Effects of Chinese herbal medicine on plasma glucose,protein and energy metabolism in sheep

Background： The use of antibiotics in animal diets is facing negative feedback due to the hidden danger of drug residues to human health. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has been used to replace antibiotics in the past two decades and played an increasingly important role in livestock production. The present study was carried out to assess the feeding effects of a traditional nourishing Chinese herbal medicine mixture on kinetics of plasma glucose, protein and energy metabolism in sheep. Ruminal fermentation characteristics were also determined. Methods： Four sheep were fed on either mixed hay （MH-diet） or MH-diet supplemented with 2% of Chinese herbal medicine （mixture of Astragalus root, Angelica root and Atractylodes rhizome; CHM-diet） over two 3S-day periods using a crossover design. The turnover rate of plasma glucose was measured with an isotope dilution method using [U-^13C]glucose. The rates of plasma leucine turnover and leucine oxidation, whole body protein synthesis （WBPS） and metabolic heat production were measured using the [1-^13C]leucine dilution and open circuit calorimetry. Results： Body weight gain of sheep was higher （P = 0.03） for CHM-diet than for MH-diet. Rumen pH was lower （P = 0.02）, concentration of rumen total volatile fatty acid tended to be higher （P = 0.05） and acetate was higher （P = 0.04） for CHM-diet than for MH-diet. Turnover rates of plasma glucose and leucine did not differ between diets. Oxidation rate of leucine tended to be higher （P = 0.06） for CHM-diet than for MH-diet, but the WBPS did not differ between diets. Metabolic heat production tended to be greater （P = 0.05） for CHM-diet than for MH-diet. Conclusions： The sheep fed on CHM-diet had a higher body weight gain and showed positive impacts on rumen fermentation and energy metabolism without resulting in any adverse response. Therefore, these results suggested that the Chinese herbal medicine mixture should be considered as a potential feed additive for sheep.     

Genetic analysis of Rutilus rutilus caspicus (Jakowlew 1870) populations in Iran by microsatellite markers

The Caspian roach (Rutilus rutilus caspicus) is regarded as one of the most important commercial species in the Caspian Sea. Despite the commercial and conservation importance of the species, information on genetic relationships and diversities at the molecular level in Rutilus rutilus caspicus is scarce. Six microsatellite loci were analysed to study the genetic variation in two major populations of Caspian roach in the Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea: the Anzali Wetland and Gorgan Bay. The F_st value between populations was 0.07, suggesting that the genetic differentiation was significant (P<0.01). Both the studied populations deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium proportions at a number of loci, mostly due to the deficiency of heterozygosities. The genetic distance between populations was 0.29, which indicates that the genetic difference among the studied populations is pronounced. The differences between both populations were not statistically significant (P>0.05), neither for average number of alleles per locus nor for observed heterozygosities. The data generated in this study provide useful information on the genetic variation and differentiation in populations of Caspian roach.     

Comparison of ozone,hydrogen peroxide and removal of infected eggs for prevention of fungal infection in sturgeon hatchery

ABSTRACT:   The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ozone, hydrogen peroxide and removal of infected eggs (five times per day) on prevention of fungal infection on Iranian sturgeon Acipenser persicus . The effects of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15 p.p.m. of ozone, and 500 and 1000 p.p.m. of hydrogen peroxide in two different egg disinfection procedures (with and without removal of infected eggs) were examined on hatching ratio. Egg disinfection by 1000 p.p.m. hydrogen peroxide (with removal of infected eggs) resulted in the greatest hatching ratio (78%) among all treatments. Among ozone treatments, 0.15 p.p.m. (with removal of infected eggs) showed the highest hatching ratio (76.4%). The hatching ratio of the control group (without disinfectant and removal of infected eggs) was 34.4%. Removal of infected eggs increased the hatching ratio by 16.1% compared to treatments without infected egg removal, and there was a significant difference ( P  < 0.01). Ozone is preferred to hydrogen peroxide because a lower concentration of ozone is required to disinfect the culture medium; consequently, environmental pollution will be decreased. A low correlation ( r  = −0.35) was observed between hatchery water temperature and fungal infection percentage in the control.     

Bending moment resistance of dowel corner joints in case-type furniture under diagonal compression load

We investigated bending moment resistance under diagonal compression load of corner doweled joints with plywood members. Joint members were made of 11-ply hardwood plywood of 19 mm thickness. Dowels were fabricated of Beech and Hornbeam species. Their diameters(6, 8 and 10 mm) and depths of penetration(9, 13 and 17 mm) in joint members were chosen variables in our experiment. By increasing the connector's diameter from 6 to 8 mm, the bending moment resistance under diagonal compressive load was increased, while it decreased when the diameter was increased from 8 to 10 mm. The bending moment resistance under diagonal compressive load was increased by increasing the dowel's depth of penetration. Joints made with dowels of Beech had higher resistance than dowels of Hornbeam. Highest resisting moment(45.18 N·m) was recorded for joints assembled with 8 mm Beech dowels penetrating 17 mm into joint members Lowest resisting moment(13.35 N·m) was recorded for joints assembled with 6 mm Hornbeam dowels and penetrating 9 mm into joint members.     

Effect of seed mass on emergence and seedling development in Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.

