Search

The human–animal relationship and its benefits have been a popular issue in recent decades. This study focuses on the dog as a paradigmatic example of this complex bond. The relationship between human and dog evolved over thousands of years through the domestication process. During this period, climatic, cultural, geographical and social changes have had a direct impact on this bond. Dogs have a remarkable capacity to play a variety of roles that mirror the evolution of human societies. Subsequently, questions arise regarding the important and symbolic roles that canines played in ancient cultures, religions and mythological traditions. Specifically, how have these roles changed through history? This research aimed to explore the socio‐economic aspects of the human–dog relationship, spanning from ancient civilizations to modern societies. Through a systematic search methodology, this investigation seeks to provide insights into the dynamics of the complex human–dog relationship, including historical backgrounds, socio‐cultural dynamics, economic implications and associated challenges. Additionally, the present study addresses the environmental concerns that emerge alongside rising stray dog populations. This research emphasizes the importance of strategies to balance the benefits of this coexistence that promote human and animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that decrease gene expression after transcription in various biological disciplines. In bioinformatics, identifying microRNAs and predicting their functionalities is critical. Finding motifs is one of the most well-known and important methods for identifying the functionalities of microRNAs. Several motif discovery techniques have been proposed, some of which rely on artificial intelligence-based techniques. However, in the case of few or no training data, their accuracy is low. In this research, we propose a new computational approach, called DiMo, for identifying motifs in microRNAs and generally macromolecules of small length. We employ word embedding techniques and deep learning models to improve the accuracy of motif discovery results. Also, we rely on transfer learning models to pre-train a model and use it in cases of a lack of (enough) training data. We compare our approach with five state-of-the-art works using three real-world datasets. DiMo outperforms the selected related works in terms of precision, recall, accuracy and f1-score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motifs have critical impacts on the behavioral and structural characteristics of RNA sequences. Understanding and predicting the functionalities and interactions of an RNA sequence requires discovering and identifying its motifs. Due to the importance of motif discovery in bioinformatics, a significant corpus of techniques and algorithms have been proposed, each of which has various advantages and limitations and hence, are suitable for specific applications. To understand these techniques and algorithms, compare them, and choose the most suitable one for a particular application scenario, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the different vital aspects that characterize these algorithms. The lack of such a framework to study these aspects is a serious existing challenge in the literature that needs further investigation. In this paper, we propose a taxonomy and a framework to address this issue. We define the concept of motif discovery process and three aspects that characterize such a process, which are motif type, discovery technique, and application. We then study the literature and classify the existing approaches along with these aspects. This will give the reader a broader view and more precise understanding of what these techniques and algorithms do, how they do it, and what is the most suitable application for each of them. We then present the possible gaps and challenges foreseen to be the future directions of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysozyme activity is one of the nonspecific immunity parameters measured by changing the amount of adsorption at different times. The objective of the present study was to compare five non-linear models including Gompertz, Richards, Logistic, Lopez, and Weilbull to describe the cumulative plasma lysozyme activity in quails. In total 1364 plasma samples (1004 females and 360 males) were collected and the cumulative lysozyme activity was calculated by turbidimetric method assay in Micrococcus luteus. The goodness-of-fit of models was compared according to different criteria of Maximum loglikelihood, Akaike information criterion, Mean square error, and Bayesian information criterion. The results showed that the Gompertz model was the best model for describing of decreasing cumulative pattern of lysozyme activity in female and male quails and provided satisfactory predictions of lysozyme activity at different times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300 seconds). The parameters of all models were higher in females than males except for the k parameter which was greater in the males. Male quails had higher values for time and lysozyme activity than females at inflection points, whereas the absolute growth rate in 30, 150, and 300 seconds was predicted higher in female quails. In conclusion, the Gompertz model can be used accurately to evaluate cumulative lysozyme activity patterns in both sexes of quails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the serviceability conditions of High Strength Concrete (HSC) beams, the total number of 6 beams (L = 2 m, b = 0.2 m, h = 0.3 m) heavily reinforced with different ratios of [RHO] and [RHO]' were cast and tested under bending load. During the test the concrete and steel strains, deflection and crack width are measured at different beam locations. Based on these experimental readings, the bending rigidities (EI) of (HSC) beams are defined and the results are compared with the different available theoretical methods. Key words: HSC beams, different ratios of [RHO] and [RHO]', serviceability conditions, (EI), INTRODUCTION Despite a large number of investigations (1-6) carried out in the past on flexural behavior of high strength concrete (HSC) beams, controversy still remains with regard to some vital [...]

