Common Source Research Articles

Lutein from Microalgae: An Industrial Perspective of Its Production, Downstream Processing, and Market

Lutein, a yellow xanthophyll carotenoid, is increasingly recognized for its nutraceutical benefits, particularly in protecting the retina’s macula from age-related degeneration. Microalgae are a promising source of lutein, which can be a primary product or a coproduct in biorefineries. Certain microalgae exhibit lutein levels (up to 1.7%) surpassing those of common dietary sources like kale, spinach, and egg yolk (approximately 0.7–0.9%). Predominantly associated with photosystem II’s light-harvesting complex, lutein is crucial in photosynthesis and cellular defense. However, being quantitatively minor among cellular constituents, lutein necessitates specialized processing for efficient extraction. Although ubiquitous in microalgae, it is not as easily inducible as β-carotene and astaxanthin in Dunaliella salina and Haematococcus pluvialis, respectively. Currently, microalgal lutein production predominantly occurs at the bench scale, presenting challenges in scaling up. Factors like culture medium significantly influence biomass and lutein yields in industrial production, while downstream processing requires cost-effective, food-grade solvent extraction techniques. This review delves into contemporary methods and innovative progress in microalgal lutein production, emphasizing industrial-scale processes from biomass cultivation to final product formulation. A conceptual industrial process proposed in this review shows that two 10 m3 photobioreactors could produce 108 kg dry mass for Chlorella minutissima, which can be processed into approximately 616 g of lutein extract, or over 6000 capsules of finished nutraceutical daily. Despite lutein production via microalgae being in nascent stages at large scales, existing research provides a solid foundation for well-informed scale-up endeavors.

Canola bee pollen is an effective artificial diet additive for improving larval development of predatory coccinellids: a lesson from Harmonia axyridis.

Pollen is a common plant-derived food source for predatory ladybird beetles under field conditions, yet the potential for pollen to improve the quality of artificial diets remains largely unexplored. In this study, we developed three pollen diets by incorporating varying proportions of canola bee pollen (7.5%, 15.0% and 22.5% with 2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% of water, respectively) into a conventional diet. The feeding efficiency of Harmonia axyridis, an omnivorous predator, was evaluated and compared on three pollen diets, a conventional nonpollen diet and pea aphids. The larvae fed a medium or high pollen diet exhibited significantly higher survival in the 4th instar, pupa and adult stages than those fed a nonpollen diet. These larvae also developed into significantly heavier adults, and their survival rates in adulthood were comparable to those fed pea aphids. Specifically, we revealed the underlying mechanisms through which a high pollen diet enhances pupal development. Consumption of high pollen diet versus nonpollen diet resulted not only in a significant decrease in pupal glycogen content, but also an increase in adult lipid content. Both diet treatments induced similar changes in carbohydrate and glycogen content compared to the aphid diet while exhibiting different alterations in pupal protein content and adult lipid content. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis revealed that the nutrient metabolism, immune response, and cuticle development pathways were predominantly enriched among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Canola bee pollen offers diverse advantages in terms of rearing H. axyridis larvae with an artificial diet, which will advance the development of effective diets for predaceous coccinellids. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fourier-transform-only method for random phase shifting interferometry

An accurate and computationally simple phase shifting interferometry (PSI) method is developed to reconstruct phase maps without a priori knowledge of the phase shift. Previous methods developed for random PSI either do not address general sources of error or require complex iterative processes and increased computational time. Here we demonstrate a novel method that is able to extract the phase using only Fourier transform (FT). With spatial FT analysis, randomly phase-shifted data is reordered to allow performing temporal FT on the intensity, which is a function of the phase shift. Since the entire process, including order analysis and phase calculation, is based only on Fourier analysis, it is rapid, easy to implement, and addresses general sources of error. The method exhibits high performance in experiments containing random phase shifts. Moreover, simulations incorporating common experimental error sources such as random intensity noise, intensity harmonics, and phase shift errors demonstrate that the proposed method performs as good as or better than the state-of-the-art phase reconstruction techniques in terms of accuracy and time.

