Abstract: Our results showed that for the growth of qualitative
seedling and vegetative raw material of ðó. marschallianus Willd. and
T. serphyllum L. it is more profitable to use the in vitro and
hydroponics combined method. In in vitro culture it is possible to do
micro-propagation whole year with 98-99% rhizogenesis. 30000
micro-plants were obtained from one explant during 9 months.
Hydroponic conditions provide the necessary microclimate for
microplants where the survival rate without acclimatization was
93.3%. The essential oil content in hydroponic dry herb of both
species in vegetative and blossom phase was 1.3% whereas in wild
plants it was 1.2%, the content of extractive substances and vitamin
C also exceeded wild plants. Our biochemical and radiochemical
investigations indicated that the medicinal raw materials obtained
from hydroponic and wild plants of Thymus species correspond to
the demands of SPh XI, and the content of artificial radionuclides
does not exceed the MACL.
Abstract: Mutations of the telomeric copy of the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene cause spinal muscular atrophy. A deletion of the Eef1a2 gene leads to lower motor neuron degeneration in wasted mice. Indirect evidences have been shown that the eEF1A protein family may interact with SMN, and our previous study showed that abnormalities of neuromuscular junctions in wasted mice were similar to those of Smn mutant mice. To determine potential colocalization between SMN and tissue-specific translation elongation factor 1A2 (eEF1A2), an immunochemical analysis of HeLa cells transfected with the plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)C-hEEF1A2- myc and a new quantitative test of colocalization by intensity correlation analysis (ICA) was used to explore the association of SMN and eEF1A2. Here the results showed that eEF1A2 redistributed from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in response to serum and epidermal growth factor. In the cytoplasm, compelling evidence showed that staining for myc-tagged eEF1A2 varied in synchrony with that for SMN, consistent with the formation of a SMN-eEF1A2 complex in the cytoplasm of HeLa cells. These findings suggest that eEF1A2 may colocalize with SMN in the cytoplasm and may be a component of the SMN complex. However, the limitation of the ICA method is an inability to resolve colocalization in components of small organelles such as the nucleus.
Abstract: Pyrolysis of waste tire is one of alternative technique
to produce petrochemicals, such as light olefins, mixed C4, and monoaromatics.
Noble metals supported on acid zeolite catalysts were
reported as potential catalysts to produce the high valuable products
from waste tire pyrolysis. Especially, Pd supported on HBeta gave a
high yield of olefins, mixed C4, and mono-aromatics. Due to the high
prices of noble metals, the objective of this work was to investigate
whether or not a non-noble Ni metal can be used as a substitute of a
noble metal, Pd, supported on HBeta as a catalyst for waste tire pyrolysis.
Ni metal was selected in this work because Ni has high activity
in cracking, isomerization, hydrogenation and the ring opening of
hydrocarbons Moreover, Ni is an element in the same group as Pd
noble metal, which is VIIIB group, aiming to produce high valuable
products similarly obtained from Pd. The amount of Ni was varied as
5, 10, and 20% by weight, for comparison with a fixed 1 wt% Pd,
using incipient wetness impregnation. The results showed that as a
petrochemical-producing catalyst, 10%Ni/HBeta performed better
than 1%Pd/HBeta because it did not only produce the highest yield of
olefins and cooking gases, but the yields were also higher than
1%Pd/HBeta. 5%Ni/HBeta can be used as a substitute of
1%Pd/HBeta for similar crude production because its crude contains
the similar amounts of naphtha and saturated HCs, although it gave
no concentration of light mono-aromatics (C6-C11) in the oil. Additionally,
10%Ni/HBeta that gave high olefins and cooking gases was
found to give a fairly high concentration of the light mono-aromatics
in the oil.
