Mixed Species Research Articles

TRADE-OFFS IN TREE SPECIES SELECTION AND CARBON OFFSET ON FARMS ADJACENT TO KAKAMEGA-NANDI FOREST ECOSYSTEM IN KENYA

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Growing of trees on-farms has contributed significantly in easing pressure on the Kakamega–Nandi Forest Ecosystem. There are however concerns that <em>Eucalyptus</em> species is becoming the dominant tree in this landscape and may have adverse effects on the environment. <strong>Objectives</strong>: To determine the trade-offs in tree species selection and carbon offsets on farms in the margins of the Kakamega - Nandi Forest Ecosystem. <strong>Methodology:</strong> It employed a nested experimental design where the study area was divided into three 3x1 km sentinel blocks. Three different landscape models were chosen: <em>Eucalyptus</em> dominated tree stand, mixed tree stands and pure native tree stands. A sample plot comprised a main plot of 20m by 10m plot for measuring trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm, a sub-plot of 10m by 5m nested within the main plot for measuring saplings and shrubs of DBH less than 10cm. Data was collected on tree species type, stem DBH for trees, tree height, counts of trees, saplings and shrubs. The data was subjected to both exploratory and inferential statistical analysis using R Gui Version 4.2.1. Woody species diversity and carbon stocks were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% significance level. <strong>Results:</strong> Native dominated tree stands had the highest biomass carbon (0.50-512.84 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup>) followed by mixed tree stands (0.10-110.82 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup>). <em>Eucalyptus</em> dominated was the least (0.10- 68.58 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup>) The above ground biomass in the <em>Eucalyptus</em> dominated tree stands and mixed trees stands was significantly lower than in the adjacent native trees stands (p=0.001). The mean carbon estimated in the treatments was 2.62 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup> in the <em>Eucalyptus </em>trees dominated stands, 3.09 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup> in mixed trees species stands and 19.05 MgC ha<sup>-1</sup> in native tree species stand. <strong>Implications:</strong> Increase in the concentration of <em>Eucalyptus</em> trees led to a reduction in tree diversity. Trees in the <em>Eucalyptus </em>dominated tree stand and mixed trees stand had significantly lower stem diameters, basal area and tree biomass than in the adjacent indigenous trees stand. The fast rate of growth of <em>Eucalyptus </em>trees may have ensured that the trees grow fast at the expense of other woody species due to water and nutrient competition. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The study revealed a general trend of increasing biomass carbon with increasing tree size in all the treatments. The majority of large trees were found in native tree stand indicating that they store majority of biomass carbon stocks. Across the treatment, carbon sequestration in the trees was directly related to above ground biomass production.<strong></strong></p>

Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment of Biomass Pellets Biofuel in Hazara Division, Pakistan

A thorough life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to determine whether wood pellets were a viable substitute for non-renewable fuels like oil and gas, especially for heating. To evaluate the properties of wood pellets and their effects on the environment, the study was conducted in the Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A few factors were investigated, including the carbon and water footprints and the identification of potential growth opportunities in the production of wood pellets. One kilogram of wood pellets served as the analysis reference unit. Raw materials were obtained from sawmills and furniture stores to make the wood pellets. Sawdust, a bio binder, and lubricating oil were used in the production process along with the pelletizer machine. SimaPro 9.2 software was used in the environmental footprint assessment to evaluate several environmental effects, including eutrophication, ozone depletion, abiotic depletion, rusting, human toxicity, and aquatic ecotoxicity. The highest contribution was shown by the wood pellets produced from the softwood sawdust as 149.8558 in marine aquatic ecotoxicity. The study’s findings showed that using lubricating oil during the production of wood pellets significantly affected the overall environmental results. The characterization of wood pellets showed that the Higher heating Values (HHV) resulted from burning wood pellets made from sawdust of Melia azedarach as 24.79 MJ/kg. Softwood mixed species recorded the highest water footprint and damage assessment impact and the highest carbon footprint of 0.186 CO2 e. With a 3.84 × 10−7 DALY (disability-adjusted life years) measurement, softwood mixed species showed the highest contribution to human health damage among the damage categories. In terms of cost, producing one kilogram of wood pellets from softwood mixed species was priced at 22 PKR, the lowest among the assessed species. The highest cost of 26 PKR was associated with producing wood pellets from Parthenium hysterophorus and Diospyros lotus.

