Statement of the Problem: Pancreatic cancer has been reported as the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Due to the covert location of the pancreas in the human body, pancreatic cancer may go undetected until it progresses to an advanced stage. Pancreatic cancer starts in pancreas and generally spreads to different parts of the body as it progresses. By the time the disease reaches the advanced stages, it can be fatal, and treatment or surgical resection may not be possible. Due to lack of awareness and obvious symptoms at an early stage, individuals seem to overlook the potential pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this study is to provide current information about pancreatic cancer, types of diagnosis, prominent cancer treatment facilities, and supportive resources for better self-management of disease. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Among chronic diseases with high mortality rates, cancer is considered one of the most devastating diseases. In the normal process of the human body, cells continuously undergo division, death, and replacement by themselves in a controlled fashion. Cancer starts when cells are altered and uncontrollably divide without diminishing. The growth of abnormal cells in an uncontrolled fashion could spread the cancer to different parts of the body, impacting the normal functionality of organs throughout the body. Some prevalent cancer diseases include lung & bronchus, colon & rectum, prostate, pancreas, breast, ovary, etc. In this research, a brief review and compilation of key information pertaining to pancreatic cancer is discussed along with historical data. Conclusion & Significance: Due to the severity of pancreatic cancer, it is important that individuals be aware of the symptoms and signs of pancreatic cancer. With awareness, individual may be able to be proactive about the disease in its earlier stages so that the probability for successful long-term treatment may increase.
Statement of Problem & Aim: The available pharmacological agents possess several undesirable side effects on diabetes. Due to fewer side effects and more effectiveness the demand of herbal medicine has been elevated for this chronic disorder. Hence, current study aimed to evaluate the synergetic activity of Achyranthes bidentata and Verbascum thapsus in alloxan induced diabetic albino mice. Methodology: Plant’s extracts were orally administered to male albino mice. Alloxan monohydrate was used to induce diabetes. Overnight fasting mice blood sugar level and body weight were calculated on weekly intervals for up to 5 weeks. Other parameters i.e. lipid, liver and renal profiles were monitored after oral administration of extracts for 35 days. Findings: Daily oral administration of Achyranthes bidentata (300 mg/kg), Verbascum thapsus (300 mg/kg) and combined extracts dose (600 mg/kg) significantly (p>0.05) decreased the fasting blood glucose level besides significantly improved body weight, lipid profile, liver and kidney function and consequently, controlled diabetes after 35 days treatment. Achyranthes bidentata was found more effective than Verbascum thapsus, while results of combined extract dose (600 mg/kg), were highly significant (p>0.001). Conclusion & Significance: Achyranthes bidentata, Verbascum thapsus and their combined extracts possess antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic property and proved to be effective to improve body weight, liver and kidney function. Whereas, the synergetic treatment of both extracts was proved comparatively more effective. Present investigation will contribute to the therapeutic exploitation of the natural resources against deadly chronic disorder and will open a new avenue for pharmaceutical
Background: Pregnancy comes with systemic changes of which the haematological system is no exception. Objective: To assess the complete blood count (CBC); review the peripheral blood film of pregnant women at booking and determine if there is a variation in between trimesters. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 400 pregnant women at the booking clinic of Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ogbomoso. Women who were on iron or folate supplement at the time of booking, known patients with chronic medical conditions, or did not give consent were excluded from the study. The sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents were obtained using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The CBC was done using automated haematology analyser and a peripheral blood smear examined under the microscope. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 26.18±5.16. Most of the patients were primigravida (56.8%), of Yoruba tribe (96.0%). The mean haematocrit was 31.33±3.382; WBC count 8.36±2.78 x 109/L; platelet 264.78±14.5 x 109/L; MCH 28.56±0.07pg; MCHC 36.10±0.06g/dl and MCV 78.48±0.08fl. There was a significant difference in all the parameters checked when compared in between trimesters except for haematocrit and platelet count. 255 (63.8%) were anaemic while 69 (17.3%) had leucocytosis. Presence of anaemia and leucocytosis were found to be statistically significant in between trimesters. Conclusion: Anaemia with evidence of iron, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency was prevalent in the third trimester with a slight preponderance of leukocytosis. The platelet count was stable and within normal limit.
