Silymarin is derived from the milk thistle plant, and possesses numerous pharmacological actions, including hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. The aim of the study was to the determination of influence different concentrations of Silymarin on the rumen performance in 30 local lambs (divided into three groups of 10 lambs each). In the first and second groups, 420 and 210 mg kg-1 of silymarin were administered for 8 weeks, and the third group was the control, which received normal saline solution. The parameters evaluated included the level of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia and pH in the rumen. Furthermore, the in vitro digestibility of ash, protein, fat and dry matter was investigated. These parameters were examined fortnightly, for eight weeks. The results showed that the level of volatile fatty acids and pH increased in the rumen in G1 and G2 compared to the control group, while the level of ammonia decreased in the rumen in G1 and G2 when compared to G3 (p<0.05). Silymarin increased the in vitro digestibility of crude ash (CA), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF) and crude dry matter (CDM) in the rumen of lambs. These results indicate that silymarin can improve the digestibility of nutrient elements in the lamb rumen. Keywords: ammonia; digestibility; crude ash; crude protein; crude fat. Concentrações de silimarina nas atividades ruminais de cordeiros RESUMO: A silimarina é derivada da planta do cardo mariano e possui inúmeras ações farmacológicas, incluindo propriedades hepatoprotetoras, anti-inflamatórias, antioxidantes e anticancerígenas. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar a influência de diferentes concentrações de silimarina no desempenho ruminal de 30 cordeiros locais, divididos em três grupos (de 10 cordeiros cada). No primeiro e segundo grupo foi administrado 420 e 210 mg kg-1 de silimarina durante 8 semanas, e, o terceiro grupo foi o controle, que recebeu solução salina normal. Os parâmetros avaliados incluíram o nível de ácidos graxos voláteis (AGVs), amônia e pH no rúmen. Além disso, investigou-se a digestibilidade in vitro de cinzas, proteínas, gorduras e matéria seca. Esses parâmetros foram examinados quinzenalmente, durante oito semanas. Os resultados mostraram que o nível de ácidos graxos voláteis e pH aumentaram no rúmen em G1 e G2, em comparação com o grupo controle, enquanto, o nível de amônia diminuiu no rúmen em G1 e G2 quando comparado com G3 (p<0,05). A silimarina aumentou a digestibilidade in vitro da cinza bruta (CA), proteína bruta (PB), gordura bruta (CF) e matéria seca bruta (CDM) no rúmen dos cordeiros. Esses resultados indicam que silimarina pode melhorar a digestibilidade dos elementos nutrientes no rúmen do cordeiro. Palavras-chave: amônia; digestibilidade; cinza bruta; proteína bruta; gordura bruta.
In this research, the performance of asphalt mixtures modified with polyethylene polymer (PE) by adding 2%, 4%, and 6% percentages was evaluated. Two kinds of PE are employed: Low-Density PE (LDPE) and High-Density PE (HDPE). The semi-wet mixing technique (SWM) was conducted to avoid stability issue for PE-modified binder during storage condition. Many experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of these mixtures to withstand the effects of loads and moisture. The hardness index of these mixtures was also measured to determine their resistance to the effects of high temperatures without causing permanent deformations. The results showed that adding PE led to a remarkable enhancement in the performance of PE-modified mixtures.
... Show MoreThis work investigates the use of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) as a high-refractive-index material for quarter-wave distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) in photonic applications. In comparison to Si3N4, a-Si:H enables enhanced optical confinement, broader omnidirectional reflectance, and improved figures of merit, including higher Purcell and quality factors, while minimizing mirror complexity. To evaluate the practical impact of these advantages, a theoretical comparison is conducted between Fabry–Pérot cavities based on a-Si:H/SiO2 and Si3N4/SiO2 DBRs, examining resonance shifts as functions of cavity refractive index (1.0–3.0) and temperature (0–250 °C). The numerical results indicate that Si3N4/SiO2 planar Bragg caviti
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... Show MoreHybrid architecture of ZnO nanorods/graphene oxide ZnO-NRs@GO synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly methods. The morphological, optical and luminescence characteristics of ZnO-NRs@GO and ZnO-NRs thin films have been described by FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, and AFM, which refers to graphene oxide have been coated ZnO-NRs with five layers. Here we synthesis ZnO-NRs@GO by simple, cheap and environmentally friendly method, which made it favorable for huge -scale preparation in many applications such as photocatalyst. ZnO-NRs@GO was applied as a photocatalyst Rodamin 6 G (R6G) dye from water using 532 nm diode laser-induced photocatalytic process. Overall degradation of R6G/ ZnO-NRs@GO was achieved after 90 minutes of laser irradiation while it ne
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