Application of a Lithium-ion Selective Metallacrown to Extraction-Spectrophotometric Determination of Lithium in Saline Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsuta, Shoichi; Saito, Yuki; Takahashi, Suguru

2018-01-01

The solvent-extraction behavior of Li + and Na + with a Li + selective metallacrown, [{Ru(η 6 -3,5-dimethylanisole)(2,3-pyridinediolate)} 3 ], was investigated in the presence of organic dye anions, 3',3″,5',5″-tetrabromophenolphthalein ethyl ester ([TBPE] - ), 2,6-dichloroindophenolate, and picrate ([pic] - ). Each alkali metal ion was extracted as a 1:1:1 ternary complex of the metal ion, metallacrown, and anion. The Li + /Na + extraction selectivity is anion dependent and highest with [pic] - . Therefore, we devised an extraction-spectrophotometric determination method for Li + in saline water based on the extraction of Li + using the metallacrown and [pic] - for high selectivity and subsequent replacement of [pic] - in the extracted species with [TBPE] - for high sensitivity. When applying this to artificial seawater samples containing known concentrations of Li + , a linear relationship was observed between the absorbance at 571 nm of the organic phase and the Li + concentration in the samples. By this method, the determination of Li + at the sub-ppm level in natural seawater is possible.

Total Phenolics and Total Flavonoids Contents and Hypnotic Effect in Mice of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. Seed Extract

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Aye Moh Moh San

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The seeds of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. have been traditionally used for treatment of various complications including insomnia and anxiety. They are popularly used as sedative and hypnotic drugs in China, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. However, no scientific proof on hypnotic activity of Z. mauritiana seeds (ZMS was reported. In this study, the hypnotic activity of 50% ethanolic extract from ZMS was observed on the loss of righting reflex in mice using pentobarbital-induced sleep mice method. The contents of total phenolics and total flavonoids in the extract were also determined. The results showed that the 50% ethanolic extract from ZMS contained total phenolics  mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE/g extract and total flavonoids  mg quercetin equivalent (QE/g extract. Oral administration of the extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg significantly increased the sleeping time in mice intraperitoneally administered with sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg body weight. These results supported the traditional use of ZMS for the treatment of insomnia. The seeds of Z. mauritiana should be further developed as an alternative sedative and/or hypnotic product.

Determination of phthalate esters in physiological saline solution by monolithic silica spin column extraction method

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Lu Lu

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Monolithic silica spin column extraction (MonoSpin-SPE was developed as a simple, sensitive, and eco-friendly pretreatment method which combined with ultra-fast liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS to determine the levels of six phthalate esters, dimethyl-(DMP, diethyl-(DEP, dipropyl- [DPrP], butyl-benzyl-(BBP, dicyclohexyl(DcHP, and di- n-octyl-(DOP phthalate in physiological saline samples. Under optimized experimental conditions, the method was linear in the following ranges: 0.2- 50 μ/L for DMP, DEP, DPrP, DcHP and DOP; 5 – 100 μ/L for BBP. The correlation coefficients (R2 were in the range of O. 9951 – O. 9995 for all the analytes and the limits of detection (LODs and limits of quantification (LOQs were in the ranges of 0.02 – 0.9 μ/L and 0.08 – 2.7 μ/L, respectively. The pretreatment process showed good reproducibility with inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs below 8.5% and 11.2%, respectively. This method was used to determine the levels of six phthalate esters in physiological saline samples and the recoveries ranged from 71.2% to 107. 3%. DMP and DEP were found in actual physical saline samples (brand A and brand B. Keywords: Monolithic silica spin column, Phthalate esters, Physiological saline samples, Ultra fast liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (UFLC-MS

Effect of extraction solvent on total phenol content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of Limnophila aromatica

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Quy Diem Do

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Limnophila aromatica is commonly used as a spice and a medicinal herb in Southeast Asia. In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75%, and 100% of methanol, ethanol, and acetone in water were used as solvent in the extraction of L. aromatica. The antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of the freeze-dried L. aromatica extracts were investigated using various in vitro assays. The extract obtained by 100% ethanol showed the highest total antioxidant activity, reducing power and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity. The same extract also exhibited the highest phenolic content (40.5 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of defatted L. aromatica and the highest flavonoid content (31.11 mg quercetin equivalent/g of defatted L. aromatica. The highest extraction yield was obtained by using 50% aqueous acetone. These results indicate that L. aromatica can be used in dietary applications with a potential to reduce oxidative stress.

Water Use Efficiency in Saline Soils under Cotton Cultivation in the Tarim River Basin

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Xiaoning Zhao

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The Tarim River Basin, the largest area of Chinese cotton production, is receiving increased attention because of serious environmental problems. At two experimental stations (Korla and Aksu, we studied the influence of salinity on cotton yield. Soil chemical and physical properties, soil water content, soil total suction and matric suction, cotton yield and water use efficiency under plastic mulched drip irrigation in different saline soils was measured during cotton growth season. The salinity (mS·cm−1 were 17–25 (low at Aksu and Korla, 29–50 (middle at Aksu and 52–62 (high at Aksu for ECe (Electrical conductivity measured in saturation-paste extract of soil over the 100 cm soil profile. The soil water characteristic curves in different saline soils showed that the soil water content (15%–23% at top 40 cm soil, lower total suction power (below 3500 kPa and lower matric suction (below 30 kPa in low saline soil at Korla had the highest water use efficiency (10 kg·ha−1·mm−1 and highest irrigation water use efficiency (12 kg·ha−1·mm−1 and highest yield (6.64 t·ha−1. Higher water content below 30 cm in high saline soil increased the salinity risk and led to lower yield (2.39 t·ha−1. Compared to low saline soils at Aksu, the low saline soil at Korla saved 110 mm irrigation and 103 mm total water to reach 1 t·ha−1 yield and increased water use efficiency by 5 kg·ha−1·mm−1 and 7 kg·ha−1·mm−1 for water use efficiency (WUE and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE respectively.

Potential of the Moringa oleifera saline extract for the treatment of dairy wastewater: application of the response surface methodology.

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Formentini-Schmitt, Dalila Maria; Fagundes-Klen, Márcia Regina; Veit, Márcia Teresinha; Palácio, Soraya Moreno; Trigueros, Daniela Estelita Goes; Bergamasco, Rosangela; Mateus, Gustavo Affonso Pisano

2018-03-02

In this work, the coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation treatment of dairy wastewater samples was investigated through serial factorial designs utilizing the saline extract obtained from Moringa oleifera (Moringa) as a coagulant. The sedimentation time (ST), pH, Moringa coagulant (MC) dose and concentration of CaCl 2 have been evaluated through the response surface methodology in order to obtain the ideal turbidity removal (TR) conditions. The empirical quadratic model, in conjunction with the desirability function, demonstrated that it is possible to obtain TRs of 98.35% using a coagulant dose, concentration of CaCl 2 and pH of 280 mg L -1 , 0.8 mol L -1 and 9, respectively. The saline extract from Moringa presented its best efficiency at an alkaline pH, which influenced the reduction of the ST to a value of 25 min. It was verified that the increase in the solubility of the proteins in the Moringa stimulated the reduction of the coagulant content in the reaction medium, and it is related to the use of calcium chloride as an extracting agent of these proteins. The MC proved to be an excellent alternative for the dairy wastewater treatment, compared to the traditional coagulants.

A CTAB Procedure Of Total Genomic DNA Extraction For Medicinal Mushrooms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azhar Mohamad; Muhammad Hussaini Mohd Mustafa; Muhammad Hanif Azhari Noor; Rosnani Abdul Rashid; Hasan Hamdani Hasan Mutaat; Meswan Meskom; Mat Rasol Awang

2014-01-01

Medicinal mushroom is defined as mushrooms used in medicine or medical research. Isolation of intact, high-molecular-mass genomic DNA is essential for many molecular biology applications including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), endonuclease restriction digestion, Southern blot analysis, and genomic library construction. The most important and prerequisite towards reliable molecular biology work is the total genomic DNA of a sample must be in good quality. Five freshly samples of medicinal mushroom were used in this work known as Auriculariapolytricha, Lentinus edode, Pleurotus sayorcaju, Sczhizopyllum commune and Ganodermalucidum. 5 mg of each sample were used to extraction the DNA, prepared in 3 replications and repeated twice. PCR based technique by using ISSR markers were used in checking the amplification ability of the total genomic extraction. A standard Doyle and Doyle protocol for genomic DNA extraction was modified in optimizing the total genomic DNA from the medicinal mushroom.The modification parameters were percentage of CTAB, incubation period and temperature. The results reveal that each sample required a certain combinations of time and period of incubation. Besides, percentage of CTAB in the buffer was found significant in giving a high yielding of extracted total genomic DNA. The extracted total genomic DNA from the medicinal mushroom yielded from 39.7 ng/ μl to 919.1 ng/ μl. The different yield among the samples found to be corresponded to polysaccharide content in the medicinal mushrooms. The objective of this works is to optimize total genomic DNA extraction of medicinal mushrooms towards a high quality intact genomic DNA for molecular activities. (author)

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Corn Silk and Their Antioxidant Activity

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Ling-Li Zheng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Object. Ultrasound-assisted extraction of total flavonoids from corn silk and their antioxidant activities were studied. Methods. Response surface methodology was adopted to optimize the extraction conditions and antioxidant activities of the extracted total flavonoids were detected through ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP assay. Results. Through a three-level, three-variable Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM adopting yield as response, the optimal conditions were determined as follows: ultrasonic power 500 W, extraction time 20 min, material solvent ratio 1 : 20, and ethanol concentration 30%. Under the optimum conditions, the extraction yield of total flavonoids was 1.13%. FRAP value of total flavonoids extracted from corn silk was 467.59 μmol/L. Conclusion. The total flavonoids of corn silk could be developed as food natural antioxidant reagents.

Optimization of Total Flavonoids Extraction from Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. by Response Surface Methodology

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Liu, X. F.

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Response surface methodology (RSM was applied to predict optimum conditions for extraction of flavonoid from Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt. A central composite design (CCD was used to monitor the effect of extraction temperature, extraction time, and water-to-material ratio on yield of total flavonoids. The optimal extraction conditions were obtained as water-to-material ratio of 55 ml g−1, extraction temperature of 80 °C and extraction time of 70 minutes. Under these conditions, the average total flavonoids yield, according to the mass of raw material, was 9.0 ± 0.6 %, which corresponds to the predicted value of 8.9 %. Thus, the extraction method was applied successfully to extract total flavonoids from C. tinctoria.

Salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of pyrethroid insecticides in high salinity and biological samples.

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Niu, Zongliang; Yu, Chunwei; He, Xiaowen; Zhang, Jun; Wen, Yingying

2017-09-05

A salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed for the determination of four pyrethroid insecticides (PYRs) in high salinity and biological samples. Several parameters including sample pH, salting-out solution volume and salting-out solution pH influencing the extraction efficiency were systematically investigated with the aid of orthogonal design. The optimal extraction conditions of SALLE were: 4mL of salting-out solution with pH=4 and the sample pH=3. Under the optimum extraction and determination conditions, good responses for four PYRs were obtained in a range of 5-5000ng/mL, with linear coefficients greater than 0.998. The recoveries of the four PYRs ranged from 74% to 110%, with standard deviations ranging from 1.8% to 9.8%. The limits of detection based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were between 1.5-60.6ng/mL. The method was applied to the determination of PYRs in urine, seawater and wastewater samples with a satisfactory result. The results demonstrated that this SALLE-GC-MS method was successfully applied to determine PYRs in high salinity and biological samples. SALLE avoided the need for the elimination of salinity and protein in the sample matrix, as well as clean-up of the extractant. Most of all, no centrifugation or any special apparatus are required, make this a promising method for rapid sample preparation procedure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of salinity on egg and fecal pellet production, development and survival, adult sex ratio and total life span in the calanoid copepod, Acartia tonsa: a laboratory study

Science.gov (United States)

Shayegan, Majid; Esmaeili Fereidouni, Abolghasem; Agh, Naser; Jani Khalili, Khosrow

2016-07-01

The effects of salinity on the copepod, Acartia tonsa in terms of daily egg production rate (EPR), hatching success, fecal pellet production rate (FPR), naupliar development time and survival, sex ratio, and total life span were determined in laboratory conditions through three experiments. In experiment 1, EPR, hatching success, and FPR of individual females were monitored at salinities of 13, 20, 35 and 45 during short-periods (seven consecutive days). Results show EPR was affected by salinity with the highest outputs recorded at 20 and 35, respectively, which were considerably higher than those at 13 and 45. Mean FPR was also higher in 35 and 20. In experiment 2, the same parameters were evaluated over total life span of females (long-term study). The best EPR and FPR were observed in 35, which was statistically higher than at 13 and 20. In experiment 3, survival rates of early nauplii until adult stage were lowest at a salinity of 13. The development time increased with increasing of salinity. Female percentage clearly decreased with increasing salinity. Higher female percentages (56.7% and 52.2%, respectively) were significantly observed at two salinities of 13 and 20 compared to that at 35 (25%). Total longevity of females was not affected by salinity increment. Based on our results, for mass culture we recommend that a salinity of 35 be adopted due to higher reproductive performances, better feeding, and faster development of A. tonsa.

Analysis and extension of the Furter equation, and its application in the simulation of saline extractive distillation columns

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Ernesto O. Timmermann

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Simulation of saline extractive distillation columns is a difficult task owing to the high nonlinearity of the rigorous models that represent these systems. The use of simple models to obtain initial estimates of equilibrium compositions may improve the stability and rate of convergence. One of the simplest models to study the vapor-liquid equilibrium of binary liquid mixtures + salt systems is the Furter equation. This model was analyzed in the present work by means of the incorporation of activity coefficient models in the ratio of relative volatility. This approach allowed systematic extensions of the Furter equation and a brief review of the theoretical basis of the original equation. As a result of these extensions, two simple equations were proposed and tested with experimental data from 20 systems, including binary liquid mixtures + salt systems and binary liquid mixtures + ionic liquid systems. Finally, one of these proposed equations was incorporated into the GKTM software in order to assess the utility of these simple models in the simulation of saline extractive distillation columns. The obtained results showed a significant improvement over the previous algorithm.

Total phenolic content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Blepharis edulis extracts

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Mohaddese Mahboubi

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Blepharis edulis is traditionally used as an antiseptic, purgative, aphrodisiac and anti-inflammatory agent. The extractsof plant aerial parts were screened for total phenolic content (TPC gallic acid equivalents (GAE, total flavonoid compound(TFC quercetin equivalents (QE, antioxidant capacity and its antimicrobial activity by micro broth dilution assay. The 50%-inhibition values of BHT and 70% (v/v aqueous ethanol, 70% (v/v aqueous methanol, methanol, and water extracts of B.edulis according to the DPPH method were found to be 19.6, 71.2, 73.7, 81.4, and 218.4 g/ml, respectively. TPC ranged from38.9 to 102.7 mg GAE/g dry extracts. The antimicrobial activity showed that yeast and fungi were sensitive and resistantmicroorganisms to the extracts. The 70%-methanol extract showed more drastic antimicrobial activity than the others. Theantimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract is the same as of the methanolic extract; water extract had the weakest antimicrobialactivity.

Evaluating management-induced soil salinization in golf courses in semi-arid landscapes

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Young, J.; Udeigwe, T. K.; Weindorf, D. C.; Kandakji, T.; Gautam, P.; Mahmoud, M. A.

2015-04-01

Site-specific information on land management practices are often desired to make better assessments of their environmental impacts. A study was conducted in Lubbock, Texas, in the Southern High Plains of the United States, an area characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions, to (1) examine the potential management-induced alterations in soil salinity indicators in golf course facilities and (2) develop predictive relationships for a more rapid soil salinity examination within these urban landscape soils using findings from a portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometer. Soil samples were collected from managed (well irrigated) and non-managed (non-irrigated) areas of seven golf course facilities at 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm depths and analyzed for a suite of chemical properties. Among the extractable cations, sodium (Na) was significantly (p golf facilities. Soil electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), parameters often used in characterizing soil salinity and sodicity, were for the most part significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the managed areas. Water quality reports collected over a 22-year period (1991-2013, all years not available) indicated a gradual increase in pH, EC, SAR, total alkalinity, and extractable ions, thus supporting the former findings. Findings from the PXRF suggested possible differences in chemical species and sources that contribute to salinity between the managed and non-managed zones. PXRF-quantified Cl and S, and to a lesser extent Ca, individually and collectively explained 23-85% of the variability associated with soil salinity at these facilities.

Total lipid profile with aqueous fruit extract of Solanum macrocarpum ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. Studies were undertaken to investigate the effects of the aqueous fruit extract of Solanum macrocarpum Linn. on the total lipid profile: total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) on hypercholesterolaemic rats. Total serum cholesterol ...

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Total Phenolic Compounds from Inula helenium

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Jin Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE of phenolic compounds from Inula helenium was studied. Effects of ethanol concentration, ultrasonic time, solid-liquid ratio, and number of extractions were investigated. An orthogonal array was constructed to optimize UAE process. The optimized extraction conditions were as follows: ethanol concentration, 30%; solid-liquid ratio, 1 : 20; number of extractions, 2 times; extraction time, 30 min. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of total phenolic compounds and chlorogenic acid was 6.13±0.58 and 1.32±0.17 mg/g, respectively. The results showed that high amounts of phenolic compounds can be extracted from I. helenium by ultrasound-assisted extraction technology.

Determination of total triterpenoid acids in different part and extract of Ganoderma lucidum

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FENG Huiqin

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Aim To develop a method for determination of total triterpenoid acids in different part and extracts of Ganoderma lucidum. Method The samples of Ganoderma lucidum were extracted with ethanol and successively extracted with CHCl3 and 5% NaHCO3,the NaHCO3 layer was acidified to pH 3 with 2 mol/L HCl,the resulting precipitates were dissolved in CHCl3 and evaporated in vacuo then weighed. The total triterpenoid acids were obtained. Result The total triterpenoid acids of Ganoderma lucidum fruitbody,spore and mycelium were (8.58±0.25 mg/g,(3.48±0.03 mg/g and (1.75 ±0.09 mg/g respectively. The total triterpenoid acids of pileus and stipe were (12.62±0.22 mg/g and (7.66±0.08 mg/g. The range of total triterpenoid acid content among 10 batches of Ganoderma lucidum fruitbody purchased from the market was between 4.34 to 16.39 mg/g. The highest content fro/8/8/88/ m Ganoderma lucidum fruiting body with alcohol - water extracting was (208.70±5.54 mg/g and the lowest content with alkaline solution extracting was (123.07±4.99 mg/g. The composition of total triterpenoid acid from fruitbody,spores and extract of fruitbody analyzed by HPLC were almost the same. This method is reliable for determination of total triterpenoid acid in the fruiting body and its extracts,spore and mycelium from Ganoderma lucidum,which provides an indicator for the quality of Ganoderma lucidum product.

Exploiting the spontaneous potential of the electrodes used in the capacitive mixing technique for the extraction of energy from salinity difference

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brogioli, D.; Ziano, R.; Rica, R.A.; Salerno, D.; Kozynchenko, O.; Hamelers, H.V.M.; Mantegazza, F.

2012-01-01

The "capacitive mixing" (CAPMIX) technique is aimed at the extraction of energy from the salinity difference between the sea and rivers. It is based on the voltage rise that takes place at the electrodes when changing the salt concentration of the solution in which the two electrodes are dipped. In

Chemical content, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of essential oil extract from Tunisian Origanum majorana L. cultivated under saline condition.

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Olfa, Baâtour; Mariem, Aouadi; Salah, Abbassi Mohamed; Mouhiba, BenNasri Ayachi

2016-11-01

Essential oils of marjoram were extracted from plants, growing under non-saline and saline condition (75mM NaCl). Their antioxidant and antibaterial activity against six bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Listeria ivanovii, Listeria inocula, and Listeria monocytogenes) were assessed. Result showed that, (i) independently of salt treatment, marjoram essential oils inhibited the growth of most of the bacteria but in degrees. The least susceptible one was Enterococcus faecalis. (ii) Gram negative bacteria seemed more sensitive to treated essential oils than Gram positive ones. (iii) Compared to synthetic antibiotics, marjoram essential oils were more effective against E. coli, L. innocua and S. enteridis. This activity was due to their high antioxidant activity. Thus, essential oils of marjoram may be an alternative source of natural antibacterial and antioxidant agents.

Total Phenol amd Flavonoid contents of Crude Extract and Fractions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Phenolic compounds are numerous in plants and are essential part of human diet. Picralima nitida has been extensively used in African folk medicine especially in West Africa. The present study evaluated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract and fractions of Picralima nitida. The methanol extracts of P.

Anti-tumor potential of total alkaloid extract of Prosopis juliflora DC ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The total alkaloid extract from Prosopis juliflora DC. leaves was obtained using acid/base modified extraction method. The in vitro anti-tumor potential of the extract was evaluated using MTT (3-(4,5- dimethythiazol-2yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) based cytotoxicity monitoring after 24, 48 and 72 h exposure of the ...

Last Glacial Maximum Salinity Reconstruction

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Homola, K.; Spivack, A. J.

2016-12-01

It has been previously demonstrated that salinity can be reconstructed from sediment porewater. The goal of our study is to reconstruct high precision salinity during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Salinity is usually determined at high precision via conductivity, which requires a larger volume of water than can be extracted from a sediment core, or via chloride titration, which yields lower than ideal precision. It has been demonstrated for water column samples that high precision density measurements can be used to determine salinity at the precision of a conductivity measurement using the equation of state of seawater. However, water column seawater has a relatively constant composition, in contrast to porewater, where variations from standard seawater composition occur. These deviations, which affect the equation of state, must be corrected for through precise measurements of each ion's concentration and knowledge of apparent partial molar density in seawater. We have developed a density-based method for determining porewater salinity that requires only 5 mL of sample, achieving density precisions of 10-6 g/mL. We have applied this method to porewater samples extracted from long cores collected along a N-S transect across the western North Atlantic (R/V Knorr cruise KN223). Density was determined to a precision of 2.3x10-6 g/mL, which translates to salinity uncertainty of 0.002 gms/kg if the effect of differences in composition is well constrained. Concentrations of anions (Cl-, and SO4-2) and cations (Na+, Mg+, Ca+2, and K+) were measured. To correct salinities at the precision required to unravel LGM Meridional Overturning Circulation, our ion precisions must be better than 0.1% for SO4-/Cl- and Mg+/Na+, and 0.4% for Ca+/Na+, and K+/Na+. Alkalinity, pH and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon of the porewater were determined to precisions better than 4% when ratioed to Cl-, and used to calculate HCO3-, and CO3-2. Apparent partial molar densities in seawater were

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Corn Silk and Their Antioxidant Activity

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Ling-Li; Wen, Guan; Yuan, Min-Yong; Gao, Feng

2016-01-01

Object. Ultrasound-assisted extraction of total flavonoids from corn silk and their antioxidant activities were studied. Methods. Response surface methodology was adopted to optimize the extraction conditions and antioxidant activities of the extracted total flavonoids were detected through ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Results. Through a three-level, three-variable Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM) adopting yield as response, the optimal conditions we...

Alteration in Solid State Phosphorous With Depth in Sediments Along the Salinity Transition Zone of a Major Chesapeake Bay Tributary

Science.gov (United States)

Hartzell, J. L.; Jordan, T. E.

2006-05-01

Determining the fate of particulate phosphorus in estuaries is essential for addressing the widespread problem of estuarine eutrophication, and is key to understanding P cycling and developing accurate global P budgets. Prominent reservoirs of P in surficial sediments include particulate P associated with iron or organic C. However, the importance of these reservoirs changes with the decomposition of organic matter and the reduction of iron. Also, the importance of iron bound P may decrease with increasing salinity due to the formation of iron sulfides. To investigate estuarine P burial and its relationship to salinity, we collected sediment cores of one-meter depth along the salinity gradient of the Patuxent River estuary (Maryland, USA), a major tributary of Chesapeake Bay. The sediments were analyzed using a sequential sedimentary extraction procedure that quantifies five separate reservoirs of particulate P. Total phosphorus concentrations in freshwater sediments were significantly higher than those in more saline sediments at all depths. Conversely, porewater phosphate concentrations were significantly lower in freshwater sediments than in the more saline sediments. Total P in the saline sediment cores decreased with depth, correlating to a reduction in iron-bound P. However, we did not find a concurrent increase in authigenic apatite with depth. Our findings indicate that mechanisms controlling changes in P sorption to sediments change profoundly with salinity and may contribute to increased bioavailability of phosphates with increasing salinity.

Remote Sensing Soil Salinity Map for the San Joaquin Vally, California

Science.gov (United States)

Scudiero, E.; Skaggs, T. H.; Anderson, R. G.; Corwin, D. L.

2015-12-01

Soil salinization is a major natural hazard to worldwide agriculture. We present a remote imagery approach that maps salinity within a range (i.e., salinities less than 20 dS m-1, when measured as the electrical conductivity of the soil saturation extract), accuracy, and resolution most relevant to agriculture. A case study is presented for the western San Joaquin Valley (WSJV), California, USA (~870,000 ha of farmland) using multi-year Landsat 7 ETM+ canopy reflectance and the Canopy Response Salinity Index (CRSI). Highly detailed salinity maps for 22 fields (542 ha) established from apparent soil electrical conductivity directed sampling were used as ground-truth (sampled in 2013), totaling over 5000 pixels (30×30 m) with salinity values in the range of 0 to 35.2 dS m-1. Multi-year maximum values of CRSI were used to model soil salinity. In addition, soil type, elevation, meteorological data, and crop type were evaluated as covariates. The fitted model (R2=0.73) was validated: i) with a spatial k-folds (i.e., leave-one-field-out) cross-validation (R2=0.61), ii) versus salinity data from three independent fields (sampled in 2013 and 2014), and iii) by determining the accuracy of the qualitative classification of white crusted land as extremely-saline soils. The effect of land use change is evaluated over 2396 ha in the Broadview Water District from a comparison of salinity mapped in 1991 with salinity predicted in 2013 from the fitted model. From 1991 to 2013 salinity increased significantly over the selected study site, bringing attention to potential negative effects on soil quality of shifting from irrigated agriculture to fallow-land. This is cause for concern since over the 3 years of California's drought (2010-2013) the fallow land in the WSJV increased from 12.7% to 21.6%, due to drastic reduction in water allocations to farmers.

Antioxidant activity, total phenolic, and total flavonoid of extracts from stems of Jasminum nervosum Lour

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Wei, Xiangyong

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Guangxi traditional Chinese Medical University Universidad de Medicina Tradicional China de Guangxi This study evaluated the antioxidant activities of the extracts of Jasminum nervosum Lour. stems along with the effects of different extract solvents on total phenolics (TP, total flavonoids (TF, and antioxidant potential. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed using the following methods: DPPH, ABTS+ both free radicals scavenging assays, and reducing assays. TP and TF were detected by spectrophotometric and HPLC methods. In former methods, the highest amount of TP content was ethy lacetate extract (EAE, expressed as gallic acid equivalents. The greatest TF content was in the n-butanol extract (BE, expressed as lutin equivalents. No significant difference was observed in the TP/TF content between these two extracts. The antioxidant activity and TP/TF content of three extracts seemed to follow the same trend. This implied that there is a good correlation between antioxidant activities and TP/TF content. But in HPLC methods, EAE contained the highest content of lutin and gallic acid, which decreased in the same order of EAE > BE > PE, the rank order of TP/TF content of EAE and BE were different according to antioxidant ability. The overall results showed that the EAE and BE were richer in phenolics and flavonoids than petroleum ether extract (PE, and may represent a good source of antioxidants.Este estudio evaluó las actividades antioxidantes de extractos de tallos de Jasminum nervosum Lour., y el efecto de diferentes disolventes de extracción en los fenoles totales (TP y flavonoides totales (TF, y su potencial antioxidante. La actividad antioxidante de los extractos fue evaluada usando los siguientes métodos: DPPH, ABTS+ y ensayos reductores. TP y TF fueron detectados por métodos espectroscópicos y por HPLC. Con el primer método, el contenido más alto de TP se obtuvo en el extracto con acetato de etilo (EAE, expresado como

Antioxidant Activities of Total Pigment Extract from Blackberries

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Jiechao Liu

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Total pigment has been extracted from blackberries and its antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation and scavenging capacities towards superoxide anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals and nitrite in different in vitro systems have been investigated. The total pigment extract from blackberries (TPEB exhibited strong antioxidant activity against lipid peroxidation in a linoleic acid model system and scavenging capacities towards superoxide anion radicals, generated by a pyrogallol autoxidation system or by an illuminating riboflavin system, hydroxyl radicals generated by Fenton reaction, and nitrite. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities were correlated with the concentrations of the TPEB. In the test concentration range, the maximum inhibition percentage against linoleic acid peroxidation was 98.32 % after one week’s incubation, and the maximum scavenging percentages for the free radicals and nitrite inhibition in the above reactive systems reached 90.48, 96.48, 93.58 and 98.94 %, respectively. The TPEB is a natural, edible colorant with excellent antioxidant activities and health benefits and it seems to be applicable in both healthy food and medicine.

Adopting adequate leaching requirement for practical response models of basil to salinity

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Babazadeh, Hossein; Tabrizi, Mahdi Sarai; Darvishi, Hossein Hassanpour

2016-07-01

Several mathematical models are being used for assessing plant response to salinity of the root zone. Objectives of this study included quantifying the yield salinity threshold value of basil plants to irrigation water salinity and investigating the possibilities of using irrigation water salinity instead of saturated extract salinity in the available mathematical models for estimating yield. To achieve the above objectives, an extensive greenhouse experiment was conducted with 13 irrigation water salinity levels, namely 1.175 dS m-1 (control treatment) and 1.8 to 10 dS m-1. The result indicated that, among these models, the modified discount model (one of the most famous root water uptake model which is based on statistics) produced more accurate results in simulating the basil yield reduction function using irrigation water salinities. Overall the statistical model of Steppuhn et al. on the modified discount model and the math-empirical model of van Genuchten and Hoffman provided the best results. In general, all of the statistical models produced very similar results and their results were better than math-empirical models. It was also concluded that if enough leaching was present, there was no significant difference between the soil salinity saturated extract models and the models using irrigation water salinity.

Total phenol content and antioxidant activity of water solutions of plant extracts

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Mirela Kopjar

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Water solutions of extracts were investigated for total phenol content, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. Susceptibility to degradation of water solutions of plant extracts, under light and in the dark, during storage at room temperature was investigated in order to determine their stability prior to their application for fortification of food products. Large dispersion of total phenol (TP content in the investigated model solutions of selected extracts (olive leaves, green tea, red grape, red wine, pine bark PE 5:1, pine bark PE 95 %, resveratrol, ranging from 11.10 mg GAE/100 mL to 92.19 mg GAE/100 mL was observed. Consequently, large dispersion of total flavonoids (TF content (8.89 mg to 61.75 mg CTE/100 mL was also observed. Since phenols have been mostly responsible for antioxidant activity of extracts, in most cases, antioxidant activity followed the TP content. That was proven by estimation of correlation coefficient between the total phenol content and antioxidant activity. Correlation coefficients between investigated parameters ranged from 0.5749 to 0.9604. During storage of 5 weeks at room temperature loss of phenols and flavonoids occurred. Antioxidant activity decreased with the decrease of TP and TF content. Degradations of phenols and flavonoids were more pronounced in samples stored at light.

A broadband helical saline water liquid antenna for wearable systems

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Li, Gaosheng; Huang, Yi; Gao, Gui; Yang, Cheng; Lu, Zhonghao; Liu, Wei

2018-04-01

A broadband helical liquid antenna made of saline water is proposed. A transparent hollow support is employed to fabricate the antenna. The rotation structure is fabricated with a thin flexible tube. The saline water with a concentration of 3.5% can be injected into or be extracted out from the tube to change the quantity of the solution. Thus, the tunability of the radiation pattern could be realised by applying the fluidity of the liquid. The radiation feature of the liquid antenna is compared with that of a metal one, and fairly good agreement has been achieved. Furthermore, three statements of the radiation performance corresponding to the ratio of the diameter to the wavelength of the helical saline water antenna have been proposed. It has been found that the resonance frequency increases when the length of the feeding probe or the radius of the vertical part of the liquid decreases. The fractional bandwidth can reach over 20% with a total height of 185 mm at 1.80 GHz. The measured results indicate reasonable approximation to the simulated. The characteristics of the liquid antenna make it a good candidate for various wireless applications, especially the wearable systems.

Evaluation of salinity stress on morphophysiological traits of four salin tolarant wheat cultivars

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leila yadelerloo

2009-06-01

Full Text Available For assessment the effects of salinity on morphophysiological traits of wheat an experiment with four caltivars (Karchia, Sorkh tokhm, Sholeh and Roshan and one line (1-66-22 in four salt concentrations(0, 60, 120, and 180 mM NaCl, were conducted by factorial analysis in a completely randomized design with three replications. The rate of leaf area were measured in four stages. In booting stage, relative chlorophyll content (SPAD meter, and in pollination phase the rate of Na+ and K+ iones in four leaves(up to down were assessed and finally stem length and total dry matter were measured. Results showed that salinity reduced leaf area, total dry matter stem length of plants and relative chlorophyll content. With increasing of salinity the rate of Na+ were increased but the rate of K+ iones were decreased. Also the salt exclusion was observed at nodes of stem that of 1-66-22 was spot form.

rich extract on total polyphenols and antioxidant activity obtained

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Z. Ghouila

USTHB, Organic Functional Analysis Laboratory, 16111 Bab Ezzouar, Algiers, ... Keywords: Ahmeur Bouamer, extraction, grape seeds, total polyphenols, ... These compounds are known as good natural antioxidant agents arising from natural ... surface between solid and liquid phases; this is mainly due to the dispersion of ...

Salinity tolerance of Picochlorum atomus and the use of salinity for contamination control by the freshwater cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena limnetica.

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Nicolas von Alvensleben

Full Text Available Microalgae are ideal candidates for waste-gas and -water remediation. However, salinity often varies between different sites. A cosmopolitan microalga with large salinity tolerance and consistent biochemical profiles would be ideal for standardised cultivation across various remediation sites. The aims of this study were to determine the effects of salinity on Picochlorum atomus growth, biomass productivity, nutrient uptake and biochemical profiles. To determine if target end-products could be manipulated, the effects of 4-day nutrient limitation were also determined. Culture salinity had no effect on growth, biomass productivity, phosphate, nitrate and total nitrogen uptake at 2, 8, 18, 28 and 36 ppt. 11 ppt, however, initiated a significantly higher total nitrogen uptake. While salinity had only minor effects on biochemical composition, nutrient depletion was a major driver for changes in biomass quality, leading to significant increases in total lipid, fatty acid and carbohydrate quantities. Fatty acid composition was also significantly affected by nutrient depletion, with an increased proportion of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Having established that P. atomus is a euryhaline microalga, the effects of culture salinity on the development of the freshwater cyanobacterial contaminant Pseudanabaena limnetica were determined. Salinity at 28 and 36 ppt significantly inhibited establishment of P. limnetica in P. atomus cultures. In conclusion, P. atomus can be deployed for bioremediation at sites with highly variable salinities without effects on end-product potential. Nutrient status critically affected biochemical profiles--an important consideration for end-product development by microalgal industries. 28 and 36 ppt slow the establishment of the freshwater cyanobacterium P. limnetica, allowing for harvest of low contaminant containing biomass.

Saline water intrusion toward groundwater: Issues and its control

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Purnama S

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, saline water pollution has been gaining its importance as the major issue around the world, especially in the urban coastal area. Saline water pollution has major impact on human life and livelihood. It ́s mainly a result from static fossil water and the dynamics of sea water intrusion. The problem of saline water pollution caused by seawater intrusion has been increasing since the beginning of urban population. The problem of sea water intrusion in the urban coastal area must be anticipated as soon as possible especially in the urban areas developed in coastal zones,. This review article aims to; (i analyze the distribution of saline water pollution on urban coastal area in Indonesia and (ii analyze some methods in controlling saline water pollution, especially due to seawater intrusion in urban coastal area. The strength and weakness of each method have been compared, including (a applying different pumping patterns, (b artificial recharge, (c extraction barrier, (d injection barrier and (e subsurface barrier. The best method has been selected considering its possible development in coastal areas of developing countries. The review is based considering the location of Semarang coastal area, Indonesia. The results have shown that artificial recharge and extraction barrier are the most suitable methods to be applied in the area.

Two fixed ratio dilutions for soil salinity monitoring in hypersaline wetlands.

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Juan Herrero

Full Text Available Highly soluble salts are undesirable in agriculture because they reduce yields or the quality of most cash crops and can leak to surface or sub-surface waters. In some cases salinity can be associated with unique history, rarity, or special habitats protected by environmental laws. Yet in considering the measurement of soil salinity for long-term monitoring purposes, adequate methods are required. Both saturated paste extracts, intended for agriculture, and direct surface and/or porewater salinity measurement, used in inundated wetlands, are unsuited for hypersaline wetlands that often are only occasionally inundated. For these cases, we propose the use of 1:5 soil/water (weight/weight extracts as the standard for expressing the electrical conductivity (EC of such soils and for further salt determinations. We also propose checking for ion-pairing with a 1:10 or more diluted extract in hypersaline soils. As an illustration, we apply the two-dilutions approach to a set of 359 soil samples from saline wetlands ranging in ECe from 2.3 dS m(-1 to 183.0 dS m(-1. This easy procedure will be useful in survey campaigns and in the monitoring of soil salt content.

Two fixed ratio dilutions for soil salinity monitoring in hypersaline wetlands.

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Herrero, Juan; Weindorf, David C; Castañeda, Carmen

2015-01-01

Highly soluble salts are undesirable in agriculture because they reduce yields or the quality of most cash crops and can leak to surface or sub-surface waters. In some cases salinity can be associated with unique history, rarity, or special habitats protected by environmental laws. Yet in considering the measurement of soil salinity for long-term monitoring purposes, adequate methods are required. Both saturated paste extracts, intended for agriculture, and direct surface and/or porewater salinity measurement, used in inundated wetlands, are unsuited for hypersaline wetlands that often are only occasionally inundated. For these cases, we propose the use of 1:5 soil/water (weight/weight) extracts as the standard for expressing the electrical conductivity (EC) of such soils and for further salt determinations. We also propose checking for ion-pairing with a 1:10 or more diluted extract in hypersaline soils. As an illustration, we apply the two-dilutions approach to a set of 359 soil samples from saline wetlands ranging in ECe from 2.3 dS m(-1) to 183.0 dS m(-1). This easy procedure will be useful in survey campaigns and in the monitoring of soil salt content.

Extracting renewable energy from a salinity difference using a capacitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Brogioli, Doriano

2009-07-31

Completely renewable energy can be produced by using water solutions of different salinity, like river water and sea water. Many different methods are already known, but development is still at prototype stage. Here I report a novel method, based on electric double-layer capacitor technology. Two porous electrodes, immersed in the salt solution, constitute a capacitor. It is first charged, then the salt solution is brought into contact with fresh water. The electrostatic energy increases as the salt concentration of the solution is reduced due to diffusion. This device can be used to turn sources of salinity difference into completely renewable sources of energy. An experimental demonstration is given, and performances and possible improvements are discussed.

A study of extraction process and in vitro antioxidant activity of total ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study investigated the extraction method of Rhizoma Imperatae and its antioxidant activity, and provided a basis for its rational development. The extraction method of Rhizoma Imperatae was determined using orthogonal design test and by total phenol content, its hydroxyl radical scavenging ability was measured by ...

Evaluation of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L. Genotypes for Their Trait Associations under Saline Conditions

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B Bashiri

2015-08-01

Full Text Available To evaluate sugar-beet genotypes for their trait associations, two separate RCBD experiments with three replications were conducted both under non-saline (normal and saline conditions at the Agricultural Research of Miandoab. Analysis of variance of the data collected showed that there were significant differences among genotypes for all traits studied under non-saline condition. But, differences of genotypes under saline condition were significant only for root yield, root potassium content, sugar extraction coefficient, impure and pure (white sugar yields. Salinity stress, in this study, reduced root potassium content, root yield, sugar extraction coefficient, impure and pure (white sugar yields. Mean comparisons of genotypes indicated that root yield of all genotypes, under non-saline condition, were higher than those of under saline one. As whole, genotypes number 1 and 2 produced higher root yields, impure and pure sugar yields respectively, under both saline and non-saline conditions. Based on the results obtained it was revealed that regression coefficients for the traits under study were significant. Step-wise regression and path coefficient analyses also indicated that traits like root yield, pure sugar and root nitrogen contents highly affected white sugar yield under non-saline conditions.

Modelling soil salinity in Oued El Abid watershed, Morocco

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Mouatassime Sabri, El; Boukdir, Ahmed; Karaoui, Ismail; Arioua, Abdelkrim; Messlouhi, Rachid; El Amrani Idrissi, Abdelkhalek

2018-05-01

Soil salinisation is a phenomenon considered to be a real threat to natural resources in semi-arid climates. The phenomenon is controlled by soil (texture, depth, slope etc.), anthropogenic factors (drainage system, irrigation, crops types, etc.), and climate factors. This study was conducted in the watershed of Oued El Abid in the region of Beni Mellal-Khenifra, aimed at localising saline soil using remote sensing and a regression model. The spectral indices were extracted from Landsat imagery (30 m resolution). A linear correlation of electrical conductivity, which was calculated based on soil samples (ECs), and the values extracted based on spectral bands showed a high accuracy with an R2 (Root square) of 0.80. This study proposes a new spectral salinity index using Landsat bands B1 and B4. This hydro-chemical and statistical study, based on a yearlong survey, showed a moderate amount of salinity, which threatens dam water quality. The results present an improved ability to use remote sensing and regression model integration to detect soil salinity with high accuracy and low cost, and permit intervention at an early stage of salinisation.

Effect of Different Alternate Irrigation Strategies using Saline and Non-Saline Water on Corn Yield, Salinity and Moisture Distribution in Soil Profile

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Ali Reza Kiani

2017-01-01

water in every other row, respectively; T5 and T6= fixed and variable deficit irrigation with non-saline water in every other rows, respectively and T7= full irrigation with saline water. To create the desired water salinity (8 dS/m, non-saline well water (1.5 dS/m and drainage water (20–35 dS/m were blended in different proportions. A T-tape drip irrigation system (20 m in length was used in the field experiment. Results and Discussion: In general, corn yield in 2013 was about 1270 kg ha-1 higher than in 2012. From the weather records it can be seen that the second year was drier than the first year. Yield analysis showed that deficit irrigation treatments (T2, T5 & T6 and also alternate salinity treatments (T3 & T4 did not significantly difference. In other words, the deficit irrigation management had no effect on yield. Corn yield in T3 and T4 with 50% of saved fresh water was just reduced to 7 and 1 % of T1, respectively. As a result, comparing treatments T3 and T4 with full irrigation have shown that treatments T3 and T4 are the best option. Comparison of moisture distribution in deficit irrigation treatments showed the highest water content in surface and deep layers was related to the treatments T6 and T2, respectively. The distribution of salinity in the soil profile for treatments T3 and T4 showed that after two years of irrigation with saline water, there is the possibility of use saline water for corn production, but drainage and leaching of soil will need to maintain sustainability. Conclusion: Naturally, in water scarce areas that use some strategic management such as deficit irrigation or saline water use, there is available arable farmland to further develop the irrigated area, and thereby increase total production. According to the results of the two-years where there was a shortage of water to meet crop water requirement and saline water was not available, the use of deficit irrigation managements as described in this study can save fresh water

[Evaluation of the total biological activity and allergenic composition of allergenic extracts].

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardero, M; González, R; Duffort, O; Juan, F; Ayuso, R; Ventas, P; Cortés, C; Carreira, J

1986-01-01

In the present study, a complete procedure is presented in order to standardize allergenic extracts, the meaning of which is the measurement of the total allergenic activity and the determination of the allergenic composition. The measurement of the biological activity comprises 2 steps: Preparation of Reference Extracts and determination of their "in vivo" activity. Evaluation of the total allergenic activity of extracts for clinical use. Reference extracts were prepared from the main allergens and their "in vivo" biological activity was determined by a quantitative skin prick test in a sample of at least 30 allergic patients. By definition, the protein concentration of Reference Extract that produces, in the allergic population, a geometric mean wheal of 75 mm.2 has an activity of 100 biological units (BUs). The determination of the biological activity of a problem extract is made by RAST inhibition. The sample is compared with the corresponding Reference Extract by this technique and, from this comparison, it is possible to quantify the activity of the problem extract in biologic units (BUs) with clinical significance. Likewise, different techniques have been used to determine the allergenic composition of extracts. These techniques comprise 2 steps: Separation of the components of the extract. Identification of the components that bind specific human IgE. The separation of the components of the extract has been carried out by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS-PAGE). In order to identify the allergenic components, an immunoblotting technique has been employed. The separated components in the IEF gel or SDS-PAGE gel are transferred to a nitrocellulose sheet and later on, this membrane is overlaid with a serum pool from allergic patients and a mouse monoclonal anti-human IgE, labelled with 125I. Finally, the autoradiography of the nitrocellulose membrane is obtained. In this way it is possible to compare

Free radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity of root extracts of Anchomanes difformis Engl. (Araceae).

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Aliyu, Abubakar B; Ibrahim, Mohammed A; Musa, Aliyu M; Musa, Aisha O; Kiplimo, Joyce J; Oyewale, Adebayo O

2013-01-01

Antioxidants activities from plants sources have attracted a wide range of interest across the world in recent times. This is due to growing concern for safe and alternative sources of antioxidants. The free radical scavenging activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), reducing power assay, total antioxidant capacity of the phosphomolybdenum method and the total phenolics content using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent were carried out on the acetone, n-butanol and methanol root extracts of Anchomanes difformis. The results of the total phenolics content expressed in mg/100 g of gallic acid equivalent (GAE) showed that the n-butanol extract has significantly (p extracts. All the extracts displayed strong concentration dependent radical scavenging activity. It was also observed that the n-butanol extract showed higher activity of 70.87% and 78.59% at low concentrations of 31.25 microg/mL and 62.5 microg/mL, respectively, than methanol and acetone extracts. The results also showed that the n-butanol extract has strongest reducing ability which is comparable to that of gallic acid at all the concentrations tested. Phytochemical screening on the extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. The results suggest that n-butanol extract of the plant is very rich in antioxidant compounds worthy of further investigations.

Effects of salinity and salinity-induced augmented bioactive compounds in purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) for possible economical use.

Science.gov (United States)

Amirul Alam, Md; Juraimi, A S; Rafii, M Y; Hamid, A A; Aslani, F; Alam, M Z

2015-02-15

Dry matter (DM), total phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoid contents, and antioxidant activity of 12 purslane accessions were investigated against five levels of salinity (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32dSm(-1)). In untreated plants, the DM contents ranged between 8.0-23.4g/pot; total phenolics contents (TPC) between 0.96-9.12mgGAEg(-1)DW; total flavonoid contents (TFC) between 0.15-1.44mgREg(-1)DW; and total carotenoid contents (TCC) between 0.52BCEg(-1)DW. While FRAP activity ranged from 8.64-104.21mgTEg(-1)DW (about 12-fold) and DPPH activity between 2.50-3.30mgmL(-1) IC50 value. Different levels of salinity treatment resulted in 8-35% increases in TPC; about 35% increase in TFC; and 18-35% increases in FRAP activity. Purslane accessions Ac4, Ac5, Ac6 and Ac8 possessed potentials for salinity-induced augmented production of bioactive compounds which in turn can be harnessed for possible human health benefits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Studies on preparative technology and quantitative determination for extracts of total saponin in roof of Panax japonicus].

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yu-min; Lu, Ke-ming; Yuan, Ding; Zhang, Chang-cheng

2008-11-01

To explore the optimum extraction and purification condition of the total saponins in the root of Panax japonicus (RPJ), and establish its quality control methods. Designed L16 (4(5)) orthogonal test with the extraction rate of total saponins as index, to determine the rational extraction process, and the techniques of water-saturated n-butanol extraction and acetone precipitation were applied to purify the alcohol extract of RPJ. Total saponins were detected by spectrophotometry and its triterpenoidal sapogenin oleanolic acid detected by HPLC. The optimum conditions of total saponins from RPJ was as follows: the material was pulverized, dipped in 60% ethanol aqueous solution as extract solvent at 10 times of volume, and refluxed 3 times for 3 h each time. Extractant of water-saturated n-butanol with extraction times of 3 and precipitant of acetone with precipitation amount of 4-5 times were included in the purification process, which would obtain the quality products. The content of total saponins could reach to 83.48%, and oleanolic acid to 38.30%. The optimized preparative technology is stable, convenient and practical. The extract rate of RPJ was high and steady with this technology, which provided new evidence for industrializing production of the plant and developing new drug.

Groundwater salinity in coastal aquifer of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mashiatullah, A.; Qureshi, R.M.; Ahmad, E.; Tasneem, M.A.; Sajjad, M.I.; Khan, H.A.

2002-01-01

Potable groundwater salinity has become a problem of great concern in the Karachi Metropolis, which is not only the most populous and biggest industrial base but also the largest coastal dwelling of Pakistan. Stable isotope techniques [O/sup 18/ content of Oxygen in the water molecular and C/sup 13/ content of the Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (TDIC)] have been used, in conjunction with physiochemical tools (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, redox electrical conductivity, salinity), to examine the quality of potable water and the source of salinity. Surface water samples (12 No.) were collected from polluted streams, namely: Layeri River, Malir River; Hub River/Hub Lake and the Indus River. Shallow groundwater samples (7 No. ) were collected from operating dug wells. Relatively deep groundwater samples (12 No.) were collected from operating dug wells, relatively deep groundwater samples (12 No.) were collected from pumping wells/tube-wells. Physicochemical analysis of water samples was completed in the field. In the laboratory, water samples were analyzed for O/sup 18/ content of oxygen in the water molecule and C/sup 13/ content of the TDIC, using specific gas extraction systems and a modified GD-150 gas source mass spectrometer. It is concluded from this preliminary investigation that the potable aquifer system in coastal Karachi hosts a mixture of precipitation (rainwater only) from hinterlands, trapped seawater in relatively deep aquifer system, as well as intruded seawater under natural infiltration conditions and/or induced recharge conditions (in shallow aquifers). (author)

A single-step method for rapid extraction of total lipids from green microalgae.

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Martin Axelsson

Full Text Available Microalgae produce a wide range of lipid compounds of potential commercial interest. Total lipid extraction performed by conventional extraction methods, relying on the chloroform-methanol solvent system are too laborious and time consuming for screening large numbers of samples. In this study, three previous extraction methods devised by Folch et al. (1957, Bligh and Dyer (1959 and Selstam and Öquist (1985 were compared and a faster single-step procedure was developed for extraction of total lipids from green microalgae. In the single-step procedure, 8 ml of a 2∶1 chloroform-methanol (v/v mixture was added to fresh or frozen microalgal paste or pulverized dry algal biomass contained in a glass centrifuge tube. The biomass was manually suspended by vigorously shaking the tube for a few seconds and 2 ml of a 0.73% NaCl water solution was added. Phase separation was facilitated by 2 min of centrifugation at 350 g and the lower phase was recovered for analysis. An uncharacterized microalgal polyculture and the green microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus, Selenastrum minutum, and Chlorella protothecoides were subjected to the different extraction methods and various techniques of biomass homogenization. The less labour intensive single-step procedure presented here allowed simultaneous recovery of total lipid extracts from multiple samples of green microalgae with quantitative yields and fatty acid profiles comparable to those of the previous methods. While the single-step procedure is highly correlated in lipid extractability (r² = 0.985 to the previous method of Folch et al. (1957, it allowed at least five times higher sample throughput.

Effects of salinity on growth and metabolism in blue tilapia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Blood samples were taken to analyse plasma sodium, chloride, potassium, total protein and triglycerides. Liver and muscle samples were collected for HSI and moisture values. Plasma sodium chloride increased in parallel with salinity rise. Total protein and triglycerides significantly reduced as salinity increased. Glucose ...

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTION METHODS REPRESENTING AVAILABLE AND TOTAL CONCENTRATIONS OF Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn IN SOIL

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Vladimir Ivezić

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Various extraction methods are used to predict plant uptake of trace metals. Most commonly it is total concentration that is used for risk assessment and evaluation of trace metal availability. However, recent studies showed that total concentration is a poor indicator of availability while concentrations in soil solution show good correlation with plant uptake. Present study was conducted on magricultural soils with low levels of trace metals where 45 soil samples were collected from different soil types. The main objective was to compare four different extraction methods and examine how total and reactive (EDTA trace metal concentrations correlate ,with soil solution concentration (in this study determined by water extraction. The samples were analyzed by four extraction methods: strong acid extraction (ultra-pure HNO3 extraction and aqua regia, weak acid extraction by EDTA and the most available fraction, fraction in soil solution, were represented by water extraction (weakest extractant. Five elements were investigated (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. Water extraction significantly correlated with EDTA extraction for Cu, Fe and Mn, while total extraction (HNO3 extraction and aqua regia correlated significantly with water extraction only for Cu. No correlation between water extraction and total extraction confirmed poor role of total concentration as an indicator of availability. EDTA extraction can be used to represent reactive pool of trace metals in soil but it should be also taken with caution when using it to describe available fraction.

TOTAL PHENOLIC CONTENT, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE EXTRACT OF EPHEDRA PROCERA FISCH. ET MEY.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehkordi, Naser Vahed; Kachouie, Mehrdad Ataie; Pirbalouti, Abdollah Ghasemi; Malekpoor, Fatemeh; Rabei, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Ephedra prcera belonging to the family Ephedraceae is a poison and medicinal plant. The main aim of present study was to determine total phenolic content and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extract from the aerial parts of E. procera collected from a natural habitat in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Southwestern Iran. The total phenolic content of the extract by Folin-Ciocalteu method and the antioxidant activity using DPPH assay were determined. The antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extract were evaluated against five bacteria, including Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enteobacter aeogenes, Bacillus ceirus and Staphylococcus aureus. Total phenolic content in the extract of E. procera was 0.718 mg tannic acid/g dry weight extract. The results indicated that the ethanolic extract of E. piocera exhibited radical scavenging activity. In addition, the results of this study confirmed that the ethanolic extract of E. procera exhibited antibacterial activity. In conclusion, the extract of E. piocera could be an important source of phenolic components with antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity.

In vitro antioxidant evaluation and total phenolics of methanolic leaf extracts of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L.

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, J Savarimuthu; Kalirajan, A; Padmalatha, C; Singh, A J A Ranjit

2013-09-01

To investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the methanolic leaf extract of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. (NA). The sample was tested using five in vitro antioxidant methods (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazine radical scavenging activity (DPPH), hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity (-OH), nitric oxide scavenging activity (NO), superoxide radical-scavenging activity, and total antioxidant activity) to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant potential of NA and the total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu method). The extract showed good free radical scavenging property which was calculated as an IC50 value. IC50 (Half maximal inhibitory concentration) of the methanolic extract was found to be 57.93 μg·mL(-1) for DPPH, 98.61 μg·mL(-1) for -OH, 91.74 μg·mL(-1) for NO, and 196.07 μg·mL(-1) for superoxide radical scavenging activity. Total antioxidant capacity of the extract was found to be (1198 ± 24.05) mg ascorbic acid for the methanolic extract. Free radical scavenging activity observed in the extracts of NA showed a concentration-dependent reaction. The in vitro scavenging tested for free radicals was reported to be due to high phenolic content in the leaf extract. The leaf extract of NA showed the highest total phenolic content with a value of 78.48 ± 4.2 equivalent mg TAE/g (tannic acid equivalent). N. arbor-tristis leaf extract exhibited potent free radical scavenging activity. The finding suggests that N. arbor-tristis leaves could be a potential source of natural antioxidant. Copyright © 2013 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Piper Betel Linn leaves oil and total phenolic content

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, A. H. A.; Yunus, M. A. C.; Arsad, N. H.; Lee, N. Y.; Idham, Z.; Razak, A. Q. A.

2016-11-01

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SC-CO2) Extraction was applied to extract piper betel linn leaves. The piper betel leaves oil was used antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anticancer and antistroke. The aim of this study was to optimize the conditions of pressure, temperature and flowrate for oil yield and total phenolic content. The operational conditions of SC-CO2 studied were pressure (10, 20, 30 MPa), temperature (40, 60, 80 °C) and flowrate carbon dioxide (4, 6, 8 mL/min). The constant parameters were average particle size and extraction regime, 355pm and 3.5 hours respectively. First order polynomial expression was used to express the extracted oil while second order polynomial expression was used to express the total phenolic content and the both results were satisfactory. The best conditions to maximize the total extraction oil yields and total phenolic content were 30 MPa, 80 °C and 4.42 mL/min leading to 7.32% of oil and 29.72 MPa, 67.53 °C and 7.98 mL/min leading to 845.085 mg GAE/g sample. In terms of optimum condition with high extraction yield and high total phenolic content in the extracts, the best operating conditions were 30 MPa, 78 °C and 8 mL/min with 7.05% yield and 791.709 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g sample. The most dominant condition for extraction of oil yield and phenolic content were pressure and CO2 flowrate. The results show a good fit to the proposed model and the optimal conditions obtained were within the experimental range with the value of R2 was 96.13% for percentage yield and 98.52% for total phenolic content.

N2-fixation in fababean (vicia faba l.) grown in saline and non saline conditions using 15N tracer technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalifa, Kh.; Kurdali, F.

