Phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant capacities in Citrus species with different degree of tolerance to Huanglongbing

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a highly destructive disease to the citrus industry in Florida caused by the bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus(CLas) and is transmitted by Diaphorina citri. It is hypothesized that plants with high phenolic contents show higher tolerance to certain plant pathogens. In this regard, different citrus varieties and plants of genera related to Citrus were analyzed for their total phenolic and flavonoids contents, and their antioxidant capacities. In addition, the secondary metabolites in the leaves of seven citrus species were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Colorimetric assays showed that curry leaf contained the highest total phenolic content and free radical scavenging activity (DPPH). Curry leaf also contained high concentrations of an unusual class of carbazole alkaloids. Tolerant Citrus species contained high levels of phenolics and flavonoids and showed high antioxidant capacities. Our results suggest that high phenolic and flavonoid leaf contents correlate with increased citrus tolerance to CLas bacterium. The results also suggest that the high level of carbazole alkaloids, known for their strong antimicrobial properties in curry leaf, could make it immune to the CLas bacteria. Understanding the mechanisms underpinning citrus tolerance to HLB will contribute to the development of commercially tolerant citrus cultivars.Acknowledgments We thank Yasser Nehela for the technical assistance and Lorraine Jones for maintaining the trees in greenhouses. This work was kindly funded by Citrus Research and Development Foundation, grant number 19-015. Funding This work was supported by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation [19-015]

Demographic Data about Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia and Bernard Soulier in Wassit , Iraq

Objective: Thrombasthenia is rare inherited bleeding disorder .Clinical presentation differs and the aim of this  study is to determine the demographic Data for Glanzmann's thrombasthenia ,How it differs from Bernard soulier, the clinical presentation of patients with Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT) and Bernard and to correlate their clinical presentation and laboratory findings. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 32 patient having Bleeding disorder ( Thrombasthenia -un specified,Glanzmann’s and Bernard ) registered in The hematology center \ Al Karama hospital \ Al Kut city, Wassit state, Iraq. The data were collected from records from June 2003 to April 2016.The Demographic data of patient's age at time of diagnosis, sex, ABO blood group ,Chief complaint ,investigation values family history and the consequent state of patients were collected to be  analyzed . Results:From total of 32 patients , 65.6% from them were males, 21 males and 11 females. In this study The patients were  from three provinces ( most patients were from Wassit 25, Dhi-qaar 4 and Missan 3.We found that from total of 32 patients, the number of patient above 5 years of age were 20 (62.2%), where the patients below 5 years were 12 (37.5%).A positive family history were found in 21 (65.6%), negative family history were found in 11 (34.4%).In this study, most of cases were Bernard soulier (43.8%) with 14 patients , while Glanzmann's (34.4%) in 11 patients, and 7 patients with thrombasthenia (21.9%). As for blood groups, most cases were unknown (37.5%) in 12 pts ,the second most common were A+ in 8 pts (25%) , B+ group and O+ were equal in 5 pts (15.6%) each, the least common were O- in 2 pts (6.2%).Most cases presented as bleeding in 24 pts (75%) , known case in 5 pts (15.6%) and pallor in 2 pts (6.2%), accidental during surgical operations was the least common with only 1 patient (3.1%).Most cases were positive consequent state -21 patients with 65.6% percentage, negative consequent were 9 pts (28.1%) and unknown in 2 pts (6.2%) . Conclusion: Bleeding disorders such as Glanzmann’s and Bernard are not that rare in Iraq. There is also female:male ratio that is higher than other researches. Most of the patients were above the age of 5 ,while in other researches the diseases are most likely diagnosed in infancy. Key word: bleeding, platelet function, thrombastheni

Serum Hepcidin Hormone Level and Its Genes Polymorphism

This chapter sheds light on hepcidin, historical view of hepcidin, and the time of its discovery in the first section. Then this chapter gives information about the genetic aspect and the importance of gene knowledge of hepcidin in explaining many disorders in human beings, supported by illustration figures. The regulation of iron in the human body as an essential function of hepcidin is discussed in this chapter. Examples of the genes of hepcidin (HAMP and HFE) are highlighted in detail as they are essential in regulating iron as well as discussing the genetic mutations that occur in these genes and their medical and clinical impacts for many diseases such as thalassemia. Finally, the inherited disorders related to hepcidin that lead to genetic diseases are discussed