Resolution of the incongruency of dipole asymmetries within various large radio surveys – implications for the Cosmological Principle

ABSTRACT We investigate dipole asymmetries in four large radio surveys, each spanning more than 75 per cent of the sky. Two of them, the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS) and the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS), have recently yielded dipoles that appear incongruent with each other as well as seem inconsistent with previous radio survey dipoles and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) dipole. Because these radio surveys have large overlaps in sky coverage, comprising hence large majority of common radio sources, one would not expect significant differences between their radio dipoles, irrespective of their underlying source of origin. We examine here in detail these radio dipoles, to ascertain the source of incongruency among them. We find the VLASS and RACS data to be containing some declination-dependent systematics, seemingly in the vicinity of the declination limit of each survey. We show that the effects of such systematics can be mitigated by restricting the declination limits of the respective survey during the dipole determination. A weighted mean of the sky coordinates of thus derived dipoles from the four radio surveys lies within 1.2σ of the CMB dipole direction. However, the amplitude appears significantly larger, 3.7 ± 0.6 times or more than the CMB dipole. This puts in doubt not only the conventional wisdom that the genesis of all these dipoles, including that of the CMB dipole, is due to the Solar peculiar motion, it also raises uncomfortable questions about the Cosmological Principle, the basis of the standard ΛCDM cosmological model.

Suboptimal Bacteriological Quality of Household Water in Municipal Ibadan, Nigeria.

Access to potable water is difficult for many African residents. This study evaluated the bacteriological quality of household water collected in the dry and wet seasons across five municipal local government areas (LGAs) in Ibadan, a large city in southwest Nigeria. A total of 447 water samples (dry season, n = 250; wet season, n = 197) were aseptically collected from a random sample of mapped households within Ibadan's five municipal LGAs. The pH values and total aerobic and coliform bacterial counts were measured, and samples were screened for Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia by standard phenotypic techniques and multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The most common source of water was well (53.2%), followed by borehole (34%). None of the households used municipal tap water. Cumulatively, aerobic (P = 0.0002) and coliform (P = 0.0001) counts as well as pH values (P = 0.0002) changed significantly between seasons, with increasing and decreasing counts depending on the LGA. Nonpotable water samples were found to be very common during the dry (86.8%) and wet (74.1%) seasons. Escherichia coli spp., as indicators of recent fecal contamination, were isolated from 115 (25.7%) of the household water sources. Thirty three Salmonella, four enteroaggregative E. coli, and four enterotoxigenic E. coli isolates but no Shigella or Yersinia isolates were identified. This study revealed the absence of treated tap water and the poor quality of alternative sources with detectable pathogens in municipal Ibadan. Addressing the city-wide lack of access to potable water is an essential priority for preventing a high prevalence of feco-orally transmitted infections.

Ecological Studies of Heavy Metals in E-Waste Dumpsites from Two Local Government Areas of Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria

The study analyzed soil samples from e-waste dumps in two local government areas of Ogun State, Nigeria, to determine the concentrations of nine heavy metals. Samples were analyzed using spectrophotometric techniques. The results were used to assess ecological health risks and conduct correlation analysis. The study found that the dumpsites had high residue concentrations of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Fe, exceeding WHO acceptable limits, also concentration of Zn and Fe at the control sites exceeds WHO limits. At the dumpsite in Ijebu-Ode, Cd had an extremely high enrichment factor of 126.67 and an Igeo of 6.400, while the dumpsites at Ijebu North, Pb had the highest enrichment factor values of 14.063 and an Igeo of 3.229 respectively which suggested severe enrichment. Therefore, the dumpsites have a high pollutant of lead. The risk index for both Ijebu North and Ijebu-Ode LGA dumpsites were 396.983 and 3916.273 respectively and thereby indicating significant risk of toxic pollution and soil contamination respectively. The high-risk index value at the Ijebu-Ode dumpsites was caused by the excessive Cd contamination in Ita-Osu. Common anthropogenic sources of the contaminants were indicated by the correlation analysis.

Description and Characterization of Three-Dimensional Human Mast Cell Progenitor Spheroids In Vitro.

Human mast cells (MC) are an essential component of the immune system as they uniquely store and release a wide range of soluble mediators through IgE and non-IgE mechanisms. Several tissue sources can be used to differentiate functional MC for in vitro and in vivo studies. Here we describe an improved method for obtaining large numbers of human MC from adipose tissue with advantages over current methods. We analyzed donor parameters (e.g. age, race) on MC-isolation following adipose and skin tissue digestion from healthy donors. Adipose and skin-derived MC were morphologically and immunophenotypically similar in all donors regardless of age. However, donor-dependent variations in MC numbers were observed following tissue digestion. In addition, we identified and characterized three-dimensional structures from which mature MC emergedin vitro using peripheral blood and human tissue sources. MC progenitor spheroids (MCPS) appeared approximately one week following progenitor isolation and were consistently observed to have mature MC attached, emerging, or nearby when cultured in a stem cell factor-containing medium. The overall characteristics of the MCPSwere similar from each tissue source. We propose that these MCPSserve as the common source of human MC in vitro.

