Antifungal activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extract on Fusarium species

The basil extract composition was determined by the GC-MS method and 38 different components were identified. The major components of the basil extract were estragol (86.72%), trans-α-bergamotene (2.91%), eucalyptol (2.67%), trans-ocimene (1.04%), linalool (0.72%), methyl-eugenol (0.71%), etc. The antifungal potential of the basil extract was tested against Fusarium oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. subglutinans, and F. verticillioides isolated from cakes, using the agar plate method. Extract concentrations of 0.35 and 0.70% (v/v) significantly inhibited the growth of F. proliferatum (33.37 and 44.30%, respectively) and F. subglutinans (24.74 and 29.27%, respectively) whereas other investigated Fusarium species exhibited much lower sensitivity. The basil extract completely inhibited the growth of investigated Fusarium spp. at the concentration of 1.50% (v/v). Higher concentrations (0.35 and 0.70% (v/v)) reduced growth of aerial mycelium in all tested species. Strong medium pigmentation in the case of F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides was observed. The microscopic examination of the samples confirmed the presence of hyphae deformations with a frequent occurrence of fragmentations, thickenings and diminished sporulation. In addition to the basic, sensory, role the extract of basil has in the food product, it exerted significant antifungal properties, depending on its concentration.Key words: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) extract, components, antifungal activity, Fusarium spp

Failure prediction of gas and oil drilling rig pipelines with axial defects

Working conditions of casing pipes in drilling rigs can significantly influence the initiation and development of damage in the material, and therefore also the safe service of the entire system. In this work, an integrity assessment of a steel pipe with initial defect (machined surface crack) is presented. The position of this defect is on the external surface; unlike transport pipes, where internal surface is often endangered due to the contact with the fluid, casing pipes are often exposed to damages at the external surface. Analyzed crack is in axial direction, bearing in mind that this type of defect most significantly decreases the load carrying capacity of the cylindrical pressurized components. A pipe segment exposed to internal pressure is analyzed experimentally and numerically, using the finite element method. The experimental setup included the tracking of crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) values, as well as J integral, which is determined by application of direct measurement. Criteria for pipe failure are determined on finite element models of the pipe; fracture initiation and plastic collapse are considered as failure mechanisms. The size of the crack is varied in the finite element models; several 3D models with different crack sizes (length and depth) are evaluated. Dependence of maximum internal pressure on the defect size is obtained. 2D plane strain models are also examined, with an aim to determine the applicability limits of this simplified approach. Based on the obtained results, integrity assessment criteria for the analyzed geometries are discussed

New insights into body condition score and its association with fatty liver in Holstein dairy cows

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between body condition and fatty liver in high-yielding dairy cows. One hundred dry Holstein cows were selected. Cows were scored once for body condition during the dry period, puerperium and month 2 of lactation, according to the system provided by Elanco Animal Health Buletin Al 8478. Body condition loss was determined as marked if loss was over 0.7 points between two consecutive phases of cycles and over 1.5 points between puerperium and month 2 of lactation. Liver tissue samples were taken 12 d after calving and tested for lipid content. 50% of cows had mild (3.92 +/- 3.33% fat), 33% moderate (19.28 +/- 5.18% fat), and 17% severe fatty liver (36.21 +/- 4.55% fat). The mean body condition scores were 3.79 +/- 0.55 (dry period), 3.18 +/- 0.34 (puerperium) and 2.90 +/- 0.29 (month 2 of lactation). Marked body condition loss from the dry period to puerperium had 38% of cows, 20% from dry period to month 2 of lactation and 8% from puerperium to month 2 of lactation. Body condition scores out of the physiological range had 39% dry cows, 49 % cows in puerperium and 9% cows at month 2 of lactation. After dividing cows into groups according to fatty liver degree, it was shown that only cows with severe fatty liver were obese during the dry period and that 76.47% of cows from this group had marked condition loss from the dry period to puerperium, 47.06% from dry period to month 2 of lactation and 23.53% from puerperium to month 2 of lactation. These indicate that in cows with severe fatty liver lipomobilisation is intensive and starts around calving, before milk production enhacement. Our results indicate a strong association between body condition and fatty liver in cows, which can be estimated only when body condition is analyzed in details. Besides, our results clearly indicate that body condition is not the only etiological factor that leads to fatty liver in dairy cows

