Overview on the ecological and geographical appraisal of important medicinal and aromatic plants: An endangered component in the flora of Saudi Arabia
April 2012
The geographical location of Saudi Arabia has provided an ideal environment for the growth and nourishment of various floristic elements including medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) species. The country is gifted with diverse vegetation types occurring in the desert, semi-desert, and mountainous ecosystems. Furthermore, the country represents three phytogeographic regions: Saharo-Sindian, Somali-Masur and...
Prediction of geometric defects in the cold embossing of AA6061 aluminum alloy by finite element analysis
April 2012
The precision of near-net shape manufacturing processes such as cold forging is crucial. Defects may affect the assembly accuracy and thus cause decreased system performance. Therefore, these defects must be predicted and minimized as early as possible before proceeding to the manufacturing stage. This paper aims to study the geometric defects in the cold embossing pin head. The defects can be measured based on the...
Biosorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions onto mango stone and cocoa pod waste: Kinetic and equilibrium studies
April 2012
Mango stone (DMS) and cocoa pod (CPC), two agricultural waste materials evaluated for the removal of toxic cadmium ion Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions from aqueous media in batch adsorption mode. Adsorption variables such as the nature and composition of electrolyte, pH, adsorbent dose and equilibration time were optimized for the maximum accumulation of the metals to the biosorbents. The optimum contact time of 15 min for...
Toxicological studies on the leaf extract of Aloe ferox Mill. (Aloaceae)
April 2012
Aloe ferox is renowned for, amongst others, its antihelminthic properties in livestock. However, there is dearth of information on toxicity of A. ferox in livestock. Therefore, toxicity effects of A. ferox were evaluated through acute, sub-acute and chronic toxicity tests. For each test, twenty-five rats were randomly grouped into five groups of five rats. Group 1 (control) was orally...
Synthesis and Characterization of Al, Cu, Zn, Mg-Kapok carbon fiber composites
April 2012
This research was conducted to characterize the properties of the metal–carbon fiber composites. The metal-carbon fibers composites were synthesized from the metal salt of Al or Cu or Zn or Mg and kapok fiber by pyrolysis at 400 to 700°C. The composites products were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDS. Generally, it was found that the crystalline of all metal-carbon composites have been reduced as the...
Tillage-induced compaction: Effects on physical properties of agricultural loamy soils
April 2012
Soil compaction due to agricultural tillage practices is a global concern and has profound implications on soil conservation and management with consequent effects on soil productivity. To assess the influence of tillage induced compaction on physical properties, we carried out a comparative study in agricultural loamy soils under tillage and no till manipulation by determining physical properties. Soil...
The antiurolithiasic and hepatocurative activities of aqueous extracts of Petroselinum sativum on ethylene glycol-induced kidney calculi in rats
April 2012
Forty-eight (48) male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups and treated for 30 days. Group A served as normal control and group B ethylene glycol (EG) control received 1% EG in drinking water. Groups C, D, E and F received 1% EG from day 0 and were used as the treatment subjects. Rats in groups C and D received 200 and 600 mg/kg body weight (BW) of aerial parts aqueous extract, respectively and...
Breed, gender and anatomic location-specific expression patterns of the porcine insig-1 and insig-2 genes
April 2012
The insulin-induced genes (insig-1 and insig-2) played important roles inadipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis. To determine the breed, gender and anatomic location-specific expression patterns of insig-1 and insig-2, we measured their mRNA abundances in different adipose tissues from male and female pigs for leaner and fatty breeds using a qRT-PCR approach. In accordance with the well-characterized role...
DTC torque ripple minimization based on PSO-PID controller
April 2012
In conventional direct torque controlled (DTC) induction motor drive, there is usually undesired torque and flux ripple. The given torque is the speed output regulator; therefore, it necessary continues tuning for adjusting parameters Kp, Ki. In conventional proportional- integral (PI) speed controller, the performance of motor may differ over time that may cause unexpected torque disturbances, causing...
Residential satisfaction and construction
April 2012
The failures of many housing projects stems from lack of knowledge on the determinants of Residential Satisfaction (RS) concept. This paper has utilized archival methodology for the past 13 years starting from 1997 until 2010. It aimed to compile existing definitions of RS in order to determine the core and principle of those various definitions. It was found out that RS is a subjective dependent...