The study aims to propose improvements in the management of swine biomass and biodigestion systems to improve the biogas production potential. The work was elaborated from two topics: Improvements to biomass management and improvements to biodigestion systems. The proposal of improvements for the management of biomass was based on experience acquired in the field using case studies to elucidate. Already the proposal of improvements of biodigestion systems, was based on analysis of operational, constructive and safety aspects. The results obtained for the biomass management pointed out the need for structural adjustments in the facilities for pigs. One of the main factors is the irrational use of water in the cleaning of the bays that can considerably dilute the biomass affecting the production of biogas. Regarding the improvements for biodigestion systems, we can cite the difficulty of controlling operational aspects such as temperature in small biogas plants as a function of the biodigestor model used (plug flow digester). The structural aspects analysed demonstrate the need to introduce solid separation systems before the biodigester for the good functioning of the plant. The safety aspects analysed highlight the need to identify areas of risk of explosion and fire and colour signalling of the pipes in the units facilitating maintenance. Thus, it is evident that small systems of production of biogas and biofertilizer from swine residues lack standardization.
The liver is a key organ of metabolic homeostasis with functions that oscillate in response to food intake. Under the control of PPARα in the mouse, the genes required for lipid catabolism are transcribed before birth so that the neonatal liver has a prompt capacity to extract energy from milk upon suckling. The mechanism involves a fetal glucocorticoid receptor (GR)PPARα axis in which GR directly regulates the transcriptional activation of PPARα by binding to its promoter. In adult mouse, PPARα deletion impairs fatty acid catabolism, resulting in hepatic lipid accumulation in preclinical models of steatosis. These findings underscore the relevance of hepatic PPARα as a drug target for NAFLD as they show that PPARα plays a central role in the clearance of free fatty acids released from adipocytes, the major source of lipid that accumulate in NAFLD. FGF21 is a hepatokine with beneficial metabolic effects, including control of sucrose preference. It is encoded in FGF21, a unique hepatic gene that the transcription factors PPARα and ChREBP both regulate to control sugar intake. In fact, ChREBP is required for the expression and secretion of hepatic FGF21 in response to carbohydrate intake. Interestingly, experiments using hepatocytespecific PPARα knockout mice reveal a physiological role for PPARα in the context of glucose challenge, as ChREBP is unable to induce FGF21 in the absence of hepatic PPARα. These observations suggest that FGF21’s glucose-mediated response is dependent on both ChREBP and PPARα. Altogether, these findings underscore the relevance of hepatic PPARα as a drug target for NAFLDs as they show that PPARα plays a central role in the clearance of free fatty acids released from adipocytes, the major source of lipid that accumulate in NAFLD. Furthermore, they imply that drug targeting of PPARα may exert part of its beneficial effects on metabolic homeostasis by supporting the ChREBP-induced loop controlling sweet preference via FGF21.