2002-09-01

A pot experiment was conducted to study the performance of growing fababean and barley under saline conditions, in terms of, dry matter yield, total nitrogen and, percentages and amount of N derived from soil, fertilizer and atmosphere using 15 N isotope dilution method. Three saline treatments were performed: First, plants were grown in saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Ss), Second, Plants were grown in saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Ss); and Third, Plants grown in non saline soil and irrigated with saline water (Ws Sn). Furthermore, a control treatment was performed by using non-saline soil and non-saline water (Wn Sn). The different salinity treatments reduced plant growth and the reduction was more pronounced in fababean than in barley. However, under conditions of either saline soil-soft irrigation water or non saline soil-salty irrigation water, the relative growth reduction did not exceed 50% of the control; whereas, a significant negative effect was obtained when plants were grown under completely saline conditions of both soil and irrigation water. Percentage of N 2 -fixed (% Ndfa) was not negatively affected by saline conditions. However, our results clearly demonstrated that the effect of salinity in fababean was more evident on plant growth than on N 2 -fixing activity. Further studies are needed to obtain more salt tolerant faba bean genotypes in terms of growth and yield. This could be simultaneously improve yield and N 2 -fixation under sever saline conditions. (author)

The extraction of total lipids from parsley: Petroselinum crispum (mill. Nym. Ex. A.W. Hill seeds

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Stanković Mihajlo Z.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The kinetics of extraction of total lipids from ground parsley (Petroselinum crispum (Mill. Nym. ex. A.W. Hill seeds with a mixture of ethanol or methanol with non-polar organic solvents, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene and petroleum ether, at various temperatures were studied. The maceration technique with reflux was used. The kinetic parameters were determined in extraction kinetic equations, as well as the optimal operation conditions for total lipids extraction. The maximum total lipids yield under optimal conditions was 33.7 g per 100 g of dry parsley seeds. Nine lipid fractions of the total lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography among which were phospholipids, sterol, mono-, di- and triacylglycerol, free fatty acids and carbohydrates.

Optimization of extraction conditions of total phenolics, antioxidant activities, and anthocyanin of oregano, thyme, terebinth, and pomegranate.

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Rababah, Taha M; Banat, Fawzi; Rababah, Anfal; Ereifej, Khalil; Yang, Wade

2010-09-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic extracts and antioxidant activity and anthocyanins of varieties of the investigated plants. These plants include oregano, thyme, terebinth, and pomegranate. The optimum extraction conditions including temperature and solvent of the extraction process itself were investigated. Total phenolic and anthocyanin extracts were examined according to Folin-Ciocalteu assay and Rabino and Mancinelli method, respectively. The effect of different extracting solvents and temperatures on extracts of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins were studied. Plant samples were evaluated for their antioxidant chemical activity by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazl assay, to determine their potential as a source of natural antioxidant. Results showed that all tested plants exhibited appreciable amounts of phenolic compounds. The methanolic extract (60 °C) of sour pomegranate peel contained the highest phenolic extract (4952.4 mg/100 g of dry weight). Terebinth green seed had the lowest phenolic extract (599.4 mg/100 g of dry weight). Anthocyanins ranged between 3.5 (terebinth red seed) and 0.2 mg/100 g of dry material (thyme). Significant effect of different extracting solvents and temperatures on total phenolics and anthocyanin extracts were found. The methanol and 60 °C of extraction conditions found to be the best for extracting phenolic compounds. The distilled water and 60 °C extraction conditions found to be the best for extracting anthocyanin.

Fire severity effects on ash extractable Total Phosphorous

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Pereira, Paulo; Úbeda, Xavier; Martin, Deborah

2010-05-01

Phosphorous (P) is a crucial element to plant nutrition and limits vegetal production. The amounts of P in soil are lower and great part of this nutrient is absorbed or precipitated. It is well known that fire has important implications on P cycle, that can be lost throughout volatilization, evacuated with the smoke, but also more available to transport after organic matter mineralization imposed by the fire. The release of P depends on ash pH and their chemical and physical characteristics. Fire temperatures impose different severities, according to the specie affected and contact time. Fire severity is often evaluated by ash colour and this is a low-cost and excellent methodology to assess the fire effects on ecosystems. The aim of this work is study the ash properties physical and chemical properties on ash extractable Total Phosphorous (TP), collected in three wildfires, occured in Portugal, (named, (1) Quinta do Conde, (2) Quinta da Areia and (3) Casal do Sapo) composed mainly by Quercus suber and Pinus pinaster trees. The ash colour was assessed using the Munsell color chart. From all three plots we analyzed a total of 102 ash samples and we identified 5 different ash colours, ordered in an increasing order of severity, Very Dark Brown, Black, Dark Grey, Very Dark Grey and Light Grey. In order to observe significant differences between extractable TP and ash colours, we applied an ANOVA One Way test, and considered the differences significant at a p<0.05. The results showed that significant differences in the extractable TP among the different ash colours. Hence, to identify specific differences between each ash colour, we applied a post-hoc Fisher LSD test, significant at a p<0.05. The results obtained showed significant differences between the extractable TP from Very dark Brown and Black ash, produced at lower severities, in relation to Dark Grey, Very Dark Grey and Light Grey ash, generated at higher severities. The means of the first group were higher

Comparative evaluation of total RNA extraction methods in Theobroma cacao using shoot apical meristems.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, D V; Branco, S M J; Holanda, I S A; Royaert, S; Motamayor, J C; Marelli, J P; Corrêa, R X

2016-03-04

Theobroma cacao is a species of great economic importance with its beans used for chocolate production. The tree has been a target of various molecular studies. It contains many polyphenols, which complicate the extraction of nucleic acids with the extraction protocols requiring a large amount of plant material. These issues, therefore, necessitate the optimization of the protocols. The aim of the present study was to evaluate different methods for extraction of total RNA from shoot apical meristems of T. cacao 'CCN 51' and to assess the influence of storage conditions for the meristems on the extraction. The study also aimed to identify the most efficient protocol for RNA extraction using a small amount of plant material. Four different protocols were evaluated for RNA extraction using one shoot apical meristem per sample. Among these protocols, one that was more efficient was then tested to extract RNA using four different numbers of shoot apical meristems, subjected to three different storage conditions. The best protocol was tested for cDNA amplification using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; the cDNA quality was determined to be satisfactory for molecular analyses. The study revealed that with the best RNA extraction protocol, one shoot apical meristem was sufficient for extraction of high-quality total RNA. The results obtained might enable advances in genetic analyses and molecular studies using reduced amount of plant material.

Extraction and quantitation of total cholesterol, dolichol and dolichyl phosphate from mammalian liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crick, D.C.; Carroll, K.K.

1987-01-01

A procedure is described for the determination of total cholesterol, dolichol and dolichyl phosphate (Dol-P) in mammalian liver. It is based on extraction of these compounds into diethyl ether after alkaline saponification of the tissue. Extractability is affected by the length of saponification and concentration of potassium hydroxide (KOH) in the saponification mixture. After extraction, total cholesterol and dolichol are quantitated directly by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) on C18. Dol-P requires further purification before quantitation by HPLC, this is accomplished by chromatography on silicic acid. These methods gave recoveries of over 90% for cholesterol and dolichol and about 60% for Dol-P, using [4- 14 C]cholesterol, a polyprenol containing 15 isoprene units, and [1- 14 C]Dol-P as recovery standards. Concentrations of total cholesterol, dolichol and Dol-P in livers from one month-old-CBA mice were found to be 5.7 +/- 0.7 mg/g, 66.3 +/- 1.2 micrograms/g and 3.7 +/- 0.3 micrograms/g, respectively

Multivessel supercritical fluid extraction of food items in Total Diet Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopper, M L; King, J W; Johnson, J H; Serino, A A; Butler, R J

1995-01-01

An off-line, large capacity, multivessel supercritical fluid extractor (SFE) was designed and constructed for extraction of large samples. The extractor can simultaneously process 1-6 samples (15-25 g) by using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2), which is relatively nontoxic and nonflammable, as the solvent extraction medium. Lipid recoveries for the SFE system were comparable to those obtained by blending or Soxhlet extraction procedures. Extractions at 10,000 psi, 80 degrees C, expanded gaseous CO2 flow rates of 4-5 L/min (35 degrees C), and 1-3 h extraction times gave reproducible lipid recoveries for pork sausage (relative standard deviation [RSD], 1.32%), corn chips (RSD, 0.46%), cheddar cheese (RSD, 1.14%), and peanut butter (RSD, 0.44%). In addition, this SFE system gave reproducible recoveries (> 93%) for butter fortified with cis-chlordane and malathion at the 100 ppm and 0.1 ppm levels. Six portions each of cheddar cheese, saltine crackers, sandwich cookies, and ground hamburger also were simultaneously extracted with SC-CO2 and analyzed for incurred pesticide residues. Results obtained with this SFE system were reproducible and comparable with results from organic-solvent extraction procedures currently used in the Total Diet Study; therefore, use and disposal of large quantities of organic solvents can be eliminated.

Study of total phenol, flavonoids contents and phytochemical screening of various leaves crude extracts of locally grown Thymus vulgaris.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, Mohammad Amzad; AL-Raqmi, Khulood Ahmed Salim; AL-Mijizy, Zawan Hamood; Weli, Afaf Mohammed; Al-Riyami, Qasim

2013-09-01

To prepare various crude extracts using different polarities of solvent and to quantitatively evaluate their total phenol, flavonoids contents and phytochemical screening of Thymus vulgaris collected from Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman. The leave sample was extracted with methanol and evaporated. Then it was defatted with water and extracted with different polarities organic solvents with increasing polarities. The prepare hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol and methanol crude extracts were used for their evaluation of total phenol, flavonoids contents and phytochemical screening study. The established conventional methods were used for quantitative determination of total phenol, flavonoids contents and phytochemical screening. Phytochemical screening for various crude extracts were tested and shown positive result for flavonoids, saponins and steroids compounds. The result for total phenol content was the highest in butanol and the lowest in methanol crude extract whereas the total flavonoids contents was the highest in methanol and the lowest hexane crude extract. The crude extracts from locally grown Thymus vulgaris showed high concentration of flavonoids and it could be used as antibiotics for different curable and uncurable diseases.

Nutrição mineral e extração de nutrientes de planta de milho irrigada com água salina Mineral nutrition and extraction of nutrients by corn plant irrigated with saline water

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Geocleber G. de Sousa

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A utilização de água salina na agricultura irrigada pode causar desequilíbrio nutricional e inibição competitiva na absorção de nutrientes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da salinidade da água de irrigação sobre o acúmulo, os totais extraídos e a distribuição de nutrientes em plantas de milho. O estudo foi conduzido em condições de campo em um Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo na estação seca, no delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com cinco repetições, de setembro a dezembro de 2007, em Fortaleza, CE. As plantas de milho foram coletadas aos 90 dias após a semeadura e realizadas as seguintes avaliações: teores, extração e distribuição de elementos minerais nas diferentes partes da planta (folha, colmo, grão e sabugo. O aumento da salinidade da água de irrigação aos 90 dias após a semeadura, inibiu o acúmulo de potássio nas folhas e de magnésio e fósforo nos grãos. A extração dos nutrientes e sódio pelas plantas irrigadas com água de salinidade variando de 0,8 a 3,6 dS m-1 obedeceu à seguinte ordem decrescente: K > Mg > Ca > P > Na; no tratamento de maior salinidade (5,0 dS m-1 a sequência de extração foi: K > Ca > Na > P > Mg.The use of saline water in irrigated agriculture can cause nutritional imbalance and competitive inhibition in the absorption of nutrients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of salinity of irrigation water on the accumulation, the total absorption, and the distribution of mineral elements in maize plants. The study was conducted under field conditions in an Yellow Red Argisol in the dry season, in the randomized blocks design with five replicates during September to December 2007 in Fortaleza - CE. The maize plants were collected at 90 days after sowing, and the following assessments were made: content, extraction and distribution of mineral elements in the plant parts (leaf, stem, grain and elderberry. The increase of salinity of irrigation water

Validation of an HPLC method for quantification of total quercetin in Calendula officinalis extracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muñoz Muñoz, John Alexander; Morgan Machado, Jorge Enrique; Trujillo González, Mary

2015-01-01

Introduction: calendula officinalis extracts are used as natural raw material in a wide range of pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations; however, there are no official methods for quality control of these extracts. Objective: to validate an HPLC-based analytical method for quantification total quercetin in glycolic and hydroalcoholic extracts of Calendula officinalis. Methods: to quantify total quercetin content in the matrices, it was necessary to hydrolyze flavonoid glycosides under optimal conditions. The chromatographic separation was performed on a C-18 SiliaChrom 4.6x150 mm 5 µm column, adapted to a SiliaChrom 5 um C-18 4.6x10 mm precolumn, with UV detection at 370 nm. The gradient elution was performed with a mobile phase consisting of methanol (MeOH) and phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) (0.08 % w/v). The quantification was performed through the external standard method and comparison with quercetin reference standard. Results: the studied method selectivity against extract components and degradation products under acid/basic hydrolysis, oxidation and light exposure conditions showed no signals that interfere with the quercetin quantification. It was statistically proved that the method is linear from 1.0 to 5.0 mg/mL. Intermediate precision expressed as a variation coefficient was 1.8 and 1.74 % and the recovery percentage was 102.15 and 101.32 %, for glycolic and hydroalcoholic extracts, respectively. Conclusions: the suggested methodology meets the quality parameters required for quantifying total quercetin, which makes it a useful tool for quality control of C. officinalis extracts. (author)

Microwave-assisted extraction and a new determination method for total steroid saponins from Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H. Wright.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Yao; Chen, Yu; Hu, Bohan; Wu, Hui; Lai, Furao; Li, Xiaofeng

2015-12-01

An efficient microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) technique was applied to isolate total steroid saponins from Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H. Wright (DZW). The optimal extracting conditions were established as 75% ethanol as solvent, ratio of solid/liquid 1:20 (g/ml), temperature 75 °C, irradiation power 600 W and three extraction cycles of 6 min each. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of DZW processed by four different extractions provided visual evidence of the disruption effect on DZW. Diosgenin was quantified by HPLC and examined further by LC-ESI/MS after acid hydrolysis. Total steroid saponins were calculated using diosgenin from total steroid saponins. The MAE procedure was optimized, validated and compared with other conventional extraction processes. This report provides a convenient technology for the extraction and quantification of total saponins of DZW combining MAE with HPLC and LC-ESI/MS for the first time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental research of joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on thermal capacity of frozen ground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motenko, R.G.

2010-01-01

Most gas and petroleum fields are located in permafrost zones, with some being on saline territories. Oil pollution of soils can occur in different ways and at different points such as during the extraction, processing and storage, and during transportation of oil and petroleum products. Oil producing pollution and salinization of soil often happen together. In this case, the sources of salts are the formation fluid, commercial waste water, the contents of the granaries and other geochemically active substances used for the extraction and desalting of crude oil. Joint salinization and contamination can also happen during the rupture of oil pipelines in saline areas. Although there is research available on the properties of saline soils and on properties of soils polluted with petroleum, there are no studies that describe changes of ground properties with joint pollution of salt and petroleum. This paper presented a study that examined the joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on the thermal characteristics of thawed and frozen grounds, particularly on thermal capacity. The paper outlined the purpose of the research and described the experimental methods. It was concluded that an increase of salinization increases the heat capacity of frozen soil because the amount of unfrozen water increases with increasing salinization. 10 refs., 5 figs.

Experimental research of joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on thermal capacity of frozen ground

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motenko, R.G. [Moscow State Univ., Moscow (Russian Federation). Dept. of Geocryology; Grechishcheva, E.S. [Fundamentproek, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2010-07-01

Most gas and petroleum fields are located in permafrost zones, with some being on saline territories. Oil pollution of soils can occur in different ways and at different points such as during the extraction, processing and storage, and during transportation of oil and petroleum products. Oil producing pollution and salinization of soil often happen together. In this case, the sources of salts are the formation fluid, commercial waste water, the contents of the granaries and other geochemically active substances used for the extraction and desalting of crude oil. Joint salinization and contamination can also happen during the rupture of oil pipelines in saline areas. Although there is research available on the properties of saline soils and on properties of soils polluted with petroleum, there are no studies that describe changes of ground properties with joint pollution of salt and petroleum. This paper presented a study that examined the joint influence of salinization and petroleum pollution on the thermal characteristics of thawed and frozen grounds, particularly on thermal capacity. The paper outlined the purpose of the research and described the experimental methods. It was concluded that an increase of salinization increases the heat capacity of frozen soil because the amount of unfrozen water increases with increasing salinization. 10 refs., 5 figs.

Effect of water regime and salinity on artichoke yield

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Francesca Boari

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This work focuses on the effects of different salinity and water inputs on the yield of artichoke Violetto di Provenza. Two years of experimental works had been carried out in a site in Southern Italy characterized by semi-arid climate and deep loam soil. Three salinity levels of irrigation water (S0, S1 and S2 with electrical conductivity (ECw of 0.5, 5 and 10 dS m-1, respectively, were combined with three water regimes (W1, W2 and W3 corresponding in that order to 20 40 and 60% of available water depletion. The overall results of the salinity tolerance are in agreement with those from the literature. However, an higher tolerance to salinity was demonstrated when crop was watered more frequently (at 20% of available water depletion and a lower one when crop watering was performed less frequently (at 60% of available water depletion. The increase of salinity level reduced marketable yield (from 12.9 to 8.8 Mg ha-1, total heads (from 125,100 to 94,700 n ha-1 and heads mean weight (from 99.9 to 94.6 g, while increased heads dry matter (from 161.8 to 193.6 g kg-1 f.w. and reduced edible parte percentage of heads (from 35.2 to 33.2 %. Watering regimes, as average of the salinity levels, affected total heads marketable yield (115,350 n ha-1 and 11.4 Mg ha-1 for W1 and W2, 105,900 n ha-1 and 10 Mg ha-1 for W3. In addition, different watering regimes affected the secondary heads yield for which it was reduced by 3% of mean weight. The effect of different watering regimes changed with various salinity levels. In condition of moderate salinity (S1, maximum water depletion fraction to preserve heads number and weight yield was 40 and 20% of total soil available water, respectively. However, with high salinity (S2, maximum water depletion fraction to keep unchanged heads number and weight yield was 20% for both. The level of soil salinity at beginning of the crop cycle favoured the incidence of head atrophy in the main heads produced in the second year.

A simple and efficient total genomic DNA extraction method for individual zooplankton.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazhan, Hanafiah; Waiho, Khor; Shahreza, Md Sheriff

2016-01-01

Molecular approaches are widely applied in species identification and taxonomic studies of minute zooplankton. One of the most focused zooplankton nowadays is from Subclass Copepoda. Accurate species identification of all life stages of the generally small sized copepods through molecular analysis is important, especially in taxonomic and systematic assessment of harpacticoid copepod populations and to understand their dynamics within the marine community. However, total genomic DNA (TGDNA) extraction from individual harpacticoid copepods can be problematic due to their small size and epibenthic behavior. In this research, six TGDNA extraction methods done on individual harpacticoid copepods were compared. The first new simple, feasible, efficient and consistent TGDNA extraction method was designed and compared with the commercial kit and modified available TGDNA extraction methods. The newly described TGDNA extraction method, "Incubation in PCR buffer" method, yielded good and consistent results based on the high success rate of PCR amplification (82%) compared to other methods. Coupled with its relatively consistent and economical method the "Incubation in PCR buffer" method is highly recommended in the TGDNA extraction of other minute zooplankton species.

Studies on total polyphenols and reducing power of aqueous extracts from selected lamiaceae species

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Maria Cioroi

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Certain phytochemicals in species are attracting increased attention because of a wide range of biological activities especially the possible cancer preventive properties. Polyphenols, the naturalantioxidants are present in plant extracts and they play a key role in antioxidative defence mechanisms in biological systems and they act as free radicals scavenging agents. Polyphenols might thereforeinhibit development of coronary heart disease and cancers. Basil, oregano and sage are highly fragrant plants whose leaves are used as a seasoning herb for many different types of foods. Aqueous extractswere prepared from basil (Ocimum basilicum L., oregano (Origanum vulgare L. and sage (Salvia officinalis L.. To check the phenols presence, the UV-VIS spectrum was made. The amount of polyphenolic compounds from selected Lamiaceae species was determined by spectrophotometry method using the Folin - Ciocalteau reagent and gallic acid as standard. The range of polyphenols total was between 516,352 mg/100g dried species and 859,617 mg/100g dried species.Reducing power has been established by measuring the redox potential of aqueous extracts. Antioxidant activity was directly correlated with the total amount of polyphenols in the species extracts.The free reducing sugars in aqueous extracts from species were analyzed and correlated to the total content of polyphenols.

Comparative study of the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of some medicinal herbal extracts

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H. Hajimehdipoor

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Herbal medicines can be used as the potential sources of anti-oxidative compounds to help the treatment of diseases associated to oxidative stress. In this paper, the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP activity of four Lamiaceae herbal extracts, which traditionally applied in oxidative stress related diseases, has been evaluated and total phenolics contents of these extracts determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The aqueous methanol extracts were prepared by percolation method and investigated for antioxidant properties and total phenolics content evaluation. All the extracts showed antioxidant effect from 123.6±4.6 mmol of FeSO4.7H2Oequivalent/100 g dried extract in Scutellaria tornefortii to 551.5±16.0 mmol of FeSO4.7H2Oequivalent/100 g dried extract in Satureja sahendica. Interestingly, although Satureja sahendica exhibited the most antioxidant activity, the highest content of polyphenolics belonged to Stachys byzantina. Taking together, antioxidant activity of the mentioned medicinal plants is not necessarily associated with polyphenolic compounds and might be partially due to the presence of other polar constituents like terpenoid-glycosides in aqueous extracts that traditionally used as decoction.

Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and biological activities of Cachrys cristata DC. extracts

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Matejić Jelena S.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The total phenolic/flavonoid contents and antioxidant potential of the methanol, ethyl-acetate, acetone and water extracts obtained from the aerial parts and fruits of Cachrys cristata DC.(Apiaceae were compared. The total phenolic contents of the tested extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent. The amounts per g of dry plant extract of gallic acid (GA and quercetin (Qu ranged between 22.60-166.97 mg, and 8.91-46.02 mg, respectively. The antioxidant activity, expressed as IC50, ranged from 1.784-17.621 mg/mL and from 1.01-3.42 mg L(+-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C/g when tested with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH and ABTS, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was investigated by the microwell dilution assay, for the most common human gastrointestinal pathogenic bacterial strains: Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Salmonella enteritidis ATCC 13076, Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC15313, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and yeast Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The results indicate that C. cristata can be regarded as a potential source of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173029

Modeling carbon dioxide sequestration in saline aquifers: Significance of elevated pressures and salinities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, D.E.; Strazisar, B.R.; Soong, Y.; Hedges, S.W.

2005-01-01

The ultimate capacity of saline formations to sequester carbon dioxide by solubility and mineral trapping must be determined by simulating sequestration with geochemical models. These models, however, are only as reliable as the data and reaction scheme on which they are based. Several models have been used to make estimates of carbon dioxide solubility and mineral formation as a function of pressure and fluid composition. Intercomparison of modeling results indicates that failure to adjust all equilibrium constants to account for elevated carbon dioxide pressures results in significant errors in both solubility and mineral formation estimates. Absence of experimental data at high carbon dioxide pressures and high salinities make verification of model results difficult. Results indicate standalone solubility models that do not take mineral reactions into account will underestimate the total capacity of aquifers to sequester carbon dioxide in the long term through enhanced solubility and mineral trapping mechanisms. Overall, it is difficult to confidently predict the ultimate sequestration capacity of deep saline aquifers using geochemical models. (author)

PENGARUH PERBAIKAN TANAH SALIN TERHADAP KARAKTER FISIOLOGIS Calopogonium mucunoides

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F Kusmiyati

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Peralihan fungsi lahan pertanian menjadi wilayah pemukimam dan industri menyebabkan semakinberkurangnya lahan pertanian.Hal tersebut menyebabkan pengembangan pertanian perlu diarahkan padalahan-lahan marginal seperti tanah salin.Tanah salin adalah tanah yang mengandung garam terlarut netraldalam jumlah tertentu yang berpengaruh buruk terhadap pertumbuhan dan produksi tanaman.Penelitian yangdilaksanakan bertujuan mengkaji pengaruh perbaikan tanah salin secara kimia dan biologi terhadap karakterfisiologis Calopogonium mucunoides. Rancangan yang digunakan adalah rancangan acak lengkap dengan 3ulangan. Perbaikan tanah salin dilakukan melalui penambahan gipsum (P1, pupuk kandang (P2, abu sekampadi (P3, tanaman halofita (P4, gipsum dan pupuk kandang (P5, gipsum dan abu sekam padi (P6, gipsumdantanamanhalofita (P7, pupuk kandang dan abu sekam padi (P8, pupuk kandang dan tanaman halofita(P9, abusekam padi dan tanaman halofita (P10 dan tanpa penambahan sebagai kontrol (P0. Parameter yangdiamati adalah kandungan klorofil a, kandungan klorofil b, kandungan total klorofil, aktivitas nitrat reduktase,luas daun dan laju fotosintesis.Data yang diperoleh dianalisis dengan sidik ragam dan uji lanjut dengan ujiwilayah ganda Duncan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kandungan klorofil a, klorofil b, total klorofil, aktivitasnitrat reduktase dan laju fotosintesis calopo berbeda nyata (P<0,05 lebih tinggi pada perlakuan perbaikantanah salin dibandingkan kontrol. Kandungan klorofil a, klorofil b dan total klorofil calopo pada perlakuankombinasi pupuk kandang dan abu sekam padi serta kombinasi gipsum dan pupuk kandang berbeda nyata(P<0,05 lebih tinggi dibandingkan perlakuan lainnya. Aktivitas nitrat reduktase dan laju fotosintesis calopopada perlakuan kombinasi pupuk kandang dan abu sekam padi serta perlakuan pupuk kandang berbeda nyata(P<0,05 lebih tinggi daripada perlakuan lainnya. Simpulan adalah perbaikan tanah salin dengan penambahankombinasi pupuk kandang dan abu

Anti-tumor potential of total alkaloid extract of Prosopis juliflora DC ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jane

2011-08-15

Aug 15, 2011 ... Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world. (Madhusudan and .... formula and from that the percentage of cytotoxicity and IC50 values ... complete media were treated as positive and negative controls, .... Cytotoxic effect of total alkaloid extract of P. juliflora leaves against cancer (black bars).

Salinization may attack you from behind: upconing and related long-term downstream salinization in the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Olsthoorn, T.

2010-12-01

Groundwater from the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes (GE: 52.35°N 4.55°E) has been used for the drinking water supply of Amsterdam since 1853. During the first half of the 20th century, severe intrusion and upconing occurred, with many of the wells turning brackish or saline. Already in 1903, the hydrologist/director of the Amsterdam Water Supply, Pennink, predicted this, based on his unique sand-box modeling, which he published in 1915 in the form of a large-size hard-bound book in four languages showing detailed black and white photographs of his tests. This book is now on the web: http://www.citg.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=68e12562-a4d2-489a-b82e-deca5dd32c42&lang=en Pennink devoted much of his work on saltwater upconing below wells, which he so feared. He simulated simultaneous flow of fresh and salt water, using milk to represent the saltwater having about the same density. With our current modeling tools, we can simulate his experiments, allowing to better understand his setup and even to verify our code. Pennink took interest in the way these cones form and in the point at which the salt water enters the screen. Surprizing, at least to many, is that this entry point is not necessarily the screen bottom. Measurements of the salinity distribution in salinized wells in the Amsterdam Water Supply Dune area confirmed this thirty years later when salinzation was severely occurring. The curved cone shape under ambient flow conditions provides part of the explanation why a short-term shut down of a well almost immediately diminishes salt concentrations, but salinization downstream of the wells in case with substantial lateral groundwater flow is not affected. Downstream salinization due to extraction was clearly shown in Pennink's experiments. However, the phenomenon seems still largely unknown or ignored. Downstream salinization also affects downstream heads for years after extraction has stopped. The presentation demonstrates and explains these local and more

Determine the Efficacy of Salinity on Bioremediation of Polluted Soil by Phenanthrene

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Masoumeh Ravanipour

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Phenanthrene is one of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs that are formed during the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, oil pollution and different process of oil and gas plants. PAHs-contaminated area have increased a health risk to humans and environments due to toxicity, carcinogenicity, hydrophobicity and their tendency to accumulation in soil and sediment and their entrance to food chain. Bioremediation is an effective method for removing toxic pollutants from soils such as Phenanthrene. The main object of this study is the assessment of the effects of salinity on the efficacy of the process of bioremediation on polluted soils by Phenanthrene. Methods: The bare soil of any organic and microbial pollution was first polluted artificially to the phenanthrene then a nutrient solution with two minimum and maximum concentrations of salinity were added to it in order to have the proportion of 10% w:v (soil: water. After that a microbial mixture which was enable degradation the phenanthrene added to the slurry and aerated. After the extraction of phenanthrene by ultrasonic, the residual concentration in the soil was analyzed by GC. Results: In the conditions that salinity concentration was maximum, the microbial growth has a longer lag phase than the minimum salinity. The findings from extraction process by GC depict the removal percentage of maximum and minimum salinity in 56th %70.5 day and %71.8, respectively. Conclusion: In In spite of the longer log phase of maximum concentration of salinity and according to GC results, there was just a little difference between two solutions. Therefore it reveals that salinity can increase the lag phase but haven't any inhibitory effect on Phenanthrene removal.

Evaluation of total phenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of the leaves crude extracts of locally grown pigeon pea traditionally used in Sultanate of Oman for the treatment of jaundice and diabetes

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Asma Hamood Al-Saeedi

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: To determine the total phenols, total flavonoids and evaluate the antioxidant activity of crude extracts from the leaves of pigeon pea native to Sultanate of Oman by a popular method. Methods: The powdered leaves samples from pigeon pea were used for extraction by maceration method with methanol solvent. The methanol free crude extract by maceration method was suspended in water and successively extracted with different polarities of solvents. The obtained crude extracts with different polarities were used for the determination of total phenols and flavonoids contents by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and aluminum chloride methods. The antioxidant activity of six crude extracts from pigeon pea was determined by α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl method. Results: The different polarities leaves crude extracts showed a significant amount of total phenols content ranging from 97.80 to 256.00 mg of GAE/g of crude extract. The same leaves crude extracts also showed good amount of total flavonoids content ranging from 1.38 to 8.51 mg QE/g plant material. The six crude extracts from the leaves displayed significant α, α- diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity with highest value in chloroform extract followed by methanol, butanol, ethyl acetate, hexane and water crude extracts (98.13%, 89.26%, 88.82%, 86.41%, 79.95% and 69.44%, respectively. Conclusions: Leaves crude extracts from pigeon pea have high contents of total phenols and flavonoids. In this regards, it could be used as a medicine for the treatment of different diseases.

Soil salinity decreases global soil organic carbon stocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Raj; Gottschalk, Pia; Smith, Pete; Marschner, Petra; Baldock, Jeff; Setia, Deepika; Smith, Jo

2013-11-01

Saline soils cover 3.1% (397 million hectare) of the total land area of the world. The stock of soil organic carbon (SOC) reflects the balance between carbon (C) inputs from plants, and losses through decomposition, leaching and erosion. Soil salinity decreases plant productivity and hence C inputs to the soil, but also microbial activity and therefore SOC decomposition rates. Using a modified Rothamsted Carbon model (RothC) with a newly introduced salinity decomposition rate modifier and a plant input modifier we estimate that, historically, world soils that are currently saline have lost an average of 3.47 tSOC ha(-1) since they became saline. With the extent of saline soils predicted to increase in the future, our modelling suggests that world soils may lose 6.8 Pg SOC due to salinity by the year 2100. Our findings suggest that current models overestimate future global SOC stocks and underestimate net CO2 emissions from the soil-plant system by not taking salinity effects into account. From the perspective of enhancing soil C stocks, however, given the lower SOC decomposition rate in saline soils, salt tolerant plants could be used to sequester C in salt-affected areas. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The extraction of φ-N total cross section from d(γ,pK+K-)n

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian, X.; Chen, W.; Gao, H.; Hicks, K.; Kramer, K.; Laget, J.M.; Mibe, T.; Stepanyan, S.; Tedeschi, D.J.; Xu, W.; Adhikari, K.P.; Amaryan, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Baghdasaryan, H.; Ball, J.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bellis, M.; Biselli, A.S.

2009-01-01

We report on the first measurement of the differential cross section of φ-meson photoproduction for the d(γ,pK + K - )n exclusive reaction channel. The experiment was performed using a tagged-photon beam and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab. A combined analysis using data from the d(γ,pK + K - )n channel and those from a previous publication on coherent φ production on the deuteron has been carried out to extract the φ-N total cross section, σ φN . The extracted φ-N total cross section favors a value above 20 mb. This value is larger than the value extracted using vector-meson dominance models for φ photoproduction on the proton.

Total Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), Antioxidant Activity, and Acceptance of Synbiotic Yoghurt with Binahong Leaf Extract (Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis)

Science.gov (United States)

Lestari, R. P.; Nissa, C.; Afifah, D. N.; Anjani, G.; Rustanti, N.

2018-02-01

Alternative treatment for metabolic syndrome can be done by providing a diet consist of functional foods or beverages. Synbiotic yoghurt containing binahong leaf extract which high in antioxidant, total LAB and fiber can be selected to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. The effect of binahong leaf extract in synbiotic yoghurt against total LAB, antioxidant activity, and acceptance were analyzed. The experiment was done with complete randomized design with addition of binahong leaf extract 0% (control); 0.12%; 0.25%; 0.5% in synbiotic yoghurt. Analysis of total LAB using Total Plate Count test, antioxidant activity using DPPH, and acceptance were analyzed by hedonic test. The addition of binahong leaf extract in various doses in synbiotic yoghurt decreased total LAB without significant effect (p=0,145). There was no effect of addition binahong leaf extract on antioxidant activity (p=0,297). The addition of binahong leaf extract had an effect on color, but not on aroma, texture and taste. The best result was yoghurt synbiotic with addition of 0,12% binahong leaf extract. Conclusion of the research was the addition of binahong leaf extract to synbiotic yogurt did not significantly affect total LAB, antioxidant activity, aroma, texture and taste; but had a significant effect on color.

Solid-Liquid Extraction Kinetics of Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC from Red Dates

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Bee Lin Chua

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Red dates are one of the most famous herbal plants in making traditional Chinese medicine. They contain large amount of bioactive compounds. The objectives of this research were to optimise the crude extract yield and total phenolic compounds (TPC yield from red dates using response surface methodology (RSM and model the extraction kinetics of TPC yield from red dates. Date fruits were dried in an oven under temperatures 50°C, 60°C, 70°C and 80°C until a constant weight was obtained. The optimum drying temperature was 60°C as it gave the highest crude extract yield and TPC yield. Besides that, single factor experiments were used to determine the optimum range of four extraction parameters which were: liquid-solid ratio (10-30 ml/g; ultrasonic power (70-90%; extraction temperature (50-70°C; and extraction time (40-60min. The optimum range of the four parameters were further optimised using the Box-Behken Design (BBD of RSM. The extraction conditions that gave the highest crude extract yield and TPC yield were chosen. The optimum value for liquid-solid ratio, ultrasonic power, extraction temperature and extraction time were 30ml/g, 70%, 60°C and 60 min respectively. The two equations generated from RSM were reliable and can be used to predict the crude extract yield and TPC yield. The higher the extraction temperature, liquid-solid ratio, and extraction time and lower ultrasonic power, the higher the crude extract and TPC yield. Finally, the results of TPC yield versus time based on the optimum extraction parameters from RSM optimisation were fitted into three extraction kinetic models (Peleg’s model, Page’s model and Ponomaryov’s model. It was found that the most suitable kinetic model to represent the extraction process of TPC from red dates was Page’s model due to its coefficient of determination (R2 was the closest to unity, 0.9663 while its root mean square error (RMSE was the closest to zero, 0.001534.

Model-Based Extracted Water Desalination System for Carbon Sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dees, Elizabeth M. [General Electric Global Research Center, Niskayuna, NY (United States); Moore, David Roger [General Electric Global Research Center, Niskayuna, NY (United States); Li, Li [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Kumar, Manish [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

2017-05-28

Over the last 1.5 years, GE Global Research and Pennsylvania State University defined a model-based, scalable, and multi-stage extracted water desalination system that yields clean water, concentrated brine, and, optionally, salt. The team explored saline brines that ranged across the expected range for extracted water for carbon sequestration reservoirs (40,000 up to 220,000 ppm total dissolved solids, TDS). In addition, the validated the system performance at pilot scale with field-sourced water using GE’s pre-pilot and lab facilities. This project encompassed four principal tasks, in addition to Project Management and Planning: 1) identify a deep saline formation carbon sequestration site and a partner that are suitable for supplying extracted water; 2) conduct a techno-economic assessment and down-selection of pre-treatment and desalination technologies to identify a cost-effective system for extracted water recovery; 3) validate the downselected processes at the lab/pre-pilot scale; and 4) define the scope of the pilot desalination project. Highlights from each task are described below: Deep saline formation characterization The deep saline formations associated with the five DOE NETL 1260 Phase 1 projects were characterized with respect to their mineralogy and formation water composition. Sources of high TDS feed water other than extracted water were explored for high TDS desalination applications, including unconventional oil and gas and seawater reverse osmosis concentrate. Technoeconomic analysis of desalination technologies Techno-economic evaluations of alternate brine concentration technologies, including humidification-dehumidification (HDH), membrane distillation (MD), forward osmosis (FO), turboexpander-freeze, solvent extraction and high pressure reverse osmosis (HPRO), were conducted. These technologies were evaluated against conventional falling film-mechanical vapor recompression (FF-MVR) as a baseline desalination process. Furthermore, a

The Effect of Water Table Fluctuation and its Salinity on Fe Crystal and Noncrystal in some Khuzestan Soils

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mostafa Pajohannia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Iron is found in different forms in the soil. In the primary minerals, iron is found as Fe3+ or Fe2+ which converted to Fe2+ and released in unsuitable reduction conditions. Minerals such as sulfide or chlorine and bicarbonate can affect and change the different forms soil Fe. FeAs these elements are abundance in groundwater or soil, they are capable to react chemically with Fe and change different Fe forms and also may deposit or even leach them by increasing its solubility in the soil. Water table fluctuation is a regular phenomenon in Khuzestan that Fe forms change under these situations. The study of Fe oxide forms and its changes can be applied for evaluation of soil development. Therefore, the aim of this study is the water table fluctuation and its quality effects, and some physio-chemical properties on Fe oxides forms in non-saline and saline soils in Khuzestan. Materials and Methods: Soil samples were collected from two regions: saline (Abdolkhan and non-saline (South Susa regions. soil samples were collected from all horizons of 12 soil field studied profiles . The samples were analyzed for soil texture, pH, EC (soil: water ratio 1:5, organic carbon and aggregate stability (Kemper and Rosenau method. Fe forms also were extracted by two methods in all samples: di-tyonite sodium and ammonium oxalate extraction. Fe oxalate extracted was related to Feo (non crystal Fe and Fed-Feo was related to Fec (crystalline Fe. The Fe content were determined by atomic absorbtion spectrophotometer (AAS. Data were analysis in SAS and Excel software and results were presented. Results and Discussion: The results showed that texture were loamy sand to silty clay loam, OM was very poor (0.1-0.7%. The soil salinity was also 2.8-16.8 dS/m. Calcium carbonate equivalent was 38-40%. All pedons were classified in Entisols and Inceptisols according to Keys to soil taxonomy (2010. The results showed that the proportion of Fe with oxalate to di

Assessment of feasible strategies for seasonal underground hydrogen storage in a saline aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Sáinz-García, Alvaro; Abarca, Elena; Rubí, Violeta; Grandia, Fidel

2017-04-01

Renewable energies are unsteady, which results in temporary mismatches between demand and supply. The conversion of surplus energy to hydrogen and its storage in geological formations is one option to balance this energy gap. This study evaluates the feasibility of seasonal storage of hydrogen produced from wind power in Castilla-León region (northern Spain). A 3D multiphase numerical model is used to test different extraction well configurations during three annual injection-production cycles in a saline aquifer. Results demonstrate that underground hydrogen storage in saline aquifers can be operated with reasonable recovery ratios. A maximum hydrogen recovery ratio of 78%, which represents a global energy efficiency of 30%, has been estimated. Hydrogen upconing emerges as the major risk on saline aquifer storage. However, shallow extraction wells can minimize its effects. Steeply dipping geological structures are key for an efficient hydrogen storage.

Investigating of the antimicrobial effect of total extract of Tribulus terrestris against some gram positive and negative bacteria and candida spp.

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Mojdeh Hakemi Vala

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In the recent years, due to the wide spread of resistant bacteria on one side and several different reports about the side effects of chemical drugs on the other side, vast researches on the medicinal plants have been started. In this study, antimicrobial effect of total extract of Tribulus terrestris L. and its fraction containing Benzoxazine derivative (Terresoxazine was studied for the first time in Iran.Materials and methods: Total aqueous extract of aerial parts of the plant was prepared and in order to separate the components of aqueous extract, liquid/liquid extraction with Petroleum ether was used. Formation of three layers was the result of this extraction. Layers included water fraction, Petroleum ether fraction and a third layer which was formed at the interface of water and petroleum ether. LC/MS system proved the existence of Benzixazine derivative in the water fraction and the thirds fraction. Antimicrobial effects of total extract, water fraction and the third fraction (which were the layers formed after the extraction process were examined against 10 Gram positive and negative and candida spp by cup plate method and Disk diffusion method. Also, the MIC and MBC were determined by micro dilution method.Results: Of 8 evaluated bacteria and 2 Candida spp, the total extract showed antibacterial effect only against E.coli, P.aeruginosa and B.subtilis. Size of the zone of inhibitation increased with increasing the concentration of the extract. Fraction containing Benzoxazine derivative had no effect against tested microbes. MIC and MBC determination showed that B.subtilis had the least sensitivity to the total extract, comparing to other microorganisms. Besides, comparing the zone of inhibitation of Penicillin 200 mg/ml and the zone of inhibitation of the total aqueous extract shows that the solution of total extract in water with 1000 mg/ml concentration and the solution of total extract in DMSO10% with 750 mg/ml density

Freshwater salinization syndrome on a continental scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaushal, Sujay S; Likens, Gene E; Pace, Michael L; Utz, Ryan M; Haq, Shahan; Gorman, Julia; Grese, Melissa

2018-01-23

Salt pollution and human-accelerated weathering are shifting the chemical composition of major ions in fresh water and increasing salinization and alkalinization across North America. We propose a concept, the freshwater salinization syndrome, which links salinization and alkalinization processes. This syndrome manifests as concurrent trends in specific conductance, pH, alkalinity, and base cations. Although individual trends can vary in strength, changes in salinization and alkalinization have affected 37% and 90%, respectively, of the drainage area of the contiguous United States over the past century. Across 232 United States Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring sites, 66% of stream and river sites showed a statistical increase in pH, which often began decades before acid rain regulations. The syndrome is most prominent in the densely populated eastern and midwestern United States, where salinity and alkalinity have increased most rapidly. The syndrome is caused by salt pollution (e.g., road deicers, irrigation runoff, sewage, potash), accelerated weathering and soil cation exchange, mining and resource extraction, and the presence of easily weathered minerals used in agriculture (lime) and urbanization (concrete). Increasing salts with strong bases and carbonates elevate acid neutralizing capacity and pH, and increasing sodium from salt pollution eventually displaces base cations on soil exchange sites, which further increases pH and alkalinization. Symptoms of the syndrome can include: infrastructure corrosion, contaminant mobilization, and variations in coastal ocean acidification caused by increasingly alkaline river inputs. Unless regulated and managed, the freshwater salinization syndrome can have significant impacts on ecosystem services such as safe drinking water, contaminant retention, and biodiversity. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Surfactant mediated extraction of total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidants from fruits juices.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shweta; Kori, Shivpoojan; Parmar, Ankush

2015-10-15

The aim of this study was to enhance the extraction of total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidants from fruit juices by the application of surfactants formulations instead of conventional solvents (methanol, ethanol and acetone). A variety of fruit infusions: apple red delicious (apple (rd)) (Malus domestica), Mcintosh apple (apple (i)) (Malus pumila), sweet lemon (Citrus limetta) and mango (Magnifera indica) were studied. Effect of water, organic solvents and five different aqueous surfactant formulations viz. SDS, Brij-35, Brij-58, Triton X-100 and Span-40 were explored for the extraction of TPC and determining the antioxidant activity (AA). The TPC and AA (%) were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu (FCA) and DPPH assay, respectively. The effect of surfactant type, concentration and common organic solvents on the extraction of TPC and AA (%) was studied using UV-visible spectrophotometric technique. Among all the extracting systems employed, Brij-58 showed the highest extraction efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of salinity and water regime on tomato for processing

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Vito Cantore

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The effects of salinity and watering regime on tomato crop are reported. The trials have been carried out over two years in Southern Italy on a deep loam soil. Three saline levels of irrigation water (with electrical conductivity of 0.5, 5 and 10 dS m-1, three watering regimes (at 20, 40 and 60% of available water depletion, and two cultivars (HLY19 and Perfectpeel were compared. The overall results related to the salinity tolerance are in agreement with those from the literature indicating that water salinity reduced marketable yield by 55% in respect to the control treatments. The irrigation regimes that provided higher total and marketable yield were at 40 and 60% of available water depletion (on average, 90.5 and 58.1 Mg ha-1 against 85.3 and 55.5 Mg ha-1 of the 20% available water depletion. Saline and irrigation treatments did not affect sunburned fruits, while affected incidence of fruits with blossom-end rot. The former disease appeared more dramatically in saline treatments (+28% in respect to the control, and occurred mainly in HLY19. The disease incidence was by 52% lower in W2 respect to the W1 and W3. Fruit firmness was higher in S0, whereas it was not affected by irrigation regimes. Total soluble solids and dry matter content of tomato fruits were increased by salinity, whereas it was not affected by irrigation regimes and cultivars. The pH and the titratable acidity remained unchanged between the years, the cultivar and the saline and irrigation treatments. Similarly to the last parameters, the fruit ascorbic acid content remained unchanged in relation to the treatments, but it was higher in HLY19. The recommended thresholds of easily available water to preserve total and marketable yield were at 40 and 60%, respectively. Watering more frequently, instead, on the soil type of the trial, probably caused water-logging and root hypoxia affecting negatively yield.

Investigation on the Protective Role of Nitric Oxide in Reducing Damages Induced by Salinity Stress in Calendula officinalis L.

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maryam jabbarzadeh

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Salinity is one of the most important environmental factors that regulates plant growth and development, and limits plant production. Researchers have shown that some plant growth regulators such as nitric oxide improve the plants resistance to environmental stresses such as heat, cold, drought and salinity. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP commonly has been used as nitric oxide (NO donor in plants. NO is a diffusible gaseous free radical. Low concentrations of NO inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species and protect plants against ROS damages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of SNP as NO donor on salt tolerance of Calendula officinalis and its effects on some morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of this plant. Materials and Methods: In this study, the effects of salinity (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM and sodium nitroprusside (0.0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 mM on morphological and physiological characteristics of Calendula officinalis L. were investigated. Total leaf area and number of leaves were determined in the end of the experiment. Electrolyte leakage was used to asses’ membrane permeability. This procedure was based on Lutts et al.,1995. Soluble sugars were extracted and estimated by the method of Irigoyen et al., 1992. Chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid content were calculated from the absorbance of extract at 653, 666 and 470 nm using the formula of Dere et al., 1998. Proline was extracted by the method of Bates et al., 1973. DPPH radical- scavenging activity of sample was performed as described previously of Cleep et al., 2012. The SAS software was used for the analysis of variance (ANOVA, comparisons with P

Total phenols and antioxidant activities of leaf and stem extracts from coriander, mint and parsley grown in Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Juhaimi, F.; Ghafoorr, K.

2011-01-01

Leaves and stems of three different herbs from two different families were used to extract phenolic compounds and the bioactivity of the extracts was evaluated by using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl or DPPH scavenging ability or their antioxidant activities. Extract from leaves of mint, which belongs to Lamiaceae family contained 1.24 mgGAE/100 mL of total phenolic compounds and 34.21% antioxidant activity which were significantly higher than those in extracts from coriander and parsley, both of which belong to Apiaceae family. Extracts of leaves from these herbs showed more quantity of total phenols and higher antioxidant activities than extracts from stem parts, however both leaves and stems of these three herbs grown in Saudi Arabia contained good quantities of total phenols (>1.02 mgGAE/100 mL) and showed more than 18.3% free radical scavenging activity. (author)

Interactive effects of salinity stress and nicotinamide on physiological and biochemical parameters of Faba bean plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelhamid, Magdi T; Sadak, Mervat Sh; Schmidhalter, Urs; El Saady, Abdel Kareem M.

2013-01-01

A possible survival strategy for plants under saline conditions is to use some compounds that could alleviate the salt stress effect. One of these compounds is nicotinamide (vitamin B3/niacin). The effect of exogenous application of nicotinamide with different concentrations (0,200 or 400 mg l-1) on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plant grown at different NaCl levels (0,50 or 100 mM) was investigated in the wire house of the National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt. Salinity stress significantly reduced the photosynthetic pigments, polysaccharides, total carbohydrates, total-N contents of shoot, plant height, leaves number, fresh and dry weights of shoot, seed yield, total carbohydrates and total crude protein of the yielded seeds compared with those of the control plants. In contrast, salinity induced marked increases in sucrose, total soluble sugars, total free amino acids, proline, lipid peroxidation product (MDA) and some oxidative enzymes (polyphenol-oxidase and peroxidase). Also, salinity stress increased Na+ contents with the decreases of other macro and micro elements contents (P, K+, Mg_2+, Ca_2+, Fe_2+, Mn_2+, Zn_2+ and Cu_2+) of shoots and the yielded seeds of faba bean. Foliar spraying of nicotinamide alleviated the adverse effects of salinity stress through increased the photosynthetic pigments, polysaccharides, total carbohydrates, total N concentration of shoot, plant height, leaves number, fresh and dry weights of shoot, and seed yield as well as, sucrose, total soluble sugars, total free amino acids and proline, compared with those of the corresponding salinity levels, while decreased lipid peroxidation product as malondialdehyde (MDA) and the oxidative enzymes (polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzymes). Nicotinamide inhibited the uptake of Na+ and accelerated the accumulation of P, K+, Mg_2+, Ca_2+, Fe_2+, Mn_2+, Zn_2+ and Cu_2+ concentrations in the shoots of salt stressed plants and enhanced total carbohydrate and total crude protein percentage and

A Simple Phosphate-Buffered-Saline-Based Extraction Method Improves Specificity of HIV Viral Load Monitoring Using Dried Blood Spots.

Science.gov (United States)

Makadzange, A Tariro; Boyd, F Kathryn; Chimukangara, Benjamin; Masimirembwa, Collen; Katzenstein, David; Ndhlovu, Chiratidzo E

2017-07-01

Although Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan (CAP/CTM) systems are widely used in sub-Saharan Africa for early infant diagnosis of HIV from dried blood spots (DBS), viral load monitoring with this system is not practical due to nonspecific extraction of both cell-free and cell-associated viral nucleic acids. A simplified DBS extraction technique for cell-free virus elution using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) may provide an alternative analyte for lower-cost quantitative HIV virus load (VL) testing to monitor antiretroviral therapy (ART). We evaluated the CAP/CTM v2.0 assay in 272 paired plasma and DBS specimens using the cell-free virus elution method and determined the level of agreement, sensitivity, and specificity at thresholds of target not detected (TND), target below the limit of quantification (BLQ) (1,000 copies/ml, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) were 92.7%, 100%, 100%, and 94.3%, respectively. PBS elution of DBS offers a sensitive and specific method for monitoring plasma viremia among adults and children on ART at the WHO-recommended threshold of >1,000 copies/ml on the Roche CAP/CTM system. Copyright © 2017 Makadzange et al.

Natural revegetation of coal fly ash in a highly saline disposal lagoon in Hong Kong

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, L.M. [Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China). Dept. of Biology

2008-08-15

Question: What is the relationship of the naturally colonizing vegetation and substrate characteristics in fly ash lagoons? Location: West lagoon, Deep Bay, a 13-ha coastal lagoon in Hong Kong in subtropical Southeast Asia. Methods: Vegetation establishment was examined in a coal fly ash lagoon two years after its abandonment to investigate the distribution of vegetation in relationship to the chemical properties of the fly ash in the lagoon. A greenhouse experiment assessed the limits imposed on plant growth in fly ash. Results: The fly ash was saline, slightly alkaline and very poor in organic matter and nitrogen. Ash from bare and vegetated areas differed significantly in their salinity and extractable concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and various metals. Bare ash had a significantly higher conductivity and extractable sodium, aluminum, manganese, potassium. and lead. In total 11 plant species that belonged to seven families were found growing on the fly ash: all species except the shrub Tamarix chinensis were herbaceous. Using discriminant analysis, the most important factors in distinguishing bare and vegetated ashes were conductivity and sodium. Cluster analysis of bare samples gave two distinct groups, one from the periphery of the lagoon, which had lower sodium, conductivity, organic carbon, potassium and copper, and the other from a second group that contained ashes from the central region of the lagoon. Results of the greenhouse experiment showed that the inhibition of plant growth was significantly correlated with the presence of soluble toxic elements in ash. Conclusion: Toxicity and salinity seem to be the major limiting factors to plant establishment in fly ash, and these factors must be ameliorated for the successful reclamation of these fly ash lagoons.

Types, harms and improvement of saline soil in Songnen Plain

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhengjun; Zhuang, Jingjing; Zhao, Anping; Li, Xinxin

2018-03-01

Saline soil is an extremely difficult and modified soil, widely distributed around the world. According to UN-UNESCO and FAO, the world’s saline soil area is about 9.54×108hm2, and there is a growing trend, every year in 1.0×106-1.5×106hm2 speed growth, the effective utilization of land resources to the world is the most serious threat. The total area of saline-alkali land in China is about 9.91×107hm2, including the Songnen Plain, which is called one of the three major saline soil concentrations in the world. The Songnen plain is an important grain producing area in China, and the saline soil occupies most of the Songnen plain, so it is of great significance to study the saline soil and improvement in Songnen plain.

A simple and rapid infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction method for total flavonoid aglycones extraction from Scutellariae Radix and mechanism exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liping; Duan, Haotian; Jiang, Jiebing; Long, Jiakun; Yu, Yingjia; Chen, Guiliang; Duan, Gengli

2017-09-01

A new, simple, and fast infrared-assisted self enzymolysis extraction (IRASEE) approach for the extraction of total flavonoid aglycones (TFA) mainly including baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A from Scutellariae Radix is presented to enhance extraction yield. Extraction enzymolysis temperature, enzymolysis liquid-to-solid ratio, enzymolysis pH, enzymolysis time and infrared power, the factors affecting IRASEE procedure, were investigated in a newly designed, temperature-controlled infrared-assisted extraction (TC-IRAE) system to acquire the optimum analysis conditions. The results illustrated that IRASEE possessed great advantages in terms of efficiency and time compared with other conventional extraction techniques. Furthermore, the mechanism of IRASEE was preliminarily explored by observing the microscopic change of the samples surface structures, studying the main chemical compositions change of the samples before and after extraction and investigating the kinetics and thermodynamics at three temperature levels during the IRASEE process. These findings revealed that IRASEE can destroy the surface microstructures to accelerate the mass transfer and reduce the activation energy to intensify the chemical process. This integrative study presents a simple, rapid, efficient, and environmental IRASEE method for TFA extraction which has promising prospects for other similar herbal medicines. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Antioxidant activity of citrullus colocynthis pulp extract in the RBC's of alloxan-induced diabetic rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dallak, M.; Jaliah, B.I.

2010-01-01

Previous studies in our laboratory showed that Citrullus colocynthis pulp seedless extract have antihyperglycemic and insulinotropic effects in alloxan induced diabetes. Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in the mechanism of damage of red blood cells and anaemia in diabetic patients. So the current study was carried out to investigate the protective role of citrullus colocynthis against oxidative stress in the RBC's of alloxan induced diabetic rats. Methods: Rats were divided into four groups each of ten rats, the first group was normal non diabetic rats given normal saline orally and was named control group, the second group was diabetic rats given normal saline orally and were named normal saline treated-diabetic rats, the third and fourth group were diabetic rats treated with the pulp extract or glibenclamide (a positive control) orally. Evaluations were made for haematological parameters in the blood and for lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress enzymes activities in the RBC's of all experimental rats. Results: The diabetic rats had a significant decrease (p<0.05) in total erythrocytes count and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and a normal Haemoglobin (Hb) value in the blood. They also showed decreased levels of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and decreased activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) in the RBC's hemolysate. On other hand, oral administration of citrullus colocynthis or glibenclamide alleviated these altered parameters in the treated rats, they resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) in the in total erythrocytes count and PCV (Haematocrit) values in the blood and caused a significant decreased levels of TBARS and increased activities of SOD and CAT in the RBC's of those diabetic treated rats when compared to diabetic rats given normal saline. The effect was more profound in citrullus colocynthis treated diabetic rats. Conclusion: Citrullus colocynthis pulp extract possesses a potent antioxidant property

Evaluation of the toxicity of the methanolic extract of Caesalpinia Pyramidalis, subjected to gamma radiation, compared to saline artemias; Avaliacao da toxicidade do extrato metanolico de Caesalpinia Pyramidalis, submetido a radiacao gama, frente a artemias salinas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pessoa, Juanna G.; Santos, Mariana L.O.; Costa, Michelle C.A.; Siqueira, Williams N.; Silva, Luanna R.S.; Cabral, Daniela L.V.; Amancio, Francisco F.; Melo, Ana M.M.A., E-mail: marianasantos_ufpe@hotmail.com [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

2013-07-01

The present study aimed to investigate the possible effect of irradiation of 60 Co in methanol extract of Caesalpinia pyramidalis (catingueira) with function of reducing the toxicity of the extract at concentrations of 1000, 500, 250 and 125 ppm irradiating them with doses of 5 kGy 7 kGy and 10 kGy, using lethality tests with saline Artemias.

[Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of total flavonoids from leaves of the Artocarpus heterophyllus by response surface methodology].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong-wu; Liu, Yan-qing; Wang, Yuan-hong

2011-07-01

To investigate the ultrasonic-assisted extract on of total flavonoids from leaves of the Artocarpus heterophyllus. Investigated the effects of ethanol concentration, extraction time, and liquid-solid ratio on flavonoids yield. A 17-run response surface design involving three factors at three levels was generated by the Design-Expert software and experimental data obtained were subjected to quadratic regression analysis to create a mathematical model describing flavonoids extraction. The optimum ultrasonic assisted extraction conditions were: ethanol volume fraction 69.4% and liquid-solid ratio of 22.6:1 for 32 min. Under these optimized conditions, the yield of flavonoids was 7.55 mg/g. The Box-Behnken design and response surface analysis can well optimize the ultrasonic-assisted extraction of total flavonoids from Artocarpus heterophyllus.

