Technological quality attributes of pork from a small-holder abattoir as affected by breed, age and season of slaughter
July 2013
The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of breed, age group and season of slaughter on technological quality attributes of pork from a smallholder abattoir. Meat from the Large White pig meat had higher (P < 0.05) pHuand lower a* than values of meat from the Landrace. No breed differences were observed in lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), shear force values, thawing loss, cooking loss and...
Interaction of the extracts of three medicinal plants with antibiotics against some antibiotic resistant bacteria
July 2013
The outcome of in vitro interaction of standard antibiotics with ethanolic leaf extracts of three medicinal plants (Picralima nitida, Chromolaena odorata andAspilia africana) against antibiotic resistant bacteria was investigated by agar disc diffusion methods and macrobroth dilution techniques. At least three isolates each of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas...
Positioning fruit trees into climate change/variability scenarios: Opportunities and constraints in the placement of fruit tree species in payment for environmental services
July 2013
Extreme environmental conditions due to climate change or variability are a threat to crop production, productivity and livelihoods. Thus, providing alternative livelihoods to communities, especially the rural masses remain an important catalyst in reducing poverty, food insecurity and deforestation in the development of climate change/variability scenarios. This is critical in southern Africa where poverty,...
(G´/G, 1/G)-expansion method for traveling wave solutions of (2+1) dimensional generalized KdV, Sin Gordon and Landau-Ginzburg-Higgs Equations
July 2013
The-expansion method is one of the most direct and effective method for obtaining exact solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). In the present article, we construct the exact travelling wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations in mathematical physics via (2+1) dimensional generalized KdV, Sin Gordon Equation and Landau-Ginzburg-Higgs Equation by -expansion method,...
Farmers’ perception on ante-mortem welfare of sheep and slaughter indicators in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
July 2013
A survey was conducted among 203 sheep farmers to investigate their perceptions on the significance of ante-mortem welfare and slaughter indicators for sheep. Descriptive statistics were computed for seasonal indicators, farmers’ age groups, gender and their distribution within the Eastern Cape Province (ECP). The X2-tests were also computed to determine the associations between the farmers’...
Reduction of corrosion in various concentrations of hydrochloric acid by compositional design
July 2013
Experimental analysis has been advanced in the reduction of corrosion in various concentrations of hydrochloric acid (HCl) by compositional design. The analysis which involved metal matrix composite design and corrosion pattern determination by weight loss method and least square model showed that percentage weight loss, corrosion rates and reactivity decreased as Aluminum addition in the Al/Fe composite...
Acute effects of Zn(NO3)2 on gill and liver tissues of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
July 2013
Zinc is one of an environmental water pollutant, added to diet and water as a micronutrient for increase of plankton production and fish growth. Therefore, this research was carried out with the aims of studying on histopathology of Zn(NO3)2toxicity on gill and liver tissues of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) within the period of 96 h. Totally, 135 fishes with mean weight 50 ± 10 g were stocked in 12...
An optimization study on the delivery distance of colloidal silica
July 2013
The low initial viscosity of colloidal silica enables the use of low injection rates during soil treatment against liquefaction. Several large scale 3-D laboratory experiments show that colloidal silica treatment provides successful treatment coverage when the distance between injection and extraction wells is about 2.5 m. However the repeatability of such large scale experiments to optimize the injection procedure is...
Study of the mechanism that increases the hardness of groundwater: A case study from Beijing urban area
July 2013
The rapid development of construction and the increase of population water demand were increased rapidly in Beijing, China’s capital city, yet one of its fastest-growing municipalities is running out of water. Today, more than 70% of the municipality’s total water supply comes from groundwater. Therefore groundwater has been over-exploited a long time which led to regional water level down and more and more...
Heavy metals concentrations in selected areas used for urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
July 2013
This study was carried out to assess the concentration of heavy metals in selected areas used for urban agriculture in Dar es Salaam and compare them with permissible limit from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) in order to establish risk levels. Samples were collected from six sites of Tazara mchichani, Ubungo darajani, Kigogo darajani, Temeke wailers, Tegeta and Bunju, which reflect frequently flooded and...