Activated carbons have been widely used as adsorbents in separation and purification processes for gaseous or aqueous solution systems. Currently, activated carbon production is divided into two main obtention processes. The first is physical activation, where the raw material is initially carbonized, and then carbonized material is activated by steam or carbon dioxide. The second is chemical activation, where raw material is impregnated with an activating reagent, and simultaneously heat-treated under an inert atmosphere at high temperatures (600-900°C). In the latter case, both carbonization and activation take place simultaneously. The physical and chemical properties of biochar, as well as the process design typically depends on the feedstock used and carbonization conditions (temperature, nitrogen flow and residence time). In addition, is well know that for activated carbons the adsorption capacity of heavier metals, salts, and organic or inorganic compounds seems to be highly influenced by pH, particle size, porosity, and activation temperature among others. Moreover, for good development of surface and structural properties as well as textural characteristics, low ash and high contents of i¬xed carbon are desired. In this study, a short description of the production, characterization, and process modeling of the physical activation of agricultural and forest residues is performed, in order to analyze the feedstock impact into the process modeling, technology, configuration, heat requirements, potential use of alternative energy sources as natural gas, biomass, etc. An experimental plan is proposed in order to develop experimental data for a fully integrated engineering process model (ASPEN Plus) capable of evaluating different biomass features to accurately predict yields, process parameters, and potential performance of the resulting product for different types of wastewater streams. This ASPEN model will then be used for techno-economic analysis (TEA) in order to conduct the selection of the preferred material as a function of the water treatment application, e.g. organic or inorganic streams, as well as to evaluate process improvements. Activated carbons have been widely used as adsorbents in separation and purification processes for gaseous or aqueous solution systems. Currently, activated carbon production is divided into two main obtention processes. The first is physical activation, where the raw material is initially carbonized, and then carbonized material is activated by steam or carbon dioxide. The second is chemical activation, where raw material is impregnated with an activating reagent, and simultaneously heat-treated under an inert atmosphere at high temperatures (600-900°C). In the latter case, both carbonization and activation take place simultaneously. The physical and chemical properties of biochar, as well as the process design typically depends on the feedstock used and carbonization conditions (temperature, nitrogen flow and residence time). In addition, is well know that for activated carbons the adsorption capacity of heavier metals, salts, and organic or inorganic compounds seems to be highly influenced by pH, particle size, porosity, and activation temperature among others. Moreover, for good development of surface and structural properties as well as textural characteristics, low ash and high contents of i¬xed carbon are desired. In this study, a short description of the production, characterization, and process modeling of the physical activation of agricultural and forest residues is performed, in order to analyze the feedstock impact into the process modeling, technology, configuration, heat requirements, potential use of alternative energy sources as natural gas, biomass, etc. An experimental plan is proposed in order to develop experimental data for a fully integrated engineering process model (ASPEN Plus) capable of evaluating different biomass features to accurately predict yields, process parameters, and potential performance of the resulting product for different types of wastewater streams. This ASPEN model will then be used for techno-economic analysis (TEA) in order to conduct the selection of the preferred material as a function of the water treatment application, e.g. organic or inorganic streams, as well as to evaluate process improvements
Maize is an indispensable crop cultivated globally, being C4 crop it is more photo synthetically active grown for food, animal feed and for bioenergy production. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of nitrogen rates (NR) and harvesting time (HT) on biomass, chemical composition and biogas production of maize grown under semiarid condition of Pakistan. Results revealed that early harvesting decreased leaf area per plant as maximum value was found at 65 DAS followed by 55 DAS while lowest was produced at 45DAS. Among NR, higher level of N application of 200 kg ha-1 significantly enhanced leaf area per plant. The maximum chlorophyll contents (33.61%) were recorded at 45 DAS that was comparable with 55 DAS while the lowest chlorophyll contents (31.85%) were recorded at 65 DAS. Among NR, highest chlorophyll contents (35.02%) were observed when N was used @ 200 kg ha-1 that was similar 150 per ha, whilst lowest chlorophyll contents (29.13%) by no N application. The delayed HT significantly enhanced biomass yield while lower yields were produced by early harvestings. Among NR highest biomass yield was obtained with N applied @ 200 kg ha-1 that was same with 150 kg ha-1 whereas the lowest biomass yield was obtained when no N was applied. Regarding chemical composition, delayed harvesting clearly increased acid detergent fibers (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Regarding NR maximum ADF and NDF contents were recorded by applying higher N rates. In addition, advancing harvest time markedly enhanced protein contents of maize. Higher nitrogen application increased protein contents (11.84%) as highest value of protein contents was produced. With respect to biogas yield, advancing harvesting time increased the biogas yield while delayed harvesting clearly decreased the biogas yield of maize. NR rates also showed clear difference for biogas productivity as medium level application of N produced the maximum biogas as compared to other level tested in experiments.
