Carcass characteristics of Karadi lambs as affect by different levels of dietary supplement of rumen degradable nitrogen fed with Nigella sativa

The objective of the work described here was to investigate the effect of two levels of Nigella sativa (0 and 7.5 g NS / kg DM) supplementation to rations of Karadi lambs fed three levels of rumen degradable nitrogen (1, 1.3 and 1.6 g RDN / MJ of ME) on carcass characteristics, using 2 x 3 factorial experiment. Twenty four individual Karadi male lambs were used (four lambs for each treatment). They were weighing approximately 30 kg live weight and 7 months old. The diets were formulated to be given at40% NaOH-treated barley straw DM to 60% concentrates DM. At the end of feeding trial, all the lambs were slaughtered after over night with feeding straw. Live weight gain was improved (P < 0.05) in lambs fed diets supplemented with NS as compared with those lambs fed diet without NS. However, live weight gain was not affected by levels of RDN. Changes in slaughter weight, Killing out proportion, leg cuts tissue, the wholesale cuts weight and fat-tail weight were not significantly affected by both NSsupplementation and levels of RDN. However, the heavier slaughter weights, cold carcass and fat tail weights were associated with lambs fed highest level of RDN supplemented with NS (P < 0.05). Moreover, there is a linear increase in fat-tail weight associated with lambs fed increasing levels of RDN supplemented with NS

Purification and biochemical characterization of a Ca2+- independent, thermostable and acidophilic α-amylase from Bacillus sp. RM16

Bacillus sp. RM16 was isolated from a hot spring in Karachi and screened for the production of α- amylase. The enzyme was obtained after 72 h cultivation of strain in Luria broth containing 1% starch (w/v). Enzyme Amy RM16 was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a series of sequential steps including precipitation with ammonium sulfate at 70% saturation, Q-Sepharose, Phenyl Sepharose and reversed phase chromatography. The purified enzyme is made up of a single polypeptide chain of 66 kDa as established by a combination of SDS-PAGE and zymographic analysis. In our experimental conditions, a total yield of 1.35% with specific activity of 6380U/mg was obtained providing 17 fold final purification of the enzyme. Biochemical characterization of the Amy RM16 such as optimum temperature and pH, substrate specificity and enzymatic susceptibilities towards different metal ions and inhibitors were also performed. Results of these studies revealed that, the enzyme is active at wide temperature range with optimum activity at 80°C and retained 85% of the activity for 3 h at 50°C and around 50% of remaining activity for 1 h at 80°C. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 5.0. On the other hand, Ca+2 and EDTA (1 to 5 mM) did not significantly affect the enzyme activity. The main substrate for the enzyme was found to be starch but it could also hydrolyze raw starch, dextrin, γ-cyclodextrin and pullulan.Key words: Ca2+-independent, Bacillus sp, thermostable α-amylases, low pH profile, enzyme, raw starch digestion, HPLC

Enumeration and estimation of insect attack fruits of some cultivars of Punica granatum.

In this study, five cultivars of Punica granatum identified (two of which are endemic, while the other three are new) were grown in certain farms at Al-Taif, Saudi Arabia. Enumeration to the insects attack its' fruits illustrated that, there are three insects, namely, Virchola livia, Ectomyelois ceratonia and Pseudococcus maitimus (or/and Pseudococcus citri) infested both cracked and healthy pomegranate fruits. The population density of immature stage of V. livia was noticed in healthy fruit more than cracked fruit, while E. ceratonia was shown the converse. Besides, there is high infection by the three insects at 2008 more than 2009. Measurement susceptibility of the five cultivars showed that, Al- Taif cultivar was the most resistant one to V. livia infestation, being 3.5 and 1.8% of immature stage/20 healthy or cracked fruits. While the most resistance one to immature stages of E. ceratonia was Wonderful-mangulatory cultivar recording infestation of 0.0 and 2.4% of immature stage/20 healthy or cracked fruits during 2008 and 2009.Key word: Pomegranate cultivars, Virchola livia, Ectomyelois ceratonia, mealy bugs, susceptibility

