319 research outputs found
Interaction of growth hormone with androgen/estrogen on beef carcass characteristics, and chemical, physical and palatability properties of longissimus muscle of steers
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin (bST), Revalor and the combination of the two on beef carcass characteristics, quality and physical, chemical and palatability attributes of bovine longissimus (loin eye) muscle. Crossbred steers (n = 20) were blocked by body weight and allotted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: control, Revalor-S°ler (Trenbolone acetate 120 mg+estraiol 24 mg) implanted in ear on day 1 and 97, bST (160 mg/wk), and Revalor-S°ler + bST and fed for 140 days. Loin eye was removed from left side, cut into 2.4 cm steaks and postmortem aged for 13 days. Revalor treatment increased (p \u3c.05) body, hot carcass, longissimus and semitendinosus weights and loin eye area; however, bST had no effect (p \u3c.05) on these variables. Backfat, KPH fat %, and dressing percentage were not affected (p \u3c.05) by either Revalor or bST. Carcass composition was physically separated into lean, fat, and bone. Lean, fat, and bone were increased (p \u3c.05) by Revalor; however, bST had no effect (p \u3c.05) on lean, bone was increased (p \u3c.05), and fat was reduced by 14.8% (p \u3c.13). Revalor tended to reduce marbling, and yield and quality grades; however; bST reduced marbling and quality grade (p \u3c.05, and.15) and had no effect on yield grade. Revalor had no effects on meat color, pH, drip and cook losses and water holding capacity; however, bST reduced cook losses (p \u3c.01). Revalor increased (p \u3c.05) protein, reduced (p \u3c.05) fat and had no effect on moisture; however, bST had no effect on these variables. Revalor decreased (p \u3c.05) total collagen and increased (p \u3c.26) soluble collagen. bST increased total collagen (p \u3c.01) and had no effects on soluble collagen. Revalor decreased (p \u3c.05) initial tenderness and myofibril fragmentation index (MFI), increased (p \u3c.05) shear force, and had no effects on juiciness and flavor intensity. Both bST had no effect on sensory attributes, shear force, and MFI. bST and Revalor had no effects (p \u3c.05) on fiber percentages. The percentage of intermediate fiber was increased and the percentage white fiber was decreased by either Revalor or bST. Revalor and bST had an additive effect for all of the measurements; however, there were interactions between Revalor and bST on semitendinosus weight (p \u3c.05), quality grade (p \u3c.08) and degree of marbling (p \u3c.04)
Face recognition employees attendance system
Face recognition uses a variety of technologies and locations to carry out the attendance system. In order to recognise a face in real-time settings utilising a specific purpose device, attendance systems require accurate results. Video architecture is also achieved in our design by piercing the camera via a stoner- friendly interface. The Overeater (Histogram of Acquainted Grade) algorithm is used to recognise and segment the face from the VHS frame. Garbling a photo using the Overeater method to obtain a simplified interpretation of the image is the first phase, or pre-processing stage. Find the part of the image that most closely resembles a general Overeater encoding of a face using this simplified image. Also in the next step, figuring out the face's disguise by chancing the primary landmarks in the face. Once we've located those landmarks, we can utilise them to anchor the image such that the eyes and mouth are centred. Run the centred face image through a neural network that understands how to measure facial traits. Save those 128 measurements for later. Examine all of the faces we've measured in the past to find who has the most similar measurements to ours. That's the result of our match. Overall, we developed a Python programme that takes an image from a database and does all of the necessary changes for recognition, as well as checks the image in videos or in real time by accessing the camera using a Stoner-friendly interface. After a successful match is made, the name and time of the individual in attendance is recorded
Development Of A Sub-Surface Stormwater Storage-Infiltration System
Floodings due to the increase in impervious areas as a result of urbanization are still a main problem in many countries, including Malaysia. The lack of open space in urban areas may hinder the use of typical stormwater detention/retention systems, which are normally constructed above ground. Systems installed below the surface (subsurface) have great potential in such areas. Subsurface detention/retention systems such as pipe systems, arch chamber systems, and storage tanks systems are available in some countries abroad, such as Australia and the U.S.A, and importing such systems is not cheap and it involves the outflow of funds from the country. In this research a new subsurface detention/retention system has been developed for the purposes of reduction of volume and flow rate of stormwater runoff and recharging groundwater. It may also be able to minimise the environmental impact on water quality. Developing a new system that is manufactured locally and based on a readily available material in the local market also encourages the growth of local industry and faster achievement for the aim to reduce the flooding and pollution in urbanized areas in the country. The system that has been developed in this research is called the Stormwater Infiltration Block (SWIB)system and the following criteria have been considered in its development; the system is designed to be installed in subsurface, it has high structural strength and storage capacity, it allows water to infiltrate at high rates, it is light in weight and cost effective, it requires low maintenance, and it is simple and easy to install. The SWIB system is composed of the Stormwater Infiltration Blocks (SWIBs) to store and infiltrate stormwater runoff, geotextile, geogrid, adequate soil cover, and porous pavement surface. The SWIB is formed by nine hollow plastic pipes held vertically together by two plastic holders, one each at the top and the bottom. Both, the pipes and holders are made from rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC-U). The design of the holder takes into consideration the following criteria; the holder must be strong enough to sustain, transfer and distribute the loads applied on the holder to the pipes, it is able to allow for SWIBs to be stacked above each other to achieve the desired height and provide firmly connected SWIBs, it must hold the pipes tightly without fasteners, and it should have high percentage of open space to allow water to flow into the SWIB very easily.
