Beneficial effects of alternative lighting schedules on the incidence of ascites and on metabolic parameters of broiler chickens

The beneficial effects of different lighting programmes on the incidence of ascites was investigated in an experiment with 360 three-day-old male broiler chickens. At 3 days of age, chicks were randomly divided over three rooms in a high-altitude farm, 2000 m above sea level. During days 14 to 28 ambient temperature decreased during the night but the minimum temperature did not descend below 15 degrees C. In the first room the continuous lighting schedule (CL, 23L:1D) was maintained and in the second room an intermittent lighting schedule (IL, 1L:3D), repeated six times daily, was imposed from 3 days of age. In the third room, an increasing photoperiod schedule (IP, 4 to 14 days, 6L:18D; 15 to 21 days, 10L:14D; 22 to 28 days, 14L:10D; 29 to 35 days, 18L:6D; 36 to 42 days, 23L:1D) was provided. Mortality associated with right ventricular failure and ascites was numerically lower in birds reared under the IL and IP schedules compared to birds reared under the CL schedule, which can be attributed to the temporary reduction in relative growth and feed intake in IL and IP birds. It was concluded that the beneficial effect of lighting schedules could be due to a reduced metabolic rate as a consequence of the altered growth trajectory, as also reflected in the lower haematocrit and plasma T3 levels of IL and IP birds compared to CL birds.     

Effects of tree species diversity on leaf litter decomposition process in semi-arid Mediterranean oak forests

European Journal of Forest Research - Many studies have been conducted on the effects of changes in plant diversity and species composition on ecosystem functioning and plant productivity due to...     

Further evidence for the involvement of anatomical parameters of the cardiopulmonary system in the development of ascites syndrome in broiler chickens

Eggs from a broiler line were incubated at two different altitudes and hatched. Relative heart and lung weights, volumes of the heart, lung and thoracic cavity, incidence of right ventricular hypertrophy and ascites, and related physiological parameters were followed in the day-old chickens hatched from the above eggs. Lung and heart weights as a percentage of body weight, lung and heart volumes relative to the volume of the thoracic cavity after removing the heart and lungs were higher in chickens hatched at high altitude. Additionally, embryonic triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) levels relative to cardiopulmonary parameters were higher in day-old chickens that hatched at high altitude as compared with chickens hatched at low altitude. This was associated with a lower incidence of right ventricular hypertrophy and ascites in chickens hatched at high altitude. Our data indicate that chronic hypoxia interacting with the endogenous functions of embryos during embryonic development at high altitude, as adaptation mechanisms, changed the developmental trajectories of cardiopulmonary parameters in postnatal chickens. This important development facilitates an increase in the gas exchange area in broiler chickens, thus lowering their susceptibility to pulmonary hypertension and ascites.     

Effect of body mass index on severity and prevalence of varicocele

Varicocele is classified as grade I-III regarding its severity. This study was aimed to determine the correlation between height and weight with varicocele grade in 18-30 years age group. We enrolled 400 persons aged 18-30 years referred to the specialist's clinics of Tabriz Medical Sciences University or Medical Commission Since Sep. 2004 to Mar. 2005. First we divided the volunteers in two groups including Varicocele Group and Non-varicocele Group, then varicocele patients were classified to three grades considering the severity of the disease: severe (Grade III), moderate (Grade II) and mild (Grade I). Finally, the correlation between height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) was evaluated. There was a significant relation between height and grades of left-side varicocele; in other words the severity of disease was increased with height (p = 0.004). Also, height increased the prevalence ofvaricocele (p = 0.011). On the other hand, low weight and BMI increased the prevalence of varicocele (p = 0.000, p = 0.004) but did not affect the severity of disease (p = 0.364, p = 0.172). In conclusion, the height of patients directly affected the prevalence and severity of left-side varicocele which probably is related to length of left internal spermatic veins in these patients and increased hydrostatic pressure in taller patients. Also, the weight and BMI is effective on the prevalence of varicocele. It seems that slim and tall persons will benefit from evaluation while puberty.     

Effect of saline irrigation water on agronomical and phytochemical characters of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.)

In arid and semi-arid regions, where water availability is a major limitation in crop production, using alternative water resources, such as saline water is one way to utilize lands. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) as an annual medicinal herb may be considered as an economic substitute for field crops irrigated with fresh water since it has adaptability to wide range of climate and soil. A field examination was conducted during 2004–2005 using complete randomized block design with four replications in order to evaluate the effects of saline irrigation water on morphological characters, mineral content, oil quantity (content, yield), oil composition and apigenin content of chamomile. In each plot, 0.6 g/m² of seeds were grown in 4 rows. The irrigation water had five different salinity levels (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 dS m⁻¹). The investigated characters through cultivation were fresh weight of flower (g), dry weight of flower (g), dry weight of aerial stems (g), dry weight of root (g), oil yield (kg/h), oil content (%), oil quality and apigenin content (%). After harvesting, the content of minerals (Na⁺, Cl⁻, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) were evaluated in aerial parts and roots of each plot. Mean comparisons for fresh flower weight in different treatments showed that fresh flower yield decreased with increasing salinity and it was higher in control compared to others. Analysis of variance showed that saline irrigation water had no significant effect on oil quantity (yield and content), oil quality (chemical composition) or apigenin content. Our results showed that chamomile is able to maintain all its medical properties, under saline condition and could be cultivated economically in such conditions.     

