Future of Abies pindrow in Swat district,northern Pakistan     

Kishwar Ali  Habib Ahmad  Nasrullah Khan  Stephen Jury 《林业研究》2014,25(1):211-214

Swat district is a biodiversity hub of Pakistan. The plant species, especially trees, in the Swat District are exposed to extinction threat from global climate change. Maximum entropy （MaxEnt） modelling of species distribution, using HADCM3 A2a global climate change scenario, pre-dicted a considerable change in the future distribution ofAbies pindrow （Royle ex D.Don） Royle. AUC （area under the curve）values of 0.972 and 0.983 were significant for the present and future distribution models of the species, respectively. It is clear that bioclimatic variables such as the mean temperature of the warmest quarter （bio_10） and the annual temperature range （bio_7） contribute significantly to the model and thus affect the predicted distribution and density of the species. The future model predicts that by the year 2080 population density will have decreased significantly. The highest density of the species is recorded in the eastern and western borders of the Valley in the areas of Sulatanr and Mankial. The changes in density and distribution of the species can have considerable impact, not only on the tree species itself, but on the associated subflora as well.  相似文献   

Modulus of elasticity in scarf-jointed wooden beams: a case study with polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate adhesives     

Mehran Roohnia  Amirhooman Hemmasi  Ali Yavari  Habibolla Khademieslam  Behzad Bazyar 《Journal of Wood Science》2014,60(5):321-326

In the present study, elastic properties of scarf-jointed oak (Quercus castaneifolia) timbers with the application of two different types of adhesives (polyvinyl acetate and isocyanate) were evaluated using free flexural vibration of free–free beam method in different flexural directions of vibration, i.e., tangential and redial directions. Samples were taken from trees of Hyrcanian forests in Iran with nominal dimensions of 20 × 20 × 360 mm³. Comparing the results of elastic properties of clear oak wood beams with scarf-jointed samples wood showed that scarf joints with the bonding angles of 70° and 75°, covered by polyvinyl acetate adhesive, did not demonstrate any significant effect on modules of elasticity. Scarf-jointed beams with smaller joint angles (60° and 65°) were considerably weaker or totally unreliable in their moduli of elasticity. It is also shown that the magnitude of effect gets worst by using isocyanate rather than polyvinyl acetate adhesive.  相似文献   

Effect of butyrate,clopidol and their combination on the performance of broilers infected with Eimeria maxima     

A.M. Ali  Sh.A. Seddiek 《British poultry science》2014,55(4):474-482

1. The effect of butyric acid glycerides (BAGs) with and without clopidol (CLP) on Eimeria maxima on growth and associated biochemical variables was investigated in broiler chickens.

2. One-day-old chicks were divided into 6 equal groups (Gps) of 30 chicks each; each group was subdivided into 6 equal subgroups. Gp 1 was not infected and not treated. Chicks in Gp 2 were not infected and fed on a ration mixed with 4 g BAGs/kg for 6 successive weeks. Chicks of the other groups were directly inoculated intra-crop with 1 × 10⁴ sporulated oocysts of E. maxima at 14 d of age. Gp 3 was infected and not treated. Chicks in the remaining three groups were given diets mixed with the tested drugs for 6 successive weeks. Gp 4 was fed on a diet mixed with CLP (125 g/kg). Gp 5 was given a diet mixed with BAGs (4 g/kg diet). Gp 6 was fed on a diet mixed with both BAGs (4 g/kg diet) and CLP (125 g/kg).

3. Birds in Gps 5 and 6 showed a reduction in the mean oocyst count, lesion scores and developmental stages in the lamina propria and improved growth and biochemical variables. BAG supplementation enhanced growth and production of healthy broilers.

4. It was concluded that BAGs were a useful supplement in broiler diets as an alternative to growth promoters and antimicrobial drugs.  相似文献   

The effect of dietary supplementation with the natural carotenoids curcumin and lutein on pigmentation,oxidative stability and quality of meat from broiler chickens affected by a coccidiosis challenge     

N. Rajput  S. Ali  M. Naeem  M.A. Khan 《British poultry science》2014,55(4):501-509

1. An experiment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the antioxidants curcumin (CRM) and lutein (LTN) on the quality of meat from coccidiosis-infected broilers. A total of 200 one-day-old Arbor Acre chicks were randomly assigned to a treatment group with 5 replicates. The treatments included a basal diet without carotenoid supplementation (control), with 300 mg/kg CRM, with 300 mg/kg LTN or with a combination (C + L) of 150 mg/kg CRM and 150 mg/kg LTN. All chickens were challenged with Eimeria maxima at 21 d old.

