Assessment of genetic variations of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) in the Volta Lake of Ghana using microsatellite markers
February 2017
A study was conducted to investigate genetic diversity and population structure among populations of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae) in the Volta Lake of Ghana using microsatellite markers. Four hundred (400) fish specimens were obtained from nine naturally occurring subpopulations and one selectively bred strain, ‘Akosombo strain’. These were characterized using 15 microsatellite loci. Twelve...
The potential of Aspergillus species in transformation of agricultural products for sustainable production of textile and leather industries in Tanzania
February 2017
Manufacturing industries contribute about 8% of the gross domestic products (GDP) whereas leather and textile industries supply 18% employments of manufacturing industries in Tanzania. Manufacturing industries merely depend on agriculture for raw materials and other inputs. However, processing of leather and textiles requires a lot of inputs, many of them supplied from agricultural produce and some are imported from...
Expression stability of reference genes in the skeletal muscles of beef cattle
February 2017
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relative expression stability of five candidate reference genes in the semimembranosus (SM) and longissimus thoracis (LT) of beef steers, heifers and young bulls. The mRNA levels of Beta-Actin, eukaryotic initiation factor-2B Subunit 2, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, peptidylprolyl isomerase-A and succinate dehydrogenase complex-subunit A were quantified using...
Influence of Suillus luteus on Fusarium damping-off in pine seedlings
February 2017
The role of the ectomycorrhizal (Myc) fungus Suillus luteus as a biological control agent against damping off caused by Fusarium verticillioides (Fo) and Fusarium oxysporum (Fm) on Scots (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) was studied in a greenhouse experiment. The vegetative mycelium of S. luteus in a vermiculite/peat carrier was added to potting substrate before inoculation with Fo or Fm spores...
The ameliorative role of cranberry extract and bone marrow cells against chlorambucil cytotoxicity in rat fertility
February 2017
The objective of the current study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of cranberry extracts and bone marrow cells against chlorambucil (CHB) effect on rats' fertility. Forty adult male albino rats were divided randomly into eight equal groups as the following; normal control, rats injected orally with 0.2 mg/kg of CHB for 14 days, rats injected orally with 100 mg/kg of cranberry extract (CB) for ten days,...
Tradescantia pallida as a biomonitoring tool to assess the influence of vehicle exhaustion and benzene derivatives
February 2017
Air pollutants affect their quality, making, inappropriate, harmful and damaging to health in general. The air quality can be measured by the use of higher plants as bioindicators in environmental biomonitoring. In this study, we evaluated the increased frequency of micronuclei (MN) in Tradescantia pallida exposed to potentially toxic environments. The vegetables were implanted in five points (4 test and 1 control) for...
Phytochemical importance and utilization potential of grape residue from wine production
February 2017
Grapes are placed at a distinct position, both in the economy and at nutritional and phytochemical levels. The number of studies performed aimed at identifying the various bioactive compounds of grapes, how their cellular structures are linked, efficient methods of extraction and its effect on human health are rather relevant. The use of grapes for wine production is a worldwide activity, therefore a great quantity of...
Nanoscale development and its application in multidisciplinary area: An African perspective
February 2017
The need to fulfil and address the United Nations millennium goals in developing countries is essential and recently nanotechnology has proved and shown potential to change and improve many sectors of African industry, from consumer products to health care to transportation, energy and agriculture. In addition to these societal benefits, nanotechnology presents new opportunities to improve how we measure, monitor,...
Plant physiological stimulation by seeds salt priming in maize (Zea mays): Prospect for salt tolerance
February 2017
Nowadays to lessen the influence of salinity on crop performances such as germination, seedling growth and yield, several actions are undertaken; for example the use of different priming methods, antioxidants and plant growth controllers. Seed priming, best fits in this study on maize crop and is controlled by hydration process followed by re-drying that allows pre-germination which enhanced metabolic activities to...
Use of biosurfactant surfactin produced from cassava wastewater for anaerobic treatment of effluent from a poultry slaughterhouse
February 2017
The use of a biosurfactant surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis LB5a in cassava growth medium (cassava wastewater) was evaluated to treat anaerobically, the effluent from a poultry slaughterhouse. During the effluent pretreatment, effects of surfactin concentration factors were evaluated, considering the ones which were superior and below its critical micelle concentration (CMC = 28 mg L-1): 6, 13, 27, 31, 48, 73 and...