Effect of salinization, Rbizobium inoculation, genotypic variation and P-application on drymatter yield and utilization of P by pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens Culinaris Medic)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dravid, M.S.

1990-01-01

Irrigation with saline water significantly reduced the drymatter production and uptake of phosphorus in both pea and lentil crops. Between the two crops pea was found relativley more tolerant to a given level of salinity. Soil application of phosphate in association with rbizobium inoculated seeds enhanced drymatter production, total P uptake, P derived from fertilizer and its utilization in both the crops. Amongst the cultivars tested, KPSD-5 of pea and PL-639 of lentil extracted native soil phosphorus more efficiently while cultivar Pusa-10 of pea and cultivar PL-406 of lentil showed more affinity towards applied phosphorus. (author). 8 refs., 2 tabs

Effect of temperature, time, and milling process on yield, flavonoid, and total phenolic content of Zingiber officinale water extract

Science.gov (United States)

Andriyani, R.; Kosasih, W.; Ningrum, D. R.; Pudjiraharti, S.

2017-03-01

Several parameters such as temperature, time of extraction, and size of simplicia play significant role in medicinal herb extraction. This study aimed to investigate the effect of those parameters on yield extract, flavonoid, and total phenolic content in water extract of Zingiber officinale. The temperatures used were 50, 70 and 90°C and the extraction times were 30, 60 and 90 min. Z. officinale in the form of powder and chips were used to study the effect of milling treatment. The correlation among those variables was analysed using ANOVA two-way factors without replication. The result showed that time and temperature did not influence the yield of extract of Powder simplicia. However, time of extraction influenced the extract of simplicia treated without milling process. On the other hand, flavonoid and total phenolic content were not influenced by temperature, time, and milling treatment.

Development, evolution, and destruction of the saline mineral area of Eocene Lake Uinta, Piceance Basin, western Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.; Brownfield, Michael E.

2015-01-01

Halite and the sodium bicarbonate mineral nahcolite were deposited in Eocene-age saline Lake Uinta in the Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado. Variations in the areal extent of saline mineral deposition through time were studied using descriptions of core and outcrop. Saline minerals have been extensively leached by groundwater, and the original extent of saline deposition was determined from the distribution of empty vugs and collapse breccias. Because vugs and breccias strongly influence groundwater movement, determining where leaching has occurred is an important consideration for in-situ oil shale extraction methods currently being developed.

Site condition, structure, and growth of baldcypress along tidal/non-tidal salinity gradients

Science.gov (United States)

Krauss, K.W.; Duberstein, J.A.; Doyle, T.W.; Conner, W.H.; Day, Richard H.; Inabinette, L.W.; Whitbeck, J.L.

2009-01-01

This report documents changes in forest structure and growth potential of dominant trees in salt-impacted tidal and non-tidal baldcypress wetlands of the southeastern United States. We inventoried basal area and tree height, and monitored incremental growth (in basal area) of codominant baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) trees monthly, for over four years, to examine the inter-relationships among growth, site fertility, and soil physico-chemical characteristics. We found that salinity, soil total nitrogen (TN), flood duration, and flood frequency affected forest structure and growth the greatest. While mean annual site salinity ranged from 0.1 to 3.4 ppt, sites with salinity concentrations of 1.3 ppt or greater supported a basal area of less than 40 m2/ha. Where salinity was < 0.7 ppt, basal area was as high as 87 m2/ha. Stand height was also negatively affected by higher salinity. However, salinity related only to soil TN concentrations or to the relative balance between soil TN and total phosphorus (TP), which reached a maximum concentration between 1.2 and 2.0 ppt salinity. As estuarine influence shifts inland with sea-level rise, forest growth may become more strongly linked to salinity, not only due to salt effects but also as a consequence of site nitrogen imbalance.

The ability of Abelmoschus manihot L. leaf extract in scavenging of free radical DPPH and total flavonoid determination

Science.gov (United States)

Sudewi, S.; Lolo, W. A.; Warongan, M.; Rifai, Y.; Rante, H.

2017-11-01

Abelmoschus manihot L. has reported to have flavonoids content. This study aims were to determine the ability of A. manihot extract in counteracting free radical DPPH and determine the content of total flavonoids. A. manihot leaf was taken from 2 regions in North Sulawesi, namely Tomohon and Kotamobagu. The maceration was carried out to extract the active compound in a 96% ethanol solvent. Free radical scavenging analysis was carried out by DPPH and determination of its total flavonoid in the extract was measured using spectrophotometri method. The results showed that A. manihot extract from Tomohon and Kotamobagu could counteract free radical of DPPH with value of free radical activity of 88.151 and 88.801 %, respectively. A. manihot leaf from Kotamobagu has higher total flavonoids content 61.763 mg/g compare to Tomohon 46.679 mg/g which presented as quercetin. A. manihot has antioxidant activity.

The effects of black garlic ethanol extract on the spatial memory and estimated total number of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus of monosodium glutamate-exposed adolescent male Wistar rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermawati, Ery; Sari, Dwi Cahyani Ratna; Partadiredja, Ginus

2015-09-01

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is believed to exert deleterious effects on various organs, including the hippocampus, likely via the oxidative stress pathway. Garlic (Alium sativum L.), which is considered to possess potent antioxidant activity, has been used as traditional remedy for various ailments since ancient times. We have investigated the effects of black garlic, a fermented form of garlic, on spatial memory and estimated the total number of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus in adolescent male Wistar rats treated with MSG. Twenty-five rats were divided into five groups: C- group, which received normal saline; C+ group, which was exposed to 2 mg/g body weight (bw) of MSG; three treatment groups (T2.5, T5, T10), which were treated with black garlic extract (2.5, 5, 10 mg/200 g bw, respectively) and MSG. The spatial memory test was carried out using the Morris water maze (MWM) procedure, and the total number of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus was estimated using the physical disector design. The groups treated with black garlic extract were found to have a shorter path length than the C- and C+ groups in the escape acquisition phase of the MWM test. The estimated total number of pyramidal cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was higher in all treated groups than that of the C+ group. Based on these results, we conclude that combined administration of black garlic and MSG may alter the spatial memory functioning and total number of pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region of the hippocampus of rats.

A study on the total phenols content and antioxidant activity of essential oil and different solvent extracts of endemic plant Merremia borneensis

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M. Amzad Hossain

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study is planned to determine the antioxidant activity and total phenols content of the essential oil and different solvent extracts of the endemic plant Merremia borneensis. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were examined by three different methods, DPPH, β-carotene and reducing power assays. In all methods, aqueous ethanol extract exhibited a higher activity potential than that of other extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol and the essential oil. As assumed, the amount of total phenolics was very high in this extract. Chloroform extract has been found to be rich in flavonoids. A positive result was observed between the antioxidant activity potential and total flavonoid levels of the extracts.

Salinity effects on radiation utilization characteristics of Kochia (Kochia Scoparia L. Schrad.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jami Al-Ahmadi, M.; Kafi, M.; Nassiri Mahalati, M.

2008-01-01

In order to evaluate light extinction coefficient and radiation use efficiency of Kochia scoparia in response to saline stress, a study was performed at Birjand, South Khorasan, using three levels of salinity in irrigation water (1.5, 8.6 and 28.2 dSm-1) with three replications. Several measurements were conducted during growth season to calculate radiation fraction passed through plant canopy, and also leaf area index (LAI) and total dry matter (TDM). Light extinction coefficient calculated with correcting fraction of plant light absorption for whole day, and using dry matter accumulation, radiation use efficiency obtained in each different salinity level. The results showed that light extinction coefficient of Kochia was equal to 0.59 for solar noon and 0.75 for whole day. The radiation absorption of kochia rose as LAI increased, and 95% of radiation was absorbed at LAI equal to 4 to 5. LAI and total dry matter accumulation were highest in moderate salinity level. In general, increase in salinity caused a delay in early season development, and accelerated plant maturity at late season. This caused plant canopies at the highest salinity reached to maximum light absorption later in growth season. Increase of salinity from 1.5 to 8.6 dSm-1 was responsible for little increase in RUE from 2.4 to 2.5 g per MJ absorbed PAR; however, it reduced with further increase in salinity. Thus, it seems that moderate salinity levels stimulate growth and dry matter accumulation of kochia and cause kochia canopy convert the absorbed radiation to dry matter more effectively. Key words: Kochia scoparia, Salinity, Light extension coefficient, Radiation use efficiency, Leaf Area Index

Influence of drinking water salinity on carcass characteristics and meat quality of Santa Inês lambs.

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Daniela P V; Yamamoto, Sandra M; Araújo, Gherman G L; Pinheiro, Rafael S B; Queiroz, Mario A A; Albuquerque, Ítalo R R; Moura, José H A

2017-08-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different salinity levels in drinking water on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of lamb carcass and meat. Ram lambs (n = 32) were distributed in a completely randomized design with four levels of salinity in the drinking water (640 mg of total dissolved solids (TDS)/L of water, 3188 mg TDS/L water, 5740 mg TDS/L water, and 8326 mg TDS/L water). After slaughter, blending, gutting, and skinning the carcass, hot and biological carcass yields were obtained. Then, the carcasses were cooled at 5 °C for 24 h, and then, the morphometric measurements and the cold carcass yield were determined and the commercial cuts made. In the Longissimus lumborum muscle color, water holding capacity, cooking loss, shear force, and chemical composition were determined. The yields of hot and cold carcass (46.10 and 44.90%), as well as losses to cooling (2.40%) were not affected (P > 0.05) by the salinity levels in the water ingested by the lambs. The meat shear force was 3.47 kg/cm 2 and moisture, crude protein, ether extract, and ash were 73.62, 22.77, 2.5, and 4.3%, respectively. It is possible to supply water with salinity levels of up to 8326 mg TDS/L, because it did not affect the carcass and meat characteristics of Santa Inês lambs.

Implications of salinity pollution hotspots on agricultural production

Science.gov (United States)

Floerke, Martina; Fink, Julia; Malsy, Marcus; Voelker, Jeanette; Alcamo, Joseph

2016-04-01

Salinity pollution can have many negative impacts on water resources used for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes. Elevated concentrations of salinity in irrigation water can lead to decreased crop production or crop death and, thus, causing an economic problem. Overall, salinity pollution is a global problem but tends to be more severe in arid and semi-arid regions where the dilution capacity of rivers and lakes is lower and the use of irrigation higher. Particularly in these regions agricultural production is exposed to high salinity of irrigation water as insufficient water quality further reduces the available freshwater resources. According to the FAO, irrigated agriculture contributes about 40 percent of the total food production globally, and therefore, high salinity pollution poses a major concern for food production and food security. We use the WaterGAP3 modeling framework to simulate hydrological, water use, and water quality conditions on a global scale for the time period 1990 to 2010. The modeling framework is applied to simulate total dissolved solids (TDS) loadings and in-stream concentrations from different point and diffuse sources to get an insight on potential environmental impacts as well as risks to agricultural food production. The model was tested and calibrated against observed data from GEMStat and literature sources. Although global in scope, the focus of this study is on developing countries, i.e., in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as these are most threatened by salinity pollution. Furthermore, insufficient water quality for irrigation and therefore restrictions in irrigation water use are examined, indicating limitations to crop production. Our results show that elevated salinity concentrations in surface waters mainly occur in peak irrigation regions as irrigated agriculture is not only the most relevant water use sector contributing to water abstractions, but also the dominant source of salinity pollution. Additionally

In vitro antimicrobial activity of total extracts of the leaves of Petiveria alliacea L. (Anamu

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Ania Ochoa Pacheco

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The antimicrobial activity of 13 total extracts was evaluated, 10 soft extracts (B and 3 blended extracts (E prepared from dry and fresh leaves of Petiveria alliacea L. Various solvents were used for their preparation: hydroalcoholic solution at 30%, 80% and isopropyl alcohol. The antimicrobial effect of the extracts was tested by means of the method of Kirby-Bauer, using four bacterial strains from the ATCC collection (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a leveduriform fungus (Candida albicans. The following quality control parameters were determined for most active extracts: physical, physical-chemical and chemical parameters. The results were: nine extracts showed antibacterial activity, being the most concentrated (B8 and E3, the ones with the highest activity in the presence of the bacteria tested; the effect of blended extracts (E1, E2 and E3 was greater in the presence of P. aeruginosa. Blended extracts are considered more potent and active than soft extracts. No antifungal activity was obtained for both types of extracts. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC were determined for both extracts, with the following results: MIC-soft extracts (>100 mg/mL, blended extracts (>50 mg/mL; MBC-soft extracts (≥400 mg/mL, blended extracts (≥200 mg/mL based on fresh leaves.

Sequential Combination of Microwave- and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Osmanthus fragrans Lour. Flowers

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Jianfeng Yu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extraction assays were used to isolate total flavonoids (TF from Osmanthus fragrans flowers. The effects of the solid-liquid ratio, ethanol concentration, microwave power, microwave extraction time, ultrasonic power and ultrasonic extraction time on the yield of TF were studied. A sequential combination of microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extraction (SC-MUAE methods was developed, which was subsequently optimized by Box-Behnken design-response surface methodology (BBD-RSM. The interaction effects of the ethanol concentration (40–60%, microwave extraction time (5–7 min, ultrasonic extraction time (8–12 min and ultrasonic power (210–430 W on the yield of TF were investigated. The optimum operating parameters for the extraction of TF were determined to be as follows: ethanol concentration (48.15%, microwave extraction time (6.43 min, ultrasonic extraction time (10.09 min and ultrasonic power (370.9 W. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of TF was 7.86 mg/g.

Two cases of laparoscopic total colectomy with natural orifice specimen extraction and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Gundogan, Ersin; Aktas, Aydin; Kayaalp, Cuneyt; Gonultas, Fatih; Sumer, Fatih

2017-09-01

We present two cases of natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) after laparoscopic total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis (TC-IRA), and we also review all of the previously reported cases. Our aim was to focus on patient selection for NOSE after TC-IRA. The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were scanned. Demographic features, surgical indications, and techniques were analyzed. Basic calculations were used for statistical analysis. A total of 13 cases were detected in addition to our 2 cases. All of the specimens were removed through the natural orifices successfully. No case required a diverting ileostomy. No patients were converted to open surgery or to conventional laparoscopy. Complications were reported in three patients. Transanal extractions were performed in 12 cases (10 colonic inertia, 2 polyposis), and transvaginal extractions were performed in 3 cases (2 malignancy, 1 colonic inertia). Both transanal and transvaginal specimen extractions after laparoscopic TC-IRA can be preferred. However, transanal extraction seems to be feasible in cases of TC for benign disease with a limited mesenteric-omental resection. If the indication is a malignancy requiring a mesenteric-omental resection, a transvaginal route should be preferred for a voluminous specimen.

Effect of salinity and silicon application on oxidative damage of sorghum [sorghum bicolor (L.) moench.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kafi, M.; Nabati, J.; Masoumi, A.; Mehrgerdi, M.Z.

2011-01-01

Application of silicon (Si) to soil is considered as an alternative approach to alleviate salinity stress in crop plants. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Si application [control (without Si), 1.44 and 1.92 g.kg /sup -1/ soil on membrane stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC), leaf proline, soluble sugars, antioxidant activity, total phenols and dry matter accumulation of two sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) cultivars under three levels of salinity of irrigation water (5.2, 10.5 and 23.1 dS m/sup -1/ . The results showed that leaf proline content, activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR), Na/sup +/ concentration significantly increased only at high level of salinity, while, RWC Si caused an and dry matter accumulation were significantly decreased at all salinity levels. Soil application of 1.44 g.kg/sup -1/ increase in the activities of APX, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (PRO), glutathione reductase soil Si caused an increase in membrane stabilityindex, (GR), total antioxidant and total phenol contents and 1.92 g.kg/sup -1/ soluble sugar and total phenol contents, CAT, SOD and total antioxidant activity. Soluble sugars, total phenols, SOD and total antioxidant activity and dry matter accumulation in cv. Omidbakhsh were higher than those in cv. Sepideh. In conclusion, alleviation of salinity stress by exogenous application of Si was found to be associated partly with enhanced antioxidant activity. (author)

Changes in total phenol, flavonoid contents and anti-Lactobacillus activity of Callisia fragrans due to extraction solvent

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Thom; Cao, Diem Kieu; Pham, Thanh Vy; Huynh, Tan Dat; Ta, Nhat Thuy Anh; Nguyen, Ngoc Thao Linh; Nguyen, Huu Thanh; Le, Hue Huong; Bui, Anh Vo; Truong, Dieu-Hien

2018-04-01

Callisia fragrans is a wonder herb with many medicinal properties such as burn, dental diseases, cancer diseases and arthritis in folk medicine. It is noted that the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of traditional plants depend on not only the extracting method but also the solvent used for extraction. In this study, the effect of five extraction solvents (i.e., distilled water, 80% methanol, 80% ethanol, 80% ethyl acetate, and 80% chloroform) on yield, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of Callisia leaves was determined. Besides, changes in anti-Lactobacillus fermentum activity of C. fragrans freeze-dried extract was also evaluated using disk-diffusion method. The recovery percentage of extractable yield of fresh leaves are ranged from 11.93% w/w for distilled water extract to 16.60% w/w for aqueous ethanol extracts. The yield of 80% aqueous methanol extract (16.27% w/w) is only slightly less than that of the ethanol extract. Significant differences were observed among TPC and TFC obtaining by 80% methanol (0.0522% and 0.0335% w/w, respectively) compared to other solvents (p < 0.05). TPC and TFC of C. fragrans extracts increase in the following order: distilled water < 80% chloroform < 80% ethyl acetate < 80% ethanol < 80% methanol. The results revealed that 80% aqueous methanol Calissia extracts has moderate inhibition (9.0 mm of inhibition zone for 1.5 mg/mL of extracts) of L. fermentum compared to standard antibacterial agent. Based on the study results, it can be concluded that the yield, TPC and TFC of C. frgrans extract varied with the extracting solvent. It also showed that Callisia extracts can prevent dental caries by inhibiting the growth of L. fermentum, towards new insights for treatment of dental caries.

Robust microwave-assisted extraction protocol for determination of total mercury and methylmercury in fish tissues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reyes, L. Hinojosa; Rahman, G.M. Mizanur [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (United States); Kingston, H.M. Skip [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (United States)], E-mail: kingston@duq.edu

2009-01-12

A rapid and efficient closed vessel microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method based on acidic leaching was developed and optimized for the extraction of total mercury (Hg), inorganic mercury (Hg{sup 2+}) and methylmercury (CH{sub 3}Hg{sup +}) from fish tissues. The quantitative extraction of total Hg and mercury species from biological samples was achieved by using 5 mol L{sup -1} HCl and 0.25 mol L{sup -1} NaCl during 10 min at 60 deg. C. Total Hg content was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mercury species were measured by liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICP-MS). The method was validated using biological certified reference materials ERM-CE464, DOLT-3, and NIST SRM-1946. The analytical results were in good agreement with the certified reference values of total Hg and CH{sub 3}Hg{sup +} at a 95% confidence level. Further, accuracy validation using speciated isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (SIDMS, as described in the EPA Method 6800) was carried out. SIDMS was also applied to study and correct for unwanted species transformation reactions during and/or after sample preparation steps. For the studied reference materials, no statistically significant transformation between mercury species was observed during the extraction and determination procedures. The proposed method was successfully applied to fish tissues with good agreement between SIDMS results and external calibration (EC) results. Interspecies transformations in fish tissues were slightly higher than certified reference materials due to differences in matrix composition. Depending on the type of fish tissue, up to 10.24% of Hg{sup 2+} was methylated and up to 1.75% of CH{sub 3}Hg{sup +} was demethylated to Hg{sup 2+}.

The effectiveness of dispersants under various temperature and salinity regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fingas, M.; Fieldhouse, B.; Wang, Z.; Environment Canada, Ottawa, ON

2005-01-01

A series of tests were conducted to determine the effectiveness of dispersants in Arctic waters where salinity and temperature interactions play a critical role. In particular, Corexit 9500 was tested on Alaska North Slope oil at different temperatures and salinity using the ASTM standard test and variations of this test. Results were compared to the only historically reported test in which both temperature and salinity were changed over a range of values. This series of tests demonstrated that there is an interaction between salinity, temperature and dispersant effectiveness. It was shown that conventional and currently available dispersants are nearly ineffective at 0 salinity. Dispersant effectiveness peaks at 20 to 40 units of salinity, depending on the type of dispersant. Corexit is less sensitive to salinity, while Corexit 9527 is more sensitive to salinity. There is a smooth gradient of effectiveness with salinity both as the salinity rises to a peak point of effectiveness and as it exceeds this value. Results from the 2 field trials in fresh water suggest that laboratory tests correctly conclude that the effectiveness of dispersants is very low in freshwater. The study also examined several analytical factors such as the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) versus relative petroleum hydrocarbon (RPH) methods, specific versus general calibration curves, and automatic versus manual baseline placement. The analytical variations of effectiveness by RPH or TPH methods do not affect the fundamental relationship between salinity and temperature. 6 refs., 6 tabs., 8 figs

Do laboratory salinity tolerances of freshwater animals correspond with their field salinity?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kefford, Ben J.; Papas, Phil J.; Metzeling, Leon; Nugegoda, Dayanthi

2004-06-01

The degree to which laboratory derived measures of salinity tolerance reflect the field distributions of freshwater biota is uncertain. In this paper we compare laboratory-derived acute salinity tolerance (LC{sub 50} values) of freshwater macroinvertebrates (range 5.5-76 mS/cm) and fish (range 2.7-82 mS/cm) from southeastern Australia with the salinity from which they have been collected in the field. Only 4% of the macroinvertebrates were collected at salinity levels substantially higher than their 72-h LC{sub 50} obtained from directly transferring animals from low salinity water to the water they were tested (direct transfer LC{sub 50}). This LC{sub 50} value was correlated with the maximum salinity at which a species had been collected. For common macroinvertebrates, the maximum field salinity was approximated by the direct transfer 72-h LC{sub 50}. For adult freshwater fish, 21% of species were collected at salinities substantially greater than their acute direct transfer LC{sub 50} and there was a weak relationship between these two variables. Although there was a weak correlation between the direct transfer LC{sub 50} of early life stages of freshwater fish and the maximum field salinity, 58% of the field distribution were in higher than their LC{sub 50} values. In contrast, LC{sub 50} determined from experiments that acclimated adult fish to higher salinity (slow acclimation) provided a better indication of the field distribution: with only one fish species (7%) being in conflict with their maximum field salinity and a strong positive relationship between these variables. This study shows that laboratory measures of acute salinity tolerance can reflect the maximum salinity that macroinvertebrate and fish species inhabit and are consistent with some anecdotal observations from other studies. - Acute laboratory salinity tolerances relate to maximum salinity where organisms occur in nature.

Do laboratory salinity tolerances of freshwater animals correspond with their field salinity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kefford, Ben J.; Papas, Phil J.; Metzeling, Leon; Nugegoda, Dayanthi

2004-01-01

The degree to which laboratory derived measures of salinity tolerance reflect the field distributions of freshwater biota is uncertain. In this paper we compare laboratory-derived acute salinity tolerance (LC 50 values) of freshwater macroinvertebrates (range 5.5-76 mS/cm) and fish (range 2.7-82 mS/cm) from southeastern Australia with the salinity from which they have been collected in the field. Only 4% of the macroinvertebrates were collected at salinity levels substantially higher than their 72-h LC 50 obtained from directly transferring animals from low salinity water to the water they were tested (direct transfer LC 50 ). This LC 50 value was correlated with the maximum salinity at which a species had been collected. For common macroinvertebrates, the maximum field salinity was approximated by the direct transfer 72-h LC 50 . For adult freshwater fish, 21% of species were collected at salinities substantially greater than their acute direct transfer LC 50 and there was a weak relationship between these two variables. Although there was a weak correlation between the direct transfer LC 50 of early life stages of freshwater fish and the maximum field salinity, 58% of the field distribution were in higher than their LC 50 values. In contrast, LC 50 determined from experiments that acclimated adult fish to higher salinity (slow acclimation) provided a better indication of the field distribution: with only one fish species (7%) being in conflict with their maximum field salinity and a strong positive relationship between these variables. This study shows that laboratory measures of acute salinity tolerance can reflect the maximum salinity that macroinvertebrate and fish species inhabit and are consistent with some anecdotal observations from other studies. - Acute laboratory salinity tolerances relate to maximum salinity where organisms occur in nature

Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, and Antiproliferative Activities and Total Polyphenol Contents of the Extracts of Geissospermum reticulatum Bark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna J. Sajkowska-Kozielewicz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Geissospermum species are medically important plants due to their health-promoting effects. The objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant ability and antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of infusions, tinctures, and ethanolic extracts of Geissospermum reticulatum barks in relation to the contents of total phenolics and flavonoids. Seven samples of barks were collected in various regions of Peruvian Amazonia. We found that the amount of total phenolics in the studied products varied from 212.40 ± 0.69 to 1253.92 ± 11.20 mg GAE/kg. In our study there is a correlation (R2=0.7947 between the results of antioxidants assays: FRAP and ORAC for tinctures, infusions, and ethanolic extracts of G. reticulatum barks. We have also observed antiproliferative activities of the ethanolic extracts on normal T-cells. These extracts have caused death on malignant cell lines (THP-1 and HL-60 and this data correlates well with their antioxidant capacity measured by ORAC method. Interestingly, the highest concentration of the ethanolic extract was not toxic in the zebrafish embryo developmental assay. Our results indicate that G. reticulatum is rich in antioxidants and have cytotoxic and antiproliferative properties. The data suggests potential immunosuppressive role of the extracts. This is the first study presenting the results of chemical and biological analysis of multiple preparations from G. reticulatum.

Effect of salinity on growth, biochemical parameters and fatty acid composition in safflower (carthamus tinctorius l.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javed, S.; Bukhari, S.A.; Mahmood, S.; Iftikhar, T.

2014-01-01

The aim of the present project is to investigate the effect of salinity on growth, biochemical parameters and fatty acid composition in six varieties of safflower as well as identification of stress tolerant variety under saline (8 d Sm-1) condition. It was observed that salinity significantly decreased the dry weight and fresh weight of safflower varieties. Nitrate reductase (NRA) and nitrite reductase (NiRA) activities were also reduced in response to salinity in all safflower genotypes but Thori-78 and PI-387820 showed less reduction which could be a useful marker for selecting salt tolerant varieties. Under salinity stress, total free amino acids, reducing, non reducing sugars and total sugars increased in all varieties. Accumulation of sugars and total free amino acids might reflect a salt protective mechanism and could be a useful criterion for selecting salt tolerant variety. Comparison among safflower genotypes indicated that Thori-78 and PI-387820 performed better than the others and successful in maintaining higher NRA, NiRA and other metabolites thus were tolerant to salinity. Differential effect upon fatty acid synthesis was observed by different varieties under salinity stress but PI-170274 and PI-387821 varieties better maintained their fatty acid composition. It can be concluded from present studies that biochemical markers can be used to select salinity tolerant safflower varieties. (author)

Vaccinium virgatum fruit extract as an important adjuvant in biochemical and behavioral alterations observed in animal model of metabolic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Pathise Souto; Gazal, Marta; Flores, Natália Porto; Zimmer, Aline Rigon; Chaves, Vitor Clasen; Reginatto, Flávio Henrique; Kaster, Manuella Pinto; Tavares, Rejane Giacomelli; Spanevello, Roselia Maria; Lencina, Claiton Leoneti; Stefanello, Francieli Moro

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) fruit extract on metabolic, behavioral and oxidative stress parameters in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of mice submitted to an experimental model of metabolic syndrome induced by a highly palatable diet (HPD). Mice C57BL/6 were divided into 4 experimental groups: (1) received standard chow and saline orally, (2) received standard chow and blueberry hydroalcoholic extract, (3) received HPD and saline orally, (4) received HPD and blueberry hydroalcoholic extract. The animals were treated for 150days. Our results showed that the animals fed with HPD presented insulin resistance, increased body weight, visceral fat, glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol when compared to the control group. The blueberry extract prevented the increase of these metabolic parameters. Also, the extract was able to reduce the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of animals submitted to HPD. In contrast, no differences were observed in the total thiol content, activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase. In addition, the HPD fed animals showed a significant increase in immobility time in the forced swimming test and blueberry prevented this alteration, although no changes were observed in the ambulatory behavior, as well as in the anxiolytic profile of these animals. Overall, our findings suggest that chronic consumption of blueberry extract exhibits hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antidepressant-like and antiperoxidative effects in an animal model of metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Statistical mixture design selective extraction of compounds with antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content from Trichilia catigua.

Science.gov (United States)

Lonni, Audrey Alesandra Stinghen Garcia; Longhini, Renata; Lopes, Gisely Cristiny; de Mello, João Carlos Palazzo; Scarminio, Ieda Spacino

2012-03-16

Statistical design mixtures of water, methanol, acetone and ethanol were used to extract material from Trichilia catigua (Meliaceae) barks to study the effects of different solvents and their mixtures on its yield, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. The experimental results and their response surface models showed that quaternary mixtures with approximately equal proportions of all four solvents provided the highest yields, total polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities of the crude extracts followed by ternary design mixtures. Principal component and hierarchical clustering analysis of the HPLC-DAD spectra of the chromatographic peaks of 1:1:1:1 water-methanol-acetone-ethanol mixture extracts indicate the presence of cinchonains, gallic acid derivatives, natural polyphenols, flavanoids, catechins, and epicatechins. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance of weed Extracts on Growth Characteristics and Biochemical Activities in Salt Stressed Soybean Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moussa, H.R.; Khodary, S.E.A.

2004-01-01

The changes induced in the growth parameters and certain metabolic activities in response to both salt (NaCI) shock treatments and foliar spray of weed extracts (jungle rice, cocklebur and purslane) plus salinity were studied, using soybean seedlings grown in Hoagland's nutrient solution supplemented with various concentrations of NaCI. When seedlings were subjected to high salinity (100 and 200 mM NaCI), their growth criteria, the photosynthetic capacity, pigment contents and carbohydrate metabolism were significantly decreased. Under salinized conditions and weed extract treatments, the growth pattern,''1''4CO 2 -fixation rate, pigment as well as carbohydrate contents of soybean plants were significantly increased comparable to NaCI-treated samples. It was suggested that weed extract and in particular jungle rice might oppose the harsh effect of salinity in soybean plants

Total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in leaves and stems extract of cultivated and wild tabat barito (Ficus deltoidea Jack)

Science.gov (United States)

Manurung, Hetty; Kustiawan, Wawan; Kusuma, Irawan W.; Marjenah

2017-02-01

Tabat barito (Ficus deltoidea Jack) is a name given by Dayak Tribe who lived in Borneo-Kalimantan and it is belongs to the moraceae. Almost all of the parts of F. deltoidea plant is widely used as a medicinal property. The total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activity from cultivated and wild F. deltoidea leaves and stems extract were assessed. Total flavonoid content was estimated by using Aluminium chloride colorimetric method and expressed as catechin equivalents (mg CE g-1 extract) and the antioxidant activity by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) method. The content of total flavonoid of leaves and stems (430.77 and 371.80 µg CE mg-1 extract) of cultivated F. deltoidea were higher than in the wild leaves and stems (114.82 and 66.67 µg CE mg-1 extract). The IC50 of leaves extract of cultivated and wild F. deltoidea, based on the DPPH assay, has a strong antioxidant activity (34.19 and 39.31 µg mL-1 extract) as compared to stems extract. These results showed that the cultivated F. deltoidea are suitable source for medicinal properties and the leaves could be exploited as source of natural antioxidants.

Salp distribution and grazing in a saline intrusion off NW Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Huskin, Iñaki; Elices, Ma. José; Anadón, Ricardo

2003-07-01

Salp distribution and grazing were studied along three transects (19 stations) and a Lagrangian phase (7 stations) off Galician coast (NW Spain) in November 1999 during GIGOVI 99 cruise. A poleward saline intrusion was detected at the shelf-break, reaching salinity values above 35.90 u.p.s. at 100-m depth. The salp community was dominated by Salpa fusiformis, although Cyclosalpa bakeri, Thalia democratica and Iasis zonaria were also found in the study area. Total salp abundance ranged from 4 to 4500 ind m -2, representing biomass values between 0.2 and 2750 mg C m -2. Maximum densities were located in the frontal area separating the saline body from coastal waters. S. fusiformis pigment ingestion was estimated using the gut fluorescence method. Gut contents were linearly related to salp body size. Total pigment ingestion ranged from 0.001 to 15 mg Chl- a m -2 d -1, with maximum values at the coastal edge of the saline body. Estimated ingestion translates into an average daily grazing impact of 7% of chlorophyll standing stock, ranging from <1% to 77%.

Use of solvent mixtures for total lipid extraction of Chlorella vulgaris and gas chromatography FAME analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi-Kheibari, Narges; Ahmadzadeh, Hossein; Hosseini, Majid

2017-09-01

Lipid extraction is the bottleneck step for algae-based biodiesel production. Herein, 12 solvent mixture systems (mixtures of three non-polar and two polar organic solvents) were examined to evaluate their effects on the total lipid yield from Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris). Moreover, the extraction yields of three solvent systems with maximum extraction efficiency of esterifiable lipids were determined by acidic transesterification and GC-FID analysis. Three solvent systems, which resulted in a higher extraction yield, were further subjected to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis. The total lipid extraction yields (based on dry biomass) were (38.57 ± 1.51), (25.33 ± 0.58), and (25.17 ± 1.14) %, for chloroform-methanol (1:2) (C1M2), hexane-methanol (1:2) (H1M2), and chloroform-methanol (2:1) (C2M1), respectively. The extraction efficiency of C1M2 was approximately 1.5 times higher than H1M2 and C2M1, whereas the FAME profile of extracted lipids by H1M2 and C1M2 were almost identical. Moreover, the esterifiable lipid extraction yields of (18.14 ± 2.60), (16.66 ± 0.35), and (13.22 ± 0.31) % (based on dry biomass) were obtained for C1M2, H1M2, and C2M1 solvent mixture systems, respectively. The biodiesel fuel properties produced from C. vulgaris were empirically predicted and compared to that of the EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 standard specifications.

Use of azeotropic distillation for isotopic analysis of deuterium in soil water and saturate saline solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Antonio Vieira dos.

1995-05-01

The azeotropic distillation technique was adapted to extract soil water and saturate saline solution, which is similar to the sea water for the Isotopic Determination of Deuterium (D). A soil test was used to determine the precision and the nature of the methodology to extract soil water for stable isotopic analysis, using the azeotropic distillation and comparing with traditional methodology of heating under vacuum. This methodology has been very useful for several kinds of soil or saturate saline solution. The apparatus does not have a memory effect, and the chemical reagents do not affect the isotopic composition of soil water. (author). 43 refs., 10 figs., 12 tabs

Phytochemical screening, total phenolic content and phytotoxic activity of corn (Zea mays) extracts against some indicator species.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Hiwa M

2018-03-01

Allelopathic effects of corn (Zea mays) extracts was studied, against seed germination and seedling growth of Phalaris minor, Helianthus annuus, Triticumaestivum, Sorghum halepense, Z. mays. Bioassay results showed that aqueous extracts of corn root and shoot, markedly affected seed germination, and other parameters compared with related controls. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various phytochemicals such as tannins, phlobatannins, flavonoids, terpenoids and alkaloids in both roots and shoot aqueous extracts. However, saponins were only present in the shoot aqueous extract, while in shoot ethanol extracts, only terpenoids and alkaloids were detected. Additionally, total polyphenolic (TPC) content in aqueous extracts of corn root and shoot, plus ethanol extracts of corn shoot were determined using an Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Results revealed TPC content of the corn shoot aqueous extract showed the highest yield, compared to other extracts. These findings suggest that phytochemicals present in Z. mays extracts may contribute to allelopathy effect.

Total Phenolic, Flavonoid, Tomatine, and Tomatidine Contents and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Extracts of Tomato Plant

Science.gov (United States)

Silva-Beltrán, Norma Patricia; Ruiz-Cruz, Saul; Cira-Chávez, Luis Alberto; Estrada-Alvarado, María Isabel; Ornelas-Paz, José de Jesús; López-Mata, Marco Antonio; Del-Toro-Sánchez, Carmen Lizette; Ayala-Zavala, J. Fernando; Márquez-Ríos, Enrique

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of extracts of different fractions of two tomato plant cultivars. The stems, roots, leaves, and whole-plant fractions were evaluated. Tomatine and tomatidine were identified by HPLC-DAD. The leaf extracts from the two varieties showed the highest flavonoids, chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total phenolics contents and the highest antioxidant activity determined by DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC. A positive correlation was observed between the antioxidant capacities of the extracts and the total phenolic, flavonoid, and chlorophyll contents. The Pitenza variety extracts inhibited the growth of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria ivanovii, yielding inhibition halos of 8.0 to 12.9 mm in diameter and MIC values of 12.5 to 3.125 mg/mL. These results suggest that tomato plant shows well potential as sources of various bioactive compounds, antioxidants, and antimicrobials. PMID:26609308

Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) salinity data validation over Malaysia coastal water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reba, M N M; Rosli, A Z; Rahim, N A

2014-01-01

The study of sea surface salinity (SSS) plays an important role in the marine ecosystem, estimation of global ocean circulation and observation of fisheries, aquaculture, coral reef and sea grass habitats. The new challenge of SSS estimation is to exploit the ocean surface brightness temperature (Tb) observed by the Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) onboard the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite that is specifically designed to provide the best retrieval of ocean salinity and soil moisture using the L band of 1.4 GHz radiometer. Tb observed by radiometer is basically a function of the dielectric constant, sea surface temperature (SST), wind speed (U), incidence angle, polarization and SSS. Though, the SSS estimation is an ill-posed inversion problem as the relationship between the Tb and SSS is non-linear function. Objective of this study is to validate the SMOS SSS estimates with the ground-truth over the Malaysia coastal water. The LM iteratively determines the SSS of SMOS by the reduction of the sum of squared errors between Tb SMOS and Tb simulation (using in-situ) based on the updated geophysical triplet in the direction of the minimum of the cost function. The minimum cost function is compared to the desired threshold at each iteration and this recursive least square process updates the SST, U and SSS until the cost function converged. The designed LM's non-linear inversion algorithm simultaneously estimates SST, U and SSS and thus, map of SSS over Malaysia coastal water is produced from the regression model and accuracy assessment between the SMOS and in-situ retrieved SSS. This study found a good agreement in the validation with R square of 0.9 and the RMSE of 0.4. It is concluded that the non-linear inversion method is effective and practical to extract SMOS SSS, U and SST simultaneously

Linking water and carbon cycles through salinity observed from space

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, X.; Liu, W. T.

2017-12-01

The association of ocean surface salinity in global hydrological cycle and climate change has been traditionally studied through the examination of its tendency and advection as manifestation of ocean's heat and water fluxes with the atmosphere. The variability of surface heat and water fluxes are linked to top of atmosphere radiation, whose imbalance is the main cause of global warming. Besides the link of salinity to greenhouse warming through water balance, this study will focus on the effect of changing salinity on carbon dioxide flux between the ocean and the atmosphere. We have built statistical models to estimate the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and ocean acidification (in terms of total alkalinity and pH) using spacebased data. PCO2 is a critical parameter governing ocean as source and sink of the accumulated greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. The exchange also causes ocean acidification, which is detrimental to marine lives and ecology. Before we had sufficient spacebased salinity measurements coincident with in situ pCO2 measurement, we trained our statistical models to use satellite sea surface temperature and chlorophyll, with one model using salinity climatology and the other without. We found significant differences between the two models in regions of strong water input through river discharge and surface water flux. The pCO2 output follows the seasonal salinity advection of the Amazon outflow. The seasonal salinity advection between Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are followed by change of pCO2 and total alkalinity. At shorter time scales, the signatures of rain associated with intraseasonal organized convection of summer monsoon can be detected. We have observed distribution agreement of among pCO2, surface salinity, and surface water flux for variation from a few days to a few years under the Pacific ITCZ; the agreement varies slightly with season and longitudes and the reason is under study.

Absolute Salinity, ''Density Salinity'' and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, D. G.; Pawlowicz, R.; McDougall, T. J.; Feistel, R.; Marion, G. M.

2011-01-01

Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-101 standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models. First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted SR, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. However, the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies. Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol SAdens; it stands out as the most appropriate representation of salinity for use in dynamical physical

Absolute Salinity, "Density Salinity" and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, D. G.; Pawlowicz, R.; McDougall, T. J.; Feistel, R.; Marion, G. M.

2010-08-01

Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-101 standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models. First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted SR, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. The Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies. Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol SAdens; it stands out as the most appropriate representation of salinity for use in dynamical physical

Effectiveness of inorganic and organic mulching for soil salinity and sodicity control in a grapevine orchard drip-irrigated with moderately saline waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramón Aragüés

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Soil mulching is a sensible strategy to reduce evaporation, accelerate crop development, reduce erosion and assist in weed control, but its efficiency for soil salinity control is not as well documented. The benefits of inorganic (plastic and organic (grapevine pruning residues mulching for soil salinity and sodicity control were quantified in a grapevine orchard (cultivars ‘Autumn’ Royal and ‘Crimson’ drip-irrigated with moderately saline waters. Soil samples were taken at the beginning and end of the 2008 and 2009 irrigation seasons in six vines of each cultivar and mulching treatment. Soil saturation extract electrical conductivity (ECe, chloride (Cle and sodium adsorption ratio (SARe values increased in all treatments of both grapevines along the irrigation seasons, but the increases were much lower in the mulched than in the bare soils due to reduced evaporation losses and concomitant decreases in salt evapo-concentration. The absolute salinity and sodicity daily increases in ‘Autumn’ and ‘Crimson’ 2008 and in ‘Crimson’ 2009 were on the average 44% lower in the plastic and 76% lower in the organic mulched soils than in the bare soil. The greater efficiency of the organic than the plastic mulch in ‘Crimson’ 2009 was attributed to the leaching of salts by a precipitation of 104 mm that infiltrated the organic mulch but was intercepted by the plastic mulch. Although further work is needed to substantiate these results, the conclusion is that the plastic mulch and, particularly, the organic mulch were more efficient than the bare soil for soil salinity and sodicity control.

Lake Afdera: a threatened saline lake in Ethiopia | Getahun | SINET ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Lake Afdera is a saline lake located in the Afar region, Northern Ethiopia. Because of its inaccessibility it is one of the least studied lakes of the country. It supports life including three species of fish of which two are endemic. Recently, reports are coming out that this lake is used for salt extraction. This paper gives some ...

Comparison of total and cold-extractable uranium in stream sediments of the southwestern Karoo supergroup, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jakob, W.R.O.; Smit, M.C.B.; Murphy, G.C.

1979-01-01

In order to evaluate the usefullness of cold-extractable uranium as a tool of uranium prospecting in stream sediments of the southwestern Karoo, South Africa, ten orientation studies were conducted near known mineralisation jointly by the Atomic Energy Board and the Geological Survey of South Africa. These indicate that the topography determines the nature of the dispersion. In areas of moderate to high relief the total uranium content of the stream sediment gives dispersion trains up to about 500 m from the mineralisation, and peak-to-background ratios of about 3. The use of cold-extractable uranium doubles the length of the dispersion, and peak-to-background ratios are greater than 10 and may be as high as 35. In areas of low relief, the total uranium content of the sediment gives low anomalies, with short dispersion downstream. Cold-extractable uranium gives anomalies 500-1 000 m from the mineralisation. This is interpreted to be due to the longer residence time of the clay minerals in the stream. In order to test the applicability of cold-extractable uranium on a regional scale, 720 samples were collected at a density of one sample per square kilometre. Statistical treatment of the data shows the U content of the stream sediments, to be log-normally distributed. For cold-extractable uranium, polymodal distributions, apparently representing background and anomalous samples, can be separated with a high rate of success, and meaningful threshold values can be assigned. This is not the case for the total uranium content of the stream sediments [af

Evaluating the impact of extraction and cleanup parameters on the yield of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saari, Eija; Peraemaeki, Paavo; Jalonen, Jorma [University of Oulu, Department of Chemistry (Finland)

2008-11-15

Interlaboratory comparisons for the analysis of mineral oil in polluted soil using the GC-FID method indicate that extraction and cleanup conditions have significant effects on the analytical results. In this investigation a ruggedness test was performed on the extraction and cleanup method for the determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil. A two-level Plackett-Burman design was utilized to study the effect of 11 different method parameters on the extraction recovery of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soil. Both qualitative and quantitative factors were investigated. The results indicate that total petroleum hydrocarbons can be relatively reliably monitored through strict implementation of the ISO and CEN draft standards. However, variation in certain method parameters readily affects the validity of the results. The most critical factors affecting TPH recovery were the solvent and co-solvent used for extraction, the extraction time, adsorbent and its weight and sample TPH concentration. Because adaptation of the draft standards especially with respect to these factors easily leads to TPH recoveries higher than 200% or lower than 70%, the validity of the adapted method should always be verified. A proper estimate of the expanded uncertainty should also be appended to TPH results, because only then can the reliability of the results be guaranteed and further justification is gained to support the end-use of the data. This also supports the credibility of the analytical services and prevents the data end-users from drawing misleading conclusions concerning the environmental risks and potential remediation requirements. (orig.)

Arsenic concentrations correlate with salinity for fish taken from the North Sea and Baltic waters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt; Francesconi, K. A.

2003-01-01

Total arsenic concentrations were determined in three teleost species (herring Clupea harengus; cod Gadus morhua, and flounder Platichthys flesus) taken. from four locations in the Baltic and North Sea with salinities ranging from 8 to 32 psu. Individual arsenic concentrations ranged from 0.......04 to 10.9 mg/kg wet mass, and there was a positive linear relationship between arsenic concentration and salinity for all three species (r(2) 0.44 to 0.72, all P arsenic than do freshwater fish, the data reported...... here are the first showing a relationship between the total arsenic concentration in fish and salinity....

Absolute Salinity, ''Density Salinity'' and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale: present and future use in the seawater standard TEOS-10

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D. G. Wright

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Salinity plays a key role in the determination of the thermodynamic properties of seawater and the new TEOS-10¹ standard provides a consistent and effective approach to dealing with relationships between salinity and these thermodynamic properties. However, there are a number of practical issues that arise in the application of TEOS-10, both in terms of accuracy and scope, including its use in the reduction of field data and in numerical models.

First, in the TEOS-10 formulation for IAPSO Standard Seawater, the Gibbs function takes the Reference Salinity as its salinity argument, denoted S_R, which provides a measure of the mass fraction of dissolved material in solution based on the Reference Composition approximation for Standard Seawater. We discuss uncertainties in both the Reference Composition and the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale on which Reference Salinity is reported. The Reference Composition provides a much-needed fixed benchmark but modified reference states will inevitably be required to improve the representation of Standard Seawater for some studies. However, the Reference-Composition Salinity Scale should remain unaltered to provide a stable representation of salinity for use with the TEOS-10 Gibbs function and in climate change detection studies.

Second, when composition anomalies are present in seawater, no single salinity variable can fully represent the influence of dissolved material on the thermodynamic properties of seawater. We consider three distinct representations of salinity that have been used in previous studies and discuss the connections and distinctions between them. One of these variables provides the most accurate representation of density possible as well as improvements over Reference Salinity for the determination of other thermodynamic properties. It is referred to as "Density Salinity" and is represented by the symbol

Response of stream invertebrates to short-term salinization: A mesocosm approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; Grantham, Theodore E.; Perrée, Isabelle; Rieradevall, Maria; Céspedes-Sánchez, Raquel; Prat, Narcís

2012-01-01

Salinization is a major and growing threat to freshwater ecosystems, yet its effects on aquatic invertebrates have been poorly described at a community-level. Here we use a controlled experimental setting to evaluate short-term stream community responses to salinization, under conditions designed to replicate the duration (72 h) and intensity (up to 5 mS cm −1 ) of salinity pulses common to Mediterranean rivers subjected to mining pollution during runoff events. There was a significant overall effect, but differences between individual treatments and the control were only significant for the highest salinity treatment. The community response to salinization was characterized by a decline in total invertebrate density, taxon richness and diversity, an increase in invertebrate drift and loss of the most sensitive taxa. The findings indicate that short-term salinity increases have a significant impact on the stream invertebrate community, but concentrations of 5 mS cm −1 are needed to produce a significant ecological response. - Highlights: ► Short-term salinization has a significant impact on the aquatic invertebrates. ► A significant short-term ecological response is registered at 5 mS cm −1 . ► Salinization causes a decline in invertebrate density, richness and diversity. ► Biotic quality indices decline with increasing salinity and exposure time. - Short-term salinization in a stream mesocosm caused a significant response in the aquatic invertebrate community and led to declines in biological quality indices.

A study of extraction process and in vitro antioxidant activity of total phenols from Rhizoma Imperatae.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xian-rong; Wang, Jian-hua; Jiang, Bo; Shang, Jin; Zhao, Chang-qiong

2013-01-01

The study investigated the extraction method of Rhizoma Imperatae and its antioxidant activity, and provided a basis for its rational development. The extraction method of Rhizoma Imperatae was determined using orthogonal design test and by total phenol content, its hydroxyl radical scavenging ability was measured by Fenton reaction, and potassium ferricyanide reduction method was used to determine its reducing power. The results showed that the optimum extraction process of Rhizoma Imperatae was a 50-fold volume of water, 30 °C, three times of extraction with 2 h each. Its IC50 for scavenging of hydroxyl radicals was 0.0948 mg/mL, while IC50 of ascorbic acid was 0.1096 mg/mL; in the ferricyanide considerable reduction method, the extract exhibited reducing power comparable to that of the ascorbic acid. The study concluded that Rhizoma Imperatae extract contains relatively large amount of polyphenols, and has a good anti-oxidation ability.

Total flavonoids content in the raw material and aqueous extractives from Bauhinia monandra Kurz (Caesalpiniaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Ana Josane Dantas; Ferreira, Magda Rhayanny Assunção; Randau, Karina Perrelli; de Souza, Tatiane Pereira; Soares, Luiz Alberto Lira

2012-01-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the spectrophotometric methodology for determining the total flavonoid content (TFC) in herbal drug and derived products from Bauhinia monandra Kurz. Several analytical parameters from this method grounded on the complex formed between flavonoids and AlCl₃ were evaluated such as herbal amount (0.25 to 1.25 g); solvent composition (ethanol 40 to 80%, v/v); as well as the reaction time and AlCl₃ concentration (2 to 9%, w/v). The method was adjusted to aqueous extractives and its performance studied through precision, linearity and preliminary robustness. The results showed an important dependence of the method response from reaction time, AlCl₃ concentration, sample amount, and solvent mixture. After choosing the optimized condition, the method was applied for the matrixes (herbal material and extractives), showing precision lower than 5% (for both parameters repeatability and intermediate precision), coefficient of determination higher than 0.99, and no important influence could be observed for slight variations from wavelength or AlCl₃ concentration. Thus, it could be concluded that the evaluated analytical procedure was suitable to quantify the total flavonoid content in raw material and aqueous extractives from leaves of B. monandra.

Microbial Fuel Cells under Extreme Salinity

Science.gov (United States)

Monzon del Olmo, Oihane

I developed a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) that unprecedentedly works (i.e., produces electricity) under extreme salinity (≈ 100 g/L NaCl). Many industries, such as oil and gas extraction, generate hypersaline wastewaters with high organic strength, accounting for about 5% of worldwide generated effluents, which represent a major challenge for pollution control and resource recovery. This study assesses the potential for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to treat such wastewaters and generate electricity under extreme saline conditions. Specifically, the focus is on the feasibility to treat hypersaline wastewater generated by the emerging unconventional oil and gas industry (hydraulic fracturing) and so, with mean salinity of 100 g/L NaCl (3-fold higher than sea water). The success of this novel technology strongly depends on finding a competent and resilient microbial community that can degrade the waste under extreme saline conditions and be able to use the anode as their terminal electron acceptor (exoelectrogenic capability). I demonstrated that MFCs can produce electricity at extremely high salinity (up to 250 g/l NaCl) with a power production of 71mW/m2. Pyrosequencing analysis of the anode population showed the predominance of Halanaerobium spp. (85%), which has been found in shale formations and oil reservoirs. Promoting Quorum sensing (QS, cell to cell communication between bacteria to control gene expression) was used as strategy to increase the attachment of bacteria to the anode and thus improve the MFC performance. Results show that the power output can be bolstered by adding 100nM of quinolone signal with an increase in power density of 30%, for the first time showing QS in Halanaerobium extremophiles. To make this technology closer to market applications, experiments with real wastewaters were also carried out. A sample of produced wastewater from Barnet Shale, Texas (86 g/L NaCl) produced electricity when fed in an MFC, leading to my discovery of another

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity, Total Flavonoids, Tannins and Phenolic Compounds in Psychotria Leaf Extracts

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Anelise Samara Nazari Formagio

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The antioxidant activity of Psychotria carthagenensis, P. leiocarpa, P. capillacea and P. deflexa (Rubiaceae extracts were investigated, and the concentrations of total phenolics, flavonoids, condensed tannins and flavonols were determined. The chemical compositions of the extracts were investigated using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/PAD method. We used 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH, β-Carotene bleaching and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS radical cations to determine antioxidant activity. The ability to scavenge radical was measured in these experiments by the discoloration of the solution. Concentrations of constituents were measured spectrophotometrically. P. carthagenensis and P. capillacea exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, in the DPPH test, β-carotene bleaching and ABTS system. The highest phenolic, flavonoid, condensed tannin and flavonol concentration was found in P. carthagenensis and P. capillacea extracts. HPLC-PDA analysis of P. carthagenensis and P. capillacea revealed hydroxycinnamic acid (p-coumaric acid. This is the first report on the antioxidant properties and constituent analysis of these Psychotria extracts.

Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity and Total Phenol Compounds of Punica granatum Hydro-Alcoholic Extract

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Elahe Ahmadi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives: Punica granatum is a non-productive form of a plant and is used for the treatment of diseases in traditional medicine. In this study, we evaluate the antibacterial activity and the total phenol compounds of Punica granatum. Materials & Methods: Disk and well diffusion methods and MIC were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of hydro-alcoholic extract on S. aureus and E. coli compared to standard commercial antibiotic disks. Measurement of phenol compounds were performed by Seevers and Daly colorimetric methods (Folin-ciocalteu indicator. Results: 35 and 29 mm inhibition zones in S. aureus and 22 and 17 mm inhibition zones in E. coli were shown by disk and well diffusion method, respectively. Also, 7.8 mg/ml concentration of extract showed the MIC points for two bacteria. Phenol compound of extract was 233.15±5.1 mg/g of extraction. Conclusion: Antibacterial effect of Punica granatum compared to antibiotics indicates the strong activity against examined bacteria. Extensive antibacterial study of Punica granatum is suggested.

Effect of soil contaminant extraction method in determining toxicity using the Microtox(reg.) assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harkey, G.A.; Young, T.M.

2000-01-01

This project examined the influence of different extraction methods on the measured toxicity of contaminated soils collected from manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites differing in soil composition and contaminant concentration. Aged soils from a number of MGP sites were extracted using a saline solution, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and Soxhlet extraction. Toxicity was assessed using two forms of Microtox tests: acute aqueous tests on saline and SFE soil extracts and solid-phase tests (SPTs) on soil particles. Microtox SPTs were performed on soils before and after SFE to determine resulting toxicity reduction. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) Toxicity of soil extracts is related to contaminant concentrations of the extracts, (2) measured toxicity significantly decreases with less vigorous methods of extraction, and (3) supercritical fluid extractability correlates with measured toxicity. The EC50s for SPTs performed before and after SFE were not different for some soils but were significantly greater after extraction for other soils tested. The most significant toxicity reductions were observed for soils exhibiting the highest toxicity in both preextraction SPTs and acute aqueous tests. Acute Microtox tests performed on SFE extracts showed significantly lower EC50s than those reported from saline-based extraction procedures. Toxicity of the soils measured by Microtox SPTs was strongly correlated with both SFE efficiency and measures of contaminant aging. Data from this project provide evidence of sequestration and reduced availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soils extracted via physiologically based procedures compared to vigorous physical extraction protocols

Practical salinity management for leachate irrigation to poplar trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Smesrud, Jason K; Duvendack, George D; Obereiner, James M; Jordahl, James L; Madison, Mark F

2012-01-01

Landfill leachate can be beneficially reused for irrigation of fiber crops with appropriate attention to nutrient and salinity management. The Riverbend Landfill in Western Oregon has been effectively practicing irrigation of landfill leachate to poplar trees since 1993. Over that time, the site has been adaptively managed to control salinity impacts to the tree crop while beneficially utilizing the applied water and nutrients during each growing season. Representative leachate irrigation water has ranged in concentration of total dissolved solids from 777 to 6,940 mg/L, chloride from 180 to 1,760 mg/L and boron from 3.2 to 7.3 mg/L. Annual leachate irrigation applications have also ranged between 102 and 812 mm/yr. Important conclusions from this site have included: 1) Appropriate tree clone selection and tree stand spacing, thinning, and harvest rotations are critical to maintaining a productive tree stand that is resilient and resistant to salt stress. The most effective combinations have included clones DN-34, OP-367, 184-411, 49-177, and 15-29 planted at spacing of 3.7-m x 1.8-m to 3.7-m x 3.7-m; 2) Leaf tissue boron levels are closely correlated to soil boron levels and can be managed with leaching. When leaf tissue boron levels exceed 200 to 250 mg/kg, signs of salt stress may emerge and should be monitored closely; 3) Salinity from leachate irrigation can be managed to sustain a healthy tree crop by controlling mass loading rates and providing appropriate irrigation blending if necessary. Providing freshwater irrigation following each leachate irrigation and targeting freshwater irrigation as 30 percent of total irrigation water applied has successfully controlled salt impacts to vegetation; and 4) Drip irrigation generally requires more careful attention to long-term soil salinity management than spray irrigation. Moving drip irrigation tubes periodically to prevent the formation of highly saline zones within the soil profile is important. In this paper, a

Saline-water bioleaching of chalcopyrite with thermophilic, iron(II)- and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Watling, Helen R; Collinson, David M; Corbett, Melissa K; Shiers, Denis W; Kaksonen, Anna H; Watkin, Elizabeth L J

2016-09-01

The application of thermoacidophiles for chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) bioleaching in hot, acidic, saline solution was investigated as a possible process route for rapid Cu extraction. The study comprised a discussion of protective mechanisms employed for the survival and/or adaptation of thermoacidophiles to osmotic stress, a compilation of chloride tolerances for three genera of thermoacidophiles applied in bioleaching and an experimental study of the activities of three species in a saline bioleaching system. The data showed that the oxidation rates of iron(II) and reduced inorganic sulfur compounds (tetrathionate) were reduced in the presence of chloride levels well below chloride concentrations in seawater, limiting the applicability of these microorganisms in the bioleaching of CuFeS2 in saline water. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Salinity Stress Is Beneficial to the Accumulation of Chlorogenic Acids in Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.).