Customer churn prediction using a hybrid genetic programming approach
July 2013
A churn consumer can be defined as a customer who transfers from one service provider to another service provider. Recently, business operators have investigated many techniques that identify the customer churn since churn rates leads to serious business loss. In this paper, a hybrid technique has been used which combines K-means clustering with Genetic Programming to predict churners in telecommunication companies....
Allocation of capacitor banks in distribution systems using multi-objective function
July 2013
This paper develops an optimal placement method in order to size and site capacitor banks in IEEE 33 bus test system. The proposed method in order of optimization in this article is Evolutionary programming and the objective function is composed of two parts. Most part of proposed objective function considers improvement of voltage profile and other part is active power losses of the system in nominal load of mention...
A demonstration of correlation graphs to human body dimensions
July 2013
A large number of variables and multivariate analyses are required to study complexity. Network analysis is also a valuable complex systems analysis tool. Recently techniques were developed where correlation matrixes are presented as networks, known as correlation graphs. These have been used mainly to study structures in time series data, often in the financial stock markets, and correlation graphs have not been widely...
Breeding dynamics of rice (Oryza sativa) for enhanced adaptation and grain quality
July 2013
Rice is a very important crop feeding half of the world population. Its importance is becoming increasingly high due to high nutritive value and high returns per given land area than any other cereal crop. However, its production is facing major challenges such as degraded soil, need for high grain quality, population growth, high input costs, climate change and variability threats and plateauing yields. There is now...
Chemical stability of vacuum packaged West African cheese (Wagashie)
July 2013
Local West African cheese (Wagashie) samples from unpasteurized full-fat milk (UFFM), pasteurized full-fat milk (PFFM) and partially pasteurized skimmed milk (PPSM) were prepared and a fourth (control) was purchased from a local commercial producer. The study was to determine chemical changes of the Wagashie samples over a four week storage period. All the four Wagashie samples were vacuum-packaged at pressure of...
Total quantity of caesium radioisotopes in fish in the Fukushima-Ken Exclusive Economic Zone, Japan, in November 2012
July 2013
The Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima-Ken (Prefecture), Japan, was destroyed in March 2011 due to a massive earthquake (magnitude 9) centred offshore to the northeast of Honshu Island and the subsequent historic tsunami on 11 March 2011. Due to nuclear meltdown, damage to the buildings housing the reactors by hydrogen explosions, and the contamination of cooling water from...
Real time digital simulation of shunt active filter for mitigation of current harmonics with P-Q theory
July 2013
The main objective of this paper is to develop PI and Fuzzy logic controllers to analyze the performance of instantaneous active and reactive power (p-q) control strategy for extracting reference currents of shunt active filters under balanced, un-balanced and balanced non-sinusoidal conditions. When the supply voltages are balanced and sinusoidal, then all controllers converge to the same compensation characteristics....
Characterization of Zulu sheep production system: Implications for conservation and improvement
July 2013
Understanding the production environment under which Zulu sheep are raised is essential in strategizing the breed’s conservation and improvement programme. Ninety-six farmers across 11 rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were interviewed using structured questionnaires to describe traditional Zulu sheep production system, evaluate its sustainability and identify some constraints limiting production. Sheep...
Gender analysis of fish farming technologies adoption by farmers in Ondo State
July 2013
The study was conducted with the purpose to unveil the gender gap in the adoption of fish farming technologies in Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas of Ondo State. The study investigated the involvement of men and women at different stages of fish production, the level of adoption of available fishery technologies and their socio- economic characteristics. Two hundred respondents were interviewed for the...
Analysis of climate change awareness in Nigeria
July 2013
The science of climate change, its effects and adaptation measures have received much attention but climate change education and awareness are given very little attention. This prompted this study that analyses the level of climate change awareness in Nigeria. 1200 copies of the Questionnaire were administered in the two climatic zones (Tropical Maritime (mT) and Tropical Continental cT) of Nigeria. In mT climatic zone,...