Effect of activators and inhibitors on extracellular thermostable alkaline protease isolated from Bacillus subtilis obtained from eastern province of Saudi Arabia
February 2017
Alkaline proteases need some ions to achieve highest activity. These metallic ions help in, enzyme stability and activity through its thermal stability at high degrees. This protects the enzyme from being destroyed by heat. The results show that the ideal condition for enzyme activity was, using Mn2+ ions as the activator with 1112.5 U/ml activity, while MgSO4.7H2O has lower effectiveness of an enzyme activity...
Optimization of biomass and glucoamylase production by Candida famata using response surface methodology
February 2017
Glucoamylase is among the most important enzymes in biotechnology. The present study aims to determine better conditions for growth and glucoamylase productivity by Candida famata and to reduce the overall cost of the medium using central composite design (CCD) with one central point and response surface methodology. A three-level central composite design (CCD) factorial design based was employed to obtain optimal...
Selection of filamentous fungi producing lipases from residual waters of slaughterhouses
February 2017
The exploration and use of lipases produced by microorganisms are in line with societal concerns since they provide clean development options within the standards of environmental sustainability. The objective of this work was therefore to isolate microorganisms with the potential of producing lipases, which could be used in the waste water treatment systems of slaughterhouse units. Waste water samples were collected...
Microbial production of carotenoids – A review
January 2017
Carotenoids are natural pigments that can be synthesized by various microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi and microalgae. These pigments comprise around 700 different structures with peculiar colors and biological properties that are beneficial to health. Advantages of biotechnological production of carotenoids include the ability of microorganisms to use low cost substrates, the optimized...
Relationship analysis between gene expression profiles and rat liver cirrhosis occurrence
January 2017
Liver cirrhosis (LC) is a kind of liver disease which is pathologically characterized by abnormality and necrosis of hepatic cells, proliferation of fibrous tissue, nodular regeneration and pseudolobule formation. To explore the mechanism of LC occurrence at the level of mRNA, Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array was used to detect gene expression profiles of rat fibrotic livers in 3, 6 and 9 weeks after CCl4 treatment in this...
Molecular identification, micronutrient content, antifungal and hemolytic activity of starfish Asterias amurensis collected from Kobe coast, Japan
January 2017
The starfish Asterias amurensis is one of the common species in Japanese coastal area. The species is considered an extremely rich source of biological active compounds, including saponin. Saponins are secondary metabolites and exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities. The species of starfish caught in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan, was analyzed for species identification and micronutrient content. The starfish...
Genetic diversity among Sawakni, Berberi and Najdi sheep breeds in Saudi Arabia using microsatellites markers
January 2017
The present study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of three sheep populations namely; Sawakni (SW), Berberi (BR) and Najdi (NJ), in Saudi Arabia, utilizing 45, 18 and 31 individual blood DNA extractions, respectively. Seventeen microsatellite markers were used to genotype these 94 sheep individuals. There were 195 alleles generated employing the 17 microsatellites loci with...
Effect of processing methods on the nutritional values and anti-nutritive factors of Adenanthera pavonina L. (Fabaceae) seeds
January 2017
This research aimed at determining the effect of processing on the nutritional and anti-nutritional values of “food tree” [Adenanthera pavonina L. (Fabaceae)] seeds, a highly nutritional and underutilized legume. The seeds were separated into three groups namely, boiled, roasted and raw. Quantitative analysis was carried out to measure their proximate, minerals, vitamins and anti-nutrients compositions....
Composting of sugar cane bagasse by Bacillus strains
January 2017
Composting of sugar cane bagasse with Bacillus sp. CMAGI2 and Bacillus subtilis JCM 1465T strains was carried out during five months at horticultural center. Chemical, biochemical and microbial parameters were followed during this process. There was a difference between inoculated composts and non-inoculated compost. These bacterial additives allowed greater biodegradation compared to control compost. The inoculated...
Kinetic models and parameters estimation study of biomass and ethanol production from inulin by Pichia caribbica (KC977491)
January 2017
The growth kinetics and modeling of ethanol production from inulin by Pichia caribbica (KC977491) were studied in a batch system. Unstructured models were proposed using the logistic equation for growth, the Luedeking-Piret equation for ethanol production and modified Leudeking-Piret model for substrate consumption. Kinetic parameters (X0, μm, m, n, p and q) were determined by nonlinear regression, using...
Protection of Lactobacillus acidophilus under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions employing binary microcapsules containing inulin
January 2017
In this research, microcapsules based on low acyl gellan (LAG) and sodium alginate (SA) containing inulin were developed in order to assess its protective effect on the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions.The results showed that microencapsulated cells display significantly (P<0.05) higher resistance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions (SGIC) than free cells....