Abstract: Solar energy is not only sustainable but also a clean
alternative to be used as source of high temperature heat for many
processes and power generation. However, the major drawback of
solar energy is its transient nature. Especially in solar
thermochemical processing, it is crucial to maintain constant or semiconstant
temperatures inside the solar reactor. In our laboratory, we
have developed a mechanism allowing us to achieve semi-constant
temperature inside the solar reactor. In this paper, we introduce the
concept along with some updated designs and provide the optical
analysis of the concept under various incoming flux.
Abstract: The effects of commercial or bovine yeasts on the
performance and blood variables of broiler chickens intoxicated with
aflatoxin were investigated in broilers. Four hundred eighty broilers
(Arbor Acres; 3-wk-old) were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Each
group (120 broiler chickens) was further randomly divided into 6
replicates of 20 chickens. The treatments were control diet without
additives (treatment 1), 250 ppb AFB1 (treatment 2), commercial
yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, (CY 2.5 x 107 CFU/g) + 250 ppb
AFB1 (treatment 3) and bovine yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
(BY 2.5 x 107 CFU/g + 250 ppb AFB1 (treatment 4). Complete
randomized design (CRD) was used in the experiment. Feed
consumption and body weight were recorded at every five-day
period. On day 42, carcass compositions were determined from 30
birds per treatment. While chicks were sacrificed, 3-4 ml blood
sample was taken and stored frozen at (-20°C) for serum chemical
analysis to determine effects of consumption of diets on blood
chemistry (total protein, albumin, glucose, urea, cholesterol and
triglycerides). There were no significant differences in ADFI among
the treatments(P>0.05). However, BWG, FCR and mortality were
highly significantly different (P
Abstract: The paper presents an analytical solution for dispersion
of a solute in the peristaltic motion of a couple stress fluid
through a porous medium with slip condition in the presence of both
homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions. The average
effective dispersion coefficient has been found using Taylor-s limiting
condition and long wavelength approximation. The effects of various
relevant parameters on the average coefficient of dispersion have been
studied. The average effective dispersion coefficient tends to increase
with permeability parameter but tends to decrease with homogeneous
chemical reaction rate parameter, couple stress parameter, slip parameter
and heterogeneous reaction rate parameter.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the
sensitometric properties of commonly used radiographic films
processed with chemical solutions in different workload hospitals.
The effect of different processing conditions on induced densities on
radiologic films was investigated. Two accessible double emulsions
Fuji and Kodak films were exposed with 11-step wedge and
processed with Champion and CPAC processing solutions. The
mentioned films provided in both workloads centers, high and low.
Our findings displays that the speed and contrast of Kodak filmscreen
in both work load (high and low) is higher than Fuji filmscreen
for both processing solutions. However there was significant
differences in films contrast for both workloads when CPAC solution
had been used (p=0.000 and 0.028). The results showed base plus
fog density for Kodak film was lower than Fuji. Generally Champion
processing solution caused more speed and contrast for investigated
films in different conditions and there was significant differences in
95% confidence level between two used processing solutions
(p=0.01). Low base plus fog density for Kodak films provide more
visibility and accuracy and higher contrast results in using lower
exposure factors to obtain better quality in resulting radiographs. In
this study we found an economic advantages since Champion
solution and Kodak film are used while it makes lower patient dose.
Thus, in a radiologic facility any change in film processor/processing
cycle or chemistry should be carefully investigated before
radiological procedures of patients are acquired.
Abstract: In the modern construction practices, industrial wastes
or by-products are largely used as raw materials in cement and
concrete. These impart many benefits to the environment and bringabout
an economic impact because the cost of waste disposal is
constantly increasing due to strict environmental regulations. It was
reported in literature that the leakage of oil onto concrete element in
older cement grinding unit resulted in concrete with greater resistance
to freezing and thawing. This effect was thought to be similar to
adding an air-entraining chemical admixture to concrete. This paper
presents an investigation on the load deflection behaviour and crack
patterns of reinforced concrete (RC) beams subjected to four point
loading. Ten 120x260x1900 mm beams were cast with 100%
ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete, 20% fly ash (FA) and 20%
rice husk ash (RHA) blended cement concrete. 0.15% dosage of
admixtures (used engine oil, new engine oil, and superplasticizer)
was used throughout the experiment. Results show that OPC and
OPC/RHA RC beams containing used engine oil and superplasticizer
exhibit higher capacity, 18-26% than their corresponding control
mix.
