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This work investigated the effect of a porous and flexible barrier and undulating bottom on wave attenuation in a two-layer stratified fluid under the action of oblique wave incidence, using small amplitude and structural response theory. Two sets of problems with porous and flexible barriers in the absence and presence of impervious sea-wall are discussed. Two different barrier configurations, called bottom-standing and surface-piercing, were considered. The Fourier method, least-square approximation method, and mild-slope approximation method were used to tackle the physical problem. The study reveals an optimal mooring angle to prevent its deformation by surface and interfacial waves. The dissipation of interfacial waves by bottom-standing and surface-piercing barriers exhibits an inverse pattern. Comparatively longer bottoms are insensitive to the interfacial wave-induced forces on the barrier when the depth ratio changes. The contribution of inertial effects in barrier porosity is seen to be critical in protecting existing offshore structures or sea-wall. The sea-wall can be protected using bottom-standing and surface-piercing barriers in a situation of higher surface and interfacial wave energies, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase reactant, has been identified as a saliva-based biomarker of inflammation. The objective of the study was to estimate and compare salivary CRP levels in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Subacute thyroiditis (SAT). The study included 30 HT patients who presented with clinical features of hypothyroidism, 15 SAT patients who presented with clinical features of hyperthyroidism, and 20 healthy age- and sex-matched euthyroid controls. CRP levels in saliva were estimated using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay method with enhanced sensitivity. In HT, the mean salivary CRP levels did not differ significantly from controls. SAT patients had significantly elevated salivary CRP levels compared to HT patients and controls. The rise in salivary CRP levels in SAT patients conceivably reflects the presence of an inflammatory process. Saliva CRP levels appear to serve as inflammatory markers in SAT patients and may aid their clinical evaluation.

