February 2012
Comprehensive recognition of messenger RNA polyadenylation patterns in plants
The polyadenylation of messenger RNA (mRNA) in eukaryotes is an essential step in gene expression. Currently, with the in-depth sequencing, a considerable amount of alternative poly(A) sites have been found in the coding sequences and introns, while there was little study on these unconventional poly(A) sites and their signals. To study the signals of mRNA polyadenylation, an effective poly(A) signal pattern...
February 2012
Isolation and sequencing of the cryIC-like delta endotoxin gene from Egyptian strains of Bacillus thuringiensis toxic against Lepidoptera
The aim of the present work was to explore the diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)among local Egyptian isolates that produce parasporal crystalline inclusions. On the basis of bioactivities, nine isolates were collected from different ecological environments within Egypt. The Bt2K isolate was effective against Lepidoptera as compared to B. thurigiensis ssp. kurstawi that was used as a...
February 2012
Influence of salinity and temperature on the germination of Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey.
This study was conducted to determine the effects of temperature and salinity on seed germination and their recovery of germination after being transferred from saline conditions to distilled water. The germination responses of the seeds in complete darkness were determined over a wide range temperatures (10 to 35°C) and salinities (0 to 500 mM NaCl). Germination was inhibited above or below the optimal...
February 2012
Load modeling for sharp V-cutter cutting litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) stalk
Integrating picking institutions with autocontrol method led to the development of a new innovative ‘hand-held auto-picker’ for litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) harvesting. Cutting load is a key parameter for ‘hand-held auto-picker’ operation. However, there is still no suitable model for cutting load setting. Hence, a model describing the relationship among cutting load, blade...
February 2012
Involvement of calcium and calmodulin signaling in adaptation to heat stress-induced oxidative stress in Solanum lycopersicum L. leaves
Heat stress is a common form of stress suffered by plants. Therefore, plants have evolved mechanisms to cope with the problems caused by high temperatures. In this study, the involvement of calcium ion and calmodulin (Ca2+-CaM) in the protection against heat stress-induced oxidative damage in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings was investigated. Treatment of tomato leaves with...
February 2012
Effect of culture conditions on the plant regeneration via organogenesis from cotyledonary node of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp)
A rapid and efficient regeneration system via organogenesis from cotyledonary node explants of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) has been established. The cotyledonary node explants excised from 4 days old seedlings, placed in vitro on medium containing salts of Murashige and Skoog and vitamins of Gamborg’s media (MSB5). Adventitious shoots occurred at the basal end of the initiated...
February 2012
Diallel analysis for salinity tolerance in rice traits at germination stage
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a medium salt-resistant crop. The present study determined the inheritance of salinity tolerance at germination stage by complete diallel crosses between six rice genotypes. Analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences among the genotypes and specific combining ability (SCA) for all of the traits contain reduction in radicle length (RL, %),...
February 2012
High protein complementation with high fiber substrates for oyster mushroom cultures
Agricultural residues have been world widely accepted for oyster mushroom culture. In this study, we used wheat straw, barley straw, maize stem residue, and lawn residue as substrates coupled with wheat bran, rice bran and soybean powder as complements for the growth of Pleurotus florida and Pleurotus ostreatus as edible mushrooms. Shorter growth period and higher yield and biological efficiency were...
February 2012
Effects of different levels of roasted soybeans in high forage-based rations on conjugated linoleic acid of longissimus dorsi muscle, subcutaneous fat and liver of beef cattle
Twelve 24-month-old crossbred beef cattle with initial live weight of 532.6±20.9 kg were used to study the effect of feeding different levels of roasted soybeans on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and other fatty acids of longissimus dorsi muscle, subcutaneous fat and liver. The cattle were randomly divided into three groups with 4 cattle in each group and were fed rations containing 3.6, 10.1 and 15.7% of roasted...
February 2012
Proposing a suitable soil quality index for natural, secondary and rehabilitated tropical forests in Malaysia
There are numerous types and categories of soil indices developed for soil fertility and quality evaluation. However, there is still lacking in suitable indices for quantifying the fertility of degraded and rehabilitated forests in the tropics. The objective of this present study was to develop a suitable soil index from the existence soil indices which were suitable for natural, secondary and rehabilitated tropical...
February 2012
Evaluation of three immobilization supports and two nutritional conditions for reactive black 5 removal with Trametes versicolor in air bubble reactor
Polyurethane foam, Luffa cylindrica sponge and Ca-alginate (3% w/v) were evaluated as immobilization supports for removing reactive black 5 dye using the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor at 1, 4 and 8 days of colonization. According to statistical results, the L. cylindrica sponge was the best support at 4 days of colonization (90% color removal). Using a factorial...
