May 2007
Physico-chemical characterization of seed oil from Jatropha curcas L. genetic resources
Studies were carried out to assess seed physico-chemical properties of Jatropha curcas genetic resources. Twenty five seed sources of J. curcas investigated in the current study exhibited wide variation for seed physio-chemical properties. The chemical properties of seed sources indicated superiority of more number of seed sources for iodine value, cetane number and saponification value. Hence...
May 2007
Biosorption of heavy metals by immobilized and dead fungal cells: A comparative assessment
Heavy metal resistant fungi were isolated from an electroplating industrial effluent samples that uses copper, cadmium and lead for plating. These isolates were tested to evaluate their applicability for heavy metal removal from industrial wastewaters. Initially the physico-chemical parameters of the samples were analyzed. The optimum conditions of pH, biomass concentration and heavy metal concentration were determined...
May 2011
Microbiological quality of an edible caterpillar of an emperor moth, Bunaea alcinoe
An investigation into the microbiological status of processed caterpillar of a lepidopteran,Bunaea alcinoe revealed the presence of six genera of bacteria and three genera of moulds including one species of yeast. The microbial population of 4.49 × 107 (bacteria) and 9.5 × 106 (fungi) indicates contamination of the product. Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Proteus mirabilis are food...
May 2011
Ecological estimation of forest soils in Azerbaijan
While afforestation is relevant in the study of the ecological state of forest soil, analyses of the soil samples and valuation of the soil types to obtain final yield class is important. Within the National State Afforestation Program, as the research object, the south-east slope of the big Caucasus has been chosen for checking up soils under woodland and woodless areas. After having taken soil samples in this zone,...
May 2011
The influence of grass biomass production on hippopotamus population density distribution along the Luangwa River in Zambia
Hippopotamus is a selective nocturnal grazer consuming 50 kg of grass. Due to its large body size, it requires large areas of grass often exceeding 5 hectares within 2-5 km of the water body to maintain good body condition. In this study, hippo population size and density, grass biomass and grazing capacity were assessed in March 2008 along a 165 km stretch of the Luangwa River. The study area was subdivided into study...