The use of externally bonded composite sheets or laminates is by now a diffuse technique to strengthen existing RC structures. However, some aspects of flexural condition still need experimental and numerical analysis; furthermore, especially for serviceability checks, there is a lack of code provisions. Six reinforced high strength concrete (HSC) beams strengthened with FRP sheets were fabricated and tested, the finite element (FE) models adopted by ANSYS was performed to examine the structural behavior of tested beams was performed. A comparison between the finite element analysis results and the experimental data available on the specimens was made and by using trial and error method, the finite element model was calibrated. Six under-reinforced concrete beams were fabricated and tested to failure. With the exception of the control beam, one or four layers of CFRP were applied to the specimens. The structural response throughout the loading regime was primarily captured in terms of the load deflection behavior. The load deflection plots obtained from numerical study show good agreement with the experimental results. The serviceability characteristics of the test beams were evaluated in terms of the crack width, deflection and stress in steel and concrete. The crack patterns in the beams are also presented. Keywords: Finite Element Model, FRP, HSC, Serviceability, INTRODUCTION The high strength-to-weight ratio, resistance to electro-chemical corrosion, larger creep strain, good fatigue strength, potential for decreased installation costs and repairs due to lower weight in comparison with steel, [...]

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the quality characteristics and mineral content of the fiber from male and female cashmere goats raised under different management systems. Male and female Raeini cashmere goats (, 20.9 ± 0.4%, 66.1 ± 1.5%, 33.8 ± 1.5% and 1.8 ± 0.2 gf/tex, respectively. The sulfur, copper and zinc content of the cashmere averaged 2.8 ± 0.1%, 0.00065 ± 0.00002% and 0.01276 ± 0.00025%, respectively. Rearing method significantly affected staple length, coefficient of variation of fiber diameter, cashmere tenacity and copper content. Males had a higher coefficient of variation of fiber diameter and cashmere tenacity than females (P

BACKGROUND: Animal breeds are often recognized through their specific characteristics, nevertheless, the breeds' anatomical and biochemical characteristics have not considered yet in many of the researches done on one-humped camels. There are some particular differences in camel breeds due to different climate conditions and rearing necessity OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare differences in anatomical and plasma biochemical parameters of two Iranian one-humped camels, the Jammaz (racing) and Balouchi (dual-purpose) breeds. METHODS: Anatomical parameters were body length (BL), neck length (NL), chest girth (CG), barrel girth (BG), hump circumference (HC), fore limb length (FLL), hind limb length (HLL), height at hump (HH), fore limbs interval (FLI), hind limbs interval (HLI), fore hoof circumference (FHC), hind hoof circumference (HHC), abdominal circumference (AC), shank circumference (SC) and leg circumference (LC). Moreover, concentrations of Glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, cholesterol, total bilirubin (Bili-T), direct bilirubin (Bili- D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were measured as plasma biochemical parameters. Data analysis was conducted through t-test statistics. RESULTS: Results revealed significant differences between body type traits of breeds, especially in organs related to running ability, while the Jammaz breed has more height and longer limbs than the Balouchi breed. Some blood parameters (glucose, LDH, BUN, cortisol and T4) are considerably higher in Jammaz breed, too. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study suggest some anatomical (especially fore and hind limb lengths, neck length and body height at hump) and physiological characteristics (lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, cortisol, glucose and T4) of Iranian racing and dual purpose camels as breed markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases widely occur through bacteria such as Salmonella spp. in different hosts such as domestic animals and human. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to isolate Salmonella Typhimurium bacteria from poultry feces and in vitro assessment of antimicrobial effects of 9 species of Zagros native medicinal plants. METHODS: Ethanol extracts of jooshir, shallots, Iranian eremurus, artichokes, sheng, amaranth, sorrel, oregano and harmel were extracted through rotary vacuum system. Furthermore, 12 strains of Salmonella Typhimurium were isolated from poultry feces in Sistan region. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of plant extracts were determined through micro dilution method. Sensitivity of different strains to antibiotics was tested through standard Kirby-Bauer diffusion disk methods. RESULTS: Salmonella Typhimurium strains are resistant to Penicillin (100%), Ampicillin (100%), Tetracycline (16.6%), Amikacin (8.3%) and Oxacillin (75.0%). Results of the antimicrobial assay have shown that extracts of amaranth, jooshir and artichokes had the highest MIC against Salmonella Typhimurium. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study showed that according to the antibiotic resistance of Salmonella Typhimurium isolated from poultry, antibiotic treatment, in particular with penicillin, ampicillin and oxacillin with the bacterium resistance of 75 to 100% would not be effective. In contrast, using plant ethanol extracts especially jooshir, amaranth and artichokes could be recommended as an alternative to conventional antibiotic treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural polymers are reliable compounds in drug delivery systems (DDS). Herein, two series of safe and reliable polyelectrolyte hydrogels (PEHs) were prepared from two oppositely charged polysaccharides, namely tragacanth (TG) and chitosan (CS), and applied for the delivery of ibuprofen as a model drug. Considering the different interactions of CS and TG as a polycation and a polyanion, respectively, with the drug, herein, two series of PEHs were prepared, and their diversity in morphology and drug release ability were studied. The system provided a high percentage of drug loading efficiency (>90%) and was sensitive to the acidity of different media. The drug release pattern was favorable; the data showed that the slowest rate of drug release was obtained at pH = 1.2, followed by pH = 5.4, and fastest drug release occurred at a slightly basic pH (=7.4); the mechanism of drug release was studied using different kinetic models, where at pH = 1.2 and 7.4, the drug release curve best matched the zero order and the Hixson–Crowell model, and at pH = 5.4, the Weibull model represented the perfect agreement with the drug release patterns. The stability of the drug carrier was explored by fluorescence imaging. The cytotoxicity of the CS-I-T 30% and CS-T composites was evaluated towards the cultured MCF7 cells for 24 and 48 h, and no toxic effects were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biological assay was carried out to evaluate the impact of dietary tryptophan (TRP) in aflatoxin B1‐contaminated diets (AFB1‐D) on performance, blood parameters, immunity, meat quality and microbial populations of intestine in Japanese quails. Six experimental diets were formulated to include two levels of dietary TRP; 2.9 (moderate high: MH‐TRP) and 4.9 g/kg (excess: Ex‐TRP); and three levels of AFB1 (0.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg). Each experimental diet was fed to the one of the six groups of birds from 7 to 35 days of age in a completely randomized design with 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. Decrease in feed intake, body weight gain and gain:feed in birds fed 5.0 mg/kg AFB1‐D was restored to the control level by 4.9 g TRP/kg of the diet. The hepatic enzymes in blood were elevated in quails fed on AFB1‐D but attenuated by 4.9 g TRP/kg of the diet (Ex‐TRP; p ≤ .01). High serum uric acid in birds challenged with AFB1 significantly decreased by Ex‐TRP (p ≤ .01). The skin thickness to 2,4‐dinitro‐1‐chlorobenzene challenge suppressed by AFB1 but increased by Ex‐TRP diet (p ≤ .02). The AFB1 increased the malondialdehyde in meat, whereas TRP efficiently diminished malondialdehyde production (p ≤ .01). The greatest drip loss and pH in meat were observed in the birds fed 5.0 mg/kg AFB1‐D but Ex‐TRP augmented the adverse effects of AFB1 (p ≤ .01). The Ex‐TRP reduced the total microbial and Escherichia coli counts (p ≤ .01). The adverse effect of AFB1 on ileal Lactic acid bacteria was completely prevented by Ex‐TRP (p ≤ .03). This study showed that tryptophan supplementation could be considered as a powerful nutritional tool to ameliorate the adverse effects of AFB1 in growing quails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of sufficient information on the assessment of stress in unbonded tendons at ultimate in continuous post-tensioned members. Although many investigations have been conducted on simply supported members, few studies have focused on continuous members, particularly strengthened ones. An investigation into the stress in unbonded post-tensioned tendons at ultimate in continuous I-beams externally strengthened with carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer sheets is described, with special emphasis on the effects of non-prestressed steel and the implementation of ultrahigh-strength self-compacting concrete. Six two-span 9 m I-beams were constructed, monitored and tested until failure. Finite-element analysis (FEA) was carried out to analyse the ultimate stress in the tendons (fps) and generate the responses of non-strengthened and strengthened beams. The test results were compared with prediction equations proposed in design standards and other previous studies. The tendon stress approached the point of yielding at the onset of failure for the two groups of beams. This is an important finding, resulting in higher moment redistribution and ductility demands for such members. The FEA accurately predicted fps and was applicable to both non-strengthened and strengthened beams. The code equations were found to provide fps values for practical design on the safe side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the