The aim of this paper is to investigates the existence of the dispersion of SH-wave in a heterogeneous orthotropic layer lying over a heterogeneous elastic half-space and underlying an inhomogeneous semi-infinite medium. Hyperbolic variation in upper semi-infinite associated with directional rigidities and density has been considered while linear variation in the intermediate layer associated with initial stress, density, shear moduli and lower half-space associated with rigidity and density has been considered. The dispersion equation of SH-wave has been obtained in a closed form by using variable separation method. The effects of inhomogeneities of the assumed media are illustrated by figures using MATLAB programming. The Earth's composition is heterogeneous that incorporates extremely hard layers. The propagation of SH-wave across crustal layer of the Earth very much depends upon heterogeneity and orthotropic properties. In fact, the observation reveals that the phase velocity of SH-wave is directly proportionate to inhomogeneity parameter, orthotropic parameter and heterogeneity parameter. That means as inhomogeneity parameter and heterogeneity orthotropic parameter increases, the phase velocity of SH-wave increases proportionately. Moreover, the obtained dispersion equation of SH-wave coincides with the classical result of Love wave as initial stress, inhomogeneities, and the upper semiinfinite medium is neglected. This analysis may be helpful to expound the nature of the dispersion of seismic waves in elastic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation was carried out to study the housing and feeding management practices followed by the dairy farmers in five districts of Telangana state. From each district one mandal and from each mandal five villages were selected. The data was collected from 150 farmers through personal interview utilizing a schedule developed for the purpose. It was observed that most of the dairy farmers (59.33%) had medium herd size and 59.33% of farmers housed their animals beside their houses while 14.67% and 26% of the farmers housed the animals in a separate shed and below the shade of tree, respectively. Most of the animal sheds (66%) in the study area had mud flooring. Majority of farmers (52%) were not taking any measures to protect animals from extreme heat in summer. Grazing and group feeding were most commonly practised except in Rangareddy district where most of farmers (56.67%) followed individual feeding. Majority of the farmers from Medak (50%) and Mahaboobnagar (60%) districts were following one time feeding of their animals, whereas, most farmers from Vikarabad (66.67%) fed two times in a day. In Rangareddy and Nalgonda, majority (66.67% and 63.33%) of the farmers were offering feed three times. Most of the farmers were producing fodder by themselves in Vikarabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar districts and their percentages were 66.67%, 63.33% 93.33% and 86.67%, respectively. Most of the farmers of Rangareddy district were procuring fodder from outside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment evaluated the Super Napier silage (SNS) with supplementation of concentrate mixture (CM) varying in protein sources in a metabolism study, which was conducted with total of eighteen rams, randomly divided into three groups of six each and were fed with three dietary treatments i.e. T1-ad libitum feeding of SNS, T2-ad libitum feeding of SNS + supplementation of 150g CM containing groundnut cake, T3-ad libitum feeding of SNS + supplementation of 150g CM containing cottonseed cake. Significant (P<0.01) difference was found among the three groups for digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, CP, EE, CF and NFE. Ramsfed on sole SNS silage had significantly lower DMI, DCP and TDN intake (P<0.01) than those fed on supplemental diets. Feeding SNS with CM varying in protein sources like groundnut cake and cottonseed cake at 150g improved the nutrient digestibility and met energy and protein requirements in rams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of surface waves in a layered media has their viable application in geophysical prospecting. This paper presents an analytical study on the dispersion of torsional surface wave in a pre-stressed heterogeneous layer sandwiched between a prestressed anisotropic porous semi-infinite medium and gravitating anisotropic porous half-space. The non-homogeneity within the intermediate layer and upper semi-infinite medium is assumed to rise up, because of quadratic variation and exponential variation in directional rigidity, pre-stress, and density respectively. The displacement dispersion equation for the torsional wave velocity has been expressed in the term of Whitaker function and their derivatives. Dispersion relation and the closed-form solutions have been obtained analytically for the displacement in the layer and the half-spaces. It is determined that the existing geometry allows torsional surface waves to propagate and the observe exhibits that the layer width, layer inhomogeneity, frequency of heterogeneity in the heterogeneous medium has a great impact on the propagation of the torsional surface wave. The influence of inhomogeneities on torsional wave velocity is also mentioned graphically by means plotting the dimensionless phase velocity against non-dimensional wave number for distinct values of inhomogeneity parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metabolism trial was conducted after 30 days of feeding using twelve graded Murrah buffalo bulls (301.96 ± 6.98) to study the effect of incorporation of sun dried Azolla (Azolla pinnata) meal in the concentrate mixture on intake, digestibility of nutrients and on retention of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. The DMI (kg / 100 kg BW) was similar between the 2 groups. The average digestibility coefficient of DM, OM, CP, EE, CF, NFE, NDF, ADF, cellulose and hemicellulose decreased (P>0.05) with incorporation of sun dried Azolla meal in the concentrate mixture of buffalo bulls as compared with the control. All the buffalo bulls were in positive N, Ca and P balances. The % DCP (P>0.05) and TDN (P>0.05) content decreased with incorporation of sun dried Azolla (Azolla pinnata) meal in the concentrate mixture compared with the control. It can be concluded that sun dried Azolla meal could replaced about 25 per cent of the total protein in the concentrate mixture of graded Murrah buffalo bulls for maintenance without any adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation was taken up to study general temperament of Murrah buffaloes during milking with its influence on the milk yield. A total of 200 buffaloes in different lactations were observed for their general temperament and milk yield. It was observed from the data that the restless and slightly restless animals are more frequent in primiparous animals (35.18 and 33.33% respectively) followed by docile (24.07%), aggressive and nervous animals (3.7% each), while in second, third and fourth lactations, docile animals were more frequent (73.33, 57.40 and 59.37%, respectively) when compared to other temperaments. The average daily milk yield in docile, restless, slightly restless, aggressive and nervous categories was 6.65 ± 0.15, 6.49 ± 0.34, 5.67 ± 0.26, 4.91 ± 0.30 and 4.56 ± 0.34 Kg, respectively with a significant (P<0.01) negative (- 0.406) correlation between the temperament score and the average daily milk yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body condition score (BCS) of 40 salvaging male buffaloes (SMB) were estimated and divided in to four groups of 1.5 - 2.0, 2.0 - 2.5, 2.5 - 3.0, 3.0 - 3.5 BCS range in randomized block design to study the relationship of BCS with meat characters. Significant (P<0.05) difference was observed in live body weight (kg), hot carcass weight (kg) among slaughtered 5MB of 1.5 to 3.5 BCS range. Significant (P<0.05) difference was also observed in dressing per cent, muscle to bone ratio and primal cuts among 5MB of different BCS range except between 2.5 to 3.0 and 3.0 to 3.5 BCS range. The results showed th at the 5MB for meat purpose may be slaughtered at 2.5 to 3.0 BCS for be tte rmeat yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study which examined the effect of housing on the cleanliness, lameness and behaviour of Murrah buffaloes. A brief review of studies on the effect of management on animal performance is included. The material for the experiment comprised of 24 lactating buffaloes in different lactations that were divided into two groups and kept in two housing systems, loose housing and conventional tie stall housing. Findings revealed the significant difference in the cleanliness and lameness scores between the housing systems.

