March 2011
Perspectives and utilization technologies of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.): A review
Exploring and developing multiple utility technologies of plant resources is an alternative way for improving the efficiency of land used for food and fuel production. Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) has a nutritional quality comparable to lucerne as it contains similar proportions of protein, lipid, minerals and other nutrients. Based on its chemical and biological activities, this...
March 2011
Estimation of phenotypic divergence and powdery mildew resistance in a collection of Cucumis sativus L.
Genetic diversity in thirty cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. sativus) collections from Karnataka, Southern India, was assessed by examining variation among thirty phenotypic characters and powdery mildew resistance. The collection showed appreciable phenotypic diversity in vein length, leaf length, tendril length, fruit length, fruit breadth, fruit weight, seed index and seed weight. Principal...
March 2011
The use of organic and inorganic cultures in improving vegetative growth, yield characters and antioxidant activity of roselle plants (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)
This study was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, in May during the two seasons of 2008 and 2009 on roselle plants (Hibiscus sabdariffaL.). The objective was to improve the vegetative growth, yield characters and antioxidant activity of plants growing under different organic and inorganic media conditions in response to the spray of amino acids, humic acids and micro elements....
March 2011
Assessment of irrigation schemes in Turkey based on management types
Increasing population and demand for food, combined with finite land and water resources makes developing and monitoring the performance of irrigation systems inevitable in the 21st century. This study presents a comparative performance analysis of irrigation schemes based on their management types (State Hydraulic Works (SHW) and Water User Associations (WUAs)-operated schemes). The assessment used the...
March 2011
Multiple shoot regeneration of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) via shoot apex culture system
Induction of multiple shoots of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plant in two commercial varieties (Sahel and Varamin) using shoot apex was done. Explants were isolated from 3 - 4 days old seedlings, then they were cultured on a shoot induction media, modified MS nutrient agar with combinations: 1- Kinetin (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg l-1) and 6-benzyaminopurine (BAP) (0.0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0,...
March 2011
Optimization of epidemiological conditions to enhance the mycoherbicidal efficacy of Alternaria alternata against Chenopodium album
A new foliage disease was found on Chenopodium album L. (family chenopodiaceae) in Punjab, Pakistan. Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler was identified and confirmed as the causal agent. The present study aimed to optimize environmental condition that could enhance mycoherbicidal potential of A. alternataagainst C. album. In growth room trials, the effects of various...
March 2011
In vitro shoot regeneration from preconditioned explants of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cv. Gokce
The present study reports the successful shoot regeneration of preconditioned mature embryo and embryonic axis explants of chickpea cv. Gokce. Explants were preconditioned with 10 mgl benzylaminopurine (BA) for 7 days followed by culture on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mg/l BA with or without 0.25 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) supplemented with 4 mg/l...
March 2011
Effect of different seeding methods on green manure biomass, soil properties and rice yield in rice-based cropping systems
The cultivation of green manure crops plays an important role in soil quality and the sustainability of agricultural systems. Field experiments were conducted during one season (2007/2008) to evaluate the effects of different seeding methods on the biomass and N production of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and barley (Hordeum vuglare). The effects of treatments on rice yield and its components were also...
March 2011
Usability of large carnivore as a keystone species in Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey
Large carnivores are regarded as the most potential focal species in distributed areas. It is implied that keystone species are the most important species in that ecosystems to sustainability. Despite prey species has much more keystone property, in many areas, examples of the keystone species can be selected from carnivore species. The aim of the study was to investigate the keystone species property of...
March 2011
Effects of acid leaching aluminum from reservoir bottom sediment soil as a lightweight aggregate matrix
Three kinds of acid were used to leach bottom sediment soil of water reservoir to diminish aluminum from the soil for preparation of lightweight aggregates. Three concentrations were used in these investigations, including 1, 2 and 5 N. Operating temperatures were set at 25, 50, 70 and 90 celsius. Measuring took place in 1/2, 1, 2, 4 and 8 h. Comparison of before and after leaching, the spectra showed that...