Using intervention analysis to evaluate the trends in release rates of recreational fisheries following extensive management changes

Changes to management of a fisheries resource are often required to ensure ongoing sustainability. However, such changes can sometimes lead to unintended effects such as increased release rates and associated post-release mortality. These effects may be highly variable between species and areas. Recreational fishing management changes were introduced on the west coast of Australia in 2009/10 to recover stocks of demersal scalefish. Key changes included reducing mixed species bag limits across management zones and increasing the minimum size limit for one species in some management zones. The restrictive catch limits resulted in increased release rates of key demersal species. However, whether such increases are significant and sustained over time, and thus of management concern, have not been evaluated. We carried out intervention time series analysis to evaluate the impact of management changes on release rates of four key demersal species for the recreational sector in metropolitan and regional management zones covering ∼8° latitude using an 18-year time series of charter recreational fishery data from July 2002 to January 2020. We observed varying responses in release rates by species and zones, the most common of which were a step increase, a ramp and a temporary increase that decayed. These responses may be related to targeted management changes which influenced fisher behaviour, perceived recreational value of some species and recruitment variation. Our study demonstrates that intervention analysis, which has seen limited use in this context, can assist in evaluating the impact of management changes on different species for recreational fisheries.

The effects of intensive eradication efforts for Asian longhorned beetle on understory plant communities, tree regeneration, and forest structure in southern New England hardwood forests

The United States has been experiencing an influx of nonnative pests due to increased globalization, and these pests have the potential to permanently alter the composition, structure, and function of forests. Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive pest detected in Worcester, MA in 2008, where it invaded both urban and natural forested areas. As a part of the eradication measures (full host removals, herbicide treatments, and stump grinding), all host tree species, primarily Acer spp. were removed to prevent the spread of ALB. While these eradication measures successfully eliminate ALB, little is known about their effects on forest structural and compositional conditions and recovery over time. To address this, we examined forest compositional and structural development following eradication treatments and in adjacent unimpacted forested areas. Overall, our results indicated forest recovery followed similar pathways documented after natural disturbances in southern New England forests. There was little difference among eradication treatments in terms of the resultant forest composition and structure. Overall, forest types shifted to primarily oak-hickory or pine dominance following the removal of all Acer spp. Notably, maple species were present in high numbers in the regeneration layer regardless of treatment, followed by other early colonizing species. Red maple (Acer rubrum) was the most abundant sapling and seedling species and stump sprouting occurred at 60% of sites but was absent in untreated areas. These results suggest that ALB management does not drastically alter forest compositional dynamics in these mixed species forests in the short term, despite significant reductions in the abundance of mature host species through eradication treatments.

Differences in cover cropping management affect soil nitrogen, carbon characteristics, and fungal community composition in a vineyard in North China

Cover cropping is widely used for soil management in vineyards. But few studies have compared the effect of different cover cropping management methods on soil properties and fungal communities in vineyards. Therefore, we examined the effects of traditional management (shallow tillage to remove weeds), cover with single species (two treatments covered with different herbages), cover with mixed species (two combination treatments named M1 and M2 respectively), and cover with a crop on soil physicochemical properties and fungal community structure in a vineyard in northern China in 2020 and 2021. Soil total carbon and mineral nitrogen increased under Carex lanceolata Boott, Medicago sativa L., M1, and M2 covers but decreased under Glycine max (L.) Merr. Compare to traditional management. Soil organic carbon content increased under Carex lanceolata Boott, Medicago sativa L., M1, and M2, with increasing planting time. Cover cropping management had a minor effect on fungal diversity in the short term. Effects on beneficial and pathogenic fungi varied with cover type. With a cover of Glycine max (L.) Merr, the abundance of Fusarium brachygibbosum, a pathogen that affects grape production, increased, but that of Chaetomium, a genus that inhibits pathogens, also increased. With a cover of Carex lanceolata Boott, the abundance of Didymella glomerata, another pathogen that affects grape production, increased, but that of Metarhizium, an entomopathogenic fungus, also increased. Compared with Carex lanceolata Boott, covers with mixed species (M1 and M2) showed minor effects on soil pathogens, so covers with mixed species could benefit the vineyards more than other cover cropping management in North China.

