Identification of irisin immunoreactivity in porcupine (Hystrix cristata) adrenal glands and kidneys

Irisin, a novel peptide, was initially been shown to be expressed explicitly in the muscle tissues. We studied the presence of irisin immunoreactivity in porcupine adrenal glands and kidneys. Immunocytochemistry showed that irisin was localised both in the adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla. In organs, irisin immunoreactivity was found in the tubular and collecting system of the nephron. The functional role of irisin in the adrenal gland and kidney has not been precisely yet. However, irisin might have a paracrine and autocrine function as do other locally produced peptides.     

Investigation of twisted monofilament cord properties made of nylon 6.6 and polyester

A tire is a composite of rubber and reinforcing materials. Polymeric materials used as reinforcing components are usually synthetic yarns. These synthetic yarns have high tenacity, they are made of continuous multifilaments. The yarns are converted in the cord form to provide desired mechanical, thermal and adhesion properties by a series of conversion processes. Besides of multifilament synthetic cords, there are some specific areas in which single ply monofilament cords have been utilized as a reinforcing element. In this study, new cord structures have been developed by using monofilament yarns and by imitating multifilament cords. New cord structures exhibited some very interesting cord properties compared to both single ply monofilament cord and multifilament cords. Monofilament yarns having diameter between 0.23 and 0.50 mm have been twisted together from 3 to 6 plies based on mixed Taguchi model to form cords. Nylon 6.6 and Polyester monofilament yarns have been selected because of common application of their multifilament counterpart yarns in tire carcass and capply. The twisted monofilament cords have been adhesive treated to produce cords ready to adhere rubber. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, adhesion with rubber, fatigue properties under dynamic conditions, retention of properties after curing and microscopic analysis of the cords have been analyzed. The cords have been found to possess some benefits for tire carcass, breaker, belt and belt protective layer applications with their superior fatigue performance, cut resistance, stiffness, ligth weigth etc.     

Hydro-physical characteristics of selected media used for containerized agriculture systems

Containerized plant production represents an extremely intensive agricultural practice with large amounts of moisture and fertilizer application. Hydro-physical characteristics such as water infiltration, texture and structure, particle size distribution affect the quality of the media used in containerized agricultural systems and the water availability to plants. Water retention characteristics depend on particle size distribution as well as the composition of the media used. Materials with coarser particles allow faster percolation of water and also retain relatively higher amounts moisture per unit weight due to higher porosity, while draining faster due to smaller surface area per unit weight. Faster drainage can result into airflow through coarser materials causing the media to dry. The objectives of this study were to characterize the selected hydro-physical properties of plant growth media that are commonly used by nurseries in South Florida. Characterization of the plant growing media can allow modeling of soil-water interactions and development of best management practices for more efficient use of water and agrochemicals by nurseries. Experimental analyses were performed to characterize the plant growth mixtures in terms of particle size distribution and hydraulic conductivity using three different methods (i.e., constant head permeability, falling head permeability test, and tension infiltrometer test). The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the mixtures measured by constant head method ranged from 0.029 to 0.042 cm/s (104-151 cm/h) and by falling head method ranged from 0.078 to 0.112 cm/s (281-403 cm/h). The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the mixtures measured by tension infiltrometer ranged from 0.02 to 0.34 cm/h. Understanding water retention and permeation characteristics of the plant growing media could assist development of best management practices (BMP) for containerized agricultural systems for efficient management of irrigation water and agrochemical use.     

Coalescence and Size Distribution Characteristics of Oil Droplets Attached on Flocs After Coagulation

The coalescence characteristics of oil droplets which are attached on flocs after coagulation is different from coalescence of droplets which are suspended in emulsions. The droplets attached on flocs are stationary and do not collide as those in emulsions. Objectives of this study were to investigate the change in size distribution of oil droplets that were attached on flocs after coagulation. The surface water–oil emulsion was prepared by mixing water, clay and ethyl benzene. Flocculation/coagulation experiments were conducted using standard jar test procedure and a polyelectrolyte. Microscopic images of flocs were taken at different times after the flocculation process and analyzed to characterize the changes in droplet size distribution as a result of coalescence and detachment of droplets from the flocs. Median droplet size increased during the first 40 h after the flocculation process and decreased after 45 h due to detachment of droplets from flocs. The number of droplets that were larger than 90 μm decreased over time. After 46 h, the flocs had very few oil droplets remaining attached and a significant fraction of the flocs settled to the bottom. Although the coalescence rate of oil droplets on flocs was slow, for oil–water separation applications, flocs should be removed from the solution as soon as possible to achieve higher separation efficiency of oil from the emulsion.     