Statement of the Problem & Purpose: Epidemiology of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is high in Thailand and Southeast Asia. It is highly aggressive and poorly studied. In this investigation, the role of cholesterol transporters, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) A1 and ABCG1 are studied in HuCCA-1 cell line. ABCA1 and ABCG1 transporters are suspected to play a role in CCA lipid homeostasis. Methodology: The expression and localization of ABCA1 and ABCG1 were investigated by western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry, respectively. The functions of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in CCA cells were examined out by cholesterol efflux assay to specific cholesterol acceptor and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). ABCG1 transporter was down regulated using siRNA interference. Cell phenotypic changes such as cell migration and cholesterol export ability were observed by wound healing and cholesterol efflux experiments, respectively. Findings: ABCA1 and ABCG1 transporters were expressed in HuCCA-1 cells. Correspondingly, localization of ABCA1 was exhibited around the nucleus while ABCG1 pattern was more scattered throughout cytoplasm. Moreover, cholesterol exports via ABCA1 and ABCG1 to HDL were observed. While ABCG1 level was down regulated, the retention of ABCA1 expression was illustrated. Comparable level of cell migration was displayed between control and ABCG1 silenced cells. In addition, there were no change in cholesterol efflux to HDL among these treatments. Conclusion & Significance: This research indicated the expressions and cholesterol export function of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in CCA. While silencing ABCG1, there was no obvious cell phenotypic characteristics such as wound healing and cholesterol efflux. This hints the possible and predominant role of ABCA1 transporter in CCA which requires further study. This investigation sheds light on cholesterol biology and possible therapeutic target in CCA.
Background: The biological activity of an anti-HER2 molecule is profoundly influenced by the microheterogeneity of the N-linked glycan profile. A minor change in glycan profile of anti-HER2 molecule during post-translational modification showed an impact on its biological activity, Pharmacokinetics (PK) as well as the stability of the molecule. The complexities in glycan pattern of anti-HER2 molecule further encourage the need of new analytical challenges in evaluating the comparability with innovator molecule in recent scenario. Aim/Objective: A comparison of glycan profiling and binding kinetics including charge variant heterogeneity analysis of anti- HER2 molecule with innovator molecule was aimed for the current investigation. Methodology: In the current investigation, The PNGase F digestion of anti-HER2 molecule followed by UPLC analysis under Normal phase liquid chromatographic conditions using a platform approach to establish the chromatographic profile of various Glycan residues such as G0, G0F, GIFa and GIFb, G2F. Further, binding with the HER2 receptor under in vitro conditions through Biocore T200 analysis was evaluated to demonstrate the binding kinetics. Additionally, charge variant heterogeneity was subjected as a part of extensive characterization to evaluate the anti-HER2 molecule in comparison with innovator molecule. Results and Discussion: Anti-HER2 molecule with a mass of 148kDa was purified and a comparison against innovator molecule in glycan profiling was identified by predominant residues, which represent 90% of the glycosylation profile of the anti-HER2 molecule. The terminal galactosylation and fucosylation of glycan residues influence the CDC and ADCC activity, respectively. The variability in the glycan profile can thus affect the biological activity. Further, the high mannose content in anti-HER2 molecule showed the early clearance and provides a strong impact on its PK. Additionally, binding with a HER2 receptor under in vitro conditions through Biocore T200 analysis was evaluated to demonstrate the binding kinetics. The dynamic binding nature of anti-HER2 molecule (6.21x10-10M) and innovator molecule (6.95x10-10 M) showed the closeness of KD value. Moreover, the weak binding of acidic variants with HER2 receptor also provides an impact on ADCC activity and hence, charge variant analysis was shown to be equally important to demonstrate the efficacy of the anti-HER2 molecule. Acidic variant (K0, deamidated Asn) and basic variants (K1, K2) were determined by cation exchange chromatography (CEX) and percentage of acidic variant (<35%) were evaluated based on separation on cation exchange column in UHPLC system. The comparisons were carried out based on the response of reference standard peaks under the identical condition and determine the percentage of acidic variants. Conclusion: Overall, the efficacy and comparability aspects of the in-house anti-HER2 molecule were evaluated against the innovator???s molecule and attested its candidature as a ???Biosimilar??? in the pharmaceutical therapeutic domain.