2. The results revealed that the coccidiosis reduced redness of meat, while supplementation with carotenoids improved the fresh meat’s redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) and contributed to colour stability maintenance after storage (1 month at ?18°C and 3 d at 4°C).

3. Coccidiosis did not produce lipid and protein oxidation in fresh meat, but after storage for one month, the malondialdehyde levels and carbonyl contents were lower in the CRM and C + L birds and the sulfhydryl contents were higher in C + L birds.

4. The sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis banding pattern showed equivalent myosin chain fragmentations in all treatment groups, whereas lower intensity actin bands were observed in the control group (CONT). Moreover, myofibril protein denaturation (differential scanning calorimetry) profiles showed a reduction in the CONT myosin and actin peaks. Coccidiosis reduced the meat’s water holding capacity in non-supplemented chicken meat and was improved by natural carotenoid.

5. These results emphasise that coccidiosis did not decrease the eating quality of fresh meat, that natural carotenoids are efficient antioxidants and that CRM (300 mg/kg) fed individually or combined with LTN was the most effective supplemented antioxidant compound.  相似文献   

Isolation and identification of bovine Brucella isolates from Pakistan by biochemical tests and PCR     

Shahzad Ali  Qurban Ali  Falk Melzer  Iahtasham Khan  Shamim Akhter  Heinrich Neubauer  Syed M. Jamal 《Tropical animal health and production》2014,46(1):73-78

Brucellosis is endemic in bovines in Pakistan. The Brucella species and biovars involved, however, are unknown. The objectives of the present study were to isolate and characterize brucellae from seropositive milk samples, aborted fetuses, and vaginal swabs of cattle and buffaloes which had recently aborted. The seropositive milk samples, aborted fetuses, and vaginal swabs of cattle and buffaloes were collected from the Potohar Plateau, Pakistan. Isolation of brucellae was done on modified Farrell’s serum dextrose agar. Isolates were characterized by conventional biotyping methods, while molecular typing was done by genus (B4/B5) and species-specific (Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, Brucella ovis, and Brucella suis) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 30 isolates were recovered from milk (n?=?5), aborted fetuses (n?=?13), and vaginal swabs (n?=?12). Most isolates were from cattle (56.7 %). All of them were identified as B. abortus biovar 1 based on conventional biotyping methods and genus and species-specific PCR. This preliminary study provides the first report on the prevalence of B. abortus biovar 1 in cattle and buffaloes in Pakistan.  相似文献   

Genetic analysis of post-weaning growth traits of Thalli sheep under tropical conditions     

Asghar Hussain  Pervez Akhtar  Safdar Ali  Khalid Javed  Muhammad Younas  Abdul Shakoor  Usman Waheed 《Tropical animal health and production》2014,46(8):1527-1531

Present investigation was carried out to study the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors affecting post-weaning performance traits in Thalli sheep. Data on post-weaning growth of Thalli sheep maintained at Livestock Experiment Station, Rakh Ghulaman, District Bhakkar-Punjab, Pakistan during 1977–2003 were subjected to genetic analysis. The average values for weight at 180 and 270 days of age, yearling weight and post-weaning average daily gain were 22.37?±?4.21, 25.96?±?4.90 and 28.93?±?5.20 kg and 28?±?0.01 g/day, respectively. Weight at 180, 270 and 365 days of age and post-weaning average daily gain were significantly affected by year of birth, sex, type of birth and weaning weight (covariable) whereas season of birth was a significant source of variation for 180 and 270 days of age. The heritability estimates for 180 and 270 days, yearling weight and post-weaning average daily gain were 0.07?±?0.02, 0.08?±?0.02, 0.07?±?0.02 and 0.07?±?0.02, respectively.  相似文献   

Variations in Pectoral Girdle Muscles in Dogs     

I. Alić  T. Trbojević Vukičević  M. Đuras  S. Kužir  G. Fazarinc  V. Gjurčević Kantura 《Anatomia, histologia, embryologia》2014,43(1):16-21

Muscle variations take the form of additional muscle bundle or belly, unusual muscle origin or termination, as well as complete muscle absence. Knowledge of such variations not only has clinical importance for guiding surgery, but also can help reveal phylogenetic relationships. To improve our understanding of muscle variations in dogs, 57 medium‐sized, cross‐breed male and female adult animals were dissected as part of a gross anatomy course between 2005 and 2011. Variations in pectoral girdle muscles were observed in 7 (12.3%) dogs and took the form of an additional muscle bundle in the brachiocephalicus muscle (n = 2), in the omotransversarius muscle (n = 2), in the cervical part of the rhomboideus muscle (n = 2) and in the cervical part of the serratus ventralis muscle (n = 1). Muscle variation was bilateral in only one dog; it involved the omotransversarius muscle. The variations did not seem to be sex dependent. Such variations can appear regularly in dogs and should be taken into consideration during anatomical dissection.  相似文献   

