eBook Chapters

True /False

Q.1.    A diagnostic test enables the doctors to reach at a decision whether the patient is suffering from a particular disease or not.
Q.2.    The recent developments in the field by biotechnology have led to the development of many new medical tests.
Q.3.    The general principles in designing and conduct diagnostic test studies are not known well.

X-ray Machines
 
There are many factors to consider when choosing X-ray equipment. The need of an individual practice varies depending on the species majority and case work load.
Types of X-ray machines: 
X-ray machines can be grouped into 3 categories:

I. Portable X-ray Machine

    ·    Is one that can be carried to the animal.
    ·    Portable X-ray machines are widely used in veterinary practice.
    ·    The maximum output is 15 to 35 mAs and kV ranges from 70-110 kVp.
    ·    Cost is less and easy to move around and transport. 
    ·    Suitable for X-raying of thin and small parts (limbs below stifle and elbow of large animals and can be used taking 
X-rays of abdomen an skeletal systems of small animals).

Section-A : Write True / False

Q.1 A better and more beautiful way to present the data in a more visual form can be done by means of diagram.

Q.2 Description of data through diagrams and graphs is better for layman.

Q.3 Diagram does not register a meaningful impression almost before we start to think about it.

Q.4 Diagrams are never used by the business man and government agencies for advertisement and educating people.

Q.5 Diagrams do not give visual presentation of data.

Q.6 The diagrams put a rememberance for a longer time in mind of human being.

Q.7 Diagrams facilitate comparison and reveal pattern of data.

Q.8 Diagrams show approximate values of items in data.

Q.9 Diagrams are more attractive, appealing and impressive than tables.

Q.10 Diagrams can be more easily compared and interpreted than the tables.

Q.11 Tables contain precise figures while diagrams indicate approximate figures.

Diagrams and graphs are the effective and attractive ways of presenting data. Widely used diagrams for data presentation are pi chart and bar diagrams. Bar diagrams are also of various types; (i) Simple bar diagram (ii) Component or sub-divided bar diagram (iii) Multiple bar diagram (iv) Percentage bar diagram. The widely used graphical presentation are histograms, frequency polygon and frequency curve.

There are numerous libraries to create charts and graphs in R programming language.

Pie-chart- A pie-chart is a representation of values of variable as sectors of a circle with different colours/shadings. The colours/shadings used for different sectors are indexed at the side of the graph. pie() function is used to create pie chrt in R.

Let us create an exel file names as ‘exp_sports’ which contains the expenditure made (in Rs.) under various sports in a sports club. The name of the sports are cricket, hockey, tennis and football. The names of sports are placed under the column head ‘sports’. The corresponding expenditure (in Rs.) are 7200, 3600, 1800, 1800 and they are placed under the column head ‘expenditure’.

The basic syntax for creating a pie-chart using the R is.

Diagrammatic Presentation of Data

The quantitative data when classify are converted into averages and if the number of average is large then it is not possible to draw a conclusion from their large numbers of averages. Moreover quantitative data are dull, confusing, boring for many of us. Therefore, a statistical device to make such confusing data more attractive was developed i.e. if such complex data are presented by geometric f igures, pictures, graphs or curves then it will become more attractive and more impressive, is called as diagrammatic representation of data. These diagrams are nothing but the use of geometrical figures to improve the overall presentation and offer visual assistance for the reader.

Types of Diagrams

Generally, diagrams are made for a special series or a time series and they are divided into five different categories:

1) One dimensional diagrams

2) Two dimensional diagrams

3) Three dimensional diagrams

4) Pictograms

5) Cartograms

4.1 Diagrammatic Representation of Data

Diagrams are meant only to give a pictorial representation of the data with a view to make them readily intelligible. Several types of diagrams are used for the presentation of data in biological and agriculture sciences. The following are the important types of diagrams in common use :

1. One-dimensional diagrams
2. Two-dimensional diagrams
3. Three-dimensional diagrams

Dialysis
 
The main purpose of dialysis in biological research is the removal of small molecular weight (M.W.) constituents from biological fluids. This is achieved by dialysing the material in a cellulose tubing with a pore size of 40-80 A0 (4-8mm) diameter which allows the passage of compounds with molecular weight less than 10,000. The following is the procedure followed: cut the length of the dialysis tubing depending upon the volume to be processed. Open the sides of the tubing with a flow of distilled water and transfer it to a boiling water bath. Do not allow the tubing to dry as it will distort the pore size. Make a bag by tying a knot at one end of the tubing. Transfer the solution to be dialysed into the bag. Tie another knot at the top of the bag. The bag is then put in a beaker containing the solution against which dialysis is to be carried out. In general, one volume of the desired solution is dialysed against 50-100 volumes of buffer. The total period of dialysis could range from 8-48hr. The efficiency of dialysis could be increased by stirring and changing the dialysate solution at frequent intervals.

