\u3ci\u3eAspergillus\u3c/i\u3e and aflatoxin in groundnut (\u3ci\u3eArachis hypogaea\u3c/i\u3e L.) and groundnut cake in Eastern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to assess major Aspergillus species and aflatoxins associated with groundnut seeds and cake in Eastern Ethiopia and evaluate growers’ management practices. A total of 160 groundnut seed samples from farmers’ stores and 50 groundnut cake samples from cafe and restaurants were collected. Fungal isolation was done from groundnut seed samples. Aspergillus flavus was the dominant species followed by Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin analyses of groundnut seed samples were performed using ultra performance liquid chromatography; 22.5% and 41.3% of samples were positive, with total aflatoxin concentrations of 786 and 3135 ng g−1 from 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 samples, respectively. The level of specific aflatoxin concentration varied between 0.1 and 2526 ng g−1 for B2 and B1, respectively. Among contaminated samples of groundnut cake, 68% exhibited aflatoxin concentration below 20 ng g−1, while as high as 158 ng g−1 aflatoxin B1 was recorded. The study confirms high contamination of groundnut products in East Ethiopia

Promjene lipidnog profila krvi steriliziranih pretilih mačaka s dijabetesom

The aim of the present study was to examine the lipid profile, lipid fractions and the lipid peroxidation state in the blood of neutered cats with obesity and diabetes. Three groups of neutered cats (males and females) were formed for the study. We compared cats with obesity (7-9 points on a 9-point BCS scale), with obesity complicated by diabetes, and clinically healthy animals with normal body condition scores (4-5 BCS points). Lipidogram parameters, fractions of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), chylomicrons (CM), lipid peroxidation products (POL) - lipid hydroperoxides (GPL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were analysed. In obese cats, a decrease in HDL and phospholipids was observed, and an increase in LDL, VLDL, CM, triglycerides, and cholesterol. No significant differences in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism between neutered females and males were found. A tendency towards increasing concentrations of lipoproteins, triglycerides and cholesterol in males, as well as an increase in phospholipids in females was found. In cats with obesity and associated diabetes, the ratio of phospholipids: cholesterol was less than one, while in healthy cats - more than one. Obesity and diabetes initiate POL and increased concentrations of GPL and MDA, which were the highest in the blood of females with associated pathology.Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti lipidni profil, lipidne frakcije i lipidnu peroksidaciju u krvi ster-iliziranih pretilih mačaka s dijabetesom. Za istraživanje formirane su tri skupine steriliziranih mačaka (mužjaka i ženki). Uspoređene su pretile mačke (7 – 9 bodova na BCS ljestvici od 9 bodova) s onima u kojih je pretilost komplicirana dijabetesom te klinički zdravim životinjama s normalnim tjelesnim pokazateljima (4 – 5 BCS bodova). Analiziran je lipidogram, frakcije lipopro-teina visoke gustoće (HDL), lipoproteina niske gustoće (LDL) i lipoproteina vrlo niske gustoće (VLDL), kilomikroni (CM), produkti lipidne peroksidacije (POL) – lipidna hidroperoksidaza (GPL) i malondialdehid (MDA). U pretilih je mačaka uočen snižen HDL i fosfolipidi te povišen LDL, VLDL, CM, trigliceridi i kolesterol. Nije bilo znakovite razlike u metabolizmu lipida i lipo-proteina između kastriranih ženki i mužjaka. Uočena je sklonost porastu koncentracije lipopro-teina, triglicerida i kolesterola u mužjaka kao i porast fosfolipida u ženki. U pretilih mačaka s dija-betesom omjer fosfolipida i kolesterola bio je manji od jedan, dok je u zdravih mačaka bio veći od jedan. Pretilost i dijabetes potiču lipidnu peroksidaciju i povećavaju koncentraciju GPL-a i MDA-a, koja je najveća u krvi ženki s tom patologijom

COMPORTEMENT A LA CORROSION DES REVETEMENTS A BASE DE NICKEL ET DE CHROME SUR DES SUBSTRATS DE CUIVRE

Le besoin d'améliorer les revêtements pour une meilleure résistance à la corrosion a permis le développement des dépôts électrolytiques composites par l’incorporation de Cr2(SO4)3 ; 6H2O dans la structure du nickel.L’objet de notre travail est l’élaboration et la caractérisation des dépôts composites nickel-chrome sur un substrat en cuivre afin d’étudier leurs comportement à la corrosion. Ces dépôts sont obtenus à partir de bains de watts d’électrodéposition.La caractérisation est faite par des méthodes conventionnelles telles que la diffraction des RX, la microscopie électronique à balayage MEB et l’EDS.Les tests de corrosion ont été faits dans une solution de 3,5% NaCl. Les techniques utilisées sont celles de la polarisation et de l’impédance. Les résultats obtenus ont révélé une résistance à la corrosion élevée des dépôts composites