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Kun; Cui, Mingxing; Zhao, Shijie; Chen, Xiaobing; Tang, Xiaoli

2016-01-01

Honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica Thunb.) is a traditional medicinal plant in China that is particularly rich in chlorogenic acids, which are phenolic compounds with various medicinal properties. This study aimed to examine the effects of salinity stress on accumulation of chlorogenic acids in honeysuckle, through hydroponic experiments and field trials, and to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects. NaCl stress stimulated the transcription of genes encoding key enzymes in the synthesis of chlorogenic acids in leaves; accordingly, the concentrations of chlorogenic acids in leaves were significantly increased under NaCl stress, as was antioxidant activity. Specifically, the total concentration of leaf chlorogenic acids was increased by 145.74 and 50.34% after 30 days of 150 and 300 mM NaCl stress, respectively. Similarly, the concentrations of chlorogenic acids were higher in the leaves of plants in saline, compared with non-saline, plots, with increases in total concentrations of chlorogenic acids of 56.05 and 105.29% in October 2014 and 2015, respectively. Despite leaf biomass reduction, absolute amounts of chlorogenic acids per plant and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity were significantly increased by soil salinity, confirming that the accumulation of chlorogenic acids in leaves was a result of stimulation of their synthesis under salinity stress. Soil salinity also led to elevated chlorogenic acid concentrations in honeysuckle flower buds, with significant increases in total chlorogenic acids concentration of 22.42 and 25.14% in May 2014 and 2015, respectively. Consistent with biomass reduction, the absolute amounts of chlorogenic acid per plant declined in flower buds of plants exposed to elevated soil salinity, with no significant change in PAL activity. Thus, salinity-induced chlorogenic acid accumulation in flower buds depended on an amplification effect of growth reduction. In conclusion, salinity stress improved the medicinal quality of

Salinity Stress is Beneficial to the Accumulation of Chlorogenic Acids in Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.

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Kun Yan

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb. is a traditional medicinal plant in China that is particularly rich in chlorogenic acids, which are phenolic compounds with various medicinal properties. This study aimed to examine the effects of salinity stress on accumulation of chlorogenic acids in honeysuckle, through hydroponic experiments and field trials, and to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects. NaCl stress stimulated the transcription of genes encoding key enzymes in the synthesis of chlorogenic acids in leaves; accordingly, the concentrations of chlorogenic acids in leaves were significantly increased under NaCl stress, as was antioxidant activity. Specifically, the total concentration of leaf chlorogenic acids was increased by 145.74% and 50.34% after 30 days of 150 and 300 mM NaCl stress, respectively. Similarly, the concentrations of chlorogenic acids were higher in the leaves of plants in saline, compared with non-saline, plots, with increases in total concentrations of chlorogenic acids of 56.05% and 105.29% in October 2014 and 2015, respectively. Despite leaf biomass reduction, absolute amounts of chlorogenic acids per plant and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL activity were significantly increased by soil salinity, confirming that the accumulation of chlorogenic acids in leaves was a result of stimulation of their synthesis under salinity stress. Soil salinity also led to elevated chlorogenic acid concentrations in honeysuckle flower buds, with significant increases in total chlorogenic acids concentration of 22.42% and 25.14% in May 2014 and 2015, respectively. Consistent with biomass reduction, the absolute amounts of chlorogenic acid per plant declined in flower buds of plants exposed to elevated soil salinity, with no significant change in PAL activity. Thus, salinity-induced chlorogenic acid accumulation in flower buds depended on an amplification effect of growth reduction. In conclusion, salinity stress improves

Salinity-Dependent Adhesion Response Properties of Aluminosilicate (K-Feldspar) Surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lorenz, Bärbel; Ceccato, Marcel; Andersson, Martin Peter

2017-01-01

is composed predominantly of quartz with some clay, but feldspar grains are often also present. While the wettability of quartz and clay surfaces has been thoroughly investigated, little is known about the adhesion properties of feldspar. We explored the interaction of model oil compounds, molecules...... in well sorted sandstone. Adhesion forces, measured with the chemical force mapping (CFM) mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM), showed a low salinity effect on the fresh feldspar surfaces. Adhesion force, measured with -COO(H)-functionalized tips, was 60% lower in artificial low salinity seawater (LS......, ∼1500 ppm total dissolved solids) than in the high salinity solution, artificial seawater (HS, ASW, ∼35 600 ppm). Adhesion with the -CH3 tips was as much as 30% lower in LS than in HS. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the low salinity response resulted from expansion of the electric...

Soil salinization in the agricultural lands of Rhodope District, northeastern Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Pisinaras, V; Tsihrintzis, V A; Petalas, C; Ouzounis, K

2010-07-01

The objective of this study was to identify seasonal and spatial trends and soil salinization patterns in a part of Rhodope District irrigated land, northeastern Greece, located east of Vistonis Lagoon. The study area is irrigated from a coastal aquifer, where salt water intrusion occurs because of extensive groundwater withdrawals. Fourteen monitoring sites were established in harvest fields in the study area, where soil samples were collected. Electrical conductivity (ECe), pH, and ion concentrations were determined in the saturated paste extract of the soil samples in the laboratory using standard methods. A clear tendency was observed for ECe to increase from April to September, i.e., within the irrigation period, indicating the effect of saline groundwater to soil. In the last years, the change from moderately sensitive (e.g., corn) to moderately tolerant crops (e.g., cotton) in the south part of the study area indicates the impacts of soil salinity. The study proposes management methods to alleviate this problem.

Certain growth related attributes of micropropagated banana under different salinity levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haq, I.U.; Soomro, F.

2011-01-01

The effect of salinity (NaCl) was assessed on banana (Musa spp.) cv., Sindhri Banana (Basrai) propagating plantlets in aseptic condition. Four different NaCl levels [0 (control) 50, 100 and 150 mM] were maintained at shoot multiplication stage for 6-weeks. Salinity reduced the number of plantlets per explants and plant biomass significantly. A proportional relationship was observed for Na/sup +/ and Cl/sub -/ but K/sup +/, Ca/sup 2+/and NO/sub 3/ were observed to be inversely proportioned with NaCl stress. Similarly, total proteins as well as carbohydrate contents were decreased significantly. Increasing mode of secondary metabolites (proline, betaine contents and reducing sugars) were showing a negative relationship of saline stress with plant micro-propagation efficiency. Among photosynthetic pigments, total carotenoids were increased while chlorophyll contents (Chl a and b) decreased. Similarly, nitrate reductase activity also reduced. Overall, vegetative propagation of banana was affected significantly by NaCl stress under in-vitro conditions. (author)

Effects of extracted soy isoflavones alone on blood total and LDL cholesterol: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoko Taku

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Kyoko Taku1, Keizo Umegaki1, Yoshiko Ishimi2, Shaw Watanabe31Information Center, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan; 2Nutritional Epidemiology Program, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan; 3Nutritional Education Program, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, JapanAbstract: When provided concurrently with soy protein for 1–3 months, soy isoflavones exert synergistic or additive cholesterol-lowering effects. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of extracted soy isoflavones alone (not ingested concurrently with soy protein on total and low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol. MEDLINE (1966–2007, EMBASE (1966–2007, CENTRAL (1966–2007, ICHUSHI (1983–2008, and CNKI (1979–2007 were searched for randomized placebo-controlled trials published in English, Japanese, and Chinese, describing the changes in lipid profiles in adult humans resulting from ingestion of extracted soy isoflavones for 1–3 months. Reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses were hand-searched. Meta-analysis of 10 and 9 trials with usable information using REVMAN found that an average of 70 mg soy isoflavones/day (27–132 mg, as the aglycone form alone had a nonsignificant effect on total (0.01 mmol/L [95% CI: –0.12, 0.14]; P = 0.86 and LDL (0.03 mmol/L [95% CI: –0.11, 0.16]; P = 0.71 cholesterol in menopausal women, respectively. It is concluded that ingestion of about 70 mg extracted soy isoflavones/day alone for 1–3 months does not improve total and LDL cholesterol levels in normocholesterolemic menopausal women; further studies are needed to verify the effects of extracted soy isoflavones.Keywords: extracted soy isoflavones, lipid, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol

The effect of Gongronema latifolium extracts on serum lipid profile ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

3. Results. To evaluate the effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts from G. latifolium leaves on serum lipid profile and oxi- dative stress in diabetic rats, these extracts were adminis-. Table 1. Experimental design. Group. Number of rats. Treatment. Diabetic control (DC). 6. Saline solution. Diabetic (DA). 6. Aqueous extract.

Determination of in vitro total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity of the methanolic extract of Echium amoenum L.

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Fathi H

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In traditional and modern medicine, active ingredients of medicinal plants have many applications in food, pharmaceutical, medical and industry. Antioxidants are compounds that prevent the oxidation process in the cell. Echium amoenum L. is a plant which grows in the mountainous regions of Mazandaran. This plant has different biological effects such as sedation, anti-inflammation, antidepressant and cancer preventive properties in traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to determine the total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity of the methanolic extract of E.amoenum plant. Methods:In this experimental laboratory study the content of total phenolic Using the folin-siokalatio reactive at 760 nm wavelength and flavonoid With the use of aluminum chloride reagent at 420nm of E.amoenum extract were measured and antioxidant capacities of different concentrations of the extract were evaluated. Results: The results showed that total phenolic content of the extract was 429±2μg gallic acid equivalent/ml and flavonoid content was 148.56±1.52μg quercetin equivalent/ml, respectively. The radical scavenging activity by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl hydrate (DPPH,inhibitory concentration of 50%(IC50,was determined 178.11 μg/ml. Assessment of the reducing ability of extract showed that the extract had more activity than vitamin C. The percent nitric oxide trap inhibition of the extract was 57.89% and power iron chelating properties was 51.74%,that showed statistically significant difference in comparison with vitamin C and Quercetin (P=0.0473 and (P=0.0096 respectively. Conclusion: According to the results, E.amoenum extract had remarkable antioxidant capacity and can be proposed as an antioxidant compound used in the manufacture of food and pharmaceutical products.

Antihypercholesterolemic and Antioxidative Potential of an Extract of the Plant, Piper betle, and Its Active Constituent, Eugenol, in Triton WR-1339-Induced Hypercholesterolemia in Experimental Rats

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Karuppasamy Venkadeswaran

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hypercholesterolemia is a dominant risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the putative antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidative properties of an ethanolic extract of Piper betle and of its active constituent, eugenol, were evaluated in experimental hypercholesterolemia induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (300 mg/kg b.wt in Wistar rats. Saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats revealed significantly higher mean blood/serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and of serum hepatic marker enzymes; in addition, significantly lower mean serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and significantly lower mean activities of enzymatic antioxidants and nonenzymatic antioxidants were noted in hepatic tissue samples from saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats, compared to controls. However, in hypercholesterolemic rats receiving the Piper betle extract (500 mg/kg b.wt or eugenol (5 mg/kg b.wt for seven days orally, all these parameters were significantly better than those in saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats. The hypercholesterolemia-ameliorating effect was better defined in eugenol-treated than in Piper betle extract-treated rats, being as effective as that of the standard lipid-lowering drug, lovastatin (10 mg/kg b.wt. These results suggest that eugenol, an active constituent of the Piper betle extract, possesses antihypercholesterolemic and other activities in experimental hypercholesterolemic Wistar rats.

Antihypercholesterolemic and Antioxidative Potential of an Extract of the Plant, Piper betle, and Its Active Constituent, Eugenol, in Triton WR-1339-Induced Hypercholesterolemia in Experimental Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkadeswaran, Karuppasamy; Muralidharan, Arumugam Ramachandran; Annadurai, Thangaraj; Ruban, Vasanthakumar Vasantha; Sundararajan, Mahalingam; Anandhi, Ramalingam; Thomas, Philip A; Geraldine, Pitchairaj

2014-01-01

Hypercholesterolemia is a dominant risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the putative antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidative properties of an ethanolic extract of Piper betle and of its active constituent, eugenol, were evaluated in experimental hypercholesterolemia induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (300 mg/kg b.wt) in Wistar rats. Saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats revealed significantly higher mean blood/serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and of serum hepatic marker enzymes; in addition, significantly lower mean serum levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and significantly lower mean activities of enzymatic antioxidants and nonenzymatic antioxidants were noted in hepatic tissue samples from saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats, compared to controls. However, in hypercholesterolemic rats receiving the Piper betle extract (500 mg/kg b.wt) or eugenol (5 mg/kg b.wt) for seven days orally, all these parameters were significantly better than those in saline-treated hypercholesterolemic rats. The hypercholesterolemia-ameliorating effect was better defined in eugenol-treated than in Piper betle extract-treated rats, being as effective as that of the standard lipid-lowering drug, lovastatin (10 mg/kg b.wt). These results suggest that eugenol, an active constituent of the Piper betle extract, possesses antihypercholesterolemic and other activities in experimental hypercholesterolemic Wistar rats.

Electrochemical characterization of a supercapacitor flow cell for power production from salinity gradients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sales, B.B.; Liu, F.; Schaetzle, O.; Buisman, C.J.N.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

2012-01-01

Salinity gradients could be a great source of energy in the future. Capacitive energy extraction based on Donnan Potential (CDP) is a new technique to directly convert this energy into electricity. COP uses a supercapacitor-like device combining ion exchange membranes and capacitive materials to

Enhancement of salinity tolerance in wheat through soil applied calcium carbide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Ahmad

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Calcium carbide (CaC2 has been reported to increase growth and yield of crops under normal soil conditions. This study assessed its capacity to enhance salinity tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; cv- 1076 under saline conditions. Three levels of salinity: 0, 7 and 12 dS m-1 were created using NaCl. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were applied as ammonium sulphate and KH2PO4 at 50 and 25 mg kg-1 soil, respectively. The encapsulated calcium carbide (ECC at 45 mg kg-1 soil produced 1291.8 µmols of acetylene (C2H2 and 257.5 µmols of its product ethylene (C2H4 over a period of 80 days. The results of the pot study indicated that ECC increased the weight of spike, weight of grains per spike, length of spike, total water concentration, root/shoot ratio and relative leaf water content up to 17, 23, 22, 35, 33 and 3%, respectively, over the control. Contrary to this, salinity (at 12 dS m -1 decreased all these parameters up to 68, 60, 26, 30, 28 and 8%, respectively, compared to the control. These results indicate that ECC enhances salinity tolerance in wheat by improving uptake of nutrients through enhanced root growth, increased hydraulic conductivity and hormonal action of ethylene released by ECC. Total water concentration was positively correlated (0.73 with grains spike-1 at P ≤ 0.05

TOTAL AND HOT-WATER EXTRACTABLE CARBON RELATIONSHIP IN CHERNOZEM SOIL UNDER DIFFERENT CROPPING SYSTEMS AND LAND USE

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Srdjan Šeremešić

2013-12-01

Full Text Available A study was conducted to determine the hot water extractable organic carbon (HWOC in 9 arable and 3 non arable soil samples on Haplic Chernozem. The hot water extractable carbon represents assimilative component of the total organic matter (OM that could contain readily available nutrients for plant growth. The obtained fraction of organic carbon (C makes up only a small percentage of the soil OM and directly reflects the changes in the rhizosphere. This labile fraction of the organic matter was separated by hot water extraction at 80°C. In our study the HWOC content in different samples ranged from 125 mg g-1 to 226 mg g-1. On the plots that are under native vegetation, higher values were determined (316 mg g-1 to 388 mg g-1. Whereas samples from arable soils were lower in HWOC. It was found that this extraction method can be successfully used to explain the dynamics of the soil OM. Soil samples with lower content of the total OM had lower HWOC content, indicating that the preservation of the OM depends on the renewal of its labile fractions.

Optimisation of pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) for rapid and efficient extraction of superficial and total mineral oil contamination from dry foods.

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Moret, Sabrina; Scolaro, Marianna; Barp, Laura; Purcaro, Giorgia; Sander, Maren; Conte, Lanfranco S

2014-08-15

Pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) represents a powerful technique which can be conveniently used for rapid extraction of mineral oil saturated (MOSH) and aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) from dry foods with a low fat content, such as semolina pasta, rice, and other cereals. Two different PLE methods, one for rapid determination of superficial contamination mainly from the packaging, the other for efficient extraction of total contamination from different sources, have been developed and optimised. The two methods presented good performance characteristics in terms of repeatability (relative standard deviation lower than 5%) and recoveries (higher than 95%). To show their potentiality, the two methods have been applied in combination on semolina pasta and rice packaged in direct contact with recycled cardboard. In the case of semolina pasta it was possible to discriminate between superficial contamination coming from the packaging, and pre-existing contamination (firmly enclosed into the matrix). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transcriptome profiling and digital gene expression analysis of genes associated with salinity resistance in peanut

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Jiongming Sui

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Soil salinity can significantly reduce crop production, but the molecular mechanism of salinity tolerance in peanut is poorly understood. A mutant (S1 with higher salinity resistance than its mutagenic parent HY22 (S3 was obtained. Transcriptome sequencing and digital gene expression (DGE analysis were performed with leaves of S1 and S3 before and after plants were irrigated with 250 mM NaCl. Results: A total of 107,725 comprehensive transcripts were assembled into 67,738 unigenes using TIGR Gene Indices clustering tools (TGICL. All unigenes were searched against the euKaryotic Ortholog Groups (KOG, gene ontology (GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG databases, and these unigenes were assigned to 26 functional KOG categories, 56 GO terms, 32 KEGG groups, respectively. In total 112 differentially expressed genes (DEGs between S1 and S3 after salinity stress were screened, among them, 86 were responsive to salinity stress in S1 and/or S3. These 86 DEGs included genes that encoded the following kinds of proteins that are known to be involved in resistance to salinity stress: late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEAs, major intrinsic proteins (MIPs or aquaporins, metallothioneins (MTs, lipid transfer protein (LTP, calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED and oleosins, etc. Of these 86 DEGs, 18 could not be matched with known proteins. Conclusion: The results from this study will be useful for further research on the mechanism of salinity resistance and will provide a useful gene resource for the variety breeding of salinity resistance in peanut. Keywords: Digital gene expression, Gene, Mutant, NaCl, Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L., RNA-seq, Salinity stress, Salinity tolerance, Soil salinity, Transcripts, Unigenes

Incidence of total knee replacement subsequent to intra-articular injection of the anti-inflammatory compound LMWF-5A versus saline: a long-term follow-up study to a randomized controlled trial.

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Schwappach, John; Schultz, Joseph; Salottolo, Kristin; Bar-Or, David

2018-01-01

The disease modifying potential of osteoarthritis therapies are of increasing interest, including their effects on delaying total knee replacement (TKR). To date, there have been no studies to determine the effect of LMWF-5A, a novel anti-inflammatory compound derived from human serum albumin, on delaying TKR. We evaluated time to TKR three years after patients participated in a randomized trial of three intra-articular injections of LMWF-5A or saline. Patients were contacted via last known phone number and were asked to participate in a short nine item telephone questionnaire; verbal consent was obtained. The primary endpoint was incidence of TKR (%). In total, 39 of 45 patients responded (87% response rate). The overall incidence of TKR was 38.5% (15/39). TKR rates were higher in patients with more severe osteoarthritis defined by Kellgren-Lawrence grade 4, compared to patients with moderate osteoarthritis defined by Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 (56% vs. 26%, p  = 0.06). Overall, there were no differences in TKR rates by treatment arm (39% LMWF-5A vs. 38% saline, p  = 0.92). In the severe osteoarthritis subset ( n  = 16), treatment with LMWF-5A resulted in a lower incidence of TKR compared to saline vehicle arm (40% vs. 83%, p  = 0.15). TKR rates were significantly lower with LMWF-5A in patients who responded to treatment (14% with LMWF-5A, vs. 100% with saline, p  = 0.03). This study demonstrates significant delays in TKR for patients with severe osteoarthritis treated with LMWF-5A, suggesting that LMWF-5A has the potential to provide structure modifying/preserving therapy in this population.

Total Flavonoids Content in the Raw Material and Aqueous Extractives from Bauhinia monandra Kurz (Caesalpiniaceae

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Ana Josane Dantas Fernandes

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate the spectrophotometric methodology for determining the total flavonoid content (TFC in herbal drug and derived products from Bauhinia monandra Kurz. Several analytical parameters from this method grounded on the complex formed between flavonoids and AlCl3 were evaluated such as herbal amount (0.25 to 1.25 g; solvent composition (ethanol 40 to 80%, v/v; as well as the reaction time and AlCl3 concentration (2 to 9%, w/v. The method was adjusted to aqueous extractives and its performance studied through precision, linearity and preliminary robustness. The results showed an important dependence of the method response from reaction time, AlCl3 concentration, sample amount, and solvent mixture. After choosing the optimized condition, the method was applied for the matrixes (herbal material and extractives, showing precision lower than 5% (for both parameters repeatability and intermediate precision, coefficient of determination higher than 0.99, and no important influence could be observed for slight variations from wavelength or AlCl3 concentration. Thus, it could be concluded that the evaluated analytical procedure was suitable to quantify the total flavonoid content in raw material and aqueous extractives from leaves of B. monandra.

Identification and characterization of miRNAs and targets in flax (Linum usitatissimum) under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses.

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Yu, Ying; Wu, Guangwen; Yuan, Hongmei; Cheng, Lili; Zhao, Dongsheng; Huang, Wengong; Zhang, Shuquan; Zhang, Liguo; Chen, Hongyu; Zhang, Jian; Guan, Fengzhi

2016-05-27

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in responses to biotic and abiotic stress and have been characterized in a large number of plant species. Although flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most important fiber and oil crops worldwide, no reports have been published describing flax miRNAs (Lus-miRNAs) induced in response to saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. In this work, combined small RNA and degradome deep sequencing was used to analyze flax libraries constructed after alkaline-salt stress (AS2), neutral salt stress (NSS), alkaline stress (AS), and the non-stressed control (CK). From the CK, AS, AS2, and NSS libraries, a total of 118, 119, 122, and 120 known Lus-miRNAs and 233, 213, 211, and 212 novel Lus-miRNAs were isolated, respectively. After assessment of differential expression profiles, 17 known Lus-miRNAs and 36 novel Lus-miRNAs were selected and used to predict putative target genes. Gene ontology term enrichment analysis revealed target genes that were involved in responses to stimuli, including signaling and catalytic activity. Eight Lus-miRNAs were selected for analysis using qRT-PCR to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the miRNA-seq results. The qRT-PCR results showed that changes in stress-induced expression profiles of these miRNAs mirrored expression trends observed using miRNA-seq. Degradome sequencing and transcriptome profiling showed that expression of 29 miRNA-target pairs displayed inverse expression patterns under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. From the target prediction analysis, the miR398a-targeted gene codes for a copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, and the miR530 has been shown to explicitly target WRKY family transcription factors, which suggesting that these two micRNAs and their targets may significant involve in the saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stress response in flax. Identification and characterization of flax miRNAs, their target genes, functional annotations, and gene

Rapid determination of carbohydrates, ash, and extractives contents of straw using attenuated total reflectance fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy.

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Tamaki, Yukihiro; Mazza, Giuseppe

2011-06-22

Analysis of the chemical components of lignocellulosic biomass is essential to understanding its potential for utilization. Mid-infrared spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression were used for rapid measurement of the carbohydrate (total glycans; glucan; xylan; galactan; arabinan; mannan), ash, and extractives content of triticale and wheat straws. Calibration models for total glycans, glucan, and extractives showed good and excellent predictive performance on the basis of slope, r², RPD, and R/SEP criteria. The xylan model showed good and acceptable predictive performance. However, the ash model was evaluated as providing only approximate quantification and screening. The models for galactan, arabinan, and mannan indicated poor and insufficient prediction for application. Most models could predict both triticale and wheat straw samples with the same degree of accuracy. Mid-infrared spectroscopic techniques coupled with partial least-squares regression can be used for rapid prediction of total glycans, glucan, xylan, and extractives in triticale and wheat straw samples.

Optical tool for salinity detection by remote sensing spectroscopy: application on Oran watershed, Algeria

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Abdellatif, Dehni; Mourad, Lounis

2017-07-01

Soil salinity is a complex problem that affects groundwater aquifers and agricultural lands in the semiarid regions. Remote sensing and spectroscopy database systems provide accuracy for salinity autodetection and dynamical delineation. Salinity detection techniques using polychromatic wavebands by field geocomputation and experimental data are time consuming and expensive. This paper presents an automated spectral detection and identification of salt minerals using a monochromatic waveband concept from multispectral bands-Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) and spectroscopy United States Geological Survey database. For detecting mineral salts related to electrolytes, such as electronical and vibrational transitions, an integrated approach of salinity detection related to the optical monochromatic concept has been addressed. The purpose of this paper is to discriminate waveband intrinsic spectral similarity using the Beer-Lambert and Van 't Hoff laws for spectral curve extraction such as transmittance, reflectance, absorbance, land surface temperature, molar concentration, and osmotic pressure. These parameters are primordial for hydrodynamic salinity modeling and continuity identification using chemical and physical approaches. The established regression fitted models have been addressed for salt spectroscopy validation for suitable calibration and validation. Furthermore, our analytical tool is conducted for better decision interface using spectral salinity detection and identification in the Oran watershed, Algeria.

Treatability of a Highly-Impaired, Saline Surface Water for Potential Urban Water Use

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Frederick Pontius

2018-03-01

Full Text Available As freshwater sources of drinking water become limited, cities and urban areas must consider higher-salinity waters as potential sources of drinking water. The Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley of California has a very high salinity (43 ppt, total dissolved solids (70,000 mg/L, and color (1440 CU. Future wetlands and habitat restoration will have significant ecological benefits, but salinity levels will remain elevated. High salinity eutrophic waters, such as the Salton Sea, are difficult to treat, yet more desirable sources of drinking water are limited. The treatability of Salton Sea water for potential urban water use was evaluated here. Coagulation-sedimentation using aluminum chlorohydrate, ferric chloride, and alum proved to be relatively ineffective for lowering turbidity, with no clear optimum dose for any of the coagulants tested. Alum was most effective for color removal (28 percent at a dose of 40 mg/L. Turbidity was removed effectively with 0.45 μm and 0.1 μm microfiltration. Bench tests of Salton Sea water using sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO achieved initial contaminant rejections of 99 percent salinity, 97.7 percent conductivity, 98.6 percent total dissolved solids, 98.7 percent chloride, 65 percent sulfate, and 99.3 percent turbidity.

Screening of immunomodulatory activity of total and protein extracts of some Moroccan medicinal plants.

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Daoudi, Abdeljlil; Aarab, Lotfi; Abdel-Sattar, Essam

2013-04-01

Herbal and traditional medicines are being widely used in practice in many countries for their benefits of treating different ailments. A large number of plants in Morocco were used in folk medicine to treat immune-related disorders. The objective of this study is to evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of protein extracts (PEs) of 14 Moroccan medicinal plants. This activity was tested on the proliferation of immune cells. The prepared total and PEs of the plant samples were tested using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay on the splenocytes with or without stimulation by concanavalin-A (Con-A), a mitogenic agent used as positive control. The results of this study indicated different activity spectra. Three groups of activities were observed. The first group represented by Citrullus colocynthis, Urtica dioica, Elettaria cardamomum, Capparis spinosa and Piper cubeba showed a significant immunosuppressive activity. The second group that showed a significant immunostimulatory activity was represented by Aristolochia longa, Datura stramonium, Marrubium vulgare, Sinapis nigra, Delphynium staphysagria, Lepidium sativum, Ammi visnaga and Tetraclinis articulata. The rest of the plant extracts did not alter the proliferation induced by Con-A. This result was more important for the PE than for the total extract. In conclusion, this study revealed an interesting immunomodulating action of certain PEs, which could explain their traditional use. The results of this study may also have implications in therapeutic treatment of infections, such as prophylactic and adjuvant with cancer chemotherapy.

Sensitive radioimmunoassay of total thyroxine (T4) in horses using a simple extraction method.

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Tangyuenyong, Siriwan; Nambo, Yasuo; Nagaoka, Kentaro; Tanaka, Tomomi; Watanabe, Gen

2017-07-28

Most thyroid hormone determinations in animals are based on immunoassays adapted from those used to test human samples, which may not reflect the actual values of thyroid hormone in horses because of the presence of binding proteins. The aims of the present study were i) to establish a novel radioimmunoassay (RIA) using a more simple and convenient method to separate binding proteins for the measurement of total thyroxine (T4) in horses and ii) to validate the assay by comparing total T4 concentrations in yearling horses raised in different climates. Blood samples were collected from trained yearlings in Hokkaido (temperate climate) and Miyazaki (subtropical climate) in Japan and from adult horses in estrus and diestrus. T4 was extracted from both serum and plasma using modified acid ethanol cryo-precipitation and sodium acetate ethanol methods. Circulating total T4 concentrations were determined by RIA. T4 concentration by sodium acetate ethanol was appropriately detectable rather than sodium salicylate method and was the same as for acid ethanol method. Furthermore, this sodium acetate ethanol method required fewer extraction steps than the other methods. Circulating T4 concentrations in yearlings were 225.98 ± 20.89 ng/ml, which was higher than the previous reference values. With respect to climate, T4 levels in Hokkaido yearlings tended to be higher than those in Miyazaki yearlings throughout the study period. These results indicated that this RIA protocol using a modified sodium acetate ethanol separation technique might be an appropriate tool for specific measurement of total T4 in horses.

Total flavonoid and phenolic contents of n-butanol extract of Samanea saman leaf and the antibacterial activity towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

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Rita, Wiwik Susanah; Swantara, I. Made Dira; Asih, I. A. Raka Astiti; Sinarsih, Ni Ketut; Suteja, I. Kadek Pater

2016-03-01

Total flavonoid and phenolic contents in some natural products was suspected of having a positive correlation to its activity in inhibiting the growth of bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the total flavonoid and phenolic contents of n-butanol extract of Samanea saman leaf, and to evaluate the antibacterial activity towards Escherechia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Extraction of compounds was done by ethanol 96%, followed by fractionation into n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. Determination of total flavonoid and phenolic contents was done by UV-Vis Spectrophotometer using standard of quersetin and galic acid respectively. In addition, antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar disc diffusion method. Extraction of 1000 g of Samanea saman leaf was obtained 80 g of ethanol extracts, fractionation of the extract was obtained 8.02 g of n-hexane extracts, 7.11 g of ethyl acetate extracts, 13.5 g of n-butanol extracts, and 14.16 g of aqueous extracts. Phytochemical screening of the n-butanol extracts revealed the presence of flavonoid and phenolic compounds. Total flavonoid and phenolic contents were successively 43.5798 mg QE/100g and 34.0180 mg GAE/100g. The butanol extracts inhibited the growth of S.aureus higher than the growth of E.coli. At the concentration of 2, 4, 6, 8 % (b/v), and positive control (meropenem μg/disc), inhibition zone towards S. aureus was successively 5.67, 9.33, 10.33, 12.00, and 32.33 mm, while the inhibition zone towards E. coli was1.33, 3.33, 4.33, 5.43, and 34.00 mm.

Effects of ginkgo biloba extract on laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in rats

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Chao Chen

2013-11-01

Full Text Available AIM: To investigate the effects of ginkgo biloba extract(EGb 761on laser-induced choroidal neovascularization(CNVin rats.METHODS: Totally 60 BN rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group, model group, experimental group, physiological saline group with 15 in each group. All CNV models were made by krypton laser. Rats in experimental group were intraperitoneally injected with 0.35% EGb761(100mg/kgevery day after laser exposure until they were sacrificed. Rats in physiological saline group were intraperitoneally injected physiological saline every day after laser exposure until they were sacrificed. Fundus fluorescein angiography(FFAwas performed on every rat on the 7th day, 14th day and the 21st day after laser exposure, then the rats were sacrificed immediately. The eyes were enucleated and processed for histopathologic examination.RESULTS: There was no choroidal fluorescein leakage staining in normal rats. There were obviously less choroidal fluorescein leakage points in experimental groups than that in the corresponding model groups(PCONCLUSION: EGb761 len inhibit the formation of laser-induced CNV in rats. The longer the time, the better curative effect.

Chemical Composition of the Essential Oil, Total Phenolics, Total Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Satureja montana L.

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Avni Hajdari

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Aerial parts of Satureja montana L. (Lamiaceae were collected from seven growing wild populations (four populations in Kosovo, two in Albania and one in Montenegro in 2013 with the aim of assessing the natural variation in the chemical composition of the essential oils, total flavonoids, total phenolics and the antioxidant activity of their methanolic extracts. Essential oils were obtained by steam distillation and analysed using GC-FID and GC-MS, whereas total flavonoids, total phenolics and antioxidant activities were determined using spectrophotometric methods. Sixty-one volatile constituents were identified. The main constituents were myrcene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, linalool, thymol, carvacrol and viridiflorol. Total phenolics ranged from 68.1 to 102.6 mg/g dry mass, the total flavonoid content ranged from 38.3 to 67.0 mg/g dm, and the antioxidant activity according to the DPPH assay ranged from 253.3 to 342.9 mg TE/g dm and according to the FRAP assay ranged from 8.9 to 11.4 mg TE/g dm. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analyses were used to assess the geographical variations in the essential oil composition. Statistical analysis revealed that the analysed populations are grouped into four main clusters that appear to reflect the environmental impact on the chemical composition, which is influenced by differences in habitat composition, altitude and microclimatic conditions.

Soil salinization in different natural zones of intermontane depressions in Tuva

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Chernousenko, G. I.; Kurbatskaya, S. S.

2017-11-01

Soil salinization features in semidesert, dry steppe, and chernozemic steppe zones within intermontane depressions in the central part of the Tuva Republic are discussed. Chernozems, chestnut soils, and brown desert-steppe soils of these zones are usually nonsaline. However, salinization of these zonal soils is possible in the case of the presence of salt-bearing parent materials (usually, the derivatives of Devonian deposits). In different natural zones of the intermontane depressions, salt-affected soils are mainly allocated to endorheic lake basins, where they are formed in places of discharge of mineral groundwater, and to river valleys. The composition and content of salts in the natural waters are dictated by the local hydrogeological conditions. The total content of dissolved solids in lake water varies from 1 to 370 g/L; the water is usually of the sulfate-chloride or chloride-sulfate salinity type; in some cases, soda-sulfate water is present. Soil salinity around the lakes is usually of the chloride-sulfate-sodium type; gypsum is often present in the profiles. Chloride salinization rarely predominates in this part of Tuva, because chlorides are easily leached off from the mainly coarse-textured soils. In some cases, the predominance of magnesium over sodium is observed in the composition of dissolved salts, which may be indicative of the cryogenic transformation of soil salts. Soda-saline soils are present in all the considered natural zones on minor areas. It is hardly possible to make unambiguous statements about the dominance of the particular type of salinity in the given natural zones. Zonal salinity patterns are weakly expressed in salinization of hydromorphic soils. However, a tendency for more frequent occurrence of soda-saline soils in steppe landscapes and chloride-sulfate salinization (often, with participation of gypsum) in the dry steppe and semidesert landscapes is observed.

Cadmium tolerance and phytoremediation potential of acacia (Acacia nilotica L.) under salinity stress.

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Shabir, Rahat; Abbas, Ghulam; Saqib, Muhammad; Shahid, Muhammad; Shah, Ghulam Mustafa; Akram, Muhammad; Niazi, Nabeel Khan; Naeem, Muhammad Asif; Hussain, Munawar; Ashraf, Farah

2018-06-07

In this study, we explored the effect of salinity on cadmium (Cd) tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Acacia nilotica. Two-month-old uniform plants of A. nilotica were grown in pots contaminated with various levels of Cd (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg kg -1 ), NaCl (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% (hereafter referred as salinity), and all possible combinations of Cd + salinity for a period of six months. Results showed that shoot and root growth, biomass, tissue water content and chlorophyll (chl a, chl b, and total chl a+b) contents decreased more in response to salinity and combination of Cd + salinity compared to Cd alone. Shoot and root K concentrations significantly decreased with increasing soil Cd levels, whereas Na and Cl concentrations were not affected significantly. Shoot and root Cd concentrations, bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) increased with increasing soil Cd and Cd + salinity levels. At low level of salinity (0.5%), shoot and root Cd uptake enhanced, while it decreased at high level of salinity (1.0%). Due to Cd tolerance, high shoot biomass and shoot Cd uptake, this tree species has some potential for phytoremediation of Cd from the metal contaminated saline and nonsaline soils.

Fresh meteoric versus recirculated saline groundwater nutrient inputs into a subtropical estuary

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Sadat-Noori, Mahmood; Santos, Isaac R.; Tait, Douglas R.; Maher, Damien T.

2016-01-01

The role of groundwater in transporting nutrients to coastal aquatic systems has recently received considerable attention. However, the relative importance of fresh versus saline groundwater-derived nutrient inputs to estuaries and how these groundwater pathways may alter surface water N:P ratios remains poorly constrained. We performed detailed time series measurements of nutrients in a tidal estuary (Hat Head, NSW, Australia) and used radium to quantify the contribution of fresh and saline groundwater to total surface water estuarine exports under contrasting hydrological conditions (wet and dry season). Tidally integrated nutrient fluxes showed that the estuary was a source of nutrients to the coastal waters. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux rate for rivers likely due to the small catchment size, surrounding wetlands and high groundwater inputs. Fresh groundwater discharge was dominant in the wet season accounting for up to 45% of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and 48% of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) estuarine exports. In the dry season, fresh and saline groundwater accounted for 21 and 33% of TDN export, respectively. The combined fresh and saline groundwater fluxes of NO_3, PO_4, NH_4, DON, DOP, TDN and TDP were estimated to account for 66, 58, 55, 31, 21, 53 and 47% of surface water exports, respectively. Groundwater-derived nitrogen inputs to the estuary were responsible for a change in the surface water N:P ratio from typical N-limiting conditions to P-limiting as predicted by previous studies. This shows the importance of both fresh and saline groundwater as a source of nutrients for coastal productivity and nutrient budgets of coastal waters. - Highlights: • Groundwater TDN and TDP fluxes account for 53 and 47% of surface water exports. • The estuary DIN export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux. • Fresh GW nutrient input dominated the wet season and saline GW the

Optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of total carotenoids from peach palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes) by-products with sunflower oil using response surface methodology.

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Ordóñez-Santos, Luis Eduardo; Pinzón-Zarate, Lina Ximena; González-Salcedo, Luis Octavio

2015-11-01

The present study reports on the extraction of total carotenoids from peach palm fruit by-products with sunflower oil. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of process variables on the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Three independent variables including ultrasonic intensity (764-1528, W/m(2)), temperature (25-45°C), and the extraction time (10-30 min). According to the results, the optimal UAE condition was obtained with an ultrasonic intensity of 1528 W/m(2), extraction temperature of 35°C and extraction time of 30 min. At these conditions, extraction maximum extraction of total carotenoids as 163.47 mg/100 g dried peel. The experimental values under optimal condition were in good consistent with the predicted values. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Saline groundwater in crystalline bedrock

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Lampen, P.

1992-11-01

The State-of-art report describes research made on deep saline groundwaters and brines found in crystalline bedrock, mainly in site studies for nuclear waste disposal. The occurrence, definitions and classifications of saline groundwaters are reviewed with a special emphasis on the different theories concerning the origins of saline groundwaters. Studies of the saline groundwaters in Finland and Sweden have been reviewed more thoroughly. Also the mixing of different bodies of groundwaters, observations of the contact of saline groundwaters and permafrost, and the geochemical modelling of saline groundwaters as well as the future trends of research have been discussed. (orig.)

Phytochemical screening, total phenolics and antioxidant activities of bark and leaf extracts of Goniothalamus velutinus (Airy Shaw from Brunei Darussalam

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Erum Iqbal

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Goniothalamus velutinus Airy Shaw belongs to the family Annonaceae which is known to have anticancer, antitumor and many other bioactivities. Natives of Sabah and Sarawak use root decoction of G. velutinus for the treatment of headache and food poisoning while the bark was used as a mosquito repellent. Bark and leaf extracts of this plant, obtained from Brunei Darussalam, were tested for phytochemical and antioxidant activities. Phytochemical screening of plant extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. Quantitative determination of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and various in vitro antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP of methanolic extract was carried out using colorimetric methods. The total phenolic content, expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE per gram of extract, was found to be 68 mg GAE/g and 78 mg GAE/g for bark and leaves respectively. The radical scavenging activity measurement, expressed in terms of EC50 (effective concentration of extract in μg/mL that reduces DPPH absorbance to 50% as compared to negative control, for leaf and bark extracts was found to be 155 μg/mL and 204 μg/mL respectively. Standards trolox and ascorbic acid show EC50 value of 5 μg/mL and 4 μg/mL respectively. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC was measured using the ABTS and FRAP method. Result for bark and leaf extracts was 79 mg and 106 mg trolox equivalent (TE/g respectively for the ABTS method. For FRAP assay, results for bark and leaf extracts were 80 and 89 mg TE/g respectively.

Anti-pseudomonas activity of essential oil, total extract, and proanthocyanidins of Pinus eldarica Medw. bark.

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Sadeghi, Masoud; Zolfaghari, Behzad; Jahanian-Najafabadi, Ali; Abtahi, Seyed Reza

2016-01-01

Pinus eldarica Medw. (Iranian pine) is native to Transcaucasian region and has been vastly planted in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Various parts of this plant have been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases including infectious conditions (e.g. infectious wounds). In this study we aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of P. eldarica bark extract, essential oil and proanthocyanidins on three important bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibacterial analysis was performed using standard disk diffusion method with different concentrations of essential oil, bark total hydroalcoholic extract, and bark proanthocyanidins (0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mg/ml). After incubation at 37°C for 24 h, the antibacterial activity was assessed by measuring the zone of growth inhibition surrounding the disks. The results indicated that the essential oil, total hydroalcoholic extract, and proanthocyanidins of the bark of the P. eldarica were effective against the gram negative bacteria, P. aeruginosa, and significantly inhibited its growth in disk diffusion method (Pessential oil had the most potent inhibitory effect. However, none of the bark preparations could significantly inhibit the growth of S. aureus or E. coli. Our findings showed that P. eldarica bark components have significant anti-pseudomonas activity having potentials for new sources of antibacterial agents or antibacterial herbal preparations.

Influence of different extracts addition on total phenols, anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of blackberry juice during storage

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Blanka Bilić

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was investigation of influence of different extracts addition on total phenols, anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity and percent of polymeric colour of blackberry juice during storage of 52 days at 4 °C. Anthocyanin content of control sample (blackberry juice without extracts addition was 149.91 mg/L. Samples with addition of extracts (olive leaf, pine bark PE 5:1, pine bark PE 95 %, green tea, red wine PE 30 %, red wine PE 4:1 and bioflavonoids had higher anthocyanin content (from 152.42 to 161.19 mg/L in comparison to control sample. Sample with addition of bioflavonoids had the highest anthocyanin content. Samples with addition of extracts had much higher total phenol content and antioxidant activity than control sample, what was expected since extracts are rich in phenols. During storage decrease of phenols, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity occurred in higher or lesser extent, depending on extract type addition. Anthocyanin content in control sample was 119.85 mg/L. Samples with addition of bioflavonoids, olive leaf, pine bark PE 5:1 and red wine PE 4:1 had lower (from 103.44 to 118.84 mg/L, while other samples had higher (from 131.99 to 135.57 mg/L anthocyanin content than control sample. After storage, decrease of anthocyanins was followed with increase of percent of polymeric colour, with exception of samples with addition of green tea.

Acute Toxicity of Castor Oil Bean Extract and Tolerance Level of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The experiment was carried out to determine the acute toxicity of raw castor oil bean (Ricinus communis) extract and the tolerance level of raw castor oil bean by broilers. The seeds were ground, defatted with petroleum ether and the residue was subjected to extraction with phosphate-buffered saline. The extract volume ...

Mobility of trace metals associated with urban particles exposed to natural waters of various salinities from the Gironde Estuary, France

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaefer, Joerg; Blanc, Gerard [Bordeaux Univ., Talence (France). UMR 5805 EPOC; Norra, Stefan [Karlsruhe Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Mineralogy and Geochemistry; Klein, Daniel [Bordeaux Univ., Talence (France). UMR 5805 EPOC; Karlsruhe Univ. (Germany). Inst. of Mineralogy and Geochemistry

2009-08-15

Background, aim and scope: Urban systems are hot spots of environmental pollution caused by manifold anthropogenic activities generating traffic-related, industrial and domestic emissions. Besides air, soil and groundwater pollution, pollution of surface water systems is of major concern because they are often (ab)used to export waste of various consistence out of urban areas and become contaminated on varying scales. The Gironde Estuary (southwest France) is affected by various anthropogenic contaminations derived from historic polymetallic pollution mainly due to former mining and ore-treatment and, additionally, from agriculture and urban areas. Although detailed knowledge is available on the impact of mining and anthropogenic activities on the water quality of the Gironde Estuary, almost nothing is known on the urban impact, even though the Garonne Branch which is one tributary of the Gironde system crosses the large urban agglomeration of Bordeaux. The present work links urban geochemistry and estuary research and aims at evaluating the mobility of potentially toxic trace elements (Cd, Cu, Zn, V, Co, Mo, Pb) associated with urban particles under estuarine conditions owing to the particles' role as potential vectors transporting urban pollutants into the estuary. For this, environmentally available fractions of trace elements in representative urban particles (urban dust, road sediment, riverbank sediment, construction materials) from the city of Bordeaux were extracted by natural estuarine waters of varying salinities and compared to commonly applied HNO{sub 3} extractions. Materials and methods: For the assessment of the urban particles' contribution to the pollution of the Gironde/Garonne system, various particle types were sampled in Bordeaux: road sediments, urban bulk deposition, construction materials (concrete, asphalt, tile and gravel) and flood sediments. Potentially environmental available fractions of Cd, Cu, Zn, V, Co, Mo and Pb were

Chemical composition and trophic state of shallow saline steppe lakes in central Asia (North Kazakhstan).

Science.gov (United States)

Boros, Emil; Jurecska, Laura; Tatár, Enikő; Vörös, Lajos; Kolpakova, Marina

2017-10-09

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevailing chemical composition and trophic state of the shallow saline steppe lakes of North Kazakhstan along a wide size range (SO 4 and Na-Cl (n = 16; 64%); the Ca, Mg, HCO 3 , and SO 4 ions precipitate with increasing salinity (2-322 g L -1 ); and ion composition shifts from Na>Mg-Cl>SO 4 to Na-Cl. The most of the chemical variables positively, but chlorophyll a negatively, correlated with total dissolved solids, and the total phosphorus had no significant correlation with any variables. The trophic state of these lakes in most cases exceeded the hypertrophic level. The increase in salinity causes change in chemical composition and effects on the phytoplankton development independently from the size of water surface, and the human disturbances had negligible effect on the trophic state of shallow saline lakes in this region of Kazakhstan.

Use of gypsum residues as a corrective for saline-sodic soil

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Paulo Medeiros dos Santos

2014-03-01

Full Text Available One of the hugest problems faced by the civil construction sector is the final destination of residues, especially gypsum, which presents recycling restrictions. However, these residues present a high amount of calcium in their composition, and can be alternatively used for replacing mined gypsum as a saline-sodic soil corrective. This study aimed at evaluating the efficiency of gypsum residues from the civil construction, when compared to mined gypsum, for correcting a saline-sodic soil. A randomized blocks design was used, in a factorial arrangement consisting of two kinds of corrective (gypsum residue and mined gypsum and five leaching depths (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 times the soil pores volume, with three replications. Electric conductivity, soluble cations and sodium adsorption ratio were evaluated in the soil saturation extract. The use of gypsum residue proved to be effective in leaching salts and soluble sodium in saline-sodic soil, and can be recommended as a calcium source for recovering from sodicity.

Anti-aging activities of Pyrus pyrifolia var culta plant callus extract

African Journals Online (AJOL)

saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 95 °C for 2 h and filtering through .... callus extract also exhibited dose-dependent .... toxic effects on the skin. ... copper-containing enzyme that catalyzes two .... herbal extract: implication for the mechanism underlying.

Activity determination of Na+ K+ - ATPase and Mg++ - ATPase enzymes in the gill of Poecilia vivipara (Osteichthyes, Cyprinodontiformes in different salinities

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Marcelo da Cunha Amaral

2001-03-01

Full Text Available This work aimed to know the tolerance mechanisms through the salinity variation by Na+ K+ - ATPase and Mg++ - ATPase and enzymes encountered in the gills of Poecilia vivipara. In field, the presence of this species was observed in salinities of 0 and 28‰. In laboratory, these fish were maintained in aquarium with mean salinity of 30‰ and positive responses were obtained. Some adult specimens, collected in a lagoon of the Coqueiros Beach, were utilized as matrixes. In the experiments the specimens used were those born in the test aquarium. For each salinity studied three replicates were made with three specimens for each one. The alevins were maintained in salinities of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35‰ during a month for adaptation. Gills were extracted in appropriate buffer for isolation of plasma membrane and used for specific dosage of the total enzymatic activity of Na+ K+ - ATPase and Mg++ - ATPase. The relation of alevins to their adaptation towards the salinity variation was also studied. The activity of the two enzymes showed a different result. The major expression of Na+ K+ - ATPase was observed in 20‰ (35 µmoles Pi.mg protein.h-1, the best salinity to cultivate P. vivipara.Este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer os mecanismos de tolerância às variações de salinidade, pelas enzimas Mg++ - ATPase e Na+ K+ - ATPase, encontrada nas brânquias de Poecilia vivipara. No campo, foi observada a presença desta espécie em salinidades entre 0 e 28‰. No laboratório, os indivíduos foram mantidos em salinidade de 30‰ e responderam positivamente. Os indivíduos adultos, coletados em uma lagoa na praia dos Coqueiros, foram utilizados como matrizes. Nos experimentos foram usados alevinos que nasceram nos aquários testes. Para cada salinidade estudada foram feitas três réplicas com três espécimens em cada uma. Os alevinos foram mantidos em salinidades de 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 e 35‰, durante um mês para total adaptação. As br

Phytochemicals Screening, Total Phenol Estimation, Antioxidant Activity of Blainvillea Acmella Leaf and Stem Successive Extracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, P.; Sharma, G.N.; Shrivastava, B.; Jadhav, H.R.

2014-01-01

The aim of present work was to investigate antioxidant potential of different extracts of Blainvillea acmella leaf and stem. The successive extraction of individual plant part was carried out using solvents of different polarity viz. n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. Preliminary phyto chemical screening of all the extracts was done. The present total phenolic contents were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method and expressed as μg/ mg of gallic acid equivalent. The antioxidant potential and reducing power of all the prepared extracts were measured against DPPH, as compared to standard ascorbic acid, and BHA respectively. The result data indicate that the phenolic contents were higher in methanolic extracts of leaf (73.67 ± 0.38 mg/ g) followed by ethyl acetate (29.08 ± 0.38 mg/ g), aqueous (21.50 ± 0.28 mg/ g), and n-Hexane (9.29 ± 0.38 mg/ g); gallic acid equivalent. The similar pattern in stem part was also observed for example methanolic extracts (41.90 ± 0.45 mg/ g), ethyl acetate (21.92 ± 0.28 mg/ g), aqueous (15.13 ± 0.18 mg/ g), and n-Hexane (3.69 ± 0.28 mg/ g). The antioxidant capacity of methanolic extract of both the part for example leaf and stem was found to be maximum, as IC50 values were 226.49 ± 0.16, 402.05 ± 1.10 respectively. The reducing power was also highest in methanol extract of both parts. The result data conclude that the higher antioxidant as well as reducing power may be due to present phenolic contents. (author)

A novel technology coupling extraction and foam fractionation for separating the total saponins from Achyranthes bidentata.

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Ding, Linlin; Wang, Yanji; Wu, Zhaoliang; Liu, Wei; Li, Rui; Wang, Yanyan

2016-10-02

A novel technology coupling extraction and foam fractionation was developed for separating the total saponins from Achyranthes bidentata. In the developed technology, the powder of A. bidentata was loaded in a nylon filter cloth pocket with bore diameter of 180 µm. The pocket was fixed in the bulk liquid phase for continuously releasing saponins. Under the optimal conditions, the concentration and the extraction rate of the total saponins in the foamate by the developed technology were 73.5% and 416.2% higher than those by the traditional technology, respectively. The foamates obtained by the traditional technology and the developed technology were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine their ingredients, and the results appeared that the developed technology exhibited a better performance for separating saponins than the traditional technology. The study is expected to develop a novel technology for cost effectively separating plant-derived materials with surface activity.

Evaluating Carbonate System Algorithms in a Nearshore System: Does Total Alkalinity Matter?

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Jones, Jonathan M; Sweet, Julia; Brzezinski, Mark A; McNair, Heather M; Passow, Uta

2016-01-01

Ocean acidification is a threat to many marine organisms, especially those that use calcium carbonate to form their shells and skeletons. The ability to accurately measure the carbonate system is the first step in characterizing the drivers behind this threat. Due to logistical realities, regular carbonate system sampling is not possible in many nearshore ocean habitats, particularly in remote, difficult-to-access locations. The ability to autonomously measure the carbonate system in situ relieves many of the logistical challenges; however, it is not always possible to measure the two required carbonate parameters autonomously. Observed relationships between sea surface salinity and total alkalinity can frequently provide a second carbonate parameter thus allowing for the calculation of the entire carbonate system. Here, we assessed the rigor of estimating total alkalinity from salinity at a depth sampling water from a pier in southern California for several carbonate system parameters. Carbonate system parameters based on measured values were compared with those based on estimated TA values. Total alkalinity was not predictable from salinity or from a combination of salinity and temperature at this site. However, dissolved inorganic carbon and the calcium carbonate saturation state of these nearshore surface waters could both be estimated within on average 5% of measured values using measured pH and salinity-derived or regionally averaged total alkalinity. Thus we find that the autonomous measurement of pH and salinity can be used to monitor trends in coastal changes in DIC and saturation state and be a useful method for high-frequency, long-term monitoring of ocean acidification.

Saline Infusion Markedly Reduces Impedance and Improves Efficacy of Pulmonary Radiofrequency Ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gananadha, Sivakumar; Morris, David Lawson

2004-01-01

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a relatively new technique that has been investigated for the treatment of lung tumors. We evaluated for the first time the in vivo use of saline infusion during radiofrequency ablation of sheep lung. We performed RFA on 5 sheep using open and closed chest RFA and the RITA starburst XL and Xli probes using saline infusion with the Xli probe. The impedance and volume of ablation were compared. A total of 16 ablations were produced, 5 percutaneously and 11 open. The impedance during percutaneous and open RFA without saline infusion was 110 ± 16.2 and 183.3 ± 105.8 O, respectively. With the saline infusion the impedance was 71.3 ± 22O and 103.6 ± 37.5O. The effect of this was a significantly larger volume of ablation using the saline infusion during percutaneous RFA (90.6 ± 23 cm 3 vs 10.47 ± 2.9 cm 3 , p = 0.01) and open RFA (107.8 ± 25.8 cm 3 vs 24.9 ± 19.3 cm 3 , p = 0.0002). Saline infusion during RFA is associated with lower impedance, higher power delivery and larger lesion size.

Saline Infusion Markedly Reduces Impedance and Improves Efficacy of Pulmonary Radiofrequency Ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gananadha, Sivakumar; Morris, David Lawson

2004-01-01

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a relatively new technique that has been investigated for the treatment of lung tumors. We evaluated for the first time the in vivo use of saline infusion during radiofrequency ablation of sheep lung. We performed RFA on 5 sheep using open and closed chest RFA and the RITA starburst XL and Xli probes using saline infusion with the Xli probe. The impedance and volume of ablation were compared. A total of 16 ablations were produced, 5 percutaneously and 11 open. The impedance during percutaneous and open RFA without saline infusion was 110 ± 16.2 and 183.3 ± 105.8 O, respectively. With the saline infusion the impedance was 71.3 ± 22O and 103.6 ± 37.5O. The effect of this was a significantly larger volume of ablation using the saline infusion during percutaneous RFA (90.6 ± 23 cm 3 vs 10.47 ± 2.9 cm 3 , p = 0.01) and open RFA (107.8 ± 25.8 cm 3 vs 24.9 ± 19.3 cm 3 , p = 0.0002). Saline infusion during RFA is associated with lower impedance, higher power delivery and larger lesion size

The effect of feed salinity on the biofouling dynamics of seawater desalination.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui-Ling; Pan, Jill R; Huang, Chihpin; Lin, Justin Chun-Te

2011-05-01

A persistent cell labeling dye and a novel microbial counting method were used to explore the effects of salinity on a microbial population in a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system, and these clearly distinguished microbial cell multiplication from cell adherence. The results indicated that microbial multiplication is more active at the front of a seawater RO pressure vessel, while adhesion dominates the back of the vessel. A severe reduction in RO permeate flux and total dissolved solid (TDS) rejection were detected at low salinity, attributed to marked cell multiplication and release of extracellular polymeric substances, whilst a relatively stable flux was observed at medium and high salinity. The results from PCR-DGGE revealed the variation in microbial species distribution on the membrane with salinity. The results imply the critical role of membrane modification in biofouling mitigation in the desalination process.