Evolution of biogenic Fe-Mn binary oxide physicochemical properties during biofilter start-up for sustainable urban groundwater treatment

The declining freshwater resources due to climate change, population growth, and urbanization evoke the increasing demand for groundwater to replenish drinking water, while excess manganese (Mn) in groundwater poses a critical threat to drinking water safety. Biofiltration enables convenient and facile purifying of Mn-rich groundwater and its start-up process is crucial to efficacy. In this study, biogenic Fe and Mn binary oxides (BioFMBO) effects on the mid and late start-up of biofilter were investigated and compared with the role of bio-oxidation. The results showed that the dominant role of BioFMBO on Mn removal was more pronounced in the late start-up (85%) as compared to the mid-start-up (50%), reaching 2.5–11.2 times of the bio-oxidation effect. Besides, the biofilter regeneration period after BioFMBO disruption was 1.5–2 folds that of bio-inactivation. These phenomena were due to the continuous conversion of Mn and Fe to amorphous BioFMBO during filtration, characterized by mixed Mn(II)/(III)/(IV) species and abundant reactive oxygen vacancies with high catalytic oxidation ability to expedite single electron transfer during Mn oxidation. Additionally, the mixed Mn species ratio and reactive oxygen vacancies content changed with the enhanced catalysis capacity of BioFMBO, improving the Mn removal performance and regeneration ability of the biofilter.

Risk factors associated with Salmonella in dairy cattle farms in Henan and Hubei provinces, China

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors associated with the Salmonella infection status of dairy herds in Henan and Hubei provinces, China. Herds were assigned a Salmonella status based on the isolation of Salmonella from fecal samples obtained from adult lactating dairy cows. Information on potential biosecurity risk factors was collected using a questionnaire template via a 15-min face-to-face interview with dairy cattle producers from May 2020 to March 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions across two broad categories of potential biosecurity risk factors: farm and biosecurity managemental factors. A total of 48 farms were surveyed. In all (100%, 48/48) of the surveyed farms, although sick animals were separated from healthy animals using fencing, there were no strict quarantine protocols for newly introduced animals. Mixed species rearing was practiced in 35.4% (17/48) of the farms. Feces were removed more than once a day in 45.8% (22/48) of the farms, whereas the remainder (54.2%, 26/48) only removed animal feces once a day. A total of 29.2% (14/48) of the farms were located < 2 km from other livestock farms. The use of personal protective equipment was consistently performed on all farms, with a majority of the workers on most farms (81.3%, 39/48) always disinfecting footwear before entering production areas. A significant association between Salmonella-positive status and the high frequency of the presence of wildlife (birds and rodents in sheds and feed storage places) was recorded (OR: 11.9, 95% CI: 1.7, 84.1, p = 0.013). Fortunately, no farms shared farm equipment with other farms. The study highlights the occurrence of wildlife as a risk factor for the presence of Salmonella in investigated dairy herds. There is a need to institute appropriate on-farm control measures for wild birds and rodents to control the potential spread of Salmonella in dairy production systems.

When the neighborhood matters: contextual selection on seedling traits in native and non-native California grasses.

Plants interact extensively with their neighbors, but the evolutionary consequences of variation in neighbor identity are not well understood. Seedling traits are likely to experience selection that depends on the identity of neighbors because they influence competitive outcomes. To explore this, we evaluated selection on seed mass and emergence time in two California grasses, the native perennial Stipa pulchra and the non-native annual Bromus diandrus, in the field with six other native and non-native neighbor grasses in single and mixed species treatments. We also quantified characteristics of each neighbor treatment to further investigate factors influencing their effects on fitness and phenotypic selection. Selection favored larger seeds in both focal species and this was largely independent of neighbor identity. Selection generally favored earlier emergence in both focal species, but neighbor identity influenced the strength and direction of selection on emergence time in S. pulchra but not B. diandrus. Greater light interception, higher soil moisture, and greater productivity of neighbors was associated with more intense selection for earlier emergence and larger seeds. Our findings suggest that changes in plant community composition can alter patterns of selection in seedling traits, and that these effects can be associated with measurable characteristics of the community.

