreservation protocol for the first time in mithun (Bos frontalis) and birth of the first mithun calf through artificial insemination. The semen samples were collected from adult bulls through the rectal massage method and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen using tris–egg yolk–glycerol diluent. The diluted semen samples were packaged in 0.50 ml straws and kept at 5°C for 4 h for equilibration. Following the equilibration, the straws were frozen into liquid nitrogen vapour for 10 min and then plunged into liquid nitrogen for storage. It was observed that the progressive motility (%) decreased significantly (P < 0.01) in cryopreserved semen (43.3 ± 4.1) compared with fresh samples (76.6 ± 3.3). The percentages of live spermatozoa (P < 0.01) and spermatozoa with intact acrosome (P < 0.05) also decreased significantly in cryopreserved semen (54.0 ± 3.3 and 64.6 ± 5.3) compared with fresh samples (79.3 ± 2.6 and 85.3 ± 1.8). Simultaneously, the total morphological abnormality (%) was found to be significantly (P < 0.01) higher in cryopreserved samples (15.46 ± 2.68) than in fresh semen (3.85 ± 0.63). A total of three mithun cows were inseminated using the cryopreserved semen. All the cows conceived following insemination and gave birth to healthy calves. The study revealed that mithun semen can be cryopreserved efficiently using tris–egg yolk–glycerol diluent, which can be further used for artificial insemination.

The present study was conducted during the period from July, 2023 to January, 2024. Two clinical cases of cattle were reported with cutaneous papillomas, one near right umbilical region and another over the right hind teat of cattle. Both the animals were treated with a protocol designed such that it can regulate the secondary bacterial infection, speedy recovery of integument system and enhance the immune response for complete regression of the warts. The innate immune responses of infected animals were augmented with inactivated pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) as autogenous vaccine candidate. The warts were surgically excised, triturated in sterile PBS, inactivated with 0.5% formaline and prepared the autogenous vaccine. The sterility test of vaccine revealed that the vaccine was free from bacterial and fungal contaminants. The chemotherapy includes the use of drugs Thuja ointment, Inj. Enrofloxacin, Inj. Avil and Inj. Anthiomaline. The dose of the vaccine was 1 ml 20 kg-1 b.wt. subcutaneously and given at weekly intervals for a period of 4 weeks. It was observed that the treatment protocol was successfully effective and regression of warts was noticed from 2nd week onwards. By end of 4th week a complete recovery of the wart infected area was noticed with a black scar left behind. The formalin inactivated autogenous vaccine was effective, and applied for control of bovine papillomavirus infection in cattle with combination of chemotherapeutic drugs resulted in early regression of warts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In both traditional and digital learning environments, the study examines the benefits and challenges of helping undergraduate students build information literacy abilities. This research probes the benefits and challenges that emerge in the development of information literacy among undergraduate students in either traditional or digital learning environments. Basically, the primary aim is to assess how students perceive their own ability to exhibit information literacy skills while navigating the demands placed by their academic programs within these two settings. A mixed method approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative techniques applied for first- and second-year undergraduate students in Karnataka was used to survey 500 participants in the research. Particular attention is paid toward the views of students regarding the role of undergraduate lecturers in the development of information literacy both online as well as offline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the library management systems of Government College Libraries of Karnataka to identify how well they perform and to what extent undergraduate students are satisfied with the systems in place. The descriptive questionnaire was filled by 500 respondents using Google Forms. Based on the statistics, the books and services received in the library seem to be good generally, especially regarding staff, location, and reading hall. More than 85 percent of the library users used the collection in reference for studying and writing purposes. Most are contented, but improvement opportunities exist with regard to location, operating hours, and other aspects of the library. To make the library an irreplaceable academic resource, the research emphasizes the requirement of reacting to client grievances; it concludes by advising the administration of the college and the library authorities to focus more on filling up the gaps in service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a discussion on the impact that engagement with social media has on visits to the library and user satisfaction, from the use of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. The information was realized through a survey with 500 users of a library to obtain statistical data regarding the demographics and social media engagement score and level of satisfaction. Results From the analysis, it was evident that positive associations between social media engagement and library visits did exist, with Facebook having the strongest association. There was a difference in user satisfaction between each platform, but YouTube was the one that seemed to be most successful in creating engagement. The statistics show that the use of rich multimedia and interactive content on social media can enhance libraries' outreach efforts. The target population for this would be significantly female, of a younger age. This study gives direction to libraries for streamlining their social media campaigns and can ultimately help improve the user experience and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]