February 2012
Biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate in Enterobacter sp. SEL2 and Enterobacteriaceae bacterium sp. PFW1 using sugar cane molasses as media
The present research was conducted to check the cane molasses as a media for the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Different dilutions of cane molasses were used in combination with water and mineral medium and in different ratios of carbon and nitrogen sources. Out of the 54 bacteria isolated from three types of organic waste contaminated environments, two were selected for their highest...
February 2012
Biosynthesis of phytases and phosphatases by Aspergillus niger 551
The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of the Aspergillus niger 551 strain to produce phytases and phosphatases in 24 days shake cultures at a pH adjusted to 5.5 and a changing (uncontrolled) pH, in a medium containing 0.5% of glucose and 4% of starch. The fermentation process of the culture performed with no adjustment of the pH showed that the pH markedly decreased (to...
February 2012
Biogas production from co-digestion of orange peel waste and jatropha de-oiled cake in an anaerobic batch reactor
Anaerobic co-digestion of jatropha deoiled cake and orange peel waste for biogas production was carried out in the batch scale (500 ml serum bottle) under anaerobic condition at ambient temperature (at various mixing ratios of two substrate). The experimental data showed a maximum gas output of 1140 ml of gas production at (1:2) ratio of jatropha deoiled cake with orange peel waste obtained for a period of 17 days. The...
February 2012
Growth response of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) to combinations of irrigation intervals and spent mushroom substrate in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
An investigation of the growth response of fluted pumpkin to different combinations of irrigation intervals and spent mushroom substrate (SMS) was conducted during the dry season, with a view to determining the combination that would give the best performance of the crop. The experiment lasted for a period of thirteen weeks in a sandy loam soil. Three irrigation intervals of 4, 7 and 10 days, and three levels of SMS,...
February 2012
Optimization of fermentation conditions for trehalose production by a marine yeast
The culture conditions for the production of trehalose by Rhodotorula sp. strain were optimized. The optimum medium contained (g/L) 20.1 sucrose, 8.15 yeast extract, 8.15 peptone, 1.81 NH4Cl, 1.66 KH2PO4, 1.66 Na2HPO4, 0.84 MgSO4, and 0.84 CaCl2. In a shake flask, the optimal culture conditions were as follows: initial pH 5.5, temperature 28°C and medium volume 75 mL. Under optimum conditions,...
February 2012
High-level expression of alkaline protease using recombinant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
Bacillus licheniformis CICIM B5102 was used for the commercial production of alkaline protease. The full-length gene apr encoding the alkaline protease was amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the genomic DNA of B. licheniformis CICIM B5102 as a template. The apr gene was cloned into plasmid pUB110, resulting in the recombinant plasmid...
February 2012
Effect of different substrate on performance of microbial fuel cell
Microbial fuel cells are new technology for the production of bioelectricity. The electrons liberated by microorganisms during consumption of organic substrate are transferred from the anode to the cathode linked by an external circuit and produce electricity under anaerobic conditions. In this study, palm oil mill effluent anaerobic sludge was used as active biocatalyst for bioelectricity generation. Several...
February 2012
Development of a transformation method for the nematophagous fungus Dactylellina cionopaga
Dactylellina cionopaga is a trapping fungus that produces adhesive columns and a two-dimensional network. The factors that influence protoplast preparation and regeneration of D. cionopaga were analyzed, and poly ethylene glycol (PEG)-CaCl2- or Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation was conducted to develop a transformation system for the fungus and provide a tool for...
February 2012
Investigation of the stability and antioxidant properties of anthocyanins-based purple potato colorants after processing
To investigate the effect of processing method on the stability and antioxidant properties of anthocyanins-based colorants, purple potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was treated by steaming, baking before lyophilization, oven drying and direct lyophilization before extracted by 0.5% HCl-methanol solution twice. The concentration of total anthocyanins in different treated samples ranged from 0.34 to 1.03 mg/g fresh...
February 2012
Down-regulation of aquaporins (AQP3) expression by RNA interference suppresses human lung cancer cell proliferation
Aquaporins (AQPs) represent a family of homologous water channels expressed in many epithelial and endothelial cells. Most tumors have been shown to exhibit high vascular permeability and interstitial fluid pressure. Here, we tested the regulation on the expression of AQP3 by RNA interference (RNAi) in the human lung cancer cell line (XWLC-05) and observed the changes of proliferation and adhesion ability. The results...