Approaches to Implementing Ecosystem Climate Projects in Russia

Russia is developing a legal framework for the Paris Agreement implementation. In Russian strategic documents, there is no consistency in measures and quantitative indicators to reduce emissions and increase absorption of greenhouse gases. The main focus on forests and other ecosystems through the implementation of climate change mitigation projects also raises questions. The purpose of this paper is to determine the goal and place of these projects within the framework of a national low-carbon policy, and to analyze the opportunities and limitations of such projects in Russia. The main criteria are the additionality, conservative baselines, and minimization of risks (leakage, non-permanence, cessation of project funding, reversion). Ecosystem projects are high-risk compared to industrial projects, while the climate component of project activities occurs only in the long-term preservation of the result. The project’s goal in Russia to refine mitigation technologies based on sustainable management of natural ecosystems: the results lead to the multiple benefits including ecosystem services of the territory, biodiversity and adaptation to climate change. Therefore, their attractiveness in the implementation of sustainable development policies of companies and the state is growing. Given the additional nature, projects will not be able to provide a significant quantitative contribution to mitigation, but can provide a tool to achieve that. At the initial stage of the Russian carbon market it is necessary to allow only reliable and transparent projects (reforestation and afforestation with mixed species; improved forest management of managed forests; management of previously unmanaged forests; restoration of wetlands/grassland ecosystems; conservation of soil carbon of agricultural lands; biochar inputs to soils). Projects such as forest conservation from logging and monoculture plantations require a separate regulatory framework to prevent tampering and minimize threats to local natural ecosystems.

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and molecular phylogenetics of Proteus mirabilis isolated from domestic rats: An environmental driver to antimicrobial resistance in public health in Arusha Tanzania

Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is a bacterial pathogen contributing to opportunistic infections, nosocomial outbreaks, and mostly hematogenous ascending urinary tract infections. It has repeatedly been found in rats. Due to rat-human interaction, rats are likely responsible for spreading these bacteria and their antimicrobial-resistant. This study was performed to genetically characterize and assess antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of P. mirabilis isolated from rats cohabiting with humans in Arusha municipality, Tanzania. A total of 139 rats were trapped from March to May 2021 and identified at the species level using morphological and morphometric features. Deep-intestinal swabs were obtained and pre-enriched in buffered peptone water. P. mirabilis was isolated by conventional culture and biochemical methods and confirmed by 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Phylogenetics was used to assess the similarities of the isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was done by disk diffusion method using seven antibiotics, including tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, cefotaxime, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, azithromycin, and ampicillin. Resistance genes blaTEM, tetA, tetB, mphA, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, sul1, and sul2 were traced in each isolate using PCR. Mixed rat species, Rattus rattus (55.4%), Mus musculus (15.8%), and Mastomys natalensis (28.8%), were captured. P. mirabilis was isolated from four (2.9%) Rattus rattus samples. By PCR and sequencing, all were confirmed as P. mirabilis and 100% similar to strains from GenBank. Three isolates showed multidrug resistance (MDR) against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, azithromycin, and ampicillin, while all isolates were resistant to azithromycin and ampicillin, and susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and cefotaxime. Three were resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and intermediate to tetracycline. PCR analysis detected tetA, blaTEM, sul1, and sul2 resistance genes. Constructed phylogenetic tree showed that all isolates from this study were closely related to isolates from Tunisia. The study has discovered the first P. mirabilis isolates from rats in Tanzania with antimicrobial resistance traits that could be of public health concern.

Understanding disease pathogenesis and host response of endemic malaria in previously exposed individuals compared to naïve individuals

Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are two major species of malaria that can establish a focus of infection in millions of individuals per year. Principally, this occurs in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world where malaria is endemic due to the ubiquity of the disease vector, the Anopheles mosquitos. Malaria takes the lives of thousands of infected individuals as the progression of disease symptoms having fatal consequences. This disease mainly affects children and pregnant women which poses a great public health concern. It is also a global economic burden from the millions of international dollars are aliquoted for research yearly. This review looks to discuss the pathogenesis of malaria, various host immune responses, the development of clinical immunity in reinfected individuals, and the effects that the presence of one species may have on the pathogenesis and disease outcome of another malarial species in co-infected individuals. Overall, this manuscript aims to provide an understanding of malarial infection and the differing host immune mechanisms of previously exposed individuals compared to those of naïve individuals in environments where malaria is of high prevalence. These highlights indicate a need for further research in order to better understand host-species and species-species interactions so that proper therapeutics and vaccinations may be developed as to not inhibit the beneficial effects species may have on one another in mixed species interactions as well as to aid in the development of clinical immunity.

