February 2012
Biological effects of electromagnetic fields
Recently, the possible effects of extra low frequency electromagnetic fields on the public health have become an interesting subject. Generally, electromagnetic fields occur around the high voltage lines. However, electromagnetic fields also occur with some electrical machines use for fun and TV used routinely at our home and offices. Epidemiological researches explained that the effects of electromagnetic fields are...
February 2012
Overview of wireless underground sensor networks for agriculture
In recent years, many applications have been proposed for wireless sensor networks (WSN). One of these is agriculture, where WSN can play an important role in the handling and management of water resources for agricultural irrigation and so on. The WSN suffer from intensive human involvement and delay of information. This paper shows that the wireless underground sensor networks (WUSN), which communicates in the soil is...
February 2012
Detection of avian nephritis virus and chicken astrovirus in Nigerian indigenous chickens
Avian nephritis virus (ANV) and chicken astrovirus (CAstV) are widely distributed in poultry flocks worldwide, causing growth retardation. However, these avian astroviruses have not been previously diagnosed in poultry species in Nigeria. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used for detecting ANV and CAstV in gut contents...
February 2012
Genetics similarity among four breeds of goat in Saudi Arabia detected by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker
Phylogeny analysis using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers was performed for studying genetic variation in four Saudi Arabia goat breeds, namely: Harri, Ardi, Habsi and Masri. Six goats from Harri breed, four each from both Ardi and Habsi breeds and five from Masri breed were used for the experiment. Four different 10 bp RAPD primers were employed for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results...
February 2012
Phenotypic analysis of tuber yield- and maturity-related traits in white yam (Dioscorea rotundata)
Inadequate yield potential of available varieties and their long growth periods are two of the factors limiting yam (Dioscorea spp.) production. Identifying yield- and maturity-related traits and breeding for them will enhance production. Ten morphological/physiological traits: time of shoot emergence, time of tuber initiation, plant height, shoot dry weight, time of shoot senescence, tuber fresh weight (tuber...
February 2012
Effect of the neurosphere size on the viability and metabolism of neural stem/progenitor cells
The objective of this study was to investigate the metabolic activity and viability of the mouse neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) affected by the size of neurospheres. NSPCs dissociated from the forebrain of embryonic 14 days (E14) mice were cultured in flask for 120 h. During cultivation, the diameter distribution of neurospheres, cell viability and metabolic activities were monitored, together with the...
February 2012
LOOP mediated isothermal AMPlification (LAMP) in diagnosis of neorocryptococcosis
As a result of the importance of quick diagnosis of Neurocryptococcosis in patients, generally, molecular techniques are preferred rather than traditional methods for their rapidity. In this research, we made an effort to design and optimize Loop mediated isothermal AMPlification (LAMP) technique using specific primers for ura5 as the target gene for detection of Cryptococcus...
February 2012
Potential of aeroponics system in the production of quality potato (Solanum tuberosum l.) seed in developing countries
The production of potato seed under conventional system has not been effective in avoiding or reducing the build up of pathogens and has consequently led to reduced quality potato seed and low crop yields. Plants once cleaned through meristem culture and induction of tuberization under aeroponics system, produce high quality potato seed tubers rapidly that are free from contamination of pathogens. Further...
February 2012
Interaction of callus selection media and stress duration for in vitro selection of drought tolerant callus of wheat
Callus culture is a novel approach addressing cultured cells as selection units independent of whole plant. Natural variations for drought tolerance existing among cell lines can be exploited in vitro in the presence of suitable concentration of osmoticum and stress duration. The study was aimed to standardized callus selection media and culture duration to select drought tolerant cell...
February 2012
Environmental monitoring of soil conditioner effects on photosynthetic parameters of Acer campestre L.
We evaluated photosynthetic reactions in Acer campestre L. in a multi-factorial field experiment near Hodonín, Southern Moravia, Czech Republic. In this experiment, selected plots were amended with three different supplementary soil substances, that is, zeolite, lignite, and hydroabsorbent Agrisorb, and were compared with unamended control plots. Microclimatic parameters, that is, temperature,...
February 2012
Identification and nitrogen fixation effects of symbiotic Frankia isolated from Casuarina spp. in Zhejiang, China
Fourteen symbiotic isolates were obtained from root nodules of Casuarina equisetifolia and Casuarina cunninghamiana in Zhejiang, China. All isolates exhibited typical Frankia morphological characteristics, including filamentous hyphae, vesicles, and multilocular sporangia borne terminally or in an intercalary position. Combined with 16S rDNA sequence alignment results, all isolates...
February 2012
High frequency shoot organogenesis in juvenile leaf of Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke
An in vitro cultivation protocol was developed for Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke. It is an important medicinal plant in China. Adventitious shoot induction was most successful by using young leaves as explants for propagation on Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium (MS) supplemented with 8.5 µM N6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 2.0 µM Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). For continuous subculture,...
February 2012
Freezing tolerance of wheat cultivars at the early growing season after winter
Cold stress is a worldwide abiotic stress in temperate regions that affects plant development and yield of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and other winter crops. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of freezing stress at the early growing season on survival and also the relationship between resistances tofreezing stress at...
