Preliminary findings of age and male sexual characteristics andand potential effect to semen characteristics and cryopreservation of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan in Malaysia

Primates - Bornean orangutan is a critically endangered non-human primate; however, the threat of extinction is not merely from poaching and habitat loss. Orangutan survival is also threatened by...     

Screening of antimicrobial,antioxidant, antidiabetic activities,anatomical and morphological properties of Colchicum speciosum Steven (Colchicaceae)

Protoplasma - Colchicum speciosum Steven species is a perennial stemless plant. C. speciosum is a flowering herb native to mountainous regions of northern Turkey, the Caucasus, and northern Iran....     

Integrating impact evaluation in the design and implementation of monitoring marine protected areas

Quasi-experimental impact evaluation approaches, which enable scholars to disentangle effects of conservation interventions from broader changes in the environment, are gaining momentum in the conservation sector. However, rigorous impact evaluation using statistical matching techniques to estimate the counterfactual have yet to be applied to marine protected areas (MPAs). While there are numerous studies investigating ‘impacts’ of MPAs that have generated considerable insights, results are variable. This variation has been linked to the biophysical and social context in which they are established, as well as attributes of management and governance. To inform decisions about MPA placement, design and implementation, we need to expand our understanding of conditions under which MPAs are likely to lead to positive outcomes by embracing advances in impact evaluation methodologies. Here, we describe the integration of impact evaluation within an MPA network monitoring programme in the Bird''s Head Seascape, Indonesia. Specifically we (i) highlight the challenges of implementation ‘on the ground’ and in marine ecosystems and (ii) describe the transformation of an existing monitoring programme into a design appropriate for impact evaluation. This study offers one potential model for mainstreaming impact evaluation in the conservation sector.     

In-vitro diagnosis of single and poly microbial species targeted for diabetic foot infection using e-nose technology

Background

Effective management of patients with diabetic foot infection is a crucial concern. A delay in prescribing appropriate antimicrobial agent can lead to amputation or life threatening complications. Thus, this electronic nose (e-nose) technique will provide a diagnostic tool that will allow for rapid and accurate identification of a pathogen.

Results

This study investigates the performance of e-nose technique performing direct measurement of static headspace with algorithm and data interpretations which was validated by Headspace SPME-GC-MS, to determine the causative bacteria responsible for diabetic foot infection. The study was proposed to complement the wound swabbing method for bacterial culture and to serve as a rapid screening tool for bacteria species identification. The investigation focused on both single and poly microbial subjected to different agar media cultures. A multi-class technique was applied including statistical approaches such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), K Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) as well as neural networks called Probability Neural Network (PNN). Most of classifiers successfully identified poly and single microbial species with up to 90% accuracy.

Conclusions

The results obtained from this study showed that the e-nose was able to identify and differentiate between poly and single microbial species comparable to the conventional clinical technique. It also indicates that even though poly and single bacterial species in different agar solution emit different headspace volatiles, they can still be discriminated and identified using multivariate techniques.     

New mechanisms and functions of actin nucleation

In cells the de novo nucleation of actin filaments from monomers requires actin-nucleating proteins. These fall into three main families--the Arp2/3 complex and its nucleation promoting factors (NPFs), formins, and tandem-monomer-binding nucleators. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of actin nucleation by both well-characterized and newly identified nucleators, and explore current insights into their cellular functions in membrane trafficking, cell migration and division. The mechanisms and functions of actin nucleators are proving to be more complex than previously considered, with extensive cooperation and overlap in their cellular roles.     

High yield lipase-catalyzed synthesis of Engkabang fat esters for the cosmetic industry

Engkabang fat esters were produced via alcoholysis reaction between Engkabang fat and oleyl alcohol, catalyzed by Lipozyme RM IM. The reaction was carried out in a 500 ml Stirred tank reactor using heptane and hexane as solvents. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a four-factor-five-level Central composite design (CCD) was applied to evaluate the effects of synthesis parameters, namely temperature, substrate molar ratio (oleyl alcohol: Engkabang fat), enzyme amount and impeller speed. The optimum yields of 96.2% and 91.4% were obtained for heptane and hexane at the optimum temperature of 53.9 °C, impeller speeds of 309.5 and 309.0 rpm, enzyme amounts of 4.82 and 5.65 g and substrate molar ratios of 2.94 and 3.39:1, respectively. The actual yields obtained compared well with the predicted values of 100.0% and 91.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the properties of the esters show that they are suitable to be used as ingredient for cosmetic applications.     

Synthesis of methyl esters from palm (Elaeis guineensis) oil using cobalt doped MgO as solid oxide catalyst

The potential of Mg(x)Co(2-)(x)O(2) as heterogeneous reusable catalyst in transesterification of palm oil to methyl ester was investigated. The catalyst was prepared via co-precipitation of the metal hydroxides at different Mg-Co ratios. Mg(1.7)Co(0.3)O(2) catalyst was more active than Mg(0.3)Co(1.7)O(2) in the transesterification of palm oil with methanol. The catalysts calcined at temperature 300 °C for 4 h resulted in highly active oxides and the highest transesterification of 90% was achieved at methanol/oil molar ratio of 9:1, catalyst loading of 5.00 wt.%, reaction temperature of 150 °C and reaction time of 2 h. The catalyst could easily be removed from reaction mixture, but showed 50% decrease in activity when reused due to leaching of active sites.     

The effects of thyme volatiles on the induction of DNA damage by the heterocyclic amine IQ and mitomycin C

The leafy parts of thyme and its essential oil have been used in foods for its flavour, aroma and preservation for many years. In the present study the genotoxic potential of major compounds of thyme oil, i.e. thymol, carvacrol, and gamma-terpinene and of the methanolic extracts of thyme, were investigated in human lymphocytes by single-cell gel electrophoresis. Also, the effects of these substances on the induction of DNA damage by 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]-quinoline (IQ) and mitomycin C (MMC) were evaluated. No increase in DNA strand breakage was observed at thymol and gamma-terpinene concentrations below 0.1 mM, but at the higher concentration of 0.2 mM significant increases in DNA damage were seen. Thymol and gamma-terpinene significantly reduced the DNA strand breakage induced by IQ and MMC at the lower concentrations studied. Carvacrol, which is an isomer of thymol, seemed to protect lymphocytes from the genotoxic effects of IQ and MMC at non-toxic concentrations below 0.05 mM, but at the higher concentration of 0.1 mM carvacrol itself induced DNA damage. Also the constituents of the n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions prepared from the concentrated aqueous methanolic extracts of Thymus spicata protected lymphocytes against IQ- and MMC-induced DNA damage in a concentration-dependent manner.