Throughput and energy efficiency of two-tier cellular networks: Massive MIMO overlay for small cells

In this paper, the downlink performance of twotier heterogenous network is investigated. We consider a scenario where the macro-tier is empowered by massive antennaarray thus allowing for Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission scheduling. The small cellular network complements the macro-tier capacity. We propose a novel channel allocation mechanism which optimally splits the spectral resources to maximize network level throughput and energy efficiency. Our proposed channel allocation mechanism is robust to the topological and channel variations. More specifically, the proposed scheme is designed by capturing the random locations of the users in both tiers by a Poisson Point Process (PPP). The channel uncertainty is captured by considering Rayleigh fading complemented by large scale power law path-loss. Our analysis shows that there exists an optimal split which maximizes the network wide throughput and energy efficiency. We also demonstrate that there exists an optimal transmit power which maximizes the energy efficiency for the network. Under different scenarios, massive MIMO plays a vital role in improving sum rate capacity as compared to single antenna femtocells. Finally, using implementation parameters, we obtain the optimal configurations that improve system capacity and energy efficienc

Study on the conformation of insulin by solvent perturbation and ultraviolet spectroscopy

This study attempted to gain an insight of the conformation of insulin using solvent perturbation and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The effects of two solvents, mercaptoethanol and sucrose on the absorption spectrum of Insulin were studied; changes in ionic strength and pH were used to  identify the position of amino acid chromophores. The effect on the absorption spectrum of movement from a non-polar to a polar  environment indicates that tyrosine and phenylalanine reside on the surface of insulin protein. The results show that pH resolved spectral behavior of Insulin in the neighborhood of 290 nm is determined  predominantly by the ionization of imidazole – NH+ of histidine. The results, however, do not rule out the possible contribution of the phenol hydroxyl of tyrosine in the spectral behavior. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Insulin conformation, solvent perturbation, ultraviolet spectroscopy

Burkholderia cepacia complex species differ in the frequency of variation of the lipopolysaccharide O-antigen expression during cystic fibrosis chronic respiratory infection

Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) bacteria can adapt to the lung environment of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients resulting in the emergence of a very difficult to eradicate heterogeneous population leading to chronic infections associated with rapid lung function loss and increased mortality. Among the important phenotypic modifications is the variation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structure at level of the 0-antigen (OAg) presence, influencing adherence, colonization and the ability to evade the host defense mechanisms. The present study was performed to understand whether the loss of OAg expression during CF infection can be considered a general phenomenon in different Bcc species favoring its chronicity. In fact, it is still not clear why different Bcc species/strains differ in their ability to persist in the CF lung and pathogenic potential. The systematic two-decade-retrospective-longitudinal-screening conducted covered 357 isolates retrieved from 19 chronically infected patients receiving care at a central hospital in Lisbon. The study involved 21 Bcc strains of six/seven Bcc species/lineages, frequently or rarely isolated from CF patients worldwide. Different strains/clonal variants obtained during infection gave rise to characteristic OAg-banding patterns. The two most prevalent and feared species, B. cenocepacia and B. multivorans, showed a tendency to lose the OAg along chronic infection. B. cenocepacia recA lineage IIIA strains known to lead to particularly destructive infections exhibit the most frequent OAg loss, compared with lineage IIIB. The switch frequency increased with the duration of infection and the level of lung function deterioration. For the first time, it is shown that the rarely found B. cepacia and B. contaminans, whose representation in the cohort of patients examined is abnormally high, keep the OAg even during 10- or 15-year infections. Data from co-infections with different Bcc species reinforced these conclusions. Concerning the two other rarely found species examined, B. stabilis exhibited a stable OAg expression phenotype over the infection period while for the single clone of the more distantly related B. dolosa species, the OAg-chain was absent from the beginning of the 5.5-year infection until the patient dead. This work reinforces the relevance attributed to the OAg-expression switch suggesting marked differences in the various Bcc species

Restriction Inhibition Assay: A Qualitative and Quantitative Method to Screen Sequence Specific DNA Binder from Herbal Plants