Lignocellulolytic enzymes from tropical fungi: Types, substrates and applications
April 2012
Lignocellulolytic enzymes constitute a large group of mainly extracellular proteins including ligninolytic enzymes (peroxidases and oxidases) and hydrolytic enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases, chitinases, amylases, proteases, esterases, and mannases). These enzymes have attracted a wide range of industrial and environmental applications including pulping, de-inking, decolourization and...
Digital image watermarking using Learning Vector Quantization and hyperanalytic wavelet packet transform
April 2012
Digital watermarking techniques have been been largely applied into copyright protection and authentication of multimedia data. This paper proposes a novel digital watermarking algorithm for digital images by combining the hyperanalytic wavelet packet transform (HWPT) decomposition and Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) neural network. For inserting watermark, the non-overlapping blocked original images are...
Administration of Hydrocotyl bonariensis aqueous leaves extract regulates cardiovascular disease risk factors in galactose model of experimental cataractogenesis
April 2012
Reports had indicated that Hydrocotyl bonariensis contains phytochemicals that can be exploited for the development of anticataractogenic agent. In the present study we investigated the effects of administration of the plant’s leaves extract on some cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in galactose model of experimental cataract. Twenty five (25) weanling rats randomly assigned to five...
Recent trends on artificial neural networks for prediction of wind energy
April 2012
A variety of Artificial Neural Network models for prediction of hourly wind speed (which a few hours in advance is required to ensure efficient utilization of wind energy systems) is studied and the results are compared. Results in terms of simulation and prediction are obtained with Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Networks (FFBPNN) which shows its performance better than other neural networks. Empirical...
Fuzzy-rough feature selection and a fuzzy 2-level complementary approach for classification of gene expression data
April 2012
Classification of gene expression data is an important issue in medical diagnosis of disease such as cancer. In this paper first Fuzzy-Rough Set theory is established to select relevant features for classification. This will be followed by proposing a new fuzzy 2-level complementary learning method. The Fuzzy-Rough Set is a mathematical tool which encapsulates the relevant but distinct concepts of fuzziness...
Microbial contamination of currency counting machines and counting room environment in selected commercial banks
April 2012
A study was carried out to isolate and identify microorganisms associated with currency counting machines and counting room environment in four commercial banks operating in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. Samples were collected from currency counting machines and counting room environment in four commercial banks operating in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. The samples were processed by using standard methods...
Effect of growth regulators on in vitro germination of Artemisia absinthium
April 2012
The present study was carried out to optimize the plant growth regulator conditions of callus formation, shoot regeneration and root induction, by using various explants of Artemisia absinthium. Leaf, hypocotyl and root explants of 1 to 3 weeks old in vitro grown seedlings were used for callogenesis and direct organogenesis at different concentrations and combinations of phytohormone added in...
Time independent seismic hazard analysis of the afar depression
April 2012
A Bayesian approach is applied to conduct a seismic hazard analysis in Afar Triple junction, resulting in a spatial distribution of the probability of exceedance in 100 years for earthquakes of MSK intensities VI and VII. The highest values of the exceedance probability for intensity VII are relatively scattered, showing spatial distribution that conforms with the RRR (rift-rift-rift) relative translational...
An extension of fuzzy TOPSIS approach based on centroid-index ranking method
April 2012
The last few decades have seen a large number of methods for ranking fuzzy numbers; centroid-index based approaches are the most commonly used among them. However, there are some weaknesses associated with these centroid-indices. Therefore, this paper reviews several fuzzy numbers ranking methods based on centroid-indices and proposes a new centroid-index ranking method that is capable of effectively ranking...
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the aqueous leaf extract of Agave sisalana in rats
April 2012
Agave sisalana is gaining popularity in controlling gastro-intestinal parasites in chickens and treatment of local inflammatory conditions. However, little is known about its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. These properties were determined using the carrageenan, formaldehyde and histamine-induced oedema, as well as formalin, tail flick and acetic acid-induced pain tests. A....
