The Applicability of Wildlife Value Orientations Scales to a Muslim Student Sample in Malaysia

This article addresses the applicability of quantitative wildlife value orientation scales in Muslim students in Malaysia. As Malaysian culture is deeply influenced by Islam ideology, this article presents a case for addressing the cross-cultural applicability of the scales. The current wildlife value orientation scales were reliable—all Cronbach’s alphas ≥ .65—and had predictive validity—8 to 14% of variance of acceptability of lethal control was explained. Yet, both reliability and predictive validity were of lesser magnitude than figures in previous Western studies. Especially the hunting beliefs scale did not reflect basic thinking about wildlife in our sample, and our data suggest two different hunting dimensions—consequences of hunting for wildlife and human opportunities for hunting. For future cross-cultural comparisons of wildlife value orientations, amendment of the scales to better reflect salient beliefs in non-Western nations is recommended.     

Assessment of growth performance,immune responses,serum metabolites,and prevalence of leg weakness in broiler chicks submitted to early-age water restriction

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two methods of early-age water restriction on performance, some immune responses, serum metabolites, and prevalence of leg weakness in broiler chicks. One-hundred-eighty-seven-day-old chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to three treatments with four replicates based on a completely randomized design. Treatments included the control group, where birds had free access to water, and water-restricted groups, where access to water was limited to three 2-h periods (WRT1) or a 12-h period (WRT2) per day from days 7 to 17. Chicks in the control group were significantly heavier (P < 0.05) at 17 and 46 days of age compared to the restricted birds. In the WRT2 group, feed intake decreased significantly over the 17- to 28-day period while feed conversion ratio was poorer during water restriction (P < 0.05). Antibody titers against Newcastle and SRBC were higher (P < 0.05) for chicks with ad libitum access to water. Birds in the restricted groups exhibited a higher heterophil to lymphocyte ratio compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The treatments had no significant impact on serum metabolites including protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, calcium, and phosphorus concentrations. Walking ability, tibial dyschondroplasia, foot pad, hock burn, and valgus/varus angulation were not significantly influenced by water restriction. In conclusion, the current results indicate that early-age water restriction negatively influenced productive traits and immunological responses of broiler chicks and failed to have any favorable impacts on leg health.     

Sol-Gel Synthesis,in vitro Behavior,and Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation and Proliferation of Bioactive Glass 58S

Background:Bioactive glasses 58S, are silicate-based materials containing calcium and phosphate, which dissolved in body fluid and bond to the bone tissue. This type of bioactive glass is highly biocompatible and has a wide range of clinical applications. Methods:The 58S glass powders were synthesized via sol-gel methods, using tetraethyl orthosilicate, triethyl phosphate, and calcium nitrate, as precursors. Upon the analyses of phase and chemical structures of bioactive glass in different gelation times (12, 48, and 100 h), the appropriate heat treatment (at 525, 575, and 625 °C) was performed to eliminate nitrate compounds and stabilize the glass powder samples. The in vitro assay in SBF solution revealed the bioactivity of the synthesized 58S glass through the morphological (SEM), chemical structure (FTIR), release of calcium, phosphorous and silicon elements, pH variations, and weight loss measurements. The behavior of MSCs in the presence of bioactive glass powders was studied by MTT cytotoxicity, cell staining, ALP activity and biomineralization tests, as well as by the evaluation of ALP, osteocalcin, osteonectin, collagen I, and RUNX2 gene expression. Results: The results confirmed a gelation time of 100 h and a calcination temperature of 575 °C at optimal conditions for the synthesis of nitrate-free bioactive glass powders. Conclusion:The glass spherical nanoparticles in the range of 20-30 nm possess the improved bioactivity and osteogenic properties as demanded for bone tissue engineering. Key Words: Bioactive glass 58S, Gene expression, Mesenchymal stem cells     

Nano titanium dioxide on wool keratin as UV absorber stabilized by butane tetra carboxylic acid (BTCA): A statistical prospect

Photo yellowing of wool is one of the most important problems which have negative impacts on various aspects of wool prompting scientists to find a solution over the past decades. In this research the protective features of nano-titanium dioxide particles against UV on wool fabric were discussed and the color variations of wool samples after UV irradiation were measured and reported. It was shown that nano TiO₂ is a suitable UV absorber and its effect depends on the concentration. Also, it was assumed that butane tetracarboxylic acid plays a prominent role as a cross-linking agent to stabilize the nano-titanium dioxide as well as a polyanion to maintain negative charges on the wool surface for higher nano particles absorption. Also the variables conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM).     

Presence of Aflatoxin M1 in raw milk at cattle farms in Babol, Iran

In this study, raw cow milk samples were collected from milk churns at 40 traditional and semi-industrial cattle farms located in Babol (Northern Iran) in winter 2006. In total, 120 raw milk samples were tested for Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) contamination by competitive ELISA. In 68 out of 120 samples (56.7%) the presence of AFM1 was detected by concentration ranging from 50 to 352.3 ng L(-1). Fifty two samples (43.3%) contained AFM1 at levels of 4-50 ng L(-1) (The AFM1 contamination levels were between 4-352.3 ng L(-1) by the average of 102.73 ng L(-1)). In general, 56.7% of samples were beyond the limit of European community regulations (50 ng L(-1)). In other words, the AFM1 contamination levels in raw milk were more than twice over standard levels. The AFM1 contamination levels, (> 50 ng L(-1)), in January, February and March were 40, 65 and 65%, respectively. Estimation of contamination of AFB1 using AFM1 in feed stuff showed that it was about 0.25 to 22 microg kg(-1) holding the average of 46.7%, being higher than European community limit (5 microg kg(-1)).     

Synthesis,structure and thermal protective behavior of silica aerogel/PET nonwoven fiber composite

In recent years, flexible, mechanically strong and environmental friendly thermal insulation materials have attracted considerable attention. In this work, silica aerogel/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven fiber composite with desirable characteristics was prepared via a two-step sol-gel process followed by an ambient drying method through immersing the PET nonwoven fiber into silica sol. The silica aerogel particles were characterized by FTIR, FE-SEM, TGA and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The morphology and hydrophobic properties of neat PET nonwoven fiber and its silica aerogel composite were also investigated. For studying thermal protective properties, the thermal diffusivity was calculated from temperature distribution curves. The mean pore size of 11 nm, the surface area of 606 m²/g and the total pore volume of 1.77 cm³/g for the silica aerogel particles in the composite are obtained from nitrogen adsorption analysis, indicating the aerogel can maintain its high porosity in the nonwoven composite structure. Silica aerogel particles were efficiently covered the surface of the PET fibers and completely filled the micron size pores of the nonwoven fiber leading to a stronger hydrophobicity and higher thermal insulation performance in the aerogel composite samples compared to the neat PET nonwoven. In this regard, an almost 64 % decrease in the thermal diffusivity was achieved with 66 wt% silica aerogel.