Studies of fecal pellet flux show that a large percentage of pellets produced in the upper ocean is degraded within the surface waters. It is therefore important to investigate these degradation mechanisms to understand the role of fecal pellets in the oceanic carbon cycle. Degradation of pellets is mainly thought to be caused by coprophagy (ingestion of fecal pellets) by copepods, and especial...

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of different forms of wheat (airtight silo stored whole wheat, conventionally stored whole wheat, and ground wheat included in pellets) and dietary xylanase addition on production results and gastrointestinal characteristics of broiler chickens. Ileal viscosity, pancreatic digestive enzyme activities, and the composition and activity of the inte...

OBJECTIVES This study evaluates the effect of substitution of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) with ethylcellulose (EC) on mechanical and release characteristics of theophylline pellets. MATERIALS AND METHODS The effect of addition of EC was investigated on characteristics of pellets with varying drug content prepared by extrusion-spheronization. Also the effect of type of granulating liquid ...

A pH sensitive multi-particulate system intended to approximate the chronobiology of angina pectoris is proposed for colonic targeting. The system comprising of Eudragit S-100 coated pellets was designed for chronotherapeutic delivery of diltiazem hydrochloride. The drug loaded core pellets were produced by aqueous extrusion spheronization technique using microcrystalline cellulose as a spheron...

There is long history of konjac tubers being used as a cure for certain diseases in China and Japan. Konjac flour is prepared from konjac tubers and it contains high concentration of glucomannan. Konjac Glucomannan (KGM) is dietary fiber and the role of which has been demonstrated in weight reduction, lowering blood cholesterol and sugar level, promoting intestinal activity etc. Konjac glucoman...

The present study aimed to clarify the effects of Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 (i.e., Agaricus blazei) mushroom on circulatory function. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were fed 10% A. blazei-containing pellets (agaricus group) or normal pellets (control group) for 5 weeks from 6 to 11 weeks of age. For Experiment 1, tail blood pressure and heart rate were measured in the conscious SHRs. F...

Brake fern, Pteris vittata, not only tolerates arsenic but also hyperaccumulates it in the frond. The hypothesis that arsenic hyperaccumulation in this fern could function as a defense against insect herbivory was tested. Fronds from control and arsenic-treated ferns were presented to nymphs of the grasshopper Schistocerca americana. Feeding damage was recorded by visual observation and quantif...

Ecological theory suggests that prey size should increase with predator size, but this trend may be masked by other factors affecting prey selection, such as environmental constraints or specific prey preferences of predator species. Owls are an ideal case study for exploring how predator body size affects prey selection in the presence of other factors due to the ease of analyzing their diets ...

In this research, the nutritional effects of Sargassum ilicifolium Chabahar Bay, Oman Sea, on cholesterol levels of white-leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) were studied. The seaweed was collected from coastal areas, rinsed, dried, powdered and the nutritional values were measured in the laboratory. A part of protein resources of shrimp feed replaced with seaweed powder in four treatments (D: as...

Fresh urine pellets from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-seropositive individuals were examined for the presence of the HIV-1 genomic sequence and gene products. By using the polymerase chain reaction technique, HIV-1 DNA proviral sequences were detected in 53 of 80 (66.25%) fresh urine pellets from HIV-1-seropositive individuals, while urine pellets from all 24 healthy heterosexual...