In vitro total phenolics, flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity of essential oil, various organic extracts from the leaves of tropical medicinal plant Tetrastigma from Sabah.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossain, M Amzad; Shah, Muhammad Dawood; Gnanaraj, Charles; Iqbal, Muhammad

2011-09-01

To detect the in vitro total phenolics, flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity of essential oil, various organic extracts from the leaves of tropical medicinal plant Tetrastigma from Sabah. The dry powder leaves of Tetrastigma were extracted with different organic solvent such as hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol and aqueous methanol. The total phenolic and total flavonoids contents of the essential oil and various organic extracts such as hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, butanol and aqueous ethanol were determined by Folin - Ciocalteu method and the assayed antioxidant activity was determined in vitro models such as antioxidant capacity by radical scavenging activity using α, α-diphenyl- β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The total phenolic contents of the essential oil and different extracts as gallic acid equivalents were found to be highest in methanol extract (386.22 mg/g) followed by ethyl acetate (190.89 mg/g), chloroform (175.89 mg/g), hexane (173.44 mg/g), and butanol extract (131.72 mg/g) and the phenolic contents not detected in essential oil. The antioxidant capacity of the essential oil and different extracts as ascorbic acid standard was in the order of methanol extract > ethyl acetate extract >chloroform> butanol > hexane extract also the antioxidant activity was not detected in essential oil. The findings show that the extent of antioxidant activity of the essential oil and all extracts are in accordance with the amount of phenolics present in that extract. Leaves of Tetrastigma being rich in phenolics may provide a good source of antioxidant. Copyright © 2011 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of process parameters on supercritical CO2 extraction of total phenols from strawberry (Arbutus unedo L.) fruits: An optimization study.

Science.gov (United States)

Akay, Seref; Alpak, Ilknur; Yesil-Celiktas, Ozlem

2011-08-01

The aim of this work was to optimize total phenolic yield of Arbutus unedo fruits using supercritical fluid extraction. A Box-Behnken statistical design was used to evaluate the effect of various values of pressure (50-300 bar), temperature (30-80°C) and concentration of ethanol as co-solvent (0-20%) by CO2 flow rate of 15 g/min for 60 min. The most effective variable was co-solvent ratio (p<0.005). Evaluative criteria for both dependent variables (total phenols and radical scavenging activity) in the model were assigned maximum. Optimum extraction conditions were elicited as 60 bar, 48°C and 19.7% yielding 25.72 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) total phenols/g extract and 99.9% radical scavenging capacity, which were higher than the values obtained by conventional water (24.89 mg/g; 83.8%) and ethanol (15.12 mg/g; 95.8%) extractions demonstrating challenges as a green separation process with improved product properties for industrial applications. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hydro-ethanolic Extract of Portulaca oleracea Affects Beta-adrenoceptors of Guinea Pig Tracheal Smooth Muscle

Science.gov (United States)

Boskabady, Mohammad Hossein; Hashemzehi, Milad; Khazdair, Mohammad Reza; Askari, Vahid Reza

2016-01-01

Thestimulatory effect of the extract of Portulaca oleracea (P. olerace) on β-adrenoceptor of tracheal smooth muscle was examined.To examine β-adrenoceptor stimulatory effect, concentration response curve to isoprenaline was obtained in pre-contracted tracheal smooth muscle in the presence of three concentrations of aqueous-ethanolic extract, propranolol, and saline. Values of EC50 (the effective concentration of isoprenaline, causing 50% of maximum response) and dose ratio-1(CR-1) were measured. This effect was tested innon-incubated tracheal smooth muscle (group 1) and incubated tissues with chlorpheniramine (group 2). Concentration-response curves to isoprenaline in the presence of two higher concentrations of the extract in group 1 and all three concentrations in group 2 showed leftward shifts compared to isoprenaline curves produced in the presence of saline in both groups. EC50 obtained in the presence of propranolol was significantly higher than that of saline in both groups of experiments (p<0.05 for both cases). However, the EC50 obtained in the presence of two higher concentrations of the extract in group 1 and lower concentration in group 2 were non-significantly but those obtained of medium and high extract concentrations in the group 2 were significantly (p<0.05 for both cases)lower than those of saline. The values of (CR-1) obtained in the presence of all concentrations of the extract in groups1 and 2 were significantly lower than that of propranolol (p<0.05 to p<0.001).The results indicated a stimulatory effect of the P. olerace extract on ß 2-adrenoceptors of tracheal smooth muscle. PMID:28243284

Estimates of matter yield and N-uptake in sorghum grown on saline and non-saline soils manured with dhaincha (sesbania aculeata) plant residues utilizing 15N tracer techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurdali, F.

2002-11-01

Pot experiments were conducted to study the effect of manuring with three types of plant residues (roots, shoots or roots plus shoots) of Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata Pers.) on the yield and N-uptake of Sorghum bicolor grown in saline and non-saline soils. For measuring various sources of N-uptake, two isotopic dilution techniques were utilized by adding to these soils either 15 N-labelled inorganic N-fertilizer (indirect method) or 15 N-labelled sesbania leaves (direct method). For the indirect method, both soils manured with each type of sesbania residue, received four split applications of 15 N-labelled ammonium sulphate. Results indicated that each type of sesbania residue, applied as a green manure, resulted in significant increases in both dry matter yield and N-uptake of sorghum as compared with the un manured control. Moreover, sesbania residues decreased the harmful effect of salinity on plant growth. Percentages of N derived from residues (%Ndfr) in sorghum grown in non saline soil ranged between 3.9 and 33%; whereas, in saline soil, the observed values ranged between 4.9 and 19.8%. N recoveries in sorghum grown in non saline soil were 61, 45 and 37% of the total amount contained in the sesbania root, shoot and root plus shoot; whereas, values in sorghum grown in saline soils were 48, 14,8 and 15.7%, respectively. The beneficial effects of sesbania residues have been attributed not only to the additional N availability to the plants, but also to its effects on the enhancement of soil N uptake. Percentages and amounts of Ndfr calculated using the indirect method were not significantly different from those obtained by the direct method indicating that the indirect method used herein is feasible and simple for measuring N release from organic residues. It is suggested that the use of Sesbania aculeata residues, particularly the shoots, as a green manure, can provide a substantial portion of total N in sorghum. Moreover, the use of sesbania green manure in

A comparison of 500 prefilled textured saline breast implants versus 500 standard textured saline breast implants: is there a difference in deflation rates?

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, W Grant; Hirsch, Elliot M; Stoker, David A; Cohen, Robert

2006-06-01

This study provides the first large-volume (1000 implant) comparison of the deflation rates of Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants versus a control group of Mentor Siltex textured saline implants. A consecutive series of 500 Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants was compared with a consecutive series of 500 Mentor Siltex breast implants. Each breast implant was evaluated for a 4-year period, and the annual deflation rate (number of deflations during a given year divided by the total number of implants) and cumulative deflation rate (cumulative total of deflations through a given year divided by the total number of implants) were recorded. Statistical significance was calculated using the Fisher's exact test at year 1 and the chi-square analysis at years 2 through 4. The cumulative deflation rates of the Poly Implant Prosthesis implants was as follows: year 1, 1.2 percent; year 2, 5.6 percent; year 3, 11.4 percent; and year 4, 15.4 percent. The cumulative deflation rates of the Mentor implants was: year 1, 0.2 percent; year 2, 0.6 percent; year 3, 1.6 percent; and year 4, 4.4 percent. At year 1, the difference between deflation rates was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, p > 0.05). However, at year 2 (chi-square, 13.29; p deflation rates of Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants and Mentor Siltex breast implants at year 2, year 3, and year 4. After 4 years, the 15.56 percent cumulative deflation rate of Poly Implant Prosthesis implants was over 3.5 times higher than the 4.31 percent deflation rate of the Mentor Siltex implants. There may be several factors contributing to the higher deflation rate seen in Poly Implant Prosthesis implants, including possible in vitro deflation before implantation and silicone shell curing technique. Nevertheless, this statistically significant deflation difference must be taken into account when balancing the risks and benefits of

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) leaf compost ameliorates the adverse effects of salinity on growth of cluster beans (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeed, R.; Shah, P.; Jahan, B.

2016-01-01

The pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of tea compost on plant growth under salinity. Plants were grown in clay pots filled with sandy loam soil and irrigated by saline water (0, 50 and 100mM NaCl) with and without tea compost amendments. Soil evapotranspiration (ET), vegetative and reproductive growth and biochemical parameters were studied in this experiment. ET rate was increased with increasing salinity, whereas, it decreased with application of tea compost under all salinity. Vegetative (shoot height, number of leaves, fresh and dry biomass) and reproductive (number of seeds per plant) growth significantly decline under increasing salinity levels. Tea compost treatment helped in improving all these parameters. Total photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids and total chlorophyll content) showed reduction under raising salinity levels, while betterment was recorded with application of tea compost. Organic solutes (soluble sugars, proteins, free amino acids and phenolic content) increased with increasing salinity (50-100mM NaCl). Increased soluble sugars were found with tea compost treatment under non-saline control and decreased in salinity. Soluble proteins, amino acids and phenolic content increased with application of tea compost under both control and salinity. It is concluded that tea compost treatment is found to cope with salinity stress and improve plant growth and biochemical parameters by diluting the hazardous effects of salinity. (author)

Role of ascorbic acid and α tocopherol in alleviating salinity stress on flax plant (Linum usitatissimum L.

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Mervat Sh. Sadak

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Salinity is one of the environmental challenges in the world affecting on several physiological processes and the most limiting factor of plant productivity and quality. Two pot experiments were conducted at the wire house of National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt during two successive seasons of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 to assess the efficiency of two antioxidant vitamins (ascorbic acid at 1.13 and 2.27 mM or α tocopherol at 0.46 and 0.93 mM and/or salinity stress at (0.0, 3.08, 6.16, 9.23 ds/m on photosynthetic pigments, protein, carbohydrate, minerals, oil contents and yield as well as fatty acids composition of the yielded oils of three flax cultivars (Sakha 3, Giza 8 and Ariane. The data revealed that salinity stress caused significant and gradual decreases in total photosynthetic pigments, polysaccharides, total carbohydrates, total proteins and the uptake of Mg, K, Ca and P in the leaves of three flax cultivars with increasing salinity levels (3.08, 6.16, 9.23 ds/m. Otherwise, significant and gradual increase appeared in both Na and Cl. Ascorbic acid and α tocopherol at different concentrations caused significant increases in photosynthetic pigments, total carbohydrates and protein contents in the leaves of flax plants irrigated either with tap water or saline solution as compared with their corresponding controls. Exogenous application of ascorbic and α tocopherol at different concentrations exhibited decreases in Na and Cl whereas increases appeared in Mg, K, Ca and P relative to their corresponding control. Ascorbic acid (1.13 and 2.27 mM and α tocopherol (0.46 and 0.93 mM caused marked increases in yield and yield attributes of three flax cultivars either in plants irrigated with tap water or saline solution as compared to corresponding control. Ascorbic acid effects were more pronounced than α tocopherol effects. In addition, the higher level of two vitamins was more pronounced than the lower level. Regarding plants irrigated

Effects of salinity and Cu on total uptake of micronutrient in shoot and root of pistachio cultivars (Pistacia vera L.)

OpenAIRE

S. Eskandari; V. Mozaffari

2013-01-01

To study the effects of soil Cu and salinity levels on uptake of micronutrients by shoots and roots of pistachio seedlings, a factorial experiment was carried out as completely randomized design with three replications in greenhouse of College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran, in May 2008. Treatments consisted of five salinity levels (0, 800, 1600, 2400 and 3200 mg NaCl per kg soil), four Cu levels (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 mg Cu per kg soil) and two pistachio cultivars (Bada...

Sensor-Based Assessment of Soil Salinity during the First Years of Transition from Flood to Sprinkler Irrigation

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Mª Auxiliadora Casterad

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A key issue for agriculture in irrigated arid lands is the control of soil salinity, and this is one of the goals for irrigated districts when changing from flood to sprinkling irrigation. We combined soil sampling, proximal electromagnetic induction, and satellite data to appraise how soil salinity and its distribution along a previously flood-irrigated field evolved after its transformation to sprinkling. We also show that the relationship between NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index and ECe (electrical conductivity of the soil saturation extracts mimics the production function between yield and soil salinity. Under sprinkling, the field had a double crop of barley and then sunflower in 2009 and 2011. In both years, about 50% of the soil of the entire studied field—45 ha—had ECe < 8 dS m−1, i.e., allowing barley cultivation, while the percent of surface having ECe ≥ 16 dS m−1 increased from 8.4% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2011. Our methodology may help monitor the soil salinity oscillations associated with irrigation management. After quantifying and mapping the soil salinity in 2009 and 2011, we show that barley was stunted in places of the field where salinity was higher. Additionally, the areas of salinity persisted after the subsequent alfalfa cropping in 2013. Application of differential doses of water to the saline patches is a viable method to optimize irrigation water distribution and lessen soil salinity in sprinkler-irrigated agriculture.

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on total phenolic extraction from Lavandula pubescens and its application in palm olein oil industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rashed, Marwan M A; Tong, Qunyi; Abdelhai, Mandour H; Gasmalla, Mohammed A A; Ndayishimiye, Jean B; Chen, Long; Ren, Fei

2016-03-01

The aims of the current study were to evaluate the best technique for total phenolic extraction from Lavandula pubescens (Lp) and its application in vegetable oil industries as alternatives of synthetic food additives (TBHQ and BHT). To achieve these aims, three techniques of extraction were used: ultrasonic-microwave (40 kHz, 50 W, microwave power 480 W, 5 min), ultrasonic-homogenizer (20 kHz, 150 W, 5 min) and conventional maceration as a control. By using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, the total phenolic contents (TPC) (mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter) were found to be 253.87, 216.96 and 203.41 for ultrasonic-microwave extract, ultrasonic-homogenizer extract and maceration extract, respectively. The ultrasonic-microwave extract achieved the higher scavenger effect of DPPH (90.53%) with EC50 (19.54 μg/mL), and higher inhibition of β-carotene/linoleate emulsion deterioration (94.44%) with IC50 (30.62 μg/mL). The activity of the ultrasonic-microwave treatment could prolong the induction period (18.82 h) and oxidative stability index (1.67) of fresh refined, bleached and deodorized palm olein oil (RBDPOo) according to Rancimat assay. There was an important synergist effect between citric acid and Lp extracts in improving the oxidative stability of fresh RBDPOo. The results of this work also showed that the ultrasonic-microwave assisted extract was the most effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains that were assessed in this study. The uses of ultrasonic-microwave could induce the acoustic cavitation and rupture of plant cells, and this facilitates the flow of solvent into the plant cells and enhances the desorption from the matrix of solid samples, and thus would enhance the efficiency of extraction based on cavitation phenomenon. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitrification at different salinities: Biofilm community composition and physiological plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Silva, Blanca M; Jonassen, Kjell Rune; Bakke, Ingrid; Østgaard, Kjetill; Vadstein, Olav

2016-05-15

This paper describes an experimental study of microbial communities of three moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR) inoculated with nitrifying cultures originated from environments with different salinity; freshwater, brackish (20‰) and seawater. All reactors were run until they operated at a conversion efficiency of >96%. The microbial communities were profiled using 454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Statistical analysis was used to investigate the differences in microbial community structure and distribution of the nitrifying populations with different salinity environments. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS) and the PERMANOVA test based on Bray-Curtis similarities revealed significantly different community structure in the three reactors. The brackish reactor showed lower diversity index than fresh and seawater reactors. Venn diagram showed that 60 and 78% of the total operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) guild, respectively, were unique OTUs for a given reactor. Similarity Percentages (SIMPER) analysis showed that two-thirds of the total difference in community structure between the reactors was explained by 10 OTUs, indicating that only a small number of OTUs play a numerically dominant role in the nitrification process. Acute toxicity of salt stress on ammonium and nitrite oxidizing activities showed distinctly different patterns, reaching 97% inhibition of the freshwater reactor for ammonium oxidation rate. In the brackish culture, inhibition was only observed at maximal level of salinity, 32‰. In the fully adapted seawater culture, higher activities were observed at 32‰ than at any of the lower salinities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fresh meteoric versus recirculated saline groundwater nutrient inputs into a subtropical estuary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadat-Noori, Mahmood, E-mail: mahmood.sadat-noori@scu.edu.au [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia); Santos, Isaac R. [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); Tait, Douglas R. [National Marine Science Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW (Australia); School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia); Maher, Damien T. [School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (Australia)

2016-10-01

The role of groundwater in transporting nutrients to coastal aquatic systems has recently received considerable attention. However, the relative importance of fresh versus saline groundwater-derived nutrient inputs to estuaries and how these groundwater pathways may alter surface water N:P ratios remains poorly constrained. We performed detailed time series measurements of nutrients in a tidal estuary (Hat Head, NSW, Australia) and used radium to quantify the contribution of fresh and saline groundwater to total surface water estuarine exports under contrasting hydrological conditions (wet and dry season). Tidally integrated nutrient fluxes showed that the estuary was a source of nutrients to the coastal waters. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux rate for rivers likely due to the small catchment size, surrounding wetlands and high groundwater inputs. Fresh groundwater discharge was dominant in the wet season accounting for up to 45% of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and 48% of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) estuarine exports. In the dry season, fresh and saline groundwater accounted for 21 and 33% of TDN export, respectively. The combined fresh and saline groundwater fluxes of NO{sub 3}, PO{sub 4}, NH{sub 4}, DON, DOP, TDN and TDP were estimated to account for 66, 58, 55, 31, 21, 53 and 47% of surface water exports, respectively. Groundwater-derived nitrogen inputs to the estuary were responsible for a change in the surface water N:P ratio from typical N-limiting conditions to P-limiting as predicted by previous studies. This shows the importance of both fresh and saline groundwater as a source of nutrients for coastal productivity and nutrient budgets of coastal waters. - Highlights: • Groundwater TDN and TDP fluxes account for 53 and 47% of surface water exports. • The estuary DIN export was 7-fold higher than the average global areal flux. • Fresh GW nutrient input dominated the wet season and

Determination of total phenolic content and antioxidant activitity of methanol extract of Maranta arundinacea L fresh leaf and tuber

Science.gov (United States)

Kusbandari, A.; Susanti, H.

2017-11-01

Maranta arundinacea L is one of herbaceous plants in Indonesia which have flavonoid content. Flavonoids has antioxidants activity by inhibition of free radical oxidation reactions. The study aims were to determination total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of methanol extract of fresh leaf and tuber of M. arundinacea L by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The methanol extracts were obtained with maceration and remaseration method of fresh leaves and tubers. The total phenolic content was assayed with visible spectrophotometric using Folin Ciocalteau reagent. The antioxidant activity was assayed with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhidrazil (DPPH) compared to gallic acid. The results showed that methanol extract of tuber and fresh leaf of M. arundinacea L contained phenolic compound with total phenolic content (TPC) in fresh tuber of 3.881±0.064 (% GAE) and fresh leaf is 6.518±0.163 (% b/b GAE). IC50 value from fresh tuber is 1.780±0.0005 μg/mL and IC50 fresh leaf values of 0.274±0.0004 μg/mL while the standard gallic acid is IC50 of 0.640±0.0002 μg/mL.

Soil salinization processes in rice irrigation schemes in the Senegal River Delta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceuppens, J.; Wopereis, M.C.S.; Miezan, K.M.

1997-01-01

Soil salinization constitutes a major threat to irrigated agriculture (mainly rice, Oryza sativa L.) in the Senegal River Delta. It is generally hypothesized that salinization is caused by (i) capillary rise from a saline water table and (ii) concentration of salts in the field due to lack of adequate drainage facilities. The impact of field water management and rice cropping intensity on salinization in the Delta was determined using an electromagnetic conductivity meter (Geonics EM38). More than 4000 measurements were made in 40 rice fields on a typical heavy clay soil (Vertic Xerofluvent). Thirty EM38 measurements per field (0.25 ha) estimated average field soil salinity with a relative error of 20%. A multiple linear regression model based on EM38 readings explained 60 to 75% of the variability in conductivity of 1:5 saturation extracts at 0- to 5-, 10- to 15-, and 30- to 35-cm depths. Higher cropping intensity limited upward salt transport from the water table. Average horizontal and vertical EM38 measurements increased in the following order two rice crops per year with drainage: 0.73 and 0.98 dS m -1 ; one rice crop per year with drainage: 1.26 and 1.76 dS m -1 ; one rice crop per year without drainage: 2.23 and 2.98 dS m -1 ; and abandoned fields: 4.77 and 4.29 dS m -1 . Results indicate a beneficial effect of flooded rice on salinity for this type of heavy clay soil. Irrigation development in the area needs to be accompanied by monitoring of water table depth. (author)

Novel Fluorinated Tensioactive Extractant Combined with Flotation for Decontamination of Extractant Residual during Solvent Extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xue; Chang, Zhidong; Liu, Yao; Choe, Chol Ryong

2017-12-01

Solvent-extraction is widely used in chemical industry. Due to the amphiphilic character, a large amount of extractant remains in water phase, which causes not only loss of reagent, but also secondary contamination in water phase. Novel fluorinated extractants with ultra-low solubility in water were regarded as effective choice to reduce extractant loss in aqueous phase. However, trace amount of extractant still remained in water. Based on the high tensioactive aptitude of fluorinated solvent, flotation was applied to separate fluorinated extractant remaining in raffinate. According to the data of surface tension measurement, the surface tension of solution was obviously decreased with the addition of fluorinated extractant tris(2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoropentyl) phosphate (FTAP). After flotation, the FTAP dissolved in water can be removed as much as 70%, which proved the feasibility of this key idea. The effects of operation time, gas velocity, pH and salinity of bulk solution on flotation performance were discussed. The optimum operating parameters were determined as gas velocity of 12ml/min, operating time of 15min, pH of 8.7, and NaCl volume concentration of 1.5%, respectively. Moreover, adsorption process of FTAP on bubble surface was simulated by ANSYS VOF model using SIMPLE algorithm. The dynamic mechanism of flotation was also theoretically investigated, which can be considered as supplement to the experimental results.

Antidiarrheal Activity of the Ethyl Acetate Extract of Morinda ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Methods: The ethyl acetate extract of Morinda morindoides (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to three groups of rats (five animals per group) in order to evaluate the activity of the extract against castor oil-induced diarrhea model in rat. Two other groups received normal saline (5mg/kg) and ...

Correlation Between Total Flavonoid Contents and Macrophage Phagocytosis Activity of Fractions From Faloak (Sterculia quadrifida R.Br. Barks Ethanolic Extract In Vitro

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Rima Munawaroh

2018-04-01

Full Text Available On Timor island, Nusa Tenggara Timur, faloak barks (Sterculia quadrifida R.Br. has been used empirically to restore stamina. Faloak bark ethanolic extract proved to have immunomodulatory activity in vitro, which can increase macrophage phagocytosis activity. This research aimed: (i to determine the immunomodulatory active fraction of faloak bark ethanolic extract, (ii to determine the total flavonoid contents of faloak extract and fractions, and (iii to evaluate the correlation of the total flavonoid contents of those extract and fractions with their macrophage phagocytosis activity. The simplisia powder is macerated with 96% ethanol. The extract was dissolved in methanol:water (9:1v/v was then subsequently partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water to obtain n-hexane fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, water fraction, and insoluble fraction. Faloak extract and fractions at concentration 62,5; 125; 250; 500μg/mL were tested for their effect on the peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis of Balb/c mice in vitro by the latex beads method. Phagocytosis capacity and phagocytosis index were analyzed using one-way anova and post hoc Tukey HSD test with 95% confidence level. The results showed that ethyl acetate fraction had the highest macrophage phagocytosis capacity and the highest total flavonoid content compared to other fractions. The highest macrophage phagocytosis capacity of ethyl acetate fraction at concentration of 250 μg/mL was 51,94±4,67%, this value was significantly different from cell control (7,50±1,29%, negative controls of 0,0625% dimethylsulphoxide (6,25±0,36%, as well as positive control of 200 μg/mL echinaceae extract syrup® (9,97±0,33%. The total flavonoid content of ethyl acetate fraction determined by aluminum chloride method was 4,290±0.029 mg of quercetin equivalent/g fraction. There was a positive and strong correlation between the total flavonoid content of these extract and fractions with their macrophage

Structural Features and Potent Antidepressant Effects of Total Sterols and β-sitosterol Extracted from Sargassum horneri

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donghai Zhao

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The purified total sterols and β-sitosterol extracted from Sargassum horneri were evaluated for their antidepressant-like activity using the forced swim test (FST and tail suspension test (TST in mice. Total sterols and β-sitosterol significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST and TST. Total sterols were administered orally for 7 days at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, and β-sitosterol was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg. β-sitosterol had no effect on locomotor activity in the open field test. In addition, total sterols and β-sitosterol significantly increased NE, 5-HT, and the metabolite 5-HIAA in the mouse brain, suggesting that the antidepressant-like activity may be mediated through these neurotransmitters.

Finding a solution: Heparinised saline versus normal saline in the maintenance of invasive arterial lines in intensive care.

Science.gov (United States)

Everson, Matthew; Webber, Lucy; Penfold, Chris; Shah, Sanjoy; Freshwater-Turner, Dan

2016-11-01

We assessed the impact of heparinised saline versus 0.9% normal saline on arterial line patency. Maintaining the patency of arterial lines is essential for obtaining accurate physiological measurements, enabling blood sampling and minimising line replacement. Use of heparinised saline is associated with risks such as thrombocytopenia, haemorrhage and mis-selection. Historical studies draw variable conclusions but suggest that normal saline is at least as effective at maintaining line patency, although recent evidence has questioned this. We conducted a prospective analysis of the use of heparinised saline versus normal saline on unselected patients in the intensive care of our hospital. Data concerning duration of 471 lines insertion and reason for removal was collected. We found a higher risk of blockage for lines flushed with normal saline compared with heparinised saline (RR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.392-3.32, p  ≤ 0.001). Of the 56 lines which blocked initially (19 heparinised saline and 37 normal saline lines), 16 were replaced with new lines; 5 heparinised saline lines and 11 normal saline lines were reinserted; 5 of these lines subsequently blocked again, 3 of which were flushed with normal saline. Our study demonstrates a clinically important reduction in arterial line longevity due to blockages when flushed with normal saline compared to heparinised saline. We have determined that these excess blockages have a significant clinical impact with further lines being inserted after blockage, resulting in increased risks to patients, wasted time and cost of resources. Our findings suggest that the current UK guidance favouring normal saline flushes should be reviewed.

Measurements of total suspended matter - How does salinity and the amount of rinse water influence the results; Maetning av totalt suspenderat material - Hur paaverkar salthalt och maengden skoeljvatten resultatet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, Bjoern (Bjoern Hall, Miljoe och Foerbraenningskemi, Onsala (Sweden))

2010-03-15

Under regulations for incineration of waste NFS 2002:28 total suspended matter (tsm) in wastewater from incineration plants are analyzed by daily sampling measurement or by representative flow-proportional 24-hour test. It has been shown that many plants that analyzes the suspended matter according to EN 872:2005 are having trouble keeping their conditions for suspended solids constant. This applies mainly to plants rated for a high chloride content in the closing process. Waste Sweden has for years drawn attention to this problem and have with a joint working group with representatives from the Swedish waste incineration plants tried to obtain a better understanding of this phenomenon. The basic question is whether the water from the facilities in question really contain high levels of tsm or if there is something else behind the observed concentrations. The results from this study suggest that the most important factor is the salinity and the amount of rinse water used in the analysis. Under the standard, all samples are washed with 2 x 20 ml of water. If salinity exceeds 1000 mg/l, a further 3 x 50 ml used. How this process is this implemented in practice varies from laboratory to laboratory and there is no laboratory that regularly measure the salinity of the sample. It is not specified especially when submitting the sample uses most of the labs normal rinse water of 2 x 20 ml. The findings also indicate that the samples with very high salinities the standard stipulated 190 mls is not enough. This would likely lead to that further rinse water is needed. In order to establish safe Several measurements would be needed to confirm this assumption. A relatively simple way to obtain an idea of the salinity of the test is to measure its conductivity. Accordingly, this could be a first step on to get a more consistent performance than is the case at present

The Effects of Varying Salinity on Ammonium Exchange in Estuarine Sediments of the Parker River, Massachusetts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weston, Nathaniel B.; Giblin, Anne E; Banta, Gary Thomas

2010-01-01

We examined the effects of seasonal salinity changes on sediment ammonium (NH4+) adsorption and exchange across the sediment–water interface in the Parker River Estuary, by means of seasonal field sampling, laboratory adsorption experiments, and modeling. The fraction of dissolvedNH4+relative...... to adsorbedNH4+in oligohaline sediments rose significantly with increased pore water salinity over the season. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that small (∼3) increases in salinity from freshwater conditions had the greatest effect onNH4+adsorption by reducing the exchangeable pool from 69% to 14......% of the totalNH4+in the upper estuary sediments that experience large (0–20) seasonal salinity shifts.NH4+dynamics did not appear to be significantly affected bysalinity in sediments of the lower estuary where salinities under 10 were not measured. We further assessed the importance of salinity...

How Does Salinity Shape Bacterial and Fungal Microbiomes of Alnus glutinosa Roots?

Science.gov (United States)

Thiem, Dominika; Gołębiewski, Marcin; Hulisz, Piotr; Piernik, Agnieszka; Hrynkiewicz, Katarzyna

2018-01-01

Black alder (Alnus glutinosa Gaertn.) belongs to dual mycorrhizal trees, forming ectomycorrhizal (EM) and arbuscular (AM) root structures, as well as represents actinorrhizal plants that associate with nitrogen-fixing actinomycete Frankia sp. We hypothesized that the unique ternary structure of symbionts can influence community structure of other plant-associated microorganisms (bacterial and fungal endophytes), particularly under seasonally changing salinity in A. glutinosa roots. In our study we analyzed black alder root bacterial and fungal microbiome present at two forest test sites (saline and non-saline) in two different seasons (spring and fall). The dominant type of root microsymbionts of alder were ectomycorrhizal fungi, whose distribution depended on site (salinity): Tomentella, Lactarius, and Phialocephala were more abundant at the saline site. Mortierella and Naucoria (representatives of saprotrophs or endophytes) displayed the opposite tendency. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi belonged to Glomeromycota (orders Paraglomales and Glomales), however, they represented less than 1% of all identified fungi. Bacterial community structure depended on test site but not on season. Sequences affiliated with Rhodanobacter, Granulicella, and Sphingomonas dominated at the saline site, while Bradyrhizobium and Rhizobium were more abundant at the non-saline site. Moreover, genus Frankia was observed only at the saline site. In conclusion, bacterial and fungal community structure of alder root microsymbionts and endophytes depends on five soil chemical parameters: salinity, phosphorus, pH, saturation percentage (SP) as well as total organic carbon (TOC), and seasonality does not appear to be an important factor shaping microbial communities. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are the most abundant symbionts of mature alders growing in saline soils. However, specific distribution of nitrogen-fixing Frankia (forming root nodules) and association of arbuscular fungi at early stages of

Salinity of the Archaean oceans from analysis of fluid inclusions in quartz

Science.gov (United States)

Marty, Bernard; Avice, Guillaume; Bekaert, David V.; Broadley, Michael W.

2018-05-01

Fluids trapped in inclusions in well-characterized Archaean hydrothermal quartz crystals were analyzed by the extended argon-argon method, which permits the simultaneous measurement of chlorine and potassium concentrations. Argon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of the trapped fluids were also determined by static mass spectrometry. Fluids were extracted by stepwise crushing of quartz samples from North Pole (NW Australia) and Barberton (South Africa) 3.5-3.0-Ga-old greenstone belts. The data indicate that fluids are a mixture of a low salinity end-member, regarded as the Archaean oceanic water, and several hydrothermal end-members rich in Cl, K, N, and radiogenic parentless 40Ar. The low Cl-K end-member suggests that the salinity of the Archaean oceans was comparable to the modern one, and that the potassium content of the Archaean oceans was lower than at present by about 40%. A constant salinity of the oceans through time has important implications for the stabilization of the continental crust and for the habitability of the ancient Earth.

Anxiolytic effects of the aqueous extract of Uncaria rhynchophylla.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Ji Wook; Ahn, Nam Yoon; Oh, Hye Rim; Lee, Bo Kyung; Lee, Kang Jin; Kim, Sun Yeou; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Ryu, Jong Hoon

2006-11-24

The purpose of this study was to characterize the putative anxiolytic-like effects of the aqueous extract of hooks with stem of Uncaria rhynchophylla using the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the hole-board apparatus in rats and mice. Control rats were treated with an equal volume of saline, and positive control rats with buspirone (1 mg/kg). Single or repeated treatments of the aqueous extract of Uncaria rhynchophylla (200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 7 days significantly increased the time-spent and entries into open arms of the EPM, and reduced the time-spent and entries into the closed arms versus saline controls (Prhynchophylla (100 or 200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) significantly increased the number of head-dips (Prhynchophylla extract as assessed using the EPM test were abolished by WAY 100635 (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.), a 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist. These results suggest that Uncaria rhynchophylla is an effective anxiolytic agent, and acts via the serotonergic nervous system.

Salinity Effects on Photosynthesis, Carbon Allocation, and Nitrogen Assimilation in the Red Alga, Gelidium coulteri.

Science.gov (United States)

Macler, B A

1988-11-01

The long-term effects of altered salinities on the physiology of the intertidal red alga Gelidium coulteri Harv. were assessed. Plants were transfered from 30 grams per liter salinity to media with salinities from 0 to 50 grams per liter. Growth rate, agar, photosynthesis, respiration, and various metabolites were quantified after 5 days and 5 weeks adaptation. After 5 days, growth rates were lower for plants at all altered salinities. Growth rates recovered from these values with 5 weeks adaptation, except for salinities of 10 grams per liter and below, where tissues bleached and died. Photosynthetic O(2) evolution was lower than control values at both higher and lower salinities after 5 days and did not change over time. Carbon fixation at the altered salinities was unchanged after 5 days, but decreased below 25 grams per liter and above 40 grams per liter after 5 weeks. Respiration increased at lower salinities. Phycobili-protein and chlorophyll were lower for all altered salinities after 5 days. These decreases continued at lower salinities, then were stable after 5 weeks. Chlorophyll recovered over time at higher salinities. Decreases in protein at lower salinities were quantitatively attributable to phycobili-protein loss. Total N levels and C:N ratios were nearly constant across all salinities tested. Carbon flow into glutamate and aspartate decreased with both decreasing and increasing salinities. Glycine, serine, and glycolate levels increased with both increasing and decreasing salinity, indicating a stimulation of photorespiration. The cell wall component agar increased with decreasing salinity, although biosynthesis was inhibited at both higher and lower salinities. The storage compound floridoside increased with increasing salinity. The evidence suggests stress responses to altered salinities that directly affected photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen assimilation and indirectly affected photosynthate flow. At low salinities, respiration and

Saline agriculture: A technology for economic utilization and improvement of saline environments (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aslam, Z.; Malik, K.A.; Khurshid, S.J.; Awan, A.R.; Akram, M.; Hashmi, Z.; Ali, Y.; Gulnaz, A.; Hussain, M.; Hussain, F.

2005-01-01

The salinity problem is one of the severe constraints for agriculture in Pakistan. In a socio-economic and salinity and drainage survey over an area of about 25000 acres of salt-affected land recently, crop production is found to be very low. Livestock is underfed and malnourished. Pakistan has spent and allocated over one billion US dollars on Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARP), of course, with dubious results. Over the years, a Saline Agriculture Technology has been developed as a cheap alternative at NIAB for comfortably living with salinity and to profitably utilize saline land rather than its reclamation. The soil improvement is a fringe benefit in this approach. The Saline Agriculture Technology has been tested at laboratory level, at field stations and at farms of some progressive farmers. Now we are sharing this technology with farming communities through a 'Saline Agriculture Farmer Participatory Development Project in Pakistan', with assistance from the National Rural Support Programme. The new project has been launched simultaneously in all four provinces of Pakistan on 25000 acres of salt-affected land. Under this project seeds of salt tolerant crop varieties wheat, cotton, rice, castor, brassica and barley and saplings of trees/shrubs, e.g. Acacia ampliceps, A. nilotica, Casuarina glauca, ber, jaman, etc selected for development work in various institutions of Pakistan are being provided to farmers. Know-how on new irrigation techniques like bed-and-corrugation and bed-and-furrow, agronomic practices like laser land leveling, planting on beds and in auger holes and soil/water amendment practices (use of gypsum and mineral acids) are being shared with farmers. These interventions are quite efficient, save water up to 40% and enable farmers to utilize bad quality water. In general, farmers are being familiarized with prevalent animal diseases, nutritional problems and prophylactic techniques. They are being helped in developing Saline

[Effect of abiotic and biotic factors on the structural and functional organization of the saline lake ecosystems in Crimea].

Science.gov (United States)

Balushkina, E V; Golubkov, S M; Golubkov, M S; Litvinchuk, L F; Shadrin, N V

2009-01-01

Decrease of both zooplankton and zoobenthos species richness and a trend toward decrease of their biomass with the salinity increase was recorded in the hypersaline lakes of Crimea. The most of structural and functional characteristics of macrobenthos is positively correlated with abiotic and biotic characteristics of those lakes. Abundance, biomass, productivity of macrobenthos and ration of non-predating macrozoobenthos decrease with salinity increase, while they increase with the depth and growth of amount of chlorophyll a and primary production. Macrozoobenthos portion in the total zooplankton and macrozoobenthos biomass decreases with both salinity and depth increase. Zooplankton community is less controlled by abiotic factors as compared to macrozoobenthos, while the former's species number significantly decrease with salinity increase. Effect of salinity on zooplankton biomass is slightly significant, unlike that of macrozoobenthos. Comparison of total amount of rations of zooplankton and macrozoobenthos with amount of primary production indicates intense trophic interactions in the lakes under study.

The motility and motion duration of jatimbulan tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) spermatozoa in different salinity

Science.gov (United States)

Triastuti, J.; Kintani, D.; Luqman, E. M.; Pujiastuti, D. Y.

2018-04-01

Tilapia hatchery is still conducted in freshwater and seeds are death simultaneousy when cultivated in high salinity due to the acclimatization process. An alternative method to implement hatchery at high salinity is required. This study aims to determine the salinity of activation medium that provides the best Jatimbulan Tilapia sperm motility and motion duration at high salinity. The study applies completely randomized design (CRD), which consists of 5 treatments (0 ppt, 4 ppt, 9 ppt, 14 ppt and 19 ppt) and 4 repetitions. The parameters consists of sperm motility, motion duration, fresh sperm data (volume, color, odor, pH, consistency, and the concentration of sperm) and sperm abnormalities. The results exhibited that salinity significantly (p < 0.05). Influeneed the sperm motility and motion duration. Motility reaches its best at 0 ppt and 4 ppt (93.4 % and 87.8 %). For motion duration, best condition was in 0 ppt and 4 ppt treatments, totaling 2128 seconds and 1961.5 seconds. Meanwhile, sperm did not move when treated in waters with 9 ppt, 14 ppt and 19 ppt salinities.

Aloe vera extract reduces 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine levels and improves total antioxidants in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wulan Christijanti

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by lack of insulin production in the pancreas or by insulin resistance, the disease being characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Hyperglycemia in diabetes could lead to oxidative stress due to the rise in 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG levels and the decrease in levels of total antioxidant status (TAS. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect Aloe vera extract on 8-oxo-dG level and total antioxidant status in diabetic rat testis.   Methods This was an experimental laboratory study with 20 rat samples which were divided into 4 groups (1 control group and 3 treatment groups. Diabetes was induced in the rats by streptozotocin (STZ at 65 mg/kgBW. The diabetic rats were then treated for 28 days with Aloe vera extract at 0 mg (P0, 200 mg rind (P1, 200 mg pulp (P2, respectively. The level of 8 -oxo-dG was measured by ELISA and total antioxidant status with 2,2' -azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and Least Significant Difference Advanced Test at P<0.05.   Results 8-Oxo-dG levels were significantly different between the control group and both P0 and P2, but not between the control group and P1. Among the treatment groups the 8-oxo-dG levels were significantly different. Mean total antioxidant status was significantly different between control and treatment groups, and also between treatment groups (p<0.05.   Conclusions Aloe vera extract reduced free radicals (level of 8-oxo-dG and increased the total antioxidant status in diabetic rat testis.

In vitro thrombolytic, anthelmintic, anti-oxidant and cytotoxic activity with phytochemical screening of methanolic extract of Xanthium indicum leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antara Ghosh

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Xanthium indicum is an important medicinal plant traditionally used in Bangladesh as a folkloric treatment. The current study was undertaken to evaluate thrombolytic, anthelmintic, anti-oxidant, cytotoxic properties with phytochemical screening of methanolic extract of X. indicum leaves. The analysis of phytochemical screening confirmed the existence of phytosetrols and diterpenes. In thrombolytic assay, a significant clot lysis was observed at four concentrations of plant extract compare to the positive control streptokinase (30,000 IU, 15,000 IU and negative control normal saline. The extract revealed potent anthelmintic activity at different concentrations. In anti-oxidant activity evaluation by two potential experiments namely total phenolic content determination and free radical scavenging assay by 2, 2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH, the leaves extract possess good anti-oxidant property. In the brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the crude extract showed potent (LC50 1.3 μg/mL cytotoxic activity compare to the vincristine sulfate as a positive control (LC50 0.8 μg/mL.

Dextrose saline compared with normal saline rehydration of hyperemesis gravidarum: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Peng Chiong; Norazilah, Mat Jin; Omar, Siti Zawiah

2013-02-01

To compare 5% dextrose-0.9% saline against 0.9% saline solution in the intravenous rehydration of hyperemesis gravidarum. Women at their first hospitalization for hyperemesis gravidarum were enrolled on admission to the ward and randomly assigned to receive either 5% dextrose-0.9% saline or 0.9% saline by intravenous infusion at a rate 125 mL/h over 24 hours in a double-blind trial. All participants also received thiamine and an antiemetic intravenously. Oral intake was allowed as tolerated. Primary outcomes were resolution of ketonuria and well-being (by 10-point visual numerical rating scale) at 24 hours. Nausea visual numerical rating scale scores were obtained every 8 hours for 24 hours. Persistent ketonuria rates after the 24-hour study period were 10 of 101 (9.9%) compared with 11 of 101 (10.9%) (P>.99; relative risk 0.9, 95% confidence interval 0.4-2.2) and median (interquartile range) well-being scores at 24 hours were 9 (8-10) compared with 9 (8-9.5) (P=.73) in the 5% dextrose-0.9% saline and 0.9% saline arms, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variance of the nausea visual numerical rating scale score as assessed every 8 hours during the 24-hour study period showed a significant difference in favor of the 5% dextrose-0.9% saline arm (P=.046) with the superiority apparent at 8 and 16 hours, but the advantage had dissipated by 24 hours. Secondary outcomes of vomiting, resolution of hyponatremia, hypochloremia and hypokalemia, length of hospitalization, duration of intravenous antiemetic, and rehydration were not different. Intravenous rehydration with 5% dextrose-0.9% saline or 0.9% saline solution in women hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum produced similar outcomes. ISRCTN Register, www.controlled-trials.com/isrctn, ISRCTN65014409. I.

Case study on combined CO₂ sequestration and low-salinity water production potential in a shallow saline aquifer in Qatar.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Tausif Khizar; Nasrabadi, Hadi

2012-10-30

CO₂ is one of the byproducts of natural gas production in Qatar. The high rate of natural gas production from Qatar's North Field (world's largest non-associated gas field) has led to the production of significant amounts of CO₂. The release of CO₂ into the atmosphere may be harmful from the perspective of global warming. In this work, we study the CO₂ sequestration potential in Qatar's Aruma aquifer. The Aruma aquifer is a saline aquifer in the southwest of Qatar. It occupies an area of approximately 1985 km₂ on land (16% of Qatar's total area). We have developed a compositional model for CO₂ sequestration in the Aruma aquifer on the basis of available log and flow test data. We suggest water production at some distance from the CO₂ injection wells as a possible way to control the pore pressure. This method increases the potential for safe sequestration of CO₂ in the aquifer without losing integrity of the caprock and without any CO₂ leakage. The water produced from this aquifer is considerably less saline than seawater and could be a good water source for the desalination process, which is currently the main source of water in Qatar. The outcome of the desalination process is water with higher salinity than the seawater that is currently discharged into the sea. This discharge can have negative long-term environmental effects. The water produced from the Aruma aquifer is considerably less saline than seawater and can be a partial solution to this problem. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of Lake Water Salinity by Using Four-Band Salinity Algorithm on WorldView-2 Satellite Image for a Saline Industrial Lake

Science.gov (United States)

Budakoǧlu, Murat; Karaman, Muhittin; Damla Uça Avcı, Z.; Kumral, Mustafa; Geredeli (Yılmaz), Serpil

2014-05-01

Salinity of a lake is an important characteristic since, these are potentially industrial lakes and the degree of salinity can significantly be used for determination of mineral resources and for the production management. In the literature, there are many studies of using satellite data for salinity related lake studies such as determination of salinity distribution and detection of potential freshwater sources in less salt concentrated regions. As the study area Lake Acigol, located in Denizli (Turkey) was selected. With it's saline environment, it's the major sodium sulphate production resource of Turkey. In this study, remote sensing data and data from a field study was used and correlated. Remote sensing is an efficient tool to monitor and analyze lake properties by using it complementary to field data. Worldview-2 satellite data was used in this study which consists of 8 bands. At the same time with the satellite data acquisition, a field study was conducted to collect the salinity values in 17 points of the laker with using YSI 556 Multiparametre for measurements. The values were measured as salinity amount in grams per kilogram solution and obtained as ppt unit. It was observed that the values vary from 34 ppt - 40.1 ppt and the average is 38.056 ppt. In Thalassic serie, the lake was in mixoeuhaline state in the time of issue. As a first step, ATCOR correction was performed on satellite image for atmospheric correction. There were some clouds on the lake field, hence it was decided to continue the study by using the 12 sampling points which were clear on the image. Then, for each sampling point, a spectral value was obtained by calculating the average at a 11*11 neighborhood. The relation between the spectral reflectance values and the salinity was investigated. The 4-band algorithm, which was used for determination of chlorophyll-a distribution in highly turbid coastal environment by Wei (2012) was applied. Salinity α (Λi-1 / Λj-1) * (Λk-1 / Λm-1) (i

Effect of domestic processing on total and extractable calcium and zinc content of bathua (Chenopodium album) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) leaves.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, S K; Sehgal, S

1999-01-01

Bathua (Chenopodium album) and fenugreek (Trigonellafoenum graecum) stored in polyethylene bags and without packaging for 24 or 48 hours in a refrigerator at 5 or 30 degrees C in polyethylene bags. The fresh leaves were also dried (oven and sun); blanched (5, 10 or 15 min) and cooked in an open pan and a pressure cooker. The processed leaves were analyzed for total and extractable calcium and zinc content. The Ca and Zn content of these leaves varied from 970 to 2230 and 10.50 to 12.30 mg/100 g DM and the percentage HCl-extractability was 80.34 to 83.04 and 82.43 to 83.90, respectively. Non significant effects of drying and storage were observed on total Ca and Zn content and HCl-extractability while blanching and cooking resulted in significant improvement of HCl-extractability of these two minerals. Thus, cooking and blanching are good ways to improve the HCl-extractability of Ca and Zn.

Power generation from water salinity gradient via osmosis and reverse osmosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, Milancho

2015-01-01

To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while at the same time to meet the growing energy demands of the world, it is necessary to explore and promote new alternative energy sources. One such type of renewable energy sources, which recently gained greater credibility is the energy extracted from the water salinity gradient, which is also called blue energy. In this research project will be described a new model of osmotic power plant (MIOS plant), which uses a combination of reverse osmosis and osmosis to convert the energy from the water salinity gradient into electricity. MIOS plant can be built as a vessel anywhere on the surface of the oceans or in the form of dam on the land, which will have a huge advantage over existing plants that can be built only on mouths of rivers. (author)

Critical osmotic, ionic and physiological indicators of salinity tolerance in cotton (gossypium hirsutum l.) for cultivar selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munis, M.F.H.; Tu, L.; Ziaf, K; Tan, J.; Deng, F.; Zhang, X.

2010-01-01

Salinity affects the germination, growth and ultimately the yield of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) which demands reliable traits for the evaluation and selection of salt tolerant cultivars. Here, ten major osmotic, ionic and physiological parameters have been studied to distinguish the effect of salinity in two different cultivars of cotton. Plants were grown in hydroponic system and exposed to different salinity levels of NaCl followed by its recovery under non saline conditions. Data was recorded at three different stages i.e., before stress, after stress and after recovery for comparative study. Recovery assay proved to be very helpful in extracting reliable results. Both cultivars showed significantly different response to Na+ and K+ accumulation and phenotypically salt tolerant cultivar (Coker 312) accumulated less Na+ and more K+ in comparison with susceptible (Simian 3). Decrease in leaf area, seed germination and seedling growth were also conclusive to differentiate these cultivars. We also found other physiological parameters like relative leaf water content (RLWC), plant fresh-weight (PFW), plant dry-weight (PDW), relative growth rate (RGR) and stomatal behavior as good indicators of salinity but could not find their significant role to differentiate two closely relevant cultivars regarding salinity tolerance. Our studies revealed that proline accumulation and chlorophyll concentration are not significant to be used as accurate indicators to characterize the sensitivity of cotton cultivars to salinity. We found post-recovery analysis to be very useful in understanding the role and behavior of different indicators of salinity. (author)

Effects of Salinity on Growth and Metabolism in Blue Tilapia

African Journals Online (AJOL)

adunet

2013-05-08

May 8, 2013 ... Water quality parameters [pH, temperature, electrical conductivity. (EC), total hardness, alkalinity, bicarbonate, calcium, magnesium, ammonia and nitrite] were measured and are given in Table 1. The osmolarity of each salinity treatment was measured by osmometer. (Model 3250 Advenced Instruments, ...

Osmotic relations of the coelomic fluid and body wall tissues in Arenicola marina subjected to salinity change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weber, Roy E.; Spaargaren, D.H.

1979-01-01

nitrogenous organic molecules (ninhydrin-positive substances, NPS) in the body wall tissues and in the coelomic fluid of specimens of Arenicola in response to sudden changes in salinity. The coelomic solutes consist almost entirely of electrolytes and the osmotic contribution of NPS is essentially negligible....... In the body wall extracts, however, NPS accounts for at least one third of the osmotic concentration and for most of the substantial non-electrolyte fraction. There is no evidence from coelomic NPS measurements for extrusion of cellular amino acids during adaptation to lowered salinity. In diluted sea water...

Salinity Trends in the Upper Colorado River Basin Upstream From the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit, Colorado, 1986-2003

Science.gov (United States)

Leib, Kenneth J.; Bauch, Nancy J.

2008-01-01

In 1974, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act was passed into law. This law was enacted to address concerns regarding the salinity content of the Colorado River. The law authorized various construction projects in selected areas or 'units' of the Colorado River Basin intended to reduce the salinity load in the Colorado River. One such area was the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit in western Colorado. The U. S. Geological Survey has done extensive studies and research in the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit that provide information to aid the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in determining where salinity-control work may provide the best results, and to what extent salinity-control work was effective in reducing salinity concentrations and loads in the Colorado River. Previous studies have indicated that salinity concentrations and loads have been decreasing downstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit, and that the decreases are likely the result of salinity control work in these areas. Several of these reports; however, also document decreasing salinity loads upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit. This finding was important because only a small amount of salinity-control work was being done in areas upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit at the time the findings were reported (late 1990?s). As a result of those previous findings, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate salinity trends in selected areas bracketing the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit and regions upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit. The results of the study indicate that salinity loads were decreasing upstream from the Grand Valley Salinity Control Unit from 1986 through 2003, but the rates of decrease have slowed during the last 10 years. The average rate of decrease in salinity load upstream from the Grand Valley

Physiological Response to Salinity Stress by Primed Seedsof Three Species of Lawn

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SH. Sedaghathoor

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Salinity is one of the most important ecological stresses which have undesirable effects on seed germination. This study was carried out to evaluate the germination of three species of lawn (Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, Cynodon dactylon seeds under salinity stress. The effect of different treatments (Gibberellins 50 mgl-1, 2% CaCl2 and hydroprimig in 24 hours was evaluated on total germination, mean daily germination, maximum and mean germination percent in three species of lawn, under four levels of salinity (0, 3, 6, 9 dS/m. Priming factor (Gibberellins and water was more effective than salinity on the seed germination. Among lawn types, Lolium perenne and Cynodon dactylon indicated greater seed germination percentage and germination rate. The least rate and percentage of germination belonged to Poa pratensis. Among priming treatments, gibberellins had the greatest effect on germination, followed by hydropriming. However, interaction effects of "Lolium × CaCl2" were greater than other treatments on the mean daily germination and germination value. Based on the results, seed priming specially Gibberellins could be an appropriate substrate to improve seed germination in lawns, when grown under salinity.

Physiological responses to salinity in solanum lycopersicum l. varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amador, B.M.; Montiel, L.G.H.; Perez, J.J.R.; Puente, E.O.R.

2017-01-01

Worldwide over 30% of irrigated and 7% of rainfed agriculture has been limited by salinity stress. Tolerance of crops to salinity varies and negatively affects agricultural productivity. Despite the plethora of information on NaCl tolerance mechanisms, it is still not completely elucidated. The purpose of this research was to determine NaCl tolerance of eight tomato varieties (Tropic, Feroz, Ace, Super Rio Grande, Yaqui, Missouri, Vita and Floradade) by evaluating their physiological traits. These varieties were exposed to salinity stress by the addition of NaCl (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM). The physiological variables measured were stomatal conductance, water potential, chlorophyll a, b, total, indirect chlorophyll content, leaf temperature, transpiration and relative water content. The results showed differences in tolerance between varieties in terms of NaCl concentrations and there was interaction between varieties * NaCl in the majority of physiological variables. Symptoms of NaCl stress in the tomato plants were leaf wilting, desiccation, necrosis, and death. All measured variables decreased as salinity increased, except for relative water content and leaf temperature, values of both these variables increased with higher concentrations of NaCl. Physiological traits may be used as an effective means for screening for salinity tolerance in tomato varieties. Amongst the tomato varieties evaluated were Missouri the most tolerant, and Rio Grande the least tolerant. The results indicate that the varieties best tolerant to NaCl conditions from most to least tolerant in successive orderare: Missouri, followed by Ace, Yaqui, Tropic, Floradade, Feroz, Vita and Rio Grande. (author)

Comparison of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and colorimetric determination of total and extractable phosphorus in soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, Krasimir; Zaprjanova, Penka; Petkova, Milena; Stefanova, Violeta; Kmetov, Veselin; Georgieva, Deyana; Angelova, Violina

2012-01-01

The most widely used method for determination of total phosphorus in soils is perchloric acid digestion, followed by a colorimetric assay to measure the concentration of P in solution. The first part of this study compares an alternative digestion method, using aqua regia (ISO 11466 and EPA Method 3052), with perchloric acid digestion procedure, and also compares inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) with colorimetry for the measurement of P on the basis of five internationally certified standard soils and 20 real-life soils with widely different extractability of phosphorus. The phosphorus concentration was determined by means of the reduced phosphomolybdenum blue and ICP-MS. The relationship between methods has been examined statistically. Good agreement of the results from colorimetry and ICP-MS was established for all certified soils. The microwave-assisted digestion with aqua regia was comparable, both in precision and accuracy, with the hot plate aqua regia method. The phosphorus concentration found with the HF + HClO 4 digestion method was in good agreement with the certified mean values, while the superiority in extracting phosphorus, when compared to other methods, was obvious. Soil testing for plant-available phosphorus in Bulgaria and many European countries is most commonly conducted using acid Ca-lactate extraction (Egner–Riehm test) and alkaline sodium bicarbonate extraction (BDS ISO 11263:2002), based on Olsen test, followed by a colorimetric assay to measure the concentration of P in solution. The second part of this study reports the differences between Egner–Riehm test and BDS ISO 11263:2002 measured colorimetrically and by ICP-MS. Fifty soils were selected from South Bulgaria to represent a wide range of soil properties. It was established that ICP-MS consistently yielded significantly higher P concentrations than the colorimetric method in both extraction tests, and the relative differences were greatest in soils with lower P

Comparison of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and colorimetric determination of total and extractable phosphorus in soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ivanov, Krasimir, E-mail: kivanov1@abv.bg [Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Plovdiv (Bulgaria); Zaprjanova, Penka [Tobacco and Tobacco Products Institute, Plovdiv (Bulgaria); Petkova, Milena [Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Plovdiv (Bulgaria); Stefanova, Violeta; Kmetov, Veselin; Georgieva, Deyana [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Plovdiv University ' Paisii Hilendarski,' Plovdiv (Bulgaria); Angelova, Violina [Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Plovdiv (Bulgaria)

2012-05-15

The most widely used method for determination of total phosphorus in soils is perchloric acid digestion, followed by a colorimetric assay to measure the concentration of P in solution. The first part of this study compares an alternative digestion method, using aqua regia (ISO 11466 and EPA Method 3052), with perchloric acid digestion procedure, and also compares inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) with colorimetry for the measurement of P on the basis of five internationally certified standard soils and 20 real-life soils with widely different extractability of phosphorus. The phosphorus concentration was determined by means of the reduced phosphomolybdenum blue and ICP-MS. The relationship between methods has been examined statistically. Good agreement of the results from colorimetry and ICP-MS was established for all certified soils. The microwave-assisted digestion with aqua regia was comparable, both in precision and accuracy, with the hot plate aqua regia method. The phosphorus concentration found with the HF + HClO{sub 4} digestion method was in good agreement with the certified mean values, while the superiority in extracting phosphorus, when compared to other methods, was obvious. Soil testing for plant-available phosphorus in Bulgaria and many European countries is most commonly conducted using acid Ca-lactate extraction (Egner-Riehm test) and alkaline sodium bicarbonate extraction (BDS ISO 11263:2002), based on Olsen test, followed by a colorimetric assay to measure the concentration of P in solution. The second part of this study reports the differences between Egner-Riehm test and BDS ISO 11263:2002 measured colorimetrically and by ICP-MS. Fifty soils were selected from South Bulgaria to represent a wide range of soil properties. It was established that ICP-MS consistently yielded significantly higher P concentrations than the colorimetric method in both extraction tests, and the relative differences were greatest in soils with lower

Saline agriculture in Mediterranean environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albino Maggio

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Salinization is increasingly affecting world's agricultural land causing serious yield loss and soil degradation. Understanding how we could improve crop productivity in salinized environments is therefore critical to meet the challenging goal of feeding 9.3 billion people by 2050. Our comprehension of fundamental physiological mechanisms in plant salt stress adaptation has greatly advanced over the last decades. However, many of these mechanisms have been linked to salt tolerance in simplified experimental systems whereas they have been rarely functionally proven in real agricultural contexts. In-depth analyses of specific crop-salinity interactions could reveal important aspects of plant salt stress adaptation as well as novel physiological/agronomic targets to improve salinity tolerance. These include the developmental role of root vs. shoot systems respect to water-ion homeostasis, morphological vs. metabolic contributions to stress adaptation, developmental processes vs. seasonal soil salinity evolution, residual effects of saline irrigation in non-irrigated crops, critical parameters of salt tolerance in soil-less systems and controlled environments, response to multiple stresses. Finally, beneficial effects of salinization on qualitative parameters such as stress-induced accumulation of high nutritional value secondary metabolites should be considered, also. In this short review we attempted to highlight the multifaceted nature of salinity in Mediterranean agricultural systems by summarizing most experimental activity carried out at the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy of University of Naples Federico II in the last few years.

