Scientifica

A study was conducted on Tulu Korma afromontane forest to assess woody plant species’ population structure and natural regeneration status. Data were collected from 52 main quadrats of 400 m² for mature woody species and 260 subplots of 25 m² for seedlings and saplings. All live woody plant species were recorded with their densities, heights, and DBH. Frequency, basal area, importance value, and Shannon–Wiener diversity indices were computed. A total of 101 species that belonged to 45 families were documented. Diversity and evenness indices were 3.44 and 0.7, respectively. Combined density of woody species of all developmental stages was 4971 stems ha⁻¹ of which 39, 32, and 28% were with DBH < 3.5 cm (seedlings), between 2 and 10 cm (saplings), and >10 cm (mature wordy species), respectively. The total basal area of individuals with DBH ≥ 3.5 cm was 116.18 m² ha⁻¹. Olea europaea and Podocarpus falcatus were the most dominant species. About 41.58% of the species had IVI < 1. Population structure based on combined densities revealed that density of seedling > sapling > mature individuals, suggesting healthy population structure and good regeneration. On individual basis, however, species showed different patterns of population structure of which 12, 51, and 37% species showed good, fair, and poor regenerations, respectively. Species with least IVI and poor regeneration should be given conservation priority.

The study was conducted to determine woody plant species composition, structure, and regeneration status in Saleda Yohans Church forest, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. Five transect lines oriented to north-south directions at a distance of about 500 m were laid down along transects across the forest. Fifty main plots of 20 m × 20 m were laid for tree/shrub data collection. Within each main plot, 5 small quadrats of 5 m × 5 m were laid in the corners and centre for the collection of seedling and sapling data of woody species. All vegetation data within the plots were counted and recorded. Tree height and diameters at the breast height of plants were also measured and estimated. Moreover, frequency, basal area, diversity, evenness, and other vegetation data were analyzed. The result showed that this Church forest is composed of 50 woody plant species distributed in 31 families. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index and evenness values of the forest were found to be 3.82 and 0.84, respectively. Lamiaceae was the dominant family followed by Fabaceae in their species composition. The density of trees/shrubs, saplings, and seedlings was 625, 650, and 935 ha⁻¹, respectively. Based on the result, the entire vegetation of Saleda Yohans Church forest is in good regeneration status. In conclusion, although this Church forest appears to be in a good regeneration status, its species richness is low compared to a similar study of some other vegetation. Therefore, attention should be given to the rehabilitation of this forest.

Background. Implantology focuses on the measurement of bone thickness in both the lower and upper jaws. This study aimed to measure and compare alveolar bone thickness of the upper and lower jaws at single edentate sites and cortical bone thickness of their mesial and distal dentate sites. Methods. Thickness of alveolar bone thickness was measured in 80 upper and 80 lower implant edentate sites and that of buccal and lingual cortical plates of their mesial and distal dentate sites using Cone beam CT. The bone thickness of the edentulous sites was recorded at 3 points (crestal bone, five mm from the crest, and ten mm from the crest), while the bone thickness of the dentate sites was determined at four points (crestal bone, midroot bone, mid of the alveolar bone housing, and apical portion). Results. An increased amount of bone was measured from the crest to the apical portion of the dentate sites on the buccal and lingual sides of both jaws with a highly significant difference detected among all the tested points (). No statistical difference was detected between the means of buccal bone width at the first 3 points, except at point 4 (the apical portion), where the mean of the lower jaw (3.35 ± 0.54) was significantly larger than that of the upper jaw (3.17 ± 0.55) (). Bone width measured in the edentulous sites showed a gradual increase from the crest to the apical portions in both jaws. Conclusion. Bone thickness at the coronal levels is low and susceptible to resorption compared to the apical portions regardless of the dentate state.

The toxicity of histamine has attracted numerous researchers to develop a method for histamine determination purposes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unequivocally prohibits the consumption of histamine above 50 mg·kg⁻¹. Thus, an innovation in histamine detection in fish has been developed in this research. The investigation of the histamine level in fish has been conducted by using an electrochemical sensor approach and producing a polymer via molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) on a screen-printed electrode. The technique was validated by assessing the shifts in electron shifting using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) approach and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), whereas differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was applied to validate the sensor method. The instruments showed a linear response ranging from 1–1000 nmol·L⁻¹, with a detection limit of MIP/SPE at 1.765 nmol·L⁻¹ and 709 nmol·L⁻¹ for the NIP/SPE, respectively. The sensing technique was employed to determine the histamine level in selected samples at room temperature (25°C). The outcomes of this study indicated that the validated chemical sensor allowed accurate and precise detection of fish samples and can be categorized as a simple approach. The instrument is inexpensive and suitable for on-site detection.

The production of nonindustrial cannabis is highly developed in the Moroccan Rif region; however, local farmers consider hemp seeds which are rich in omega 3 and tocopherols, only as by-products of cannabis cultivation with low market value. The local ecotype is considered to be a plant with a cannabinoid content of more than 0.4%. So, the objective of this research is to investigate how the incorporation of this local hemp seed affects productive performance and egg quality traits. The experiment is conducted to evaluate the effects of hemp seed (HS) incorporation on hen laying performance and physical egg quality at three levels: 10% (HS-10% group), 20% (HS-20% group), and 30% (HS-30% group). Ninety-six Lohmann Brown classic laying hens were randomly assigned to a control group and three feed treatments. The sampling was taken after the 28-week rearing period (peak egg laying). Throughout the experiment, low-rate HS inclusion (HS-10%) showed no significant differences in egg-laying performance ( > 0.05). However, the high incorporation rates of HS (20% and 30%) negatively affected the egg-laying performance (84–94% and 80–86%, respectively). The albumen quality was also improved by the HS inclusion, where the highest values of the Haugh unit were recorded, ranging between 68.69 and 73.91 for the HS-30% groups. The results also show that HS inclusion and duration influence significantly the yolk color ( < 0.001). The yellow intensity decreases with HS incorporation and aging, from a dark yellow ( = 38.63 for the control group) to a very pale yellow ( = 26.29 for HS 30% group). Based on these findings, we can conclude that the incorporation of nonindustrial Moroccan cannabis seeds (ecotype Beldiya) at low rate in the diet of laying hens does not alter the laying performance or the quality of the egg; therefore, they could be used in poultry feeding as an alternative constituent to partially replace high-cost imported ingredients, such as corn and soybeans.

The influence of vermicompost and various concentrations of lead on the activity of hydrolytic (urease and protease) and oxidative-reducing (catalase and dehydrogenase) enzymes in the sierozem soil of Southern Kazakhstan (Turkestan region) was studied. Background unpolluted soils served as a control. The work shows a change in the enzymatic potential when vermicompost (8 t/ha) and lead are introduced into the soil in the concentration range of 16 to 160 mg/kg Pb. As a result of experimental studies, a decrease in the activities of catalase, protease, and dehydrogenase and, conversely, an increase in the activity of urease with an increase in the lead content in the soil system were revealed. Introduction of vermicompost (vermicompost) into the soil caused an increase in the activity of all studied enzymes and a decrease in the translocation ability of Pb. Inhibition of the process of translocation of lead into plants by vermicompost creates conditions for obtaining environmentally friendly agricultural products.