Response of oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) seedlings to canopy gap size

The response of nursery seedlings and wildings of oriental beech(Fagus orientalis Lipsky) to canopy gap size was studied ina climax beech forest in northern Iran with respect to seedlingsurvival, shoot growth and vitality. These parameters were followedfor 2 years after planting in gaps of 50, 200 and 600 m², aswell as in the open field. Foliage coloration was used as acriterion for vitality. The survival rate of nursery seedlingsand wildings dropped rapidly with increasing gap size from 84per cent in 50-m² canopy openings to     

Effect of extractions on dynamic mechanical properties of white mulberry (Morus alba)

Vibrational properties of wood are affected by several parameters, of which extractives can be one of the most important ones. Wood for European musical instruments has been often studied, but traditional Middle Eastern ones had been left unnoticed. In this study white mulberry (Morus alba L.), the main material for long-necked lutes in Iran, was extracted by five solvents of various polarities (water included). Free-free bar forced vibrations were used to measure longitudinal (L) loss tangent (tanδ), storage (elastic) modulus (E′) and specific modulus (E′/γ) in the acoustic range. Their anisotropy between the 3 axes of orthotropy was determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. Native wood had a quite low E _L′/γ but its tanδ was smaller than expected, and the anisotropy of tanδ and E′/γ was very low. Removal of extractives caused tanδ to increase and moduli to decrease. Acetone, the most effective solvent on damping despite a moderate extraction yield, increased tanδ _L by at least 20% but did not modify E′/γ as much. When used successively, its effects masked those of solvents used afterwards. Anisotropy of E′/γ was nearly unchanged after extraction in methanol or hot water, while tanδ was much more increased in R than in T direction. Results suggest that in white mulberry, damping is governed more by nature and localization of extractives rather than by their crud abundance.     

High vero cell density and rabies virus proliferation on fibracel disks versus cytodex-1 in spinner flask

To achieve higher titer of rabies virus higher density of host cells will need. In this study, capability of FibraCel disks packed in 500 mL spinner basket versus Cytodex-1 in 500 mL spinner flask was investigated for propagation of Vero cells and PV rabies virus proliferation. Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) + 10% Foetal Calf Serum (FCS) and Virus Production- Serum Free Medium (VP-SFM) +4 mM L-glutamine were used in growth phase and MEM+ 0.2% Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and VP-SFM were used in virus production phase. Adapted Vero cells grown in VP-SFM were used in all SFM experiments while batch and stepwise perfusion modes were applied and compared in growth stage. The highest Vero cell density were achieved in the trials with 10 g FibraCel disk in stepwise perfusion mode equal to 6.12 x 10(6) and 5.87 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) in MEM and VP-SFM, respectively while with 2.73 g Cytodex-1 lower density equal to 4.2 x 10(6) and 4.0 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) were achieved. The highest titer of rabies virus and overall virus production rate were resulted in VP-SFM and on 10 g disks equal to 2.9 x 10(7) Fluorescent Focus Unit (FFU) mL(-1) and 0.14 FFU/Cell/h, respectively versus 1.7 x 10(7) FFU mL(-1) and 0.08 FFU/cell/h on cytodex-1 in similar conditions. The second harvest of virus was also satisfactory in experiment with 10 g disks (1.7 x 10(7) FFU mL(-1)) in compare to Cytodex-1 (0.51 x 10(7) FFU mL(-1)). An equal surface area at 6600 and 12000 cm(-2) were provided in all comparable trials with seeding density of 12.5 x 10(3) cells cm(-2). Adapted Vero cells grown in VP-SFM were used in all SFM experiments while batch and stepwise perfusion modes were applied and compared in growth stage.     

Prevalence of asthma in elementary school age children in Iran--a systematic review and meta analysis study

Asthma is a common chronic disease of childhood which causes considerable morbidity. Asthma affects 1 in 13 school-age children and is a leading cause of office and emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and school absenteeism. Estimating the prevalence of asthma in the community is important in assessing the impact of asthma at the level of population. Since the pooled prevalence of asthma in Iranian elementary school age children (6-12 years old) was not identified, we decide to conduct a meta-analysis study to estimate the prevalence of asthma in elementary school age children in Iran. In order to gather the data, we searched a number of international electronic sources such as Pub Med, Embase, science direct, and ISI for English articles, and Iranian National Knowledge Infrastructure (scientific information) sources such as Iranmedx, Iran-doc, and SID for Persian articles from February 1995 to January 2010 to access the data. We used the words childhood, asthma, prevalence, and Iranian for searching relevant papers and used a data extraction form for the extracted data. The outcome in this Meta analysis study was response to the question, "Ever had asthma", based on the ISSAC program questionnaire. Eleven relevant articles were included for the Meta analysis. The pooled prevalence for girls, boys, and the two genders was obtained as 3.2% (CI; 2.5 to 3.9%), 4.3% (CI; 3.5 to 5.1%) and 3.9% (CI; 3.2 to 4.7%), respectively. The pooled prevalence of asthma in Iranian elementary school age children is low in comparison to the other reports.     

Modeling hydrogen peroxide bleaching to predict optical properties of bleached hardwood CMP

Due to the variations in opacity and brightness of peroxide bleached pulp at Mazandaran Wood and Paper Industries Company (MWPI), empirical models were developed to predict chemimechanical pulp (CMP) brightness and opacity from peroxide bleaching conditions and to drive the optimum operating conditions. To overcome the inconsistency problem, a multi-variate regression analysis method was used for model building. The models were then validated using a new data set from the bleach plant at MWPI, assessing the models’ predictive ability and performance. The results show that there is a relationship between bleaching variables and such dependent variables as pulp brightness and opacity. In addition to the hydrogen peroxide charge and pulp initial brightness, the initial opacity had a significant reverse effect on the final CMP brightness. It was also found that the concentration of total Na⁺ in the CMP tower was the most important variable affecting the final pulp opacity. The validation results demonstrated that these models can be employed as useful tools for process optimization purposes.