Key Points

• Neonatal diarrhea can be lethal without treatment.

• Administer aggressive fluid and electrolyte therapy to address newborn diarrhea.

• Fecal examination and/or culture findings can help control diarrhea.

• Ringer lactate is the preferred fluid.

• There is a high association between animal age and the presence of the causal factor for diarrhea.

Introduction

Diarrhea is one of the symptoms of a variety of medical problems. Diarrhea is characterized by an increased frequency of defecation and stools of varied consistency, which may have an increased concentration of water or a decrease in dry matter content. Increased peristaltic movement causes an increase in caudal flow of ingesta/GIT content, resulting in a decrease in intestinal transit time and thus diarrhea. Diarrhea is lethal in children; therefore, preventing f luid and electrolyte losses prior to diagnosis is critical to saving lives.

8.1 Introduction to Dictionary in Python

A dictionary is a collection which is unordered changeable and index. In python dictionaries are written within curly brackets, and they have keys and values. Means the dictionary contains two things first is the key and the second is the value.

8.1.1 Create and Print a Dictionary

Example

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

Accessing items: you can access the items of a dictionary by referring to its key name, inside square brackets.

Example

Accessing items: there is also a method called get() for the same task.

dict1={‘brand’:‘Suzuki’,‘model’:‘dzire’,‘year’:2020}

print(dict1)

y=dict1.get(?model”)

print(y)

Abstract

The electromagnetic processing instruments such as microwave is very commonly used at house hold level, hence understanding the behavior of food as well as factors affecting its dielectric properties becomes important. Dielectric properties (DEP) play an important in electromagnetic processing of food products and mainly depend upon the moisture content, physical properties, composition, temperature and power applied. Different methods have been used to determine the DEP of food material including parallel plate, coaxial probe, resonance cavity, transmission line and free space method. The selection of these methods is again based on several factors such as type of materials, accuracy of measurement, the scope of the research, frequency range, availability of equipments and resources. Present study thus summarizes the importance of DEP of food, influencing factors and the different measurement techniques.

Diet plays an important role in the management of diseases. It is very much true in the management of dogs with heart failure also. Managing the diet of a dog with heart failure is depending on the severity and stage of heart failure and presence / absence of concurrent diseases as well deficiencies.

Introduction

Fiber is that part of plant food which is not digested when eaten. Since it is not absorbed into the body, dietary fiber is not a nutrient. Nevertheless, fiber is a very important component of a healthy diet. Fiber, also called “roughage” helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Some types of fiber have a cholesterol-lowering effect, which could lead to reduced risk of heart disease.

Dietary fiber has been defined as plant cell wall material resistant to the intestinal secretions of the host. This definition gives the appearance of precision and allows gravimetric and chemical measurements. However, a proportion of other non-fibre dietary constituents (e.g, retrograded starch, protein, and fat) pass along the gut, without absorption or metabolism, to the caecum. Chemical analysis or quantitative measurements of the fibre content of specific diets do not allow prediction of their biological action. The physiological effects of dietary fibre depend predominantly on physical properties unrelated in any simple or direct way to chemical composition. Quantitative measurement of dietary fibre does not allow for diverse effects on nutrient absorption, sterol metabolism, fermentation in the colon, and stool weight. We still do not know whether to restrict the definition of “dietary fibre” to non-starch polysaccharides or to include related materials such as resistant starch, lignin, and the complex assemblies typical of plant tissues, where polysaccharides occur in close association with other molecules. An alternative to defining fibre in terms of chemical composition would be to develop measurements of physical properties relevant to physiological action in the intestine. This approach could be extended to other polymeric constituents, in particular proteins (ingested and secreted) and mucous glycoproteins.

Polysaccharides are the main constituents of dietary fibre and show a wide spectrum of physical, properties that reflect the nature and extent of intermolecular association. Dietary fibre can be likened to a water-laden hydrated mass passing along the gut. Physical properties that influence function are a combination of the rheological and colligative properties of the water-soluble fibre components, the surface characteristics of the water-insoluble components, and the network properties of the swollen hydrated components. Such features include viscosity, water holding, cation exchange, organic acid adsorption, gel filtration, and particle size distribution.

