Study of mycoflora in cultured Indian white shrimp (Penaeus indicus) in Abadan, Iran

The development of the commercial culture of penaeid shrimps has been accompanied by the occurrence of infectious and noninfectious diseases. The most important penaeid diseases are caused by organisms that are part of the normal microflora of penaeids. In 1998, the samples were collected from five farms in Ghofase area (Ahadan) 2-5 ponds in each farm. The shrimps of these ponds were preserved in full hygienic conditions, from each pond, at least 5 samples were collected and then transferred to the Aquatic Diseases Laboratory of Khouzestan Fisheries Research Center. The main tissues of Gill, Hemolymph, Hepatopancreas and cuticle of live-shrimps were studied in the laboratory. In this research, a total of 40 fungal species were isolated from different tissues with high abundance in Hepatopancrease (19 species) and Hemolymph (12 species). Aspergillus niger was identified as the most abundant species

Liquid loading in wellbores and its effect on cleanup period and well productivity in tight gas sand reservoirs

Tight gas reservoirs normally have production problems due to very low matrix permeability and significant damage during well drilling, completion, stimulation and production. Therefore they might not flow gas to surface at optimum rates without advanced production improvement techniques. After well stimulation and fracturing operations, invaded liquids such as filtrate will flow from the reservoir into the wellbore, as gas is produced during well cleanup. In addition, there might be production of condensate with gas. The produced liquids when loaded and re-circulated downhole in wellbores, can significantly reduce the gas pro-duction rate and well productivity in tight gas formations.This paper presents assessments of tight gas reservoir productivity issues related to liquid loading in wellbores using numerical simulation of multiphase flow in deviated and horizontal wells. A field example of production logging in a horizontal well is used to verify reliability of the numerical simulation model outputs. Well production performance modelling is also performed to quantitatively evaluate water loading in a typical tight gas well, and test the water unloading techniques that can improve the well productivity. The results indicate the effect of downhole liquid loading on well productivity in tight gas reservoirs. It also shows how well cleanup is sped up with the improved well productivity when downhole circulating liquids are lifted using the proposed methods

Optimal placement of fuses and switches in active distribution networks using value-based MINLP

Contingency conditions in distribution networks create financial losses for different parts of the system including electricity customers, electricity retailers, distributed generation (DG) units, etc. Therefore, protective device allocation methods have been introduced in recent years to enhance the reliability of the power system. In this study, a new formulation is proposed to find the optimal places of sectionalizing switches and fuses while taking the financial loss of both electricity customers and DG units into account. The current method has the flexibility to consider DG effect on any location of the network and its islanded operation in case of contingencies. Moreover, the uncertainty in load and renewable generation is taken into account using stochastic programming. The results demonstrate that the DG units and their financial loss can change the results of switch and fuse placement dramatically when there are no tie switches in the network. Furthermore, it is found that this method can decrease the total reliability costs by 3.86% when high penetration of DG units is introduced into a modified Roy Billinton test system (RBTS). The problem is modeled as a mixed-integer nonlinear (MINLP) formulation and is handled using BARON solver in GAMS environment

A low cost and highly accurate technique for big data spatial-temporal interpolation

The high velocity, variety and volume of data generation by today's systems have necessitated Big Data (BD) analytic techniques. This has penetrated a wide range of industries; BD as a notion has various types and characteristics, and therefore a variety of analytic techniques would be required. The traditional analysis methods are typically unable to analyse spatial-temporal BD. Interpolation is required to approximate the values between the already existing data points, yet since there exist both location and time dimensions, only a multivariate interpolation would be appropriate. Nevertheless, existing software are unable to perform such complex interpolations. To overcome this challenge, this paper presents a layer by layer interpolation approach for spatial-temporal BD. Developing this layered structure provides the opportunity for working with much smaller linear system of equations. Consequently, this structure increases the accuracy and stability of numerical structure of the considered BD interpolation. To construct this layer by layer interpolation, we have used the good properties of Radial Basis Functions (RBFs). The proposed new approach is applied to numerical examples in spatial-temporal big data and the obtained results confirm the high accuracy and low computational cost. Finally, our approach is applied to explore one of the air pollution indices, i.e. daily PM2.5 concentration, based on different stations in the contiguous United States, and it is evaluated by leave-one-out cross validation

The effect of tactile-kinesthetic stimulation on growth indices of healthy neonates

Abstract Therapeutic touch is emphasized by healthcare professionals for improvement of neonates' growth and development. However, inconsistencies exist regarding effects and methods of massage in neonates. The purpose of this clinical trial is to assess and comprise intervention and control groups regarding the effects of tactile-kinesthetic stimulation (TKS) by mothers on growth indices of healthy term neonates. Sixty healthy term neonates were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Mothers of neonates in the experimental group were trained to perform TKS for their newborns at home before feeding for at least 28 consecutive days, two times a day, and 15 min each time. Neonates in the control group were not required to receive this intervention. The neonates’ growth indices were measured within 24 h after birth, and then at days 14 and 28. During the study and the three consecutive measurements, no significant difference was found between the mean weights, heights, and head circumferences of the neonates in the two groups (p > 0.05). Keywords: Tactile-kinesthetic stimulation Growth indices Neonates Mother's touc