Older adults preserve audiovisual integration through enhanced cortical activations, not by recruiting new regions.

Effective interactions with the environment rely on the integration of multisensory signals: Our brains must efficiently combine signals that share a common source, and segregate those that do not. Healthy ageing can change or impair this process. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study assessed the neural mechanisms underlying age differences in the integration of auditory and visual spatial cues. Participants were presented with synchronous audiovisual signals at various degrees of spatial disparity and indicated their perceived sound location. Behaviourally, older adults were able to maintain localisation accuracy. At the neural level, they integrated auditory and visual cues into spatial representations along dorsal auditory and visual processing pathways similarly to their younger counterparts but showed greater activations in a widespread system of frontal, temporal, and parietal areas. According to multivariate Bayesian decoding, these areas encoded critical stimulus information beyond that which was encoded in the brain areas commonly activated by both groups. Surprisingly, however, the boost in information provided by these areas with age-related activation increases was comparable across the 2 age groups. This dissociation-between comparable information encoded in brain activation patterns across the 2 age groups, but age-related increases in regional blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses-contradicts the widespread notion that older adults recruit new regions as a compensatory mechanism to encode task-relevant information. Instead, our findings suggest that activation increases in older adults reflect nonspecific or modulatory mechanisms related to less efficient or slower processing, or greater demands on attentional resources.

A search for millisecond radio bursts from Messier 82

ABSTRACT Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short-duration radio pulses of cosmological origin. Among the most common sources predicted to explain this phenomenon are bright pulses from a class of extremely highly magnetized neutron stars known as magnetars. Motivated by the discovery of an FRB-like pulse from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154, we searched for similar events in Messier 82 (M82). With a star formation rate 40 times that of the Milky Way, one might expect that the implied rate of events similar to that seen from SGR 1935+2154 from M82 should be 40 times higher than that of the Milky Way. We observed M82 at 1.4 GHz with the 20-m telescope at the Green Bank Observatory for 34.8 d. While we found many candidate events, none had a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 8. We also show that there are insufficient numbers of repeating low-significance events at similar dispersion measures to constitute a statistically significant detection. From these results, we place an upper bound for the rate of radio pulses from M82 to be 30 yr−1 above a fluence limit of 8.5 Jy ms. While this is less than nine times the rate of radio bursts from magnetars in the Milky Way inferred from the previous radio detections of SGR 1935+2154, it is possible that propagation effects from interstellar scattering are currently limiting our ability to detect sources in M82. Further searches of M82 and other nearby galaxies are encouraged to probe this putative FRB population.

Global Patterns of Agricultural Machine and Equipment Injuries- A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT Objectives Agriculture is the one of the hazardous industries in the world. Though there is significant investment in agricultural safety, machine injuries continue to be the leading cause of agriculture injuries worldwide. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive literature review on global patterns in agricultural machine injuries and establish a framework for future research aimed at addressing safety concerns in the agriculture sector. Methods The existing scholarship on farm machine injuries can be categorized into three main areas: a) farming machine/equipment injuries, b) factors associated with these injuries, and c) injury patterns. Results Overall, the findings highlight that farm tractors are the primary source of injuries for both fatal and non-fatal incidents regardless of region. Other common sources of injuries were harvesting machinery and hand/power tools in Asia, ATVs in North America and woodworking machinery in Europe. Inadequate training in operating farm equipment was reported as the most likely factor contributing to machine-related injuries. Lastly, the patterns of injuries vary based on the interaction between humans and machinery. For instance, rollovers often result in severe head and fracture injuries, while thresher incidents can lead to amputation of hands, arms, and other body parts. Conclusion Addressing these injuries by implementing safety protocols will not only enhance the well-being of farm workers but potentially attract more workers to the sector, which is currently experiencing labor shortages due to machine-related injuries.

Bacterial diversity and resistome analysis of drinking water stored in cisterns from two First Nations communities in Manitoba, Canada.