Introduction

In India, per capita cereal consumption has been declining since the early seventies, despite a significant increase in per capita cereal production (Radhakrishna and Ravi, 1992 and Rao, 2000). Cereal consumption per capita per month fell from 15.35 kgs in 1970-71 to 12.70 kgs in 1999-2000 in rural area and from 11.40 kgs to 10.40 kgs in urban area during same period. It might be due to shifting of consumers’ choice from food to non-food items; from cereals to non-cereals within the food group and from course to fine cereals within the cereal group. The decline in cereal consumption has been higher in the rural area due to development of rural infrastructure and availability of job opportunities which ultimately helped in improving their level of income (Rao, 2000). Despite spectacular growth in food production during last 30 years the problem of malnutrition still persists across different regions in India because increase in food grain supply alone cannot conquer hunger and malnutrition.

The consumption pattern and nutritional status have also experienced a significant change during last two decades in Bihar. Cereal consumption per capita per month has declined from 476 gms in 1983 to 455 gms in 19992000. The situation is more alarming in poor households who constitute about half of rural population in north Bihar. There is lack of research on consumption pattern, nutrient intake and nutritional status based on household data, particularly in context of Bihar. In view of the above observations the present study is undertaken to analyze the consumption pattern and nutritional status of poor households in north Bihar.

Abstract

The concept of functional foods has received significant media attention and, as a result, interest has focused on the need for research into the non- nutrient constituents of food plants. This has enabled market penetration of functional foods containing increased amounts of bioactive food compounds or physiologically active nutrients and non-nutrients within food that impart proven health benefits. Functional foods can take many forms. Some may be conventional foods with bioactive components that can now be identified and linked to positive health outcomes. Some may be fortified or enhanced foods, specifically created to reduce disease risk for a certain group of people. Numerous observational studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids enriched diets are associated with a reduction of cardiovascular mortality, heart attack and sudden death. In several studies, a higher fish intake has been associated with decreased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular mortality. A trial revealed that fish oil supplementation of 130 mg/kg of body weight each day decreased the number of stiff joints, duration of morning stiffness, pain and global arthritis activity. Many supplements contain active ingredients that have strong biological effects in the body. The bioavailability of nutrients within a given food is governed by the composition and microstructure of the food, commonly referred to as the food matrix. More specifically, numerous studies investigating the development of functional foods have shown that the interactions between nutrients and non-nutrients within the food matrix can be synergistic, additive, or neutralizing in nature. The preventive and curative effects of the functional foods on health concludes it to be integral components of established public health programs to reduce the risk of specific diseases.

7.1 Introduction

In this chapter, process, outcome and impact evaluation of the vegetable integrated pest management programme (IPM) implemented in the subtropical area of the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state during 2008-09 and 2009-10 was studied. There are many research designs employed for impact evaluation. These include one group before and after comparison design, one group time-series design, non-equivalent control group design and ex-post facto research design. Social scientists most often used before and after IPM (longitudinal) comparisons, with and without IPM, and control group (latitudinal) comparisons, and a combination of the two (longitudinal and latitudinal). A robust measure of the impact of a programme, however, is the difference-in-differences (Ashenfelter and Card, 1985) quasi-experimental design, a statistical technique used in econometrics and quantitative sociology to determine the difference between the treatment (with) and control group (without) over time. The difference-in-differences quasi-experimental design, also called double difference (DD), used to compare the treatment (with IPM) and control group (without IPM) over time. The objective of our quasi-experimental empirical study was to determine the impact of the vegetable IPM programme on the adoption of non-chemical pest management practices, pesticide use, and field use environmental impact in the sub-tropical region of the J&K state. Difference-in-difference quasi-experimental control group design (with/without, before/after) was used to compare the changes before and after the IPM programme between the IPM trained farmers and the non-IPM farmers. The DD model was employed to identify the impact of the IPM programme on the adoption of non-pesticide IPM practices, pesticide use by weight (a.i.), pesticide use frequency, farmers’ knowledge regarding safe use and handling of the pesticides, and field use environmental impact to address the bias introduced by a non-random sampling procedure as the farmers from FFS were selected intentionally (Table 1). The DD model also eliminated the in-built, systematic or seasonal effects other than the training effect.

Composting means decomposing organic wastes. It is a safe, non-polluting and microbiological method for disposal and recycle of organic wastes by converting those to balanced plant food materials, commonly known as compost, the organic fertilizer. In other words, the mineralization and partial humifi cation of organic materials by the action of microorganisms under suitable condition is called composting (Figure 6.1). The organic wastes undergo different physical and chemical changes with the help of microbes like bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, etc. During composting the population of pathogenic microorganism reduces while that of benefi cial microorganism increases.