Capabilities and limitations of crisis management in the Teaching Hospitals of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, 2010
July 2013
Various communities continuously try to manage the unexpected events. In this context, hospitals by providing quick and timely health care services has transformed to the most pragmatic unit of health system. Planning and preparation of them should be a strategic policy of health system. This paper aimed to investigate the capabilities and limitations of crisis management in teaching hospitals of Hormozgan University of...
Molecular diagnosis of avian respiratory diseases in commercial broiler chicken flocks in province of Najaf, Iraq
July 2013
Avian influenza virus subtype 9 and Newcastle virus have been recognized as the most important pathogens in poultry. In Najaf governorate, Iraq, many chickens’ flocks suffered from high mortality (about 30 to 70%) and respiratory signs. In this study, trachea swabs and tissue specimens from 53 commercial broiler chicken flocks suffering from respiratory diseases were tested initially by rapid test for antigen...
Accuracy behavior explanation of electrical second-order system based on multi-time technique
July 2013
In this paper, a new analysis technique for ordinary second-order systems is presented. The technique is based on multi-temporal conditions and results in a new closed-form for the complete response of second-order systems, which can be used to determine the complete solution of second-order systems with ease. In addition, the new technique provides a clear explanation of second-order systems, not only in the case of...
Particle swarm optimisation based proportional integral and derivative (PID) controller design for linear discrete time system using reduced order model
July 2013
Design of proportional integral and derivative (PID) controller for a higher order discrete system is presented in this paper. The design and tuning of PID controller parameters proportional gain Kp, integral gain Ki and derivative gain Kd are complex and time consuming process for a higher order system. To overcome this, an approximate second order equivalent model is obtained for the higher order system...
Influence of sitting posture on tidal volume, respiratory rate, and upper trapezius activity during quiet breathing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
July 2013
This study was performed to determine the influence of sitting posture on tidal volume (TV), respiratory rate (RR), and muscle activity of the upper trapezius (UT) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fifteen men with COPD based on the Global initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria, participated in the study. Inductive respiratory plethysmography and surface...
Control chaos for Lorenz system based on tridiagonal matrix stability theory
July 2013
The Lorenz system is chaos when parameters vary in certain scope. In order to control chaotic Lorenz system, a new controller is proposed based on tridiagonal matrix stability theory. The proposed controller is simple and easy to be implemented. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the controller. Key words: control chaos, Lorenz system, tridiagonal matrix stability theory.
Determination of hydraulic characteristics of groundwater aquifer in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria
July 2013
Ground water is part of the hydrologic cycle. Generally, ground water occurs in permeable geologic formations known as the aquifer. Before the exploitation of groundwater in a region, it is usually necessary to determine the hydraulic characteristics which allow the flow of water through the aquifer. The notable parameters are the hydraulic conductivity or permeability and transmissivity. Groundwater is a major source...
Role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) enhanced anaerobic co-digestion of petrochemical wastewater on cycle time minimization during biomethanation
June 2013
The latent of per-oxidation pretreatment to petrochemical waste water (PWW) prior to anaerobic co-digestion process was explored in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) continually with dairy cattle and beef cattle manure. Oxidation by hydrogen peroxide (OHP), elevated biodegradability index (BOD/COD) up to 35%. While CSTR operated with non-OHP PWW, system was found to be...
Perceptions of rural consumers on the quality of mutton in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
June 2013
The objective of the study was to determine the perceptions of consumers from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa on the quality of mutton. A survey was conducted on 215 consumers from five different municipalities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Data was gathered from interviewed consumers at the point of purchase, or when they left the shops. Door to door...
Screening for antimicrobial and antimalarial activities of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour) seeds
June 2013
In this paper, for the purpose of simulating the mathematical model of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), we use Matlab/Simulink environment with its powerful S-functions. The simulated model of ANFIS network can be then used to make the simulation of the identification and the control of linear or nonlinear systems. Created Simulink block of ANFIS give...