growth pattern of seven strains of Japanese quail including Wild, Italian Speckled, Tuxedo, Scarlett, English white, White button, and A&M Texas by nonlinear growth functions including Gompertz, Richards, logistic, Lopez, and Weibull functions. The body weights of the unselected randomly bred populations of these strains were measured weekly from 1 to 42 days of age and then used to fit functions. The fitness of each function was assessed by statistics including the mean square error, Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, and adjusted coefficient of determination. The results showed that Gompertz was the best function for describing the growth curve in Italian Speckled and Wild strains; however, the best function for the other strains was the logistic function. The maximum and minimum values for age and weight at the inflection point were obtained for the White button and Scarlett strains, respectively. The weight to age ratio at the inflection point was maximized for Italian Speckled. The best growth rate was observed for the Italian Speckled strain, whereas the White button strain exhibited the worst growth rate. In conclusion, the Italian Speckled strain had the best properties among the tested strains for breeding as broiler poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For comparing reproductive performance of sexed versus conventional semen a total of 3573 heifer insemination records collected from five herds in four provinces of Iran were investigated. The studied provinces were classified into three regions: hot semiarid (Tehran and Alborz provinces), temperate semiarid (Khorasan Razavi province) and cold semiarid (Zanjan province). Various parameters including the conception rate, number of services per conception, calf sex ratio, calf birth weight, gestation length, calving ease score, abortion and stillbirth as well as twining rate were investigated. The logistic regression method was deployed for the analysis of categorical variables while the GLM procedure was applied for the analysis of continuous variables. The average conception rate of sex sorted and conventional semen was 48.3 and 63.8%, respectively. The utilisation of sex sorted semen resulted in 91.1% female calves. The conception rate, number of services per conception, gestation length, calf birth weight and the calf sex ratio were among the reproductive variables that were significantly influenced by the semen sexing. A greater number of services per conception and calving ease score were observed in hot and temperate semiarid areas. These climatic regions also provided a lower incidence of female calf births compared to the cold semiarid regions. Our results highly reaffirm the previous findings on the reproductive performance of sex sorted semen. Yet, climatic and management practices of a herd within a special climate have to be considered when deciding for utilisation of sex sorted semen in a dairy farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genealogical data of Cashmere goat breed of South Khorasan province of Iran was analysed in this study. Records from a total of 10,635 animals collected during 1988–2014 from 20 registered flocks were analysed for evaluating pedigree parameters. The reference population was defined as the living reproductive animals born from 2010 till 2014. The average inbreeding coefficient in the studied breed was about 0.07% (ranging from 0 to 25%). In addition, the average inbreeding coefficient for the reference population was about 0.85%. The main reason for the low inbreeding level obtained in Cashmere goat population was related to the extensive production system and lack of sire registration in a large number of animals (about 78% missing sire information). A total of 200 animals were inbred. The inbred animals were all related to the breeding station flock which was acting as a closed nucleus flock and was under the control of Animal Breeding and Milk Improvement Centre of Iran. The result of analysis for gene origin parameters indicated the lack of pedigree depth, which could leads to management problems for conservation of the studied breed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Continuous unbonded posttensioned concrete beams might require strengthening to cope with higher demands. Strengthening with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) is a viable option; however, because of the limited number of studies in this area and lack of experimental data, the guidelines covered only bonded prestressed concrete members, in particular when these are made from high-strength concrete (HSC). This paper reports on the results of an experimental investigation on the flexural behavior of continuous unbonded posttensioned HSC beams strengthened using CFRP. In this application, the CFRP is either externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) or internally near-surface mounted (NSM) in both hogging and sagging regions. The results show that both service and ultimate states of continuous unbonded posttensioned concrete beams were considerably improved by CFRP strengthening, and also that the efficiency of the NSMmethod is greater than that of the EBR method, especially in crack propagation and ultimate