This paper describes an easy and simple method to perform yeast cell experiment on a flow cytometry chip. We are able to observe the influx-hydrolysis-efflux phenomenon of a fluorogenic substrate on yeast cells. As a study model, the fluorogenic substrate fluorescein diacetate (FDA) diffused into the yeast cell, and FDA was hydrolyzed in the cytosol to produce fluorescein. Then, fluorescein was effluxed from the yeast cell.

The present study began with the isolation of 60 actinomycetes isolates from soil samples collected from different selected locations of Saudi Arabia. The purified actinomycetes isolates were subjected for screening program of antimicrobial and insecticidal activities. Isolate No. 4 isolated from Dammam governorate was found to be the most active actinomycetes isolate in which it produces an active substance belonging to lincomycin antibiotic against Gram positive, Gram negative bacteria and insects. The most active actinomycetes isolates No. 4 was selected for further studies concerning their identification. Morphological, physiological and phylogenetic analysis (16S rRNA); in addition to biochemical studies and culture characteristics as well as the chemical analysis of the cell wall, were carried out for the isolate under study. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic accumulated characteristics of the most active actinomycetes isolate and consulting the recommended International Key’s of Bergey’s Manual for identification of actinomycetes, it was found that this isolate matched with Streptomyces sp. MS-266 and was given the name Streptomyces sp. MS-266 Dm4.

Recurrent fires have a considerable potential to influence the structure and composition of savanna vegetation. In Mole National Park in Ghana, the policy is to burn the vegetation annually, early in the dry season. This paper examines the likely effects of these regular fires on the population dynamics of five tree species in the park using matrix model projections. The matrix manipulations were programmed using the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software. The model is based on analyses and data put forward in Sackey (2006), as well as data on fire impacts and seedling production and growth of woody species recently obtained by Sackey and Imoro (unpublished study) from a savanna vegetation near Mole National Park. The model results show that annual burns will lead to changes in the relative abundance, as well as a decline in the density of all five tree species. The results also show that Burkea africana and Terminalia spp. require a minimum fire-free interval of > 2 years for their persistence, while 2 years minimum burning interval is required for the maintenance of Acacia dudgeoni, Combretum adenogonium and Vitellaria paradoxa. A minimum fire-free interval of > 3 years on a rotational system is suggested for the persistence of the majority of the woody plant species in the park.

In the present study, the effects of environmental pollution on aquatic vertebrates of two Ramsar Sites viz. Haleji and Keenjhar Lakes were noted and inventories of the vertebrate fauna were prepared during 2006-2009. In the water samples taken from Haleji Lake, the pesticides of organophosphate (OP) and organochlorine (OC) groups were estimated above the Maximum Acceptable Concentrations (MAC). These concentrations were much higher in muscles and fat contents than other tissues of birds. All water samples from Keenjhar Lake found contained pesticides below the MAC level. The analysis revealed that KB Feeder Canal is the major source of pollution to Keenjhar Lake. The depletion of Dissolved Oxygen indicated organic pollution harmful for aquatic biodiversity. A total of 22 species of mammals, 228 species of birds, 32 species of reptiles, 2 species of amphibia, 37 species of fishes and 33 species of plants were recorded from Haleji Lake, while, 25 species of mammals, 121 species of birds, 29 species of reptiles, 2 species of amphibia, 54 species of fishes and 258 floral species were recorded from the Keenjhar Lake. The biodiversity of Haleji Lake is on decline due to many environmental and anthropological factors. In Keenjhar Lake, the number of water birds visiting the lake during migratory season has fallen considerably mainly due to hunting, disturbance and habitat degradation. There are also problems of increasing pollution and resulting eutrophication.

The effects of hot oil treatment on the chemical, colour and strength properties of 15-year-old cultivated Acacia hybrid were investigated. Logs of A. hybrid were harvested and cut at the bottom, middle and top sections. The wood sections were treated in the hot oil treatment process using palm oil at temperatures of 180, 200 and 220°C for durations of 30, 60 and 90 min. The hot oil treatment process causes some modification in the wood features especially in the chemical constituents, colour appearances and strength properties of A. hybrid. Parameters such as temperatures and treatment time were closely monitored as they influence the chemical, colour and strength changes in the treated wood. The degradation in holocellulose, cellulose, and hemicellulose contents was recognized when acacia woods were exposed to oil thermally modified process. Holocellulose and celulose degraded with the increasing of treatment temperature and duration of heating exposure, while lignin showed the increment in content through this treatment. The colour changes in the sap and heartwood were measured using a Minolta Chroma-meter CR-310 and the results are presented in the CIE L*a*b* colour co-ordinates system. The results show that the colour of the treated sapwood can be improve to match the colour of the natural A. hybrid heartwood. The strength properties of the oil heat treated A. hybrid wood decreases in values of both MOR and MOE throughout the treatment process. The decreases in values were influenced by temperature and duration of the treatment. Keywords: Cultivated Acacia hybrid, hot oil