Experimental and numerical stress analysis of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) -stiffened shells with cutout under axial loading
June 2013
In the present study, the stress analysis of thin-walled glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) cylindrical shells with and without cutout subjected to axial loading was carried out by using experimental and finite-element method. The effect of cutout type on the stress distribution of the shell was described. In the experimental procedure electrical strain gauges...
Theoretical analysis on the laminar flow of an elastico-viscous fluid between a moving elliptic plate with constant injection and the ground
June 2013
A theoretical study is presented for the problem of injection of an elastico-viscous fluid through a moving elliptic plate. The governing equations are reduced to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations by means of appropriate transformations for the velocity components. The resulting boundary value problem is solved numerically using the Matlab solver singular...
Simulation of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) inverse controller using Matlab S-function
June 2013
In this paper, for the purpose of simulating the mathematical model of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), we use Matlab/Simulink environment with its powerful S-functions. The simulated model of ANFIS network can be then used to make the simulation of the identification and the control of linear or nonlinear systems. Created Simulink block of ANFIS give...
Macroscopic and microscopic findings of infant lung in case of live or still birth
June 2013
In the case of a newly born infant, either stillborn or found dead, the state of the lungs is of particular forensic interest. The aim of this study was to determine whether lungs are adequate for pathological comment about stillbirth or live birth of an infant. In order to evaluate the relevance of 171 autopsy reports of infants, macroscopic and microscopic findings, and body...
Linear thermoelastic analysis of a functionally graded (FG) rotating disk with different boundary conditions using Adomian’s decomposition method
June 2013
Linear thermoelastic formulation of a functionally graded rotating disk is studied in the present paper. Thermoelastic solution of a rotating disk, due to the nonhomogenous terms, needs more mathematic operation and the solution of the governing equation is more complicated. In the present paper, thermo elastic formulation of a functionally graded rotating disk is presented...
Developing new exchanger for removal of inorganic arsenic species from groundwater
June 2013
A new Dowex monospher-BBr exchanger was prepared by the reaction between the conjugated base sulfonic acid [R-S-O3]- of DOWEX MONOSPHERE MR-450 UPW and the strong Lewis acid BBr3 forming adduct (coordinated complex) [(R–S-O3)2 BBr3]+3. The prepared resin is a promising exchanger for the removal of inorganic arsenic species from underground water. More than...
Influence of feeding synbiotic containing Enterococcus faecium and inulin on blood metabolites, nutrient digestibility and growth performance in sheep fed alfalfa-based diet
June 2013
The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of synbiotic (SYN) containing Enterococcus faecium and Inulin on blood metabolites, nutrients apparent digestibility and performance of sheep fed alfalfa based diet. The 21 Farahani sheep averaging body weight 33.9 kg were allocated in a completely randomized design with 7 replicates in each treatment. The...
A review on the fabrication techniques of functionally graded ceramic-metallic materials in advanced composites
June 2013
Whenever two or more dissimilar materials are bonded, large jump in the stresses occurred at the interface during the fabrication will leads to the delamination and poor load-bearing performance on the final structures. Functionally graded material (FGM) which has compositional and microstructure gradient along its thickness was introduced to be a great solution to this...
Donkey traction, use and welfare needs at Daman region of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
June 2013
This paper reviews donkey utilization in the livelihood of people in the arid zone of Dera Ismail Khan and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa, commonly known as Daman. The physical atmosphere of Daman region is rather harsh and the annual rainfall is low. The lands are sandy to muddy or mixed, very poor in nutrients and relatively salty. Most of the region is a broad plain approximately 500 to...
Mechanism(s) of humic acid induced beneficial effects in salt-affected soils
June 2013
There is enough evidence that humic acid (HA) helps to enhance crops yield by promoting certain physical, chemical and biological activities in soil-plant system. Indigenously produced coal derived, HA was added to saline-sodic silty clay soil to determine its effects on activities of alkaline phosphatase, urease, microbial activities, cation exchange capacity and moisture...