Effects of Increasing Aqueous Root Extract of Moringa oleifera on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The phytochemical effects of aqueous extract of root on sperm production of White albino rats were investigated. The rats were divided into five treatment dose levels; 0 (5.0 ml saline); 5.0; 10.0; 15.0 and 20.0 mls consisting five (5) animals per treatment and administered orally for 10 days using aqueous extract of Moringa ...

Growth and nutrient concentrations of maize in pressmud treated saline-sodic soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Muhammad

2009-05-01

Full Text Available n open-air pot experiment was conducted to investigate effects of pressmud (PM on saline-sodic soil reclamation, mitigating the adverse effects of saline irrigation and increase of maize (Zea mays L. growth. Pressmud was added at the rate of 0, 5, 10 and 20 Mg ha-1 to pots containing 6.8 kg air dried surface (0-20 cm soil collected from two sites. The increasing levels of PM enhanced maize plant height, shoots and roots biomass in both soils. However, the Soil 2, with initial EC and SAR of 5.43 dS m-1 and 18.67(m mol L-11/2, respectively, produced comparatively more biomass at all PM levels than Soil 1 [silty-clay loam, EC = 6.22 dS m-1, SAR = 20.72 (m mol L- 1 1/2]. The [P] in shoots was maximum at the highest PM in both the soils but the [K] increased with PM levels in Soil 1 and decreased in Soil 2 due to the dilution effect. The Soil 1 maintained several folds more [Na] in shoots and consequently lower K:Na ratio than Soil 2. The post harvest soil pH, Na, Ca+Mg and SAR in saturation extracts decreased with increasing levels of PM as compared to control. Soil 2 released more volume of leachate as compared to Soil 1 but the leachate EC and [Na] were comparable while [Ca+Mg] were relatively higher in Soil 2. The higher removal of total salts from Soil 2 resulted in lower soil pH, EC and SAR in this soil as compared to Soil 1. The increases in crop growth with each increment of PM up to 20 Mg ha-1 in the present study proved the benefits of PM in increasing crop yields and suggested that doses higher than 20 Mg PM ha-1 could be applied to the saline-sodic soils ofthe area to get maximum possible crop yields depending on soil and water quality

A comparison of sputum induction methods: ultrasonic vs compressed-air nebulizer and hypertonic vs isotonic saline inhalation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loh, L C; Eg, K P; Puspanathan, P; Tang, S P; Yip, K S; Vijayasingham, P; Thayaparan, T; Kumar, S

2004-03-01

Airway inflammation can be demonstrated by the modem method of sputum induction using ultrasonic nebulizer and hypertonic saline. We studied whether compressed-air nebulizer and isotonic saline which are commonly available and cost less, are as effective in inducing sputum in normal adult subjects as the above mentioned tools. Sixteen subjects underwent weekly sputum induction in the following manner: ultrasonic nebulizer (Medix Sonix 2000, Clement Clarke, UK) using hypertonic saline, ultrasonic nebulizer using isotonic saline, compressed-air nebulizer (BestNeb, Taiwan) using hypertonic saline, and compressed-air nebulizer using isotonic saline. Overall, the use of an ultrasonic nebulizer and hypertonic saline yielded significantly higher total sputum cell counts and a higher percentage of cell viability than compressed-air nebulizers and isotonic saline. With the latter, there was a trend towards squamous cell contaminations. The proportion of various sputum cell types was not significantly different between the groups, and the reproducibility in sputum macrophages and neutrophils was high (Intraclass correlation coefficient, r [95%CI]: 0.65 [0.30-0.91] and 0.58 [0.22-0.89], p compressed-air nebulizers and isotonic saline. We conclude that in normal subjects, although both nebulizers and saline types can induce sputum with reproducible cellular profile, ultrasonic nebulizers and hypertonic saline are more effective but less well tolerated.

Phytochemical and analgesic evaluation of methanol leaf extract of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Phytochemical and analgesic evaluation of methanol leaf extract of ... Thirty minutes prior to intraperitoneal injection with 2 ml of 0.1% acetic acid, animals in groups ... (acetaminophen), aspirin and indomethacin while VII received saline water.

crude methanolic extracts of ageratum conyzoides and cutaneous ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Anatomy

wound in the experimental group was dressed with crude methanolic extract of Ageratum conyzoides at a five daily interval while the animals in the control group were dressed with normal saline at ... in Africa (Almagboul et al, 1985), Asia, and.

Analysis of the Anticancer Phytochemicals in Andrographis paniculata Nees. under Salinity Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daryush Talei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Salinity causes the adverse effects in all physiological processes of plants. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of salt stress to enhance the accumulation of the anticancer phytochemicals in Andrographis paniculata accessions. For this purpose, 70-day-old plants were grown in different salinity levels (0.18, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dSm−1 on sand medium. After inducing a period of 30-day salinity stress and before flowering, all plants were harvested and the data on morphological traits, proline content and the three anticancer phytochemicals, including andrographolide (AG, neoandrographolide (NAG, and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (DDAG, were measured. The results indicated that salinity had a significant effect on the aforementioned three anticancer phytochemicals. In addition, the salt tolerance index (STI was significantly decreased, while, except for DDAG, the content of proline, the AG, and NAG was significantly increased (P≤0.01. Furthermore, it was revealed that significant differences among accessions could happen based on the total dry weight, STI, AG, and NAG. Finally, we noticed that the salinity at 12 dSm−1 led to the maximum increase in the quantities of AG, NAG, and DDAG. In other words, under salinity stress, the tolerant accessions were capable of accumulating the higher amounts of proline, AG, and NAG than the sensitive accessions.

Analysis of the Anticancer Phytochemicals in Andrographis paniculata Nees. under Salinity Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Valdiani, Alireza; Maziah, Mahmood; Saad, Mohd Said

2013-01-01

Salinity causes the adverse effects in all physiological processes of plants. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of salt stress to enhance the accumulation of the anticancer phytochemicals in Andrographis paniculata accessions. For this purpose, 70-day-old plants were grown in different salinity levels (0.18, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dSm−1) on sand medium. After inducing a period of 30-day salinity stress and before flowering, all plants were harvested and the data on morphological traits, proline content and the three anticancer phytochemicals, including andrographolide (AG), neoandrographolide (NAG), and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (DDAG), were measured. The results indicated that salinity had a significant effect on the aforementioned three anticancer phytochemicals. In addition, the salt tolerance index (STI) was significantly decreased, while, except for DDAG, the content of proline, the AG, and NAG was significantly increased (P ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, it was revealed that significant differences among accessions could happen based on the total dry weight, STI, AG, and NAG. Finally, we noticed that the salinity at 12 dSm−1 led to the maximum increase in the quantities of AG, NAG, and DDAG. In other words, under salinity stress, the tolerant accessions were capable of accumulating the higher amounts of proline, AG, and NAG than the sensitive accessions. PMID:24371819

Salinity Effects on Photosynthesis, Carbon Allocation, and Nitrogen Assimilation in the Red Alga, Gelidium coulteri1

Science.gov (United States)

Macler, Bruce A.

1988-01-01

The long-term effects of altered salinities on the physiology of the intertidal red alga Gelidium coulteri Harv. were assessed. Plants were transfered from 30 grams per liter salinity to media with salinities from 0 to 50 grams per liter. Growth rate, agar, photosynthesis, respiration, and various metabolites were quantified after 5 days and 5 weeks adaptation. After 5 days, growth rates were lower for plants at all altered salinities. Growth rates recovered from these values with 5 weeks adaptation, except for salinities of 10 grams per liter and below, where tissues bleached and died. Photosynthetic O2 evolution was lower than control values at both higher and lower salinities after 5 days and did not change over time. Carbon fixation at the altered salinities was unchanged after 5 days, but decreased below 25 grams per liter and above 40 grams per liter after 5 weeks. Respiration increased at lower salinities. Phycobili-protein and chlorophyll were lower for all altered salinities after 5 days. These decreases continued at lower salinities, then were stable after 5 weeks. Chlorophyll recovered over time at higher salinities. Decreases in protein at lower salinities were quantitatively attributable to phycobili-protein loss. Total N levels and C:N ratios were nearly constant across all salinities tested. Carbon flow into glutamate and aspartate decreased with both decreasing and increasing salinities. Glycine, serine, and glycolate levels increased with both increasing and decreasing salinity, indicating a stimulation of photorespiration. The cell wall component agar increased with decreasing salinity, although biosynthesis was inhibited at both higher and lower salinities. The storage compound floridoside increased with increasing salinity. The evidence suggests stress responses to altered salinities that directly affected photosynthesis, respiration, and nitrogen assimilation and indirectly affected photosynthate flow. At low salinities, respiration and

[Variations of soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities with different salinities on Yuyao coast, Zhejiang, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hui; Zhang, Jian Feng; Xu, Hua Sen; Chen, Guang Cai; Wang, Li Ping

2016-10-01

In October 2015, soil samples with different salinity were collected in a coast area in Yuyao, Zhejiang, and soil microbial community composition, soil catalase, urease activities, as well as soil physical and chemical properties were studied. The results showed that Nitrospira took absolute advantage in the bacterial community, and showed good correlations to total potassium. Cladosporium and Fusarium were predominant in the fungal community. Meanwhile, Cladosporium was related to soil urease and total nitrogen, and same correlation was found between Fusarium and soil urease. Catalase activity ranged from 3.52 to 4.56 mL·g -1 , 3.08 to 4.61 mL·g -1 and 5.81 to 6.91 mL·g -1 for soils with heavy, medium and weak salinity, respectively. Catalase activity increased with the soil layer deepening, which was directly related to soil total potassium, and indirectly related to pH, organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus through total potassium. Soil urease activity ranged among 0.04 to 0.52 mg·g -1 , 0.08 to 1.07 mg·g -1 and 0.27 to 8.21 mg·g -1 for each saline soil, respectively. Urease activity decreased with soil layer deepening which was directly related to soil total nitrogen, and was indirectly related to pH, organic matter and total potassium through total nitrogen. The total phosphorus was the largest effect factor on the bacterial community CCA ordination, and the urease was on fungal community.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Soil Salinity, Acidity, and Arsenic Concentration in a Polder in Southwest Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Ayers, J. C.; Patton, B.; Fry, D. C.; Goodbred, S. L., Jr.

2017-12-01

Soil samples were collected on Polder 32 in the coastal zone of SW Bangladesh in wet (October) and dry (May) seasons from 2013-2017 and analyzed to characterize the problems of soil salinization and arsenic contamination and identify their causes. Soils are entisols formed from recently deposited, predominantly silt-sized sediments with low carbon concentrations typical of the local mangrove forests. Soluble (DI extract) arsenic concentrations were below the Government of Bangladesh limit of 50 ppb for drinking water. Soil acidity and extract arsenic concentrations exhibit spatial variation but no consistent trends. In October soil extract As is higher and S and pH are lower than in May. These observations suggest that wet season rainwater oxidizes pyrite, reducing soil S and releasing H+, causing pH to decrease. Released iron is oxidized to form Hydrous Ferric Oxyhydroxides (HFOs), which sorb As and increase extractable As in wet season soils. Changes in pH are small due to pH buffering by soil carbonates. Soil and rice paddy water salinities are consistently higher in May than October, reaching levels in May that reduce rice yields. Rice grown in paddies should be unaffected by salt concentrations in the wet season, while arsenic concentrations in soil may be high enough to cause unsafe As levels in produced rice.

Extraction of total polyphenols from hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. and waxweed / ‘sete-sangrias’ (Cuphea carthagenensis and evaluation of their antioxidant potential

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Daniele Begmeier

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Current research investigates the extraction process of total polyphenols from hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa L. and waxweed (Brazilian name: ‘sete-sangrias’ (Cuphea carthagenensis and evaluates the antioxidant potential of their extracts. The extraction stage comprised investigation on the following parameters: i solvents (acetone and ethanol pure and fractioned with water; ii variables (temperature, stirring, solvent ratio, time and pH. Total polyphenols were quantified by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and antioxidant activity was determined by ABTS•+ (2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay. Results showed that, depending on experimental conditions, total phenolic contents for hibiscus and waxweed ranged between 460.86 mg GAE 100 g-1 and 5012.54 mg GAE 100 g-1 and between 462.86 mg GAE 100 g-1 and 4215.99 mg GAE 100 g-1, respectively. Waxweed had a higher antioxidant activity when compared to that of hibiscus by both ABTS•+ and DPPH. Data showed that hibiscus and waxweed have a significant amount of polyphenols which may be extracted in mild processing conditions and then employed as natural antioxidant sources in industrial processes.

Using Modified Remote Sensing Imagery to Interpret Changes in Cultivated Land under Saline-Alkali Conditions

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Hui Gao

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Managing the rapidly changing saline-alkali land under cultivation in the coastal areas of China is important not only for mitigating the negative impacts of such land on the environment, but also for ensuring long-term sustainability of agriculture. In this light, setting up rapid monitoring systems to assist decision-making in developing sustainable management plans is therefore an absolute necessity. In this study, we developed a new interpretation system where symbols are used to grade and classify saline-alkali lands in space and time, based on the characteristics of plant cover and features of remote sensing images. The system was used in combination with the maximum likelihood supervised classification to analyze the changes in cultivated lands under saline-alkali conditions in Huanghua City. The analysis revealed changes in the area and spatial distribution of cultivated under saline-alkali conditions in the region. The total area of saline-alkali land was 139,588.8 ha in 1992 and 134,477.5 ha in 2011. Compared with 1992, severely and moderately saline-alkali land areas decreased in 2011. However, non/slightly saline land areas increased over that in 1992. The results showed that the salinization rate of arable lands in Huanghua City decreased from 1992 to 2011. The moderately saline-alkali land southeast of the city transformed into non/slightly saline-alkaline. Then, severely saline-alkali land far from the coastal zone west of the city became moderately saline-alkaline. Spatial changes in cultivated saline-alkali lands in Huanghua City were such that the centers of gravity (CG of severely and non/slightly saline-alkali land moved closer the coastline, while that of the moderately saline-alkali land moved from southwest coastal line to northwest. Factors influencing changes in cultivated lands in the saline-alkali ecosystem included climate, hydrology and human activity. Thus, studies are required to further explore these factors in

Determination of Nutrient Contents and Gas Production Values of Some Legume Forages Grown in the Harran Plain Saline Soils

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M. Boga

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the nutritive value of some legume species in salt-affected soils of South-East Anatolian region using chemical composition and in vitro gas production kinetics. In this study, Lotus corniculatus, Trifolium alexandrinum, Medicago sativa were sown and tested in four different locations. A 3 by 4 factorial design with 3 legume species and 4 salt levels (non salty electrical conductivity (ECECECEC was used in the study. Results indicated that salinity and plants had no significant effect on ash and ether extract. Dry matter (DM, acid detergent fiber, digestible dry matter, dry matter intake (DMI were affected by plant, salinity and plant×salinity interaction. On the other hand neutral detergent fiber, relative feed value (RFV, and DMI were affected by salinity and plant×salinity interaction. Mineral contents were affected by plant species, salinity and salinity×plants interactions. In vitro gas production, their kinetics and estimated parameters such as were not affected by salinity whereas the gas production up to 48 h, organic matter digestibility, metabolizable energy (ME, and net energy lactation (NEL were affected by plant and plant×salt interaction. Generally RFVs of all species ranged from 120 to 210 and were quite satisfactory in salty conditions. Current results show that the feed value of Medicago sativa is higher compared to Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium alexandrinum.

Extraction of total RNA in the developing chicken forebrain

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Sayed Rasoul Zaker

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Gene expression of Gama-Aminobutyric acid (GABA A receptor subunits may change during development. Procedures in molecular biology are required to understand the gene expression profile GABA A R in chicken. The outcome of the results depends on good-quality high-molecular-weight RNA. Several procedures can be used to isolate RNA from the brain of chicken; however, most of them are time-consuming and require disruption of cells or freeze and thaw in the presence of RNase inhibitors. The aim of this experiment was isolation of RNA from chicken embryonic brain tissues using appropriate RNA extraction kit. Materials and Methods: Fertilized eggs from Ross breed (Gallus gallus were incubated at 38°C and 60% relative humidity in a forced-draft incubator and were turned every 3 h. After 3, 7, 14 and 20 days of incubation, eggs were cooled on ice to induce deep anesthesia. Then whole brains were dissected out. As brains could not be excised in a reproducible way from earlier embryos (embryonic days 4 and 6, whole heads were collected. Chicken embryos between day 7 to 20 and 1 day after birth were decapitated, and their brains removed. Samples were immediately inserted into lysis buffer and stored at −70°C. Total RNA was isolated and a contaminating genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA was digested. RNA quality was checked using gel electrophoresis. Results: We obtained 52 mg/ml to 745 mg/ml with A260/280 1.7-2.2. Only high-quality RNA, with no signs of degradation, was used for further experiments. Conclusion: In conclusion, protocol was found to be suitable for the isolation of total RNA from embryonic chicken cells.

Salinity stress and some physiological relationships in Kochia (Kochia scoparia

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Jafar Nabati

2018-06-01

index was also increased in Isfahan while it was decreased in the other ecotypes with the highest reduction in Birjand ecotype. An increasing trend of shoot Na+ content at anthesis was observed in all ecotypes showing the highest increase in Boroujerd and Isfahan and the lowest in Birjand ecotypes. A lower shoot K+ content at anthesis was observed in all ecotypes except Urmia in higher salinity levels. In contrast to Sabzevar soluble carbohydrates was decreased in Urmia, Isfahan, Boroujerd and Birjand in higher salinity levels. Increasing salinity intensity caused an increase in leaf proline content in Birjand and Isfahan ecotypes while it had no effect on Boroujerd and an additive effect on this parameter in Urmia and Sabzevar ecotypes. A higher osmotic potential was found in Boroujerd, Birjand and Sabzevar in higher EC levels. Phenol content was lower in Urmia, Boroujerd and Birjand in higher salinity levels while it was higher in Sabzevar. No significant difference was observed in Isfahan ecotype according to this parameter. DPPH radical scavenging activity was decreased in Birjand, Urmia and Boroujerd while it was increased in the other two ecotypes. Conclusion Regarding higher biomass and lower physiological indices such as soluble carbyhydrates, total phenol, DPPH radical scavenging activities in Birjand and Urmia ecotypes, it may be cocluded that higher amounts of these parameters might not be suitable traits in salinity tolerant genotypes selection.

Fully integrated physically-based numerical modelling of impacts of groundwater extraction on surface and irrigation-induced groundwater interactions: case study Lower River Murray, Australia

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Alaghmand, S.; Beecham, S.; Hassanli, A.

2013-07-01

Combination of reduction in the frequency, duration and magnitude of natural floods, rising saline water-table in floodplains and excessive evapotranspiration have led to an irrigation-induced groundwater mound forced the naturally saline groundwater onto the floodplain in the Lower River Murray. It is during the attenuation phase of floods that these large salt accumulations are likely to be mobilised and will discharge into the river. The Independent Audit Group for Salinity highlighted this as the most significant risk in the Murray-Darling Basin. South Australian government and catchment management authorities have developed salt interception schemes (SIS). This is to pump the highly saline groundwater from the floodplain aquifer to evaporation basins in order to reduce the hydraulic gradient that drives the regional saline groundwater towards the River Murray. This paper investigates the interactions between a river (River Murray in South Australia) and a saline semi-arid floodplain (Clarks Floodplain) significantly influenced by groundwater lowering (Bookpurnong SIS). Results confirm that groundwater extraction maintain a lower water-table and more fresh river water flux to the saline floodplain aquifer. In term of salinity, this may lead to less amount of solute stored in the floodplain aquifer. This occurs through two mechanisms; extracting some of the solute mass from the system and changing the floodplain groundwater regime from a losing to gaining one. Finally, it is shown that groundwater extraction is able to remove some amount of solute stored in the unsaturated zone and mitigate the floodplain salinity risk.

Investigation of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents, and Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities from Baeckea frutescens Extracts

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Nisa, K.; Nurhayati, S.; Apriyana, W.; Indrianingsih, A. W.

2017-12-01

Baeckea frutescens L. is a medicinal plant endemic to the tropical area and it has been used by locals for topical and oral ailments. This study investigated total phenolic and flavonoid contents and also evaluated in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of of Baeckea frutescens crude extracts. These extracts were assessed for their antibacterial activities against strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella thypii, and Pseudomonas aureginosa by the broth micro-dilution methods using a modified tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay). Baeckea frutescens crude extracts were also tested against the stable DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) free-radical. The results indicated that Baeckea frutescens water and ethanol extracts possesed remarkable antibacterial activity with the minimum inhibitory concentration less than 100 μg/ml against Escherichia coli and Salmonella thypi. On the evaluation of the antioxidant activity via DPPH assay, Baeckea frutescens ethanol extracts exhibited a good antioxidant activity with IC50 less than 50 μg/ml and Baeckea frutescens water extracts showed a moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 less than 100 μg/ml.

Salinity intrusion modeling for Sungai Selangor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed Roseli Zainal Abidin; Abd Jalil Hassan; Suriyani Awang; Liew Yuk San; Norbaya Hashim

2006-01-01

Salinity intrusion into estuary of the Sungai Selangor has been carried out on a hydrodynamic numerical modeling to access the parameter that governed the amount of salt in the river. Issues such as water pollution and extraction of water from Sungai Selangor system has been said to be the cause of fading fireflies. The berembang trees on the river bank that become the fireflies habitat need some amount of salt for proper growth. Living at the lower reaches of Sungai Selangor, the fireflies are affected not only by the activities in their vicinity, but by activities in the entire river basin. Rapid economic development in the basin and the strong demand for the water resources puts pressure on the ecosystem. This research has been carried out to investigate the effect of water extraction along Sungai Selangor towards altering the amount of salt content in the river. The hydrodynamic modeling with regards to the salt content is expected to support long term assessment that may affect the berembang trees as a result of changes in the flow from upstream because of the water abstraction activity for domestic water supply. (Author)

Optimization of dynamic-microwave assisted enzymatic hydrolysis extraction of total ginsenosides from stems and leaves of panax ginseng by response surface methodology.

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Wang, Xiao-Yan; Ren, Hui

2018-03-21

Ginseng stems and leaves (GSAL) are abundant in ginsenosides compounds. For efficient utilization of GSAL and the enhancement of total ginsenosides (TG) compound yields in GSAL, TG from GSAL were extracted, using dynamic-microwave assisted extraction coupled with enzymatic hydrolysis (DMAE-EH) method. The extraction process has been simulated and its main influencing factors such as ethanol concentration, microwave temperature, microwave time and pump flow rate have been optimized by response surface methodology coupled with a Box-Behnken design(BBD). The experimental results indicated that optimal extraction conditions of TG from GSAL were as follows: ethanol concentration of 75%, microwave temperature of 60°C, microwave time of 20 min and pump flow rate of 38 r/min. After experimental verification, the experimental yields of TG was 60.62 ± 0.85 mg g -1 , which were well agreement with the predicted by the model. In general, the present results demonstrated that DMAE-EH method was successfully used to extract total ginsenosides in GSAL.

T-Stimulator effect on cotton protein composition and synthesis in salinization stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibragimova, E.A.; Nazirova, E.R.; Samarkhodjaeva, N.R.; Nalbandyan, A.A.; Babaev, T.A.

2004-01-01

Full text: T-stimulator was established to possess a wide spectrum of physiological effects, to enhance plant adaptation to thermal stress and to increase plant resistance to pathogens. Plant adaptation to unfavorable conditions manifests in changes in many links of metabolism, that of proteins included. We studied effect of cottonseed treatment with T-stimulator on composition and synthesis of plasma membrane proteins upon chloride salinization by means of the radioisotope method. Electrophoretic fractionation of cottonseed plasma membrane proteins showed absence of more than 40 polypeptides with molecular mass from 10 to more than 100 kDa in the cotton root membranes. Major fractions-polypeptides with molecular mass of 61, 53, 46, 25, 21, 20 and 18 kDa constitute about 50% of the total polypeptide composition. The salinization significantly affects the total membrane protein output, proportion of some polypeptides and their synthesis rate. Analysis of phoreogram radioautographs showed that 2-hour exposition of cotton roots to 35 S methionine suppresses synthesis of major polypeptides with molecular mass of 63, 61 and 53 kDa, that of low molecular polypeptides (46, 20, 18 kDa) increasing. Changes in the proportion of major polypeptides in cotton plasma membranes, reduction in rate of biosynthesis of high molecular fractions with the general suppression of label inclusion in the membrane fraction are the evidence for a disturbance in biosynthesis of some membrane proteins in cotton tissue cells upon salinization. The inhibiting effect of salinization on the protein-synthesizing system was observed in plants treated with T-stimulator, but the rate of synthesis in plasma membranes of the treated plants was found significantly higher. The activation of some plasma membrane proteins under T-stimulator effect suggests an association with the increase in adaptation of the treated plants to the disturbing effect of salinization

Evaluation of antioxidant activity of grapevine leaves extracts (Vitis labrusca in liver of Wistar rats

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THAYS K. SCHAFFER

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotection of organic and conventional grapevine leaves extract (Vitis labrusca. The total polyphenol content and the isolate polyphenols by HPLC were evaluate. The animals received intraperitoneal injections of saline or extracts (conventional or organic - 30 mg/kg for 14 days. On day 15, the rats received carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 or mineral oil (i.p.. After 4h, the animals were euthanized. The analysis of the liver enzymes activity (AST, ALT, GGT was performed using serum, obtained by blood and the levels of lipid peroxidation (TBARS, protein oxidation (carbonyl, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase were analyzed in the liver. The results showed that the organic extract is richer in polyphenol and resveratrol than the conventional one. Both extracts prevent lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation generated by CCl4. Moreover, the extracts demonstrated ability to modulate the activity of SOD and CAT, as well as to establish a balance in the ratio of SOD/CAT. We also found that the CCl4 increased the levels of AST and GGT, and that both extracts prevent this. These results indicate that grapevine leaves extracts, both, organic and conventional, can prevent liver disorders.

Evaluation of medicinal plants and colloidal silver efficiency against Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in Litopenaeus vannamei cultured at low salinity.

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Morales-Covarrubias, María Soledad; García-Aguilar, Noemí; Bolan-Mejía, María Del; Puello-Cruz, Ana Carmela

2016-11-22

In shrimp aquaculture, reduction in the use of synthetic antibiotics is a priority due to the high incidence of resistant bacteria (Vibrio) in the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. An increasing number of studies show bactericidal activity of natural treatments in aquaculture. The effectiveness of neem (Azadirachta indica) and oregano (Lippia berlandieri) aqueous extracts and colloidal silver against V. parahaemolyticus were evaluated in low salinity shrimp culture. Results show that aqueous extracts of oregano and neem each present a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.50 mg ml-1 and inhibitory halos of 12.0 to 19.0 mm. Colloidal silver gave a MIC of 2 mg ml-1, and the inhibitory halos were found to be between 11.8 and 18.8 mm, depending on treatment concentrations. An in vivo challenge test was conducted on white shrimp postlarvae cultured at low salinity (5 practical salinity units, PSU), and a significant increase (p colloidal silver 90%), when compared to the control (0%) in the challenge test. However, no significant differences were observed between treatments, suggesting that they all act as alternative bactericidal source agents against V. parahaemolyticus infections for L. vannamei postlarvae when cultured at 5 PSU.

Determination of As concentration in earthworm coelomic fluid extracts by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

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Allegretta, Ignazio; Porfido, Carlo; Panzarino, Onofrio; Fontanella, Maria Chiara; Beone, Gian Maria; Spagnuolo, Matteo; Terzano, Roberto

2017-04-01

Earthworms are often used as sentinel organisms to study As bioavailability in polluted soils. Arsenic in earthworms is mainly sequestrated in the coelomic fluids whose As content can therefore be used to asses As bioavalability. In this work, a method for determining As concentration in coelomic fluid extracts using total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) is presented. For this purpose coelomic fluid extracts from earthworms living in three polluted soils and one non-polluted (control) soil have been collected and analysed. A very simple sample preparation was implemented, consisting of a dilution of the extracts with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using a 1:8 ratio and dropwise deposition of the sample on the reflector. A detection limit of 0.2 μg/l and quantification limit of 0.6 μg/l was obtained in the diluted samples, corresponding to 2 μg/l and 6 μg/l in the coelomic fluid extracts, respectively. This allowed to quantify As concentration in coelomic fluids extracted from earthworms living in soils polluted with As at concentrations higher than 20 mg/kg (considered as a pollution threshold for agricultural soils). The TXRF method has been validated by comparison with As concentrations in standards and by analysing the same samples by ICP-MS, after acid digestion of the sample. The low limit of detection, the proven reliability of the method and the little sample preparation make TXRF a suitable, cost-efficient and "green" technique for the analysis of As in earthworm coelomic fluid extracts for bioavailability studies.

Efficacy of nebulised L-adrenaline with 3% hypertonic saline versus normal saline in bronchiolitis

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Shabnam Sharmin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Bronchiolitis is one of the most common respiratory diseases requiring hospitalization. Nebulized epineph­rine and salbutamol therapy has been used in different centres with varying results. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of nebulised adrenaline diluted with 3% hypertonic saline with nebulised adrenaline diluted with normal saline in bronchiolitis. Methods: Fifty three infants and young children with bronchiolitis, age ranging from 2 months to 2 years, presenting in the emergency department of Manikganj Sadar Hospital were enrolled in the study. After initial evaluation, patients were randomized to receive either nebulized adrenaline I .5 ml ( 1.5 mg diluted with 2 ml of3% hypertonic saline (group I ornebulised adrenaline 1.5 ml (1.5 mg diluted with 2 ml of normal saline (group II. Patients were evaluated again 30 minutes after nebulization. Results: Twenty eight patients in the group I (hypertonic saline and twenty five in groupII (normal saline were included in the study. After nebulization, mean respiratory rate decreased from 63.7 to 48.1 (p<.01, mean clinical severity score decreased from 8.5 to 3.5 (p<.01 and mean oxygen satw·ation increased 94.7% to 96.9% (p<.01 in group I. In group II, mean respiratory rate decreased from 62.4 to 47.4 (p<.01, mean clinical severity score decreased from 7.2 to 4.1 (p<.01 and mean oxygen saturation increased from 94. 7% to 96. 7% (p<.01. Mean respiratory rate decreased by 16 in group I versus 14.8 (p>.05 in group 11, mean clinical severity score decreased by 4.6 in group versus 3 (p<.05 in group, and mean oxygen saturation increased by 2.2% and 1.9% in group and group respectively. Difference in reduction in clinical severity score was statistically significant , though the changes in respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study concluded that both nebulised adrenaline diluted with 3% hypertonic saline and

Halophytic Companion Plants Improve Growth and Physiological Parameters of Tomato Plants Grown under Salinity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karakas, S.; Cullu, M. A.; Kaya, C.; Dikilitas, M.

2016-01-01

Salinity becomes a major concern when soil salt concentration becomes excessive in growth medium. Halophytes are capable of accumulating high concentrations of NaCl in their tissues, thus using halophytic plants in crop rotations or even in mixed cropping systems may be a promising management practices to mitigate salt stress related yield loses. Salinity induced yield losses and related physiological parameters on tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. SC2121) grown with or without halophytic companion plants (SalsolasodaL. and Portulacaoleracea L.) were investigated in pot experiment. Treatments consist of four soil type (collected from Harran plain-Turkey) with similar physical properties but varying in salinity level: electrical conductivity (EC): 0.9, 4.2, 7.2, and 14.1 dS m/sup -1/. The reduction in plant total dry weight was 24, 19, and 48 percent in soils with slight (4.2dS m/sup -1/), moderate (7.2 dS m/sup -1/) and high (14.1 dS m/sup -1/) salinity as compared to non-saline soil (0.9 dS m/sup -1/), respectively. Leaf content of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) enzyme activity increased with increasing level of salinity. In tomato plants grown in consociation with Salsolasoda, salinity induced DM decrease was only 6, 12 and 28% in soils with slight, moderate and high salinity as compared to non-saline soil, respectively. However, when Portulaca oleracea used as companion plant, no significant change in biomass or fruit yield was observed. This study showed that mixed planting with Salsolasodain high saline soils may be an effective phyto-remediation technique that may secure yield formation and quality of tomato. (author)

Myrcia bella Leaf Extract Presents Hypoglycemic Activity via PI3k/Akt Insulin Signaling Pathway

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Priscilla Maria Ponce Vareda

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Species of Myrcia are used by indigenous people and in traditional communities in Brazil for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. We investigated the hypoglycemic effect of the extract of leaves of Myrcia bella in diabetic mice. The chemical fingerprinting of the 70% EtOH extract characterized as main constituents flavonoid aglycones, flavonoid-O-glycosides, and acylated flavonoid-O-glycosides derivatives of quercetin and myricetin. Mice were treated with saline or extract of M. bella (300 or 600 mg/Kg b.w. for 14 days. Body weight and water and food intake were measured every day. Fasting blood glucose was measured weekly. At the end of the treatment, blood insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and protein were measured. Glycogen content and expression of proteins of the insulin signaling pathway were measured in liver. The treatment with 600 mg/Kg reduced the fasting blood glucose in diabetic mice of the 7th day as water and food intake and increased hepatic glycogen. Total cholesterol and triglycerides were reduced in diabetic treated mice. The treatment increased the expression of IRS-1, PI3-K, and AKT in the livers of diabetic treated mice. The results indicate that the extract of the leaves of Myrcia bella has hypoglycemic properties and possibly acts to regulate glucose uptake by the liver.

Thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of power generation from natural salinity gradients by pressure retarded osmosis.

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Yip, Ngai Yin; Elimelech, Menachem

2012-05-01

The Gibbs free energy of mixing dissipated when fresh river water flows into the sea can be harnessed for sustainable power generation. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is one of the methods proposed to generate power from natural salinity gradients. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of PRO work extraction. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for PRO and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible PRO process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible constant-pressure PRO process is then examined. We derive an expression for the maximum extractable work in a constant-pressure PRO process and show that it is less than the ideal work (i.e., Gibbs free energy of mixing) due to inefficiencies intrinsic to the process. These inherent inefficiencies are attributed to (i) frictional losses required to overcome hydraulic resistance and drive water permeation and (ii) unutilized energy due to the discontinuation of water permeation when the osmotic pressure difference becomes equal to the applied hydraulic pressure. The highest extractable work in constant-pressure PRO with a seawater draw solution and river water feed solution is 0.75 kWh/m(3) while the free energy of mixing is 0.81 kWh/m(3)-a thermodynamic extraction efficiency of 91.1%. Our analysis further reveals that the operational objective to achieve high power density in a practical PRO process is inconsistent with the goal of maximum energy extraction. This study demonstrates thermodynamic and energetic approaches for PRO and offers insights on actual energy accessible for utilization in PRO power generation through salinity gradients. © 2012 American Chemical Society

A global algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity

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McDougall, T. J.; Jackett, D. R.; Millero, F. J.; Pawlowicz, R.; Barker, P. M.

2012-12-01

The International Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater - 2010 has defined the thermodynamic properties of seawater in terms of a new salinity variable, Absolute Salinity, which takes into account the spatial variation of the composition of seawater. Absolute Salinity more accurately reflects the effects of the dissolved material in seawater on the thermodynamic properties (particularly density) than does Practical Salinity. When a seawater sample has standard composition (i.e. the ratios of the constituents of sea salt are the same as those of surface water of the North Atlantic), Practical Salinity can be used to accurately evaluate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. When seawater is not of standard composition, Practical Salinity alone is not sufficient and the Absolute Salinity Anomaly needs to be estimated; this anomaly is as large as 0.025 g kg-1 in the northernmost North Pacific. Here we provide an algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity Anomaly for any location (x, y, p) in the world ocean. To develop this algorithm, we used the Absolute Salinity Anomaly that is found by comparing the density calculated from Practical Salinity to the density measured in the laboratory. These estimates of Absolute Salinity Anomaly however are limited to the number of available observations (namely 811). In order to provide a practical method that can be used at any location in the world ocean, we take advantage of approximate relationships between Absolute Salinity Anomaly and silicate concentrations (which are available globally).

Irrigation with saline-sodic water: effects on two clay soils

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Giovanna Cucci

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The results of a 4-year experiment aimed at evaluating the effect of irrigation with saline-sodic water on the soil are reported. The research was carried out at the Campus of the Agricultural Faculty of Bari University (Italy on 2 clay soils (Bologna – T1 and Locorotondo – T2. The soils were cropped to borlotto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., capsicum (Capsicum annuum L., sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., wheat (Triticum durum Desf grown in succession; the crops were irrigated with 9 saline-sodic types of water and subjected to two different leaching fractions (10% and 20% of the watering volume. The 9 solutions were obtained dissolving in de-ionised water weighted amounts of sodium chloride (NaCl and calcium chloride (CaCl2, deriving from the combination of 3 saline concentrations and 3 sodicity levels. The crops were irrigated whenever the water lost by evapotranspiration from the soil contained in the pots was equal to 30% of the soil maximum available water. The results showed that, though the soils were leached during the watering period, they showed a high salt accumulation. Consequently, the saturated soil extract electrical conductivity increased from initial values of 0.65 and 0.68 dS m-1 to 11.24 and 13.61 dS m-1 at the end of the experiment, for the soils T1 and T2, respectively. The saline concentration increase in irrigation water caused in both soils a progressive increase in exchangeable sodium, and a decrease in exchangeable calcium and non-significant variations in exchangeable potassium (K and magnesium (Mg.

Episodic Salinization of Urban Rivers: Potential Impacts on Carbon, Cation, and Nutrient Fluxes

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Haq, S.; Kaushal, S.

2017-12-01

Human dominated watersheds are subjected to an array of salt inputs (e.g. road salts), and in urban areas, infrastructure and impervious surfaces quickly drain applied road salts into the river channel. As a result, many streams experience episodic salinization over the course of hours to days following a snow event (e.g. road salt pulse), and long-term salinization over the course of seasons to decades. Salinization of streams can release contaminants (e.g. heavy metals), reduce biodiversity, and degrade drinking water quality. We investigated the water quality effects of episodic salinization in urban streams. Sediment and streamwater were incubated from twelve sites in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area under a range of sodium chloride treatments in a lab environment to mimic a vertical stream column with a sediment-water interface undergoing episodic salinization, and to characterize relationships between experimental salinization and nutrient/cation fluxes. Eight sites (Baltimore) exhibit a land use gradient and are routinely monitored within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER project, and four sites (Washington DC) are suburban and offer a contrasting lithology and physiographic province. Our research suggests that salinization can mobilize total dissolved nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorous, and base cations; potentially due to coupled biotic-abiotic processes, such as ion exchange, rapid nitrification, pH changes, and chloride-organic matter dispersal. The impact of salinization on dissolved inorganic and organic carbon varied between sites, potentially due to sediment composition, organic matter content, and ambient water quality. We contrasted the experimental results with measurements of salinization (specific conductance) and nutrients (nitrate) from real-time sensors operated by the US Geological Survey that encompass the same watersheds as our experimental sites. Sensor data was analyzed to provide insight on the timescales of salinity

The effect of red ginseng extract on superoxide dismutase activity in the kidney of gamma-ray irradiated mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Yong Soon

1992-01-01

This study was prepared to observe the change of enzyme activities in kidney treated with red ginseng extract in the gamma ray irradiated mice. Determine the activity of SOD, peroxidase, catalase in the kidney a period of 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 4 day, 5 day after a saline injection or injection of red ginseng extract or gamma ray irradiated group into four classify. The activity SOD and catalase showed a tendency to increase and recovery at the early state but pay no regard. Where ase, the activity of peroxide restored and increased pay regard. A physiological saline injection group after gamma ray irradiation showed a tendency to diminish after remarkable increase of activity of SOD, peroxidase and catalase than control group. Injection group of red ginseng extract after gamma ray irradiation observed rapid recovery on activity of SOD, peroxidase, catalase than a saline injection group. Experimental result suggested that injection of red ginseng extract after irradiation have the recovery effect on the changed of activity of SOD, peroxidase and catalase against radiation injury

Effects of certain polyphenols and extracts on furans and acrylamide formation in model system, and total furans during storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Oral, Rasim Alper; Dogan, Mahmut; Sarioglu, Kemal

2014-01-01

Using a glucose-glycine and asparagine-fructose system as a Maillard reaction model, the effects of seven polyphenols and solid phase extracts of three plants on the formation of furans and acrylamide were investigated. The polyphenols and extracts were used in biscuit formulation and acrylamide formation was observed. They were used for the storage of the glycine-glucose model system at three different temperatures. The addition of some of the extracts and polyphenols significantly decreased furan formation to different extents. All phenolic compounds and plant extracts decreased in the range of 30.8-85% in the model system except for oleuropein, and all of them decreased in the range of 10.3-19.2% in biscuit. Total furan formation was inhibited by caffeic acid, punicalagin, epicatechin, ECE and PPE during storage. This study evaluated and found the inhibitory effect on the formation of furans and acrylamide in Maillard reactions by the use of some plant extracts and polyphenols. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Salinity on Germination and Its Relationship with Vegetative growth in Bromus danthoniae Genotypes from Saline and Non-Saline Areas of Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rezaei

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Bromus danthoniae Trin. is an annual grass species that is well adapted to harsh climates and could be considered as an important genetic resources for tolerance to environmental stresses such as salinity. In this study, 24 genotypes collected from Ilam, Kurdistan, Kermanshah (non-saline areas and West Azerbaijan (saline area: shores of Uremia Salt Lake provinces of Iran were investigated at the germination stage under salt treatments with concentrations of 0, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 mM sodium chloride. Germination percentage, germination rate index, seed vigor, root length, shoot length and seedling fresh and dry weights were measured. In addition, the relationship between the percentage of germination in 300 mM sodium chloride and the survival rate (% after four weeks in 350 mM sodium chloride at the vegetative stage was evaluated. The results of analysis of variance showed that salinity treatments caused significant reductions in all the studied traits. Genotypic variation and the interaction of genotype × salt treatments were also significant. Genotypes USLN3 and KER4 were found to be the most tolerant and sensitive genotypes to salinity stress, with 13% and 98% reduction in germination percentage at 300 mM NaCl, respectively. Cluster analysis divided the genotypes into three groups, with one group containing only tolerant genotypes from Uremia Salt Lake, another one comprising only sensitive genotypes from non-saline regions, and the third one containing genotypes from both regions. The correlation between the germination percentage and the survival rate at the vegetative stage was not significant, indicating that different mechanisms are, perhaps, responsible for salinity tolerance at the germination and vegetative stages in B. danthoniae.

Effect of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer on productivity of recently reclaimed saline sodic soils with and without biofertilizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehdi, S M; Sarfraz, M; Shabbir, G; Abbas, G

2007-07-15

Saline sodic soils after reclamation become infertile due to leaching of most of the nutrients along with salts from the rooting medium. Microbes can play a vital role in the productivity improvement of such soils. In this study a saline sodic field having EC, 6.5 dS m(-1), pH, 9.1 and gypsum requirement (GR) 3.5 tons acre(-1) was reclaimed by applying gypsum at the rate of 100% GR. Rice and wheat crops were transplanted/sown for three consecutive years. Inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer was used with and without biofertilizers i.e., Biopower (Azospirillum) for rice and diazotroph inoculums for wheat. Nitrogen was applied at the rate of 0, 75% of recommended dose (RD), RD, 125% of RD and 150% of RD. Recommended dose of P without K was applied to all the plots. Biopower significantly improved Paddy and straw yield of rice over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. In case of wheat diazotroph inoculum improved grain and straw yield significantly over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. Among N fertilizer rates, RD + 25% additional N fertilizer was found to be the best dose for rice and wheat production in recently reclaimed soils. Nitrogen concentration and its uptake by paddy, grain and straw were also increased by biopower and diazotroph inoculum over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. Among N fertilizer rates, RD + 25% additional N fertilizer was found to be the best dose for nitrogen concentration and its uptake by paddy, grain and straw. Total soil N, available P and extractable K were increased while salinity/sodicity parameters were decreased with the passage of time. The productivity of the soil was improved more by biofertilizers over inorganic N fertilizers.

CO{sub 2} storage in saline aquifers; Stockage du CO{sub 2} dans les aquiferes salins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bentham, M.; Kirby, G. [British Geological Survey (BGS), Kingsley Dunham Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2005-06-01

Saline aquifers represent a promising way for CO{sub 2} sequestration. Storage capacities of saline aquifers are very important around the world. The Sleipner site in the North Sea is currently the single case world-wide of CO{sub 2} storage in a saline aquifer. A general review is given on the specific risks for CO{sub 2} storage in saline aquifer. The regional distribution of CO{sub 2} storage potential is presented. Finally, the knowledge gaps and the future research in this field are defined. (authors)

A global algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. J. McDougall

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The International Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater – 2010 has defined the thermodynamic properties of seawater in terms of a new salinity variable, Absolute Salinity, which takes into account the spatial variation of the composition of seawater. Absolute Salinity more accurately reflects the effects of the dissolved material in seawater on the thermodynamic properties (particularly density than does Practical Salinity.

When a seawater sample has standard composition (i.e. the ratios of the constituents of sea salt are the same as those of surface water of the North Atlantic, Practical Salinity can be used to accurately evaluate the thermodynamic properties of seawater. When seawater is not of standard composition, Practical Salinity alone is not sufficient and the Absolute Salinity Anomaly needs to be estimated; this anomaly is as large as 0.025 g kg⁻¹ in the northernmost North Pacific. Here we provide an algorithm for estimating Absolute Salinity Anomaly for any location (x, y, p in the world ocean.

To develop this algorithm, we used the Absolute Salinity Anomaly that is found by comparing the density calculated from Practical Salinity to the density measured in the laboratory. These estimates of Absolute Salinity Anomaly however are limited to the number of available observations (namely 811. In order to provide a practical method that can be used at any location in the world ocean, we take advantage of approximate relationships between Absolute Salinity Anomaly and silicate concentrations (which are available globally.

Salinity Gradient Energy from Expansion and Contraction of Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) Hydrogels.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, Tri Quang; Cao, Vinh Duy; Do, Nu Bich Duyen; Christoffersen, Trine Eker; Wang, Wei; Kjøniksen, Anna-Lena

2018-06-22

Salinity gradients exhibit a great potential for production of renewable energy. Several techniques such as pressure-retarded osmosis and reverse electrodialysis have been employed to extract this energy. Unfortunately, these techniques are restricted by the high costs of membranes and problems with membrane fouling. However, the expansion and contraction of hydrogels can be a new and cheaper way to harvest energy from salinity gradients since the hydrogels swell in freshwater and shrink in saltwater. We have examined the effect of cross-linker concentration and different external loads on the energy recovered for this type of energy-producing systems. Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) hydrogels were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce hydrogels with excellent expansion and contraction properties. Increasing the cross-linker concentration markedly improved the energy that could be recovered from the hydrogels, especially at high external loads. A swollen hydrogel of 60 g could recover more than 1800 mJ when utilizing a high cross-linker concentration, and the maximum amount of energy produced per gram of polymer was 3.4 J/g. Although more energy is recovered at high cross-linking densities, the maximum amount of energy produced per gram of polymer is highest at an intermediate cross-linking concentration. Energy recovery was reduced when the salt concentration was increased for the low-concentration saline solution. The results illustrate that hydrogels are promising for salinity gradient energy recovery, and that optimizing the systems significantly increases the amount of energy that can be recovered.

Irrigation salinity hazard assessment and risk mapping in the lower Macintyre Valley, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jingyi; Prochazka, Melissa J; Triantafilis, John

2016-05-01

In the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia, secondary soil salinization occurs due to excessive deep drainage and the presence of shallow saline water tables. In order to understand the cause and best management, soil and vadose zone information is necessary. This type of information has been generated in the Toobeah district but owing to the state border an inconsistent methodology was used. This has led to much confusion from stakeholders who are unable to understand the ambiguity of the results in terms of final overall risk of salinization. In this research, a digital soil mapping method that employs various ancillary data is presented. Firstly, an electromagnetic induction survey using a Geonics EM34 and EM38 was used to characterise soil and vadose zone stratigraphy. From the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) collected, soil sampling locations were selected and with laboratory analysis carried out to determine average (2-12m) clay and EC of a saturated soil-paste extract (ECe). EM34 ECa, land surface parameters derived from a digital elevation model and measured soil data were used to establish multiple linear regression models, which allowed for mapping of various hazard factors, including clay and ECe. EM38 ECa data were calibrated to deep drainage obtained from Salt and Leaching Fraction (SaLF) modelling of soil data. Expert knowledge and indicator kriging were used to determine critical values where the salinity hazard factors were likely to contribute to a shallow saline water table (i.e., clay ≤35%; ECe>2.5dS/m, and deep drainage >100mm/year). This information was combined to produce an overall salinity risk map for the Toobeah district using indicator kriging. The risk map shows potential salinization areas and where detailed information is required and where targeted research can be conducted to monitor soil conditions and water table heights and determine best management strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of saline groundwater across the coastal aquifer of Israel as resource for desalination

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Shaked; Russak, Amos; Sivan, Orit; Yechieli, Yospeh; Oren, Yoram; Kasher, Roni

2015-04-01

In arid countries with access to marine water seawater desalination is becoming an important water source in order to deal with the water scarcity and population growth. Seawater reverse osmosis (RO) facilities use open seawater intake, which requires pretreatment processes to remove particles in order to avoid fouling of the RO membrane. In small and medium size desalination facilities, an alternative water source can be saline groundwater in coastal aquifers. Using saline groundwater from boreholes near the shore as feed water may have the advantage of natural filtration and low organic content. It will also reduce operation costs of pretreatment. Another advantage of using groundwater is its availability in highly populated areas, where planning of large RO desalination plants is difficult and expensive due to real-estate prices. Pumping saline groundwater underneath the freshwater-seawater interface (FSI) might shift the interface towards the sea, thus rehabilitating the fresh water reservoirs in the aquifer. In this research, we tested the potential use of saline groundwater in the coastal aquifer of Israel as feed water for desalination using field work and desalination experiments. Specifically, we sampled the groundwater from a pumping well 100 m from the shore of Tel-Aviv and sea water from the desalination plant in Ashqelon, Israel. We used an RO cross flow system in a pilot plant in order to compare between the two water types in terms of permeate flux, permeate flux decline, salt rejection of the membrane and the fouling on the membrane. The feed, brine and fresh desalinated water from the outlet of the desalination system were chemically analyzed and compared. Field measurements of dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and salinity were also conducted in situ. Additionally, SDI (silt density index), which is an important index for desalination, and total organic carbon that has a key role in organic fouling and development of biofouling, were measured and

A meta-analysis of soil salinization effects on nitrogen pools, cycles and fluxes in coastal ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Minghua; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Vereecken, Harry; Brüggemann, Nicolas

2017-03-01

Salinity intrusion caused by land subsidence resulting from increasing groundwater abstraction, decreasing river sediment loads and increasing sea level because of climate change has caused widespread soil salinization in coastal ecosystems. Soil salinization may greatly alter nitrogen (N) cycling in coastal ecosystems. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of soil salinization on ecosystem N pools, cycling processes and fluxes is not available for coastal ecosystems. Therefore, we compiled data from 551 observations from 21 peer-reviewed papers and conducted a meta-analysis of experimental soil salinization effects on 19 variables related to N pools, cycling processes and fluxes in coastal ecosystems. Our results showed that the effects of soil salinization varied across different ecosystem types and salinity levels. Soil salinization increased plant N content (18%), soil NH 4 + (12%) and soil total N (210%), although it decreased soil NO 3 - (2%) and soil microbial biomass N (74%). Increasing soil salinity stimulated soil N 2 O fluxes as well as hydrological NH 4 + and NO 2 - fluxes more than threefold, although it decreased the hydrological dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) flux (59%). Soil salinization also increased the net N mineralization by 70%, although salinization effects were not observed on the net nitrification, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in this meta-analysis. Overall, this meta-analysis improves our understanding of the responses of ecosystem N cycling to soil salinization, identifies knowledge gaps and highlights the urgent need for studies on the effects of soil salinization on coastal agro-ecosystem and microbial N immobilization. Additional increases in knowledge are critical for designing sustainable adaptation measures to the predicted intrusion of salinity intrusion so that the productivity of coastal agro-ecosystems can be maintained or improved and the N losses and pollution of the natural

Effect of Salinity and Silicon on Seed Yield and Yield Components of Purslane Portulaca oleracea L.(

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z Rahimi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract In order to study the effects on salinity and silicon application on yield and yield components of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L., an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized desgin with three replications and two factors consisted of four different levels of salinity using NaCl (0, 7, 14, 21dS/m and two levels of silicon (application of one mMol sodium silicate and not application. Increasing salinity concentration significantly caused a negative effect on seed yield. But yield components such as number and weight of seed were more sensitive than number of capsul in main stem in final seed yield. Application of silicon increased seed yield in control but was not significant in salinity levels and leaves and stem biomass. Seed yield and total seed weight in branches was significantly decresed. Weight of 1000 seed in main stem and branches was not significantly different in salinity levels. As a result, purslane could be extremely tolerated to saline conditions, so it seems that it can be cultivated in saline soils and arid regions. Also applied silicon can be increase yield and plant tolerance to environmental stress. Keywords: 1000 seed, Branches, Capsul, Dry weight

Simulating Salt Movement using a Coupled Salinity Transport Model in a Variably Saturated Agricultural Groundwater System

Science.gov (United States)

Tavakoli Kivi, S.; Bailey, R. T.; Gates, T. K.

2017-12-01

Salinization is one of the major concerns in irrigated agricultural fields. Increasing salinity concentrations are due principally to a high water table that results from excessive irrigation, canal seepage, and a lack of efficient drainage systems, and lead to decreasing crop yield. High groundwater salinity loading to nearby river systems also impacts downstream areas, with saline river water diverted for application on irrigated fields. To assess the different strategies for salt remediation, we present a reactive transport model (UZF-RT3D) coupled with a salinity equilibrium chemistry module for simulating the fate and transport of salt ions in a variably-saturated agricultural groundwater system. The developed model accounts not for advection, dispersion, nitrogen and sulfur cycling, oxidation-reduction, sorption, complexation, ion exchange, and precipitation/dissolution of salt minerals. The model is applied to a 500 km2 region within the Lower Arkansas River Valley (LARV) in southeastern Colorado, an area acutely affected by salinization in the past few decades. The model is tested against salt ion concentrations in the saturated zone, total dissolved solid concentrations in the unsaturated zone, and salt groundwater loading to the Arkansas River. The model now can be used to investigate salinity remediation strategies.

Determining the Threshold Value of Basil Yield Reduction and Evaluation of Water Uptake Models under Salinity Stress Condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sarai Tabrizi

2016-10-01

by calculating statistical indices such as maximum error (ME, normalized root mean square error (nRMSE, modeling efficiency (EF, and coefficient of residual mass (CRM. At the end of the experiment, dry matter yield at the different treatments was measured and relative yield was calculated by dividing dry matter yield of treatments on dry matter yield at no stress treatment (control treatment. Leaching requirement in experimental treatments was calculated by Ayarset al., (2012 equation. Results and Discussion: The results indicated that Basil threshold value based on soil salinity was 2.25 dSm-1 with the yield reduction of 7.2% per dSm-1. The mathematical model of van Genuchten and Hoffman (1984 had a higher precision than other models in simulating Basil yield reduction function based on saturated soil extract salinity. The overall observations revealed that van Genuchten and Hoffman (1984, Steppuhnet al., (2005 and Homaeeet al., (2002 models were accurate for simulating Basil root water uptake and yield response to saturated soil extract salinity. Considering the presented results, it seems that among math-empirical models for salinity stress conditions, model of van Genuchten and Hoffman (1984 is more accurate than Maas and Hoffman (1977, Dirksen and Augustijn (1988 and Homaeeet al., (2002a models. The works of Green et al., (2006 and Skaggs et al., (2006 came to the same conclusion. Our work indicated that mostly statistical models have lower precision than math-empirical models. Steppuhn et al., (2005a reported that statistical models had the higher accuracy than math-empirical model of Maas and Hoffman (1977 and among statistical models, the modified Weibull model had the best fit on measured data which is in good agreement with the results of this study. Conclusion: The goals of this research were to evaluate Basil response to saturated soil extract salinity, to estimate threshold value of Basil crop coefficients, to obtain yield reduction gradient, and also to

The Use of gamma-Irradiation in Counteracting the Effect of Salinity for Cultivation of Barley and Pea Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aly, M.A.S.; Afifi, L.M.; Kamel, H.A.; Mostafa, I.Y.; Kord, M.A.

2000-01-01

The biochemical changes induced by salinity in two economic plants (Barley and Pea) and the probable counteraction of gamma irradiation for enhancement of growth were studied. The data obtained revealed that the reduction in pigments content due to salinity treatment was more pronounced in pea plants than barley. However, gamma irradiation caused a significant increase in pigment content of both plants. The interaction effect of salinity and radiation varied from an increase in case of barley to a reduction in peas. In both plants, soluble sugars content increased due to salinity and /or gamma-radiation. Moreover, total carbohydrates increased due to the combined treatment. A matched increase in free proline content was recorded with increase of salinity. While, gamma-irradiation showed a different trend. Protein and nucleic acids contents were proportionally decreased with increase of salinity levels, whereas gamma radiation induced an increase in both protein and nucleic acids content. A progressive reduction in the yield by increasing salinity was observed, while gamma-irradiation increased the yield of both plants. 14 CO 2 fixation was reduced by salinity treatment while gamma-radiation increased it. Contrary to 14 CO 2 fixation, salinity enhanced respiration, while radiation retarded it

Primary Total Knee Replacement: Is Suction a Portal of Infection?

