Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of essential oils from Perovskia atriplicifolia Benth

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of the aerial parts of Perovskia atriplicifolia Benth. was studied. The effect of different parameters such as pressure, temperature, modifier identity, and modifier volume on the SFE of the plant was investigated. The extracts were analyzed by GC and GC-MS and compared with the essential oil obtained from P. atriplicifolia Benth by steam distillation. The supercritical extracts and the steam-distilled products had very different compositions. The main constituents of the oil obtained by steam distillation were 1,8-cineole, limonene, camphor, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, camphene, and alpha-humulene. On the other hand, the major components of SFE extracts were 1,8-cineole, limonene, camphor, beta-caryophyllene, gamma-cadinene, alpha-pinene, and alpha-terpinyl acetate. The results showed that increasing the temperature from 35 to 65 degrees C (at a constant pressure of 100 atm) drastically reduced the number of extracted components. Also, the number of extracted constituents and the percent of main analytes increased when lower pressures were used. Using different modifiers (e.g., methanol, ethanol, dichloromethane, and hexane) for the extraction of the plant at low pressure (100 atm) and temperature (35 degrees C) showed that hexane was more selective than the other modifiers.     

Pregnancy in the Caspian Miniature Horse Using Frozen Semen Cryopreserved with the EquiPRO CryoGuard Freeze Medium and Customized Freezing Protocols

The primary goal of this project was to establish a protocol to freeze the sperm of the Caspian miniature horse in an attempt to start an intensive artificial insemination program to effectively increase the population of this breed, which has been listed as “Critical Rare Breed” by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy and is in danger of extinction. Commercially available equine freezing medium (EquiPRO CyoGuard Complete egg-yolk extender) was used for the initial setup of two different freeze protocols: slow and fast. The fast-freeze protocol had slightly better postthaw results and was used for a fertility demonstration. Five mares of proven fertility, aged 3 to 12 years, were used in the fertility trials, two of which resulted in pregnancy. This is the first report of pregnancy in the Caspian miniature horse using frozen semen, and the results seem to be a promising start to an extensive program to help this endangered breed, although further research on freezing protocols and conditions for this process are necessary to further improve the survival of semen and pregnancy rate.     

Using fuzzy clustering algorithms to describe the distribution of trace elements in arable calcareous soils in northwest Iran

Accumulation of trace elements in arable soils is an important global hazard worldwide. In this research, the available content of Zn, Fe, B, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo and other soil parameters (pH, organic carbon content, carbonates and electrical conductivity) were analysed in northwest Iran. Concentration levels of trace elements were relatively low in areas with high pH values and low organic matter content, and only the Mo value exceeded the reference threshold. Based on the correlation among the elements, two datasets were produced. The first consists of Fe and Mn data, while the second contains Zn, B, Co, Cu and Mo data. Two fuzzy clustering approaches, Fuzzy C-means (FCM) and Gustafson–Kessel (GK), were applied for clustering both datasets. Multiple accumulation of trace elements was investigated from the clustering results and then visualized in spatial regionalization maps. The fuzzy clustering evaluating indices showed that the GK method was more appropriate than FCM for clustering datasets. The results revealed that the first and second datasets were divided into seven and six clusters, respectively. Fuzzy clustering analyses combined with geostatistical methods were used to map the spatial variability of each cluster. This method enabled the monitoring of multiple metal accumulation in large agricultural soils.     

The emergence of porcine circovirus 2b genotype (PCV-2b) in swine in Canada

Since late 2004, the swine industry in the province of Quebec has experienced a significant increase in death rate related to postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). To explain this phenomenon, 2 hypotheses were formulated: 1) the presence of a 2nd pathogen could be exacerbating the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) infection, or 2) a new and more virulent PCV-2 strain could be infecting swine. In 2005, 13 PMWS cases were submitted to the Quebec provincial diagnostic laboratory and PCV-2 was the only virus that could be found consistently by PCR in all 13 samples. The PCR detection results obtained for other viruses revealed the following: 61.5% were positive for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, 30.8% for swine influenza virus, 15.4% for porcine parvovirus, 69.2% for swine torque teno virus (swTTV), 38.5% for swine hepatitis E virus (swHEV) and 84.6% for Mycoplasma hyorhinis; transmissible gastroenteritis virus and porcine respiratory coronavirus (TGEV/PRCV) was not detected. Sequences of the entire genome revealed that these PCV-2 strains belonged to a genotype (named PCV-2b) that has never been reported in Canada. Further sequence analyses on 83 other Canadian PCV-2 positive cases submitted to the provincial diagnostic laboratory during years 2005 and 2006 showed that 79.5% of the viral sequences obtained clustered in the PCV-2b genotype. The appearance of the PCV-2b genotype in Canada may explain the death rate increase related to PMWS, but this relationship has to be confirmed.     

The Use of Sumac as a Natural Mordant in Green Production of Iranian Carpet

Dyeing is a state-of-the-art realm of textile engineering, however, the emphasis on petroleum-based products is now shifting towards green fibers, particularly, green manufacturing processes. In the present work, a natural mordant, sumac, was extracted and used alone and in combination with alum (a mineral mordant) in silk fibers dyeing with madder and Reseda green dye to make the green production of Iranian carpet possible. The FT-IR ATR spectra of the washed, mordanted, and mordanted dyed silk fibers revealed bonding between silk fibers and green materials. The color of the silk fibers dyed with madder and Reseda extraction was quantified in terms of CIELab (L*, a*, and b*) and K/S values. The effects of different treatments on fastness properties including light, wash, and rubbing fastness were assessed by ISO standard test method.