INVESTIGATION OF COOLING CONDITION OF A ROOM WITH AIR-CONDITIONING WORKING CONCURRENTLY WITH AIR SUPPLY AND DISCHARGE SYSTEMS – A CASE STUDY

This paper investigates cooling condition in the air-conditioned room working concurrently with air supply and discharge systems. Case studies were conducted for a kitchen located at INTI Subang, Malaysia. The study was conducted by measuring temperature, humidity, pressure and air velocity, followed by simulation studies using ANSYS-Fluent workbench to predict indoor thermal condition and other useful parameters. Simulation results were validated with experimental results, after which four case studies were performed to analyze their effects on human comforts and observe an optimal condition of each case. The four cases considered were: both windows and doors open (additional window) (Case 1), closed doors and windows open (additional windows) (Case 2), additional ventilation system (Case 3), and exhaust with half closed valve (Case 4). It was observed that Case 1 provided best indoor condition with the room temperature only at 296.4 K, which was 8.3 K lower than that of the original kitchen. The peak temperature for this case was also found the smallest. The addition of electronic valve between the main ventilation pipe and the negative outlet reduced the room temperature less efficiently compared to Case 1

Influence of fins designs, geometries and conditions on the performance of a plate-fin heat exchanger-experimental perspective

A fin heat exchanger is a simple form of cooling device that is built for efficient heat transfer from one medium to another. Generally, it involves medium such as fluid to perform heat exchange via convective heat transfer. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of diverse designs (arrangements of the fins), qualities (the total surface area of the fin for heat exchange) and conditions (the surface characteristics) of fin heat exchanger on the degree of heat transfer from the experimental perspective. The fin heat exchanger was fabricated and tested. It was observed that by varying the arrangement and condition of the fins, the rate of heat transfer could be affected. However, varying the quality of the fin didn’t have much impact. Nevertheless, the quality aspect of the fin heat exchanger could play a significant role for heat exchanger of larger in scale and dimension. The coating, that is the condition of the fins, aided in decreasing the temperature at a much higher margin at all fan speeds

Genetic fingerprinting and aflatoxin production of \u3ci\u3eAspergillus\u3c/i\u3e section Flavi associated with groundnut in eastern Ethiopia

Background: Aspergillus species cause aflatoxin contamination in groundnut kernels, being a health threat in agricultural products and leading to commodity rejection by domestic and international markets. Presence of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus colonizing groundnut in eastern Ethiopia, as well as presence of aflatoxins have been reported, though in this region, no genetic studies have been done of these species in relation to their aflatoxin production. Results: In this study, 145 Aspergillus isolates obtained from groundnut kernels in eastern Ethiopia were genetically fingerprinted using 23 Insertion/Deletion (InDel) markers within the aflatoxin-biosynthesis gene cluster (ABC), identifying 133 ABC genotypes. Eighty-four isolates were analyzed by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) for in vitro aflatoxin production. Analysis of genetic distances based on the approximately 85 kb-ABC by Neighbor Joining (NJ), 3D-Principal Coordinate Analysis (3D-PCoA), and Structure software, clustered the isolates into three main groups as a gradient in their aflatoxin production. Group I, contained 98% A. flavus, including L- and non-producers of sclerotia (NPS), producers of B1 and B2 aflatoxins, and most of them collected from the lowland-dry Babile area. Group II was a genetic admixture population of A. flavus (NPS) and A. flavus S morphotype, both low producers of aflatoxins. Group III was primarily represented by A. parasiticus and A. flavus S morphotype isolates both producers of B1, B2 and G1, G2 aflatoxins, and originated from the regions of Darolabu and Gursum. The highest in vitro producer of aflatoxin B1 was A. flavus NPS N1436 (77.98 μg/mL), and the highest producer of aflatoxin G1 was A. parasiticus N1348 (50.33 μg/mL), these isolates were from Gursum and Darolabu, respectively. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that combined the use of InDel fingerprinting of the ABC and corresponding aflatoxin production capability to describe the genetic diversity of Aspergillus isolates from groundnut in eastern Ethiopia. Three InDel markers, AFLC04, AFLC08 and AFLC19, accounted for the main assignment of individuals to the three Groups; their loci corresponded to aflC (pksA), hypC, and aflW (moxY) genes, respectively. Despite InDels within the ABC being often associated to loss of aflatoxin production, the vast InDel polymorphism observed in the Aspergillus isolates did not completely impaired their aflatoxin production in vitro