Evolution of menstruation in mammals
June 2013
Why do placental mammals dismantle their endometrium in cyclic pattern? And why the amount of blood that is lost relative to the reabsorbed amount differs between species Some species as in humans shed notable amount of blood in association with menstruation that occurs by the end of the menstrual cycle, whereas, other species barely discharge any blood in what is known as...
Predicting the microbial safety of irrigation water and fresh produce: A collaborative approach
June 2013
Outbreak of food borne illnesses as a result of consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits is occurring regularly. In USA for example, it has become business as usual to hear and read about fresh produce recalls. Although, the increase has been attributed to many factors it is however more important to find solution to the problem. An effective solution will be a proactive...
Effects of combinations of ethanolic extracts of Blighia sapida and Xylopia aethiopica on progesterone, estradiol and lipid profile levels in pregnant rabbits
June 2013
The effects of ethanolic extracts of Xylopia aethiopica fruits and Blighia sapidaroots, used by some rural dwellers in western part of Nigeria for arbortifacient purposes, were investigated using pregnant rabbits. A combination of X. aethiopicaand B. sapida in a ratio 1:1 at concentrations of 10.0 mg/ kg body weight (group B) and 50.0 mg/ kg body...
Homotopy analysis method for Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation with fully nonlinear dispersion
June 2013
In this paper, we apply Homotopy Analysis Method (MHAM) to find appropriate solutions of Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equations. Numerical results coupled with graphical representation explicitly reveal the complete reliability of the proposed algorithm. Key words: Homotopy analysis method, Zakharov-Kuznetsov (ZK) equation, exact solutions,...
Influences of rosuvastatin on the expression of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) through extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK) pathway in mononuclear cell line (THP-1) derived macrophages induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein
June 2013
The current study aims to probe the changes in matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9)expression during differentiation as the mononuclear cell line THP-1 is converted into foam cells, as well as the underlying influence and mechanism of rosuvastatin.PMA was used to induce THP-1 cells transform into macrophages and treated with various concentrations, whereas...
Influences of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer rates on pepper and tomato yield and nutrient uptake under field conditions
June 2013
The influence of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilizers on pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) growth, fruit production and nutrient uptake was determined under field conditions for two successive years. The aim of the experiment was to determine the optimum N and K fertilizer rate for yield and quality parameters. Experiments were...
Formulation, characterization and ex-vivo permeation studies on gentamicin-loaded transdermal patches based on PURASORB® polymers
June 2013
Topical administration of gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic commonly used for treatment of bacterial infections, is limited by toxicity and membrane impermeability. The purpose of this study was to develop an alternative non-invasive, convenient and cost-effective drug delivery system for enhanced skin delivery of gentamicin. The patches were formulated...
Regulation of cytokine gene expression during Brucella abortus infection
June 2013
Toll-like receptors (TLR) play a key role in antimicrobial host defense. Bacterial cell wall components and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are recognized by macrophages via TLR, resulting in activation of professional antigen-presenting cells, initiation of acquired immune responses and further elimination of the invasive bacteria. TLR2 and TLR4 have been shown to recognize bacterial components. TLR2...
Effects of corona discharge treatment on the mechanical properties of biocomposites from polylactic acid and Algerian date palm fibres
June 2013
In this paper, biocomposites materials based on date palm fibres (untreated or treated with corona discharge) as reinforcing elements and polylactic acid matrices were prepared and characterized. The objective of this study was to evaluate the mechanical properties of these biocomposites by modification of date palm fiber by using corona...
Surveillance of the condition of bacteria and Amaranthus viridis in a gasoline contaminated soil
June 2013
The condition of bacteria and Amaranthus viridis in gasoline-contaminated soil was surveyed. The soil was treated with different concentrations of petrol oil: 0 ml (control), 18, 56, 112, 168 and 224 ml. Each of the concentrations was in triplicates. Seventeen (17) bacterial isolates were recovered from the control soil while twenty (20) bacterial isolates were recovered from the...
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