Teacher and student perceptions of academic and professional literacies in ESP at tertiary and applied colleges in Kuwait

This thesis reports a qualitative study of the perceptions of academic and professional literacies of ESP teachers and their students in a Kuwaiti vocational higher education institution. The specific foci were threefold: (1) the ESP teachers’ perceptions of academic and professional literacy practices and the classroom practices and course content they see asimportant to support effective literacy teaching; (2) the ESP students' perceptions of academic and professional literacies and of the classroom practices and course content supportive of their professional literacy acquisition; (3) the effects of these perceptions on teaching and learning. The research employed three qualitative research methodologies to focus on the experience of the individual and present a holistic understanding of the phenomena investigated: (1) semi-structured interviews; (2) classroom observations; (3) document collection. The participants included eight ESP teachers (two from each of the four colleges offering ESP courses at PAAET) and twenty-four ESP learners (three learners taught by each of the teachers recruited). Each participant was interviewed twice: once before the classroom observation period and once after. The first interviews and observation periods determined the questions for the second interviews and relevant documents were collected from participants whenever possible. The focus on the individual and an in-depth analysis of his/her experience provided a rich data set regardless of the relatively small sample that this qualitative study worked with. The study indicates (1) that ESP teacher and learner perceptions of literacy practices needs are context-derived, transferrable from one context to another, and include communication and social norms of the discourse community; (2) ESP teachers’ perceptions of these literacy practices shaped their pedagogical choices; (3) ESP teacher and learner understandings of the learners’ future professional contexts played a significant role in learner engagement in the ESP classroom; (4) limitations in understanding of situated literacy practices were obstacles to the ESP teachers’ ability to develop their ESP courses. The study has implications for the training of ESP teachers and for the role of target situation analysis in ESP course design. It also has implications for the involvement of ESP students, as stakeholders, in discussions around the design of ESP programs

Molecular Characterization of β-Thalassemia Patients in Wasit Province, IRAQ

Background: Hemoglobin-associated disorder is a different group of recessive genetic diseases. which consist of the structural hemoglobin variants and the thalassemia.Aim of the study: - to characterize the spectrum of beta globin gene mutations  in patients with beta- thalassemia who are registered in thalassemia centers, Wasit, Iraq using PCR - based DNA diagnostic techniques.Patients and methods:The genomic DNA was extracted from 106 Iraqi patients with β-thalassemia major and intermedia from unrelated families and (50) healthy numbers as control were collected from Al-Karama  Teaching Hospital, in Wasit  province, to detect mutation using PCR - based DNA diagnostic techniques. .  Results: of 106 thalassemia patients, 35 (33%) of patients with no mutation detection, IVS 1.116 [T>G] mutation was detected in 42 patients ( 39.6%), followed by IVS 1.110 [G>A], which was detected in 11 (10.4%) patients.Conclusions: Many mutations recorded a high frequency due to close relative marriage. By analyzing many mutations in β-globin gene leading to defect in beta chains play crucial role in drawing mutation frequency and their distribution in our society. Keywords: thalassemia, mutation, DN

Short Term Effectiveness of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in the Management of Brain Arteriovenous Malformation

AIM: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of Gamma knife radiosurgery as a modality of treatment of brain arteriovenous malformation. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with arteriovenous brain malformations underwent Gamma knife radiosurgery included in this prospective study between April 2017 and September 2018 with clinical and radiological with MRI follow up was done at three months and six months post-Gamma knife radiosurgery. By the end of the 12th-month post-Gamma knife radiosurgery, the patients were re-evaluated using digital subtraction angiography co-registered with M.R.I. During the 12 months follow up, CT scan or MRI was done at any time if any one of the patients᾽ condition deteriorated or developed signs and symptoms of complications. The mean volume of the arteriovenous malformations treated was 26.0 ± 5 cm3 (range 12.5–39.5 cm3) in The Neurosciences Hospital, Baghdad/Iraq. RESULTS: By the end of the 12th month of follow up, the overall obliteration of the arteriovenous malformations was seen in six patients only (9.5%), while shrinkage was noticed in 57 patients (90.5%). Improvement or clinical stability was found in 24 out of 39 patients (61.5%) presented with epilepsy as a chief complaint before Gamma knife radiosurgery and 21 out of 24 patients (87.0%) complained of a headache before Gamma knife radiosurgery. Post-Gamma knife radiosurgery bleeding was found in only three patients (5.0%). CONCLUSION: Even with the short term follow up, Gamma knife radiosurgery has an excellent clinical outcome in most patients with arteriovenous brain malformations. The clinical symptoms like headache and seizure were either diminished or controlled with the same medical treatment dose before Gamma knife radiosurgery. Long term clinical and radiological follow up is recommended