The Market Potential of Grape Waste Alternatives

During wine production, approximately 25% of the grape weight results in by-product/waste (termed ‘pomace’ which is comprised of skins and seeds). Currently, most pomace is being composted to be reintroduced into the vineyards to complete the carbon cycle. Due to the increasing consumer demand for the use of natural over synthetic compounds, and because of increased attention to sustainability of agricultural practices (Fontana, Antoniolli, & Bottini, 2013), there is a vast array of applications for grape pomacebioactives including: functional foods (dietary fiber + polyphenols), food processing (biosurfactants), cosmetics (grapeseed oil + antioxidants), pharmaceutical/biomedical (pullulan) and supplements (grape pomace powder). To date, there has been no assessment as to the market potential for value-added usage of grape pomace. This paper seeks to address this gap. The annual production of grape pomace along with its multitude of applications, create an opportunity to discover an unexploited market with great commercial potential

An Analysis of the Composition, Health Benefits, and Future Market Potential of the Jerusalem Artichoke in Canada

This article presents an overview of the Jerusalem artichoke and its potential uses in consumer food products. Jerusalem artichoke, native to North America, is characterized by its sunflower-like appearance and carbohydrate-rich tubers. For centuries, Jerusalem artichoke tubers were a food source for Aboriginal Canadians and early European settlers. Today, Jerusalem artichoke is used to obtain inulin for addition into food products. Inulin is a polysaccharide that provides several health benefits when consumed. Due to its unique structure of fructose and glucose molecules, inulin is indigestible by the human digestive system. Its benefits are realized when it enters the large intestine and is fermented by microorganisms. This process stimulates prebiotic and dietary fibre effects that improve the growth of beneficial bacteria and promote greater digestive health. Additionally, inulin can act as a sugar or fat substitute in foods, and even facilitates the absorption of minerals in the large intestine. Currently, the use of Jerusalem artichoke inulin in commercial food products is limited. However, trends focusing on healthy living and supporting local industry indicate that Canadian consumers will positively view products made with Canadian-grown Jerusalem artichoke. The advantage that Jerusalem artichoke has over other inulin-rich products is that it can grow on poor land and is also more resistant to extreme weather conditions relative to corn and/or sugar beet; this is significant in the Canadian context. Given these trends and supplementary market data, the potential market size for Jerusalem artichoke-enriched products has been determined. Additionally, prices of currently available inulin-enriched products have been used as guidelines to determine total market potential. Market potential for baked goods, particularly muffins, was found to be $CAD 8,721,788 while market potential for beverages, namely soda, was found to be$CAD 11,707,098. These numbers, though imperfect, indicate that there is strong potential for Jerusalem artichoke-enriched products to be marketed to Canadian consumers

Ankk1 Loss of Function Disrupts Dopaminergic Pathways in Zebrafish.

Ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) is a member of the receptor-interacting protein serine/threonine kinase family, known to be involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and activation of transcription factors. Genetic variation within the ANKK1 locus is suggested to play a role in vulnerability to addictions. However, ANKK1 mechanism of action is still poorly understood. It has been suggested that ANKK1 may affect the development and/or functioning of dopaminergic pathways. To test this hypothesis, we generated a CRISPR-Cas9 loss of function ankk1 zebrafish line causing a 27 bp insertion that disrupts the ankk1 sequence introducing an early stop codon. We found that ankk1 transcript levels were significantly lower in ankk1 mutant (ankk127ins ) fish compared to their wild type (ankk1 +/+) siblings. In ankk1 +/+ adult zebrafish brain, ankk1 protein was detected in isocortex, hippocampus, basolateral amygdala, mesencephalon, and cerebellum, resembling the mammalian distribution pattern. In contrast, ankk1 protein was reduced in the brain of ankk127ins/27ins fish. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed an increase in expression of drd2b mRNA in ankk127ins at both larval and adult stages. In ankk1 +/+ adult zebrafish brain, drd2 protein was detected in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and caudate homolog regions, resembling the pattern in humans. In contrast, drd2 expression was reduced in cortical regions of ankk127ins/27ins being predominantly found in the hindbrain. No differences in the number of cell bodies or axonal projections detected by anti-tyrosine hydroxylase immunostaining on 3 days post fertilization (dpf) larvae were found. Behavioral analysis revealed altered sensitivity to effects of both amisulpride and apomorphine on locomotion and startle habituation, consistent with a broad loss of both pre and post synaptic receptors. Ankk127ins mutants showed reduced sensitivity to the effect of the selective dopamine receptor antagonist amisulpride on locomotor responses to acoustic startle and were differentially sensitive to the effects of the non-selective dopamine agonist apomorphine on both locomotion and habituation. Taken together, our findings strengthen the hypothesis of a functional relationship between ANKK1 and DRD2, supporting a role for ANKK1 in the maintenance and/or functioning of dopaminergic pathways. Further work is needed to disentangle ANKK1's role at different developmental stages

Presence of Caffeic Acid in Flaxseed Lignan Macromolecule

Phenolic compounds were extracted from defatted flaxseeds using ethanol-dioxane (1:1, v/v). The crude extract obtained was purified using Amberlite XAD-16 column chromatography with water and methanol as mobile phases. RP-HPLC and SE-HPLC showed a lignan macromolecule (LM) as a dominant phenolic compound in the purified extract. After the alkaline hydrolysis of LM caffeic acid glucoside (CaAG) was isolated using a semi-preparative HPLC and its structure was confirmed by LC-ESI-MS. In LM of the investigated flaxseed, one molecule of caffeic acid corresponded with five molecules of p-coumaric acid and two molecules of ferulic acid. The presence of caffeic acid in the lignan molecule might be very beneficial due to its high antioxidant activity