Abstract: Biochemical and molecular analysis of some
antioxidant enzyme genes revealed different level of gene expression
on oilseed (Brassica napus). For molecular and biochemical
analysis, leaf tissues were harvested from plants at eight different
developmental stages, from young to senescence. The levels of total
protein and chlorophyll were increased during maturity stages of
plant, while these were decreased during the last stages of plant
growth. Structural analysis (nucleotide and deduced amino acid
sequence, and phylogenic tree) of a complementary DNA revealed a
high level of similarity for a family of Catalase genes. The
expression of the gene encoded by different Catalase isoforms was
assessed during different plant growth phase. No significant
difference between samples was observed, when Catalase activity
was statistically analyzed at different developmental stages. EST
analysis exhibited different transcripts levels for a number of other
relevant antioxidant genes (different isoforms of SOD and
glutathione). The high level of transcription of these genes at
senescence stages was indicated that these genes are senescenceinduced
genes.
Abstract: Titanium oxide films with different morphologies have for the first time been fabricated through hydrothermal reactions between a titanium substrate and iodine powder in water or ethanol. SEM revealed that iodine supported titanium (Ti-I2) surface shows different morphologies with variable treatment conditions. The mean surface roughness (Ra) was increased in the different groups. Use of surfactant has a role to increase the roughness of the film. The surface roughness was in the range of 0.15 μm-0.42 μm. Furthermore, the electrochemical examinations showed that the Ti-I2 surface fabricated in alcoholic medium has high corrosion resistance than in aqueous medium.
Abstract: The effects of seawater and slurry ice bleeding methods on the sensory, microbiological and chemical quality changes of cod fillets during chilled storage were examined in this study. The results from sensory evaluation showed that slurry ice bleeding method prolonged the shelf life of cod fillets up to 13-14 days compared to 10-11 days for fish bled in seawater. Slurry ice bleeding method also led to a slower microbial growth and biochemical developments, resulting lower total plate count (TPC), H2S-producing bacteria count, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA), free fatty acid (FFA) content and higher phospholipid content (PL) compared to those of samples bled in seawater. The results of principle component analysis revealed that TPC, H2S-producing bacteria, TVB-N, TMA and FFA were in significant correlation. They were also in negative correlation with sensory evaluation (Torry score), PL and water holding capacity (WHC).
Abstract: The aim of this contribution is to present a new
approach in modeling the electrical activity of the human heart. A
recurrent artificial neural network is being used in order to exhibit a
subset of the dynamics of the electrical behavior of the human heart.
The proposed model can also be used, when integrated, as a
diagnostic tool of the human heart system.
What makes this approach unique is the fact that every model is
being developed from physiological measurements of an individual.
This kind of approach is very difficult to apply successfully in many
modeling problems, because of the complexity and entropy of the
free variables describing the complex system. Differences between
the modeled variables and the variables of an individual, measured at
specific moments, can be used for diagnostic purposes. The sensor
fusion used in order to optimize the utilization of biomedical sensors
is another point that this paper focuses on. Sensor fusion has been
known for its advantages in applications such as control and
diagnostics of mechanical and chemical processes.
Abstract: This paper studies the application of a variety of
sawdust materials in the production of lightweight insulating bricks.
First, the mineralogical and chemical composition of clays was determined. Next, ceramic bricks were fabricated with different
quantities of materials (3–6 and 9 wt. % for sawdust, 65 wt. % for grey clay, 24–27 and 30 wt. % for yellow clay and 2 wt% of tuff).