The microbiological content of water is an ongoing concern in First Nations communities in Canada. Many communities lack water treatment plants and continue to be under drinking water advisories. However, lack of access to treatment plants is only a part of the problem as poor water distribution systems also contribute to the failure to provide safe drinking water. Here, we studied the microbial diversity and antibiotic resistome from water stored in cisterns from two First Nations communities in Manitoba, Canada. We found that the cistern water contained a high number of bacteria and showed the presence of diverse antimicrobial resistance genes. Interestingly, the bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance genes varied considerably from that of the untreated source water, indicating that the origin of contamination in the cistern water came from within the treatment plant or along the delivery route to the homes. Our study highlights the importance of proper maintenance of the water distribution system in addition to access to water treatment facilities to ensure a supply of safe water to First Nations communities in Canada.IMPORTANCEThe work described addresses a critical issue in First Nations communities in Canada-the microbiological content of water. Many of these communities lack access to water treatment plants and frequently experience drinking water advisories. This study focused on the microbial diversity and antibiotic resistome in water stored in cisterns within two First Nations communities in Manitoba, Canada. These findings reveal that cistern water, a common source of drinking water in these communities, contains a high number of bacteria and a wide range of antimicrobial resistance genes. This highlights a serious health risk as exposure to such water can lead to the spread of drug-resistant infections, posing a threat to the well-being of the residents.

Optimized in-loop filtering in versatile video coding using improved fast guided filter

<p>Devices with varying display capabilities from a common source may face degradation in video quality because of the limitation in transmission bandwidth and storage. The solution to overcome this challenge is to enrich the video quality. For the mentioned purpose, this paper introduces an improved fast guided filter (IFGF) for the contemporary video coding standard H.266/VVC (versatile video coding), a continuation of H.265/HEVC (high efficiency video coding). VVC includes several types of coding techniques to enhance video coding efficiency over existing video coding standards. Despite that, blocking artifacts are still present in the images. Hence, the proposed method focuses on denoising the image and the increase of video quality, which is measured in terms of peak signal-to-noise (PSNR). The objective is achieved by using an IFGF for in-loop filtering in VVC to denoise the reconstructed images. VTM (VVC test model)-17.2 is used to simulate the various video sequences with the proposed filter. This method achieves a 0.67% Bjontegaard delta (BD)-rate reduction in low-delay configuration accompanied by an encoder run time increase of 4%.</p>

An analytical approach to designing millimeter‐wave LNAs with transformer‐based matching networks

AbstractIn this article, an analytical method for designing transformer matching network of millimeter‐wave (mm‐wave) low noise amplifier (LNA) is presented. In the circuit design, neutralizing capacitors (NCs) structure is used to mitigate the intrinsic gate‐drain feedback capacitance in the transistor for increasing the reverse isolation and available gain, thus allowing the common source (CS) structure can be regarded as an unilateralized active amplification part. The equivalent circuit of the active amplification part and the matching transformer network is modeled, then the analytical matching equations can be established, and the required matching transformer parameter can be determined quickly. As a proof of concept, a Ka‐band LNA operating at 37–43 GHz is designed and implemented in 65 nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor. The measured results show that the small signal gain of the circuit is 19.2–20.5 dB at 37–43 GHz. The noise figure (NF) in the operating band is 3.2–4.2 dB, and the minimum NF is 3.2 dB at 40.2 GHz. The chip area is only 0.08 mm2 excluding pads.

Predator-induced shape plasticity in Daphnia pulex.

All animals and plants respond to changes in the environment during their life cycle. This flexibility is known as phenotypic plasticity and allows organisms to cope with variable environments. A common source of environmental variation is predation risk, which describes the likelihood of being attacked and killed by a predator. Some species can respond to the level of predation risk by producing morphological defences against predation. A classic example is the production of so-called 'neckteeth' in the water flea, Daphnia pulex, which defend against predation from Chaoborus midge larvae. Previous studies of this defence have focussed on changes in pedestal size and the number of spikes along a gradient of predation risk. Although these studies have provided a model for continuous phenotypic plasticity, they do not capture the whole-organism shape response to predation risk. In contrast, studies in fish and amphibians focus on shape as a complex, multi-faceted trait made up of different variables. In this study, we analyse how multiple aspects of shape change in D. pulex along a gradient of predation risk from Chaoborus flavicans. These changes are dominated by the neckteeth defence, but there are also changes in the size and shape of the head and the body. We detected change in specific modules of the body plan and a level of integration among modules. These results are indicative of a complex, multi-faceted response to predation and provide insight into how predation risk drives variation in shape and size at the level of the whole organism.