Point of (no) return? Vegetation structure and diversity of restored mangroves in Sulawesi, Indonesia, 14–16 years on

Mangrove forests, benefitting millions of people, experience significant degradation. Global recognition of the urgency of halting and reversing this trend have initiated numerous restoration activities. Restoration success is typically evaluated by estimating mangrove survival and area restored, while diversity and structure of vegetation, as proxies for functional forests, are rarely considered. Here we assess mangrove species richness along sea‐landward transects and evaluate restoration outcomes by comparing number of mangrove species, relative species abundance, biomass, diameter, and canopy cover in “Monoculture Reforestation”, “Mixed Species Regeneration” and adjacent “Reference” forest stands, 14 (Tiwoho site) and 16 years (Likupang site) after restoration activities took place. In the “Monoculture Reforestation” plots, mangrove diversity and structure still closely reflected the original restoration actions, with only one and two “new” species having established among the originally densely planted “foundation” species. In contrast, the “Mixed Species Regeneration” plots were more similar to the “Reference” plots in terms of tree diameter and canopy coverage, but species number, abundance and biomass were still lower. The trajectory of the “Mixed Species Regeneration” plots suggests their similarity with the “Reference” stands will increase over time, whereas such “smooth” transition is unlikely to happen in the planted “Monoculture Reforestation” stands, in the foreseeable future. Implementing frequent small‐scale disturbances in restored forest management would increase stand structure and diversity, accelerating the establishment of a more natural, and likely more functional and resilient forest.

YOLOx model-based object detection for microalgal bioprocess

Microalgae can fix carbon dioxide from flue gases and utilize nutrients from wastewater while producing valuable biomass production of biofuels, chemicals, and fertilizers. Microalgae detection is of great significance for identifying mixed algae species in nature. Unfortunately, current manual detection methods are time-consuming, low in precision, and poor in universality. A YOLOx-s-based microalgae detection method was first proposed in this study, which uses a multi-scale and multi-morphology microalgae (Chlorella, Scenedesmus, and Spirulina species) image dataset as model input. When Focal Loss was selected for the classification loss, the number imbalance problem in microalgal detection was solved. As DIoU Loss was employed in regression loss, tiny-scale microalgae were well detected with shortened 20.24 % processing time, and the ASFF module benefited the overall model performance by fusing features. The Precision and Recall of improved YOLOx-s in detecting microalgae achieved 95.93 % and 93.48 %, and the mAP was improved by 3.33 % compared to the original YOLOx-s.

Graded levels of Eimeria challenge altered the microstructural architecture and reduced the cortical bone growth of femur of Hy-Line W-36 pullets at early stage of growth (0–6 wk of age)

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the impact of mixed Eimeria challenge on skeletal health of Hy-Line W-36 pullets. A total of 540, 16-day-old pullets were randomly allocated into 5 treatment groups, including a nonchallenged control. A mixed Eimeria species solution containing 50,000E. maxima, 50,000E. tenella, and 250,000E. acervulinaoocysts per mL was prepared and challenged to 1 group as a high-dose treatment. The 2-fold serial dilution was done to prepare the medium-high (25,000E. maxima; 25,000E. tenella; 125,000E. acervulina), the medium-low (12,500E. maxima; 12,500E. tenella; 62,500E. acervulina), and the low (6,250E. maxima; 6,250E. tenella; 31,250E. acervulina) dose treatments which were challenged to 3 corresponding groups, respectively. The mineral apposition rate (MAR) was measured from 0 to 14 d post inoculation (DPI) and 14 to 28 DPI using calcein injection. The microstructural architecture of the femur was analyzed using the Skyscan X-ray microtomography (microCT) on 6, 14, and 28 DPI. The results showed that the MAR decreased linearly with an increase in the challenged dose (P < 0.05) during 0 to 14 DPI. The results of microCT revealed that cortical and total BMD, BMC, bone volume (BV), and bone volume as a fraction of tissue volume (BV/TV) of femur decreased both linearly (P < 0.05). Conversely, the total number of pores increased linearly with an increase in challenge dosages on 6 and 14 DPI. Trabecular BMD, BV, BV/TV, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness decreased linearly with an increase in the challenge dosages (P < 0.05) on 6 DPI. Furthermore, Eimeria infection significantly increased the number of osteoclasts and osteoclastic activity (P=0.001). The result of this study suggests that the mixed Eimeria challenge negatively impacts the quality of skeletal health in a linear or quadratic manner with an increase in the concentration of Eimeria oocysts. The negative impact on long bone development might be due to malabsorption, nutrient deficiency during the infection, along with oxidative stress/inflammation disrupting the balance of osteoblastic and osteoclastic cells and their functions.