These bricks were fired at 800 and 950 °C. The effect of adding this sawdust on the technological behaviour of the brick was assessed by
drying and firing shrinkage, water absorption, porosity, bulk density
and compressive strength. The results have shown that the optimum
sintering temperature is 950 °C. Below this temperature, at 950 °C,
increased open porosity was observed, which decreased the compressive strength of the bricks. Based on the results obtained, the
optimum amounts of waste were 9 wt. % sawdust of eucalyptus, 24 wt. % shaping moisture and 1.6 particle size diameter. These percentages produced bricks whose mechanical properties were
suitable for use as secondary raw materials in ceramic brick
production.
Abstract: Dried soy protein hydrolysate powder was added to
the burger in order to enhance the oxidative stability as well as
decreases the microbial spoilage. The soybean bioactive compounds
(soy protein hydrolysate) as antioxidant and antimicrobial were added
at level of 1, 2 and 3 %.Chemical analysis and physical properties
were affected by protein hydrolysate addition. The TBA values were
significantly affected (P < 0.05) by the storage period and the level of
soy protein hydrolysate. All the tested soybean protein hydrolysate
additives showed strong antioxidant properties. Samples of soybean
protein hydrolysate showed the lowest (P < 0.05) TBA values at each
time of storage.
The counts of all determined microbiological indicators were
significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the addition of the soybean
protein hydrolysate. Decreasing trends of different extent were also
observed in samples of the treatments for total viable counts,
Coliform, Staphylococcus aureus, yeast and molds. Storage period
was being significantly (P < 0.05) affected on microbial counts in all
samples Staphylococcus aureus were the most sensitive microbe
followed by Coliform group of the sample containing protein
hydrolysate, while molds and yeast count showed a decreasing trend
but not significant (P < 0.05) until the end of the storage period
compared with control sample. Sensory attributes were also
performed, added protein hydrolysate exhibits beany flavor which
was clear about samples of 3% protein hydrolysate.
Abstract: A comparative evaluation of acute toxicity of
synthesized nano silvers using two different procedures (biological
and chemical reduction methods) and silver ions on bacteria
Vibrio fischeri was investigated. The bacterial light inhibition test as
a toxicological endpoint was used by applying of a homemade
luminometer. To compare the toxicity effects as a quantitative
parameter, a nominal effective concentrations (EC) of chemicals and
a susceptibility constant (Z-value) of bacteria, after 5 min and 30 min
exposure times, were calculated. After 5 and 30 min contact times,
the EC50 values of two silver nanoparticles and the EC20 values were
about similar. It demonstrates that toxicity of silvers was independent
of their procedure. The EC values of nanoparticles were larger than
those of the silver ions. The susceptibilities(Z- Values) of V.fischeri
(L/mg) to the silver ions were greater than those of the nano silvers.
According to the EC and Z values, the toxicity of silvers decreased in
the following order: Silver ions >> silver nanoparticles from
chemical reduction method ~ silver nanoparticles from biological
method.
Abstract: The high world interest given to the researches concerning the study of moderately halophilic solvent-tolerant bacteria isolated from marine polluted environments is due to their high biotechnological potential, and also to the perspective of their application in different remediation technologies. Using enrichment procedures, I isolated two moderately halophilic Gram-negative bacterial strains from seawater sample, which are tolerant to organic solvents. Cell tolerance, adhesion and cells viability of Aeromonas salmonicida IBBCt2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa IBBCt3 in the presence of organic solvents depends not only on its physicochemical properties and its concentration, but also on the specific response of the cells, and the cellular response is not the same for these bacterial strains. n-hexane, n-heptane, propylbenzene, with log POW between 3.69 and 4.39, were less toxic for Aeromonas salmonicida IBBCt2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa IBBCt3, compared with toluene, styrene, xylene isomers and ethylbenzene, with log POW between 2.64 and 3.17. The results indicated that Aeromonas salmonicida IBBCt2 is more susceptible to organic solvents than Pseudomonas aeruginosa IBBCt3. The mechanisms underlying solvent tolerance (e.g., the existance of the efflux pumps) in Aeromonas salmonicida IBBCt2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa IBBCt3 it was also studied.
