Effect of expanded cottonseed meal on laying performance,egg quality,concentrations of free gossypol in tissue,serum and egg of laying hens

Three hundred and sixty Hy‐Line Brown hens, 40 week of age, were allocated to five treatments, each of which included four replicates of 18 hens. After an expanded process of cottonseed meal (CSM), free gossypol content in CSM was decreased from 1.24 to 0.40 g/kg. The dietary treatments were corn‐soybean meal based diets including 6% CSM and 6%, 8% and 10% expanded cottonseed meal (ECSM). Hens fed 8% ECSM had higher (P < 0.05) laying rate and average egg weight than those fed 6% CSM. The albumen height and Haugh unit in the control group, 6% and 8% ECSM groups were superior (P < 0.05) to other treatments. Hens fed 6% CSM resulted in severe (P < 0.05) egg yolk discoloration. Free gossypol (FG) concentrations in yolk and albumen and tissues of the 6% CSM group were greater (P < 0.05) than those in any ECSM treatments. Hens fed 6% CSM and 10% ECSM had the highest (P < 0.05) FG concentrations in the liver compared with those in the kidney and muscle, and higher (P < 0.05) FG residues in yolk than those in albumen. In conclusion, FG in CSM can be reduced by 68% through an expanded process and ECSM can be available in laying hens at up to 10% of the total diet and an appropriate replacement of soybean meal with ECSM may improve performance in laying hens.     

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.     

Design and Preclinical Evaluation of Chitosan/Kaolin Nanocomposites with Enhanced Hemostatic Efficiency

In the current study, hemostatic compositions including a combination of chitosan and kaolin have been developed. Chitosan is a marine polysaccharide derived from chitins, a structural component in the shells of crustaceans. Both chitosan and kaolin have the ability to mediate a quick and efficient hemostatic effect following immediate application to injury sites, and thus they have been widely exploited in manufacturing of hemostatic composites. By combining more than one hemostatic agent (i.e., chitosan and kaolin) that act via more than one mechanism, and by utilizing different nanotechnology-based approaches to enhance the surface areas, the capability of the dressing to control bleeding was improved, in terms of amount of blood loss and time to hemostasis. The nanotechnology-based approaches utilized to enhance the effective surface area of the hemostatic agents included the use of Pluronic nanoparticles, and deposition of chitosan micro- and nano-fibers onto the carrier. The developed composites effectively controlled bleeding and significantly improved hemostasis and survival rates in two animal models, rats and rabbits, compared to conventional dressings and QuikClot^® Combat Gauze. The composites were well-tolerated as demonstrated by their in vivo biocompatibility and absence of clinical and biochemical changes in the laboratory animals after application of the dressings.     

Effect of multi walled carbon nanotube on the crystalline structure of polypropylene fibers

Polypropylene fibers containing varying amounts of multi walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) have been spun using a conventional melt spinning and drawing apparatus. Changes in morphology and crystalline structure of composite fibers induced by addition of MWCNT were studied by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and birefringence measurements. The results of SAXS experiments showed an increase in lamellar thickness, long period and crystallinity of the composite fibers in comparison to pure polypropylene fibers. Molecular orientation and helical content of the fibers were increased due to the addition of MWCNT to the polypropylene matrix. WAXS results, being in agreement with the SAXS results, also showed an increase in crystallinity of the composite fibers due to the increase in MWCNT content. This is probably because of nucleating effect of nanotubes in the fiber matrix, causing more crystallization and orientation of molecules to take place around them.     

The joint action of mixtures of insecticides,or of insect growth regulators and insecticides,on susceptible and diflubenzuron-resistant strains of Spodoptera littoralis boisd

The joint action of insecticides, or of mixtures of insect growth regulators and insecticides, on the susceptible (S) strain and diflubenzuron-resistant (R_d) strain of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis Boisd. was investigated. The joint action of the insecticides and/or insect growth regulator mixtures was determined by mixing them in proportion to their activity equivalents at the LD₂₅ or ED₂₅ levels. A total of 15 mixtures of two synthetic pyrethroids, two organophosphorus, one carbamate and one organochlorine insecticides, were applied to the fourth-instar larvae of the S and R_d strains. The insecticide mixtures cypermethrin/methomyl and cypermethrin/endrin exhibited high and moderate levels of synergism on the S strain, respectively. However the mixtures chlorpyrifos/methomyl, phosfolan/methomyl, and phosfolan/endrin produced antagonism, while the other mixtures showed varying levels of additive effects. The response of the fourth-instar larvae of the S strain, to the joint action of diflubenzuron/juvenoid, diflubenzuron/insecticide, or insecticide/juvenoid mixtures, revealed that diflubenzuron produced high levels of synergism when combined with methoprene and progressively less with fenvalerate, methomyl and cypermethrin. On the other hand, the mixture diflubenzuron/triprene was antagonistic. Fenvalerate with the two juvenoids produced synergism while methomyl showed an additive effect with methoprene. However, the mixtures cypermethrin/methoprene, cypermethrin/triprene and methomyl/triprene produced antagonism. The mixtures that produced potentiation on the fourth-instar larvae of the S strain lost their high potency when tested against the R_d strain. The results also indicated that insecticide/juvenoid mixtures, when applied on 2-day-old pupae of the S strain, were synergistic, except in the case of cypermethrin/methoprene and methomyl/triprene mixtures, for which additive effects were observed. When the mixtures that had synergistic effects on the S strain were tested on the R_d strain, the results revealed that their synergistic effects were apparently reduced. This was attributed to the fact that the generalised levels of tolerance in the R_d strain towards various compounds may have influenced the several defence mechanisms to act against the synergistic action of the chemical mixtures.     

