Optimization and Numerical investigation of organic dye degradation using Response Surface by green synthesized ZrO2 nanoparticles and its antibacterial activity

In this work, the tetragonal Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized by solution combustion method using Zirconium (IV) oxynitrate hydrate as the metal precursor and an oxidizer, Basella alba raw extract at 6000C. In this study, natural fuel is used to avoid harmful chemical fuels that may pollute the environment during combustion. The impact of the fuel-to-oxidant molar ratio on the surface morphological features of nanocrystalline zirconia particles has been documented. We investigated the Physico-chemical properties of the ZrO2 NPs via thorough characterizations like XRD, EDS, SEM, TEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, and BET. ZrO2 NPs exhibit perfect photocatalytic degradation activity towards Evans blue, a toxic dye. The influence of contact time, initial dye concentration, and pH were among the independent variables used in the study. The Response Surface Model (RSM) was used to optimize and describe the interdependencies of the different variables. The method was evaluated using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). A second-order polynomial model was used to properly understand the experimental results, and the effectiveness of the chosen model was verified by the strong agreement in determination coefficient values. ZrO2 NPs also exhibit good antibacterial activity on Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumoniae and Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis

The control of reproductive physiology and behavior by gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls the reproductive physiology and behavior of vertebrates by stimulating synthesis and release of gonadotropin from the pituitary gland. In 2000, another hypothalamic neuropeptide, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), was discovered in quail and found to be an inhibiting factor for gonadotropin release. GnIH homologs are present in the brains of vertebrates, including birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish. These peptides, categorized as RF amide-related peptides (RFRPs), possess a characteristic LPXRF-amide (X = L or Q) motif at their C-termini. GnIH/RFRP precursor mRNA encodes a polypeptide that is possibly cleaved into three mature peptides in birds and two in mammals. The names of these peptides are GnIH, GnIH-related peptide-1 (GnIH-RP-1) and GnIH-RP-2 in birds, and RFRP-1 and RFRP-3 in mammals. GnIH/RFRP is synthesized in neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in birds and the dorsomedial hypothalamic area in mammals. GnIH neurons project to the median eminence, thus providing a functional neuroanatomical infrastructure to regulate anterior pituitary function. In quail, GnIH inhibits gonadal activity by decreasing synthesis and release of gonadotropin. The widespread distribution of GnIH/RFRP immunoreactive fibers in all animals tested suggests various actions within the brain. In accordance, GnIH/RFRP receptor mRNA is also expressed widely in the brain and the pituitary. GnIH/RFRP immunoreactive axon terminals are in probable contact with GnRH neurons in birds and mammals, and we recently demonstrated expression of GnIH receptor mRNA in GnRH-I and GnRH-II neurons in European starlings. Thus, GnIH/RFRP may also inhibit gonadotropin synthesis and release by inhibiting GnRH neurons in addition to having direct actions on the pituitary gland. Intracerebroventricular administration of GnIH/RFRP further inhibits reproductive behaviors in songbirds and rodents, possibly via direct actions on the GnRH system. The expression of GnIH/RFRP is regulated by melatonin which is an internal indicator of day length in vertebrates. Stress stimuli also regulate the expression of GnIH/RFRP in songbirds and rodents. Accordingly, GnIH/RFRP may serve as a transducer of environmental information and social interactions into endogenous physiology and behavior of the animal. Recently, it was shown that GnIH/RFRP and its receptor are also expressed in the gonads of birds, rodents and primates. In sum, the existing data suggest that GnIH/RFRP is an important mediator of reproductive function acting at the level of the brain, pituitary, and the gonad in birds and mammals

GnRH receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in bovine ovary

The present study was undertaken to investigate the mRNA expression for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor in bovine ovary. Granulosa cells from small (&lt; 4 mM), medium (5–8 mM) and large follicles (&gt; 8 mM) and tissues from corpora lutea (CL) of different stages: Stage I (days 1–4), Stage II (days 5–10), Stage III (days 11–17), and Stage IV (days 18–21, days after ovulation) were harvested from bovine ovaries collected at a local abattoir. The mRNA isolated from representative samples was subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using gene sequence specific primers. The resultant PCR amplified gonadotropin-releasing horm one receptor (GnRH-R) cDNA products were identified and confirmed through Southern blot hybridization and nucleotide sequence analysis, respectively. The results showed the presence of GnRH-R mRNA transcripts in both follicles and CL. Key words: Bovine, granulosa cells, corpus luteum, GnRH receptor, mRNA </jats:p

Development of in vitro tests to predict fertility of bulls

The overall objective was to develop an in vitro test to predict fertility of bulls in the field. We investigated the bull effect on in vitro embryo production, zona binding and acrosome reaction, and the correlation of this effect to field fertility meas ured by 60–90 d non-return rate. Frozen semen from three separate ejaculates of eight unrelated young bulls, obtained from an artificial insemination (AI) center, was used. On thawing, ejaculates from each bull were pooled, motile sperm were selected and (a) subjected to immunofluorescent assay at 0 and 4 h of incubation in capacitation medium to assess acrosome status, (b) used in an in vitro fertilization assay system to assess cleavage and blastocyst production rates, and (c) sperm-zona binding assay was carried out to determine the number of sperm bound to the zona pellucida of mature oocytes. Percentage of pre-freeze motile sperm (PrFM) and non-return rate data were obtained from the AI center. PrFM, percentage of acrosome reacted sperm at 0 h (AR1), increase in percentage of acrosome reacted sperm after 4 h (InAR) and sperm-zona binding rates (ZB) differed (P &lt; 0.05) among sperm samples obtained from different young bulls. Significant correlations (P &lt; 0.05) were observed between PrFM and AR1 (r = -0.31), InAR (r = 0.36), and ZB (r = 0.32). AR1 was negatively correlated to ZB (r = -0.27) and cleavage rate (r = -0.20), InAR was positively correlated with ZB (r = 0.31) and cleavage rate (r = 0.26). None of the in vitro tests was correlated with non-return rate. These findings indicate that along with pre-freeze motility, a combination of in vitro tests including the percentage of spontaneously acrosome reacted sperm at thawing, might be useful in predicting bull field fertility. Such a combination of assays, however, has yet to be determined. Key words: Field fertility, acrosome reaction, zona binding, IVF, fertility assay </jats:p