Antibacterial potential components of Bacillus species and antibiotics residues in branded and unbranded honey samples from Nigeria
January 2017
Honey is a sweet viscous liquid produced by honey bee, Apis mellifera from the nectar of plants. Honey is a natural product that has been used from ancient times till now as food and for medicinal purpose. This study was carried out to determine the mode of action of Bacillus species and antibiotics residues in branded and unbranded honey samples from Nigeria. Bacilli spp. count was carried out by initially heating...
Effects of regionally applied heating on the respiration of wild type and transgenic soybean (Glycine max) plants grown under ambient and elevated CO2 environments
January 2017
Nocturnal dark respiration (Rn) in wild type and transgenic soybean plants grown at SoyFACE research facility, Illinois, USA under ambient and elevated CO2 conditions was examined in this study. Transgenic plants were transformed to overexpress a key Calvin cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBP) which is thought to improve yield in the field by at least 11%. Heating was applied using infrared heaters...
Protocol optimization for in vitro shoot multiplication of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.)
January 2017
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) is a cross pollinated fruit tree valued mainly for its fruit and timber wood. Although the crop has been introduced to Ethiopia and adapted well to the Jimma area, its potential for production has not been exploited due to the absence of an efficient method for large scale propagation. Micropropagation is a method for production of large number of genetically uniform planting...
Factors affecting reproductive performance of dairy cow in Algeria: Effects of clinical mastitis
January 2017
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of clinical mastitis at the beginning of lactation on reproductive performance of dairy cows in Algeria. Calving to first insemination and calving to conception intervals, number of insemination per conception and conception rate at the first artificial insemination were recorded for 432 cows from 16 dairy herds in Algeria. Cows were examined for clinical...
Characterization and optimization of lipase activity produced by Pseudomonas monteilli 2403-KY120354 isolated from ground beef
January 2017
A total of 56 Gram negative bacterial isolates were recovered from twenty ground beef samples and were screened for their potentiality to produce lipase. Forty four bacterial isolates were recorded as positive producers for lipase on tween as carbon source in solid medium. Also, the highly producer isolates were screened for lipase activity in submerged culture using olive oil as carbon and the most active isolate was...
Molecular detection of disease resistance genes to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) in wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars
January 2017
A study was conducted to detect the presence of disease resistance genes to infection of wheat powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) in selected wheat cultivars from China using molecular markers. Genomic DNA of sixty cultivars was extracted and tested for the presence of selected prominent resistance genes to the fungal disease using molecular markers linked to Pm genes. Results showed that 17 cultivars...
Extraction and characterisation of gelatin from the skin of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and studies on its colour improvement
January 2017
Functional properties of gelatin from skin of striped catfish with and without bleaching for 48 h by 5% H2O2 (w/v)) were studied. Gelatin from skin bleached with 5% H2O2 for 48 h showed the highest yield (16.18 g). Bleaching not only improved the colour of gelatin gel by increasing the L* (lightness)-value and decreasing a*(redness/greenness)-value, but also enhanced the bloom strength and the emulsifying and foaming...
Electrolyte ions and glutathione enzymes as stress markers in Argania spinosa subjected to drought stress and recovery
January 2017
Understanding the mechanisms underlying Argania spinosa responses to drought stress is essential for its regeneration and domestication. Toward that end, an integrative study of tolerance responses to drought stress in four A. spinosa ecotypes (2 contrasting coastal ecotypes (Adm and Rab) and 2 contrasting inland ecotypes (Alz and Lks)) have been conducted. Responses to soil drying and re-watering were measured at...
Isolation and characterization of heavy metal tolerant bacteria from Panteka stream, Kaduna, Nigeria and their potential for bioremediation
January 2017
Panteka stream is a flowing stream polluted with wastes from the activities of mechanics. Water samples collected at different points of the stream were analysed in order to determine the level of heavy metal contamination and bacteria diversity with the view to elucidating the bioremediating potentials of the bacteria isolates. Four bacteria, tolerant to heavy metals, were isolated from Panteka stream. These were...
Generation of bioethanol from common date by-products, “Teggaza and Lebghel” in Southern Algeria
January 2017
Date by-products constitute the principal food for the oasis populations in Middle East and North Africa. Dates contents consist of 70 to 80% of reducing sugars, and do not require an intensive energy and labour for thermophysical pre-treatment. They can serve as a good feedstock for bioethanol generation through fermentation and distillation. Algeria is among the top sixth producers of dates in the world with more than...