Development strategies of sea bass enterprises in Mediterranean region of Turkey
April 2012
The study presents the current structure of Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Mugla, Antalya, Mersin, and Hatay provinces where cultured fish productions are intensive were chosen as research survey area. The data used in this research has been obtained by simple random sampling in 2009-2010 production terms by questionnaire performed in 72 Sea Bass enterprises....
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) medicinal usage and cultivation
April 2012
Calendula pot marigold, is a genus of about 12 to 20 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to the area from Macaronesia East through the Mediterranean region to Iran. Calendula should not be confused with other plants that are also known as marigolds, such as corn marigold, desert marigold, or marsh marigold or plants of the genus Tagetes. The name Calendula...
Cancer and Immunology Session
April 2012
Sintering characteristics of ceramsite manufactured from blast furnace slag and sewage sludge
April 2012
To develop a method of recycling solid wastes, blast furnace slag (BFS) and sewage sludge (SS) were added as components for making ceramsite. This study examined the sintering characteristics of ceramsite at different sintering temperatures and duration and different mass ratios of materials (BFS:SS:clay). The results show that as the sintering temperature and duration increased, the pore -size diameter...
Seasonal performance evaluation of solar stills connected to passive external condensers
April 2012
In recent years, investigations and research has focused on exploring methods and finding ways to enhance solar stills efficiency and increase the production rates. In this study, experiments were carried out for 24 h during summer, autumn, and winter in order to investigate the affect of incorporating passive external condensers to a single-slope, single basin type solar still. Therefore, three identical...
Nonlinear system identification using clustering algorithm and particle swarm optimization
April 2012
The identification of nonlinear systems operating in a stochastic environment is an important problem in various discipline science and engineering. Fuzzy modeling and especially the T-S fuzzy model draw the attention of several researchers in recent decades this is due to their potential to approximate highly nonlinear behavior. An algorithm allowing the identification of the premise and consequent...
Eco- and Neurophysiology Session
April 2012
Global Perspectives Session
April 2012
Reproductive Physiology Session
April 2012
Wyndham Competition (Student Presentations) Sessions
April 2012
Cardiovascular and Exercise Physiology Session
April 2012
Effect of tea in the treatment of obesity
April 2012
Obesity is a growing problem causing significant morbidity and mortality in the word. The efficacy of conventional therapies is limited. Numerous alternative therapies are advocated for weight loss, including dietary modifications, hypnotherapy, and acupuncture. Many herbal medications and dietary supplements have being used. Most have been tested in very limited trials. None have been evaluated to the extent...
Antigenotoxic effects of Indian mustard Brassica juncea (L.) Czern aqueous seeds extract against mercury (Hg) induced genotoxicity
April 2012
The present study evaluates the antigenotoxic effects of B. juncea (L.) Czern.(Indian mustard) aqueous seed extract on the Allium cepa L. (common onion) root tip cells. The experiment was carried at three stages: (1) onion bulbs were treated with 0.75 ppm mercury for 3 h, and then treated with different concentrations (0.1, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0%) of aqueous extract for another 3...
Prediction of rotary machinery degradation status based on vibration data using back propagation (BP) neural network
April 2012
Rotary machinery has to be maintained and repaired exactly once or several times before they totally failed to keep their good working status. In order to determine the maintenance interval of rotary machinery, machine condition should be predicted by some diagnostic methods and predictive methods. This study was conducted to establish the relationship between machine performance and machine vibration and to...
ARL performance of residual control charts for trend AR(1) process: A case study on peroxide values of stored vegetable oil
April 2012
For the purpose of process control, quality assurance engineers in a vegetable oil factory wonder the performance of the Shewhart, CUSUM, and EWMA residual control charts for peroxide values that show both serial autocorrelation between adjacent observations (autocorrelation) and upward linear trend. To deal with autocorrelated process data, a primary method is to apply these charts to the uncorrelated...
Development and Implementation of E-Education Model in a Higher Education Institution
April 2012
This paper considers the problem of realization of e-learning infrastructure based on cloud computing at a university level. The primary goal is to develop a model of scalable and reliable infrastructure and services for e-learning. The proposed model is based on a private cloud realized within the existing infrastructure of a higher education institution. The model has been implemented at the Faculty of...