A system is a unit which possess a group of interacting components, operating together for a common purpose, capable of reacting as a whole to external stimuli. It is unaffected directly by its own outputs and has a specified boundary based on the inclusion of all significant feedbacks. For example, the human body is a system-it has a boundary (skin) enclosing a number of components (heart, lungs) that interact (the heart pumps blood to the lungs) for a common purpose (to maintain and operating the living body).

Ecosystem: Any collection of organisms that interact or have the potential to interact along with the physical environment in which they live form an ecological system or ecosystem. Ecosystems are not static entities but, they are dynamic systems with characteristic pattern of energy flow, nutrient cycling and structural change.

Agro ecosystem: Agro ecosystems are ecological systems modified by human beings to produce food, fibre or other agricultural products. Like the ecological systems, agro ecosystems are structurally and dynamically complex. But their complexity arises from the interaction between socio economic and ecological processes.

Crop system: An arrangement of crop population that transform solar energy, nutrients, water and other inputs into useful biomass that produce food, feed, fuel and fibre. Crop system comprise of soils, crop, weed, pathogen and insect subsystems. The crop can be of different species and variety, but they only constitute one crop system if they are managed as a single unit.

Cropping systems: It is defined as the order in which the crops are cultivated on a piece of land over a fixed period of time. Cropping system is the way in which different crops are grown. In the cropping systems, sometimes a number of crops are grown together or they are grown separately at shorter intervals in the same field.

Fungi

Definition

Fungi are eukaryotic, spore bearing, achlorophyllus, heterotrophic and thallophytic plants with varied forms and habitats, representing heterothallic or homothallic types of sexuality with characteristic sexual and /or asexual means of reproduction without tissue differentiation.

All animals have a range of ambient environmental temperatures termed as thermo-neutral zone. This is the range of temperatures that are conducive to health, performance and well-being. The upper critical temperature is the point at which heat stress begins to affect the animal adversely. There are a number of climatic factors like temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant energy/sunlight that influence the degree of heat stress. Heat is also produced by metabolism within the body, which includes maintenance, growth and production. Heat production is affected by body weight, species and breed, level of production, level of feed intake, feed quality and, to a lesser extent, by the amount of activity and exercise. Excluding temperature of the air ventilating the house, heat is also added from the roof and walls. Heat stress can be defined as the point where the animal cannot dissipate adequate quantity of heat to maintain body thermal balance. During the periods of heat stress, most of the productive energy is diverted to thermoregulatory adaptations that results into decreased weight gain, poor immunity, oxidative stress predisposing animals to various infectious diseases and high mortality rates. In order to characterize and quantify thermal comfort zones according to animal species, several thermal comfort indices or heat stress indices were developed.

The primary focus for livestock and poultry has been on heat stress indices to provide guidelines for environmental management and risk assessment for losses through linkages with physiological responses (Eigenberg et al., 2005) or performance (Baccari, 2001). The linkage is based on observations of a selected performance criterion (e.g., growth, milk or egg production) made concurrently with measures of the warm environment. These serve as inputs for the selected heat stress index and thus an empirical relationship can be developed which is termed as ?biological response function?. These indices recognize the ability of the animal to cope with environmental stressors by adjusting physiologically, behaviourally and immunologically to minimize adverse effects or even compensate for reduced growth and production performance during moderate environmental challenges. When the intensity and duration of potential stressors exceed thresholds, coupled with limited opportunity for recovery, animals are unable to cope and therefore are affected adversely. Nevertheless, the heat stress indices have served as useful surrogates for the complex interactions between the physical and biological components (Hahn et al., 2003).

1. Introduction

Among three major functions identification, classification and nomenclature of taxonomy (Fig. 1), identification is a core activity and one of the major objectives of taxonomy, which determines whether other two elements are the same or different. Classification and nomenclature are two separate methods in taxonomy, however, both are totally dependent on the correct identification of the objects. The identification of an unidentified plant with a correctly identified specimen also involves classification. So, both identification and classification, involve comparison and judgment of similarities and differences. Therefore, the identification is a primary function in classification involving nomenclature which performs an essential role as a means of communication. According to Blackwelder (1967) “identification enables us to retrieve the appropriate facts from the system (classification) to be associated with some specimen at hand” and is “better described as the recovery side of taxonomy.” The identification of plants is very important for proper assessment and characterization of biodiversity on which the whole life of human beings is dependent starting from birth to death. The use of biodiversity for various purposes like food, nutrition, pharmacognosy etc. requires accurate and reliable identification and naming of plants (Nesbitt et al. 2010).

1. The plaster-bandage wrap cast :(Negative cast)

The amputee was restrained on lateral recumbency keeping the amputed leg upwards.

A thin, moistened stockinet was pulled over the stump and it was maintained snugly in place by tying with a string at the top.