Present study is concerned to find out the induced effects of two herbal weight reducing drugs Phytolaccca Americana (PA) and Phytolacca Berry (PB) in hypercholestrolemia on lipid profile of Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Pokeweed was the single constituent of PB, the other additional ingredients of PA are bladder wrack, garlic and grape fruit. Both herbal drugs were administered orally to the respective test animals in the doses of 33.3mg PA/day and 1.15mg PB/day, for 27 days and blood samples drawn on day 0,3,9,14,21 and 27 were used to measure mean plasma cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) concentrations. After one week of administration of drugs although both drugs reduced the cholesterol and TG concentrations to lower levels but PB effectively decreased them below their normal concentrations when given approximately for four weeks. Similarly, both drugs lowered plasma LDL-C concentration after two weeks of treatment again PB reduced concentration below normal. However plasma HDL-C levels declined to normal levels following the one week of treatment, started to elevate along the passage of treatment and decreased to normal in the later part of experiment. These findings suggested that pokeweed comparatively, more effectively maintained the lipid profile at normal concentrations probably inhibiting the HMG-CoA reductase activity and affecting the lipoprotein metabolism. In case of PA interactions of ingredients may interfered the enzymes of lipoprotein metabolism thus constant elevated levels of LDL- C and TG were observed.

In search of oils that can replace edible oils used for soap making, Jatropha curcas L. seed oil was exploited. The lipid was extracted using n- hexane and analyzed for chemical properties. The parameters analyzed were Acid value, (1.20 ± 0.065mgKOH/g) Iodine value, (73.46 ± 5.00g I2/100g) and saponification value (122.49 ± 2.59mgKOH/g). The percentage oil yield was 48. The lipid was used to prepare soap. The pH of the soap was 9.11, comparably within the higher pH range of 9-11 set by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), mostly due to incomplete alkali hydrolysis resulting from the saponification process. The foam height of the soap was 5.4 cm and was higher than that of all other soap solutions analyzed. The soap forms a clear solution and was slightly soluble in distilled water.

Tecoma stans (Bignoniaceae) is a Central and South American tree, and popularly used for the control of diabetes. The alkaoidal fraction isolated from the dried leaves of Tecoma stans collected from the gardens of Al-Jadria, Iraq were investigated for its phytochemical constituents through the Gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy with preparative thin layer of chromatography. The analysis of the alkaloidal fraction confirmed the presence of previously reported alkaloids and two new indolic alkaoids.

Organic compounds present in wool wax have several applications. They can be used either direct or as raw materials to synthesize many important products. In the present study, these compounds were extracted from sheep wool with nhexane, benzene and chloroform using a Soxhlet apparatus. The extracts were characterized using gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. Chloroform and n-hexane infusions were found to contain 3-butyn-1-ol, cyclopropene, 2-methyl octane, 2-methyldecane, p-xylene, benzonitrile and ethyl benzene while extract of benzene own 2, 4-dimethyl hexane, 1, 2-dimethyl cyclohexane, 1-ethyl 3-methyl cyclopentane, octane, 2-methyl octane, n-propyl cyclopentane, ethyl cyclohexane, 1, 3-dimethyl benzene, o-xylene, nonane, 1-pentanol, 1, 2, 3-trimethyl benzene, decane, 5-ethyl-2- methyl heptane, 1, 6-diol-2, 7-octadiene, 5-(2-methylpropyl)-nonane, pentyl cyclohexane, 1, 7, 7-trimethyl-2-vinylbicyclo- hept-2-ene and 2, 3, 5, 8-tetramethyl decane.