The world population is poised to double by 2050,which means doubling agricultural production in order to meet food demands, which is about 70% increase in food production (FAO,2008). The potential yield of agriculture is affected by various kinds of biotic and abiotic stress factors which can reduce the quantity and quality of crop production. Artificial intelligence and data enabled tools at the doorstep of farmers can overcome these challenges. AI is making a huge impact in all domains of the agricultural industry. Detection of diseases in the plant is utmost need for farmers and agricultural experts. Image based based processing of diseased plant parts will serve as a potential tool in precision farming. The images acquired are processed, transformed and then segmented. Once the image is segmented, the extracted region are post-processed to remove pixel regions not considered part of the target region. Finally, detection and classification of plant diseases are done based on previous fed database by the neural networks (Kundalia,2019). Eventually this will lower the cost of production and facilitate next green revolution of the world.
Background & Aim: Surveys revealed that 6.6% of school-age children in Mongolia suffer from mental retardation. One of the causes of the disease might be an inherited disorder of amino acid metabolism. New born screening for amino acid disturbances is mandatory in most countries. To assess the need for implementation of such a system in Mongolia, this study evaluates the status of inherited disorders of amino acid metabolism among children with oligophrenia. Method: Screening tests were carried out in dried blood spots of 476 children diagnosed with oligophrenia from special schools. Amino acid levels in urine and blood samples of the children with positive screening findings were determined using the high-performance liquid chromatography system. Result: The screening analysis detected elevated amino acids in twelve children. Due to refusal of caretakers of four out of these twelve positive children, the status of urinary and blood amino acids was evaluated in eight children. The assessment results indicated that the mental retardation in two children was not caused by errors of amino acid metabolism. In two of the remaining positive children elevated concentrations of glycine and threonine were found (serum Gly-116.48 µmol/L, Thre354.71 µmol/L and urinary Gly-337.47 µmol/L, Thre-539.37 µmol/L in one child and serum Gly-135.67 µmol/L, Thre-254.90 µmol/L and urinary Gly-635.27 µmol/L, Thre-546.23 µmol/L in the second child) which lead to the diagnosis of pyridoxinedependent epilepsy. The test results of other four children indicated hypertyrosinemia (serum Tyr-283.79 µmol/L and urinary Tyr-94.44 µmol/L), hypervalinemia (serum Val-115.42 µmol/L and urinary Val-439.65 µmol/L), hyperlysinemia (serum Lys268.73 µmol/L and urinary Lys-635.27 µmol/L) and non-ketotic hyperglycinemia (serum Gly-227.37 µmol/L and urinary-Gly 545.77 µmol/L). Conclusion: The survey findings show that one of the causes of Oligophrenia in Mongolia are inherited errors of amino acid metabolism and this fact urges the necessity of inclusion of amino acids into the newborn screening program.
Risk assessment in the context of integrated pest and disease management considering crop sequence, sowing date, and control by fungicide application was carried out. This method also investigates the grain yields of wheat to address the context of disease risk with grain production. The experimental factors were fixed: pre-crop for wheat (sugar beet, corn for grain, wheat), the sowing date: facultative in late autumn and spring, fungicidal intensification: untreated, one treatment at T2 stage (BBCH 32–65) with fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole, two treatments made at T1 (BBCH 30–32) with prothioconazole and spiroxamine and at T2 (BBCH 41–65) with fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole, three treatments performed at stage T1 (BBCH 29–31) with prothioconazole and spiroxamine, T2 (BBCH 37–51) with fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole, and T3 (BBCH 65–69) with prothioconazole and tebuconazole. A total of 12 wheat diseases were diagnosed, four units for foot and root rot and eight related with leaf and head. Crop sequence was found the prime factor for the risk posed by foot and root rot diseases, while the lack of fungicidal control mostly impacted the risk posed by leaf and head pathogens. The highest increases in yield from controlled crops were attributed to facultative wheat followed after beet (49–66 %) or wheat (36–47 %). The cost-effectiveness based on two indicators E and Q has been calculated for fungicide treatments on all 48 crops. We investigated incidences of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and concentrations of six mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, and zearalenone) in wheat from 2010 to 2013. Field trials were conducted at the Experimental Station of Cultivar Testing in ChrzA�?stowo, Poland (53o11’N, 17o35’E). The dominant Fusarium species observed on wheat heads were F. culmorum, F. avenaceum (Gibberella avenacea) and F. graminearum (Gibberella zeae), at 21.1%, 17.2%, and 7.1%, respectively. In wheat planted after wheat or corn, the FHBi was higher compared with a pre-crop of sugar beet. A double application of fungicides at BBCH 30–32 with prothioconazole and spiroxamine and at a BBCH 65 with fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole effectively reduced the FHBi and mycotoxin concentrations, respectively, in grain. Total mycotoxin levels in wheat were correlated with five determinants: duration of the period between the end of flowering and the beginning of kernel abscission, FHBi, F. culmorum isolation, G. zeae isolation and Fusarium ratio (FR) as a % of total mold isolations. Although, the mean concentration of mycotoxins in grain did not exceed the maximum permissible values for unprocessed wheat our study suggests necessity to monitor and mitigate FHB risk for susceptible cultivars when wheat spring sowing follows corn or wheat.