Positive tree diversity effects on arboreal spider abundance are tied to canopy cover in a forest experiment.

Human actions are decreasing the diversity and complexity of forests, and a mechanistic understanding of how these changes affect predators is needed to maintain ecosystem services, including pest regulation. Using a large-scale tree diversity experiment, we investigate how spiders respond to trees growing in plots of single or mixed species combinations (4 or 12) by repeatedly sampling 540 trees spanning 15 species. In 2019 (6 years post-establishment), spider responses to tree diversity varied by tree species. By 2021, diversity had a more consistently positive effect, with trees in 4- or 12-species plots supporting 23% or 50% more spiders, respectively, compared to conspecifics in monocultures. Spiders showed stronger tree species preferences in late summer, and the positive impact of plot diversity doubled. In early summer, the positive diversity effect was tied to higher canopy cover in diverse plots, leading to higher spider densities. This indirect path strengthened in late summer, with an additional direct effect of plot diversity on spiders. Prey availability was higher in diverse plots but was not tied to spider density. Overall, diverse plots supported more predators, partly by increasing available habitat. Adopting planting strategies focused on species mixtures may better maintain higher trophic levels and ecosystem functions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Rotational grazing and mixed species farming.

Veterinary RecordVolume 192, Issue 12 p. 487-487 Anthelmintic Resistance Rotational grazing and mixed species farming Michael W Fox, Corresponding Author Michael W Fox practitioner [email protected] Golden Valley, Minnesota, USASearch for more papers by this author Michael W Fox, Corresponding Author Michael W Fox practitioner [email protected] Golden Valley, Minnesota, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 16 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.3196Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. References 1Crilly JP. Guide to advances in the control of gastrointestinal roundworms in sheep. In Pract 2023; 45: 211– 21 2 PennState Extension. Prevent parasites through grazing management. 2023. https://bit.ly/43N4yhy (accessed 8 June 2023) 3Fox MW. To farm without harm and choosing a humane diet: the bioethics of sustainable agriculture. In MW Fox. Bringing Life to Ethics: Global Bioethics for a Humane Society. State University of New York Press, 2001: 75– 94 Volume192, Issue1217 June–1 July 2023Pages 487-487 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Effect of Nutrients and Herbal Products on Immune Status of Broilers, Experimentally Infected with Mixed Eimeria Species

The present study was conducted to seek herbal alternatives and nutritional modulation to solve the problem of coccidiosis, a deadly protozoan disease of broilers. For the purpose, an experiment of 35 days’ duration (days 0-21 pre-infection period and days 22-35 post-infection period) was conducted to test the efficacy of herbal/natural products/dietary nutrients for the management of mixed coccidial infection prevalent under field conditions. For this purpose wheat grass juice, chelated mineral supplement, herbal anticoccidial and seeds of Embelia ribes without and with sodium bicarbonate, organic chromium, herbal vitamin E-Selenium without and with organic chromium were used to study the immunological parameters of un-infected and infected broilers with 60,000 sporulated oocysts of mixed Eimeria species. Results of the experiment revealed that LST in terms of delta optical density of T- and B-cells was maximum in wheat grass juice while ELISA titre against Newcastle Disease was maximum in herbal vitamin E-Selenium group. All the types of dietary modulation were found to be effective up to different extent in the management of poultry coccidiosis. Further research should focus on micro-array and proteomic technologies to solve the problem.

Molecular epidemiology of clinically relevant single and mixed species in a Malaysian tertiary care hospital.