Molecular study of Oestrus ovis larvae infesting in sheep in Baghdad city, Iraq

The aim of this study is to detect the 28S (rRNA) gene sequences of Oestrus ovis larvae by conventional polymerase chain reaction and to compare their genetic relatedness utilizing phylogenetic analysis. Fifty larvae were collected from sheep for DNA extraction after slaughtering during the period from the beginning of February until the end of April 2019 in Baghdad city. PCR product appeared as the band size 950 bp. Ten of the product PCR were selected for sequence analysis to obtain the partial nucleotides 28S (rRNA) gene. After that the sequence were recorded in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) with ID NO. (MT875427, MT875428, MT875429, MT875430, MT875431, MT875432, MT875433, MT875434, MT875435, MT875436) for O. ovis larvae. Then, compared these accession number with another global registered in NCBI by using phylogenetic tree examination which show NCBI-BLAST homology sequence identity between them, and these results were confirmed 99% identity with Spain and Brazil isolates and 98% with Italy

A WINDOWS-BASED ACTIVE-ROUTER ARCHITECTURE

As computing power becomes cheaper, more and more functionality is being deployed inside computer networks, to provide better services to users. Examples of such services include support for Quality-of-Service (QoS), multicast, mobility and security. Nevertheless, such functionalities are still lacking in most networking systems. Active networking is a step towards enhancing the static and inflexible structures of current networks. This paper focuses on the design and development of technologies that allow rapid deployment of functionality throughout the network. The paper presents the design and implementation of a Windows-Based Active Router (WBAR) architecture, which provides flexibility for the development of future network services. The hardware is based on a personal computer with 2GHz, Intel P4 processor. The designed AR depends on the use of Windows OS and efficient C programming. Windows OS is rarely used in such projects due to complexity of kernel-mode programming

Effect of Carboxylic Functional Group Functionalized on Carbon Nanotubes Surface on the Removal of Lead from Water

The adsorption mechanism of the removal of lead from water by using carboxylic functional group (COOH) functionalized on the surface of carbon nanotubes was investigated. Four independent variables including pH, CNTs dosage, contact time, and agitation speed were carried out to determine the influence of these parameters on the adsorption capacity of the lead from water. The morphology of the synthesized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to measure the diameter and the length of the CNTs. The diameters of the carbon nanotubes were varied from 20 to 40 nm with average diameter at 24 nm and 10 micrometer in length. Results of the study showed that 100% of lead was removed by using COOH-MCNTs at pH 7, 150 rpm, and 2 hours. These high removal efficiencies were likely attributed to the strong affinity of lead to the physical and chemical properties of the CNTs. The adsorption isotherms plots were well fitted with experimental data

Sustainable Adaptation Plan in Response to Climate Change and Population Growth in the Iraqi Part of Tigris River Basin

Climate change and population growth play crucial roles in the planning of future water resources management strategies. In this paper, a balancing between projected water resources and water demands in the Iraqi Part of the Tigris River Basin (TRB) was evaluated till the year 2080 based on RCPs 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 and population growth. This paper examined a sustainable adaptation plan of water resources in the TRB considering three scenarios; (S1) as no change in the current strategy, (S2) as improved irrigation efficiency and (S3) as improved irrigation and municipal water use efficiency. The results showed a decline in streamflow will occur in the range from 5 to 18.4% under RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5, respectively. The minimum increase in water demand is expected for RCP 2.6 (maximum increase for RCP 8.5) by 51.8 (208.2), 9.9 (42) and 1.2 (7)% for the municipal–industrial, irrigation and environmental water demands, respectively, compared with the RP. The main finding indicated that S1 is the worst scenario, with water stress in four provinces, especially on the warmest RCP. Whereas, under S2 and S3 conditions, water stress can be eliminated. Increasing ambition towards adaptation becomes obligatory for developing sustainable water sources, supporting water food securities and increasing resilience towards climate change