In 2010, the prevalence of obesity in the United State was 36% among adults (76.3 million overweight and 89.4 million obese) and 17% among children and adolescents. For past 2 decades, obesity has increased globally reaching epidemic levels. Obesity is directly associated with metabolic diseases such as type-2 diabetes and other disorders like hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, depression and sleep apnea. Lifestyle management including healthy diet and increased physical activity is the fundamental approach to treat obesity. Clinical studies have shown that weight loss of 5-10% of initial body weight is sufficient to achieve medical benefits such as reduction of diabetes incidents and cardiovascular risks. However, achieving and maintaining a weight loss is difficult. More than 60% of adults fail to sustain 5% weight loss over the year and regain body weight. Therefore, pharmacological approach as adjunctive therapy to lifestyle change has been developed recently. The 2013 Guideline for Management of Obesity (USA) recommended consideration of pharmacological treatment for obese adults with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and for overweight adults with BMI ≥27.0 kg/m2 when accompanied by comorbidities such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension or dyslipidemia. The current anti-obesity drugs reduce food intake by suppressing appetite, decrease absorption of fat or increase energy expenditure. FDA criteria to approve antiobesity drugs is a decrease in body weight ≥5% after 1 year of treatment compared to placebo control or if at least 35% of study participants lose ≥5% of their baseline body weight. Weight loss medication should result in significant improvements in blood pressure, lipids, glycaemia or other metabolic conditions. 5 medications for weight management have been approved in the USA (4 of them since 2012): Orlistat (Xenical, Alli), Lorcaserin (Belviq), Phentermine/Topiramate (Qsymia), Naltrexone/ Bupropion (Contrave) and Liraglutade (Saxenda). Pharmacological monotherapies primarily focus on a single protein target or pathway, whereas combination therapy approach appears to provide greater benefit. The Phentermine/Topiramate resulted in the best overall average weight loss from baseline as well as highest percentages of patients achieving both ≥5% and ≥10% weight loss. Lorcaserin showed the best tolerability and lowest rate of adverse events. The development of safe and effective weight loss drugs is still important. Preclinical studies have been completed for several therapeutic candidates and now they are under clinical investigation. Thus, additional novel drugs for weight loss are likely to come to the market in the next five years.
Statement of the Problem: Dairy industry generates 3m3 of effluent per m3 of processed milk which comes mostly from the cleaning process that uses fresh water. The effluent is nutrient rich and can cause an environmental problem unless properly treated. The conventional treatment is tedious, energy intense, cost ineffective. Adopting this technology is a burden for the larger establishments and crippling for the small-scale installations. Hence technologies are sought to make the process of effluent treatment eco-friendly and economically viable. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Tailor-made consortium was developed for conversion of the nitrogenous waste in dairy effluent into ammonia. The process was carried out using biofilm bioreactors in order to ensure one-time bacterial charging with continued performance. The process was scaled to industrial scale (more than 5000 liters). The treated effluent was used for field trial and pot trial for the cultivation of economic crops as per standard procedure. Findings: Tailor-made microbial consortium produced ammonia from dairy effluent at a rate of 1.66x10-4 mol s-1 within 1 hour of incubation in a biofilm bioreactor at 37oC with highest production at 16th hours of incubation (56.81mg/100ml) demonstrating 95.7% ammonia production with 72.3% nitrate and a concomitant 33.2% phosphate reduction from an initial load of 32-270ppm nitrate and 15-40ppm phosphate respectively with 82.55% BOD reduction in 16th hour, as compared with 66.6% in 48 hours through constructed wetlands. The treated effluent increased biomass in case of mung bean (Mb) and Sorghum Sudan grass; decreased root nodulation while enhanced seed yield with improved protein and carbohydrate content in Mb while providing protection from aphid infestation. This treated effluent significantly enhance the basal diameter and fiber yield in case of Ramie, a plant of immense economic value. It could also enhance production in the case of potato, hence functioning as a biofertilizer. This approach enables the conversion of effluent into a by-product of immense economic value hence making the process of dairy effluent treatment self-sustainable. The process was scalable from 1liter to more than 5000 liters for treating actual dairy effluent with associated field trial.