Science.gov (United States)

Budnar, Vijaya M; Amirfeyz, Rouin; Ng, Michael; Bannister, Gordon C; Blom, Ashley W

2009-01-01

INTRODUCTION Pulsed lavage during a total knee replacement usually leaves a pool of fluid on the surgical drapes. It is common practice to suck away this fluid using the same suction device used intra-operatively. This could be a cause of direct wound contamination. We hypothesised that bacteria contaminate fluid that collects around the foot in total knee replacement surgery and that suction equipment could be a portal of contamination. We also hypothesised that bacterial count in the fluid is lower if chlorhexidine, rather than saline, is used in the pulsed lavage. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty patients undergoing primary total knee replacement were divided into two groups. The first group had pulsed lavage with normal saline and the second with 0.05% chlorhexidine. RESULTS At the end of the operation, 20 ml of fluid, pooled on the surgical drapes was aspirated and cultured for bacterial growth. None of the fluid samples showed bacterial growth. CONCLUSIONS Suction device used peri-operatively during knee replacement is unlikely to be a cause of wound contamination. Pulsed lavage with normal saline is as effective as lavage with chlorhexidine. PMID:19335972

Phytoremediation potential of some halophytic species for soil salinity.

Science.gov (United States)

Devi, S; Nandwal, A S; Angrish, R; Arya, S S; Kumar, N; Sharma, S K

2016-01-01

Phytoremediation potential of six halophytic species i.e. Suaeda nudiflora, Suaeda fruticosa, Portulaca oleracea, Atriplex lentiformis, Parkinsonia aculeata and Xanthium strumarium was assessed under screen house conditions. Plants were raised at 8.0, 12.0, 16.0, and 20.0 dSm(-1) of chloride-dominated salinity. The control plants were irrigated with canal water. Sampling was done at vegetative stage (60-75 DAS). About 95 percent seed germination occurred up to 12 dSm(-1) and thereafter declined slightly. Mean plant height and dry weight plant(-1) were significantly decreased from 48.71 to 32.44 cm and from 1.73 to 0.61g plant(-1) respectively upon salinization. Na(+)/K(+) ratio (0.87 to 2.72), Na(+)/ Ca(2+) + Mg(2+) (0.48 to 1.54) and Cl(-)/SO4(2-) (0.94 to 5.04) ratio showed increasing trend. Salinity susceptibility index was found minimum in Suaeda fruticosa (0.72) and maximum in Parkinsonia aculeata (1.17). Total ionic content also declined and magnitude of decline varied from 8.51 to 18.91% at 8 dSm(-1) and 1.85 to 7.12% at 20 dSm(-1) of salinity. On the basis of phytoremediation potential Suaeda fruticosa (1170.02 mg plant(-1)), Atriplex lentiformis (777.87 mg plant(-1)) were the best salt hyperaccumulator plants whereas Xanthium strumarium (349.61 mg plant(-1)) and Parkinsonia aculeata (310.59 mg plant(-1)) were the least hyperaccumulator plants.

Millennial changes of the Baltic Sea salinity. Studies of the sensitivity of the salinity to climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustafsson, Bo G.

2004-05-01

An important question for safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories is the salinity of the Baltic Sea under different conditions. The salinity affects the potential recipient ecosystems, the water turnover along the coast and the hydrology as well as the groundwater chemistry. In this report a model that enables computation of the Baltic Sea salinity for different sea level positions and freshwater supplies is presented. The model is used to compute the salinities in Baltic proper, Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay for all combinations of global sea level changes from -10 m to 10 m and freshwater supplies from 0 to 60,000 m 3 /s. The results are presented in a series of graphs that enables the reader to make an assessment of the impact of a given climatic change. The model is also used to compute the decrease of the salinity in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay during the next few millennia due to the postglacial uplift. The results show that modest changes in global sea level, say ±1 m, give a salinity change of the order of 1 psu in southern Baltic proper. Changing the freshwater supply with about 2,000 m 3 /s (approximately 10%) gives a similar salinity change. Further, a sea level drop of about 5 m or an increase of the freshwater supply by a factor of 3 is needed to reduce the salinity in southern Baltic proper below 1 psu. In this limit large parts of the Baltic would be limnic. A 50% decrease of the freshwater supply increase the salinity in the southern Baltic proper by a factor of 2 to some 15 psu, but the effect is even more drastic in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay where the salinity increase to 13 and 10 psu, respectively. A less windy climate might have a significant effect in lowering the Baltic salinity due to a combined effect of lowered mixing in Kattegat and lowered exchange between Kattegat and the Baltic. A windier climate will not have such strong effect since increased mixing does not affect the Baltic as much. Most probably the shoreline

Millennial changes of the Baltic Sea salinity. Studies of the sensitivity of the salinity to climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustafsson, Bo G. [Oceanus Havsundersoekningar, Goeteborg (Sweden)

2004-05-01

An important question for safety assessments of nuclear waste repositories is the salinity of the Baltic Sea under different conditions. The salinity affects the potential recipient ecosystems, the water turnover along the coast and the hydrology as well as the groundwater chemistry. In this report a model that enables computation of the Baltic Sea salinity for different sea level positions and freshwater supplies is presented. The model is used to compute the salinities in Baltic proper, Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay for all combinations of global sea level changes from -10 m to 10 m and freshwater supplies from 0 to 60,000 m{sup 3}/s. The results are presented in a series of graphs that enables the reader to make an assessment of the impact of a given climatic change. The model is also used to compute the decrease of the salinity in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay during the next few millennia due to the postglacial uplift. The results show that modest changes in global sea level, say {+-}1 m, give a salinity change of the order of 1 psu in southern Baltic proper. Changing the freshwater supply with about 2,000 m{sup 3}/s (approximately 10%) gives a similar salinity change. Further, a sea level drop of about 5 m or an increase of the freshwater supply by a factor of 3 is needed to reduce the salinity in southern Baltic proper below 1 psu. In this limit large parts of the Baltic would be limnic. A 50% decrease of the freshwater supply increase the salinity in the southern Baltic proper by a factor of 2 to some 15 psu, but the effect is even more drastic in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay where the salinity increase to 13 and 10 psu, respectively. A less windy climate might have a significant effect in lowering the Baltic salinity due to a combined effect of lowered mixing in Kattegat and lowered exchange between Kattegat and the Baltic. A windier climate will not have such strong effect since increased mixing does not affect the Baltic as much. Most probably the

Response Surface Optimized Extraction of Total Triterpene Acids ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research May 2014; 13 (5): 787-792 ... surface method were used to optimize the extraction process, while antioxidant activity was evaluated in vitro using α ... Response surface methodology is increasingly.

Simultaneous removal of organic matter and salt ions from saline wastewater in bioelectrochemical systems

KAUST Repository

Kim, Younggy

2013-01-01

A new bioelectrochemical system is proposed for simultaneous removal of salinity and organic matter. In this process, exoelectrogenic microorganisms oxidize organic matter and transfer electrons to the anode, hydrogen is evolved at the cathode by supplying additional voltage, and salt is removed from the wastewater due to the electric potential generated and the use of two ion-exchange membranes. Salinity removal (initial conductivity ~40mS/cm) increased from 21 to 84% by increasing the substrate (sodium acetate) from 2 to 8g/L. A total of 72-94% of the chemical oxygen demand was degraded in the anode and cathode chambers, with 1-4% left in the anode chamber and the balance lost through the anion-exchange membrane into the concentrate waste chamber. The maximum hydrogen production rate was 3.6m3-H2/m3-electrolyte per day at an applied potential of 1.2V. The Coulombic efficiency was ~100%, while the cathode recovery varied from 57 to 100%, depending on the extent of methanogenesis. Exoelectrogenic microbes generated high current densities (7.8mA/cm2) at ≤36g/L of total dissolved solids, but >41g/L eliminated current. These results provide a new method for achieving simultaneous removal of salinity and organic matter from a saline wastewater with H2 production. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Saline water irrigation for crop production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, A R [Directorate of Water Management Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Walmi Complex, P.O. - Phulwari Sharif, Patna (India); [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste (Italy); Singh, S S; Singh, S R [Directorate of Water Management Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Walmi Complex, P.O. - Phulwari Sharif, Patna (India)

2001-05-01

Salinity is one of agriculture's most complex production problems. Excessive salts from irrigation water or high water tables can severely limit crop production. Years of saline water irrigation on poorly drained soils can eventually make economic crop production impossible. About 10% of all land are affected by salinity problems. They occur in every continent in different proportions, more frequently in arid and semi-arid areas. This paper discusses a range of problems related to use of saline water for crop irrigation.

Saline water irrigation for crop production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.R.; Singh, S.S.; Singh, S.R.

2001-05-01

Salinity is one of agriculture's most complex production problems. Excessive salts from irrigation water or high water tables can severely limit crop production. Years of saline water irrigation on poorly drained soils can eventually make economic crop production impossible. About 10% of all land are affected by salinity problems. They occur in every continent in different proportions, more frequently in arid and semi-arid areas. This paper discusses a range of problems related to use of saline water for crop irrigation

40 CFR 230.25 - Salinity gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Salinity gradients. 230.25 Section 230.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING SECTION 404(b... Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the Aquatic Ecosystem § 230.25 Salinity gradients. (a) Salinity...

Disinfection/sterilization of extracted teeth for dental student use.

Science.gov (United States)

Dominici, J T; Eleazer, P D; Clark, S J; Staat, R H; Scheetz, J P

2001-11-01

Extracted human teeth are used in many preclinical courses. While there has been no report of disease transmission with extracted teeth, sterilization of teeth used in the teaching laboratory should be a concern. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of different sterilization/disinfection methods of extracted human teeth using Bacillus stearothermophilus, a bacteria resistant to heat and frequently used to test sterilizers. In this study, 110 extracted molars with no carious lesions were collected and stored in buffered saline. An endodontic occlusal access preparation was cut into the pulp chamber of each tooth. Pulp tissue in the chamber was removed with a broach. Approximately 1 x 10(5) B. stearothermophilus endospores in culture medium were injected into the pulp chamber, sealed with Cavit G, and then placed in sterile saline for twelve hours. Ten teeth were placed into each of eleven groups. Seven groups were immersed for one week in one of the following solutions: a) sterile saline (control group), b) 5.25% NaOCl, c) 2.6% NaOCl, d) 1% NaOCl, e) 10% buffered formalin, f) 2% gluteraldehyde, g) 0.28% quaternary ammonium. Four additional groups were treated by h) 10% formalin for two days, i) 10% formalin for four days, j) autoclaving at 240 degrees F and 20 psi for twenty minutes, and k) autoclaving at 240 degrees F and twenty psi for forty minutes. Each tooth was then aseptically split and placed in an individual test tube with growth medium. Samples were examined for evidence of growth (turbidity) at forty-eight hours. Only autoclaving for forty minutes at 240 degrees F and 20 psi or soaking in 10 percent formalin for one week were 100 percent effective in preventing growth. A chi-square analysis of the data indicates these two methods were significantly better than all other methods (p<0.001).

Phytoextraction and phytoexcretion of Cd by the leaves of Tamarix smyrnensis growing on contaminated non-saline and saline soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manousaki, Eleni; Kadukova, Jana; Papadantonakis, Nikolaos; Kalogerakis, Nicolas

2008-01-01

Phytoremediation and more specifically phytoextraction, is an alternative restoration strategy for the clean up of heavy metal contaminated soils. Phytoextraction can only be successful if suitable plant species colonize the contaminated area, extract the toxic substances and accumulate them in their above ground tissues. In this study, the salt cedar Tamarix smyrnensis that is a widespread salt-tolerant plant in the Mediterranean region has been investigated. A pot experiment is conducted with T. smyrnensis grown in polluted soil with 16 ppm of cadmium and at three different salt concentrations (0.0, 0.5, 3.0% NaCl) for a 10-week period. It took place in an open-air area with natural light, at ambient temperature and humidity in an effort to keep the plants under conditions as similar as possible to those in the field. However, care was taken not to let them be rained on. Temperature ranged from 19 to 50 deg. C with 33 and 21 deg. C being the average day and night temperature, respectively. Humidity ranged from 28% to 87% with a 13-14 h photoperiod. The specific aims of this work are to investigate the accumulation of cadmium via root uptake at different saline conditions and cadmium excretion through salt glands on the surface of the leaves as a probable detoxification mechanism of the plant. Furthermore, measurements of chlorophyll content, biomass, and shoot length are used to evaluate the potential of the plant for the removal of cadmium from contaminated saline and non-saline soils. The experimental data suggest that increased soil salinity results in an increase of the cadmium uptake by T. smyrnensis. Analysis of white salt crystals taken from glandular tissue confirmed the fact that this plant excretes cadmium through its salt glands on the surface of the leaves as a possible detoxification mechanism in order to resist metal toxicity. Excreted cadmium is again released into the environment and it is redeposited on the top soil. Furthermore, increased

Spectral Characteristics of Salinized Soils during Microbial Remediation Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Chuang; Shen, Guang-rong; Zhi, Yue-e; Wang, Zi-jun; Zhu, Yun; Li, Xian-hua

2015-09-01

In this study, the spectral reflectance of saline soils, the associated soil salt content (SSC) and the concentrations of salt ions were measured and analysed by tracing the container microbial remediation experiments for saline soil (main salt is sodium chloride) of Dongying City, Shandong Province. The sensitive spectral reflectance bands of saline soils to SSC, Cl- and Na+ in the process of microbial remediation were analysed. The average-dimension reduction of these bands was conducted by using a combination of correlation coefficient and decision coefficient, and by gradually narrowing the sampling interval method. Results showed that the tendency and magnitude of the average spectral reflectance in all bands of saline soils during the total remediation processes were nearly consistent with SSC and with Cl- coocentration, respectively. The degree of salinity of the soil, including SSC and salt ion concentrations, had a significant positive correlation with the spectral reflectance of all bands, particularly in the near-infrared band. The optimal spectral bands of SSC were 1370 to 1445 nm and 1447 to 1608 nm, whereas the optimal spectral bands of Cl- and Na+ were 1336 to 1461 nm and 1471 to 1561 nm, respectively. The relationship model among SSC, soil salt ion concentrations (Cl- and Na+) and soil spectral reflectance of the corresponding optimal spectral band was established. The largest R2 of relationship model between SSC and the average reflectance of associated optimal band reached to 0.95, and RMSEC and RMSEP were 1.076 and 0.591, respectively. Significant statistical analysis of salt factors and soil reflectance for different microbial remediation processes indicated that the spectral response characteristics and sensitivity of SSC to soil reflectance, which implied the feasibility of high spectrum test on soil microbial remediation monitoring, also provided the basis for quick nondestructive monitoring soil bioremediation process by soil spectral

Capacitive technology for energy extraction from chemical potential differences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bastos Sales, B.

2013-01-01

This thesis introduces the principle of Capacitive energy extraction based on Donnan Potential (CDP) to exploit salinity gradients. It also shows the fundamental characterization and improvements of CDP. An alternative application of this technology aimed at thermal gradients was tested.

Spectral reflectance characteristics of soils in northeastern Brazil as influenced by salinity levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Pessoa, Luiz Guilherme Medeiros; Freire, Maria Betânia Galvão Dos Santos; Wilcox, Bradford Paul; Green, Colleen Heather Machado; De Araújo, Rômulo José Tolêdo; De Araújo Filho, José Coelho

2016-11-01

In northeastern Brazil, large swaths of once-productive soils have been severely degraded by soil salinization, but the true extent of the damage has not been assessed. Emerging remote sensing technology based on hyperspectral analysis offers one possibility for large-scale assessment, but it has been unclear to what extent the spectral properties of soils are related to salinity characteristics. The purpose of this study was to characterize the spectral properties of degraded (saline) and non-degraded agricultural soils in northeastern Brazil and determine the extent to which these properties correspond to soil salinity. We took soil samples from 78 locations within a 45,000-km 2 site in Pernambuco State. We used cluster analysis to group the soil samples on the basis of similarities in salinity and sodicity levels, and then obtained spectral data for each group. The physical properties analysis indicated a predominance of the coarse sand fraction in almost all the soil groups, and total porosity was similar for all the groups. The chemical analysis revealed different levels of degradation among the groups, ranging from non-degraded to strongly degraded conditions, as defined by the degree of salinity and sodicity. The soil properties showing the highest correlation with spectral reflectance were the exchangeable sodium percentage followed by fine sand. Differences in the reflectance curves for the various soil groups were relatively small and were not significant. These results suggest that, where soil crusts are not present, significant challenges remain for using hyperspectral remote sensing to assess soil salinity in northeastern Brazil.

Salinity modeling by remote sensing in central and southern Iraq

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, W.; Mhaimeed, A. S.; Platonov, A.; Al-Shafie, W. M.; Abbas, A. M.; Al-Musawi, H. H.; Khalaf, A.; Salim, K. A.; Chrsiten, E.; De Pauw, E.; Ziadat, F.

2012-12-01

Salinization, leading to a significant loss of cultivated land and crop production, is one of the most active land degradation phenomena in the Mesopotamian region in Iraq. The objectives of this study (under the auspices of ACIAR and Italian Government) are to investigate the possibility to use remote sensing technology to establish salinity-sensitive models which can be further applied to local and regional salinity mapping and assessment. Case studies were conducted in three pilot sites namely Musaib, Dujaila and West Garraf in the central and southern Iraq. Fourteen spring (February - April), seven June and four summer Landsat ETM+ images in the period 2009-2012, RapidEye data (April 2012), and 95 field EM38 measurements undertaken in this spring and summer, 16 relevant soil laboratory analysis result (Dujaila) were employed in this study. The procedure we followed includes: (1) Atmospheric correction using FLAASH model; (2) Multispectral transformation of a set of vegetation and non-vegetation indices such as GDVI (Generalized Difference Vegetation Index), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index), SAVI (Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index), SARVI (Soil Adjusted and Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index), NDII (Normalized Difference Infrared Index), Principal Components and surface temperature (T); (3) Derivation of the spring maximum (Musaib) and annual maximum (Dujaila and West Garraf) value in each pixel of each index of the observed period to avoid problems related to crop rotation (e.g. fallow) and the SLC-Off gaps in ETM+ images; (4) Extraction of the values of each vegetation and non-vegetation index corresponding to the field sampling locations (about 3 to 5 controversial samples very close to the roads or located in fallow were excluded); and (5) Coupling remote sensing indices with the available EM38 and soil electrical conductivity (EC) data using multiple linear least-square regression model at the confidence

The Effect of Salinity on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Four Medicinal Plant Species

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H Javadi

2014-07-01

Full Text Available To study the effect of salinity stress on seed germination and seedling growth of four medicinal plants, Nigella sativa L., Cannabis sativa L., Trigonella foenum graecum and Cynara scolymus L. an experiment was conducted in the botany laboratory of Islamic Azad University, Birjand branch. A completely randomized design (CRD with 3 replications was used as separately for each species. Treatments were consisted of six salinity (NaCl concentrations (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 dS m-1. The measured traits were root, shoot and seedling length, dry and fresh weight of seedling, germination rate and percent, seed vigor index, seedling water content and root/ shoot ratio. Salinity stress reduced significantly shoot, root and seedling length of the species. Increasing of salinity stress declined dry and fresh weight of Trigonella foenum and Nigella sativa L. and dry weight of Cannabis sativa L.. Seedling water content and root/ shoot ratio of Nigella sativa L. increased in salinity treatments. Increasing of salinity stress declined germination rate and percent in Nigella sativa L., but in other species (Cannabis sativa L., Trigonella foenum graecum and Cynara scolymus only germination rate decreased. Trigonella foenum graecum germinated completely (%100 in all salinity treatments. Increasing of salinity until 16 dS m-1 reduced seed germination of Nigella sativa. Seed germination of Nigella sativa did not occurred in the highest salinity stress (20 dS m-1. Totally the results showed that in the germination stage, Trigonella foenum graecum and Cannabis sativa were relatively tolerate to salinity stress but Nigella sativa L. was the most sensitive one

FIELD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR A WILLISTON BASIN BRINE EXTRACTION AND STORAGE TEST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamling, John; Klapperich, Ryan; Stepan, Daniel; Sorensen, James; Pekot, Lawrence; Peck, Wesley; Jacobson, Lonny; Bosshart, Nicholas; Hurley, John; Wilson, William; Kurz, Marc; Burnison, Shaughn; Salako, Olarinre; Musich, Mark; Botnen, Barry; Kalenze, Nicholas; Ayash, Scott; Ge, Jun; Jiang, Tao; Dalkhaa, Chantsalmaa; Oster, Benjamin; Peterson, Kyle; Feole, Ian; Gorecki, Charles; Steadman, Edward

2016-03-31

extraction and injection wells were selected during the Phase I efforts. These wells will be permitted as North Dakota Administrative Code Underground Injection Control Class II wells and will yield additional characterization data which will further refine the FIP in Phase II. An array of surface and downhole monitoring techniques will validate ARM performance against predictive simulation results. Infrastructure will be constructed to manage extracted fluids at the surface and provide brine to a treatment test bed facility. Treatment of extracted brine can provide a means of reducing extracted brine disposal volumes, an alternate source of water, and/or salable products for beneficial use. A test bed facility will be constructed to provide a means of demonstrating these technologies on a wide range of brine concentrations. Screening criteria based on a techno-economic and life cycle assessment were developed to select high-salinity brine treatment technologies for extended duration treatment (30–60 days) in Phase II. A detailed cost assessment determined total implementation costs for BEST of $19,901,065 million (DOE share $15,680,505). These costs are inclusive of all necessary equipment, infrastructure construction, operations and project closeout costs required to implement BEST. An ideal combination of key factors makes the Johnsons Corner site uniquely suited to be the BEST demonstration.

Total lactic acid bacteria, antioxidant activity, and acceptance of synbiotic yoghurt with red ginger extract (Zingiberofficinale var. rubrum)

Science.gov (United States)

Larasati, B. A.; Panunggal, B.; Afifah, D. N.; Anjani, G.; Rustanti, N.

2018-02-01

Antioxidant related to oxidative stress can caused the metabolic disorders. A functional food that high in antioxidant can be use as the alternative prevention. The addition of red ginger extract in yoghurt could form a functional food, that high in antioxidant, synbiotic and fiber. The influence of red ginger extract on yoghurt synbiotic against lactic acid bacteria, antioxidant activity and acceptance were analyzed. This was an experimental research with one factor complete randomized design, specifically the addition of red ginger extract 0%; 0,1%; 0,3% and 0,5% into synbiotic yoghurt. Total plate count method used to analyze the lactic acid bacteria, 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method for antioxidant activity, and acceptance analyzed with hedonic test. The higher the dose of extract added to synbiotic yoghurt, the antioxidant activity got significantly increased (ρ=0,0001), while the lactic acid bacteria got insignificantly decreased (ρ=0,085). The addition of 0,5% red ginger extract obtained the antioxidant activity of 71% and 4,86 × 1013 CFU/ml on lactic acid bacteria, which the requirement for probiotic on National Standard of Indonesia is >107 CFU/ml. The addition of extract had a significant effect on acceptance (ρ=0,0001) in flavor, color, and texture, but not aroma (ρ=0,266). The optimal product in this research was the yoghurt synbiotic with addition of 0,1% red ginger extract. To summarize, the addition of red ginger extract in synbiotic yoghurt had significant effect on antioxidant activity, flavor, color, and texture, but no significant effect on lactic acid bacteria and aroma.

Electrocapillary Phenomena at Edible Oil/Saline Interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishimura, Satoshi; Ohzono, Takuya; Shoji, Kohei; Yagihara, Shin; Hayashi, Masafumi; Tanaka, Hisao

2017-03-01

Interfacial tension between edible oil and saline was measured under applied electric fields to understand the electrocapillary phenomena at the edible oil/saline interfaces. The electric responses of saline droplets in edible oil were also observed microscopically to examine the relationship between the electrocapillary phenomena and interfacial polarization. When sodium oleate (SO) was added to edible oil (SO-oil), the interfacial tension between SO-oil and saline decreased. However, no decrease was observed for additive-free oil or oleic acid (OA)-added oil (OA-oil). Microscopic observations suggested that the magnitude of interfacial polarization increased in the order of additive-free oil oil oil. The difference in electrocapillary phenomena between OA- and SO-oils was closely related to the polarization magnitude. In the case of SO-oil, the decrease in interfacial tension was remarkably larger for saline (pH 5.4~5.6) than that for phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.2~7.4). However, no difference was observed between the electric responses of PBS and saline droplets in SO-oil. The difference in electrocapillary phenomena for PBS and saline could not be simply explained in terms of polarization magnitude. The ratio of ionized and non-ionized OA at the interfaces changed with the saline pH, possibly leading to the above difference.

Epinephrine Improves the Efficacy of Nebulized Hypertonic Saline in Moderate Bronchiolitis: A Randomised Clinical Trial.

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J Carlos Flores-González

Full Text Available There is no evidence that the epinephrine-3% hypertonic saline combination is more effective than 3% hypertonic saline alone for treating infants hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis. We evaluated the efficacy of nebulized epinephrine in 3% hypertonic saline.We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 208 infants hospitalized with acute moderate bronchiolitis. Infants were randomly assigned to receive nebulized 3% hypertonic saline with either 3 mL of epinephrine or 3 mL of placebo, administered every four hours. The primary outcome measure was the length of hospital stay.A total of 185 infants were analyzed: 94 in the epinephrine plus 3% hypertonic saline group and 91 in the placebo plus 3% hypertonic saline group. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were similar in both groups. Length of hospital stay was significantly reduced in the epinephrine group as compared with the placebo group (3.94 ±1.88 days vs. 4.82 ±2.30 days, P = 0.011. Disease severity also decreased significantly earlier in the epinephrine group (P = 0.029 and P = 0.036 on days 3 and 5, respectively.In our setting, nebulized epinephrine in 3% hypertonic saline significantly shortens hospital stay in hospitalized infants with acute moderate bronchiolitis compared to 3% hypertonic saline alone, and improves the clinical scores of severity from the third day of treatment, but not before.EudraCT 2009-016042-57.

Physio-Biochemical Composition and Untargeted Metabolomics of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) Make It Promising Functional Food and Help in Mitigating Salinity Stress

OpenAIRE

Pandey, Sonika; Patel, Manish Kumar; Mishra, Avinash; Jha, Bhavanath

2015-01-01

Cumin is an annual, aromatic, herbaceous, medicinal, spice plant, most widely used as a food additive and flavoring agent in different cuisines. The study is intended to comprehensively analyse physiological parameters, biochemical composition and metabolites under salinity stress. Seed germination index, rate of seed emergence, rate of seed germination, mean germination time, plant biomass, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased concomitantly with salinity. In contrast, total an...

RNA-seq for gene identification and transcript profiling in relation to root growth of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) under salinity stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Longxing; Li, Huiying; Chen, Liang; Lou, Yanhong; Amombo, Erick; Fu, Jinmin

2015-08-04

Soil salinity is one of the most significant abiotic stresses affecting plant shoots and roots growth. The adjustment of root architecture to spatio-temporal heterogeneity in salinity is particularly critical for plant growth and survival. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is a widely used turf and forage perennial grass with a high degree of salinity tolerance. Salinity appears to stimulate the growth of roots and decrease their mortality in tolerant bermudagrass. To estimate a broad spectrum of genes related to root elongation affected by salt stress and the molecular mechanisms that control the positive response of root architecture to salinity, we analyzed the transcriptome of bermudagrass root tips in response to salinity. RNA-sequencing was performed in root tips of two bermudagrass genotypes contrasting in salt tolerance. A total of 237,850,130 high quality clean reads were generated and 250,359 transcripts were assembled with an average length of 1115 bp. Totally, 103,324 unigenes obtained with 53,765 unigenes (52 %) successfully annotated in databases. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that major transcription factor (TF) families linked to stress responses and growth regulation (MYB, bHLH, WRKY) were differentially expressed in root tips of bermudagrass under salinity. In addition, genes related to cell wall loosening and stiffening (xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases, peroxidases) were identified. RNA-seq analysis identified candidate genes encoding TFs involved in the regulation of lignin synthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis controlled by peroxidases, and the regulation of phytohormone signaling that promote cell wall loosening and therefore root growth under salinity.

COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF HYPERTONIC SALINE AND NORMAL SALINE SOLUTIONS IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED ENDOTOXIC SHOCK IN DOGS

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M. A. ZAFAR, G. MUHAMMAD, M. H. HUSSAIN, T. AHMAD, A. YOUSAF AND I. SARFARAZ

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This study was contemplated to determine the comparative beneficial effects of hypertonic saline solution and sterile saline solution in induced endotoxic shock in dogs. For this purpose, 12 healthy Mongrel dogs were randomly divided into two equal groups (A and B. All the animals were induced endotoxaemia by slow intravenous administration of Escherichia coli endotoxins 0111:B4. Group A was treated with normal saline solution @ 90 ml/kg BW, while group B was given hypertonic saline solution @ 4 ml/kg BW, followed by normal saline solution @ 10 ml/kg BW. Different parameters were observed for evaluation of these fluids including clinical and haematological parameters, serum electrolytes, mean arterial pressure, and blood gases at different time intervals up to 24 hours post treatments. After infusion of respective fluids, all parameters returned to baseline values in both the groups but group B showed better results than group A except bicarbonates, which better recovered in group A. Thus, it was concluded that a small-volume of hypertonic saline solution could be effectively used in reversing the endotoxaemia. Moreover, it provides a rapid and inexpensive resuscitation from endotoxic shock.

Organic matter and salinity modify cadmium soil (phyto)availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Filipović, Lana; Romić, Marija; Romić, Davor; Filipović, Vilim; Ondrašek, Gabrijel

2018-01-01

Although Cd availability depends on its total concentration in soil, it is ultimately defined by the processes which control its mobility, transformations and soil solution speciation. Cd mobility between different soil fractions can be significantly affected by certain pedovariables such as soil organic matter (SOM; over formation of metal-organic complexes) and/or soil salinity (over formation of metal-inorganic complexes). Phytoavailable Cd fraction may be described as the proportion of the available Cd in soil which is actually accessible by roots and available for plant uptake. Therefore, in a greenhouse pot experiment Cd availability was observed in the rhizosphere of faba bean exposed to different levels of SOM, NaCl salinity (50 and 100mM) and Cd contamination (5 and 10mgkg -1 ). Cd availability in soil does not linearly follow its total concentration. Still, increasing soil Cd concentration may lead to increased Cd phytoavailability if the proportion of Cd 2+ pool in soil solution is enhanced. Reduced Cd (phyto)availability by raised SOM was found, along with increased proportion of Cd-DOC complexes in soil solution. Data suggest decreased Cd soil (phyto)availability with the application of salts. NaCl salinity affected Cd speciation in soil solution by promoting the formation of CdCl n 2-n complexes. Results possibly suggest that increased Cd mobility in soil does not result in its increased availability if soil adsorption capacity for Cd has not been exceeded. Accordingly, chloro-complex possibly operated just as a Cd carrier between different soil fractions and resulted only in transfer between solid phases and not in increased (phyto)availability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biochemical and anatomical changes and yield reduction in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under varied salinity regimes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakim, M A; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Hanafi, M M; Ismail, Mohd Razi; Selamat, Ahmad; Rafii, M Y; Latif, M A

2014-01-01

Five Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, MR33, MR52, MR211, MR219, and MR232, were tested in pot culture under different salinity regimes for biochemical response, physiological activity, and grain yield. Three different levels of salt stresses, namely, 4, 8, and 12 dS m(-1), were used in a randomized complete block design with four replications under glass house conditions. The results revealed that the chlorophyll content, proline, sugar content, soluble protein, free amino acid, and yield per plant of all the genotypes were influenced by different salinity levels. The chlorophyll content was observed to decrease with salinity level but the proline increased with salinity levels in all varieties. Reducing sugar and total sugar increased up to 8 dS m(-1) and decreased up to 12 dS m(-1). Nonreducing sugar decreased with increasing the salinity levels in all varieties. Soluble protein and free amino acid also decreased with increasing salinity levels. Cortical cells of MR211 and MR232 did not show cell collapse up to 8 dS m(-1) salinity levels compared to susceptible checks (IR20 and BRRI dhan29). Therefore, considering all parameters, MR211 and MR232 showed better salinity tolerance among the tested varieties. Both cluster and principal component analyses depict the similar results.

Biochemical and Anatomical Changes and Yield Reduction in Rice (Oryza sativa L. under Varied Salinity Regimes

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M. A. Hakim

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Five Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L. varieties, MR33, MR52, MR211, MR219, and MR232, were tested in pot culture under different salinity regimes for biochemical response, physiological activity, and grain yield. Three different levels of salt stresses, namely, 4, 8, and 12 dS m−1, were used in a randomized complete block design with four replications under glass house conditions. The results revealed that the chlorophyll content, proline, sugar content, soluble protein, free amino acid, and yield per plant of all the genotypes were influenced by different salinity levels. The chlorophyll content was observed to decrease with salinity level but the proline increased with salinity levels in all varieties. Reducing sugar and total sugar increased up to 8 dS m−1 and decreased up to 12 dS m−1. Nonreducing sugar decreased with increasing the salinity levels in all varieties. Soluble protein and free amino acid also decreased with increasing salinity levels. Cortical cells of MR211 and MR232 did not show cell collapse up to 8 dS m−1 salinity levels compared to susceptible checks (IR20 and BRRI dhan29. Therefore, considering all parameters, MR211 and MR232 showed better salinity tolerance among the tested varieties. Both cluster and principal component analyses depict the similar results.

Effects of Achyrocline satureioides Inflorescence Extracts against Pathogenic Intestinal Bacteria: Chemical Characterization, In Vitro Tests, and In Vivo Evaluation

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Karla Suzana Moresco

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Three Achyrocline satureioides (AS inflorescences extracts were characterized: (i a freeze-dried extract prepared from the aqueous extractive solution and (ii a freeze-dried and (iii a spray-dried extract prepared from hydroethanol extractive solution (80% ethanol. The chemical profile, antioxidant potential, and antimicrobial activity against intestinal pathogenic bacteria of AS extracts were evaluated. In vitro antioxidant activity was determined by the total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP assay. In vivo analysis and characterization of intestinal microbiota were performed in male Wistar rats (saline versus treated animals with AS dried extracts by high-throughput sequencing analysis: metabarcoding. Antimicrobial activity was tested in vitro by the disc diffusion tests. Moisture content of the extracts ranged from 10 to 15% and 5.7 to 17 mg kg−1 of fluorine. AS exhibited antioxidant activity, especially in its freeze-dried form which also exhibited a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity against intestinal pathogenic bacteria greater than those observed by the antibiotic, amoxicillin, when tested against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of AS extracts seemed to be positively correlated with the present amount of flavonoids. These findings suggest a potential use of AS as a coadjuvant agent for treating bacterial-induced intestinal diseases with high rates of antibiotic resistance.

Influence of salinity and dissolved organic carbon on acute Cu toxicity to the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Christopher A; Tait, Tara; Gray, Holly; Cimprich, Giselle; Santore, Robert C; McGeer, James C; Wood, Christopher M; Smith, D Scott

2014-01-21

Acute copper (Cu) toxicity tests (48-h LC50) using the euryhaline rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were performed to assess the effects of salinity (3, 16, 30 ppt) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC, ∼ 1.1, ∼ 3.1, ∼ 4.9, ∼ 13.6 mg C L(-1)) on Cu bioavailability. Total Cu was measured using anodic stripping voltammetry, and free Cu(2+) was measured using ion-selective electrodes. There was a protective effect of salinity observed in all but the highest DOC concentrations; at all other DOC concentrations the LC50 value was significantly higher at 30 ppt than at 3 ppt. At all salinities, DOC complexation significantly reduced Cu toxicity. At higher concentrations of DOC the protective effect increased, but the increase was less than expected from a linear extrapolation of the trend observed at lower concentrations, and the deviation from linearity was greatest at the highest salinity. Light-scattering data indicated that salt induced colloid formation of DOC could be occurring under these conditions, thereby decreasing the number of available reactive sites to complex Cu. When measurements of free Cu across DOC concentrations at each individual salinity were compared, values were very similar, even though the total Cu LC50 values and DOC concentrations varied considerably. Furthermore, measured free Cu values and predicted model values were comparable, highlighting the important link between the concentration of bioavailable free Cu and Cu toxicity.

Optimization of Conditions for Extraction of Polyphenols and the Determination of the Impact of Cooking on Total Polyphenolic, Antioxidant, and Anticholinesterase Activities of Potato

Science.gov (United States)

Laib, Imen; Barkat, Malika

2018-01-01

In this work we optimized the cooking and extraction conditions for obtaining high yields of total polyphenols from potato and studied the effect of three domestic methods of cooking on total phenols, antioxidant activity, and anticholinesterase activities. The optimization of the experiment was carried out by the experimental designs. The extraction of the polyphenols was carried out by maceration and ultrasonication. Determination of the polyphenols was performed by using the Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by three methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and CUPRAC(Cupric reducing antioxidant capacity), the anticholinesterase activity was evaluated by the method of Elmann. The optimum of total phenolic obtained was: 4.668 × 104, 1.406 × 104, 3357.009, 16,208.99 µg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/g of dry extract for crude potato, steamed potatoes, in boiling water, and by microwave, respectively. The three modes of cooking cause a decrease in the total polyphenol contents, antioxidant and anticholinesterase activities. PMID:29522482

The role of salinity tolerance and competition in the distribution of an endangered desert salt marsh endemic

Science.gov (United States)

DeFalco, Lesley; Scoles, Sara; Beamguard, Emily R.

2017-01-01

Rare plants are often associated with distinctive soil types, and understanding why endemic species occur in unique environments is fundamental for their management. At Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in southern Nevada, USA, we evaluated whether the limited distribution of endangered Amargosa niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis) is explained by this species’ tolerance of saline soils on salt-encrusted mud flats compared with the broadly distributed desert saltgrass (Distichlis spicata var. stricta). We simultaneously explored whether niterwort distribution is restricted from expanding due to interspecific competition with saltgrass. Surface soils collected throughout niterwort’s range were unexpectedly less saline with lower extractable Na, seasonal electroconductivity, and Na absorption ratio, and higher soil moisture than in adjacent saltgrass or mixed shrub habitats. Comparison of niterwort and saltgrass growth along an experimental salinity gradient in a greenhouse demonstrated lower growth of niterwort at all but the highest NaCl concentrations. Although growth of niterwort ramets was similar when transplanted into both habitats at the refuge below Crystal Reservoir, niterwort reproductive effort was considerably higher in saltgrass compared to its own habitat, implying reallocation of resources to sexual reproduction to maximize fitness when the probability of ramet mortality increases with greater salinity stress. Saltgrass was not a demonstrated direct competitor of niterwort; however, this species is known to increase soil salinity by exuding salt ions and through litterfall. Niterwort conservation will benefit from protecting hydrological processes that reduce salinity stress and preventing saltgrass colonization into niterwort habitat.

Antinociceptive effect of extracts of Marrubium astracanicum Jacq. aerial parts

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Niloofar Kahkeshani

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: The genus Marrubium is used for treatment of joint pain, gout, stomach-ache and colic in Iranian Traditional Medicine. Marrubium astracanicum Jacq. (M. astracanicum is a native species in the flora of Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive properties of various extracts of aerial parts of M. astracanicum.Materials and Methods: Antinociceptive activities of total hydroalcoholic extract (THE and its n-hexane (non-polar and residual partition (polar fractions were analyzed using formalin test in mice. Morphine (5 mg/kg and normal saline were used as positive and negative controls, respectively.Results: Intraperitoneal administration of THE (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, non-polar fraction (200 mg/kg and polar fraction (100 and 200 mg/kg, 30 min before formalin injection, caused significant analgesic activity in acute phase (0-5 min after formalin injection of formalin test (p0.05 in comparison with morphine.  In chronic phase (15–60 min after formalin injection, non-polar and polar fractions (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg showed significant analgesic activity (p0.05 in comparison with morphine.Conclusion: Different extracts of M. astracanicum demonstrated antinociceptive activity that support the traditional usage of Marrubium genus for the treatment of arthritis, gout and other inflammatory diseases.

Effect of salinity on survival, growth and biochemical parameters in juvenile Lebranch mullet Mugil liza (Perciformes: Mugilidae

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Viviana Lisboa

Full Text Available Teleost fish growth may be improved under isosmotic condition. Growth and metabolic performance of juvenile Mugil liza (isosmotic point: 12‰ were evaluated after 40 days in different salinities (0, 6, 12 and 24‰. Tests were performed in quadruplicate (30 fish/tank; 0.48 ± 0.1 g body weight; 3.27 ± 0.1 cm total length under controlled water temperature (28.2 ± 0.1ºC and oxygen content (>90% saturation. Fish were fed on artificial diet (50% crude protein four times a day until apparent satiation. Results showed that salinity influenced juvenile mullet growth. Fish reared at salinity 24‰ grew better than those maintained in freshwater (salinity 0‰. Gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity and whole body oxygen consumption showed an U-shape-type response over the range of salinities tested, with the lower values being observed at the intermediate salinities. Although no significant difference was observed in liver glycogen content at different salinities, it tended to augment with increasing salinity. These findings indicate that energy demand for osmorregulation in juvenile M. liza can be minimized under isosmotic condition. However, the amount of energy spared is not enough to improve fish growth. Results also suggest that M. liza is able to alternate between different energy-rich substrates during acclimation to environmental salinity.

COMPARISON OF TWO TOTAL RNA EXTRACTION PROTOCOLS FROM CHO-K1 CELLS FOR RT-PCR: CUT-OFF COST FOR RESEARCHERS

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Vasila Packeer Mohamed

2014-05-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Various methods have been described to extract RNA from adherent mammalian cells. RNA isolation in conjunction with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR is a valuable tool used to study gene expression profiling. This approach is now being used in mammalian cell bioprocessing to help understand and improve the system. The objective of this study was to compare and determine the most suitable RNA extraction method for CHO-K1 cells in a setting where a relatively large amount of samples was involved. Total RNA was extracted using Total RNA purification kit (without DNase treatment; Norgen, Canada and RNeasy mini kit (with DNase treatment; Qiagen, USA respectively. The extracted RNA was then reverse transcribed, and the cDNA was subjected to PCR-amplifying 18S. Yield from RNeasy kit was significantly higher (0.316 ± 0.033 µg/µl; p=0.004 than Total RNA purification kit (0.177 ± 0.0243 µg/µl. However, RNA purity for both methods was close to 2.0 and there was no significant difference between the methods. Total RNA purification kit is less expensive than RNeasy kit. Since there is no DNase treatment step in the former, extraction time for RNA is shorter. When the extracted RNA was subjected to RT-PCR, both methods were able to show detection of 18S at 219 bp.   Therefore, this study demonstrates that both protocols are suitable for RNA extraction for CHO-K1 cells. RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen is recommended if higher yields is the primary concern and Total RNA Purification kit (Norgen is recommended if time and cost are concerned. ABSTRAK: Pelbagai kaedah telah digunakan untuk mengekstrak RNA daripada sel mamalia lekat.  Pemencilan RNA dengan menggunakan reaksi rantai polimerase transkripsi berbalik (RT-PCR merupakan kaedah penting yang digunakan dalam mengkaji pernyataan gen berprofil.  Pendekatan ini kini digunakan dalam pemprosesan bio sel mamalia untuk memahami dan menambah baik sistem.  Tujuan kajian dijalankan

Water sources accessed by arid zone riparian trees in highly saline environments, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Costelloe, Justin F; Payne, Emily; Woodrow, Ian E; Irvine, Elizabeth C; Western, Andrew W; Leaney, Fred W

2008-05-01

The flow regimes of arid zone rivers are often highly variable, and shallow groundwater in the alluvial aquifers can be very saline, thus constraining the availability and quality of the major water sources available to riparian trees-soil water, shallow groundwater and stream water. We have identified water sources and strategies used by riparian trees in more highly saline and arid conditions than previously studied for riparian trees of arid zone rivers. Our research focused on the riparian species Eucalyptus coolabah, one of the major riparian trees of ephemeral arid zone rivers in Australia. The water sources available to this riparian tree were examined using delta(18)O isotope data from xylem, soil water, groundwater and surface water. Additionally, soil chloride and matric potential data were used to infer zones of water availability for root uptake. Despite the saline conditions, the trees used a mixture of soil water and groundwater sources, but they did not use surface water directly. The study identified three strategies used to cope with typically high groundwater and soil water salinities. Firstly, the trees preferentially grow in zones of most frequent flushing by infiltrating streamflow, such as the bank-tops of channels. Secondly, the trees limit water use by having low transpiration rates. Thirdly, the trees are able to extract water at very low osmotic potentials, with water uptake continuing at chloride concentrations of at least 20,000-30,000 mg L(-1).

Effect of Gamma Rays and Salinity on Growth and Chemical Composition of Ambrosia maritima L. Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moemen, A.M.E.

2012-01-01

This work achieved to study the effects of, mixture of salt 2:2:1 (Na Cl-CaCl 2 and Mg SO 4 ), concentration of (0, 2000, 4000 and 6000 ppm). on growth characters, some chemical components and some active ingredients in shoots of Ambrosia maritima plants, at different stages of growth, during two seasons. Pots 30 cm in diameter were filled of sand-loamy soils in appropriate concentration, all pots were irrigated with tap water. The exposed damsisa seeds to gamma rays, doses (0, 20, 40, and 80 Gy) before sowing together with control non irradiated seeds were sown in saline soils (0, 2000, 4000 and 6000 ppm). Soil salinity treatments caused a decrease in plant height, number of leaves, content of damsin, and an increase in fresh weigh, dry weight, total sugars, total chlorophyll, amino acids and ambrosine content. Also, Gamma rays caused an increase in most of growth parameters and most of chemical composition. It was observed that 40 or 80 Gy was more effective. We investigated the combined effect of levels of salinity and doses of radiation used, this interference improve growth parameters and chemical composition in ambrosia maritima plants and caused ascertain the role of gamma irradiation in plants tolerance to soil salinity and alleviation their harmful effect on plants.

QTLs for seedling traits under salinity stress in hexaploid wheat

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Yongzhe Ren

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Soil salinity limits agricultural production and is a major obstacle for increasing crop yield. Common wheat is one of the most important crops with allohexaploid characteristic and a highly complex genome. QTL mapping is a useful way to identify genes for quantitative traits such as salinity tolerance in hexaploid wheat. In the present study, a hydroponic trial was carried out to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs associated with salinity tolerance of wheat under 150mM NaCl concentration using a recombinant inbred line population (Xiaoyan 54×Jing 411. Values of wheat seedling traits including maximum root length (MRL, root dry weight (RDW, shoot dry weight (SDW, total dry weight (TDW and the ratio of TDW of wheat plants between salt stress and control (TDWR were evaluated or calculated. A total of 19QTLs for five traits were detected through composite interval mapping method by using QTL Cartographer version 2.5 under normal and salt stress conditions. These QTLs distributed on 12 chromosomes explained the percentage of phenotypic variation by individual QTL varying from 7.9% to 19.0%. Among them, 11 and six QTLs were detected under normal and salt stress conditions, respectively and two QTLs were detected for TDWR. Some salt tolerance related loci may be pleiotropic. Chromosome 1A, 3A and 7A may harbor crucial candidate genes associated with wheat salt tolerance. Our results would be helpful for the marker assisted selection to breed wheat varieties with improved salt tolerance.

Quantitative Analysis of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soils: Comparison between Reflectance Spectroscopy and Solvent Extraction by 3 Certified Laboratories

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Guy Schwartz

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The commonly used analytic method for assessing total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH in soil, EPA method 418.1, is usually based on extraction with 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane (Freon 113 and FTIR spectroscopy of the extracted solvent. This method is widely used for initial site investigation, due to the relative low price per sample. It is known that the extraction efficiency varies depending on the extracting solvent and other sample properties. This study’s main goal was to evaluate reflectance spectroscopy as a tool for TPH assessment, as compared with three commercial certified laboratories using traditional methods. Large variations were found between the results of the three commercial laboratories, both internally (average deviation up to 20%, and between laboratories (average deviation up to 103%. Reflectance spectroscopy method was found be as good as the commercial laboratories in terms of accuracy and could be a viable field-screening tool that is rapid, environmental friendly, and cost effective.

Extraction and purification of total flavonoids from pine needles of Cedrus deodara contribute to anti-tumor in vitro.

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Shi, Xiaofeng; Liu, Dongyan; Zhang, Junmin; Hu, Pengbin; Shen, Wei; Fan, Bin; Ma, Quhuan; Wang, Xindi

2016-07-26

Cedrus deodara is one of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs that exhibits a line of biological activities. The current study extracted the total flavonoids from the pine needles of Cedrus deodara (TFPNCD), and investigated its anti-cancer effects in tumor cell lines. The total flavonoids was extracted from pine needles of Cedrus deodara by ethanol hot refluxing and purified by HPD722 macroporous resin. The contents of total flavonoids and the active ingredients of TFPNCD were analyzed through UV and HPLC. MTT assay was used to investigate its inhibitory effect on tumor cell lines. The flow cytometry was employed to determine the apoptosis and cell cycle distribution after treated TFPNCD on HepG2 cells. The TFPNCD, in which the contents of total flavonoid reached up to 54.28 %, and the major ingredients of myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin in TFPNCD were 1.89, 2.01, 2.94 and 1.22 mg/g, respectively. The MTT assays demonstrated that TFPNCD inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC50 values of 114.12 μg/mL. By comparison, TFPNCD inhibited the proliferation to a less extent in human cervical carcinoma HeLa, gastric cancer MKN28 cells, glioma SHG-44 cells and lung carcinoma A549 than HepG2 cells. We found that even at the lower doses, the total flavonoids effectively inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Comparison of IC50 values implicated that HepG2 cells might be more sensitive to the treatment with total flavonoids. TFPNCD was able to increase the population of HepG2 cells in G0 /G1 phase. Meanwhile, TFPNCD treatment increased the percentage of apoptotic HepG2 cells. These data suggested that TFPNCD might have therapeutic potential in cancer through the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis.

Transcriptome analysis of salt tolerant common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. under saline conditions.

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Mahmut Can Hiz

Full Text Available Salinity is one of the important abiotic stress factors that limit crop production. Common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., a major protein source in developing countries, is highly affected by soil salinity and the information on genes that play a role in salt tolerance is scarce. We aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs and related pathways by comprehensive analysis of transcriptomes of both root and leaf tissues of the tolerant genotype grown under saline and control conditions in hydroponic system. We have generated a total of 158 million high-quality reads which were assembled into 83,774 all-unigenes with a mean length of 813 bp and N50 of 1,449 bp. Among the all-unigenes, 58,171 were assigned with Nr annotations after homology analyses. It was revealed that 6,422 and 4,555 all-unigenes were differentially expressed upon salt stress in leaf and root tissues respectively. Validation of the RNA-seq quantifications (RPKM values was performed by qRT-PCR (Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR analyses. Enrichment analyses of DEGs based on GO and KEGG databases have shown that both leaf and root tissues regulate energy metabolism, transmembrane transport activity, and secondary metabolites to cope with salinity. A total of 2,678 putative common bean transcription factors were identified and classified under 59 transcription factor families; among them 441 were salt responsive. The data generated in this study will help in understanding the fundamentals of salt tolerance in common bean and will provide resources for functional genomic studies.

Drought-induced recharge promotes long-term storage of porewater salinity beneath a prairie wetland

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Levy, Zeno F.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Moucha, Robert; Mushet, David M.; Goldhaber, Martin B.; LaBaugh, James W.; Fiorentino, Anthony J.; Siegel, Donald I.

2018-02-01

Subsurface storage of sulfate salts allows closed-basin wetlands in the semiarid Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America to maintain moderate surface water salinity (total dissolved solids [TDS] from 1 to 10 g L-1), which provides critical habitat for communities of aquatic biota. However, it is unclear how the salinity of wetland ponds will respond to a recent shift in mid-continental climate to wetter conditions. To understand better the mechanisms that control surface-subsurface salinity exchanges during regional dry-wet climate cycles, we made a detailed geoelectrical study of a closed-basin prairie wetland (P1 in the Cottonwood Lake Study Area, North Dakota) that is currently experiencing record wet conditions. We found saline lenses of sulfate-rich porewater (TDS > 10 g L-1) contained in fine-grained wetland sediments 2-4 m beneath the bathymetric low of the wetland and within the currently ponded area along the shoreline of a prior pond stand (c. 1983). During the most recent drought (1988-1993), the wetland switched from a groundwater discharge to recharge function, allowing salts dissolved in surface runoff to move into wetland sediments beneath the bathymetric low of the basin. However, groundwater levels during this time did not decline to the elevation of the saline lenses, suggesting these features formed during more extended paleo-droughts and are stable in the subsurface on at least centennial timescales. We hypothesize a "drought-induced recharge" mechanism that allows wetland ponds to maintain moderate salinity under semiarid climate. Discharge of drought-derived saline groundwater has the potential to increase the salinity of wetland ponds during wet climate.

Screening of Six Medicinal Plant Extracts Obtained by Two Conventional Methods and Supercritical CO₂ Extraction Targeted on Coumarin Content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical Scavenging Capacity and Total Phenols Content.

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Molnar, Maja; Jerković, Igor; Suknović, Dragica; Bilić Rajs, Blanka; Aladić, Krunoslav; Šubarić, Drago; Jokić, Stela

2017-02-24

Six medicinal plants Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don, Angelica archangelica L., Lavandula officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., Melilotus officinalis L., and Ruta graveolens L. were used. The aim of the study was to compare their extracts obtained by Soxhlet (hexane) extraction, maceration with ethanol (EtOH), and supercritical CO₂ extraction (SC-CO₂) targeted on coumarin content (by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, HPLC-UV), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging capacity, and total phenols (TPs) content (by Folin-Ciocalteu assay). The highest extraction yields were obtained by EtOH, followed by hexane and SC-CO₂. The highest coumarin content (316.37 mg/100 g) was found in M. officinalis EtOH extracts, but its SC-CO₂ extraction yield was very low for further investigation. Coumarin was also found in SC-CO₂ extracts of S. officinalis , R. graveolens , A. archangelica , and L. officinalis . EtOH extracts of all plants exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging capacity. SC-CO₂ extracts exhibited antiradical capacity similar to hexane extracts, while S. officinalis SC-CO₂ extracts were the most potent (95.7%). EtOH extracts contained the most TPs (up to 132.1 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g from H. italicum ) in comparison to hexane or SC-CO₂ extracts. TPs content was highly correlated to the DPPH scavenging capacity of the extracts. The results indicate that for comprehensive screening of different medicinal plants, various extraction techniques should be used in order to get a better insight into their components content or antiradical capacity.

Evaluating physiological responses of plants to salinity stress

KAUST Repository

Negrão, Sónia

2016-10-06

Background Because soil salinity is a major abiotic constraint affecting crop yield, much research has been conducted to develop plants with improved salinity tolerance. Salinity stress impacts many aspects of a plant’s physiology, making it difficult to study in toto. Instead, it is more tractable to dissect the plant’s response into traits that are hypothesized to be involved in the overall tolerance of the plant to salinity. Scope and conclusions We discuss how to quantify the impact of salinity on different traits, such as relative growth rate, water relations, transpiration, transpiration use efficiency, ionic relations, photosynthesis, senescence, yield and yield components. We also suggest some guidelines to assist with the selection of appropriate experimental systems, imposition of salinity stress, and obtaining and analysing relevant physiological data using appropriate indices. We illustrate how these indices can be used to identify relationships amongst the proposed traits to identify which traits are the most important contributors to salinity tolerance. Salinity tolerance is complex and involves many genes, but progress has been made in studying the mechanisms underlying a plant’s response to salinity. Nevertheless, several previous studies on salinity tolerance could have benefited from improved experimental design. We hope that this paper will provide pertinent information to researchers on performing proficient assays and interpreting results from salinity tolerance experiments.

Salinity tolerance loci revealed in rice using high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping

KAUST Repository

Al-Tamimi, Nadia Ali

2016-11-17

High-throughput phenotyping produces multiple measurements over time, which require new methods of analyses that are flexible in their quantification of plant growth and transpiration, yet are computationally economic. Here we develop such analyses and apply this to a rice population genotyped with a 700k SNP high-density array. Two rice diversity panels, indica and aus, containing a total of 553 genotypes, are phenotyped in waterlogged conditions. Using cubic smoothing splines to estimate plant growth and transpiration, we identify four time intervals that characterize the early responses of rice to salinity. Relative growth rate, transpiration rate and transpiration use efficiency (TUE) are analysed using a new association model that takes into account the interaction between treatment (control and salt) and genetic marker. This model allows the identification of previously undetected loci affecting TUE on chromosome 11, providing insights into the early responses of rice to salinity, in particular into the effects of salinity on plant growth and transpiration.

Salinity tolerance loci revealed in rice using high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping

KAUST Repository

Al-Tamimi, Nadia Ali; Brien, Chris; Oakey, Helena; Berger, Bettina; Saade, Stephanie; Ho, Yung Shwen; Schmö ckel, Sandra M.; Tester, Mark A.; Negrã o, Só nia

2016-01-01

High-throughput phenotyping produces multiple measurements over time, which require new methods of analyses that are flexible in their quantification of plant growth and transpiration, yet are computationally economic. Here we develop such analyses and apply this to a rice population genotyped with a 700k SNP high-density array. Two rice diversity panels, indica and aus, containing a total of 553 genotypes, are phenotyped in waterlogged conditions. Using cubic smoothing splines to estimate plant growth and transpiration, we identify four time intervals that characterize the early responses of rice to salinity. Relative growth rate, transpiration rate and transpiration use efficiency (TUE) are analysed using a new association model that takes into account the interaction between treatment (control and salt) and genetic marker. This model allows the identification of previously undetected loci affecting TUE on chromosome 11, providing insights into the early responses of rice to salinity, in particular into the effects of salinity on plant growth and transpiration.