Jatropha curcas is a multipurpose, drought resistant, perennial plant belonging to the Euphorbiceae family which is gaining lots of importance for the production of biodiesel from its oil. This study revealed the other potentials of the oil. Qualitative analysis was carried out on oil extract from the seed of J. curcas which revealed the presence of phytochemicals. The oil extract was also tested for aphrodisiac potentials and toxicity on mice. Results indicated the presence of saponins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids and steroids which have been reported to have pharmacological attributes. The oil extract did not exhibit aphrodisiac potentials on the male mice at different doses administered (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 ml). Mortalities were recorded for the oil extract tested on both the male and female mice. Hence, the studies indicated that the oil extract from the seed of J. curcas does not possess aphrodisiac potentials but contained toxins which can be removed to make the oil edible.

The Donor-Acceptor type conjugated molecular structures containing pyridine as a bridge have been explored for Non linear optical properties. The ab- initio Hartee Fock calculations and Density Functional Theory with B3LYP method have been carried out employing 6-31G basis set. The dipole moments (?), polarizability (?), first hyperpolarizability (?), and HOMO-LUMO energy gap are calculated using the same level of theory. The dependence of the hyperpolarizability of different molecular structure on the nature of donor and acceptor on the pyridine is discussed on the basis of molecular orbital picture. Of all the molecular systems studied, the molecular system containing nitro as an acceptor and dimethylaniline as a donor is found to have largest value of hyperpolarizability; 49.92 X 10-30 esu and 164.61x10-30 esu with ab-initio/HF and DFT/B3LYP respectively. The large value of ? for the Donor-Acceptor pyridine derivative suggests the potential applications of these molecular systems in the development of non linear materials.

This paper presents an investigation on the properties of soils underlying the permanent site of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. A total of 450 samples collected from 150 Hand auger drilled holes across the campus were subjected to different geotechnical tests. Geotechnical parameters tested for in the soil samples were mechanical analysis, Atterberg limits, compaction, CBR, bulk density, natural moisture content and shear strength. Results indicated that the soils consisted of predominantly sand-sized grains overburden (either SM or SC); percentage of fines ranged from 7 to 72%, sand 28 to 93% and gravel 0 to 40 %. Liquid limit values ranged from minimum value of 15 (at depth 0 to 1.5m) to maximum value of 78 (at depth ?1.6m), while Plasticity index values ranged from non-plastic samples to a maximum value of 41. Plots of samples in the plasticity chart revealed the fines are predominantly clays and silts of low plasticity (CL - ML), and less amount of organic silts (MH or OH). Medium to high plasticity resulting from moderate to high clay content of the soil suggests volumetric changes, especially when the site is waterlogged. The bearing capacity and settlement (in particular compressibility) analyses confirmed that most locations within the site have low stability. A number of sampled points have their compression index values above 0.20, suggesting that those points would experience moderate compressibility over engineering time.

Mathematical formulation for Timoshenko beam resting on an elastic foundation is presented. Parametric analysis is presented for three types of boundary conditions. In the current paper, artificial intelligence technique is implemented to simulate and then predict the beam’s deflection using one raw of the results from DQM (Differential Quadrature Method) analysis to study the effect of foundation parameter, beam stiffness and applied load on the Timoshenko beam’s deflection for the three types of boundary conditions. The ANN (Artificial Neural Network) results presented in the current study showed that the designed ANN models can simulate and predict very accurately the beam’s deflection and the effect of different DQM parameters.

This study investigated the effect of system temperature on the performance of thermosyphon solar water heater. Solar collector was designed and developed with galvanized steel, wood and copper pipes for the experiment. While the copper pipes serves as the tube through which the cold water flows, the wood was employed for the frame and stand, and the galvanized steel for the collector material. Also employed were two hot and cold water tanks of 60 and 110 litre capacities respectively. The period of experiment were taken to be 3 days each for sunshine, sun-off and moderate sunshine days, with the average data employed for the analysis. The results showed that temperature has a domineering effect on the performance of the thermosyphon system. The maximum outlet temperature obtained for sunshine, moderate sunshine and sun-off days were 94.6, 73.5 and 51oC respectively. Also the system efficiency was found to be 61.04%, demonstrating good performance. However, considering the fact that the experiment was carried out in rainy season (between April and September), it was concluded that if it is repeated during the dry periods (October to March), the efficiency of performance will be more as these period is characterized by low cloud cover, high temperature and high radiation intensities. The outcome of the study was compared with published results and it clearly demonstrates that the designed system can suitably be employed for both domestic and industrial uses.