Heterostructured composite of NiFe-LDH nanosheets with Ti4O7 for oxygen evolution reaction

Developing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst based on earth-abundant materials holds great promise for ascertaining water-splitting to surmount its deprived kinetics. In this regard, NiFe-LDH (layered double hydroxide) receives considerable attention owing to their layered structure. However, they still suffer from poor electronic conductivity and structural stability. We combined NiFe-LDH nanosheets with Magnéli phase Ti4O7 into a heterostructured composite. A series of analyses reveal that decorating Ti4O7 facilitates charge transfer to enhance the conductivity of NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7. During electrochemical measurement, Ni2+ is transformed to metastable Ni3+ (Ni (OH)→ NiOOH) before the OER onset potential. Thus, the presence of Ni3+ as the main active sites could improve the chemisorption of OH− to facilitate OER. As a result, the NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7 catalyst delivers as low as onset potential (1.43 V). Combining the holey structure (NiFe-LDH and Ti4O7) and the defect engineering generated on NiFe-LDH-Ti4O7 as a synergistic effect improves the OER performance. The inclusion of Ti4O7 in the composite leads to more vacancy sites, as evidenced by the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. The obtained defective structure with a low coordination environment would improve the electronic conductivity and facilitate the adsorption process of H2O onto metal cations, thereby increasing the intrinsic catalytic activity of NiOOH. The strong coupling of NiFe-LDH and Ti4O7 also increases the stability, and the heterostructured composite helps maintain the structural robustness of the LDH

A CASE STUDY ON THERMAL ANALYSIS OF THE DISC BRAKE USED FOR HEAVY-DUTY CARS

The brake system converts kinetic energy into thermal energy, resulting in a rise in the temperatures of the disc brake due to the friction caused by the pressure brake between the turntable and the brake pads. This study aimed to investigate the thermal analysis of the disc brake used for heavy-duty cars. The study focuses on designing the ventilated brake disc for a particular Mitsubishi Pajero car through modeling software and observing the performances of two materials such as grey cast iron and cast carbon steel. Holes were also included on the surface of the rotor to speed up heat dissipation during and after braking. By utilising SimulationXpress and ANSYS Workbench, stress and thermal behaviour were analysed to choose a material that would perform better and reduce the damage brought on by high temperatures. It was observed that cast carbon steel with 30 vanes showed better performance for stress analysis. The transient thermal analysis for solid and drill disc brakes using cast carbon steel showed that the disc brake with holes performs better, even reducing vanes from 36 to 30. The study proves that a drilled disc with 30 vanes and made of cast carbon steel is the better choice for performance and heat dissipation

Forming a System of Indicators Showing the State and Development of «Smart» Cities in Ukraine

The article is aimed at studying international experience and on this basis substantiating the feasibility of calculating and using an index of living conditions and urban development in Ukraine. It is determined that a number of indices are calculated at the international level, making it possible to obtain an integrated assessment of the cities in the world, namely: The Global Cities Index, developed by Kearney; Cities in Motion Index, developed by IECE; Global Financial Centers Index, developed by Z / Yen; Global Power City Index, developed by the IMF; Global Liveability Ranking, proposed by The Economist. The positions of the 10 best cities-2019 in the world are compared according to the five described indices. It has been determined that such cities as London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong are often ranked among the top 10 most prosperous cities or cities with the highest living standards in the world. It is determined that to precisely elaborate and use the technique for calculating the relevant indices for Ukrainian cities it is advisable to choose the Cities in Motion Index, because, unlike other indices, it has a wide geographical coverage, analyzes the largest number of cities, including Kyiv, and takes into account the maximum number of indicators. It assesses such socio-economic aspects of urban development, as human capital, economy, ecology, social cohesion, governance, mobility and transport, urban planning, international reach and technology. A corresponding sub-index is calculated for each aspect. Using the methodological provisions of the CIMI calculation, the values of sub-indices for the city of Kharkiv have been calculated, and the integral value of the index has been obtained, thus determining Kharkiv’s position in the world rankin