Evolution of bacterial communities in the Gironde Estuary (France) according to a salinity gradient

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Prieur, D.; Troussellier, M.; Romana, A.; Chamroux, S.; Mevel, G.; Baleux, B.

1987-01-01

Three surveys were performed in the Gironde Estuary (France) in August 1981, March 1982 and July 1982. For each campaign, seventy samples were taken by helicopter, in order to follow the tide along the estuary. Of the parameters that were studied, salinity appeared to be the most important and which controls the bacterial communities along the estuary. This paper deals with the evolution of bacterial communities along a salinity gradient. The information obtained from various bacteriological parameters (total bacterial counts, viable counts on salted and unsalted media, functional evenness) were convergent. The bacterial community is dominated by an halotolerant microflora. In the estuary, a continental microflora is followed by a marine microflora. The succession zone between these two microflora is located between 5 and 10‰ areas of salinity.

Model-based Extracted Water Desalination System for Carbon Sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gettings, Rachel; Dees, Elizabeth

2017-03-23

The focus of this research effort centered around water recovery from high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) extracted waters (180,000 mg/L) using a combination of water recovery (partial desalination) technologies. The research goals of this project were as follows: 1. Define the scope and test location for pilot-scale implementation of the desalination system, 2.Define a scalable, multi-stage extracted water desalination system that yields clean water, concentrated brine, and, salt from saline brines, and 3. Validate overall system performance with field-sourced water using GE pre-pilot lab facilities. Conventional falling film-mechanical vapor recompression (FF-MVR) technology was established as a baseline desalination process. A quality function deployment (QFD) method was used to compare alternate high TDS desalination technologies to the base case FF-MVR technology, including but not limited to: membrane distillation (MD), forward osmosis (FO), and high pressure reverse osmosis (HPRO). Technoeconomic analysis of high pressure reverse osmosis (HPRO) was performed comparing the following two cases: 1. a hybrid seawater RO (SWRO) plus HPRO system and 2. 2x standard seawater RO system, to achieve the same total pure water recovery rate. Pre-pilot-scale tests were conducted using field production water to validate key process steps for extracted water pretreatment. Approximately 5,000 gallons of field produced water was processed through, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and steam regenerable sorbent operations. Improvements in membrane materials of construction were considered as necessary next steps to achieving further improvement in element performance at high pressure. Several modifications showed promising results in their ability to withstand close to 5,000 PSI without gross failure.

Microstrip Patch Sensor for Salinity Determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kibae; Hassan, Arshad; Lee, Chong Hyun; Bae, Jinho

2017-12-18

In this paper, a compact microstrip feed inset patch sensor is proposed for measuring the salinities in seawater. The working principle of the proposed sensor depends on the fact that different salinities in liquid have different relative permittivities and cause different resonance frequencies. The proposed sensor can obtain better sensitivity to salinity changes than common sensors using conductivity change, since the relative permittivity change to salinity is 2.5 times more sensitive than the conductivity change. The patch and ground plane of the proposed sensor are fabricated by conductive copper spray coating on the masks made by 3D printer. The fabricated patch and the ground plane are bonded to a commercial silicon substrate and then attached to 5 mm-high chamber made by 3D printer so that it contains only 1 mL seawater. For easy fabrication and testing, the maximum resonance frequency was selected under 3 GHz and to cover salinities in real seawater, it was assumed that the salinity changes from 20 to 35 ppt. The sensor was designed by the finite element method-based ANSYS high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS), and it can detect the salinity with 0.01 ppt resolution. The designed sensor has a resonance frequency separation of 37.9 kHz and reflection coefficients under -20 dB at the resonant frequencies. The fabricated sensor showed better performance with average frequency separation of 48 kHz and maximum reflection coefficient of -35 dB. By comparing with the existing sensors, the proposed compact and low-cost sensor showed a better detection capability. Therefore, the proposed patch sensor can be utilized in radio frequency (RF) tunable sensors for salinity determination.

Uniconazole effect on endogenous hormones, proteins and proline contents of barley plants (Hordium vulgare under salinity stress (NaCl

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MOHAMED A. BAKHETA

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Bakheta MA, Hussein MM. 2014. Uniconazole effect on endogenous hormones, proteins and proline contents of barley plants (Hordium vulgare under salinity stress (NaCl. Nusantara Bioscience 6: 39-44. Pot experiments were carried out during two growth seasons 2010 / 2011 under greenhouse conditions of the National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt to investigate the response of barley plants (Hordium vulgare L grown under salinity stress (2500 or 5000 ppm to spraying with solutions of uniconazole at 150 or 200 ppm. The obtained results showed that irrigation with saline solutions caused increases in the amounts of abscisic acid (ABA, crude protein, total soluble-protein and proline contents. The results showed that spraying barley plants grown under saline solutions with uniconazole increased endogenous hormone contents of ABA, cytokinins, crude protein, total soluble protein and proline but caused decreases in the amounts of endogenous indole acetic acid (IAA and gibberellic acid (GA3. High protection of abscisic acid in treating plants with uniconazole and under salt stress (interaction effect increases proline, proteins and soluble protein which has been proposed to act as compatible solutes that adjust the osmotic potential in the cytoplasm. Thus, these biochemical characters can be used as a metabolic marker in relation to salinity stress.

Hurricane-induced failure of low salinity wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Howes, Nick C.; FitzGerald, Duncan M.; Hughes, Zoe J.; Georgiou, Ioannis Y.; Kulp, Mark A.; Miner, Michael D.; Smith, Jane M.; Barras, John A.

2010-01-01

During the 2005 hurricane season, the storm surge and wave field associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita eroded 527 km2 of wetlands within the Louisiana coastal plain. Low salinity wetlands were preferentially eroded, while higher salinity wetlands remained robust and largely unchanged. Here we highlight geotechnical differences between the soil profiles of high and low salinity regimes, which are controlled by vegetation and result in differential erosion. In low salinity wetlands, a weak zone (shear strength 500–1450 Pa) was observed ∼30 cm below the marsh surface, coinciding with the base of rooting. High salinity wetlands had no such zone (shear strengths > 4500 Pa) and contained deeper rooting. Storm waves during Hurricane Katrina produced shear stresses between 425–3600 Pa, sufficient to cause widespread erosion of the low salinity wetlands. Vegetation in low salinity marshes is subject to shallower rooting and is susceptible to erosion during large magnitude storms; these conditions may be exacerbated by low inorganic sediment content and high nutrient inputs. The dramatic difference in resiliency of fresh versus more saline marshes suggests that the introduction of freshwater to marshes as part of restoration efforts may therefore weaken existing wetlands rendering them vulnerable to hurricanes. PMID:20660777

Physio-Biochemical Composition and Untargeted Metabolomics of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L. Make It Promising Functional Food and Help in Mitigating Salinity Stress.

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Sonika Pandey

Full Text Available Cumin is an annual, aromatic, herbaceous, medicinal, spice plant, most widely used as a food additive and flavoring agent in different cuisines. The study is intended to comprehensively analyse physiological parameters, biochemical composition and metabolites under salinity stress. Seed germination index, rate of seed emergence, rate of seed germination, mean germination time, plant biomass, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased concomitantly with salinity. In contrast, total antioxidant activity, H2O2, proline and MDA contents increased concurrently with stress treatments. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were decreased initially about 1.4-fold at 50 mM, and thereafter increased about 1.2-fold at 100 mM NaCl stress. Relative water content remained unchanged up to 50 mM NaCl stress, and thereafter decreased significantly. About 2.8-fold electrolyte leakage was found in 50 mM, which increases further 4-fold at 100 mM NaCl stress. Saturated fatty acids (FAs increased gradually with salinity, whereas unsaturation index and degree of unsaturation change arbitrarily along with the percent quantity of unsaturated FAs. Total lipid and fatty acid composition were significantly influenced by salinity stress. A total of 45 differentially expressed metabolites were identified, including luteolin, salvianolic acid, kaempferol and quercetin, which are phenolic, flavonoid or alkaloids in nature and contain antioxidant activities. Additionally, metabolites with bioactivity such as anticancerous (docetaxel and antimicrobial (megalomicin properties were also identified. The study evidenced that plant shoots are a rich source of metabolites, essential amino acids, phenolic compounds and fatty acids, which unveil the medicinal potential of this plant, and also provide useful insight about metabolic responses under salinity stress.

Physio-Biochemical Composition and Untargeted Metabolomics of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) Make It Promising Functional Food and Help in Mitigating Salinity Stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Sonika; Patel, Manish Kumar; Mishra, Avinash; Jha, Bhavanath

2015-01-01

Cumin is an annual, aromatic, herbaceous, medicinal, spice plant, most widely used as a food additive and flavoring agent in different cuisines. The study is intended to comprehensively analyse physiological parameters, biochemical composition and metabolites under salinity stress. Seed germination index, rate of seed emergence, rate of seed germination, mean germination time, plant biomass, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents decreased concomitantly with salinity. In contrast, total antioxidant activity, H2O2, proline and MDA contents increased concurrently with stress treatments. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were decreased initially about 1.4-fold at 50 mM, and thereafter increased about 1.2-fold at 100 mM NaCl stress. Relative water content remained unchanged up to 50 mM NaCl stress, and thereafter decreased significantly. About 2.8-fold electrolyte leakage was found in 50 mM, which increases further 4-fold at 100 mM NaCl stress. Saturated fatty acids (FAs) increased gradually with salinity, whereas unsaturation index and degree of unsaturation change arbitrarily along with the percent quantity of unsaturated FAs. Total lipid and fatty acid composition were significantly influenced by salinity stress. A total of 45 differentially expressed metabolites were identified, including luteolin, salvianolic acid, kaempferol and quercetin, which are phenolic, flavonoid or alkaloids in nature and contain antioxidant activities. Additionally, metabolites with bioactivity such as anticancerous (docetaxel) and antimicrobial (megalomicin) properties were also identified. The study evidenced that plant shoots are a rich source of metabolites, essential amino acids, phenolic compounds and fatty acids, which unveil the medicinal potential of this plant, and also provide useful insight about metabolic responses under salinity stress.

Saline Flush After Rocuronium Bolus Reduces Onset Time and Prolongs Duration of Effect: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishigaki, Sayaka; Masui, Kenichi; Kazama, Tomiei

2016-03-01

Circulatory factors modify the onset time of neuromuscular-blocking drugs. Therefore, we hypothesized that infusion of a saline flush immediately after rocuronium administration would shorten the onset time without influencing the duration of the rocuronium effect. Forty-eight patients were randomly allocated to the control or saline flush group. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol and remifentanil, and all patients received 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium in 10 mL of normal saline. In the saline flush group, 20 mL normal saline was immediately infused after rocuronium administration. Neuromuscular blockade was assessed using acceleromyography at the adductor pollicis muscle with train-of-four (TOF) stimulation. The neuromuscular indices for rocuronium were calculated as follows: the latent onset time, defined as the time from the start of rocuronium infusion until first occurrence of depression of the first twitch of the TOF (T1) ≥5%; onset time, defined as the time from the start of rocuronium infusion until first occurrence of depression of the T1 ≥95%; clinical duration, defined as the time from the start of rocuronium administration until T1 recovered to 25% of the final T1 value; recovery index, defined as the time for recovery of T1 from 25% to 75% of the final T1 value; and the total recovery time, defined as the time from the start of rocuronium administration until reaching a TOF ratio of 0.9. Significance was designated at P rocuronium bolus by 17%, 24%, and 14%, respectively. In addition, the recovery phase was significantly prolonged in the saline flush group. The mean clinical duration (5th-95th percentile range) in the saline flush group and control group was 35 minutes (27-63 minutes) and 31 minutes (19-48 minutes; P = 0.032), respectively; the recovery index was 13 minutes (8-25 minutes) and 10 minutes (7-19 minutes; P = 0.019), respectively; and the total recovery time was 61 minutes (44-108 minutes) and 50 minutes (35-93 minutes; P = 0

Sensing cocaine in saliva with attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy combined with a one-step extraction method

Science.gov (United States)

Hans, Kerstin M.-C.; Gianella, Michele; Sigrist, Markus W.

2012-03-01

On-site drug tests have gained importance, e.g., for protecting the society from impaired drivers. Since today's drug tests are majorly only positive/negative, there is a great need for a reliable, portable and preferentially quantitative drug test. In the project IrSens we aim to bridge this gap with the development of an optical sensor platform based on infrared spectroscopy and focus on cocaine detection in saliva. We combine a one-step extraction method, a sample drying technique and infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. As a first step we have developed an extraction technique that allows us to extract cocaine from saliva to an almost infrared-transparent solvent and to record ATR spectra with a commercially available Fourier Transform-infrared spectrometer. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that such a simple and easy-to-use one-step extraction method is used to transfer cocaine from saliva into an organic solvent and detect it quantitatively. With this new method we are able to reach a current limit of detection around 10 μg/ml. This new extraction method could also be applied to waste water monitoring and controlling caffeine content in beverages.

Effects of Soil Salinization and Waterlogging on the Concentrations of Some Macronutrients and Sodium in Corn Root

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N Najafi

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Salinity and waterlogging are two abiotic stresses decrease plants yield. In this research, the effects of soil salinization and waterlogging having concentrations of calcium (Ca, potassium (K, magnesium (Mg and sodium (Na and K:Na ratio in corn (Zea mays cv. single cross 704 root were studied under greenhouse conditions. A factorial experiment with two factors on the basis of completely randomized design with three replications was performed. The factors under study were: waterlogging duration in five levels (0, 2, 4, 8, 20 days and soil saturate extract salinity in four levels (0.11, 2, 4, 8 dS/m. A loamy sand soil for plant growth substrate and NaCl salt for establishing the levels of salinity was used. The salinity and waterlogging factors were imposed simultaneously to the plants from the five-leaf stage of plant growth period. The plants were harvested 60 days after sowing and the concentrations of Ca, K, Mg and Na in corn root were determined by dry ashi method. The results showed that by increasing the level of NaCl salinity in the soil, the K concentration and K:Na ratio of corn root were decreased significantly but concentrations of Ca, Mg and Na in corn root were increased significantly. The Mg and Na concentrations of root in waterlogged conditions were significantly lower than that of non-waterlogged conditions but the K and Ca concentrations of root in waterlogged conditions were significantly greater than non-waterlogged conditions. However, the effects of soil waterlogging duration on the Ca, K, Mg and Na concentrations and Na:K ratio of root were dependent on the level of NaCl salinity in the soil. The results demonstrated that even short periods of soil waterlogging had considerable long-term effects on the concentrations of Ca, K, Mg and Na and K:Na ratio in corn root under saline and non-saline conditions.

Study of salinity in aqueous medium using X-Ray beam with MCNP-X code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Caroline M.; Braz, Delson [Coordenacao de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa de Engenharia (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Salgado, César M., E-mail: cbarbosa@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: delson@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2017-07-01

In offshore production, it is possible that the produced water presents geochemical characteristics that correspond to the mixture of formation water (connate water) and the sea water (injection water), and the physical-chemical behavior of the injected water allows a considerable variation in the index of salinity altering the water/oil ratio during transportation and/or extraction. Injection water is generally used to raise the reservoir pressure, increasing the percentage of extracted oil. This water has a significant amount of salts that generate some difficulties, such as measuring fractions of volume in multiphase systems. One way to check the effects of salinity would be to regularly measure the amount of salt present in the water. In this way, this work presents a methodology to measure the concentration and the types of salts using nuclear techniques through the MCNP-X computational code. The measurement geometry uses an X-ray beam (40-100 keV) and NaI(Tl) scintillation detector positioned diametrically opposed to the source. The studied samples were the NaCl, KCl and MgCl{sub 2} salts in aqueous solution. The results present the possibility of differentiating the formation and injection waters due to differences in the salt concentrations. (author)

Extraction of [99mTc]-d,l-HM-PAO across the blood-brain barrier

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, A R; Friberg, H; Knudsen, K B

1988-01-01

The initial extraction (E) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of [99mTc]-d,l-HM-PAO after intracarotid injection was measured in 14 Wistar rats and 6 patients using the double indicator, single injection method with Na-24 as the cotracer. In both series, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured...... was increased from 20 to 120 microliters, while using a 120 microliters bolus containing 10% albumin resulted in a decrease in E. This suggests that HM-PAO binding to albumin is not totally and rapidly reversible during a single passage through brain capillaries and that binding to blood elements may reduce...... the apparent extraction across brain capillaries. In patients using a bolus of 1 ml saline, E decreased linearly with increasing CBF (r = -0.81, p less than 0.001). For a CBF of 0.59 ml/g/min and an average apparent E of 0.72, an apparent PS product of 0.76 ml/g/min was calculated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250...

Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of total extract, stevioside and rebaudioside-A from Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) leaves, using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Ameer, Kashif; Bae, Seong-Woo; Jo, Yunhee; Lee, Hyun-Gyu; Ameer, Asif; Kwon, Joong-Ho

2017-08-15

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) consists of stevioside and rebaudioside-A (Reb-A). We compared response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) modelling for their estimation and predictive capabilities in building effective models with maximum responses. A 5-level 3-factor central composite design was used to optimize microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) to obtain maximum yield of target responses as a function of extraction time (X 1 : 1-5min), ethanol concentration, (X 2 : 0-100%) and microwave power (X 3 : 40-200W). Maximum values of the three output parameters: 7.67% total extract yield, 19.58mg/g stevioside yield, and 15.3mg/g Reb-A yield, were obtained under optimum extraction conditions of 4min X 1 , 75% X 2 , and 160W X 3 . The ANN model demonstrated higher efficiency than did the RSM model. Hence, RSM can demonstrate interaction effects of inherent MAE parameters on target responses, whereas ANN can reliably model the MAE process with better predictive and estimation capabilities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Anaphe venata larva extract-induced purposeless chewing in rats ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study we investigated the effect of the crude aqueous and Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) extracts of this larva on altered spontaneous rat behavior in a novel environment particularly chewing behaviour, with a view to determine the mechanism(s) involved in these behavioural alteration. Animals were randomly ...

GROWTH AND MINERAL NUTRITION OF NEEM (Azadirachta indica A. Juss. AND CINNAMOMUM (Melia azedarach Linn. SUBMITTED TO SALINITY

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Antonio Lucineudo de Oliveira Freire

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to verify the effects of soil salinity on growth and nutrient and sodium accumulation in neem (Azadirachta indica and cinnamomum (Melia azedarach. The experimental delineation was completely randomized in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement, with two species (neem and cinnamomum, four salinity levels (electrical conductivity 0.49 (non saline soil, 4.15, 6.33 and 10.45 dS m-1 and four replications. Initially, plants were grown in tubes, and 60 days after emergence, they were transferred to pots containing 3 kg of substrate [soil + manure (2:1], according to the saline treatment. After 45 days, plant height, dry matter (leaves, stem, shoot (stem + leaves, roots and total and N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and Na+ shoot accumulation were evaluated. Salinity reduced the plant height in both species, but the effect was more pronounced in neem. Increases in soil salinity caused an increase in the accumulation of Na + and reduced the accumulation of nutrients in shoots of both species, especially in neem. The cinnamomum was more tolerant to salinity levels of soils than neem.

Effect of salinity stress on some morpho-physiological traits and quantity and quality of essential oils in Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.

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Mahya Ghorbani

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction Salinity stress is one of the main environmental stress limiting growth, development and economical yield of plants in different areas of the world, especially in the countries which are located in the arid and semi-arid regions. The extent of damage to the plant and reduction in yield heavily depends on the level of salinity in soil or irrigation water. Reducing growth and morphological development at the initial stages of the stress and accelerate tissue senescence at later stages will result in reduced agricultural productivity. Plant species and cultivars vary in their tolerance to salinity and ability to maintain physiological functions and yield production under stress. Increasing the concentration of salts in the soil solution usually leads to osmotic stress, specific ion toxicity and ionic imbalances and consequently decreases in plant growth. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L. is one of the most important medicinal plants and its essential oils are widely used in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and hygienic products. This plant is a popular herb that can be used in different forms such as oil, dried powder and leaf extract. Peppermint is comprised of a high amount of natural essential oils, as well as menthol and Menthone. It is known for its refreshing, cooling, bactericidal and anti-irritant properties. The concentrations of various secondary metabolites in different plant species are strongly depended on the growth conditions, especially stress conditions. Although the negative effect of salinity stress on essential oil yield is well documented but the effects of salinity stress on chemical composition of essential oil is not predictable and constant. Therefore in the present study, we have evaluated the effects of the different levels of salinity stress (0, 2, 4 and 6 dS/m on morpho-physiological traits and also essential oil components of Peppermint. Materials and methods In order to evaluate the effects of salinity stress

Genotypic variation for salinity tolerance in Cenchrus ciliaris L

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M. Iftikhar Hussain

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Scarcity of irrigation water and increasing soil salinization has threatened the sustainability of forage production in arid and semi-arid region around the globe. Introduction of salt-tolerant perennial species is a promising alternative to overcome forage deficit to meet future livestock needs in salt-affected areas. This study presents the results of a salinity tolerance screening trial which was carried out in plastic pots buried in the open field for 160 buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris L. accessions for three consecutive years (2003-2005. The plastic pots were filled with sand, organic, and peat moss mix and were irrigated with four different quality water (EC 0, 10, 15, and 20 dS m-1. The results indicate that the average annual dry weights (DW were in the range from 122.5 – 148.9 g pot-1 in control; 96.4 – 133.8 g pot-1 at 10 dS m-1; 65.6 – 80.4 g pot-1 at 15 dS m-1, and 55.4- 65.6 g pot-1 at 20 dS m-1. The highest DW (148.9 g pot-1 was found with accession 49 and the lowest with accession 23. Principle component analysis shows that PC-1 contributed 81.8 % of the total variability, while PC-2 depicted 11.7% of the total variation among C. ciliaris accessions for DW. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that a number of accessions collected from diverse regions could be grouped into a single cluster. Accessions 3, 133, 159, 30, 23, 142, 141, 95, 49, 129, 124, and 127 were stable, salt tolerant, and produced good dry biomass yield. These accessions demonstrate sufficient salinity tolerance potential for promotion in marginal land and arid regions to enhance farm productivity and reduce rural poverty.

Estuarine turbidity, flushing, salinity, and circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Pritchard, D. W.

1972-01-01

The effects of estuarine turbidity, flushing, salinity, and circulation on the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay are discussed. The sources of fresh water, the variations in salinity, and the circulation patterns created by temperature and salinity changes are analyzed. The application of remote sensors for long term observation of water temperatures is described. The sources of sediment and the biological effects resulting from increased sediments and siltation are identified.

Microstrip Patch Sensor for Salinity Determination

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Kibae Lee

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a compact microstrip feed inset patch sensor is proposed for measuring the salinities in seawater. The working principle of the proposed sensor depends on the fact that different salinities in liquid have different relative permittivities and cause different resonance frequencies. The proposed sensor can obtain better sensitivity to salinity changes than common sensors using conductivity change, since the relative permittivity change to salinity is 2.5 times more sensitive than the conductivity change. The patch and ground plane of the proposed sensor are fabricated by conductive copper spray coating on the masks made by 3D printer. The fabricated patch and the ground plane are bonded to a commercial silicon substrate and then attached to 5 mm-high chamber made by 3D printer so that it contains only 1 mL seawater. For easy fabrication and testing, the maximum resonance frequency was selected under 3 GHz and to cover salinities in real seawater, it was assumed that the salinity changes from 20 to 35 ppt. The sensor was designed by the finite element method-based ANSYS high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS, and it can detect the salinity with 0.01 ppt resolution. The designed sensor has a resonance frequency separation of 37.9 kHz and reflection coefficients under −20 dB at the resonant frequencies. The fabricated sensor showed better performance with average frequency separation of 48 kHz and maximum reflection coefficient of −35 dB. By comparing with the existing sensors, the proposed compact and low-cost sensor showed a better detection capability. Therefore, the proposed patch sensor can be utilized in radio frequency (RF tunable sensors for salinity determination.

Some Neuropharmacological Effects of the Methanolic Root Extract ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr. S.B. OLALEYE

Pentobarbital-sleeping time. Albino mice were grouped of six each. They were treated as follows; Group 1 received normal saline, groups 2, 3 and 4 received the extract (dose 50,100 and 200 mg/kg). Animals were administered with sodium pentobarbitone (40 mg/kg i.p.) 30 min later and index of hypnotic effect recorded.

In vivo hypoglycemic effect of methanolic fruit extract of Momordica charantia L.

Science.gov (United States)

Nkambo, W; Anyama, N G; Onegi, B

2013-12-01

Momordica charantia L. is a medicinal plant commonly used in the management of diabetes mellitus. We investigated the blood glucose lowering effect of the methanolic fruit extract of the Ugandan variety of M. charantia L. in alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats. 500g of M. charantia powder were macerated in methanol and the extract administered to two groups of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The first group received 125mg/kg, the second 375mg/kg and a third group 7mg/kg of metformin. A fourth group received 1ml normal saline. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were measured at 0.5,1,2,3,5,8 and 12 hours and compared using one-way ANOVA. There was an initial rise in FBG for 1 hour after administration of extracts followed by steep reductions. Significant reduction in FBG occurred at 2 hours for 125mg/kg of extract (-3.2%, 313±25.9 to 303±25.0mg/dL, p = 0.049), 375mg/kg of extract (-3.9%, 356±19.7 to 342±20.3mg/dL, p = 0.001), and metformin (-2.6%, 344±21.7 to 335±21.1mg/dL, p = 0.003) when compared to normal saline. The maximum percentage reduction in FBG by both extracts occurred between 3 and 12 hours post dose. The methanolic fruit extract of M. charantia exhibits dose dependent hypoglycaemic activity in vivo.

Salinity tolerance of the South African endemic amphipod ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Salinities were prepared using natural seawater and synthetic sea salt. Grandidierella lignorum tolerated all salinities, but showed highest survival at salinities of 7–42. Salinity tolerance was modified by temperature, with highest survival occurring between 10 and 25 °C. These represent the range of conditions at which ...

Phenotyping Root System Architecture of Cotton (Gossypium barbadense L. Grown Under Salinity

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Mottaleb Shady A.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Soil salinity causes an annual deep negative impact to the global agricultural economy. In this study, the effects of salinity on early seedling physiology of two Egyptian cotton (Gossypium barbadense L. cultivars differing in their salinity tolerance were examined. Also the potential use of a low cost mini-rhizotron system to measure variation in root system architecture (RSA traits existing in both cultivars was assessed. Salt tolerant cotton cultivar ‘Giza 90’ produced significantly higher root and shoot biomass, accumulated lower Na+/K+ ratio through a higher Na+ exclusion from both roots and leaves as well as synthesized higher proline contents compared to salt sensitive ‘Giza 45’ cultivar. Measuring RSA in mini-rhizotrons containing solid MS nutrient medium as substrate proved to be more precise and efficient than peat moss/sand mixture. We report superior values of main root growth rate, total root system size, main root length, higher number of lateral roots and average lateral root length in ‘Giza 90’ under salinity. Higher lateral root density and length together with higher root tissue tolerance of Na+ ions in ‘Giza 90’ give it an advantage to be used as donor genotype for desirable root traits to other elite cultivars.

NOAA Average Annual Salinity (3-Zone)

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — The 3-Zone Average Annual Salinity Digital Geography is a digital spatial framework developed using geographic information system (GIS) technology. These salinity...

Papaver Rhoeas L. Hydroalcoholic Extract Exacerbates Forced Swimming Test-Induced Depression in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Osanloo, Naser; Najafi-Abedi, Akram; Jafari, Fatemeh; Javid, Farshid; Pirpiran, Mohsen; Memar Jafari, Mohammad-Reza; Mousavi Khosravi, Seyed Ali; Rahimzadeh Behzadi, Mohammad; Ranjbaran, Mina; Sahraei, Hedayat

2016-07-01

Depression is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders in the world with occurs with higher incidence in women. In the present study, the effect of water-alcoholic extract of Papaver rhoeas L. on forced swimming test (FST) in Swiss-Webster mice were examined. We used Swiss-Webster mice (20-25 g) to execute FST on them. The plant extract (1, 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg) was injected to the animals 30 minutes before each session. Fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) was used as standard antidepressant drug. In another group of animals, 30 minutes after extract administration, blood samples were taken from retro-orbital sinus for corticosterone assay. Yet in third group, the drugs were injected to the animals and 30 minutes later, their activities were tested in an open field apparatus. Our experiments showed that the extract efficiently reduced FST time both in male and female mice dose-dependently. This effect was comparable with fluoxetine. In addition, corticosterone assay indicated that plasma corticosterone in animals which received extract was higher than those amounts in fluoxetine and saline controls. Moreover, the animals did not show any motor activity deficit in all doses of the extract and fluoxetine compared to saline control. The extract of Papaver rhoeas can reduce immobility time which is comparable to the effect of fluoxetine. Also the effect of the extract is contrary to its effects on plasma corticosterone level and or animals' activity.

Induction of the synthesis of bioactive compounds of the marine alga Tetraselmis tetrathele (West Butcher grown under salinity stress

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Hala Yassin El-Kassas

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This work aims at the induction of the synthesis bioactive compounds in microalgae which are used in aquacultures. Experiments were done using Tetraselmis tetrathele in batch culture for 8 days under different salinity levels. The growth of the alga at salinity 20 ppm was increased by fivefold and synthesis of carotenoids by 20-fold in comparison to the controlled. Increasing NaCl concentration resulted in increasing the fatty acid accumulation in T. tetrathele cells. Saturated fatty acids were the main constituent in the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs (3.48 mg/g at salinity 25 ppm. The predominated fatty acids were tridecylic, myristic and pentadecanoic which have potential antimicrobial activities. GC–MS analyses of the alga acetone extract grown under different NaCl concentrations were established. The results showed the presence of 18 bioactive compounds: 9-octadecenamide; in addition to the different esters of some fatty acids: hexanedioic, 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic, phthalic, oleanitrile, hexanedioic and 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic (71.5%; 64.9%; 55.4%; 49.6%; 18.7%; 25.2% and 14.5%, respectively. The study suggested that the alga biosynthesized various bioactive compounds under different salinity levels as defense mechanisms. Accordingly, the growth of T. tetrathele under salinity stress before being used in aquacultures is recommended.

Analysis of DNA methylation level by methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism in half smooth tongue sole ( Cynoglossus semilaevis) subjected to salinity stress

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Siping; He, Feng; Wen, Haishen; Li, Jifang; Si, Yufeng; Liu, Mingyuan; He, Huiwen; Huang, Zhengju

2017-04-01

Increasingly arisen environmental constraints may contribute to heritable phenotypic variation including methylation changes, which can help the animals with development, growth and survival. In this study, we assessed the DNA methylation levels in three tissues (gonad, kidney and gill) of half smooth tongue sole under the salinity stress. The methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique was applied to illustrate the regulation of epigenetic mechanism in environmental stimuli. Fish were subjected to 15 salinity treatment for 7 and 60 days, respectively. A total of 11259 fragments were amplified with 8 pairs of selective primers. The levels of methylated DNA in different tissues of females and males without salinity stress were analyzed, which were 32.76% and 47.32% in gonad; 38.13% and 37.69% in kidney; 37.58% and 34.96% in gill, respectively. In addition, the significant difference was observed in gonad between females and males, indicating that discrepant regulation in gonadal development and differentiation may involve sex-related genes. Further analysis showed that total and hemi-methylation were significantly decreased under 15 salinity for 7 days, probably resulting in up-regulating salt-tolerance genes expression to adjust salt changing. With the adjustment for 60 days, total and hemi-methylation prominently went back to its normal levels to obtain equilibrium. Particularly, full methylation levels were steady along with salinity stress to maintain the stability of gene expression. Additionally, the data showed that gonads in females and gills in males were superior in adaptability. As a result, DNA methylation regulates tissue- specific epiloci, and may respond to salinity stress by regulating gene expression to maintain animal survival and activity.

Screening of Six Medicinal Plant Extracts Obtained by Two Conventional Methods and Supercritical CO2 Extraction Targeted on Coumarin Content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical Scavenging Capacity and Total Phenols Content

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Maja Molnar

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Six medicinal plants Helichrysum italicum (Roth G. Don, Angelica archangelica L., Lavandula officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., Melilotus officinalis L., and Ruta graveolens L. were used. The aim of the study was to compare their extracts obtained by Soxhlet (hexane extraction, maceration with ethanol (EtOH, and supercritical CO2 extraction (SC-CO2 targeted on coumarin content (by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, HPLC-UV, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH scavenging capacity, and total phenols (TPs content (by Folin–Ciocalteu assay. The highest extraction yields were obtained by EtOH, followed by hexane and SC-CO2. The highest coumarin content (316.37 mg/100 g was found in M. officinalis EtOH extracts, but its SC-CO2 extraction yield was very low for further investigation. Coumarin was also found in SC-CO2 extracts of S. officinalis, R. graveolens, A. archangelica, and L. officinalis. EtOH extracts of all plants exhibited the highest DPPH scavenging capacity. SC-CO2 extracts exhibited antiradical capacity similar to hexane extracts, while S. officinalis SC-CO2 extracts were the most potent (95.7%. EtOH extracts contained the most TPs (up to 132.1 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE/g from H. italicum in comparison to hexane or SC-CO2 extracts. TPs content was highly correlated to the DPPH scavenging capacity of the extracts. The results indicate that for comprehensive screening of different medicinal plants, various extraction techniques should be used in order to get a better insight into their components content or antiradical capacity.

Analysis of Thermal Properties on Backward Feed Multi effect Distillation Dealing with High-Salinity Wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue, J.; Ming, J.; Li, L.; Cui, Q.; Bai, Y.

2015-01-01

Theoretical investigations on thermal properties of multi effect distillation (MED) are presented to approach lower capital costs and more distillated products. A mathematical model, based on the energy and mass balance, is developed to (i) evaluate the influences of variations in key parameters (effect numbers, evaporation temperature in last effect, and feed salinity) on steam consumption, gained output ratio (GOR), and total heat transfer areas of MED and (II) compare two operation modes (backward feed (BF) and forward feed (FF) systems). The result in the first part indicated that GOR and total heat transfer areas increased with the effect numbers. Also, higher effect numbers result in the fact that the evaporation temperature in last effect has slight influence on GOR, while it influences the total heat transfer areas remarkably. In addition, an increase of feed salinity promotes the total heat transfer areas but reduces GOR. The analyses in the second part indicate that GOR and total heat transfer areas of BF system are higher than those in FF system. One thing to be aware of is that the changes of steam consumption can be omitted, considering that it shows an opposite trend to GOR.

SALINE WATER RESOURCES IN CLUJ-NAPOCA SURROUNDINGS

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B. CZELLECZ

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Saline waters are usually researched in those places where it is used for balneotherapy or other industrial purposes. The aim of this study is to describe the saline water sources from less known areas, as they are an important natural mineral water resource. Twenty nine water samples were analyzed from Cojocna-Pata-Sopor region, thirteen of them can be considered saline waters. The visited locations are 21, 15 and 3 km far from Cluj-Napoca. Highly concentrated springs are to be found in the old mine area from Pata village and in the slough from Cojocna. Beside the well known saline lakes from Cojocna, five other saline lakes were identified; most of them are having artificial origin.

Vascular flora of saline lakes in the southern high plains of Texas and eastern New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, David J.; Conway, Warren C.; Haukos, David A.; Caskey, Amber D.

2013-01-01

Saline lakes and freshwater playas form the principal surface hydrological feature of the High Plains of the Southern Great Plains. Saline lakes number less than 50 and historically functioned as discharge wetlands with relatively consistent water availability due to the presence of one or more springs. Currently, less than ten saline lakes contain functional springs. A survey of vascular plants at six saline lakes in the Southern High Plains of northwest Texas and one in eastern New Mexico during May and September 2009 resulted in a checklist of 49 species representing 16 families and 40 genera. The four families with the most species were Asteraceae (12), Amaranthaceae (8), Cyperaceae (5), and Poaceae (12). Non-native species (Bromus catharticus, Poa compressa, Polypogon monspeliensis, Sonchus oleraceus, Kochia scoparia, and Tamarix ramosissima) accounted for 10% of the total species recorded. Whereas nearly 350 species of vascular plants have been identified in playas in the Southern High Plains, saline lakes contain a fraction of this species richness. The Southern High Plains saline lake flora is regionally unique, containing taxa not found in playas, with species composition that is more similar to temperate desert wetlands of the Intermountain Region and Gulf Coastal Plain of North America.

Protective effect of Zingiber officinale extract on rat testis after cyclophosphamide treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, F; Nikzad, H; Taghizadeh, M; Taherian, A; Azami-Tameh, A; Hosseini, S M; Moravveji, A

2014-08-01

Decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy in testis has been the subjects of many studies. In this study, the protective effects of Zingiber officinale extract on rat testis were investigated after chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide. Histological and biochemical parameters were compared in cyclophosphamide-treated rats with or without ginger extract intake. Wistar male rats were randomly divided into four groups each 10. The control group received a single injection of 1 ml isotonic saline intraperitoneally. The Cyclophosphamide (CP) group received a single dose of cyclophosphamide (100 mg kg(-1) BW) intraperitoneally. CP + 300 and CP + 600 groups received orally 300 or 600 mg of ginger extract, respectively, for a period of 6 weeks after cyclophosphamide injection. The morphologic and histological structure of the testis was compared in different groups of the rats. Also, factors like malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity and testosterone level were assessed in blood serum as well. Our results showed that although ginger extract could not change testis weight, malondialdehyde (MDA) and ROS, but antioxidant and testosterone levels in serum were increased significantly. Also, an obvious improved histological change was seen in CP + 300 and CP + 600 groups in comparison with CP group. These protective effects of ginger on rat testis after cyclophosphamide treatment could be attributed to the higher serum level of antioxidants. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Evaluation of extracts and essential oil from Callistemon viminalis leaves: antibacterial and antioxidant activities, total phenolic and flavonoid contents.

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, Mohamed Z M; Ali, Hayssam M; El-Shanhorey, Nader A; Abdel-Megeed, Ahmed

2013-10-01

To investigate antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Callistemon viminalis (C. viminalis) leaves. The essential oil of C. viminalis leaves obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed by GC/MS. Different extracts were tested for total phenolic and flavonoid contents and in vitro antioxidant (DPPH assay) and antibacterial (agar disc diffusion and 96-well micro-plates methods) actives. Fourteen components were identified in the essential oil, representing 98.94% of the total oil. The major components were 1,8-cineole (64.53%) and α-pinene (9.69%). Leaf essential oil exhibited the highest antioxidant activity of (88.60±1.51)% comparable to gallic acid, a standard compound [(80.00±2.12)%]. Additionally, the biggest zone of inhibitions against the studied bacterial strains was observed by the essential oil when compared to the standard antibiotic (tetracycline). The crude methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction had a significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains. It can be suggested that C. viminalis is a great potential source of antibacterial and antioxidant compounds useful for new antimicrobial drugs from the natural basis. The present study revealed that the essential oil as well as the methanol extracts and ethyl acetate fraction of C. viminalis leaves exhibited highly significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains. Copyright © 2013 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fingerprinting groundwater salinity sources in the Gulf Coast Aquifer System, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, Ali H.; Scanlon, Bridget R.; Reedy, Robert C.; Young, Steve

2018-02-01

Understanding groundwater salinity sources in the Gulf Coast Aquifer System (GCAS) is a critical issue due to depletion of fresh groundwater and concerns for potential seawater intrusion. The study objective was to assess sources of groundwater salinity in the GCAS using ˜1,400 chemical analyses and ˜90 isotopic analyses along nine well transects in the Texas Gulf Coast, USA. Salinity increases from northeast (median total dissolved solids (TDS) 340 mg/L) to southwest (median TDS 1,160 mg/L), which inversely correlates with the precipitation distribution pattern (1,370- 600 mm/yr, respectively). Molar Cl/Br ratios (median 540-600), depleted δ2H and δ18O (-24.7‰, -4.5‰) relative to seawater (Cl/Br ˜655 and δ2H, δ18O 0‰, 0‰, respectively), and elevated 36Cl/Cl ratios (˜100), suggest precipitation enriched with marine aerosols as the dominant salinity source. Mass balance estimates suggest that marine aerosols could adequately explain salt loading over the large expanse of the GCAS. Evapotranspiration enrichment to the southwest is supported by elevated chloride concentrations in soil profiles and higher δ18O. Secondary salinity sources include dissolution of salt domes or upwelling brines from geopressured zones along growth faults, mainly near the coast in the northeast. The regional extent and large quantities of brackish water have the potential to support moderate-sized desalination plants in this location. These results have important implications for groundwater management, suggesting a current lack of regional seawater intrusion and a suitable source of relatively low TDS water for desalination.

Infiltration with lidocaine and adrenaline instead of normal saline does not improve the septoplasty procedure.

Science.gov (United States)

Gungor, Volkan; Baklaci, Deniz; Kum, Rauf Oguzhan; Yilmaz, Yavuz Fuat; Ozcan, Muge; Unal, Adnan

2016-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether infiltration of local anesthetics with adrenaline improved septoplasty procedure when compared to normal saline. Eight-two patients undergoing septoplasty were randomized into two groups. In group 1, septal mucoperichondrium was infiltrated with lidocaine with adrenaline, and normal saline was used in group 2. Presence of intra-operative septal mucosal injuries, the amount of bleeding, arterial blood pressure, operation time as well as the quality of the surgical field and the convenience of finding the correct surgical plane as determined by the surgeon using a 5-point scale were compared between two groups. There were no significant differences for the amount of blood loss, mean arterial pressure, operation time, or scores for convenience of finding the correct surgical plane between the two groups. There was no significant difference for intra-operative simple (P = 0.631) and total (simple+severe) (P = 0.649) septal mucoperichondrial injuries between groups 1 and 2, either. However, severe mucoperichondrial injury rate was higher in the patients infiltrated with lidocaine and adrenaline (P = 0.026), and the quality of the surgical field was worse in the patients injected with normal saline (P = 0.0179). Infiltration of septal mucoperichondrium with lidocaine and adrenaline instead of normal saline was not advantageous in terms of objective parameters tested, including bleeding amount and duration of surgery as well as the of the total mucosal injury rate in septoplasty procedure.

Effect of Vetiver Grass on Reduction of Soil Salinity and Some Minerals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masoud Noshadi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Soil salinity is one of the major limitations of agriculture in the warm and dry regions. Soil sodification also damages soil structure and reduce soil permeability. Therefore, control of soil salinity and sodium is very important. Vetiver grass has unique characteristics that can be useful in phytoremediation. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation with different salinities on vetiver grass and the effects of this plant on the control of soil salinity and soil reclamation.The experimental design was randomized complete block design. Irrigation water salinities were 0.68(blank, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 dS/m, respectively, which artificially were constructed using sodium chloride and calcium chloride. At first, vetiver was transplanted and then moved to the farm. The amount of soil moisture was measured by the neutron probe. Irrigation depth was applied to refill soil water deficit up to field capacity. To evaluate the soil salinity in above salinity treatments, soil was sampled in each plot from 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm depths and for each layer, electrical conductivity of saturated extract (ECe, sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations was measured .To measure the sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations in the leaves and roots of vetiver plant, samples were dried in oven. The dried samples were powdered and passed through the sieve (No. 200 and they were reduced to ash in 250 ◦C. 5 ml HCl was added to one gram of the ash, and after passing through filter paper, the volume of sample was brought to 50 ml by boiled distilled water. After preparing plant samples, the sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations were measured by Flame Photometer. Reults and discussion: The results showed that the vetiver grass was able to decrease soil salinity at different salinity levels except highest water salinity (10 dS/m and prevented salt accumulation in the soil. However, in the

Anti-emetic activity of Grewia lasiodiscus root extract and fractions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-09-03

Sep 3, 2008 ... peptic ulcer, drug toxicity, myocardial infarction, renal failure, and ... Anhydrous copper sulphate and metoclopramide were obtained from Sigma ... saline/kg. Groups 2, 3, and 4 ... Extract produced significant (P<0.05) dose dependent shortening ... GABA, have been implicated in sleep mechanisms. (Osuide ...

Dose- and time-dependent effects of ethanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens Linn. seed on sexual behaviour of normal male rats.

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Suresh, Sekar; Prithiviraj, Elumalai; Prakash, Seppan

2009-04-21

According to Indian Systems of Medicine, Mucuna pruriens Linn., belonging to the leguminous family (Papilionaceae), were used for treating male sexual disorders since ancient times. In this study, the effects of ethanolic extracts of the Mucuna pruriens Linn. seed on general mating behaviour, libido and potency of normal male Wister albino rats were investigated and also compared with the standard reference drug, Sildenafil citrate. Animals were divided into one control group (Group I--received saline) and four experimental groups (Groups II-V). Experimental groups were divided on the basis of the dosage of extract to the animals as follows: 150 mg/kg body weight (Group I), 200mg/kg body weight (Group II) and 250 mg/kg body weight (Group IV) while Group V received Sildenafil citrate (5mg/kg body weight). Animals were fed PO with saline or extract or standard drug once in a day for 45 days. To analyse the mating behaviour, female rats with oestrus phase were used. The extract administered PO significantly increased the mounting frequency, intromission frequency and ejaculation latency, and decreased the mounting latency, intromission latency, post-ejaculatory interval and inter-intromission interval. The potency test significantly increased erections, quick flips, long flips and total reflex. Therefore, the results indicated that the ethanolic extracts of Mucuna pruriens Linn. seed produced a significant and sustained increase in the sexual activity of normal male rats at a particular dose (200mg/kg). When compared to control, all the drug-treated groups have shown drug-induced effects for a few parameters. However in Group II, there was an obvious enhancement in all parameters, without affecting the normal behaviour. When compared with the standard drug, the net effect of extract is even less than that in Group II. Therefore, the resulting aphrodisiac activity of the extract lends support to the claim that it has traditionally been used for the treatment of sexual

Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Total Alkaloid Extract from Fumaria capreolata

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Noureddine Bribi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Fumaria capreolata is used in traditional medicine in North Africa for its gastrointestinal and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study investigates the effects of total alkaloids extracted from the aerial parts of Fumaria capreolata (AFC on LPS-induced production of proinflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-1β, iNOS, TNF-α, COX-2, and MIP-2 in RAW264.7 cells. AFC significantly reduced the inflammatory response inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting the viability of cells, and downregulated mRNA expression of proinflammatory key players: IL-6, IL-1β, iNOS, TNF-α, and COX-2. AFC antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties were also evaluated on the acetic acid- and formalin-induced pain models in mice. AFC oral administration significantly inhibited acetic acid-induced writhes and reduced formalin-induced paw licking time. Therefore, AFC may be a potential candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as colitis and arthritis.

FRESHEM - Fresh-saline groundwater distribution in Zeeland (NL) derived from airborne EM

Science.gov (United States)

Siemon, Bernhard; van Baaren, Esther; Dabekaussen, Willem; Delsman, Joost; Gunnik, Jan; Karaoulis, Marios; de Louw, Perry; Oude Essink, Gualbert; Pauw, Pieter; Steuer, Annika; Meyer, Uwe

2017-04-01

In a setting of predominantly saline surface waters, the availability of fresh water for agricultural purposes is not obvious in Zeeland, The Netherlands. Canals and ditches are mainly brackish to saline due to saline seepage, which originates from old marine deposits and salt-water transgressions during historical times. The only available fresh groundwater is present in the form of freshwater lenses floating on top of the saline groundwater. This fresh groundwater is vital for agricultural, industrial, ecological, water conservation and drinking water functions. An essential first step for managing this fresh groundwater properly is to know the present spatial fresh-brackish-saline groundwater distribution. As traditional salinity monitoring is labour-intensive, airborne electromagnetics (AEM), which is fast and can cover large areas in short time, is an efficient alternative. A consortium of BGR, Deltares and TNO started FRESHEM Zeeland (FREsh Salt groundwater distribution by Helicopter ElectroMagnetic survey in the Province of Zeeland) in October 2014. Within 3x2 weeks of the first project year, the entire area of about 2000 km2 was surveyed using BGR's helicopter-borne geophysical system totalling to about 10,000 line-km. The HEM datasets of 17 subareas were carefully processed using advanced BGR in-house software and inverted to 2.5 Million resistivity-depth models. Ground truthing demonstrated that the large-scale HEM results fit very well with small-scale ground EM data (ECPT). Based on this spatial resistivity distribution, a 3D voxel model for Chloride concentration was derived for the entire province taking into account geological model data (GeoTOP) for the lithology correction and local in-situ groundwater measurements for the translation of water conductivity to Chloride concentration. The 3D voxel model enables stakeholders to implement spatial Chloride concentration in their groundwater models.

Transcriptome analysis of salinity responsiveness in contrasting genotypes of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) through RNA-sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Hifzur; Jagadeeshselvam, N; Valarmathi, R; Sachin, B; Sasikala, R; Senthil, N; Sudhakar, D; Robin, S; Muthurajan, Raveendran

2014-07-01

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is a hardy cereal known for its superior level of tolerance against drought, salinity, diseases and its nutritional properties. In this study, attempts were made to unravel the physiological and molecular basis of salinity tolerance in two contrasting finger millet genotypes viz., CO 12 and Trichy 1. Physiological studies revealed that the tolerant genotype Trichy 1 had lower Na(+) to K(+) ratio in leaves and shoots, higher growth rate (osmotic tolerance) and ability to accumulate higher amount of total soluble sugar in leaves under salinity stress. We sequenced the salinity responsive leaf transcriptome of contrasting finger millet genotypes using IonProton platform and generated 27.91 million reads. Mapping and annotation of finger millet transcripts against rice gene models led to the identification of salinity responsive genes and genotype specific responses. Several functional groups of genes like transporters, transcription factors, genes involved in cell signaling, osmotic homeostasis and biosynthesis of compatible solutes were found to be highly up-regulated in the tolerant Trichy 1. Salinity stress inhibited photosynthetic capacity and photosynthesis related genes in the susceptible genotype CO 12. Several genes involved in cell growth and differentiation were found to be up-regulated in both the genotypes but more specifically in tolerant genotype. Genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis were found to be down-regulated specifically in the salinity tolerant Trichy 1. This study provides a genome-wide transcriptional analysis of two finger millet genotypes differing in their level of salinity tolerance during a gradually progressing salinity stress under greenhouse conditions.

Antioxidant activity, the content of total phenols and flavonoids in the ethanol extracts of Mentha longifolia (L. Hudson dried by the use of different techniques

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Stanisavljević Dragana M.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, we have examined the yield of extracted substances obtained by means of extraction using 70 % ethanol (v/v, the content of total phenols and flavonoids, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained from the samples of the herbs dried by means of different techniques. Wild mint Mentha longifolia (L. Hudson was dried naturally in a laboratory oven at a temperature of 45 °C and in an absorptive low temperature condensation oven at 35°C. The highest yield of extracts was obtained from the naturally dried herbs and the lowest from the herbs dried in the low temperature condensation drying oven. The content of total phenols and flavonoids was determined by spectrophotometric methods with an FC reagent and by the complexation reaction with aluminium-chloride, respectively. The extract of the naturally dried herbs had the highest overall content of phenols (113.8±2.0 mg of gallic acid/g of the dry extract and flavonoids (106.7±0.3 mg of rutin/g of the dry extract. The highest antioxidant activity determined by the FRAP and DPPH assay was determined in the extracts obtained from naturally dried herbs (2.76±0.15 mmol Fe2+/mg of the dry extract and EC50=0.022±0.001 mg/ml, while the lowest was obtained from the extracts of herbs dried in the laboratory oven (1.13±0.11 mmol Fe2+/mg of the dry extract and EC50=0.033±0.001 mg/ml. The HPLC-DAD analysis result show that the greatest content of phenolic compounds show extract obtained from naturally dried plant material. The dominant phenolic component in the all extracts is Kaempferol 3-O-glucoside. The content of all phenolic compound strongly depend on the drying conditions.

Effect of Saline Water on Yield and Nitrogen Acquisition by Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Using 15N Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadalla, A. M.; Galal, Y. G. M.; Abdel Aziz, A.; Hamdy, A.

2007-01-01

Sugar beet growth response to the interactive effects of salinity and N-fertilization was investigated using 15N tracer technique under greenhouse condition. Data showed that dry matter yield of sugar beet shoots and roots were frequently affected by N and water regime. Total N uptake by leaves was increased under almost water salinity treatments in spite of increasing salinity levels. It appears that in case of W I , N I I the N-uptake by roots was significantly decreased along with raising salinity levels from 4 to 8 dS/m. The portions of N derived from fertilizer (whole plant) showed that the trend was affected by salinity level of irrigation water, and fertilization treatments. The highest amount of N derived from fertilizer was obtained with the 4 dS/m level under N I I with the two water regimes. The efficient use of fertilizer-N was slightly but positively affected by raising salinity levels of irrigation water. Sugar percent was increased with increasing salinity levels of irrigation water under both N I and N I I treatments, but it was higher in case of N I than NII under different salinity levels. Generally, Irrigation with saline water in combination with water regime of 75-80% of field capacity and splitting nitrogen technique are better for enhancement of sugar beet production grown under such adverse conditions

(Lamiaceae) root extracts

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To evaluate the larvicidal, nematicidal, antifeedant, and antifungal effects of 10 solvent extracts of Mentha spicata root. Methods: Ten solvent extracts were investigated for their total flavonoid and phenolic content and screened for larvicidal, nematicidal, antifeedant, and antifungal activities. The total phenolic ...

Turbidity and salinity affect feeding performance and physiological stress in the endangered delta smelt.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasenbein, Matthias; Komoroske, Lisa M; Connon, Richard E; Geist, Juergen; Fangue, Nann A

2013-10-01

Coastal estuaries are among the most heavily impacted ecosystems worldwide with many keystone fauna critically endangered. The delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) is an endangered pelagic fish species endemic to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary in northern California, and is considered as an indicator species for ecosystem health. This ecosystem is characterized by tidal and seasonal gradients in water parameters (e.g., salinity, temperature, and turbidity), but is also subject to altered water-flow regimes due to water extraction. In this study, we evaluated the effects of turbidity and salinity on feeding performance and the stress response of delta smelt because both of these parameters are influenced by water flows through the San Francisco Bay Delta (SFBD) and are known to be of critical importance to the completion of the delta smelt's life cycle. Juvenile delta smelt were exposed to a matrix of turbidities and salinities ranging from 5 to 250 nephelometric turbidity units (NTUs) and 0.2 to 15 parts per thousand (ppt), respectively, for 2 h. Best statistical models using Akaike's Information Criterion supported that increasing turbidities resulted in reduced feeding rates, especially at 250 NTU. In contrast, best explanatory models for gene transcription of sodium-potassium-ATPase (Na/K-ATPase)-an indicator of osmoregulatory stress, hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin-a precursor protein to adrenocorticotropic hormone (expressed in response to biological stress), and whole-body cortisol were affected by salinity alone. Only transcription of glutathione-S-transferase, a phase II detoxification enzyme that protects cells against reactive oxygen species, was affected by both salinity and turbidity. Taken together, these data suggest that turbidity is an important determinant of feeding, whereas salinity is an important abiotic factor influencing the cellular stress response in delta smelt. Our data support habitat association studies that have shown greater

Physiological and biochemical responses to the exogenous application of proline of tomato plants irrigated with saline water

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B. Kahlaoui

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In scope of crop salinity tolerance, an experiment was carried out in a field using saline water (6.57 dS m−1 and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI on two tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum, cv. Rio Grande and Heinz-2274 in a salty clay soil. Exogenous application of proline was done by foliar spray at two concentrations: 10 and 20 mg L−1, with a control (saline water without proline, during the flowering stage. Significant higher increases in proline and total soluble protein contents, glutamine synthetase (GS, EC6.3.1.2 activities and decreases in proline oxidase (l-proline: O2 Oxidoreductase, EC1.4.3.1 activities were detected in both tomato cultivars when irrigated with saline water (6.57 dS m−1 and exogenously applied by the lower concentration of proline. Taking in consideration the obtained results, it was concluded that the foliar spray of low concentration of proline can increase the tolerance of both cultivars of tomato to salinity under field conditions.

Biochar mitigates salinity stress in potato

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saleem Akhtar, Saqib; Andersen, M.N.; Liu, Fulai

2015-01-01

capability of biochar. Results indicated that biochar was capable to ameliorate salinity stress by adsorbing Na+. Increasing salinity level resulted in significant reductions of shoot biomass, root length and volume, tuber yield, photosynthetic rate (An), stomatal conductance (gs), midday leaf water......A pot experiment was conducted in a climate-controlled greenhouse to investigate the growth, physiology and yield of potato in response to salinity stress under biochar amendment. It was hypothesized that addition of biochar may improve plant growth and yield by mitigating the negative effect...... potential, but increased abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in both leaf and xylem sap. At each salinity level, incorporation of biochar increased shoot biomass, root length and volume, tuber yield, An, gs, midday leaf water potential, and decreased ABA concentration in the leaf and xylem sap as compared...

Estimation of soil salinity in a drip irrigation system by using joint inversion of multicoil electromagnetic induction measurements

KAUST Repository

Jadoon, Khan Zaib

2015-05-12

Low frequency electromagnetic induction (EMI) is becoming a useful tool for soil characterization due to its fast measurement capability and sensitivity to soil moisture and salinity. In this research, a new EMI system (the CMD mini-Explorer) is used for subsurface characterization of soil salinity in a drip irrigation system via a joint inversion approach of multiconfiguration EMI measurements. EMI measurements were conducted across a farm where Acacia trees are irrigated with brackish water. In situ measurements of vertical bulk electrical conductivity (σb) were recorded in different pits along one of the transects to calibrate the EMI measurements and to compare with the modeled electrical conductivity (σ) obtained by the joint inversion of multiconfiguration EMI measurements. Estimates of σ were then converted into the universal standard of soil salinity measurement (i.e., electrical conductivity of a saturated soil paste extract – ECe). Soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) was repeatedly measured with the CMD mini-Explorer to investigate the temperature stability of the new system at a fixed location, where the ambient air temperature increased from 26°C to 46°C. Results indicate that the new EMI system is very stable in high temperature environments, especially above 40°C, where most other approaches give unstable measurements. In addition, the distribution pattern of soil salinity is well estimated quantitatively by the joint inversion of multicomponent EMI measurements. The approach of joint inversion of EMI measurements allows for the quantitative mapping of the soil salinity distribution pattern and can be utilized for the management of soil salinity.