Haemonchosis is a fatal disease of livestock caused by Haemonchus contortus (HC) – a blood-sucking parasite of the abomasum. This parasite is quite prevalent in sheep, causing mortality and production losses. The suppressor of cytokine signalling-2 (SOCS2) gene plays a vital role in sheep’s immune response against gastrointestinal parasites. This study aimed to estimate the parasitic load of HC in three sheep breeds (Balkhi, Ghalji, and Michni) through faecal egg count and to identify SNPs in the SOCS2 gene associated with the susceptibility of sheep against HC. The results showed that the mean number of HC eggs per gram (EPG) was higher in the faecal samples of Ghalji (4022 ± 1162 EPG), followed by Michni (1988 ± 367 EPG), while the HC EPG was the lowest in Balkhi sheep (1535 ± 552 eggs/gm). Sequencing results showed polymorphisms in the SOCS2 gene between the low-infection and high-infection categories of the three sheep breeds. A total number of six genic variants were observed, of which three were SNPs, one was insertion, and two were deletions. Polymorphisms were observed in the intronic and 3′ UTR regions of the SOCS2 gene. A deletion (c.1083delGCA) in intron 1 and an insertion (c.3304insT) in intron 2 showed positive correlations (0.833 and 0.889, respectively) with the HC infection, while one SNP in the 3′ UTR region showed negative correlation (–0.654). This study provides a basis for selecting resistant sheep against HC infection based on the SOCS2 gene molecular markers.

Gender quotas are increasingly being adopted by autocrats in part to legitimize their rule. Yet, even in autocracies, these quotas increase women’s political representation. It thus stands to reason that public support for gender quotas in autocracies might be shaped by this trade-off between advancing women’s rights and granting the regime legitimacy. All else equal, regime opponents should be less supportive of gender quotas in autocracies, wary of legitimizing the regime. We uncover evidence of this proposition in an analysis of region-wide Arab Barometer surveys and a survey experiment in Algeria. We also find that evaluations of this trade-off are conditioned by other demographics, with women, gender egalitarians, and Islamists remaining more consistent in their support for/opposition to gender quotas regardless of regime gains. Overall, our findings suggest that gender quotas in autocracies are viewed through a political lens, creating a potential backlash toward women’s empowerment.

Falls are a major health concern in older adults. Falls lead to mortality, immobility and high costs to social and health care services. Early detection and classification of falls is imperative for timely and appropriate medical aid response. Traditional machine learning models have been explored for fall classification. While newly developed deep learning techniques have the ability to potentially extract high-level features from raw sensor data providing high accuracy and robustness to variations in sensor position, orientation and diversity of work environments that may skew traditional classification models. However, frequently used deep learning models like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are computationally intensive. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first instance of a Hybrid Multichannel Random Neural Network (HMCRNN) architecture for fall detection and classification. The proposed architecture provides the highest accuracy of 92.23% with dropout regularization, compared to other deep learning implementations. The performance of the proposed technique is approximately comparable to a CNN yet requires only half the computation cost of the CNN-based implementation. Furthermore, the proposed HMCRNN architecture provides 34.12% improvement in accuracy on average than a Multilayer Perceptron.

L-carnitine (B-hydroxy-Y-N-trimethyl aminobutyrate) is a water-soluble product, found in animals, plants and microorganisms. Its synthesis takes place from two important amino acids, lysine and methionine. Essentially, L-carnitine has an intermediary role in metabolism. It promotes energy metabolism for cell and regulates co-enzyme A concentration in cystosol and mitochondria, which are important in glucose and lipid metabolism. L-carnitine was first isolated from the chicken embryo in a significant amount, but is absent in the egg. Under normal physiological conditions, the endogenously synthesised levels are sufficient for normal growth and functions. Its requirements are increased in stressful conditions and during metabolic and physiological higher demands, such as growth and laying periods. L-carnitine increases energy production, fat metabolism and improves immune status in birds, which is energy demanding. In this review, several aspects of the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation of L-carnitine on poultry health and production are briefly summarised.

Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites of structurally diverse groups occurring worldwide as contaminants of cereals such as wheat, corn, maize, peanut, and barley, which comprise the main ingredients of poultry diets. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has wide range of beneficial properties, including data showing its positive effects in protecting the liver of birds exposed to aflatoxins. Trials have shown that in broilers affected by aflatoxicosis, which adversely affected feed intake, weight gain, feed efficiency, serum biochemistry and immune status, supplementation of diets with silymarin reduced the detrimental effects, thereby improving the productivity and health. Although promising results have been reported, established doses and further research on the standardisation of this herb will increase its uses as alternative to synthetic drugs. The following review discusses several important aspects of the beneficial properties of milk thistle on poultry growth performance in experimentally induced aflatoxicosis.

An ultra-wideband (UWB) log-periodic dipole array (LPDA) antenna inkjet-printed on a 0.5 mm thick photo paper substrate is presented. The overall size of the LPDA antenna is 130 × 60 mm2. The LPDA antenna exhibits stable input-impedance characteristics and a consistent end-fire radiation pattern over the whole operating band of 2.2–11 GHz. Fulfilling the need of high-gain flexible antennas for UWB, a highly directive measured gain of 9.5 dBi on a paper substrate makes it an excellent candidate for flexible wireless devices.