Comparison of growth and yield adaptability indicators of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars under planting basin technique in Zimbabwe
January 2017
In eastern semi-arid Zimbabwe, planting basins are mostly used to boost maize yields, but still low yields are often obtained due to poor choices of varieties to grow. A comparative study of growth and yield of the only two locally and commonly grown Pioneer cultivars (P2859W and PHB3253) under planting basin technique (PBT) was carried out to determine a more adaptable cultivar in Guhune, eastern Zimbabwe (NR IV). The...
Optimizing Bacillus circulans Xue-113168 for biofertilizer production and its effects on crops
December 2016
In this study, Bacillus circulans Xue-113168 biofertilizer was produced through solid state fermentation processes using food waste and feldspar. Results confirmed that solid state fermentation has considerable advantages compared to complex process (solid-state and bio-bleach). The control of pH, temperature, and humidity effectively led to the formation of 2×109 cfu/g spore and dissolution of potassium at a rate...
Effect of solarization with fresh chicken manure on verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae Klebb) and yield in eggplant
December 2016
The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of reducing wilt disease through the medium of fresh chicken manure (FCM) mixed with soil before solarized and then artificial Verticillium dahliae (V.d) inoculation on yield of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under field conditions. According to the split-plot design, solarization of main plots, sub-plots with fresh chicken manure and V dahliae inoculation were...
Nucellar embryogenesis and plantlet regeneration in monoembryonic and polyembryonic mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars
December 2016
Biotic and abiotic stress particularly fungal diseases and salinity are major challenges facing mango cultivations in Oman. Micropropagation technique for multiplying disease resistant and salinity tolerant elite cultivars could be utilized to replace dead and infected plants in mango orchards but standardize in-vitro regeneration protocol via somatic embryogenesis is prerequisite. Nucellar tissues from immature mango...
Genetic diversity and population structure of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) germplasm of Ethiopia as revealed by microsatellite markers
December 2016
The Ethiopian genetic center is considered to be one of the secondary centers of diversity for the common bean. This study was conducted to characterize the distribution of genetic diversity between and within ecological/geographical regions of Ethiopia. A germplasm sample of 116 landrace accessions was developed, which represented different common bean production ecologies and seed types common in the country. This...
Acute and sub-chronic toxicity study of the extract and powder of Operculina macrocarpa (L.) Urb. in mice
December 2016
The aim of the study was to evaluate the experimental acute and sub-chronic toxicities of Operculina macrocarpa with plant extract and powder, respectively, in male and female mice. Phytochemical prospection was performed with extract and administration in single doses by intraperitoneal route to six groups and control at 1230, 970, 700, 350, 120 and 30 mg/kg doses and distilled water (0.1 ml/10 g), respectively....
Ex vivo trypanostatic effect of stem-bark extracts of Securidaca longipedunculata (Fres. Holl) against Trypanosoma brucei brucei
December 2016
Current treatment of trypanosomosis in sub-Saharan Africa is associated with widespread inefficiency. There is therefore the need to find more effective drugs against the disease from promising traditional medicinal herbs. This work is aimed at evaluating ex vivo anti-trypanosomal effect of stem-bark extracts of S. longipedunculata against T. brucei brucei. One hundred microlitre of crude methanol, ethyl acetate and...
Performance of rapid subtyping tools used for the classification of HIV type 1 recombinants isolated from selected countries in west and central Africa
December 2016
HIV-1 genetic diversity in sub-Saharan Africa is broad and the AIDS epidemic is driven predominantly by recombinants in Central and West Africa. The classification of HIV-1 strains is therefore necessary to understand diagnostic efficiency, individual treatment responses as well as options for designing vaccines and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment guidelines. More so, accurate subtyping of a partial or full genome would...
Influence of sweeteners in the biodistribution of radiopharmaceutical and laboratory tests in rats
December 2016
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of sucralose and fructose on the metabolism of adolescent rats. Eighteen male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: control group (GC), fructose group (GF) treated with 50 mg/kg of fructose, and sucralose group (GS) receiving 50 mg/kg of sucralose for 24 days. The weight and feed intake were measured weekly. At the end of the experiment, some biochemical...
Postharvest physicochemical properties of cucumber fruits (Cucumber sativus L) treated with chitosan-lemon grass extracts under different storage durations
December 2016
The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of chitosan-based edible coatings with lemon grass extract on the physical properties and overall acceptability of cucumber fruits stored at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C) and 85 to 90% relative humidity for 14 days. Blends of chitosan (C) and lemon grass extract (E) were formulated as 0.5% C + 0.5% E, 0.5% C + 1% E, 1% C + 0.5% E and 1% C + 1% E....