Abstract: Experiments have been carried out at the Latvia
University of Agriculture Department of Food Technology. The aim
of this work was to assess the effect of sous vide packaging during
the storage time of salad with meat in mayonnaise at different storage
temperature. Samples were evaluated at 0, 1, 3, 7, 10, 15, 18, 25, 29,
42, and 52 storage days at the storage temperature of +4±0.5 ºC and
+10±0.5 ºC. Experimentally the quality of the salad with meat in
mayonnaise was characterized by measuring colour, pH and
microbiological properties. The sous vide packaging was effective in
protecting the product from physical, chemical, and microbial quality
degradation. The sous vide packaging significantly reduces microbial
growth at storage temperature of +4±0.5 ºC and +10±0.5 ºC.
Moreover, it is possible to extend the product shelf life to 52 days
even when stored at +10±0.5 ºC.
Abstract: Tomato powder has good potential as substitute of tomato paste and other tomato products. In order to protect physicochemical properties and nutritional quality of tomato during dehydration process, investigation was carried out using different drying methods and pretreatments. Solar drier and continuous conveyor (tunnel) drier were used for dehydration where as calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium metabisulphite (KMS), calcium chloride and potassium metabisulphite (CaCl2 +KMS), and sodium chloride (NaCl) selected for treatment.. lycopene content, dehydration ratio, rehydration ratio and non-enzymatic browning in addition to moisture, sugar and titrable acidity were studied. Results show that pre-treatment with CaCl2 and NaCl increased water removal and moisture mobility in tomato slices during drying of tomatoes. Where CaCl2 used along with KMS the NEB was recorded the least compared to other treatments and the best results were obtained while using the two chemicals in combination form. Storage studies in LDPE polymeric and metalized polyesters films showed less changes in the products packed in metallized polyester pouches and even after 6 months lycopene content did not decrease more than 20% as compared to the control sample and provide extension of shelf life in acceptable condition for 6 months. In most of the quality characteristics tunnel drier samples presented better values in comparison to solar drier.
Abstract: The evolution of silica optical fiber strength aged in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution (CTAC) has been investigated. If the solution containing surfactants presents appreciable changes in physical and chemical properties at the critical micelle concentration (CMC), a non negligible mechanical behavior fiber change is observed for silica fiber aged in cationic surfactants as CTAC which can lead to optical fiber reliability questioning. The purpose of this work is to study the mechanical behavior of silica coated and naked optical fibers in contact with CTAC solution at different concentrations. Result analysis proves that the immersion in CTAC drastically decreases the fiber strength and specially near the CMC point. Beyond CMC point, a small increase of fiber strength is analyzed and commented.
Abstract: Stock portfolio selection is a classic problem in finance,
and it involves deciding how to allocate an institution-s or an individual-s
wealth to a number of stocks, with certain investment objectives
(return and risk). In this paper, we adopt the classical Markowitz
mean-variance model and consider an additional common realistic
constraint, namely, the cardinality constraint. Thus, stock portfolio
optimization becomes a mixed-integer quadratic programming problem
and it is difficult to be solved by exact optimization algorithms.
Chemical Reaction Optimization (CRO), which mimics the molecular
interactions in a chemical reaction process, is a population-based
metaheuristic method. Two different types of CRO, named canonical
CRO and Super Molecule-based CRO (S-CRO), are proposed to solve
the stock portfolio selection problem. We test both canonical CRO
and S-CRO on a benchmark and compare their performance under
two criteria: Markowitz efficient frontier (Pareto frontier) and Sharpe
ratio. Computational experiments suggest that S-CRO is promising
in handling the stock portfolio optimization problem.