Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Adipic Acid as Crosslinking Agent in Polyvinyl Alcohol / Nanocellulose from Rice Straw Biocomposites

A study was conducted to investigate the biodegradable polymers by adding natural polymers into non‐degradable plastics material. Therefore in this research, an attempt was made by incorporating natural polymer, which is cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix. This study was also investigated the effect of adipic acid as a crosslinking agent to PVA/CNC film with different CNC content. CNC was extracted from agricultural waste, which is rice straw by sulphuric acid hydrolysis at 45oC for 60 minutes. The CNC was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The result shows that hemicellulose and lignin break down after undergoes several pre‐treatments. The PVA/CNC biocomposites films were prepared by casting with different concentrations of CNC (0%, 2%, 6%, 10% wt) and the addition of 5 wt % (0.1 g) of adipic acid (AA) to the respective concentrations. The tensile test and FTIR analysis were used to investigate the properties of these biocomposites films. The result of PVA/CNC/AA film showed a higher tensile strength and elongation at break (Eb) compared to PVA/CNC film. Thus, the presence of AA enhanced the properties of PVA/CNC biocomposites film.
Conception Rate of Non-descript Zebu Cows and its Attributing Factors in Bangladesh

Ensuring a promising conception rate of non-descript zebu cows maybe an appropriate approach for cattle development and rural livelihood enhancement in Bangladesh. The study was designed to determine the factors affecting conception rate of non-descript local zebu cattle (n = 307) under Artificial Insemination (AI) program using frozen semen. The demographic factors were recorded by interviewing the farmers. All cows were examined for pregnancy diagnosis by rectal palpation of genital tract at 60-80 days post AI. The overall conception rate of zebu cows was 57.7% and the required service per conception was 2.19. The conception rate in cows that received 2nd and 3rd service was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of 1st service. The conception rate in cows inseminated within 8-12 h after the start of standing oestrus was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the cows inseminated after 12 h of standing oestrus. Breed of semen donar bulls did not affect significantly the conception rate of zebu cows. The conception rate in cows that received insemination at $10 months post-calving was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of #4 months. The conception rate was the highest in cows inseminated at parity 1 and 2 and in cows fed with combination of roughages, concentrate and grazing. Zebu cows of 4-6 years age and yield >1.5 L milk&day had significantly (p<0.05) higher conception rate than others. It is concluded that conception rate of non-descript indigenous zebu cows is influenced by postpartum insemination interval, interval from estrus to AI, parity, feeding practice, milk yield and age of zebu cows.
Reciprocal intraguild predation between two mirid predators, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and Tytthus chinensis (Hemiptera: Miridae)

ABSTRACT Interactions between predator species shape ecological communities and are crucial in the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. They contribute to improving the natural biological control. Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter and Tytthus chinensis Stål (Hemiptera: Miridae) are important natural enemies of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), the most destructive rice pest in Asia. Comparative functional responses of both sexes of the two mirids at different development stages were estimated and the direction, symmetry, as well as intensity of intraguild predation (IGP) were studied in the laboratory. Prey preferences of the two mirid species and the influence of alternative prey on functional responses were also evaluated. The mirids exhibited reciprocal IGP in addition to consuming eggs of BPH. All predator–prey combinations exhibited a type II functional response. Females and fourth instar nymphs of C. lividipennis showed greater voracity for eggs of BPH than of T. chinensis. The two mirids were more voracious to intraguild prey than to extraguild prey. Alternative prey released the functional responses of C. lividipennis to both intra- and extraguild prey. In contrast, alternative prey had no effect on the functional response of T. chinensis. RIGP was symmetrical in the absence of extraguild prey. And in the presence of extraguild prey that was common in the field, resulted in different responses by the mirids.
Evaluation of genotoxic potential of synthetic progestin ethynodiol diacetate in human lymphocytes in vitro

The genotoxicity study of a synthetic progestin ethy nodiol diacetate, used as oral contraceptives, was ca rried out on human lymphocyte chromosomes using sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), replication index (RI) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) as param eters. The study was carried out in the presence as well as in the absence of metabolic activation (S9 mix). The aim of the present study is to achieve a precise character ization of the genotoxic activity of ethynodiol diac etate and to establish the value of cytogenetic assays in order to determine the effect of the drugs, at ther apeutic doses, to settle an improved risk assessment. Ethyn odiol diacetate was studied at three different concentr ations (50, 100 and 150 μg/ml of peripheral blood lymphocyte culture) and was found non-genotoxic in the absence of metabolic activation (S9 mix). But in the presence of S9 mix ethynodiol diacetate increases SCE (P < 0.03) and CA ( P < 0.005) frequencies and inhibits lymphocyte proliferation (P < 0.03) at 150 μg/ ml. The results suggest a genotoxic and cytotoxic effect of ethynodiol diacetate in human peripheral blood cultures in vitro.
The Role of FKBP5 in Influenza Virus Infection

FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) is a peptidyl propyl cis-trans isomerase that has been shown to interact with cellular immune pathways such as calcineurin and NF-κB. During an influenza infection, FKBP5 is up-regulated at the lung in an in vivo ferret infection model, yet the effect of FKBP5 on influenza replication and immune response is not understood. An in vitro model of human alveolar epithelial cell line A549 was established to study the cause and the function of FKBP5 up-regulation during an influenza infection. In this in vitro model, FKBP5 was not up-regulated by influenza replication, but instead it was up-regulated when A549 cells were treated with glucocorticoid. FKBP5 upregulation did not have any effect on rate of influenza replication. However, FKBP5 upregulation mediated the suppressive effect of glucocorticoid on pro-inflammatory cytokine production, since FKBP5 knock-down by siRNA increased cytokine production in the presence of glucocorticoid. Overall, the results suggested that the up-regulation of FKBP5 is a physiological response of lung cells to the increase of glucocorticoid during influenza infections, which facilitates the suppressive effect of glucocorticoid on proinflammatory cytokine production.
Effect of Operational Parameters in the Continuous Anaerobic Fermentation of Cheese Whey on Titers, Yields, Productivities, and Microbial Community Structures

Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced using cheese whey as feedstock. A mixed culture packed bed bioreactor was set up to digest anaerobically, under an acidogenic condition, a water solution of a cheese whey powder. Batch tests pointed out that the whole VFAs production process occurred via two sequential phases: (a) conversion of lactose into lactic acid and (b) conversion of lactic acid into a mixture of VFAs. Furthermore, the same tests showed that the ceramic material Vukopor S10 can be used as an effective support for cell immobilization in anaerobic fermentation processes. The effect of the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR) were then studied in a benchtop bioreactor operated continuously. By a HRT of 6 days, ORL of 4.2 g/L/d, and pH 5.8–6, 16 g·L–1 of total VFAs were produced, with a yield higher than 75% (CmolVFAs·Cmollactose–1). Characterization with Illumina-based sequencing suggested that high VFAs productivities were obtained when microbial community structures .
Population genetics and dispersal of the flatworm, Polycelis coronata: a test of the habitat stability hypothesis

ABSTRACT The habitat stability hypothesis states that species in spring-like habitats have little reason to disperse compared to species in temporary habitats. Planarians commonly inhabit springs around the world and they have long been considered poor dispersers. Recently, however, genetic analyses have shown contradictory results on the dispersal of planarians. Asexual planarians that can establish a new population by colonization of a single individual showed little genetic differentiation between sites separated by hundreds of kilometers, whereas species inhabiting springs showed deep differentiation between sites separated by hundreds of meters. The latter results are consistent with the habitat stability hypothesis. We used the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene from 468 individuals of Polycelis coronata, an asexual species, collected from 50 sites, nested in 26 tributaries, in 4 catchments of the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, USA, to explore the dispersal capabilities of P. coronata. The longest distance between sites was 66 km. Despite this small spatial extent, we found that 77% of the 130 haplotypes were collected from a single site and 89% from a single catchment. FST values between local populations in the same tributary (0.221, 0.266, 0.389) were similar to the average FST values in different catchments for other headwater taxa. Also, variation among individuals accounted for the majority of genetic structuring with little differentiation beyond the scale of a single site. Dispersal is very slow in this species which is consistent with the habitat stability hypothesis. However, we suggest that other explanations also warrant consideration. We also identified two potential cryptic species suggesting a high degree of hidden variation at the level of species in this genus.
PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF KERATINASE FROM NATIVE FEATHER- DEGRADING Streptomyces albus

The keratin occurs naturally in the form of feathers, hair, nails and wool all over the world. As the physiological and chemical methods of keratin degradation are not easy possible, the biological method has gained importance. It can be biodegraded by some Keratinolytic Streptomyces sp. The present study investigated purified keratinase from Keratinolytic Streptomyces albus. The cell-bound keratinolytic enzyme was purified 28.91 fold by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was characterized as a serine protease with a molecular mass of 40-45kD. Optimal activity pH and Temperature were measured at 7.0 and 40 0 C, furthermore the various inhibitors had different effect on enzyme activity. PMSF and heavy metal ion Hg +2 were the most potent inhibitors and EDTA induced the activity by more than 142%, 2-mercaptoethanol did not show any impact on the enzyme, where pCMB, KCN, 8-hydroxyquinoline and cystine inhibited activity moderately.
ESTIMATE OF STAND DENSITY INDEX FOR EUCALYPTUS UROPHYLLA USING DIFFERENT FIT METHODS

