Ultrastructural pathology of the upper respiratory tract of rabbits experimentally infected with Pasteurella multocida A:3

Twenty-four 8 to 9 week-old Pasteurella multocida-free rabbits were divided into three equal groups, the first group was pretreated with hydrocortisone and inoculated intranasally with pasteurella multocida serotype A:3. The second group was inoculated intranasally with P. multocida without hydrocortisone treatment. The third group was inoculated with phosphate buffered saline only and used as a control group. Pasteurella multocida was isolated from the nasal cavity of all infected rabbits in group 1 and 2 and from the trachea of seven rabbits in group 1 and five rabbits in group 2. This study was conducted to observe the ultrastructural changes of the upper respiratory tract of hydrocortisone treated and non-treated rabbits infected with P. multocida serotype A:3. The ultrastructural changes detected in infected rabbits were ciliary destruction and deciliation of the ciliated epithelial cells, cellular swelling, goblet cell hyperplasia and endothelial cell damage. Pasteurella multocida was observed attached to the degenerated cilia,microvilli and mucus. Pasteurella multocida infection was associated with inflammatory responses, which may have caused tissue damage. It is possible that hydrocortisone modulates the severity of infection as an immune suppressor and an inhibitor of goblet cell secretion

Technical competencies of oil and gas construction project managers in Malaysia

The oil and gas business is one of the most important and largest industries in the world. Despite the industry's large economic contribution, the output of major projects has not met expectations, particularly with regard to cost and schedule goals. project managers should possess sufficient technical knowledge and skill to perform their jobs, especially in the oil and gas industry. This paper aims to assess the level of technical competencies for oil and gas construction project managers in Malaysia.Data were collected from 75 respondents from different organisations that are involved with oil and gas construction projects in Malaysia by using a questionnaire. The current level of construction project managers in the oil and gas construction in Malaysia are mostly competent and have the most satisfied rating in determining appropriate construction methods, followed by project scheduling, directing and monitoring the project's progress. Hopefully, this study can help the industry sector, especially in oil and gas, to find competent technical PMs to ensure the project can be delivered well

Evaluation of DNA polymorphism in the Red Sea Epinephelus species using 12s rRNA and inter simple sequence repeats

1197-1205The true phylogenetic relation among Epinephelus species is under debate. The present investigation was designed for evaluation of DNA polymorphism in some Red sea Epinephelus species using 12s rRNA and Inter Simple Sequence repeats. DNA polymorphism values were detected and evaluated within all estimated fishes. Both applied techniques revealed that E. malabaricus is closely related to E. summana. The distance value between E. chlorostigma and E. areolatus is lower than the distance value between E. chlorostigma and E. radiatus. The Serranidae evolutionary variations were evaluated comparatively with other ray-finned fishes belonging to four fish genera (Carangidae, Labridae, Mugilidae and Cichlidae) based on 12s rRNA sequence variations (obtained from NCBI). The developed DNA markers were reliably branched in the evaluated fishes. More molecular investigations using more spatial and temporal fish samples should be carried out in the future for exploring the true Epinephelus species biodiversity in the Red sea

Electro-generated Chemiluminescent Determination of Methotrexate in Pharmaceutical Preparations by Tris (2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) Using Flow Injection

A novel electro-generated chemiluminescence method for the determination of methotrexate (2,4-diamino-N10-methyl pteroyl glutamic acid) in pharmaceutical formulations is proposed. The method was based on the chemiluminescence (CL) emission intensity produced as a result of the electrochemical oxidation of the nbspinto the active nbspform, which then reacts with the methotrexate and produces light.nbspReaction variables were thoroughly investigated. The optimum conditions were incorporated in the procedure. Linear calibration curve were obtained for signal in mV versus concentration in mol L1 in the range 0-21times107 M with percentage relative standard deviation of less than 2% (n = 6) and correlation coefficient of r = 0.99986. The method described here proved to be very convenient and easy to use for the assay of methotrexate in drug formulations. This method was tested by the determination of methotrexate in different drugs containing known concentration

Development and testing of open-jet wind tunnel for quadrotor flight testing

Station keeping of a hovering quadrotor under various turbulent wind condition has gained much attention these days due to its potential application in complex environments. Various types of control algorithm have been developed to increase the performance of the quadrotor under such wind conditions. These need to be tested and verified by flying the quadrotor itself. One of the quick and low-cost solutions would be to set up a test rig by modifying an existing wind tunnel to recreate such wind conditions. In order to cater such experiments, in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), an open-jet wind tunnel was attached to an existing open-loop wind tunnel, which initially has a test area of 1 meter by 1-meter size. By attaching the open-jet wind tunnel which has a diverged shape, the test section area is increased up to 2 meters in diameter size, ensuring sufficient space for manoeuvring and hovering the experimental quadrotor. A settling chamber is attached before the test section to characterize the output wind. The maximum wind speed at the opening is 8 m/s. The extended wind tunnel's flow characteristics are analyzed by anemometer for velocity distribution in four different distance from the opening. It has been found that the wind velocity distribution and turbulent intensity simulate the outdoor wind turbulent condition to test a quadrotor hovering control algorithm