Experimental tests were carried out in the laboratory to investigate the structural and hydraulic performance of the SWIB system. A total of 20 experimental tests were carried out to investigate the structural performance of the SWIB system under different conditions. Some of these tests were done to evaluate the system ability to sustain the design axial compression load of 93 kN, which is the maximum load expected when the system is installed in a parking area and the results demonstrate that the system has the strength to sustain the load applied. Ultimate strength tests were also conducted and they proved that the SWIB has an ability for support the axial compression loads up to 486 kN, which is five times larger than the design load. No significant reduction in the SWIB strength was found when its height was increased from 348 mm to 648 mm. Lateral loads tests reveal that the SWIB has good ability for supporting lateral loads equivalent to the lateral soil pressure of up to 3 m depth below the ground surface without any damage observed in the SWIB system. For all the tests performed under the design load no critical stress that may lead to the SWIB failure occurred and no failure was observed in the SWIB geogrid or geotextile.
Another 20 experimental tests were carried out to investigate the hydraulic performance of the SWIB system under different conditions. Some of these tests were done to evaluate the infiltration rate through the system which revealed that the system has high infiltration rate and demonstrates an excellent efficiency in preventing the ponding of water on the surface area even under high rainfall intensities that varied from 300 mm/hr to 420 mm/hr for 5 min and 10 min rainfall durations. The type of block pavement surface used on top of the system significantly affect its infiltration rate, therefore, the correct pavement surface should be selected. The block pavement type which can give the highest infiltration rate is the open-celled type. Evaluation of the system capacity to store water demonstrates that the system has high storage capacity that reaches a value of 93% of the total volume of the SWIB
APPLICATION OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY FOR HYDROGEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDWATER IN RAS ALKHAIMAH, UAE
Groundwater includes a certain concentration of natural radioactive isotopes of uranium (U) and its decay products (daughters) like radon (Rn). Defining the concentration levels, spatial distribution, and possible environmental impact of these isotopes in groundwater is vital for sustainable groundwater resources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This dissertation focuses on documenting the distribution and determining the probable environmental impact and sources of Uranium-235 (235U), Uranium-238 (238U), and Radon-222 (222Rn) in groundwater in the Northern part of the UAE and specifically in the Wadi Al Bih aquifer in Ras Al Khaimah Emirate. The sampled wells occur at different distances from the coast, where some are very close to the coastal line, and some exist in the centre of Wadi Al Bih. A variety of techniques including ICP-MS, ICP-OES, and RAD7, were used for the analyses. The results reveal comparable activity concentration in the measured radioactivity in terms of spatial and local variability. All the 235U, 238U, and 222Rn concentrations in the measured groundwater samples are below the World Health Organization permissible limit for drinking water The occurrence of 235U, 238U, and 222Rn in the measured samples suggest a geochemical interaction between the aquifer’s lithology and water. In some wells, seawater intrusion is expected to be an additional source of uranium and elevated Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). The calculated radioactivity annual effective doses of inhalation and ingestion were below the maximum permissible annual dose limits defined by the WHO. The probable -uranium related- cancer mortality and morbidity were also calculated and found to be not hazardous following the permissible limits determined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
ABIOTIC STRESS EFFECT ON GROWTH AND PHOTOSYNTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS IN EMIRATI DATE PALM VARIETIES