A Comparison Between Polymerase Chain Reaction and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Methods for Detecting Leptospira in Equine Recurrent Uveitis     

Gholam Ali Kojouri  Camellia Taghadosi  Hassan Momtaz  Ehsan Taheri 《Journal of Equine Veterinary Science》2009

Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease that affects humans and many species of animals. Leptospiral organisms have long been presumed to be associated with the presence of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). The connection between ERU and leptospirosis can be established using various techniques. In the current study, we used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to help establish a diagnosis of ERU caused by Leptospira infection and compared the results with those of enzyme-linked immune assay (ELISA). A total of 31 and 30 serum samples were taken from horses with ERU (based on clinical diagnosis) and horses that were healthy, respectively, between June 2007 and December 2008. The results showed that from 31 affected horses, a total of seven and five samples were positive for leptospiral infection using PCR and ELISA, respectively, whereas there was no evidence of infection with Leptospira spp. in 30 serum samples of healthy horses. All of the positive samples in ELISA were also positive by PCR, whereas PCR detected two positive cases that were negative by ELISA. Although there was no significant difference between these two methods, it is apparent that PCR may be a more reliable tool for detecting the presence of leptospires in ERU.  相似文献   

Breed-related plasma disposition of ivermectin following subcutaneous administration in Kilis and Damascus goats     

Cengiz Gokbulut  Ali Bilgili  Basak Hanedan  Dilek Aksit  Ali Metin Aksoy  Cafer Turgut 《Research in veterinary science》2009,87(3):445-448

Many factors related with drug and animals affect the plasma disposition of endectocides including ivermectin (IVM). The aim of the present study was to investigate the breed differences in pharmacokinetics of IVM in goats following subcutaneous administration. Two different goat breeds (Kilis and Damascus goats) were allocated into two treatment groups with respect to breed. The injectable formulation of IVM was administered subcutaneously at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight. Blood samples were collected before treatment and at various times between 1 h and 40 days after treatment and the plasma samples were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using fluorescence detection. The results indicated that the plasma disposition of IVM was substantially affected by breed differences following subcutaneous administration in goats. The last detectable plasma concentration (t_last) of IVM was significantly later in Kilis goats (38.33 days) compared with Damascus goats (22.50 days). Although, there were no significant differences on C_max (10.83 ng/ml vs. 10.15 ng/ml) and t_max (2.75 days vs. 2.33 days) values; the area under the concentration–time curve-AUC (110.26 ng.d/ml vs. 73.38 ng.d/ml) the terminal half-life-t_1/2λz (5.65 days vs. 3.81 days) and the mean plasma residence time-MRT (9.31 days vs. 6.35 days) were significantly different in Kilis goats compared with Damascus goats, respectively. The breed-related difference observed on the plasma disposition of IVM between Kilis and Damascus goats could be attributable to different excretion pattern or specific anatomical and/or physiological characteristics such as body fat composition of each breed.  相似文献   

Modeling of maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of stabilized soil using artificial neural networks     

Amir Hossein Alavi  Amir Hossein Gandomi  Ali Mollahassani  Ali Akbar Heshmati  Azadeh Rashed 《植物养料与土壤学杂志》2010,173(3):368-379

This study considers the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict the maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) of soil‐stabilizer mix. Multilayer perceptron (MLP), one of the most widely used ANN architectures in the literature, is utilized to construct comprehensive and accurate models relating the MDD and OMC of stabilized soil to the properties of natural soil such as particle‐size distribution, plasticity, linear shrinkage, and the type and quantity of stabilizing additives. Five ANN models are constructed using different combinations of the input parameters. Two separate sets of ANN prediction models, one for MDD and the other for OMC, and also a combined ANN model for multiple outputs are developed using the potentially influential input parameters. Relative‐importance values of various inputs of the models are calculated to determine the significance of each of the predictor variables to MDD and OMC. Inferring the most relevant input parameters based on Garson's algorithm, modified ANN models are separately developed for MDD and OMC. The modified ANN models are utilized to introduce explicit formulations of MDD and OMC. A parametric study is also conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of MDD and OMC due to the variation of the most influencing input parameters. A comprehensive set of data including a wide range of soil types obtained from the previously published stabilization test results is used for training and testing the prediction models. The performance of ANN‐based models is subsequently analyzed and compared in detail. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of the proposed models is satisfactory as compared to the experimental results.  相似文献