Agro-industrial development and sustainability in Bangladesh-A study

A study was conducted to know the current state of development sustainability of the agroindustrial sector in terms of its product diversity, export volume, export value, destination of the product by region and country. A structured questionnaire was prepared to do the random sampling survey and focused group discussion also held with the relevant stakeholder in agro-industrial sphere. The study revealed that in terms of value, the highest exported agro processed product is spices 21.46 million US$(25$ 70.13 million. In terms of export value, the major destination of Bangladesh agro-processed product is Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA) which amount is 20.2 million US$. In terms of export in weight, the major destination of Bangladesh agro-processed product is India (24372.88 metric ton).Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 5 (2): 37-43, December, 201

Affinity modulation of platelet integrin alphaIIbbeta3 by beta3-endonexin, a selective binding partner of the beta3 integrin cytoplasmic tail.

Platelet agonists increase the affinity state of integrin alphaIIbbeta3, a prerequisite for fibrinogen binding and platelet aggregation. This process may be triggered by a regulatory molecule(s) that binds to the integrin cytoplasmic tails, causing a structural change in the receptor. beta3-Endonexin is a novel 111-amino acid protein that binds selectively to the beta3 tail. Since beta3-endonexin is present in platelets, we asked whether it can affect alphaIIbbeta3 function. When beta3-endonexin was fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) and transfected into CHO cells, it was found in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus and could be detected on Western blots of cell lysates. PAC1, a fibrinogen-mimetic mAb, was used to monitor alphaIIbbeta3 affinity state in transfected cells by flow cytometry. Cells transfected with GFP and alphaIIbbeta3 bound little or no PAC1. However, those transfected with GFP/beta3-endonexin and alphaIIbbeta3 bound PAC1 specifically in an energy-dependent fashion, and they underwent fibrinogen-dependent aggregation. GFP/beta3-endonexin did not affect levels of surface expression of alphaIIbbeta3 nor did it modulate the affinity of an alphaIIbbeta3 mutant that is defective in binding to beta3-endonexin. Affinity modulation of alphaIIbbeta3 by GFP/beta3-endonexin was inhibited by coexpression of either a monomeric beta3 cytoplasmic tail chimera or an activated form of H-Ras. These results demonstrate that beta3-endonexin can modulate the affinity state of alphaIIbbeta3 in a manner that is structurally specific and subject to metabolic regulation. By analogy, the adhesive function of platelets may be regulated by such protein-protein interactions at the level of the cytoplasmic tails of alphaIIbbeta3

Dry season prevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia based on postmortem examination at Hadejia Abattoir, Jigawa State

The current prevalence study of CBPP was conducted at Hadejia abattoir of Jigawa state, Nigeria using  postmortem examination of CBPP lesions in lungs of cattle at slaughter. A total of 172 slaughtered cattle were examined at postmortem over the period of 3 months (March - May, 2014). Of the total, 5(2.9%) were positive for the presence of CBPP lesions. The disease was significantly higher (P<0.05) in females 4(8.3%) than in males 1(1.8%). Cattle within the rage of 3.5 – 4 years 3(9.7%) were significantly (P<0.05) infected than other age groups. Breed specific prevalence was highest 1(6.7%) in Sokoto gudali and lowest 1(3.1%) in white Fulani. This study concluded that CBPP is endemic and its prevalence is on the increase in the study area.Key words: Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, postmortem, prevalence, vaccination, abattoir, slaughtered

Preparation and structure characterization of soluble bone collagen peptide chelating calcium

In this study, G-25 gel chromatography, X-diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyze soluble collagen peptides chelating calcium. Collagen peptide hydrolysis can be divided into four components using G-25 gel chromatography. Each component of calcium binding capacity was different and the components whose molecular weight was less than 5000 Da had a relatively high calcium binding capacity. In the infrared spectra experimental certification, after the collagen peptides had combined with calcium, amide I, II wave number was displaced, which indicated that amino nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms on the carboxyl groups were involved in chelation. In the UV scan spectra, the characteristic absorption peak of the collagen peptide’s carbonyl and the peptide bond was clearly shifted, indicating that collagen peptides have reacted with calcium. In SEM spectra, a lot of white grains were seen to be "embedded" clearly in the surface of the collagen peptide, indicating that besides the reaction of coordination between collagen peptides and calcium, there was a certain degree of adsorption. After combination with calcium, the X-ray diffraction spectra showed that the no rules non-crystal structure collagen peptides turned into rules crystal structure. According to the structure analysis which showed that collagen peptide chelated calcium is a five-membered ring structure, calcium is in the center and was combined strongly with both the amino- and carboxyl-group.Key words: Bone, calcium binding, molecular weight, collagen peptide

Comparison of environmental health status in primary schools in different districts of Isfahan city in 2008-2009