Particle acceleration is an important tool in material modification and several other applications. There are multiple techniques to generate and accelerate ion beams. In the current research work, ions emitted from laser induced plasma were accelerated by employing a DC high voltage extraction assembly. The Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) with 10 mJ energy and 12 ns pulse width was irradiated on Aluminum target. Thomson parabola technique using Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (CR-39) was employed for measurement of ions energy generated from laser induced plasma. In response to a stepwise increase in acceleration potential from 0–10 kV, an evident increase in energy, in the range 627–730 keV, was observed. In order to utilize this facility as an ion source, Aluminum was exposed to these ions. The Optical and AFM micrographs revealed that the damage produced by the ions on Al surfaces, become more prominent with the increase in ion energy. TRIM simulations were performed for the analysis of the damage at the irradiated samples. Changes in the total displacements, target vacancies and replacement collisions, calculated by TRIM simulation, were analyzed for ion irradiations with increasing ion energies.

Triggered by the need to develop inter-seasonal, multi-cut cereal forage crops, this study aimed at the exploitation of phenotypic variations among the rich pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) collections in Sudan for possible utilization in forage-type breeding programmes. A total of 100 pearl millet accessions were used in three field trials grown in rainy, winter and summer seasons (2008–2009) at the Gezira Research Station Farm and the Gezira University Experimental Farm. Wide diversity and highly significant differences in the total dry forage yield, days to harvest, plant height, number of tillers/plant and leaf/stem ratio were found among the accessions. At an 80% morphological similarity level, the 100 accessions of pearl millet were clustered into four main groups. In the rainy and winter seasons, 71 and 56% of the accessions produced forage yield of more than 5 t/ha, respectively. In contrast, 77% of the accessions produced less than 5 t/ha in the summer season. Among the top-ranking 25 accessions, two accessions (HSD 2190 and HSD 2236) were common in dry matter yield in the three seasons, whereas 11 accessions were identified in at least two seasons. The presence of such common accessions in more than one season is encouraging for growing pearl millet as a multi-cut crop for a longer period. These results indicated the possibility of the development of forage-suited varieties of pearl millet directly through further evaluation of those common accessions or indirectly through a crop breeding programme.

A 2 × 2 factorial feeding experiment was conducted to examine the effects of varying the maturity level of the grass used to prepare silage and the nature of concentrate starch source and their interactions on dry matter intake (DMI), diet digestibility, energy corrected milk (ECM) production and milk composition in dairy cows. Twenty-eight multiparous Swedish Red dairy cows, 133 ± 45 days in milk (DIM), with an average milk yield of 30 ± 4 kg/day and a live weight of 624 ± 69 kg were blocked by DIM and randomly assigned to seven replicated balanced 4 × 4 Latin squares with four 21-day experimental periods. The experimental diets consisted of four total mixed rations (TMR) consisting of early-cut grass silage (EGS) supplemented with either barley- or maize-based concentrate and late-cut grass silage (LGS) supplemented with either barley- or maize-based concentrate. All TMR contained identical proportions of forage (51%) and concentrate (49%). Total tract digestibility was estimated by determining indigestible NDF (iNDF) concentrations in feeds and faeces and using iNDF as an internal marker. The feeds’ ruminal degradation parameters were determined using both in situ (nylon bag) and in vitro (gas production (GP)) techniques. Cows offered diets containing EGS had greater (P < 0.001) daily dry matter (DM) intakes, ECM yields and total tract digestibilities for DM and organic matter (OM), but these were not affected by the nature of the concentrate starch source. No interaction between the maturity of the silage and the nature of the concentrate starch source was observed for DMI, diet digestibility or ECM yield. Both grass silages and concentrates had similar rates of ruminal degradation of NDF when measured in situ. The in situ DM (P < 0.001) and starch (P = 0.001) degradation rates of barley-based concentrate were greater than those for maize-based concentrate. In vitro OM GP rates and extents were similar for both concentrate feeds. The results showed that diets containing EGS offered better animal performance and diet digestibility than diets containing LGS. The concentrate starch source did not affect animal performance, but total NDF digestibility was better with diet containing barley- than maize-based concentrate.

The atomic displacement parameters of individual ions in SrO have been determined from the Rietveld analysis of high-resolution powder neutron diffraction data. As the neutron velocity is smaller than the sound velocity in SrO, the intensity data was not corrected for the effect of thermal diffuse scattering. The room temperature value of overall isotropic thermal displacement parameters was B=0.57(2) Å2; which corresponds to Debye temperature, Θ of 242(4) K. The results are compared with experimental and theoretical estimates.

The authors have reviewed over 60 texts on the subject of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). In this paper they set out a summary of ERM based on three of those sources, selected for their relevance and breadth of view. The paper observes that the approaches described vary widely in nature. A separate ‘on-line” source is provided, which summarises key readings from the 60 texts. Combining findings from these texts with the authors' own experiences, the paper suggests some best practice checklists, designed to enable organisations to take stock of their current ERM frameworks. It discusses other aspects of ERM for practitioners, including extreme events, opportunity management and the link with corporate strategy. The paper looks at immediate and longer-term implications for actuaries in the United Kingdom, and then poses questions about future professional development and education. It suggests an emerging role for the ‘ERM actuary’, and, finally, it suggests future work to progress the development of ERM and the actuaries' role.