The moistened cast stockinet was marked with indeliable pencil indicating prominences with a cross and other sensitive areas with a circle (Fig.1).

Plaster bandages were then wrapped as pen requirement unit I the shell has a thickness of approximately 3mm in proximal third.

After plaster hardened, it was removed either by pulling out or longitudinal splitting with a cutter (Fig.2).

All over the world, garden designing has a historical back ground. Every continent has a definite style based on cultural heritage, agro-climate and the rulers. There are influences of one style over the other and subsequent change in gardening style also. However, there are some recognized orthodox styles like ‘English Garden’, ‘French Garden’, ‘Japanese Garden’, ‘Italian Garden’, ‘Dutch Garden’, ‘Mughal Garden’ etc. These are unique and true to their specific characters. Modern gardens all over the world have been greatly influenced by all these styles.

History and characteristics of these gardens are given below in order to make one acquainted with these styles.

Dutch Garden

Initially, gardening in The Netherlands was started in the form of abbey and monastery gardens (middle ages 500-1500 A.D.). Design of the medieval gardens usually was elongated rectangle, sometimes square, also divided with cross paths. These gardens were mainly meant for production of vegetables, medicinal herbs and fruits besides flowers.

During the Dutch renaissance (1500-1650 A.D.) further gardening activities initiated. After independence in 1609, it gained momentum and the change of garden style also noticed. Gardens became more open without walls. However, the basic design was on the basis of geometrical patterns - rectangular divided into small separate square. Axis of the garden was not in relation to the building. Leafy walk path (berceaux) was main structural elements created between various sub-divisions. Bulbous plants specially tulip was most preferred in the garden besides marigold, carnation, poppy, rose etc.

Introduction Fruits and vegetables are basic foods for human physical health since they have a wide range of flavours and are linked to a higher quality of life. Horticultural crops are known to reduce the risk of a variety of chronic diseases. Recognizing the importance of fruits and vegetables in the human diet, demand for these horticulture food products has skyrocketed. The demand for fruits and vegetables has expanded significantly as a result of greater consumer awareness of dietary habits, the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, and an increase in the global population. According to research by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), horticulture product production for 2019 is expected to be 314.5 million tonnes, which is roughly 1% more than the global fruit and vegetable (F&V) production in 2017–2018. (FAOSTAT-FAO statistical database, 2019). Over 67 % of the world’s horticulture produce is produced in China, India, the United States, Turkey, Russia, Vietnam, and Mexico (Paggiola et al., 2016).

3a. Sources and problems of agricultural wastes
3b. Waste Reduction
3c. Waste Treatment
3d. Waste Disposal
3e. Clean Technology

Different Kinds of Agricultural Wastes
Table 1: Common Hazardous Wastes: Community Source

Introduction

In agricultural extension and education, video production plays a pivotal role in disseminating information, training farmers, and promoting best practices. The effectiveness of these videos is often determined by the quality of their scripts. This chapter explores three primary types of video scripts: basic production scripts, storyboard scripts, and camera scripts. Each type fulfills a distinct role in the production process, and understanding their unique functions is crucial for creating engaging and informative content. By examining these script types, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the scripting process, helping to enhance the quality and impact of educational and promotional videos.

Script

A script is the written content for visual stories, such as plays, television shows, or movies. While scripts often include stage directions and production notes for performers and crew, their primary focus is on the dialogue between characters. Scripts serve as a blueprint for the entire production, guiding actors and technical crew through their roles and responsibilities. For example, a script for a stage play will detail character interactions, emotional tone, and specific actions, ensuring that all elements of the performance align with the director’s vision.

4.1 Introduction

There are some mathematical tools that are applicable in solving the mathematical problems related to the subject matter on “Economic Theory”. Differential calculus is one of those mathematical tools. Hence the useful theory of differential calculus will be discussed in this chapter.

4.2 Differentiation

The mathematical term “Differentiation” is involved in finding the rate at which a variable quantity changes.

In the theory of “Differential Calculus” we are concerned fundamentally with the “Rate of Variation” in a function y = f(x) with respect to the change in other variable (Independent Variable X) on which the dependent variable ‘Y’ depends through a relation Y = f(x).