February 2012
Thermo-aerobic bacteria from geothermal springs in Saudi Arabia
Biodiversity in geothermal springs in Saudi Arabia appears scanty and has not been thoroughly investigated. Geothermal springs are scattered in several areas in Saudi Arabia. Water samples were collected from ten hot springs and analyzed for different physical and chemical parameters. Fifteen isolates of thermo-aerobic bacteria were found. Bacillus cereus, B. licheniformis, B. thermoamylovorans,...
February 2012
Antioxidant capacity of extracts from calyx fruits of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)
The antioxidant capacities of extracts of dried roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyx and fruit with distilled water ethanol (30, 60 and 95%) were determined by 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH), hydroxyl and 2-2’-azino-bis-(3-ethyl-benzthia-zoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical-scavenging assays. The results show that the extract in 30% ethanol always had the highest...
February 2012
Structure and histochemistry of the glandular trichomes on the leaves of Isodon rubescens (Lamiaceae)
The structure and histochemistry of the glandular trichomes on the surface of Isodonrubescens leaves were investigated. The main components in the secretion were identified. Morphological and histochemical study revealed one type of non-glandular and two types of glandular trichomes on the leaves of I. rubescens. These two types of glandular trichomes differed both anatomically and...
February 2012
Detection of Dientamoeba fragilis in patients referred to Chaloos Medical Care Centers by nested – polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method
Dientamoeba fragilis is a protozoan that inhabits the human colon and is responsible in degrees for clinical symptoms. These symptoms are: Local stomach pains, loss of weight and appetite and vomiting. Treatment with anti-parasite drugs will improve the symptoms. Due to misdiagnosis, prolonged undesired clinical signs can remain in patient. Diagnosis in stool specimens uses...
February 2012
Drug-resistant post-neurosurgical nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis in two Iranian hospitals
Acinetobacter baumannii may cause meningitis and ventriculitis, particularly after head trauma and/or neurosurgery. The rate of multidrug-resistant Acinetobactermeningitis has increased over the past years. This study was conducted to determine prevalence of drug-resistant post-neurosurgical nosocomial A. baumannii meningitis. During the period of study between 2007 and 2009, a total of 39...
February 2012
Flesh quality differentiation of wild and cultured Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) populations
Variation in chemical composition and carcass traits among different wild and cultured Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus populations were analyzed to study and compare the differences among different wild (Manzalah lake, Nile river and Edku lake) and cultured Nile tilapia populations. Data of body composition of different Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) populations showed that, the highest mean value of moisture...
February 2012
In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of Vernonia amygdalina water extract
Vernonia amygdalina water extract was previously found as a potential in vitroantioxidant agent. In this study, the in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of V. amygdalina spray dried water extract were quantified by using DPPH radical scavenging assay, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) level and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC). In...
February 2012
Phytochemicals and hypoglycaemic effect of methanol stem-bark extract of Ficus sycomorus Linn (Moraceae) on alloxan induced diabetic Wistar albino rats
This paper reports the hypoglycaemic effect of methanol extract of stem-bark of Ficus sycomorus which was investigated in alloxan induced type-2 diabetic albino Wistar rats. The animals were separated into three groups and each was treated with 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg (body weight) of the extract intraperitoneally. The methanol extract of stem-bark of F. sycomorus significantly...
February 2012
Characterization of pseudorabies viruses produced in mammalian cells by viral genome transfection
The full-length genome DNA of pseudorabies virus (PrV) was transfected into swine testis (ST) cells using calcium phosphate method to generate the infectious viruses. The resulting viruses were identified by indirect immunofluorescence and were used to infect African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells. Our results showed that the produced viruses had similar plaque morphology and growth properties...
February 2012
Antioxidant activity of some African medicinal and dietary leafy African vegetables
Seven medicinal and dietary plant species from Southern Africa were analysed for their antioxidant and total phenolic content. These were Lippia javanica, Tagetes minuta, Bidens pilosa, Vigna unguiculata, Amaranthus spinosus, Telfairia occidentalisand Corchorus olitarius. Aqueous methanol extracts were tested for free radical scavenging and anti-oxidant activity using three standard...
February 2012
Genetic diversity of two Tunisian sheep breeds using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis
Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to study genetic diversity and population structure in six sheep populations belonging to two native Tunisian breeds (the Barbarine and the Western thin tail). A total of 96 samples were typed using eight RAPD primers. 62 bands were scored, of which 44 bands (70.97%) were polymorphic. For all populations, Nei’s gene diversity, Shannon index and percentage...
February 2012
Evaluation of a reversibly immortalized human hepatocyte line in bioartificial liver in pigs
An appropriate cell source is essential for the clinical application of bioartificial liver (BAL) system. This study aimed to test a reversibly immortalized human hepatocyte line (HepLi-4) in our newly validated choanoid fluidized bed bioreactor based BAL in pigs with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). 15 FHF pigs were allocated to three groups: a BAL group receiving BAL treatment with HepLi-4 cells; a sham BAL group...
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