Introduction. Students spend at least 20% of their time in schools. Training, educating and the personality of these students depends on appropriate educational methods, proper physical space, and also favorable mental environment. Students are considered as a major human resources of any society and dealing with their health and promoting educational environment health is in fact a kind of investment for future. In this study we examined the status of environmental health status in primary school of different districts of Isfahan. Materials and methods. This study was a descriptive-analytical study. The number of studied samples was 77 schools in Isfahan which were selected by regular randomized method. The tool used to gather data was a environmental health inquiry form for school environments, and consisted of two parts: the first part included common school specifications and the second part involved items dealing with desirability of various parts of schools.The above forms were filled out in 3 months by specialists in public health, evaluating the schools and interviewing the principals. Then, they were analyzed and a comparison was made between the results from various districts. Results. 76.6% of schools complied with the standards and 80.5% of classrooms were in desired conditions. Regarding the standards for building and classrooms, there was no significant difference between various districts. Hygiene services (water closets and basin) and drinking water were at desired level and there was no significant difference between various districts in this regard, however the district 1 was in undesired condition. Regarding collecting and disposing of rubbishes and trashes, 79% of schools were in desired condition and 49% of them had hygienic tuck-shops according to standards, but there was no significant difference between various districts. Conclusion. The study showed that the status of environment health is at desired level in primary schools in Isfahan, but the health of tuck-shops should improve in schools and it needs more attention and interest from authorities of Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and dedicating proper budgets to solve their health problems

A critical review on the contributions of chemical and physical factors toward the nucleation and growth of large-area graphene

Since the first isolation of graphene over a decade ago, research into graphene has exponentially increased due to its excellent electrical, optical, mechanical and chemical properties. Graphene has been shown to enhance the performance of various electronic devices. In addition, graphene can be simply produced through chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Although the synthesis of graphene has been widely researched, especially the CVD growth method, the lack of understanding of various synthetic parameters still limits the fabrication of large-area and defect-free graphene films. This report critically reviews various parameters affecting the quality of CVD grown graphene to understand the relationship between these parameters and thechoice of metal substrates and to provide a point of reference for future studies of large-area, CVD-grown graphene

Aerobic Exercise Training Protects Against Endothelial Dysfunction By Increasing Nitric Oxide And Hydrogen Peroxide Production In Ldl Receptor-deficient Mice

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Endothelial dysfunction associated with hypercholesterolemia is an early event in atherosclerosis characterized by redox imbalance associated with high superoxide production and reduced nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. Aerobic exercise training (AET) has been demonstrated to ameliorate atherosclerotic lesions and oxidative stress in advanced atherosclerosis. However, whether AET protects against the early mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction in familial hypercholesterolemia remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of AET on endothelial dysfunction and vascular redox status in the aortas of LDL receptor knockout mice (LDLr-/-), a genetic model of familial hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Twelve-week-old C57BL/6J (WT) and LDLr-/- mice were divided into sedentary and exercised (AET on a treadmill 1 h/5 x per week) groups for 4 weeks. Changes in lipid profiles, endothelial function, and aortic NO, H2O2 and superoxide production were examined. Results: Total cholesterol and triglycerides were increased in sedentary and exercised LDLr-/- mice. Endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine was impaired in aortas of sedentary LDLr-/- mice but not in the exercised group. Inhibition of NO synthase (NOS) activity or H2O2 decomposition by catalase abolished the differences in the acetylcholine response between the animals. No changes were noted in the relaxation response induced by NO donor sodium nitroprusside or H2O2. Neuronal NOS expression and endothelial NOS phosphorylation (Ser1177), as well as NO and H2O2 production, were reduced in aortas of sedentary LDLr-/- mice and restored by AET. Incubation with apocynin increased acetylcholine-induced relaxation in sedentary, but not exercised LDLr-/- mice, suggesting a minor participation of NADPH oxidase in the endothelium-dependent relaxation after AET. Consistent with these findings, Nox2 expression and superoxide production were reduced in the aortas of exercised compared to sedentary LDLr-/- mice. Furthermore, the aortas of sedentary LDLr-/- mice showed reduced expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isoforms and minor participation of Cu/Zn-dependent SODs in acetylcholine-induced, endothelium-dependent relaxation, abnormalities that were partially attenuated in exercised LDLr-/- mice. Conclusion: The data gathered by this study suggest AET as a potential non-pharmacological therapy in the prevention of very early endothelial dysfunction and redox imbalance in familial hypercholesterolemia via increases in NO bioavailability and H2O2 production.14Sao Paulo Research Foundation-FAPESP [10/50323-2]University of Campinas fund (FAEPX-PAPDIC Program) [25810]Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-CAPESBrazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development-CNPqFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Deep Learning for QoT Estimation in SMF and FMF Links

We explore deep learning-based classification and regression algorithms to estimate quality of transmission in single-mode and few-mode fiber links. Both approaches are shown to be effective and low complexity