The Reineke stand density index (SDI) was created on 1933 and remains as target of researches due to its importance on helping decision making regarding the management of population density. Part of such works is focused on the manner by which plots were selected and methods for the fit of Reineke model parameters in order to improve the definition of SDI value for the genetic material evaluated. The present study aimed to estimate the SDI value for Eucalyptus urophylla using the Reineke model fitted by the method of linear regression (LR) and stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The database containing pairs of data number of stems per hectare (N) and mean quadratic diameter (Dq) was selected in three intensities, containing the 8, 30 and 43 plots of greatest density, and models were fitted by LR and SFA on each selected intensities. The intensity of data selection altered slightly the estimates of parameters and SDI when comparing the fits of each method. On the other hand, the adjust method influenced the mean estimated values of slope and SDI, which corresponded to -1.863 and 740 for LR and -1.582 and 810 for SFA.
An analysis of N-Src splice variants in Xenopus development

The ubiquitously expressed cellular-Src (C-Src) protein kinase has a number of neural isoforms known as neural-Src (N-Src) kinases. One such isoform, N1-Src has an insert of five or six amino acids in its SH3 domain, changing target protein specificity. Previous data have shown that N1-Src expression levels correlate positively with good prognosis childhood neuroblastoma cancer; which develop from neural crest-derived tissues. In this project it was shown using RT- PCR that peaks in N1-Src expression correspond to stages of primary and secondary neurogenesis in the Xenopus tropicalis and zebrafish model organisms. An additional Xenopus-specific isoform, termed N3-Src, which previously had no ascribed function, possesses 22 additional amino acids in its SH3 domain. Here it was shown that N3-Src expression levels also peak during primary and secondary neurogenesis and that both isoforms are somewhat upregulated in noggin mRNA-injected animal cap explants. In situ hybridisation using locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes showed that the expression of these isoforms is restricted to neural and neural crest structures during early Xenopus tropicalis development. Antisense morpholino oligo-mediated knockdown of Xenopus tropicalis N1-Src and N3-Src resulted in locomotive defects, the expansion of the proliferative neural plate marker sox3 and the reduction of the neural differentiation marker n. tubulin in neurula stage Xenopus tropicalis embryos and a subtle reduction in phox2a expression at tailbud stages; a marker of noradrenergic cells from which neuroblastoma cancers derive. Whilst N1-Src overexpression had no detectable effect on Xenopus tropicalis embryo phenotype or the expression of the neural markers analysed, N3-Src overexpression caused a reduction in both eye pigmentation and the expression of phox2a. These data support functions of neural Src isoforms in the regulation of vertebrate neural development.
The Effect of Different Levels of Rapeseed Meal with and without Enzyme on the Performance and the Serum Level of Triiodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in Broiler Chickens

In order to investigate the effect of different levels of rapeseed meal on performance and content of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in broiler chickens’ blood, 640 1-d-old Ross male broiler chickens were studied through a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement including 4 levels of rapeseed meal (RSM) (0, 5, 10 and 15 percent) and two levels of enzyme (0 and 0.05%) with a completely randomized design and 4 replicates. Feed intake weight gain and feed conversion ratio were measured at 8, 21 and 42 days of age. In order to investigate the level of T3, T4 and TSH at the end of each period, three chickens from each treatment group were sampled for blood collection. Results indicated that different levels of RSM and enzyme separately had no significant effect on the feed conversion ratio, weight gain and feed intake (P≥0.05). However, the interaction effect of rapeseed RSM and enzyme significantly improved the feed intake (P≤0.05). Treatments significantly affected the amount of T3 and TSH in blood serum that was decreased, with adding rapeseed and enzyme into the diet, while the level of T4 was not affected significantly. Therefore, according to obtained results, it seems that rapeseed RSM can be used in the diet of broiler chickens up to 15% without decreasing their performance.
Plant species associations in alpine-subnival vegetation patches in the Central Caucasus

Patches of herbaceous vegetation found at the bound- ary of the alpine and subnival belts in the Central Caucasus (3000 m) were analysed for species composition, interspecific associations, as well as for relations between age, size and diversity of the patches. 34 plant species were recorded. Posi- tive and negative associations were found among the most frequent species. A model is presented that describes the cumulation of species in patches during succession. In the final and stable successional stage, the maximum number of species within a patch was nine. Species composition varies in patches of different age, typical alpine species being more frequent in older ones. The results are interpreted as evidence for niche differentiation and selection of species composition through the 'sieve' of inter- specific relations, taking place during succession in the stud- ied patches.
Nitrogen pool, flows, impact and sustainability issues of human waste management in the city of Bangalore