Integrating the function f (x) = 1 + e−x sin (4x) over the interval [0, 1]

using Simpson’s 1/3rd rule gives

(A) 1.021         (B) 0.091

(C) 1.321         (D) 2.642

Introduction

The phytohormone abascisic acid (ABA) was discovered in connection to studies related to shedding of fruits and leaves, also called abscission, and the dormancy of buds. It was first identified and characterized by Frederick Addicott and his associates in 1963 while studying the compounds responsible for the abscission of cotton fruits. Inhibition of growth and maintenance of the dormancy of buds are the most important visible effects of ABA. The concentration of ABA does not remain constant as its concentration decreases in the buds significantly after sprouting and rises during seed and fruit production. Its concentration in dormant seeds is very high and considered as an efficient inhibitor of germination. The role ABA plays during the abscission of fruits and leaves is not clearly understood as its effect is very clear in case of fruit abscission where as it is not very clear on the abscission of leaves. However, the regulatory effect of ABA on the water balance is established in plants. It also induces stomatal closure to inhibit further loss of water. Being a growth inhibitor, ABA also reverses the effect of growth-stimulating hormones like auxin, gibberellins and cytokinin in different tissues of a plant. One of the main goals of phytohormonal ecology is to study the interactions between biotic and abiotic stress at hierarchical levels of biological organization.

9.1 Potential Tracer Difficulties and their Corrections

In radioactive measurements, the observed counting rate is not equal to the true disintegrations rate of the sample since a number of factors like nature of detectors tend to increase it or, in a majority of cases, decrease the actual counts. Some of the important factors responsible for this are

1.Background,

2.Backscattering

3.Absorption

4.Self absorption

6.Geometry

7.Instrument efficiency

One of the major constraints in the efforts to modernize and efficient restructuring of the animal husbandry practices is the delay in taking the results of research to the farming community and in persuading them to adopt new, profitable and locally relevant technologies. The very need of the extension work is to bridge the gap between what is known to the scientists in the laboratories and what is actually being practiced by the farmers in the field. In other words, the major goal of extension machinery is to accelerate the processes of communication and to motivate rural people or livestock owners for adoption of new and profitable technologies. Hence, it is very important to understand these processes of how the farmers get such technologies and how they adopt them.

Communication

The term communication is originated from the Latin word ‘Communis’, meaning common or establishing commoness. When we communicate, we attempt to establish ‘commonality’ with someone through the message.

Communication is the process by which two or more people exchange ideas, facts, feelings or impressions in ways that each gains a common understanding of the meaning, intent and use of the message (Paul Leagens, 1961).

Diffusion and Adoption of Livestock Innovations

One of the important functions of livestock extension worker is communication. This communication is not mearly informing the livestock owners about the improved technologies and practices, but to ensure the application of technologies for their benefits. Livestock extension worker’s efficency are always judged and measured (a) by the speed or quickness with which the gap between what is known and what is done by the livestock farmers is bridged, (b) by the number of new practices adopted; and (c) also by the number of livestock farmers and communities that adopt the new practices. While discharging the technology dissemination function, livestock extension worker often faces with some of the difficult questions:

5.1. Diffusion

Process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.

Introduction

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is transmitted to the members of a social system over some time and through channels in a specified manner. According to Rogers (1962), this is a unique form of communication in which the messages are focused on innovative concepts. The concepts can include (i) A new idea, (ii) An idea that is communicated via certain channels (iii) Among the members of a social system (iv) Overtime. On the other hand, the adoption process is the mental process through which an individual passes from first hearing about an innovation to final adoption, as defined by Rogers (1962).

Diffusion

Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (Rogers & Shoemaker, 1971).

Innovation

Innovation is an idea, practice or object that is perceived as new by an individual or otherunit of adoption.

Adoption

Adoption is a decision to make full use of an innovation as the best course of action available.

Introduction

Agriculture plays important role in boosting economic activity of farmers. Since it transfers new technologies within the knowledge and information system, it has special features related to knowledge, innovation, and those three. Agribusiness farming needs the diffusion of innovation. Many farmers were unable to boost their earnings. The development of the agribusiness and the welfare of the farmer were both significantly influenced by innovation. Diffusion includes three fairly distinct processes i.e. presentation of the new culture element or elements to the society, acceptance by the society, and the integration of the accepted element or elements into the pre-existing culture (Linton, 1936).

Thousands andthousands ofsamples ofvarious feeds andfoddersweresubjected to Weende analysis fortheir chemical composition have been depictedin various manuals. Such proximate principles of these feeds provide only the potential value forreference or consultationpurpose, but not theactualvalue of feedstuffs. Losses of nutrientsinfaeces(solids), urine (liquid), gasesetc.duringthe digestion, absorption andmetabolismof theanimal shouldalso be taken into consideration. Therefore, a need arises to conduct digestibilitytrial or experiment for the feeds in the ruminant animals. Major portion of the nutrients present in the feeds are not properly digested in the gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T.), hence not completely available to the animal body. Digestibility is that portion of a feed or any single nutrient of feed, which is not excreted in the faeces or dung and it is therefore, assumed to be absorbed by the animal. When this digestibility is expressed in percentage, it is termed as ‘digestibility coefficient (D.C.)’.

