Evaluation of the Dietary Effect of Hallabong Peel Oil on Growth, Hematological, and Immune Gene Expression in Rock Bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus Challenged with Edwardsiella tarda

In the present study we evaluated the dietary effect of Hallabong peel oil (HPO) on growth, disease resistance, and immune gene expression of rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus challenged with Edwardsiella tarda after a 4 week feeding trial with 5 treatments: control-C, probiotic–P, HPO (0.1%), HPO (0.5%), and P+HPO, diets. All fish groups were assessed for growth performance, innate immune parameters, serum biochemical profile, and immune gene expression in head kidney on 2nd, and 4th week, and 1st, 3rd and 7th day post infection with Edwardsiella tarda. Fish fed the HPO enriched diets showed increased growth performance with significantly decreased (P>0.05) mortality compared with the control and probiotic diet groups. The positive effects of HPO enriched diet were also found in all assessed innate immune and biochemical parameters which included increased respiratory burst and lysozyme activity, with significantly increased erythrocyte and leukocytes counts, increased serum protein, decreased glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol level in serum compared with control diet fed fish. Moreover, the probiotic bacterial count in the intestine of fish was enhanced with the HPO diet and the P+HPO diet compared to fish fed the probiotic diet. The head kidney of HPO enriched diet fed fish showed up-regulated expression of inflammatory cytokines genes such as TNFα, IL-1β, and FST, after 4th week of feeding trial which was increased ~2 to 3 times on 1dpi and 3 dpi. These results indicate that limonene rich (91.26%), HPO enriched diets enhance growth and immunity and enhance disease resistance of Oplegnathus fasciatus challenged against E. tarda

Human and Animal Pentastomiasis in Malaysia : Review

Pentastomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease induced by the larval stages of pentasomes. The disease has been reported in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia and caused by the nymphs of the two genera: Linguatula and Armillifer and the two species L. serrata and A. armillatus regard for more than 90% of human cases. The definitive hosts of Armillifer spp. are snakes, lizards and other reptiles. The parasites live in the upper respiratory tracts and lay eggs that are passed out through respiratory secretions, saliva or faeces. Intermediate hosts are humans, rodents and other mammals. Humans incidentally acquire the infestation by the consumption of uncooked infested snake meat or by drinking water contaminated with ova of the pentastomes. In the intestinal tract, the larvae hatch from the ova, penetrate the intestinal wall and migrate to organs in which the liver is the most common site. Human pentastomiasis was reported among aborigines in West and East Malaysia. Armillifer moniliformis was identified in wild animals and carnivores with infection rate 1.8% and 20.7% respectively. The adults of pentostomes (A. moniliformis) were recovered from two out of six snakes Python reticulates. Recently a case of human pentastomiasis was reported in Sabah, East Malaysia, caused by nymph of Armillifer moniliformis

Bioethanol Production from Ulva pertusa Kjellman by High-temperature Liquefaction

This work was investigated to improve hydrolysis yields of macro alga, Ulva pertusa Kjellman by high-temperature liquefaction process (HTLP). We hydrolyzed this alga to produce bioethanol. U. pertusa Kjellman contains approximately w = 32 % glucose, comprising w = 6 % cellulose and 20 % starch, along with w = 5.9 % xylose. Among 32 % of total carbohydrates, ca. 26 % of glucose was hydrolyzed from starch (20 %) and cellulose (6 %), respectively, which tells that a more efficient process might be considered to completely hydrolyze the polymers containing fermentable sugars such as glucose and galctose, etc. Optimal hydrolysis conditions for the high-temperature liquefaction process (HTLP) were determined to be 15 MPa and 150 °C for 15 min, with water as the solvent. We found that the process temperature and time were the most important factors in the operation. Under these conditions, the conversion yields of glucose and xylose were 9.08 and 21.14 %, respectively. After cellulase and amyloglucosidase treatment, 61.1 % glucose (based on w = 32.1 %, dry basis) was converted into glucose without further conversion into xylose. The present process provided 3.1 to 12.6 % higher overall hydrolysis yields from U. pertusa Kjellman than those from other agricultural biomass. The HTLP process generated only about 40 mg L–1 of HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural). This concentration was much less than those from other pretreatment processes and resulted in approximately 90 % of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield. In addition, the hydrolysis pattern of U. pertusa Kjellman was much different from those of agricultural biomass materials due to different starch compositions and polymer structures

Changes in inorganic aerosol compositions over the Yellow Sea area from impact of Chinese emissions mitigation

