In this paper, a crude methanolic extract from the stem bark of Prosopis cineraria, a plant native of Pakistan, was tested for its possible presence of spasmolytic, bronchodilator, and vasodilator activities in an attempt to validate some of its folkloric uses. Moreover, attempts were made to provide plausible explanations of the observed biological activities. The extract caused relaxation of ...

background lead is a toxic metal with a poor electrical conductivity. this metal can be hazardous and poisonous even in low concentrations. objectives the objective of this study is the evaluation of prosopis mimosaceae sawdust as a low-cost adsorbent for removal of the lead from effluents. materials and methods the experiment was conducted in a batch system and the effect of ph, the amount of ...

Many arid grassland communities are changing from grass dominance to shrub dominance, but the mechanisms involved in this conversion process are not completely understood. Aeolian processes likely contribute to this conversion from grassland to shrubland. The purpose of this research is to provide information regarding how vegetation changes occur in an arid grassland as a result of aeolian sed...

Our objective was to determine if long-term increases in precipitation can maintain grasslands susceptible to desertification, and initiate a reversal of historic regime shifts on desertified shrublands. Perennial grass production and species richness in a multi-year wet period were hypothesized to be greater than expected based on precipitation in a sequence of dry years. These responses were ...

We developed a fast and simple protocol for accurate quantification of small freshwater ciliates by flow cytometry (FCM). The ciliates were stained with several nucleic acid stains such as TO-PRO-1, YO-YO-1 and PicoGreen, and analysed by a commercially available flow cytometer. The method was tested with cultures of the prostomatid species Urotricha farcta and Balanion planctonicum, including t...

We investigated the effect of pH on growth, cell volume, and production of the freshwater ciliates Urotricha farcta, U. furcata, and U. castalia in laboratory cultures with Cryptomonas sp. as food. Overall, pH had a significant, species-specific effect on all parameters investigated. The food alga, Cryptomonas sp., showed a wide pH tolerance, with positive growth rates between pH 4.4 and pH 9.6...