load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Self Compacting Concrete, SCC is the new generation type of concrete which is not needed to be compacted by vibrator and it will be compacted by its own weight. Since SCC is a new innovation and also the high strength self compacting concrete, HSSCC behavior is like a brittle material, therefore, understanding the strength effect on the serviceability performance of reinforced self compacting concretes is critical. For this aim, first the normal and high strength self compacting concrete, NSSCC and HSSCC was designed. Then, the serviceability performance of reinforced connections consisting of NSSCC and HSSCC were investigated. Twelve reinforced concrete connections (L = 3 m, b = 0.15 m, h = 0.3 m) were simulated, by this concretes, the maximum and minimum reinforcement ratios ρ and ρ' (percentage of tensile and compressive steel reinforcement) are in accordance with the provision of the ACI-05 for conventional RC structures. This study was limited to the case of bending without axial load, utilizing simple connections loaded at mid span through a stub (b=0.15 m, h =0.3 m, L= 0.3 m) to simulate a beam-column connection. During the test, concrete and steel strains, deflections and crack widths were measured at different locations along each member. Based on the experimental readings and observations, the cracked moment of inertia (Icr) of members was determined and the results were compared with some selective theoretical methods. Also, the flexural crack widths of the members were measured and the applicability for conventional vibrated concrete, as for ACI, BS and CSA code, was verified for SCCs members tested. A comparison between two Codes (ACI and CSA) for the theoretical values cracking moment is indicate that, irrespective of the concrete strength, for the specimens reported, the prediction values of two codes are almost equale. The experimental cracked moment of inertia (Icr)exp is lower than its theoretical (Icrth values, and therefore theoretically it is overestimated. Also, a general conclusion is that, by increasing the percentage of ρ, the value of Icr is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Externally bonding fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets with an epoxy resin is an effective technique for strengthening and repairing reinforced concrete (RC) beams under flexural loads. Their resistance to electro-chemical corrosion, high strength-to-weight ratio, larger creep strain, fatigue resistance, and nonmagnetic and nonmetallic properties make carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites a viable alternative to bonding of steel plates in repair and rehabilitation of RC structures. The objective of this investigation is to study the effectiveness of CFRP sheets on ductility and flexural strength of reinforced high strength concrete (HSC) beams. This objective is achieved by conducting the following tasks: (1) flexural four-point testing of reinforced HSC beams strengthened with different amounts of cross-ply of CFRP sheets with different amount of tensile reinforcement up to failure; (2) calculating the effect of different layouts of CFRP sheets on the flexural strength; (3) Evaluating the failure modes; (4) developing an analytical procedure based on compatibility of deformations and equilibrium of forces to calculate the flexural strength of reinforced HSC beams strengthened with CFRP composites; and (5) comparing the analytical calculations with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the serviceability performance of High-Strength Concrete (HSC) beams, 12 beams (L=2 m, b=0.2 m, h=0.3 m and shear span to depth ratio of 1.8) with different ratios of ρ and ρ′ (percentage of tensile and compressive steel) were cast and tested under bending. During the test, concrete and steel strains, deflections, and crack widths were measured at different locations along each beam. Based on the experimental readings and observations, the cracked moment of inertia (Icr) of HSC beams was determined and the results were compared with some selective theoretical methods. Also, the flexural crack width of the beams was measured and the applicability of ACI, BS, and CSA code for normal strength concrete (NSC) was verified for HSC beams tested. The experimental (Icr)exp values of HSC beams were lower than the theoretical (Icr)th values from different codes. It was concluded that, the serviceability and post serviceability performance of reinforced concrete structures can be improved using high strength concrete. In general, for almost all HSC tested beams at three crack width (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 mm); the use of AC! equation led to predict 50% of the crack width conservatively (the ratio of ((ωcr)th/(ωcr)exp) is greater than unity) but the results of the BS equation are conservative while compare to the ACI equation. The use of the CSA equation for the beams of higher and lower reinforcement ratio, caused a more conservative, and a closer value respectively, to limiting values of CSA. The deflection at initial steel horizontal yield plateau, is less than 9 mm, which is a sign of excellent deflection performance of HSC beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]