February 2012
Characteristics of β-glucosidase production by Paecilomyces variotii and its potential application in bioassay system for boric acid determination
This study reports the potential application of Paecilomyces variotii immobilized in calcium alginate beads as a sensing element in the analysis of boric acid. In the presence of boric acid, β-glucosidase production of P. variotii was inhibited and the changes of β-glucosidase concentration were correlated to the concentrations of boric acid. The optimum conditions of...
February 2012
Establishment and comparison of three different codon optimization of fat1 gene in transgenic mammary epithelial cell lines
Fat1 gene is an n-3 fatty acid encoding desaturase from Caenorhabditis elegan (C. elegan). It can raise the n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratio in mammalian cells. To reveal the impact of different codon optimizations of fat1 gene in influencing the catalysis efficiency of n-6 PUFAs into n-3 PUFAs in mammalian cells, the fat1 gene from C. elegan coding sequence...
February 2012
Increased expression of Th17 cytokines in patients with psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that is thought to be mediated by a new distinct type of T helper cell, called Th17 cells that play an essential pathogenic role in psoriasis. In this study, we measured serum levels of IL-17A and IL-23P19 in 43 psoriatic patients and 30 healthy control using nested real time polymerase reaction chain (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay...
February 2012
Sporangiospore-yeast transformation of Mucor circinelloides: Ionic circulation, chemical potential, sodium influx rate and morphogenesis
Measurement of intracellular ion concentration during sporangiospores-yeast transformation of Mucor circinelloides Tieghem in K+- mediated (0.90 to 1.10 g/l) and Na+-modulated (0.05 to 0.20 g/l) multiionic broths, pH 4.5, temperature 20°C, showed that (a), transmembrane ion flux was continuous during the growth period (b), Na+efflux varied concurrently with K+ influx and vice versa (c), induced...
February 2012
Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitor 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO) promotes the proliferation of mouse male germline stem cells (mGSCs) under serum- and feeder-free conditions
The 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO), as one of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitors, is a key regulator of many signaling pathways with the capacity to maintain the pluripotency of human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Whether BIO can maintain the pluripotency of mouse male germline stem cells (mGSCs) remains unclear at present. In this study, with BIO and retinol (RE) both in Knock-out serum...
February 2012
Rapid detection and characterization of Salmonella enterica serovars by multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for molecular typing ofSalmonella enterica serovars in Egypt. During the summer of 2010, a total of 1075 samples were collected from cattle, sheep and poultry farms to be subjected for isolation of Salmonella (290 rectal swabs from cattle, 335 rectal swabs from sheep and 450 cloacal swabs from poultry). Bacteriological examination revealed the...
February 2012
Comparative analysis of zinc, copper, chromium, iron and manganese among pregnant, unmarried and menopausal females using hairs as biomarkers
Environmental changes as well as a worsening environmental quality, strongly affect women lives. A woman goes through a wide range of changes throughout her lifetime, from fetal development through her post-menopause years, which involves a direct relationship between body metallic ion concentration and development and function. When this relationship is balanced, it helps to create conditions for good health. However,...
February 2012
Decolorization of sugar beet distillery effluent using mixed cultures of bacteria of the genus Bacillus
The colour of sugar beet stillage is produced mainly by two groups of colorants: melanoidins (from the Maillard reaction of sugars (carbohydrates) with proteins (amino groups)), and caramels (from overheated sugars). With its high coloured matter content and high chemical oxygen demand (COD), distillery stillage cannot be treated by conventional biological methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the...
February 2012
Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of some selected plants used for the treatment of cattle wounds in the Eastern Cape
This study was carried out to determine the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of selected medicinal plants (Aloe ferox Mill, Ptaeroxylon obliquum (Thunb) Radlk. andCalpurnia aurea (Aiton) Benth) used for the treatment of cattle wounds. DPPH 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphuric acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), radical scavenging assays were used to...
February 2012
Effects of growth-promoting factors on proliferation of mouse spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in vitro
The proliferation, cultivation and identification of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in vitro are critical to our understanding of male infertility, genetic resources and endangered species conservation. To investigate the effects of growth-promoting factors, epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the proliferation of...
February 2012
Effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan on growth performance and immune index in ducks
The effect of dietary chitosan on growth performance and immune index were investigated in ducks. One-day-old ducks were fed on a control diet or diets containing 0.00, 0.30, 0.60, 1.20, 2.40 and 4.80 g/kg of 85.20% deacetylated chitin (chitosan) or 0.45 g/kg aureomycin for 35 days. The results indicate that the ducks in 1.20 g/kg dietary chitosan group had the superior average daily body gain,...
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