March 2011
Suitability of using palm oil mill effluent as a medium for lipase production
Lipases are enzymes that can be secreted by several microorganisms using agro-industrial residues as potential substrates. This work screened ten microorganisms for their potential to produce lipase in palm oil mill effluent (POME)-based medium. Among the 10 organisms, the most promising strain was Candida cylindracea(ATCC 14830) which showed appreciable activity both on agar plates and liquid...
March 2011
The effect of carbon dioxide ON at high pressure under different developmental stages of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) hosting on chickpeas
In this paper, the minimum exposure time required to kill Callosbruchus maculatus (F.) in all the developmental stages with of 99.90% purity carbon dioxide (CO2) under 20 bars at 23 to 26°C was determined. Adults, pupae, larvae and eggs of C. maculatus hosting kabuli type organic chickpeas were exposed to CO2 for 240 min. The minimum exposure time for killing C. maculatus was found to be 180 min in all its...
March 2011
Pollution studies on harbours and jetties in Nigeria
The distribution of bacteria in the surface waters and sediment of selected harbours and landing jetties in the city of Port Harcourt was investigated. Nine water and sediments samples were allocated on each trip and cultured for various organisms on the rainy and dry season. The total heterotrophic count of the water sample in the dry season ranged between 33 ± 7.4 and 62 ± 6.1 and between 38...
March 2011
The bacterial and physico-chemical properties of hair salon wastewater and contaminated soil in Benin metropolis
The bacterial and physico-chemical properties of hair salon wastewater and contaminated soil in Benin metropolis were investigated. Investigations were carried out on five hair salons from different locations in Benin City. The physico chemical analysis showed that Ugbowo samples had the highest chemical oxygen demand of 208.00 mg/l, while Ekenwan had the highest biological oxygen demand of 180.00 mg/l with a...
March 2011
A probiotic bacterium, Pediococcus pentosaceus OZF, isolated from human breast milk produces pediocin AcH/PA-1
Pediococcus pentosaceus OZF, originally isolated from healthy human breast milk, produces antimicrobial activities against many gram-positive bacterial species, including the food borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. A bacteriocin was purified to homogeneity from the supernatant of exponentially growing cells using ion-exchange and reversed-phase chromatography. The purification resulted in a...
March 2011
Growth and exopolysaccharide production by Lactobacillus fermentum F6 in skim milk
Growth and exopolysaccharide (EPS) production by Lactobacillus fermentum F6 isolated from traditional dairy products in Inner Mongolia of China were studied when the strain was grown in 10% (w/v) reconstituted skim milk under different culture conditions. The results showed that culturing of L. fermentum F6 at a temperature (37°C) and pH (6.5) optimal for growth was also favorable for...
March 2011
Comparison of the biochemical components and characteristic of milk between Tibetan sheep and goat in neighboring area
The nutrient composition, enzyme activities, the profile of free amino acids (FAAs) and protein compositions in Tibetan sheep milk were assayed and compared with those in Chengdu Ma goat. The results showed that the total solids, milk fat andactivity of alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in Tibetan sheep milk were significantly higher than that in Chengdu Ma goat. Conversely,...
March 2011
Overexpression, purification and characterization of the Aspergillus niger endoglucanase, EglA, in Pichia pastoris
Cellulases are industrially important hydrolytic enzymes applicable in the bioconversion of cellulosic biomass to simple sugars. In this work, an endoglucanase from Aspergillus niger ATCC 10574, EglA, was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and the properties of the recombinant protein were characterized. The full length cDNA of eglA has been cloned into a...
March 2011
Morphology and chemical composition of Tunisian caper seeds: variability and population profiling
Caper, as a spontaneous plant, has a large natural distribution in the Mediterranean Sea basin. It is an interesting crop with an economic importance; especially the species Capparis spinosa. The morphology of seeds and their composition in lipid and protein were studied in 15 wild Tunisian caper populations: 9 populations represented the subspecies C....