Cities in the developing countries have multiple modes of human and animal waste treatment and disposal that finally decide the overall impact on the urban ecosystem, and these have been studied for the city of Bangalore. Four modes are found, namely underground sewage systems, decentralized soak pits and septic tanks, open defecation and a miniscule effort at composting. The extent of N released per unit area is high, ranging between 0.44 and 1.4 t $ha^{-1}$ of the urban landscape.In this study the N release and outflow have been estimated. The N entering or flowing in the lithosphere,hydrosphere and in wastewater streams forms the major component. The pool size has first been determined. The size and movement through these pools were estimated with a view to determine the state of the N cycle and if there is a cause for alarm in similar cities in other developing countries. N contribution from human waste (excreta and urine) forms the singlelargest influx and sewage flowing out of the city forms the single largest efflux of N pool. Owing to a seemingly large use of soak pits and open conveyance of sewage in some parts of the city, coliforms and $NO_3$–N have seeped into shallow and deep-ground aquifers and show up in ground- and sub-soil waters in the city.The level of N in these waters at a few places is slightly higher than the permissible limits. This suggests that there is a need to find alternatives to modes like the ubiquitous soak pit, such that pollution of shallow and deep aquifers is avoided in the future. Currently,there is little effort in stripping the waste water off N.Also, there is no significant effort in recovery and reuse of nutrients, and this is required to increase the sustainability levels.
ACUTE TOXICITY OF AMMONIA TO SEVERAL DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF RAINBOW TROUT, SALMO GAIRDNERI

Median tolerance limits derived from 24-h bioassays demonstrated that fertilized eggs and alevins of rainbow trout, Salrno gairdneri, were not vulnerable to 3.58 ppm un-ionized ammonia at 10°C (pH 8.3). At the end of yolk absorption, rainbow trout fry increased in susceptibility dramatically; their median tolerance limit values were about 0.072 ppm, the same as for adult trout. Fertilization of eggs was not prevented in un-ionized ammonia solutions up to 1.79 ppm, the highest exposure tested. Much information is available on the toxicity of ammonia to juvenile and adult trout, but the paucity ofinformation on the toxicity ofammonia to fertilized eggs and larvae of teleosts is sur­ prising since these life stages are often assumed to be relatively sensitive. Several studies have examined ammonia toxicity to adult trout (Lloyd 1961; Ball 1967; Wilson et al. 1969), including the effects of increased ammonia toxicity to trout at lower oxygen levels (Downing and Merkens 1955) and decreased toxicity at higher carbon dioxide levels (Lloyd and Herbert 1960). Tem­ perature, oxygen, pH, carbon dioxide, and bicar­ bonate alkalinity influence the toxicity of am­ monia and are discussed in a report by the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (1970). Exposure of juvenile or adult salmonids to ammonia has been associated with decreased growth (Brockway 1950; Burrows 1964; Larmo­ yeux and Piper 1973), gill damage (Burrows 1964; Reichenbach-Klinke 1967), and other sublethal physiological effects (Reichenbach-Klinke 1967; Fromm and Gillette 1968; Lloyd and Orr 1969), and similar effects may occur with salmonid eggs and alevins. Exposure to ammonia has also been associated with increased incidence of disease in juvenile and adult salmonids (Burrows 1964; Larmoyeux and Piper 1973) andin salmonid alevins (Wolf 1957). The only study of toxicity of ammonia to eggs and larvae (Penaz 1965) involved three stages
The Effect of GDL-induced pH Decrease on the Formation of Biogenic Amines in Meat.

The effect of pH on the formation of biogenic amines has mainly been studied in broths in which pH has been fixed before incubation. However, in the fermentation of dry sausage, pH quite rapidly decreases from the initial value to a certain level. In this study glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) was used to decrease pH in meat, Six minced meat samples were each divided into three portions (A-C): 0% (A), 0.5% (B), or 1.0% (C) of GDL was added and the samples were incubated at 20-22°C for 7 d. The amounts of biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, phenylethylamine, tryptamine, spermine, and spermidine) as well as pH, water activity, and the bacterial counts of lactic acid bacteria, fecal streptococci, coliforms, and total plate count were measured. Addition of GDL resulted in a significant decrease in pH and in the levels of histamine and putrescine as well as in the levels of fecal streptococci, coliforms, and total plate counts. Of 87 fecal streptococci, seven Enterococcus faecalis strains produced tyramine. All the coliforms and related strains isolated from violet red bile agar produced tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine on agar plates. However, the proportion of histamine-positive strains of these strains, especially Hafnia alvei , increased from 0 to 57% during the incubation. The rate and level of pH decrease clearly affected amine formation in meat, indicating that the levels of, e.g., histamine produced could be decreased by optimizing the pH decrease during fermentation. Addition of GDL facilitates study of the effect of pH decrease without interactions between the starter culture and contaminant flora.