Purpose: To employ restriction inhibition assay (RIA) to screen phytochemical-rich fractions (PRFs) with high affinity for EcoRI and HindIII restriction sequences and correlate their interaction to an anticancer activity.Methods: pBR322 linear plasmid DNA was used as a template to screen the sequence-selective inhibition of aqueous extracts of Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Picrorhiza kurroa, respectively. The template was further incubated with different concentrations of PRFs prior to digestion with restriction endonucleases HindIII and EcoRI. The Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) and Sequence Tag Sites (STS) of oncogenes were screened for the presence of EcoRI and HindIII restriction sequences to associate an anticancer property to PRF.Results: The inhibitory concentrations of Cinnamomum zeylanicum aqueous extract against HindIII and EcoRI endonucleases were approximately 2.5 and 5 μg/μl, respectively. No binding was observed for Picrorhiza kurroa at both HindIII and EcoRI restriction sites. The saponin-rich fractions of Cinnamomum zeylanicum showed significant (p < 0.001) inhibition as compared to control at concentrations of 0.28±1.45 μg/μl for EcoRI and 0.11±2.68 μg/μl for HindIII endonucleases. Both EcoRI and HindIII restriction sites were found repeatedly in the STS and ESTs of BRCA2, the early onset oncogene.Conclusion: The inhibition of endonucleases by phytochemical-rich fractions provides direct evidence of the use of RIA for screening as well as demonstrating the binding specificity of these PRFs. The presence of 5’-AAGCTT-3’ & 5’-GAATTC-3’ in the ESTs of BRAC2 provides an insight into the use of screened components as leads in the search for novel anticancer compounds.Keywords: Restriction endonucleases, Restriction sites, Phytochemicals, Restriction inhibition assay (RIA), Binding specificity, Oncogenes, Sequence tag sites, Expressed sequence tag, Anticancer

Cold- Process Synthesis and Properties of Soaps Prepared from Different Triacylglycerol Sources

This study was conducted to find out how different fats and oils produce soaps of different characteristics. It describes cold-process saponification using different fats and oils. Shea nut oil (SAP value:183.9mgKOH/g), groundnut oil (SAP value:187.7mgKOH/g) and Tallow (SAP value:140.3mgKOH/g) were used. Colour, texture, lathering and cleansing power of the prepared soaps were analyzed. shea butter soap had the best lathering capacity. The groundnut oil soap had the most effective cleaning power .The soaps were also recommended for household use .This activity was also provided to share a delight in chemistry with senior school students and to actively engage them in hands-on-active learning

Haematological Characteristics and Blood Urea Nitrogen of Sokoto Red Goat Kids Fed Fore-Stomach Digesta as Replacement for Cowpea Husk

study was conducted to monitor the haematological characteristics and blood urea nitrogen of Sokoto Red kids fed varying levels of Fore-stomach digesta (FSD) replacing cowpea husk at 0, 10, 20 and 30 % levels of inclusion in complete experimental diets. Blood samples were collected prior to and after the feeding trial. The study lasted for 15 weeks. Results indicated thathaematological values and blood urea nitrogen were within the normal range indicating no toxicity associated with the feeding of FSD to Sokoto Red goat kids. The study concluded that 20 % was the best inclusion level for better economic production

Growth performance and economics of sheep production with varying levels of rice milling waste

A twelve-week feeding trial was conducted using sixteen (16) growing Uda lambs to determine the growth performance of sheep fed varying levels of rice milling waste. Diets containing graded levels of rice milling waste replacing wheat offal at 15, 30 and 45% inclusion levels were formulated. Diet without rice milling waste served as control. Results showed that incorporating rice milling waste in the diet of growing sheep up to 45% level did not adversely affect (P>0.05) growth performance. Such incorporation led to decrease in the cost of feed /kg live-weight gain. However, animals on 30% rice milling waste diet were better compared to other treatments in terms of dry matter intake, weight gain, and cost of production. For best economic returns, rice milling waste in the diet of the growing sheep should not exceed 30%. Finally, it is recommended that more trials should be carried out with different breeds of sheep in order to ascertain the true feeding value of rice milling waste