Electrochemical detection and photochemical detoxification of hexavalent chromium (Cr(<scp>vi</scp>)) by Ag doped TiO₂ nanoparticles

Schematic representation of electrochemical reduction and photochemical detoxification of Cr(vi).</p

Carcass and meat quality characteristics of Bandur ram lambs

The present study was aimed at characterizing carcass and meat quality traits in Bandur/ Mandya ram lambs. Eighteen ram lambs were slaughtered at the age of six months by Halal method. The pre-slaughter weight (PSW), hot carcass weight (HCW) and dressing percentage based on PSW recorded were 13.49 ± 0.26 kg, 6.44 ± 0.14 kg and 47.77 ± 0.70 per cent, respectively. The mean loin eye area was 15.43 ± 0.64 cm2. The mean primal cut weights for leg, loin, rack, chuck, and breast and fore shank were 2.090 ± 43.35, 0.675 ± 29.40, 0.646 ± 28.82, 2.036 ± 47.35 and 0.601 ± 23.97 kg, respectively. The highest proportion of meat was recorded in leg (25.06%) and chuck (23.23%). The meat quality traits viz., pH, water holding capacity, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force value, cooking loss and back fat thickness were 6.35 ± 0.05, 49.74 ± 3.33 per cent, 3.75 ± 0.14, 26.01 ± 2.19 per cent and 0.26 ± 0.02 cm, respectively. The mean percentage values for proximate principles viz., moisture, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, and total ash were 72.10 ± 0.38, 19.76 ± 0.34, 0.24 ± 0.03, 7.23 ± 0.47 and 1.01 ± 0.04 per cent, respectively. Compared to earlier reports higher loin eye area measurement was observed in the present study indicating higher muscular development in Bandur ram lambs.</jats:p

Blackberry gel-assisted combustion modified MgO: Sm3+ nanoparticles for photocatalytic, battery, sensor and antibacterial applications

Green synthetic methods are currently preferred in industry over other physicochemical methods. Herein, we present a facile, environmentally friendly, non-toxic approach for the fabrication of MgO using jamun fruit extract. The phytochemicals present in the fruit extract, such as kaemferol, glucoside, anthocyanins, ellagic acid, myricetin, and isoquercetin, facilitate the bio-reduction of Mg(NO3)2. Pure and Sm3+ (1–7 mol %) doped MgO nanomaterials were synthesized using this bio-mediated synthetic method. The structural and morphological properties of the synthesized nanomaterials were studied using Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Diffused Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) techniques. The effect of Sm3+ ions on the host matrix for the photo-catalytic oxidation of Fast Orange-Red (FOR) dye was investigated under UV light irradiation. MgO: Sm3+(3 mol %) exhibited superior (94 %) degradation of the dye compared to pristine and other doped catalysts, attributed to the maximum migration of charge carriers at the catalyst's surface. Additionally, the 3 mol % Sm3+ doped MgO electrode demonstrated a smaller charge transfer resistance, indicating superior capacitive properties compared to pristine and other doped electrodes. The synthesized materials also exhibited effective bacterial activity against pathogens. This research demonstrates the potential of the synthesized nanomaterials for environmental pollution purification, as well as their utility as electrode materials for supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, and antibacterial applications

Paternal influence on apoptosis, and expression of <i>BCL2</i>, <i>BAX</i>, <i>TP53</i>, heat shock protein-70 and interferon tau genes in bovine preimplantation embryo

The bull effects on apoptosis, and BAX, BCL2, TP53, heat shock protein 70 (HSPA1A) and interferon tau (IFNT) gene expression in in vitro produced embryos were investigated. The degree of correlation of this effect with the 60- to 90-d non-return rates was also investigated. Standard in vitro fertilization and embryo culture were performed using frozen semen from six genetically unrelated bulls. Live, apoptotic, and dead cell percentages in blastocysts were determined, after staining with annexin V, propidium iodide, and bisbenzamide. BAX, BCL2, TP53, HSPA1A and IFNT gene expression levels in blastocysts were determined by RT-PCR. The non-return rate data for all experimental bulls were obtained from a local artificial insemination center. Apoptotic, live and dead blastomere percentages, and HSPA1A and IFNT expression levels in blastocysts were different (P &lt; 0.01) among bulls. BAX, BCL2 and TP53 expression levels were not different among bulls. The non-return rate was highly correlated (P &lt; 0.05) with BCL2 (r = -0.93) or the ratio of BAX to BCL2 (r = 0.84) gene expression. None of the other in vitro fertility parameters were correlated with non-return rate. This study concluded that the development, apoptosis, and HSPA1A and IFNT gene expression of in vitro produced embryos are influenced by individual bulls. Key words: Bovine, embryo, fertility, apoptosis, gene expression, interferon </jats:p