Substantial mitigation of air pollutants emissions has been performed since 2013 around Beijing, and changes in the atmospheric characteristics have been expected over the downstream area of Beijing. In this study, both WRF-Chem simulation and on-site measurements were utilized for the Baengnyeong (island) supersite, one of the representative regional background sites located in the Yellow Sea, the entrance area of the long-range transport process in Korea. The changes in the chemical compositions of inorganic aerosols were examined for spring-time during the Chinese emission mitigation period from 2014 to 2016. The measured ratio of ionic species to PM2.5 at the Baengnyeong supersite showed changes in aerosol inorganic chemical compositions from sulfate in 2014 to nitrate in 2015–2016. The modeling results also showed that nitrate was low in 2014 and significantly increased in 2015 and 2016, and the acidic aerosol condition had also changed toward a more neutralized status in both the simulation and the observations. The WRF-Chem modeling study further indicated that the sulfur was not neutralized in 2014. However, in 2015 and 2016, SO2 was more sufficiently neutralized as sulfur emissions were substantially reduced in China, while at the same time nitrate had begun to increase in such a ‘SO2–poor’ condition in Beijing area in China, and thus approaching more enhanced neutralization over the Yellow Sea area. The causes of the higher nitrate based on the modeled characteristics of the ammonia-sulfate-nitrate aerosol formation in response to the SO2 emissions reduction in China are also discussed in this paper

Effects of purinergic stimulation on ciliary beat frequency and chloride secretion in sinusitis

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify the functional abnormality of sinusitis-affected mucosa by observing the responsiveness of the mucosa to purinergic stimulation after the onset of sinusitis and during the recovery period. We also aimed to identify possible beneficial effects of purinergic agonists on sinusitis. METHODS: A rabbit sinusitis model was developed by blocking maxillary ostia. Sinus mucosae were harvested immediately and 1 and 4 weeks after reopening the ostia. We measured chloride secretion and ciliary beat frequencies responding to purinergic stimulation. RESULTS: The increases of ciliary beat frequency by adenosine triphosphate (100 micromol/L) were 3.2%+/-8.5%, 7.9%+/-2.3%, and 12.2%+/-1.9% immediately after establishment of sinusitis and 1 week and 4 weeks after reopening of ostia, respectively. Chloride secretion stimulated by adenosine triphosphate also showed gradual increase during the recovery period. Grossly, the mucosae appeared to have normalized in 80% (4 of 5) after 4 weeks; however, functional and microscopic improvements were still incomplete. CONCLUSIONS: Mucosal functions, assessed by increase of ciliary activity and ion secretion by purinergic stimulation, and microscopic findings showed gradual but incomplete recovery after 4 weeks of recovery, in contrast to the gross normalization. Purinergic agonists may have beneficial effects on sinusitis by stimulating decreased ciliary motility and chloride secretion in sinusitis

Juvenile hormone: production, regulation, current application in vector control and its future applications

Juvenile hormone is an exclusive hormone found in insects which involves regulating various insect physiology. A total of eight juvenile hormones have been identified in insects which include JH 0, JH I, JH II, JH III, 4-methyl JH I (Iso- JH 0), JHB III, JHSB III, and MF. Corpora allata are the glands responsible for the production and synthesis of these hormones. They are involved in moulting, reproduction, polyethism, and behavioural regulations in different orders of insects. Factors such as diet temperatures, photoperiods, and plant compounds affect the biosynthesis and regulation of juvenile hormones. Juvenile hormones analogue is usually used to disrupt normal regulation of JH and this analogue is categorized as insect-growth regulators (IGRs) and is widely used in pest control as an alternative to chemical insecticides. Other applications of biosynthesis activities of this hormone have not been explored in the area of JHs. In this review, current applications of JHs and with an addition of their application will be discussed

Atomically thin three-dimensional membranes of van der Waals semiconductors by wafer-scale growth

We report wafer-scale growth of atomically thin, three-dimensional (3D) van der Waals (vdW) semiconductor membranes. By controlling the growth kinetics in the near-equilibrium limit during metal-organic chemical vapor depositions of MoS2 and WS2 monolayer (ML) crystals, we have achieved conformal ML coverage on diverse 3D texture substrates, such as periodic arrays of nanoscale needles and trenches on quartz and SiO2/Si substrates. The ML semiconductor properties, such as channel resistivity and photoluminescence, are verified to be seamlessly uniform over the 3D textures and are scalable to wafer scale. In addition, we demonstrated that these 3D films can be easily delaminated from the growth substrates to form suspended 3D semiconductor membranes. Our work suggests that vdW ML semiconductor films can be useful platforms for patchable membrane electronics with atomic precision, yet large areas, on arbitrary substrates.11Ysciescopu