March 2011
Purification and medium optimization of α-amylase from Bacillus subtilis 168
α-Amylase was first time isolated and purified from Bacillus subtilis 168 (1A1). Purified α-amylase fraction showed a single protein band with a molecular weight of 55 kD. Chemical characterization of the purified α-amylase revealed optimum amylolytic activity at 37°C and pH 7.0 using starch as substrate. It was stable at pH 5.0 to 9.0 and at temperatures...
March 2011
Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of Citrullus colocynthis immature fruit and seed organic extracts
Gastrointestinal problems, dermatological, gynaecological and pulmonary infections produced by micro-organisms are widespread in the entire globe. The treatment of these infections is mainly based on the use of synthetic drugs which have lost, in recent years, their effectiveness, due to the development of resistant strains and the rise of opportunistic fungal infections. Tunisian traditional medicine is a...
March 2011
Prevalence of malaria and typhoid co-infections in University of Nigeria, Nsukka District of Enugu State, Nigeria
Mixed infection of malaria caused by Plasmodium species and typhoid fever caused by Salmonella species is often observed in areas where malaria is endemic, and the infection with Salmonella species has been considered by some medical and non-medical personnels to be associated with the malaria parasite infection. Based on this reason, many medical personnel treat both...
March 2011
Decreased ADAM9 expression in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis
The pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is still poorly understood. Genome-wide gene expression profiling can provide novel genetic data involved in the pathogenesis of disease. In this study, using normal bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and sarcoidosis BAL as models for cDNA microarray analysis, we detected an elevation of ADAM9(a disintegrin and metalloprotease) expression on pulmonary...
March 2011
Mite (Acari) fauna of some cultivated plants from KahramanmaraÅŸ, Turkey
Surveys were conducted to identify mite (Acari) species from cultivated plants in KahramanmaraÅŸ, Turkey. Phytophagous and predatory mite species on vegetables and fruit trees were collected during 1997–2000. Phytophagous mites, Tetranychus turkestani (Ugarov and Nikolski) and Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval, were obtained from eggplant, bean, and cucumber. Predatory...
March 2011
Preparation and characterization of the polyclonal antibody against GAR domain of microtubule actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1)
Growth arrest-specific 2 protein (Gas2) related domain (GAR domain), located at the C-terminal of microtubule actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1), plays a key role in microtubules (MTs) binding. To prepare the polyclonal antibody against GAR domain, cDNA encoding 466 amino acids protein of GAR domain was amplified from MG-63 cell by RT-PCR. The amplified cDNA, that exhibited 99% identity to the...
March 2011
Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution by using mango biomass
Biosorbent and unfertilizable flowering buds of mango plant, a local agrowaste in Multan, Pakistan known as battoor is used in this study. Efficacy of the biosorbent is tested in batch for Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+ in single metal solution under control experimental conditions. The concentration of the biomass was 0.5 g. Metal ions were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer using its...
March 2011
Comparison of three methods for determination of protein concentration in lactic acid bacteria for proteomics studies
Finding the best method of cell lysis and extraction of protein from the lysed cells is the key step in detection and identification of extra- and intra-cellular proteins in all applications of proteomics. To develop an optimized protein extraction protocol,Enterococcus faecalis V583, Lactococcus lactis NIZO 0900 and Pediococcus pentosaceus OZF...
March 2011
Characterization of spore laccase from Bacillus subtilis WD23 and its use in dye decolorization
A bacterial strain, designated as WD23, was isolated from the forest soil using M9 medium supplemented with 0.4 mmol/L Cu2+. The spores from this strain showed laccase-like activity, oxidizing syringaldazine, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate acid) (ABTS). The strain was identified asBacillus subtilis based on its morphological and...
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