The increasing rate of opportunistic infections caused by Candida and other yeasts is becoming a major health concern worldwide. However, systematic data on the epidemiology and the yeast species infections in Malaysia is still limited. In this regard, the present research aimed to identify pathogenic yeasts utilizing an economically practical and easily available molecular technique and evaluate the prevalence of pathogenic yeasts in a Malaysian tertiary care hospital. Yeast isolates were collected from Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Kedah, Malaysia, from October 2020 to October 2021. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by one enzyme-based polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Candida albicans was the most prevalent species, accounting for 120 isolates (59%) in total. The most prevalent non-albicans Candida species were C. tropicalis (n=33, 16%), C. krusei (Pichia kudriavzevii) (n=12, 5.8%), C. glabrata (n=12, 5.8%), and C. parapsilosis (n=6, 3%). Other unusual Candida species were C. guilliermondii (2), C. metapsilosis (2), C. orthopsilosis (1), C. lusitaniae (1), C. rugosa (1), C. haemulonii (1), C. bracarensis (1), and C. dubliniensis (1). Moreover, Talaromyces marneffei (1), Kodamaea ohmeri (1), Cryptococcus neoformans (3), and Cryptococcus laurentii (1) were among the other yeasts identified. The Molecular technique used in this study identified 96% of isolates, including mixed species. According to the findings, the most prevalent species are C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. krusei, and C. glabrata.

Epithelial responses and Candida albicans pathogenicity are enhanced in the presence of oral streptococci.

Experimental models that consider host-pathogen interactions are relevant for improving knowledge about oral candidiasis. The aim of this study was to assess the epithelial immune responses, Candida penetration of cell monolayers, and virulence during mixed species culture infections. Single species cultures of Candida albicans and mixed cultures (C. albicans, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sanguinis) were used to infect monolayers of HaCaT and FaDu ATCC HTB-43 cells for 12 h. After infection, IL-18 and IL-34 gene expression was measured to assess epithelial cell immune responses, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured as an indicator of cell damage. Microscopy determined C. albicans morphology and penetration of fungal cells through the keratinocyte monolayer. Monolayers devoid of infection served as controls. Data were analyzed by an ANOVA one-way test followed by Tukey's post-hoc test (α = 0.05). The results found that IL-18 and IL-34 gene expression and LDH activity were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated for both cell lines exposed to mixed species cultures compared with C. albicans alone. Candida albicans yeast and hyphae were evident in C. albicans only infections. In contrast, monolayers infected by C. albicans, S. mutans, and S. sanguinis exhibited higher microbial invasion with several hyphal aggregates detected. The presence of streptococci in C. albicans infection enhances the virulence and pathogenicity of the fungus with associated increased immune responses and tissue damage. Extrapolation of these findings to oral infection would indicate the added potential benefit of managing bacterial components of biofilms during treatment.

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass and Carbon Stock using UAV images

Forests have a vital role in maintaining global climate stability by removing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from environment. Estimation of carbon stock is crucial in quantifying the amount of carbon that is present in the forest. The estimation of forest biomass and carbon stock through field measurements is a challenging and timeconsuming task. Here in this scenario, our study aims to estimate carbon stock in a forest area using the hybrid technique i.e., aerial survey and ground survey. We used low-altitude remote sensing data acquired by UAV to estimate biomass and carbon stock in an efficient way compared to the traditional techniques. We developed an orthomosaic from the collected aerial imageries and manually delineated tree crowns to obtain crown projection area (CPA) for the entire study area using GIS tools. Our study area contained a mixed species with Pinus Wallichiana to be the dominant species while other species are negligible. Using field-measured tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) as input, we estimated above-ground biomass (AGB) with an allometric equation and then used a factor value to estimate carbon stock or aboveground carbon (AGC) for six sample plots. Next, we developed a relationship between CPA and carbon stock and validated it by comparing the carbon stock values obtained from the allometric equation for the remaining four sample plots. Among the various developed model, 4th order Polynomial model was chosen due to its highest coefficient of correlation. After the model validation was done the AGC of whole study area was obtained by using the CPA delineated manually from the orthomosaic image. The total AGC and AGB obtained for our study area which was about 7 hectare was 210.7480 tons and 448.4 tons respectively.