Complementary food blends and malnutrition among infants in Ghana: A review and a proposed solution
March 2012
Widespread malnutrition among Ghanaian infants could be attributed to unfortified plant-based complementary foods commonly used at the household level. This review summarises the publications on the development of complementary food blends and intervention trials aimed at improving the nutritional status of Ghanaian infants. The complementary food blends are cereal-based which are developed from maize (in higher...
Optimal homotopy perturbation method for solving partial differential equations with large solution domain
March 2012
In this paper, an efficient modification of homotopy perturbation method, namely optimal homotopy perturbation method, is introduced for solving linear and nonlinear partial differential equations with large solution domain based on a new homotopy perturbation method and Padé approximation method. We compare the performance of the method with those of new homotopy perturbation and optimal variational iteration...
Comparison of the tissue biocompatibility of Resilon and gutta-percha cones
March 2012
The aim of this study was to evaluate the tissue biocompatibility of Resilon compared to gutta-percha cones. Three subcutaneous pockets were made in the back of 36 rats weighing between 200 to 250g. Subcutaneous pockets were left unfilled (control, 1 pocket) or filled with Resilon (1 pocket) or gutta-percha (1 pocket). At 3, 10, 30 and 90 days after implantation, 9 rats were killed and the materials were removed...
Influences of the window size of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical thickness (AOT) values on particulate matter (PM10) motoring in Klang Valley, Malaysia
March 2012
Remote sensing has been shown to be a useful tool in retrieval aerosol optical thickness (AOT) in particulate matter (PM) pollution monitoring. In this study, daily AOT data retrieved from moderate resolution IMAGING spectroradiometer(MODIS) and the amount of PM10 measured at eight air quality monitoring ground stations in Klang Valley from 2004 to 2006 were used. The AOT values consisted of...
Hysteresis parameter identification of hybrid dynamical systems
March 2012
This paper discusses the identification of a class of hybrid dynamical systems whose discrete states have hysteresis phenomenon. The identification model is piecewise affine model along with hysteresis switching law. The first step of the proposed identification method is the estimation of the local parameter vectors for small neighbourhood of each measured data point. Then the local parameter vectors are clustered....
An overview of water pollution and constructed wetlands for sustainable wastewater treatment in Kathmandu Valley: A review
March 2012
Due to lack of strong legislation and guidelines to control untreated wastewaters and industrial effluents, surface and groundwater sources have been deteriorated seriously in Kathmandu Valley. Although, there are five centralized wastewater treatment plants in the valley, most of them are out of order. In recent years, constructed wetlands (CWs) have gained attention in the country for treating domestic...
Quality of water from dug wells and the lagoon in Lagos Nigeria and associated health risks
March 2012
The aim of this research work was to assess the quality of the water from dug wells and lagoon in Lagos, Nigeria, ascertain the contamination problems that may confront the consumers, determine the health risks and suggest appropriate remedies. Twenty (20) dug wells were randomly selected in Oworonshoki area of Lagos and water samples were collected during July to August 2010. The samples were checked for odour, colour...
ILOMPEL: Information and metadata modeling for personalized e-learning
March 2012
This paper presents the pedagogically and psychologically engaged Personalized e-Learning Course Model (PeLCoM) and the Information Learning Object Model for Personalized e-Learning (ILOMPeL), based on variations of students’ intellectual profiles. Developed information learning object model makes clear the set of learning resources and organizes them in the way that it is possible to pack them, sequence, and to...
Alteration of cotyledonary globulins and albumins mobilization in pea exposed to cadmium
March 2012
Seed germination and post germination events are complex physiological processes which can be seriously affected by heavy metals. Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant extremely toxic to plants and other living organisms including humans. To assess Cd phytotoxicity, pea seeds (Pisum sativum L. var. douce province) were germinated in distilled water or 200 µM CdCl2. Cadmium treatment induces a deleterious...
Performance improvement of hybrid SCM SAC-OCDMA networks using multi-diagonal csode
March 2012
Hybrid Subcarrier Multiplexing (SCM) incorporating spectral amplitude coding optical code division multiple access (SAC-OCDMA) technology was investigated both mathematically and by simulation. The hybrid SCM/SAC-OCDMA system combined two schemes in such as a way that the resulting hybrid system is robust against the Multi- Access Interference (MAI) and much enhanced the channel data rate. In this paper, we describe the...
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