Body needs energy for the functioning of various processes for the nutrition and repair of damage tissue. This energy comes from the food nutrients. The food nutrients undergo a series of chemical reactions in the body to release the necessary energy.

The higher animals are dependent on plants and other animals for their nutrients. They can classified into two groups.

Carnivores : Those animals which obtain most of their food by eating other animals are carnivores in these species digestion is mainly enzymatic in nature and microbial digestion is minimal.

Herbivores : These animals obtain most of their food nutrients from herbage and other plant parts. In the herbivores, microbial digestion is of great significance and allows utilization of plant materials that are not broken down by the enzymes present in the digestive secretions.

Most of the domesticated animals except cat & dog fall in the category of herbivores. The domesticated herbivores can be divided into three groups:

1. Ruminants : Those possessing a rumen (cow, buffalo, sheep, goat, camel etc.) in which there is extensive microbial fermentation of the herbage diet in a specialized region of the digestive tract, prior to its digestion by the alimentary enzymes.
2. Psedoruminants eg members of the camelidae family eg camel, Ilama, alpaca, vicuna etc. In pseudoruminants animal third compartment of the compound stomach is absent.
3. Non-Ruminant : The second group is those with simple stomachs (Horse, Pig) in which fermentation takes place in the posterior part of the digestive tract.

Introduction

Digestion may be defined as the hydrolytic process carried out by various enzymes for breaking down complex food components such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates into simpler molecules like amino acids, fatty acids and monosaccharides, respectively. Whereas, absorption may be defined as the movement ofthese simple soluble digested food componentsalongwithvitamins, minerals and water from gastrointestinal track into the circulatory system.

The process of digestion starts from oral cavity (mouth) and ends at large intestineincluding tongue, teeth, jaws,secretions from salivaryglands (parotids, sub maxillary or submandibular and sublingual glands), pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and digestive enzymes secreted from pancreas and liver.

Reagents

Nuclease-Free Water: 14µl

10X Restriction Buffer: 2µl

Acetylated BSA (1mg/ml): 2µl

DNA (~1µg): 1µl

Restriction Enzyme (10u): 1µl

Final Volume: 20µl

Mixture of nutrientscomprisingcarbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and water are feed stuffs. From the intestinal wall, very few of such nutrients can pass directly to the body tissues, therefore they must be degraded down into simple compounds before they pass through the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T.) intothe bloodand lymph. This degradation process is regarded as ‘digestion’. Thereafter, the movement of these simple compounds through the mucous membrane oftheG.I.Tract into the blood iscalled absorption. Metabolism is the utilization of these nutrients by the animal body and then excretion of the end products takes place from the body. The digestion of feeds is carried out by three means namely, mechanical action: mastication in the mouth and the muscular contraction of G.I.Tract; chemical action: this is carried out by enzymes secreted by digestive juices and microbial action: this is also enzymatic action, but the enzymes are secreted by microbes instead of host.

In ruminants, it is the rumen which harbours bacteria, protozoa and fungi (Fig. 1) ; whereas in non-ruminants, it is the large intestine (Fig. 2). There are four compartments in the stomach-reticulum, omasum, rumenand abomasums. Reticulumprovides ruminantadditionalspacefor storage.Also, if byanychance, foreign bodies like nails, wires etc. reach over here alongwith feed, they are retained for longer periods and thus, soft organs are protected. Omasum squeezes out water from the feed with the help of its strong muscular walls. In the suckling calves or lambs, the two compartments-rumen and its continuation reticulum are less developed and both are joined by a tube like structure -oesophageal or reticular groove, which directly opens into abomasum. That is why in these sucklings, milk reaches straight into the abomasum, which is the true stomach. Rumen develops at about six weeks of age in these young ones. As these sucklings begin to eat solid feed, both rumen and reticulum enlarge greatly and separate. Now oesophageal or reticular groove does not exist.

Stomach

The stomach of ruminants (Fig. 4-4 A) is compound stomach with four parts; the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The first three compartments comprise the forestomach or proventriculus. These parts have a nonglandular mucous membrane lined by a stratified squamous epithelium and are concerned with maceration, fermentation and cellulose digestion while the last part, the abomasum has a glandular mucous membrane which is concerned with digestion of the food material with the help of gastric juices. The relative sizes of the four compartments change with the age of the animal. In new bourn calf the rumen and reticulum together have about half the capacity of abomasum. But, as the diet of the animal is restricted to milk during this period, these two compartments remain collapsed and functionless. At eight weeks of age, the total capacity of rumen and reticulum equals to that of the abomasum and at twelve weeks of age the combined capacity of rumen and reticulum doubles to that of the abomasum. During this period the growth of the omasum is slow and steady. At about one and half years of age the omasum and abomasum equals in their capacity. At this age the four parts reach to their definitive size, shape and capacity. The relative capacity of the four compartments at this stage is rumen eighty per cent, reticulum five per cent, omasum seven per cent and abomasum eight per cent. The total capacity of average sized cattle varies between hundred fifteen to hundred fifty litre.