The article discusses a study on the influence of milking method on somatic cell count and teat condition in Murrah buffaloes. Forty lactating Murrah buffaloes were divided into two groups subjected to either machine milking or hand milking. Machine milked buffaloes obtained better teat condition score than hand milked ones. The study showed that somatic cell count was not influenced by the method of milking and that udder health was not affected by milking method.

This study examined the effects of 4 weeks of binge ethanol administration (BEAn) on the behavioral outcome in rats after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury. Rats were intragastrically given 7.5 mL/kg of either 40% ethanol in 5% glucose solution (3 g ethanol/kg; binge ethanol group), or 5% glucose solution (vehicle group), twice on Thursday and Friday of 3 consecutive weeks. Then rats from both groups were subjected to either lateral FP brain injury of moderate severity (1.8 atm) or to sham operation. Postinjury behavioral measurements revealed that brain injury caused significant spatial learning disability in both groups. There were no significant differences in mean search latencies in the sham animals between the vehicle and binge ethanol groups. On the other hand, the mean search latency of the binge ethanol group was significantly higher than that of the vehicle group in trial blocks 2 and 4. There were no significant differences in the target visits (expressed as mean zone difference [MZD]) during the probe trial between the injured animals of binge ethanol and vehicle groups. However, there was only a minor trend towards worsened MZD score in the binge-injured animals. Histologic analysis of injured animals from both injured ethanol and vehicle groups revealed similar extents of ipsilateral cortical and observable hippocampal damage. These results suggest that 4 weeks of binge ethanol treatment followed by ethanol intoxication at the time of injury worsens some aspects of the spatial learning ability of rats. This worsening is probably caused by subtle, undetectable morphologic damage by binge ethanol administration.

Regional levels of prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) protein and mRNA were measured after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury in rats. Immunochemical studies indicated that Par-4 immunoreactivity (ir) is present in cortical neurons and hippocampal CA1-CA3 pyramidal neurons in uninjured rats. Increases of Par-4-ir were observed in the CA3 neurons of the ipsilateral hippocampus (IH), but not in injured left cortex (IC) at 48 h after FP brain injury. Levels of the Par-4 mRNA measured by RT-PCR assay and protein measured by Western blot procedure were significantly increased in the injured IC and IH, but not in the contralateral right cortex and hippocampus after brain injury. Levels of both Par-4 protein and mRNA were significantly increased in the IC and IH as early as 2 h and stayed elevated at 24 and 48 h after injury. These data show that the induction of proapoptotic Par-4 mRNA and protein occurs only in the IC and IH that have been observed to undergo apoptosis and neuronal cell loss after lateral FP brain injury. Because increased expression of Par-4 has been observed to contribute to apoptosis and cell death in cultured neurons, the present temporal pattern of Par-4 expression is consistent with a role for Par-4 in apoptosis and neuronal cell death after traumatic brain injury., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

Previous evidence indicates that both chronic alcohol treatment and traumatic brain injury modulate expression of certain neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in cortical tissue. However, the combined effects of chronic alcohol and brain trauma on expression of neurotrophins and their receptors have not been investigated. In the present study, we examined the effects of 6 weeks of chronic ethanol administration on lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury-induced alterations in expression of mRNAs for the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high affinity receptor, trkB, in rat hippocampus. In both the control- (pair-fed isocaloric sucrose) diet and the chronic ethanol-diet groups, unilateral FP brain injury induced a bilateral increase in levels of both BDNF and trkB mRNAs in the dentate gyrus granule cell layer, and of BDNF mRNA in hippocampal region CA3. However, no significant differences in expression were found between the control-diet and ethanol-diet groups, in either the sham-injured or FP-injured animals. These findings suggest that 6 weeks of chronic ethanol administration does not alter the plasticity of hippocampal BDNF/trkB expression in response to experimental brain injury.