During summer 2018, 132 springs from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan were surveyed for water chemistry and fish communities. Although most springs in Oman are reasonably intact, only 14 of 46 springs flowing in Saudi Arabia in 1990 exist, and all springs visited in Jordan were heavily polluted from direct human contact. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the remaining Saudi springs has increased profoundly during this period. Fish were sampled at each spring boil, if present, using a dip net, identified to species, photographed and returned to the location where collected. Five native species were found in the springs of Saudi Arabia and Oman, but all springs in Jordan lacked fish. In addition, two introduced Tilapia species were found in some Oman springs. Garra tibanica was found only in Saudi Arabian springs, while Cyprinion watsoni was restricted to a single spring in Oman. The general distributions of species in the Arabian Peninsula were compared with earlier surveys, and the relationship of each species to electrical conductivity was analyzed to assess whether increased conductivity levels in springs since 1990 as a result of over pumping of groundwater has or will have an impact on fish tolerance and distribution. Aphanius dispar is limited to low conductivity springs, Cyprinion mhalensis and Gara tibanica to low-moderately high conductivity, while Garra tibanica can tolerate extremely high conductivity. Continued over extraction of groundwater will lead to loss of additional springs and the likely extirpation of species due to increased conductivity. This is a major conservation issue facing the Arabian Peninsula.
During the last two centuries, the contiguous United States has lost over half of its wetland habitats. Restoration of wetland habitats is critical for improving the health and diversity of wildlife populations. Fernhill Wetlands in Forest Grove, Oregon is a natural wastewater treatment site that was transformed from unused wastewater ponds to a complex natural wetland habitat in 2014-15. This study aimed to assess the avian biodiversity change after habitat restoration at Fernhill Wetlands by developing a novel and reusable technique combining remote sensing satellite imagery and geospatial climate data and performing quantitative correlations to community science bird observation data. LANDSAT-8 and SENTINEL-2 satellite imagery and PRISM climate data were processed in the cloud using Google Earth Engine and vegetation, water and climate indices for pre- and post-restoration periods were calculated. Quantitative correlations were then established in R between these indices and bird observation data from the Cornell University? eBird database. Finally, supervised classification was used to obtain clarity on land, vegetation and water changes in the region of interest. Several terrestrial and deep-water species correlated well with vegetation and water indices. Shorebirds, marsh birds and others at the waters edge showed subtler and sometimes unexpected reactions to habitat change. The technique also revealed differences not seen in conventional analyses such as the response of dabbling ducks. A powerful methodology was developed to study the impact of habitat restoration on Avian populations combining remote sensing and bird observation data. It showed that the habitat restoration had a positive impact on several species, while also revealing interesting and unexpected effects on others. It is expected that the technique will be very useful for ongoing habitat management by wetland managers.
Seed germination is considered the most crucial stage for seedling development, growth and yield of plant species and success at this stage is dependent on nutrient status of the growth medium. This study was carried out to assess the toxicity of spent engine oil on six leguminous plant species (TVu-10343, TVu-10366, TVu-13606, TGm-504, TGm-570 and TGm-547) under laboratory condition. Bioassay endpoints used were final germination percentage (FGP), germination index (GI), seedling vigour index (SVI), shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights in the phytotoxic assessment with 0%(control), 3%, 6% and 9% spent engine oil and monitored for 14 days after sowing (DAS). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replicates each. The analyzed data showed that all the parameters assayed were significantly (p TVu-10343>TGM-504>TVu-13605>TGM-570>TGM547.VarietiesTVu-10366, TVu-10343 and TGM-504are recommended to be used in the reclamation of spent engine polluted sites.