Accelerated in vitro propagation of elite oil palm genotypes (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) by substituting cytokinin with putrescine
December 2016
Clonal multiplication of oil palm enables the formation of commercial plantations with higher yield, which is possible through somatic embryogenesis. However, due to different modifications made in the existing protocols to avoid the appearance of the “mantled flower”, the success of this technique has been limited. Thus, this study aimed to apply a cloning protocol, using somatic embryogenesis, to 32 elite...
Identification of a novel submergence response gene regulated by the Sub1A gene
December 2016
Submergence is one of the major constraints to rice production in many rice growing areas in the world. The Sub1A gene has been demonstrated to dramatically improve submergence tolerance in rice. Here, we report the identification of a novel submergence response (RS1) gene that is specifically induced in the Sub1A-mediated submergence tolerance response. Under submergence, RS1 was upregulated in M202 (Sub1A) but...
Investigation of Argania spinosa L. (Skeels) polyphenols growing in arid and semi-arid conditions
December 2016
Argania spinosa L. Skeels, belonging to the Argania genus of the Sapotaceae family, is a species native to Morocco and Algeria. Due to its perfect adaptation to soil and climate, this tree plays an important ecological role in a constantly threatened encroached desert region. To understand the biological role of polyphenols in making the argan tree adapts to its natural habitat, we conducted a comparative study in...
Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory properties of the hexane extract of Hydrocotyle bonariensis Comm. Ex Lam. leaves
December 2016
This study investigates the anti-inflammatory properties of Hydrocotyle bonariensis Comm. Ex Lam, a medicinal plant used by indigenous traditional healers to manage chronic inflammatory diseases especially rheumatism and arthritis. The hexane extract of H. bonariensis leaves was evaluated for the presence and concentration of phytochemicals. It was subjected to heat-induced albumin denaturation and human red blood cell...
Occurrence of Escherichia coli in Brassica rapa L. chinensis irrigated with low quality water in urban areas of Morogoro, Tanzania
December 2016
Low quality water has become valuable resource with restricted or unrestricted use in food production depending on its quality. This study has quantified the occurrence of Escherichia coli in Brassica rapa L. chinensis (Chinese cabbage) vegetables and low quality irrigation water. A total of 106 samples including Chinese cabbage (69) and water (37) were collected. The E. coli were cultured in petri film selective E....
Application of polymeric nanoparticles for controlled release of ethanolic extract of guapeva leaves (Pouteria gardneriana Radlk) against Riphicephalus (Boophilus) microplus through in vitro studies
December 2016
The study was designed to evaluate the ethanolic extract acaricide action from Pouteria gardneriana Radlk specie adsorbed in chitosan nanoparticles for controlled release against Riphicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Leaves of P. gardneriana Radlk were collected, air-dried, ground and extracted with ethanol. Chitosan nanospheres were obtained by the phase inversion method. Conductometric titration, UV-Vis and FTIR...
Allelopathic effect of aqueous extract of fresh leaf castor beans (Ricinus communis L.) applied to the beginning stage of soy (Glycine max L.) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)
December 2016
Allelopathy defines the production of specific biomolecules (allelochemical) by a plant that can induce positive or negative impacts on another culture. The crop of castor beans (Ricinus communis L.) is being economically valued and receiving attention, mainly by the biodiesel production, castor oil and animal feeding. In this study, the allelopathic effect of aqueous extract from fresh leaves of castor beans (Ricinus...
Thermo-chemical sequestration of naphthalene using Borassus flabellifer Shell activated carbon: Effect of influencing parameters, isotherm and kinetic study
November 2016
The present research describes the removal of naphthalene from aqueous solution using one of the simplest agricultural wastes, Borassus flabellifer Shell activated carbon (BFS-AC) by adsorption. Adsorption was chosen due to its cost-effectiveness. The effect of operating parameters such as pH, time, initial concentration of naphthalene, BFS-AC dosage and temperature on the percent removal of naphthalene was determined....
Evaluation of insulin-like growth factor-I gene polymorphism in Egyptian small ruminant breeds
November 2016
The genetic improvement of production traits can be developed through marker assisted selection. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is a member of the somatotrophic axis which has a remarkable variation of its biological effect including protein synthesis and skeletal growth. This study aimed to detect the genetic polymorphism of IGF-1 in different Egyptian sheep and goat breeds. The amplified fragments at 320-bp were...
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