This study examined the effects of 3 months of chronic ethanol administration (CEAn) on the behavioral outcome in rats after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury. Rats were given either an ethanol liquid diet (ethanol diet groups) or a pair-fed isocaloric sucrose control diet (control diet groups) for 3 months. Then, rats from both diet groups were subjected to either lateral FP brain injury of moderate severity (1.8 atm) or to sham operation. Postinjury behavioral measurements revealed that brain injury caused significant spatial learning disability in both diet groups. There were no significant differences in spatial learning ability in the sham or brain-injured animals between the control and ethanol diets. However, a trend towards cognitive impairment in the sham animals and a trend towards reduced deficits in the brain-injured animals were observed in the ethanol diet group. Histologic analysis of injured animals from both diet groups revealed similar extents of ipsilateral cortical and hippocampal CA3 damage. These results, in general, suggest that 3 months of CEAn does not significantly alter the behavioral and morphologic outcome of experimental brain injury.

This study examined the accumulation of the cytotoxic lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury in rats. A diffuse distribution of HNE-immunoreactivity (HNE-ir) was observed in the cortex and hippocampus of the ipsilateral, but not of the contralateral, hemisphere at 30 min, 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h after brain injury. The HNE-ir was well-localized in cell bodies of the ipsilateral cortex and the CA3 pyramidal layer in the ipsilateral hippocampus. Because HNE's interaction with certain proteins causes protein dysfunction and HNE, in vitro, causes neuronal cell damage, the present results suggest that HNE's interaction with neuronal proteins may contribute to neuronal damage in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus after brain injury.

This study examined the effects of the administration of kynurenate, a non-specific excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor subtype antagonist, on the regional accumulation of diacylglycerol (DG) and free fatty acids (FFAs) after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury in the rat. After brain injury of moderate severity (2.0 atm), rats were treated with either kynurenate (200 mg/kg, i.v.) or saline at 5 min after injury. In the saline-treated brain-injured rats, levels of all individual DG-fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic and arachidonic acids) and total DG-fatty acids were increased in the ipsilateral left cortex and hippocampus at 30 min and 60 min after injury. Kynurenate administration attenuated increases of individual and total DG-fatty acids in the ipsilateral cortex at 30 and 60 min and in the ipsilateral hippocampus at 30 min after FP brain injury. At 30 and 60 min after FP brain injury, increases in the levels of individual FFAs (palmitic, stearic, oleic and arachidonic acids) and of total FFAs were also observed in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus of the saline-treated injured rats. Kynurenate administration attenuated increases of all individual and total FFAs in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus either at 30 min alone or at both 30 min and 60 min after FP brain injury. In the contralateral cortex, levels of both DG-fatty acids and FFAs were not increased in the saline-treated injured rats and were also not affected by the administration of kynurenate. These results support the role of EAA receptor subtypes in the phospholipases-catalyzed formation of DG and FFAs in the ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus after lateral FP brain injury., (Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.)

Regional activities of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) were measured after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury in rats. The activity of PLC on phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in the rat cortex required calcium, and at 45 microM concentration it increased PLC activity by about ten-fold. The activity of PLC was significantly increased in the cytosol fraction in the injured (left) cortex (IC) at 5 min, 30 min and 120 min after brain injury. However, in the same site, increases were observed in the membrane fraction only at 5 min after brain injury. In both the contralateral (right) cortex (CC) and ipsilateral hippocampus (IH), the activity of PLC was increased in the cytosol only at 5 min after brain injury. These results suggest that increased activity of PLC may contribute to increases in levels of cellular diacylglycerol and inositol trisphosphate in the IC (the greatest site of injury), and to a smaller extent in the IH and CC, after lateral FP brain injury. It is likely that this increased PLC activity is caused by alteration in either the levels or activities of one or more of its isozymes (PLCbeta, PLCgamma, and PLCdelta) after FP brain injury.

This study examined the effects of 6 weeks of chronic ethanol administration on the behavioral outcome in rats after lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury. Rats were given either an ethanol liquid diet (ethanol diet-groups) or a pair-fed isocaloric sucrose control diet (control diet groups) for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the ethanol diet was discontinued for the ethanol diet rats and they were then given the control sucrose diet for 2 days. During those 2 days, the rats were trained to perform a beam-walking task and subjected to either lateral FP brain injury of low to moderate severity (1.8 atm) or to sham operation. In both the control diet and the ethanol diet groups, lateral FP brain injury caused beam-walking impairment on days 1 and 2 and spatial learning disability on days 7 and 8 after brain injury. There were no significant differences in beam-walking performance and spatial learning disability between brain injured animals from the control and ethanol diet groups. However, a trend towards greater behavioral deficits was observed in brain injured animals in the ethanol diet group. Histologic analysis of both diet groups after behavioral assessment revealed comparable ipsilateral cortical damage and observable CA3 neuronal loss in the ipsilateral hippocampus. These results only suggest that chronic ethanol administration, longer than six weeks of administration, may worsen behavioral outcome following lateral FP brain injury. For more significant behavioral and/or morphological change to occur, we would suggest that the duration of chronic ethanol administration must be increased.