In order, to study the reason why global warming is happening. Studies were conducted on amounts of CO2 emission, CO2 concentration NOx emission, grain production, fish production, population and CO2 fixed from 1900 to 2016. Since the industrial revolution, burning of fossil and production of CO2 and NOx increased greatly. Increased CO2 and NOx promoted the CO2 assimilation. Production of grain and fish increased. About 360 billion tone CO2 is produced by burning of fossil fuels. About 14.4 billion tone NOx is produced in 2015. Most of emitted CO2 is fixed by CO2 assimilation. But since developed country started NOx elimination and NP elimination at around 1975, half of produced NOx is eliminated. Therefore, emitted 360 billion tons CO2 is not fixed completely. Concentration of CO2 increased about 2 ppm. In 2016, 142 billion tons CO2 is remaining to give global warming. 142 billion tons of CO2 must be reduced. We must promote CO2 assimilation by complete use of emitting NOx and NP in waste water. Fossil fuel is burning out soon. We should not spend precious fossil fuel for the elimination of NOx and NP. We must increase CO2 assimilation as much as possible.
After the first observation that keV ions are guided through insulating nano capillaries, the research topic has received increased attention during the past decade. The significant property of the capillary guiding is a self-organizing process, which controls the charge deposition inside the capillaries. With increasing deposition of the ions, the charge patch increases until the electrostatic field is sufficient to deflect the ions. At equilibrium, the ions are guided at relatively large distances from the surface so that they maintain their incident charge state. Milestones of the field are summarized in accordance with a recent review over the studies of capillary guiding. Experiments are treated emphasizing the guiding of highly charged ions in the keV energy range. Recent work with insulating nano and micro capillaries is reviewed. Apart from the experimental studies, theoretical concepts of the capillary guiding are presented. Specific emphasis is given to single conical capillaries allowing for the production of an ion beam of micron dimensions that can be applied in investigations of biological matter. Experiments are pointed out wherein the microbeam is directed on individual cells scanning their nucleus, environment and surface. Changing the ion energy, the insertion depth of the ion beam is varied so that the cell can be analyzed in three dimensions.
The cell/material interaction is a complex, dynamic process in which the cell and the material synergistically influence the fate of the cell. Indeed, both materials intrinsic (i.e. topography, charge, potential, and contact angle) and extrinsic properties (i.e. surface functionalization, crystallinity, etc.) played a pivotal role in dictating the type and strength of the biological responses (Figure 1). Furthermore, the ability of biomaterials to release bioactive molecules (i.e. resveratrol, fluoride, etc.) expands the possibilities to control cell-cell interactions and/or intracellular signal transduction. Our recent research demonstrated a functional role of charged polymers in altering or supporting the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) through the modulation of the ephrinB2/EphB4 interaction. Indeed, cell-cell signaling pathways that lead to efficient differentiation of stem cells include the interaction of Ephrin ligands (ephrinB2) with Eph receptors (EphB4). For the first time we have shown that high charged polymers can affect the Eph/ephrin interaction between neighboring cells inhibiting the MSCs osteogenic differentiation via the perturbation of the bidirectional signaling. In contrast, low charged polymers modulate the differentiation of MSCs into an osteocyte lineage via cell-cell ephrinB2/EphB4 signaling. Moreover, we demonstrated that electrospun PCL and PLA nanofibers loaded with resveratrol (RSV) differently modulate DPSCs osteoblast differentiation and inhibit osteoclastogenesis depending on their RSV release kinetics. Our results indicate that the slow and continuous RSV release from PLA was able to modulate both osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation representing a promising material for the preservation of post-extraction integrity of alveolar socket. Taking together, our results highlight that rationally designed materials can give rise to biomaterials able to modulate functional aspects of biological signaling. Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms by which cells respond to external stimuli could be a successful strategy i.e. in cancer therapy, regenerative medicine, etc.