18.1 Introduction

The digestive system of fish shows remarkable diversity in its morphology and function, related to both taxonomy and different feeding habits (Abdulhadi, 2005). Fish eat a wide variety of foods. Some feed on plants, others on small fish, and the remainder are omnivorous. The digestive system is drastically altered as a result of different feeding habits. In response to feeding habits, the structural plan of the buccal cavity, pharynx, and rest of the gut has changed.

The digestive system of insects comprises of two main sub-parts, one is the alimentary tract or also known as the digestive tract and the associated digestive glands. These digestive glands may be associated directly or indirectly such as, salivary glands, gastric, caeca (directly) and Malpighian tubules (indirect). If we have to describe an insect and its anatomy, or its histology, it is based on the orthopteroid plan, which is mostly shown by grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts, because their plan shows and describes the basic, primitive design from which other groups of insects have enolved and showed modifications and specialization. We can say that this orthoptera insect shows the general anatomical and histological features of a generalised insect.Today, we see that insects have invaded and adapted in almost all types of habitats and the major reason for their biological success is their ability to show digestion, utilization and their ability to eat an extremely vast diversity of food. It is due to this abilityof extremizm in food diversity that insects have undergone many specializations and modifications of the alimentary canal. What modifications a species of insects undergoes, depends upon the type of insects, depends upon the type of food it consumes. The diversity is also seen in the way of obtaining, storing, processing and absorbing the food. These differences may be structural or functional or both. It is not necessary that these differences must be present in different species only, those may be shown by different life stages of a single insect, by two sexes of a single species, etc. e.g., the difference between the mouths parts of mosquito species.

The digestive mechanism of a pig is ideally adapted to full concentrate-based meals. The digestive organs are quite simple, with a continuous musculomembanous tube from the mouth to the anus. However, this system includes multiple sophisticated interaction functions.

Mouth

The mouth is necessary not only for food consumption, but also for first partial size reduction by grinding. While teeth are the major means of reducing meal size and increasing surface area, when feed is mixed with saliva, the first step in the chemical breakdown of food occurs. The three primary salivary glands are the parotid, mandibular, and sublingual glands. Saliva secretion is a reflex activity that occurs when there is food in the mouth. The amount of mucus in saliva is determined by the wetness or dryness of the meal consumed. As a result, on a dry diet, more saliva mucus is secreted, whereas on a moist diet, only enough is secreted to aid in swallowing. Amylase, the enzyme that hydrolyzes starch to maltose, is present in saliva in very low amounts. Salivary digestive enzymes provide a minor effect. Food is chewed and mixed with saliva before going to the stomach via the mouth, throat, and oesophagus. Oesophageal movement involves muscle peristalsis, or the contraction and relaxation of muscles to move food.

The knowledge of food, feeding habit, anatomical adaptations and the physiology of digestion of the candidate aquaculture species is highly essential to develop cost-effective artificial feed for successful culture practices. The digestion of poikilothermic aquatic fishes and shellfishes is influenced by many factors, and is different from the digestion of terrestrial animals.

2.1.    Anatomy and Physiology of Fish Digestive System
2.1.1.  Feeding Behavior of Fishes

Based on the feeding habit, the fishes are generally classified as herbivores, omnivores, carnivores and detritivores. Within these categories, the fishes further categorized as euryphagous, having a mixed diet, stenophagous, consuming a limited combination of food types and monophagous, accepting only one type of food. A majority of fishes are euryphagous carnivores, and their feeding mode and food types are associated with the body form and digestive system. Fish generally change their feeding habits depending upon the availability of food. Fishes may be classified as predators, grazers, strainers etc. Plankton is a collective term for variety of marine and freshwater plant or organisms that drift on or near the surface of the water. Most fishes eat the material that is smaller than them. The smallest fishes eat these planktons, which act as their main food and all smaller fishes are the food of the bigger fishes. Largest shark feed on plankton by straining these tiny marine plants and animals from the water. The zoo-planktons, comprise protozoa, small crustaceans, jelly fish, and mollusks, together with the eggs and larvae of many species of marine and fresh water.