NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

The aim of the current study is testing the mortality effect of mixtures of Milk thistle and Carthamus tinctorius oils with some insecticides on the whole and larvae of flour beetles using three different pesticides: Aktara, Indoxacarb and Alfacypermethrin, using the four different concentrations 50, 100, 200, 500 ppm for each mixing ratio (oil: pesticide) in the general rate mortality of the concentrations of oil mixture with pesticides in the adults and larvae of flour beetles. The results of the statistical analysis showed a clear significant difference between the general averages of the mortality ratios of the four concentrations. The results also indicated the values of propensity, LC50, and the total activation ratios of the mixtures of Milk thistle oils and Sob with the pesticides Aktara, Indoxacarb, and Alfacypermethrin. A variation in the LC50 values for the mixtures of oils with pesticides was noticed, but there is an increase in the toxicity of the mixture of oil and Indoxacarb pesticide compared with the mixtures of oil, Aktara pesticide and alfacypermethrin. The LC50 values for mixtures of Milk thistle and Carthamus tinctorius oils with Indoxacarb pesticide reached 34.5 and 17.9 ppm on caterpillars and 46.4 and 23.5 ppm on adults, while it reached 46.4 and 23.5 ppm for mixtures The oils themselves with the Aktara pesticide were 858.5 and 715.3 ppm on caterpillars and 190.3 and 538.7 ppm on adults. As for the mixtures of oils with Alfacypermethrin, they were 3194.4 and 248.5 ppm on caterpillars and 307.8 and 1410.5 ppm on adults.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important and common zoonotic diseases worldwide with an infection rate ranging between 20-80% of the world’s population. The affecting in a wide range of mammals, including humans, causes significant disease effects on human health and economic animals. The parasite has an amazing ability to spread within the host’s body and uses various strategies to overcome the blood-brain barrier, with the ability to exist for life within the cells of the infected host. The current study aimed at following up the histopathological changes in the brain of mice experimentally infected with toxoplasmosis. A placenta samples were collected from Al-Salam Teaching Hospital in Mosul, and the parasite was isolated and injection of 100 tissue cyst into the peritoneal cavity of laboratory mice. The animals were divided into three groups, and the mice were dissected after 21, 30 and 40 days of infection period in order to study histopathological changes in the cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. The results of the numbers of parasite cysts in the hippocampus, amygdala and cortex showed an increase in the number of parasite cysts in the cortex compared with the hippocampus and amygdala, the histological sections showed in addition to vacuolar degenerative changes and Apoptosis. After 30 days of infection, the results showed a decrease in body weight in males. The histological sections showed necrosis of the granular cell layer, edema around the nerve axons. The results of the third group, after 40 days of infection, showed a decrease in body weight in males and females compared with the control group and an increase in brain weight in males. The histological sections showed the loss of nuclei in the cells of the basal medial nuclei, vacuolar degeneration, in addition to the presence of vacuolization.

The aim of this study is to see the effect of adding different levels Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the feed or the drinking water on the characteristics of eggs production and the qualitative characteristics of the local quail eggs. The levels (0, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5%) of yeast to the feed and 0.5 g / L in the drinking water for 324 birds as a total number. The birds were randomly distributed into six treatments; each of which included 54 bird/treatment and with 6 replicates (9 birds/replicate). The statistical analysis results showing A significant improvement showed that there was an improvement in the daily production rate of eggs (%H.D.P.), the mass of the egg (g/female bird/week) and the number of the eggs for the treatments characterized with high levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the feed (2 and 2.5% of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the feed). On the contrary, there was no significant effect on the weight of the average fodder consumed for the treatments that include Saccharomyces cerevisiae compared with the control treatment. Feed conversion ratio rate was improved in the third treatment and was higher compared with the rest of the treatments as its value was (3.17). Yet, there were no significant differences among the rest of the treatment and the control treatment in terms of the coefficient of feed conversion ratio. Moreover, it was observed that there was a significant improvement in the weight of the egg shell and its thickness in favor of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae addition treatments compared with the control treatment. As for the characteristics of the index of yolk, white, hue unit and the shape of the egg, the differences were not significant compared with the control treatment.

The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of sexual maturity in both male cows and buffaloes on hematological parameters. Blood samples were collected from 20 immature male
cows and 20 mature males. In the same way, samples were collected from male buffaloes. The results of the statistical analysis showed a significant increase in the values of the packed cells volume (PCV) and the number of red blood cells of the
sexually mature male cows compared with the immature, and a rise in the PCV, the concentration of hemoglobin and the number of red blood cells for the mature male buffaloes compared with the immature, while no effect of sexual maturity was observed on the number of white blood cells for both male cows and buffaloes. In conclusion, the age of sexual maturity in male cows and buffaloes had an effect that would raise the values of red blood
cells count, PCV, and hemoglobin concentration.

In the last decade, the production and use of metal particles in the nanoscale spread are due to the latter efficiency in solving many obstacles in various fields of science, engineering, agriculture and medicine. Gold particles in the small scale show catalytic, magnetic, electrical, mechanical, biological and chemical properties due to the high surface-to-volume ratio where appearance of these particles interact and move higher in properties and strength. Several studies have obtained nano-particles of several types of metals such as silver, copper and gold from plants and microorganisms. The current study, thus, aimed at finding out the ability of the mustard plant root to collect gold particles(Au), as well as the mycelium of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, where the examination technique using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to confirm the presence and accumulation of gold particles. It is vital using the biological system of the organism. This method is environmentally and friendly
does not result in toxins or high use of energy. It is characterized by its low cost and high efficiency in obtaining results. Three different concentrations of colloidal gold solution were used in the current study 2, 4, 6 ml, which produced a concentration exceeding 6 ml. In deposition of the largest percentage of gold in each of the plant root and fungal hyphae.

The weakness of technical and economic knowledge of beekeepers is one of the factors affecting profit as well as the optimum production volume achieved for economic efficiency, which led to economic problems, among those problems is the decrease in the quantities supplied from bee honey production. The research aimed at studying the most important factors affecting the profit function as well as estimating the function production costs. Cross-sectional data were used in the light of a random sample that included (120) beekeepers from Nineveh Governorate. The results of estimating the profit function showed that the parameters of the function agreed with the logic of the economic theory and the statistical and standard tests. It was shown by the size of the parameters of the function that the amount of output has a great importance in profit compared with the rest of the price variables and the average production costs. As for the ratio for estimating the function of total costs, the results of the study showed that the cubic model is the most suitable for the
relationship adopted in the study according to economic theory and statistical and standard tests. Depending on the cost function only, the volume achieved for the economic efficiency of honey production was obtained at the level (10,386) kg / cell. The study also showed that the technical efficiency in honey production amounted to (86%), as well as the estimation of the maximum production volume for honey in the short term, which amounted to (13.885). We infer from the study that the economic resources used in the production process were not optimally invested, which led to a decrease in production efficiency. The results of the study
recommend working to follow production policies aimed at increasing the economic efficiency of a single cell and achieving optimal use of available resources, which is reflected in an increase in efficiency in the use of productive resources and an improvement in the efficiency of honey production.