Plants are naturally exposed to various environmental stresses that affect their growth and development. As a desert plant, date palm has developed strategies to protect itself from most abiotic stresses. However, projected climate changes and the interaction between the various abiotic stressors will have profound effects on date palm adaptation and production. In the present study, five date palm cultivars, namely Chichi, Kalas, Nabt Saif, Sultana and Zamli, were initially evaluated for salinity tolerance by measuring the growth parameters such as plant height, fresh weight and dry weight of shoots and roots. Based on the obtained results, Sultana and Zamli cultivars were identified as salinity tolerant and selected to study the response to future climate scenarios such as eCO2, enhanced UVB radiation and the combined effect of UVB and eCO2 in open chambers. The response of the date palm cultivars studied was determined by analysing photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll \u27a\u27, \u27b\u27 and total chlorophyll, carotenoids), biochemical contents (proline, protein, amino acid), proline metabolising enzymes (γ-glutamyl kinase activity, proline oxidase activity, non-enzymatic antioxidants (total phenols, α-tocopherol, reduced glutathione content) and antioxidant enzyme activities (polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase) were analysed. The results also showed that the Sultana cultivar is tolerant to future climate scenarios. However, more biotic stress and yield parameters are needed for the identification of biotic stress tolerant date palm cultivars
Brachyuran crabs of the Yemeni coastal waters (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Socotra Isands)
The present study examined 2287 brachyuran crab specimens collected in Yemen and material from previous collections partially stored in museums. The specimens were collected from 58 sites along the Yemeni coastal waters at Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Socotra Islands. They were collected from different habitats ranging from sandy shore to mangrove flats and rocky habitats, including different depth zones from the supralittoral zone to 300 m water depth. The present study obtained the first CO1 sequences in the region for 95 brachyuran specimens that were collected from Gulf of Aden
Experience of emergency medicine residents toward an implemented modified teaching approach
Lecturing has always been one of the traditional instructional methods in medical education. It is cost-effective, especially when it comes to conveying a large amount of information to many students at once. However, disadvantages are plenteous, one of which is its passive way of knowledge delivery and learning. Active learning, on the contrary, has better students' engagement and longer retention, and it results in better students' achievement. The emergency medicine residency training program at KAMC-Jeddah has modified the educational activity to become more aligned with the end-of-year assessment in the form of active learning. This study aimed to explore the experience of the residents regarding the implementation of the new educational approach. An exploratory-qualitative study utilizing constructive grounded theory was conducted, collecting our data through an in-depth 1:1 interview using semi-structured open-ended questions. Purposeful sampling was used, and saturation was reached after interviewing 24 residents. The general perception of residents toward the new teaching modes slightly varied, highlighting the positivity of the new educational environment, the desired impact on their learning, the challenges they encountered, and finally their high satisfaction level and support for this new experience. It was asserted that such experience could be permanently implemented to increase the efficacy of teaching and learning
Shar’i Politics in the Prophet’s Acts
Distinctions have to be drawn across Prophet Mohammad’s acts so that the Sunnah can be properly understood. They are
necessary for defining its contents in terms of broad legislations, specific Shar’i politics, what is not relevant to legislation and politics and what is controversial. In the researcher’s view, the Prophet’s acts in relation to legislation can best be understood by classifying them in accordance with his function or role at the time of the act in question. The Prophet’s acts embody the following varied roles: an individual human, a family man, a model of intellectual behaviour and social reform, the Messenger of Allah, a responsible Muslim, the Mufti, a judge and a ruler/imam. The Prophet’s acts fall into three categories: non-legislative; broadly legislative; and specifically legislative. The non legislative category does not inVol.ve Shar’i politics. As for the broad legislative category, the acts relate to Shar’i politics in a variety of
ways: as exceptions, e.g. in the case of acts based on the two types of revelation; as a means to prevention, approval and tradition, e.g. in ijtihād cases; as assessment of expected outcomes in the case of issuing fatwas; as the use of analogies in order to reach a proper judicial ruling; as making convictions if signs of suspicion appear on the accused; and as resorting to ta’zir (discretionary punishment, in criminal offences. However, the basic aspect of Shar’i politics in his acts lies in his role as the head of the Muslim stat
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