Pleurotus spp. are white-rot fungi that utilize different agro-wastes to produce useful biologically active compounds. In this study, exopolysaccharides (EPS) were produced by Pleurotus pulmonarius in submerged culture supplemented with different agro-wastes. Functional groups in EPS were revealed using Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of EPS was tested against microorganisms using agar well diffusion. Scavenging potentials of EPS was tested against 1, 1- diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl (OH), iron (Fe2+) and nitric oxide (NO) radicals. In vitro prebiotic activity of EPS was carried out. The highest yield (5.60 g/L) of EPS was produced by P. pulmonarius in submerged culture supplemented with groundnut shell (20.0 g/L). The functional groups in EPS were hydroxyl (-OH), methyl (-CH3), ketone (-RCOH) and carbonyl group (-C=O). EPS displayed zones of inhibition (5.00-14.00 mm) against tested microorganisms. Scavenging activity of EPS ranged from 65.70-81.80% against DPPH. EPS supported the growth of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophiles with values ranged from 3.04 × 104-3.40 × 104 cfu/ml and 2.50 × 104-2.81 × 104 cfu/ml, respectively. Submerged culture of P. pulmonarius with addition of agro-wastes enhanced yield of EPS. The EPS exhibited bio-functional properties like antimicrobial, antioxidant and prebiotic activities. Hence, agrowastes can be recycled in submerged fermentation with fungi to produce promising biomaterials for biopharmaceutical applications.Successful restoration of over exploited species (Asparagus racemosus) depends upon variability, conservation and cultivation. Twelve elite accessions were characterized for fifteen quantitative and qualitative traits for sustainable cultivation and industrial uses. The evaluated accessions varied in morphology, herbage, root yield and shatavarin IV content. The accession DAR-7 was showing maximum herbage yield (1860 and 1850 g plant-1), fresh root weight (36.33 and 37.33 g plant-1), root girth (18.25 and 18.45 cm) and root yield (14.26 and 12.79 kg plant-1) in both the harvesting years. Shatavarin IV content in roots was maximum in DAR-14 (152.06 and 151.72 μg g-1), followed by DAR-28 (81.16 and 83.16 μg g-1). For economic yield accessions DAR-7, DAR-19, DAR-14, DAR-28 were found superior therefore, they may be further used in crop improvement program as valuable selection. In the cropping system they may act as a viable replacement of traditional crops viz., cumin, gram, cotton and groundnut. Asparagus cultivated under high density plantation ensured high economic return (Rs. 4.87 l ha-1year-1) with 3.66 B C ratio, therefore, it could be considered a high returns substitute for traditional crops.Marek's disease (MD) is an alphaherpesvirus (Marek's disease virus, MDV)-induced pathology of chickens associated with paralysis, immunosuppression, neurological signs, and T-cell lymphomas. MD is controlled in poultry production via live attenuated vaccines. The purpose of the current study was to compare methods for precipitating exosomes from vaccinated and protected chicken sera (VEX) and tumor-bearing chicken sera (TEX) for biomarker analysis of vaccine-induced protection and MD lymphomas respectively. A standard polyethylene glycol (PEG, 8%) method was compared to a commercial reagent (total exosome isolation reagent, TEI) for exosome yield and RNA content. Although exosomes purified by PEG or TEI were comparable in size and morphology, TEI-reagent yielded 3-4-fold greater concentration. Relative expression of 8 out of 10 G. gallus- and MDV1-encoded miRNAs examined displayed significant difference depending upon the precipitation method used. Standard PEG yields comparable, albeit lower amounts of exosomes than the TEI-reagent and a distinctive miRNA composition.Hydrochemical investigation of groundwater was carried out on the coastal aquifers of Ogun Waterside, Southwestern Nigeria. Groundwater samples were collected and assayed for physicochemical parameters during wet season (August, 2016) and dry season (March, 2017). The analysed data were further subjected to correlation analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), hydrochemical facies and descriptive statistics. Results revealed that the groundwater is slightly acidic with fresh to saline character. The CA showed very strong associations between TDS, EC and Cl concentrations in both wet and dry seasons. PCA confirmed the main factor influencing the groundwater chemistry in the study area to be component I (salinity component). Piper plots also revealed that the aquifer is mainly of Na - Cl water type. Schoeller and Stiff diagrams showed that the groundwater comprises relative abundance of major ions in the following order Na + > K + > Mg 2 + > Ca 2 + for the cations and Cl - > HCO 3 - > SO 4 2 - for the anions. Thus, the primary process influencing the hydrochemistry of the study area is saltwater invasion while mineral dissolution and rainwater infiltration play less significant roles. Most parameters fall within the permissible limit proposed by the World Health Organization (2011) and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (2007). However, higher concentrations of chloride and bicarbonate ions observed towards the southern flank of the study area suggest signs of impairment.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/opicapone.html  Assessment of the sampled water for agricultural purposes with respect to salinity hazard, Total Hardness (TH), percentage sodium (%Na) and Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) revealed that the water is suitable for agricultural activities.The use of non-oil Jatropha biomass in the energy mix as a solid fuel offers the most effective ways of utilising such resource. However, available information indicates that biomass has negative inherent properties which lower its fuel value. This negative effect can be improved by slow pyrolysis process called torrefaction where the biomass is heated in the range of 200 °C to 300 °C. In the present investigation the effects of torrefaction temperature on the solid fuel value of different Jatropha biomass materials were determined. Consequently, three types of Jatropha biomass namely; seed cake, stem and fruit cover were considered under five temperature levels (200 °C, 225 °C, 250 °C, 275 °C, 300 °C). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that there were significant differences (P > 0.05) in bulk density, hygroscopicity, energy content and ultimate etc. The statistical analysis results indicated that there was biomass type and torrefaction temperature interaction effects on the ultimate analysis, bulk density, hygroscopicity, energy content and energy yield.