Effect of vicarious discrimination on race-based stress symptoms among Asian American young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Previous work has established that experiencing racism increases one's dysfunctional anxiety and avoidance actions-key symptoms of race-based stress symptoms. However, the psychological impact of vicarious, or secondhand, discrimination (witnessing racism targeting one's own race group) remains less understood. We tested the hypothesis that higher reported vicarious discrimination would be associated with higher levels of race-based stress symptoms reported by Asian American young adults (n = 135) during the pandemic using a cross-sectional analysis of the COVID-19 Adult Resilience Experiences Study (CARES). Starting in April 2020, CARES assessed sociodemographic characteristics and key psychometric scales in young adults through three waves of online surveys. Our multiple regression analysis showed vicarious discrimination significantly predicted race-based stress symptoms, even after controlling for direct discrimination (p < .01). This association remained significant after controlling for age, gender, subjective childhood family social status, and preexisting psychiatric disorders (p < .01). Our results demonstrate that regardless of the effect that direct discrimination might have on race-based stress symptoms, witnessing discrimination against members of one's own racial group is significantly associated with increased race-based stress symptoms (b = 2.68, p < .01). Social media was the most common source of vicarious discrimination, with one out of three participants in our sample reporting nearly daily exposure. Providers should intentionally create a space within the therapeutic setting to discuss the effects of vicarious discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Библейское имя в составе белорусских и польских фразеологизмов / Біблійнае імя ў складзе беларускіх і польскіх фразеалагізмаў

The article focuses on the role of biblical anthroponyms in the phraseology of both Belarusian and Polish. It delves into the characteristics of the process of appellativization and highlights the phonetic peculiarities of biblical anthroponyms and analyses phraseologisms with the same anthroponymic component in both Slavic languages. The descriptive method allows to careful study of the structure, semantics and figurative content of phraseologisms, which makes it possible to identify similarities and differences between them. The abovementioned method also includes the examination of phraseological equivalents, that is, the equivalents of phraseological expressions in both languages. In addition, attention is drawn to the phonic characteristics of anthroponyms, which can affect the perception of phraseologisms and their equivalents by users of both languages. It is also important to consider the intercultural context. Some phraseological units may be common to both languages due to the Christian roots and the links of both nations with pan-European culture. However, despite the common source of the sacred text, biblical phraseologisms can differ grammatically, semantically and stylistically, which is due to the evolution of languages and the cultural and linguistic specifics of both communities. The analysis also illustrates certain deficiencies or quantitative differences in language materials, which may be due to historical, social and cultural circumstances of both languages. The existence of these differences underscores the need for further, in-depth research on Biblical names in Belarusian and Polish phraseology, as well as the prospect of expanding research into other Slavic languages.

Outcomes of Isolated Endoscopic Gluteal Tendon Repair Compared With Concomitant Endoscopic Gluteal Tendon Repair and Arthroscopic Hip Labral Repair: A Propensity-Matched Analysis With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up.

Both gluteal and labral tears are common sources of hip pain, but no studies have evaluated how concomitant arthroscopic labral repair and correction of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) affect outcomes after endoscopic gluteus/minimus repair. (1) To compare patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and clinically significant outcomes achievements between patients who underwent endoscopic gluteus medius/minimus and arthroscopic hip labral repair with correction of FAIS versus endoscopic gluteus medius/minimus repair without labral repair and (2) to define threshold scores required to achieve the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) for the Hip Outcome Score-Activities of Daily Living, Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific, modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), 12-item international Hip Outcome Tool, and visual analog scale for pain in these patients. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Patients who underwent primary endoscopic gluteus medius/minimus repair between 2012 and 2020 were identified. Those who underwent concomitant arthroscopic labral repair and correction of FAIS with femoroplasty or acetabuloplasty as indicated were propensity matched in a 1 to 1 ratio by sex, age, and body mass index to patients who underwent gluteus medius/minimus repair without labral repair. Patients who completed the study PROs were assessed preoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively. Threshold scores required to achieve the MCID and PASS thresholds were calculated. A total of 32 patients who underwent simultaneous gluteal and labral repair (G+L) were matched to 32 patients who underwent gluteal repair without labral repair (G); 75% of patients in the G cohort underwent labral debridement, while 25% in this cohort received no labral treatment. A significant difference was observed between groups in preoperative mHHS scores (G+L, 54.4 ± 12.9 vs G, 46.3 ± 14; P = .048) but no differences in any other PRO scores (P≥ .207). The MCID/PASS thresholds were as follows: Hip Outcome Score-Activities of Daily Living (11.14/83.82), Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific (16.07/59.72), mHHS (11.47/70.95), 12-item international Hip Outcome Tool (13.73/45.49), and visual analog scale for pain (14.30/22). There were no significant differences in MCID or PASS achievement rates between the 2 groups (P≥ .108). Patients who underwent combined G+L demonstrated comparable PROs and clinically significant outcomes achievement rates to patients who underwent G, highlighting sustained successful outcomes for patients with gluteal tendon pathology and concomitant FAIS and labral tears.