We investigated the effect of seed mass on emergence, seedling survival and growth ofPterocarpus marsupium Roxb., a medium to large, commercially valuable and deciduous tree species. Among the three size classes viz. small （10-12 mm）, medium （13-15 mm） and large （16-17 mm）, the maximum proportion, of seed by number （54.12%） and dry weight （51.87%） was recorded, in the medium size seed class. Seed length and seed width were greatest in the large seed class （16.50 mm, 7.33 mm） followed by medium （13.50 mm, 5.60 mm） and small （11.37 ram, 3.66 mm）. Similarly, hundred seed weight （100 sw） varied from a maximum of 12.92 g in the large seed class to intermediate 10.95 g in the medium seed class and minimum of 7.02 g in the small seed class. The large seed size showed maximum emergence and shoot length over the medium and small seed class. After six months of growth, significant variations due to seed size were also observed for the growth and dry weight of P. marsupium seedlings. Seedling vigour, expressed in terms of height, collar diameter, number of leaves and dry biomass, was sig- nificantly affected by seed class. Seedlings that emerged from large seeds showed better growth and produced heavier seedlings as compared to medium and small seeds.     

Effects of shifting cultivation on biological and biochemical characteristics of soil microorganisms in Khagrachari hill district,Bangladesh

We collected soil samples from two representative sites at Aatmile of Khagarachari hill district in Chittagong Hill Tracts. One of the sites was under shifting cultivation and the other an adjacent 13-year old teak plantation. Both sites were in the same physiographic condition and same aspect with parable soil type, which enabled us to measure the effects of shifting cultivation on soil micro-flora. We studied soil physico-chemical properties and the biochemical and biological properties of soil microbes. Moisture and organic matter content as well as fungi and bacterial populations, both in surface and subsurface soils, were significantly(p ≤0.001) lower in shifting cultivated soils compared to soils not under shifting cultivation, i.e. the teak plantation site. The most abundant bacteria in surface(0-10 cm) and sub-surface(10-20 cm) soils under shifting cultivation were Pseudomonas diminuta and Shigella, respectively, while in corresponding soil layers of teak plantation, predominant microbes were Bacillus firmus(0-10 cm) and Xanthomonas(10-20 cm). The microbial population differences cannot be explained by soil texture differences because of the textural similarity in soils from the two sites but could be related to the significantly lower moisture and organic matter contents in soils under shifting cultivation.     

Synseed conception for short-term storage,germplasm exchange and potentialities of regeneration genetically stable plantlets of desert date tree (Balanites aegyptiaca Del.)

Synthetic seed has become a proficient tool that facilitates conservation as well as mass propagation of elite plant species by encapsulating somatic embryo or meristem tissue. Inclusion of meristematic tissues instead of somatic embryos hastens widespread utilization of this technology in recent years. Synseeds offer short term conservation of germplasms, provide readily available tissue source for easy mass propagation where each synseeds can virtually act as zygotic seeds giving rise to plantlets. This is the first report on synseed production following the confirmation of the genetic homogeneity in regenerated plantlets of Balanites aegyptiaca Del. (L.) using ISSR marker system. In this study, nodal segments, excised from in vitro proliferated shoot cultures developed from mother plant, were encapsulated in calcium alginate beads and the finest gel complexation was achieved using 3 % sodium alginate and 100 mM CaCl₂·2H₂O. Maximum percent response (80 %) for conversion of encapsulated nodal segments into plantlets was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 12.5 μM benzyladenine and 1.0 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid. Encapsulated nodal segments could be stored at low temperature (4 °C) up to 4 weeks with a survival frequency of 82 %. The regenerated shoots were rooted on half strength MS medium augmented with 1.0 μM indole-3-butyric acid. Well-developed plantlets regenerated from encapsulated nodal segments were acclimatized successfully with 90 % survival frequency. Fingerprinting profiles of the regenerated plantlets derived from synseeds and the donor plant were generated using a total of 20 ISSR primers, of which 14 primers produced distinct, reproducible amplified products. A total of 158 scorable bands were obtained from the complete amalgamation of primers and plantlets and 98.7 % bands were monomorphic across the plantlets which indicate that this micropropagated line derived from synseed is genetically stable and demonstrates the reliability of our protocol for short term conservation, germplasm exchange and distribution of identical plants.     

Plant selection method for urban landscapes of semi-arid cities (a case study of Tehran)

Choosing appropriate plants for urban landscapes is vital to avoid potential financial and environmental losses that may occur if all selection parameters are not taken into account. A methodology has been developed to assist landscape architects, planting designers, and urban horticulturists in the plant selection process. Tehran has been picked as a case study due to its arid and semi-arid climate which poses more challenges in front of an expert. After grouping plants, selection parameters have been defined for each plant group. Plant species were comparatively graded for each parameter by a group of eight specialists. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique and hierarchical cluster analysis have been utilized to find the most adaptable plant species for the area according to the main selection parameters of zone tolerance, urban conditions, esthetics, maintenance, growth characteristics, and specific features. Several new plants were ranked high in the final tables suggesting that the urban landscape of Tehran has a great potential to become more attractive, less allergic, and less costly, as well as consuming less water. Before introducing new plants to the urban environment, they should be experimented on in small numbers for several years to confirm that they will not change the ecology of the whole region through invasion or posing a threat to any local plant species.