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Theoretical Calculations, Antibacterial Activity, Electrochemical Behavior, and Molecular Docking of Ni(II) and Cu(II) Complexes with Pyridoxal-Semicarbazone

New Ni (II) and Cu (II) complexes with pyridoxal-semicarbazone were synthesized and their structures were solved by X-ray crystallography. This analysis showed the bis-ligand octahedral structure of [Ni(PLSC-H)2]·H2O and the dimer octahedral structure of [Cu(PLSC)(SO4)(H2O)]2·2H2O. Hirshfeld surface analysis was employed to determine the most important intermolecular interactions in the crystallographic structures. The structures of both complexes were further examined using density functional theory and natural bond orbital analysis. The photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue in the presence of both compounds was investigated. Both compounds were active toward E. coli and S. aureus, with a minimum inhibition concentration similar to that of chloramphenicol. The obtained complexes led to the formation of free radical species, as was demonstrated in an experiment with dichlorofluorescein-diacetate. It is postulated that this is the mechanistic pathway of the antibacterial and photocatalytic activities. Cyclic voltammograms of the compounds showed the peaks of the reduction of metal ions. A molecular docking study showed that the Ni(II) complex exhibited promising activity towards Janus kinase (JAK), as a potential therapy for inflammatory diseases, cancers, and immunologic disorders

Influence of fatty acid composition of sunflower kernel on quality and shelf-life of cookies

Sunflower kernel is a rich source of nutritively valuable components like proteins, essential fatty and amino acids, vitamins and mineral matters and as such, is a convenient raw material for the production of enriched cookies, biscuits, crackers as functional food. The influence of high-oleic type sunflower kernel on quality and stability of cookies was investigated, compared to products with standard confectionary sunflower kernel, with dominating polyunsaturated linoleic acid. The optimal keeping time of cookies with standard confectionary sunflower kernel is 4 months, and of cookies with high-oleic sunflower kernel is significantly longer than 5 months

Equivalent geometric errors of rotary axes and novel algorithm for geometric errors compensation in a nonorthogonal five-axis machine tool

The indirect identification of the geometric errors (GEs) in the rotary axis of a machine tool yields six equivalent GEs (EGEs) that are position-dependent; through an analytical proof, this study demonstrates that these errors also represent four position-independent GEs of the axis. Moreover, a novel algorithm using ball bar measurements to calculate the EGEs of a nutating rotary B-axis and a rotary C-axis is presented herein. This paper also presents a new analytical solution for the actual inverse kinematics of a nonorthogonal five-axis machine tool; this solution is used for GE compensation. The presented algorithms are implemented in a self-developed software that alters the nominal numerical control code in order to eliminate GEs. The compensation accuracy and efficiency are tested using a simulation system. The results demonstrate that the proposed compensation algorithm eliminates all identified GEs. Lastly, a cutting test executed on a machine confirms that the proposed algorithms considerably improve machining accuracy

THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION WITH CORN SILAGE AND ADDITIONAL FORAGE MIXTURES ON CERTAIN QUALITY PARAMETERS OF PIG MEAT**

**Original scientific paper Abstract: Objective of this paper was to investigate the effect of nutrition consisting of corn silage and added forage mixtures or wheat or soy bean grain, livestock yeast and fish meal on major physical-chemical traits of pig meat. In the trial, in control and trial group there were 50 pigs in each group with equal presence of male and female pigs of average body weight of 60 kg fattened to final live body mass of 100 kg. Meat from pigs of control group (M.longisimus dorsi) contained: 73,2

Brašno - Kruh '13

The "Flour-Bread '13“ Congress topics were the following: breeding and quality of cereal grains, grain storage and milling technology, analytical and rheological methods, baking technology, improvers and additives, starch and modified starch, extrusion and pasta production, biscuit and pastry products, nutritional quality of cereals, cereal food safety and cereal based functional foods