Effects of linear density and twist level on the mechanical properties of nylon 6.6 tyre cords

The performance of high tenacity nylon 6.6 tyre cords with different linear densities (dtex) was investigated by measuring some mechanical, structural and physical properties. The structural changes due to the dipping process were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis. The breaking strengths were increased with the increasing linear densities, but decreased with twist level. As the linear density increases, shrinkage values of greige cords were increased. Shrinkage is mostly dependent on amorphous parts of the cords. Since amorphous parts of the dipped cords are lower than greige cords, shrinkage values for dipped cord were lower than that of greige cords. Adhesion values were increased with the increasing linear density and twist level. It has been observed that increasing of the twist levels explicitly improved the fatigue resistance in the cases 1400 and 1880 dtex cords. But, no significant changes were observed for 940 dtex cords. It has been found that cords with lower linear densities had better fatigue resistance than that of the cords with higher linear densities.     

Evaluation of Ultrafiltration Process Performance for Treatment of Petroleum Contaminated Waters

A series of 2⁴ factorial design experiments were performed to study the effects of source water type, contaminant concentration, prefiltration and use of a coagulant on the performance of ultrafiltration process (UF) for treatment of waters contaminated with petroleumhydrocarbons (PHCs). The process performance was evaluated in terms of initial flux through the membrane, fouling time and PHC removal efficiency. The higher levels of PHC contamination significantly decreased the initial flux, membrane life and PHC removal efficiency. Coagulation pretreatment significantly improved the membrane life and PHC removal efficiency with no significant effect on theinitial flux. Prefiltration to remove the flocs from the coagulated water samples did not improve the fouling time but improved the PHC removal efficiency.     

Nylon 66/polyester hybrid cords: 1. Design and investigation of properties

In this study, Nylon 66/Polyester (Ny 66/PET) hybrid cord design and production was investigated to obtain new cord with better performance than conventional cord. The factors affecting cord properties and cord production process were examined. Taguchi design of experiment method was implemented in order to minimize the required number of experiments. Different sets of 4 reference cords conventionally used in tyre industry were prepared and resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex (RFL) treated in order to make a comparison of performance. Mechanical and thermal properties of hybrid cords were measured and compared with the values of reference cords. It was found that the twist level of high modulus PET component in the hybrid cords should be the same or above of the nylon in order to obtain maximum tensile strength. It was observed that shrinkage values of hybrid cords varied between PET and Ny 66 reference cords. Moreover, for all treated hybrid cords, satisfactory cord-rubber adhesion values were obtained by using double dip adhesion system.     

Volatile Organic Contaminant Emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants During Secondary Treatment

Volatile organic contaminant (VOC) emissions from wastewater treatment plants may occur through a variety of mechanisms which mainly include volatilization, evaporation, biodegradation, and photodecomposition. A mathematical model incorporating the significant factors affecting VOC emissions from a secondary treatment facilities has been developed and verified with the operational data from wastewater treatment plant in south Florida. The model includes mass transfer considerations for volatilization from clarifier surfaces and weirs, in addition to volatilization from aeration basins. A simple model such as this one can be a useful tool to estimate VOC emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants and to evaluate the present and future state of compliance with applicable air quality standards.     

Effect of dietary l-carnitine supplementation and energy level on oxidant/antioxidant balance in laying hens subjected to high stocking density

This study aimed to investigate the effect of l -carnitine and energy level and on oxidant/antioxidant balance in laying hens subjected to high stocking density. A total of 176, 32-week-old laying hens were assigned to eight groups with four replicates and hens in four groups were placed at the normal stocking densities of 500 cm²/hen (four hens per cage) and in the remaining four groups were placed at the high stocking densities of 287.5 cm²/hen (seven hens per cage). Hens received diets of high (2,850 kcal/kg ME) or normal (2,650 kcal/kg ME) energy which are supplemented with 0 or 200 mg/kg l -carnitine for 70 days. Results showed that exposure to high stocking density increased (p < .05) plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels and decreased (p < .05) erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (GPx) activities. l -carnitine supplementation increased (p < .05) erythrocyte SOD, CAT and GPx activities, and decreased (p <.05) MDA and NO level in high stocking densities. The oxidan/antioxidan balance of birds was not influenced by increasing dietary energy level. The results of the present study indicate that the supplementation of l -carnitine to the birds subjected to high stocking density could effectively reverse the negative effects of high stocking density by improving oxidant/antioxidant balance. Therefore, l -carnitine supplementation at level of 200 mg/kg to diet may be as a favourable alternative to deal with oxidative stress caused by high stocking density in laying hens.     

Applications of various stereological tools for estimation of biological tissues

To provide concise and brief important stereological application methods and techniques for estimating biological tissues. Stereology studies the quantity of biological tissue using little practice and the low price of counting and preparing tissue slices to obtain direct and accurate results. Since their establishment, the stereological techniques underwent much improvement, thus allowing more precise analysis of target structures using various approaches. Using stereological tools, advances in stereological techniques made the target tissues or organs represented by 2D instead of 3D dimensions. Process tools estimate volume, area and length. According to the exciting tissue and aims, the stereological tools perform differently. This review summarizes various stereological tools and techniques, providing brief information about the orientation method, slicer probe method, Delesse's principle, Cavalieri principle, disector, fractionator, nucleator, virtual cycloids and saucer, which are described in detail.