ContScout: sensitive detection and removal of contamination from annotated genomes

Contamination of genomes is an increasingly recognized problem affecting several downstream applications, from comparative evolutionary genomics to metagenomics. Here we introduce ContScout, a precise tool for eliminating foreign sequences from annotated genomes. It achieves high specificity and sensitivity on synthetic benchmark data even when the contaminant is a closely related species, outperforms competing tools, and can distinguish horizontal gene transfer from contamination. A screen of 844 eukaryotic genomes for contamination identified bacteria as the most common source, followed by fungi and plants. Furthermore, we show that contaminants in ancestral genome reconstructions lead to erroneous early origins of genes and inflate gene loss rates, leading to a false notion of complex ancestral genomes. Taken together, we offer here a tool for sensitive removal of foreign proteins, identify and remove contaminants from diverse eukaryotic genomes and evaluate their impact on phylogenomic analyses.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Associated with Complicated Urinary Tract Infection in Northern India.

Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp), which is associated with hospital-acquired infections, is extensively drug-resistant (XDR), making treatment difficult. Understanding the genetic epidemiology of XDR-Kp can help determine its potential to be hypervirulent (hv) through the presence of siderophores. We characterized the genomes of 18 colistin-resistant XDR-Kp isolated from 14 patients with complicated tract infection at an Indian healthcare facility. The 18 organisms comprised the following sequence types (STs): ST14 (n = 9), ST147 (n = 5), ST231 (n = 2), ST2096 (n = 1), and ST25 (n = 1). Many patients in each ward were infected with the same ST, suggesting a common source of infection. Some patients had recurrent infections with multiple STs circulating in the ward, providing evidence of hospital transmission. β-lactamase genes (blaCTX-M-1, blaSHV, and blaampH) were present in all isolates. blaNDM-1 was present in 15 isolates, blaOXA-1 in 16 isolates, blaTEM-1D in 13 isolates, and blaOXA-48 in 3 isolates. Disruption of mgrB by various insertion sequences was responsible for colistin resistance in 6 isolates. The most common K-type among isolates was K2 (n = 10). One XDR convergent hvKp ST2096 mutation (iuc+ybt+blaOXA-1+blaOXA-48) was associated with prolonged hospitalization. Convergent XDR-hvKp has outbreak potential, warranting effective antimicrobial stewardship and infection control.

TOWARDS REUSE OF AQUACULTURE EFFLUENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION IN THE DRYLANDS: A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

The aquaculture industry generates substantial amounts of effluents that may cause environmental pollution if not properly handled. However, since it may contain nutrients, aquaculture effluents could offer a sustainable source of irrigation water in the drylands, which are characterized by water scarcity. This paper provides preliminary findings on aquaculture effluent generation and management in Kano State which is located in Nigerian drylands. Surveys were conducted to obtain information related to the production size, sources of water, and effluent handling. 87% of the surveyed farms are small-scale and medium-scale enterprises, with capacities below 5000 fish. Catfish and Tilapia are the commonly produced fish, with 67% of the farms producing the former. Groundwater is the common source of water utilized by farms, accounting for about 72% of the total. Our findings indicate that there are no established criteria for changing the pond water, with the farms considering either the color of the water or its duration in the pond. Most of the farms change the water every 1 to 2 weeks while considering the change in color as the major criterion. The majority of the farms discharge the effluents directly without any treatment. Although some of the farms claimed to be treating their effluents, we could not establish the presence of treatment technologies on the farms. Unfortunately, most of the farmers are unaware of the environmental implications of discharging the effluents without treatment. Further studies are needed to characterize these effluents and to evaluate their suitability as irrigation water.