Thin films of iron sulphide were prepared by chemical bath deposition technique in aqueous solutions. The influence of complexing agent for the formation of thin films was determined. The structure, morphology and optical properties of thin films of iron sulphide grown on microscope glass slide were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The films deposited using 0.1 M of sodium tartrate indicated the highest number of FeS peaks and covered substrate surface completely based on X-ray diffraction data and scanning electron microscopy results, respectively. However, when the concentration of sodium tartrate was increased to 0.2 M and above, the number of FeS peaks decreased and the films showed incomplete coverage of material over the surface of the substrate with inhomogeneous grain size.

The pH dependence of the second order rate constant of the reaction of 5,5’-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) (DTNB) with CysF9[93]? sulphydryl group of the oxy and carbonmonoxy derivatives of stripped haemoglobin C are complex while that of aquomet haemoglobins resembles the titration curve of a diprotic acid. However, in the presence of inositol hexakisphosphate, the profiles of oxy and carbomonoxy derivatives become simple while that of aquomet becomes bowl shaped. Increased ionic strength also simplified the complex profile. The pQs of the ionizable groups linked to the reactivity of DTNB with CysF9[93]? sulphydryl group range between 5.6 and 8.7 in stripped haemoglobin. The presence of inositol-P6 decreases the pQ values to the range of 4.3 and 8.4. When compared with haemoglobins A and S, the reaction rate of heamoglobin C is lower than haemoglobin A but faster than haemoglobin S, implying that the net charge on the molecule has no direct relationship with the reaction rates.

Globally, Nigeria is one of the largest producers of palm oil however the effluents generated from palm oil mills are usually discarded into the water bodies thereby causing environmental pollution. Serious efforts are made in the treatment before discharge into surface waters. This work is aimed at studying the kinetics of anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in a batch reactor at mesophilic condition. The digestion period lasted for 40 days. Maximum biogas production of 19.50% was obtained at hydraulic retention time of 10 days. Temperature has a significant effect, particularly on the performance of biogas-forming bacteria. Micro-organisms grew as temperature increased from 28 to 34oC after which the growth started decreasing. The percentage total suspended solid (TSS) and the effluent substrate concentration decreased as hydraulic retention time increased. The kinetics of anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent followed a first order kinetic model with a first order reaction constant of 1.306day-1. The maximum rate of utilization (K), half velocity constant (Ks), endogenous decay constant (Kd), microbial growth yield (Y) and maximum specific growth rate ?max were found to be 0.868day-1, 97.66mg/l, 0.344day-1, 0.550 and 0.477day-1 respectively. Values of K and Ks suggest that the digesting microbes require much retention time to regenerate and hence inoculation is needed for better performance.

Potential monitoring investigations were conducted on concrete steel rebar samples premixed with selected inhibitors accompanied by fixed amount of sodium chloride salt and partially immersed in sulphuric acid and sodium chloride solution. Varying concentration of potassium dichromate, potassium chromate and sodium nitrite inhibitors were used individually and synergistically in this study. The potential readings were taken in accordance with ASTM C 876 through the open circuit potential corrosion monitoring technique. Suppressive quality and dependability of the inhibitor was then assessed by the Weibull probability density distribution as an extreme value statistical modeling approach to study performance effectiveness and forecast the most effective inhibitor concentration in each media. Inhibitor effect on the compressive strengths of the reinforced concrete samples was also examined and reported. Results showed that 0.15M potassium chromate inhibitor had the best overall and individual performance in its inhibiting ability in the H2SO4 medium, while 0.68M sodium nitrite admixture was predicted as showing the lowest probability of corrosion risk in NaCl medium. Also, the best synergistic performance was shown by sample admixed with 0.06M K2Cr2O7, 0.15M K2CrO4 and 0.27M NaNO2 partially immersed in the NaCl medium. The compressive strength of concrete sample admixed with 0.03M K2Cr2O7 and 0.10M K2CrO4 was the highest amongst samples admixed with inhibitor in both media, though the control sample partially immersed in the NaCl medium had the highest overall compressive strength value.

In this paper, fluid flow over contraction geometry with a moving lower edge is studied by using conformal mapping techniques. Using elliptic integral is presented. The resulting streamlines are very much convenient and acceptable. 2000 AMS: Subject classification 65M12, 65M50, 76-08

In the present study, a mixture of two waste materials glass and PVC were used with three different percentages (namely: 30% glass 70% PVC, 50% glass 50% PVC, and 70% glass 30% PVC), hardness, macrostructure, density, and thermal conductivity were investigated. Based on results, it was revealed that as the glass content increased, there is an enhancement in the hardness, where the thermal conductivity was decreased as the glass percentage increased this lead to use the new material as an insulator material.