Accumulation of Pathogenesis-Related Proteins in the Apoplast of a Susceptible Cultivar of Apple (Malus domestica cv. Elstar) after Infection by Venturia inaequalis and Constitutive Expression of PR Genes in the Resistant Cultivar Remo

Leaves of apple (Malus domestica cv. Elstar) were infected with a cloned isolate of the apple scab Venturia inaequalis. The intercellular washing fluid (IWF) of these plants was collected and the variation in the composition of proteins in the IWF was analysed by SDS-PAGE and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis during and after the infection with V. inaequalis, the causal agent of apple scab. The subsequent analysis of induced proteins by electron spray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectroscopy revealed the presence of -1,3-glucanase, chitinase, thaumatin-like protein and a cysteine-like protease in M. domestica leaves infected by V. inaequalis. These results were confirmed by immunoblotting with antibodies against some of these proteins. Moreover, a non-specific lipid transfer protein was identified in uninfected leaves: the amount declined to a non-detectable level within the first week after infection by V. inaequalis. The analysis of the IWF of M. domestica cv. Remo, bearing resistances to apple scab, powdery mildew and fire blight, showed a protein pattern comparable to that of the IWF from V. inaequalis infected leaves from cultivar Elstar indicating the constitutive production at least of some of the pathogenesis-related proteins in the resistant cultivar.     

Comparison of blood serum proteins in water buffaloes with traumatic reticuloperitonitis and sequellae

In this study, 73 cows with different types of traumatic reticuloperitonitis (TRP) and sequellae along with 25 healthy buffalo cows were used to evaluate the total blood serum protein and protein electrophoresis. According to rumenotomy or necropsy findings, the affected buffalo cows were classified into acute local TRP (AL-TRP), chronic local TRP (CL-TRP), reticular abscess (RA), acute diffuse TRP (AD-TRP), purulent pericarditis (PPC) and fibrinous pericarditis (FPC). Polyclonal gammopathy was characteristic for the electrophoretogram of buffalo cows with CL-TRP (55%), RA (61.1%) and PPC (62.5%). Various degrees of hypoalbuminaemia, hyper-alpha-globulinaemia and low A/G ratios were the associated changes in all cases of TRP and sequellae. Hyper-beta-globulinaemia was noticed in cases with CL-TRP, RA and PPC. Hyper-gamma-globulinaemia was evident in cases with AL-TRP, CL-TRP, RA and PPC. Hyperproteinaemia was noticed in buffalo cows with local complications of TRP including AL-TRP, CL-TRP and RA. Hypoproteinaemia associated with severe hypoalbuminaemia (>50% reduction compared to controls) and very low A/G ratios (<0.4) characterized buffalo cows with AD-TRP, PPC or FPC. In conclusion, the concentrations and electrophoretic patterns of serum proteins in buffaloes differ according to the anatomical location of the foreign body and the associated pathological lesions.     

Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Tolerance to Drought Can Be Improved by Silicon Application

The aims of this work were to assess the effect of drought and silicon on rice growth and productivity. A completely randomized design pot experiment with three replications was conducted in a clay soil with five levels of soil moisture content (SMC) (70, 80, 90, 100, and 120% of the soil saturation point) and five rates of Si (0, 2.1, 4.2, 6.3, and 8.4 mg Si/10 plants). When SMC was reduced from 120% to 70%, plant height, rice straw, root yield, and grain yield significantly reduced with 32, 52, 36, and 27%, respectively; however, when Si rate increased from 0.0 to 8.4 mg/10 plants, they significantly increased by 38, 97, 49, and 106%, respectively. At the SMC of 70%, when Si rate increased from 0.0 to 6.3 mg/10 plants, N, P, K, and Si concentrations in straw increased by 42, 59, 36, and 53%, respectively.