The effects of 6 weeks of chronic ethanol administration on the lateral fluid percussion (FP) brain injury-induced regional accumulation of lactate and on the levels of total high-energy phosphates were examined in rats. In both the chronic ethanol diet (ethanol diet) and pair-fed isocaloric sucrose control diet (control diet) groups, tissue concentrations of lactate were elevated in the cortices and hippocampi of both the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres at 5 min after brain injury. In both diet groups, concentrations of lactate were elevated only in the injured left cortex and the ipsilateral hippocampus at 20 min after FP brain injury. No significant differences were found in the levels of lactate in the cortices and hippocampi of sham animals and brain-injured animals between the ethanol and control diet groups at 5 min and 20 min after injury. In the ethanol and control diet groups, tissue concentrations of total high-energy phosphates (ATP + PCr) were not affected in the cortices and hippocampi at 5 min and 20 min after lateral FP brain injury. No significant differences were found in the levels of total high-energy phosphates in the cortices and hippocampi of the sham and brain-injured animals between the ethanol and control diet groups at 5 min and 20 min after injury. Histologic studies revealed a similar extent of damage in the cortex and in the CA3 region of the ipsilateral hippocampus in both diet groups at 14 days after lateral FP brain injury. These findings suggest that 6 weeks of chronic ethanol administration does not alter brain injury-induced accumulation of lactate, levels of total high energy phosphates, and extent of morphological damage.

This study examined the delayed effects of the administration of d-amphetamine, methoxamine (an alpha1-adrenergic receptor agonist), and prazosin (an alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist) on the behavioral outcome of lateral fluid-percussion (FP) brain injury. Rats trained to perform a beam-walking task were subjected to brain injury of moderate severity (2.1 to 2.2 atm). Twenty-four hours after injury, rats were treated with amphetamine, methoxamine, or prazosin at two or three different dose levels. Amphetamine-treated animals displayed no significant improvement in beam-walking ability either during or after drug intoxication (from days 3 to 5 after brain injury). Similarly, neither methoxamine nor prazosin significantly affected beam-walking ability during or after drug intoxication. Neither amphetamine treatment at three different doses nor treatment with methoxamine or prazosin at two different doses affected the spatial learning disabilities of brain-injured animals. These results suggest that (1) unlike amphetamine administration after sensorimotor cortex (SMC) ablation or contusion brain injury models, amphetamine administration at 24 h after concussive FP brain injury does not improve beam-walking performance; (2) unlike amphetamine administration 10 min after concussive FP brain injury amphetamine administration 24 h after injury does not improve cognitive function; and (3) unlike prazosin administration after SMC ablation brain injury, prazosin administration 24 h after concussive FP brain injury does not effect beam-walking performance.

This study examined the effects of (D)-amphetamine, methoxamine (an al-adrenergic receptor agonist), and prazosin (an al-adrenergic receptor antagonist) on the behavioral outcome of lateral fluid percussion brain injury. Rats trained to perform a beam walking task were subjected to brain injury of moderate severity (2.1-2.2 atm). At 10 min after injury, rats were treated with amphetamine, methoxamine or prazosin at two different dose levels. Amphetamine-treated animals displayed significantly lower impairment in beam walking ability from days 1 to 5 after brain injury. Neither methoxamine nor prazosin significantly affected the impairment in beam walking ability from day 1 to day 7 after injury. However, prazosin treatment at both dose levels increased the post-injury mortality and the incidences of failure to recovery from hemiplegia. Amphetamine-treatment at 4 mg/kg, but not at 2 mg/kg, improved the spatial learning abilities of the injured animals. Neither methoxamine nor prazosin affected the spatial learning abilities. These results indicate that amphetamine facilitated beam walking recovery and improved cognitive function after concussive fluid percussion injury. Although the methoxamine experiments suggest that the norepinephrine-α1-adrenergic receptor system may not be involved in the pathophysiology of fluid percussion brain injury, our results with amphetamine (beneficial effects) and prazosin (deleterious effects) and the results observed in other models of brain injury point out that further investigations are necessary to understand the role of a1-adrenergic receptors in brain injury.