Recent Articles

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease are underpinned by neuronal damage corollary to the cascade of events pitched in by neuron inflammatory processes. Increase in cases of neurodegenerative diseases and ageing population indicates the need for developing new strategies to prevent or treat brain dysfunction and associated cognitive decline. Flavonoids have been documented for various health promoting effects. They exert multiple neuroprotective actions within the brain, such as protection of neurons from neurotoxins, suppression of neuron-inflammation and thus improve memory, learning and cognitive function. Two processes appear to be the basis of these effects. Firstly, they promote neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity by inhibition of apopotosis triggered by neurotoxic species due to interaction with critical protein and lipid kinase signaling cascades. Secondly they induce beneficial effects on the vascular system leading to changes in cerebrovascular blood flow capable of causing angiogenesis, neurogenesis and neuronal morphology. Limiting neurodegeneration and prevention or reversal of age-dependent loss in cognitive performance is possible by consumption of flavonoids-rich food throughout life. Thus flavonoids are strong candidates of being an important precursor molecule in the development of new generation of brain enhancing drugs. The present review accentuates current information on neuroprotective effects of flavonoids.

The aim of this paper is to present the outcomes of the project that is solved at the Faculty of Science in Olomouc, Czech Republic. One of the key activities of the project is to find critical themes of secondary school science subjects and prepare methodological materials according a deep analysis in the frame of the community of practice. It can be demonstrated that the community of practice (universities, secondary schools and non-profit organizations) can be of great importance for acquisition of new competencies of teachers so as students. 120 skilled teachers identified a set of critical sites of the secondary school science subjects curriculum. A number of key needs of in-service teachers have been identified too – the development of teachers’ competences in the field of didactics, in the field of reflection of their own teaching activities, the implementation of new teaching forms and methods of work with emphasis to the individual needs of learners within a heterogeneous group, the implementation of interdisciplinary relations.

In recent years, with peoples environmental protection continuous enhance and the proposal of the national sustainable development strategy, the restoration and landscape reconstruction of abandoned mines have begun to receive the attention of the government, experts and scholars in various fields.People realized that they can restore the abandoned land ecology through the knowledge of natural science and engineering disciplines. Landscape reconstruction and development can improve the living environment of residents which is also an important way to create economic value and realize the harmonious coexistence of human and nature. In this article, it is focus on the discussion which include how to carry on the ecological restoration of mining abandoned land, and the problem of landscape design modification, it is also put forward the concept of ecological recovery[2] , discuss on the relationship between ecological restoration and design modification, and how to implement both of them at the same time, The article introduces the methods of how to implement in details, to provide the reference for the future on rehabilitation and reconstruction of mine waste land in practice .

To proceed this study, corn seeds (Coca-sr variety) and rice (Nerica L.56) were germinated over period of 240 hours. Flours and raw extracts produced were used to prepare fermented maize gruels (17.5% of DM) and the flow rates were evaluated using the Botswick consistometer. We noticed from these analyses that the germinated corn Coca-sr variety, in the form of ARF and its extracts presented an optimum fluidification power at 120 h of germination. As for the ARF of Nerica L.56, an optimum fluidification level was observed for the extract at 168 h contrarily to 72 h for the flour. The use of ARF and extracts from corn (Coca-sr) and rice (Nerica L.56) at 2 % and 2.5 mL resulted in a reduction of their consistency (gruels). Coca-sr ARF at a rate of 2 % fluidifies the gruel of fermented corn hence multipliying the energy density and nutritional value (3.57) more than with its extract and the different forms of the incorporation of rice.

Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. SCHOTT) is a staple food in many southern countries and an ancient starchy crop consumed by more than 400 million people. It is treated by diseases and pests that affect seed availability. Thus, the techniques of in vitro culture mostly used to overcome the problem of seeds production meet enormous difficulties of infection and necrosis of the explants. This study aims to determine the optimal use of mercuric chloride and sodium hypochlorite for disinfection of apical and axillary buds of taro. For this purpose, three doses of sodium hypochlorite (8%, 10% and 12%) and mercuric chloride (0.08%, 0.1% and 0.15%) were used with three immersion times ( 25 min, 30 min and 45 min) for sodium hypochlorite and (5min, 7min and 10min) for mercuric chloride. A binary logistic analysis was performed to understand or predict the effect of different doses of NaOCl and HgCl2 on the behavior of apical and axillary buds of taro. The results showed that 8% sodium hypochlorite with immersion time of 25 minutes is favorable for the disinfection of both apical and axillary explants of taro. For mercuric chloride, only the dose of 0.15% is effective for apical bud survival. The present study offers an opportunity to make available the seed of taro through the organogenesis of the species without any risk of infection.

Primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas are tumours localised only in the brain, spinal cord, and rarely, the eyes (i.e. involving only the CNS). These can be detected by imaging modalities, namely computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in which they appear as lesions, most often with surrounding enhancement (i.e. peripherally-enhancing or ring-enhancing lesions). However, similar lesions can be seen in a variety of other conditions and differentiating these diagnoses by imaging alone is difficult. We report a case of primary CNS lymphoma in a 21-year old gentleman who was misdiagnosed as and treated for neurocysticercosis and brain tuberculomas due to misleading investigation results, in addition to the relative unlikelihood of CNS lymphoma in this patient compared to other similar individuals. Fortunately, appropriate management was initiated as soon as CNS lymphoma was confirmed by biopsy of the brain lesion, with good treatment response.

Assessment on growth performance of Vigna radiate L. by using Phytotreated and Non Phytotreated waste water. The plants were raised in petridish containing different concentrations of raw and treated waste water (C, 10%, 10% treated, 25%, 25% treated, 50%, 50% teated, 75%, 75% treated,100% and 100 % treated ). The morophological parameters like, seed germination percentage, seedling growth, (Such as, root and shoot length; fresh and dry weight fo root and shoot), vigoue index, tolerance index were measured on 7th days after sowing. All the morophological parameters were increased at 25 treated waste water in a petridish, when compared with control. Further increases in the waste water (50%-100%) in the soil have a negative effect on these parameters.

This paper presents the results of continuous scouring and intermittent scouring tests on two kinds of seabed soils (d50=0.7mm coarse sand and d50=0.162mm fine sand) induced by propeller washing at the front of the solid wharf. Three propellers with diameters of 70 mm, 130 mm and 150 mm were used for the test. The test results show that under the same test conditions, the maximum scouring depth of the coarse sand seabed is 8.2% to 58% deeper than that of the fine sand seabed under continuous test or intermittent scouring; compared with continuous scouring, intermittent scouring The maximum scouring depth increase caused by the coarse sand seabed is 2% to 4.8%, while it is increased to 5.1% to 37% for the fine sand seabed. The prediction formula of the maximum equilibrium scouring depth on the fine sand seabed caused by the front edge of the solid wharf during the intermittent washing of the propeller is established. This formula is a dimensionless formula, which can be applied to the intermittent scouring of the actual propeller wash.

Iron can be removed from groundwater through the process of chemical oxidation followed by a rapid sand filtration. Different mechanisms (physicochemical and biological) contribute for the iron removal in filters but the dominant mechanism depends on physical and chemical characteristics of the water and which the process conditions applied. Now there are number of methods of biological iron removal which are reported to be much more efficient and cost effective than conventional physicochemical iron removal method. The mechanism of iron removal in filters could be solely biological the physicochemical iron removal mechanisms under certain specific conditions. The paper reviews that the theoretical background of biologically mediated iron removal, the advantages and limitations of the method and a few case studies. A literature review revealed that biological iron removal is not suitable when pH and oxygen concentrations are high and/or NH+4, H2S and Zn are present. Physico chemical removal mechanisms can achieve the same removal efficiency under the conditions that are reported to be favorable for biological iron removal. Biological iron removal is likely to be supplementary to conventional physico chemical iron removal.

In the late 1800’s, Morel-Lavallèe described a pattern of injury to the proximal thigh involving a fluid collection associated with a de-gloving type of injury. These injuries typically result from blunt trauma and falls. There is existing literature that suggests surgical management as primary treatment, although no rigorous controlled trials are found in English language medical literature. Non-surgical aspiration with sclerodesis is an option, however individual case reports suggest that using multiple aspirations without sclerodesis could be effective. This series illustrates that nonsurgical management (i.e. aspiration without sclerodesis) is a viable option for these injuries.