Elastic properties of tellurite glasses

Elastic properties of binary and ternary tellurite glass systems of the composition (in mol%) (100-x) TeO2 - x Nb2O5, and (100-x) TeO2 - 0.5x (Nb2O5 + Li2O) were calculated from the measured densities as well as from longitudinal and shear ultrasonic velocities at room temperature. Ultrasonic velocity measurements were taken at 4 MHz ultrasonic frequency using the pulse echo technique. Elastic moduli, and Debye temperature calculated from experimental data and calculated theoretically using the bond compression model were used to obtain quantitative details about the structure of these glasses. The effect of adding either Nb2O5 alone or Nb2O5 and Li2 on the elastic moduli was investigated in terms of the number of network bonds of the glass systems. The average atomic ring size of the network was also calculated and it was found that it depends on the concentration of the modifiers. The obtained results show that these glasses become more stable and compact when modified with Nb2O5 or with Nb2O5 and Li2O, which increases the elastic moduli in the two systems

Electrical performance study of a large area multicrystalline silicon solar cell using a current shunt and a micropotentiometer

In this paper, a new technique using a Current Shunt and a Micropotentiometer has been used to study the electrical performance of a large area multicrystalline silicon solar cell at outdoor conditions. The electrical performance is mainly described by measuring both cell short circuit current and open circuit voltage. The measurements of this cell by using multimeters suffer from some problems because the cell has high current intensity with low output voltage. So, the solar cell short circuit current values are obtained by measuring the voltage developed across a known resistance Current Shunt. Samples of the obtained current values are accurately calibrated by using a Micropotentiometer (μpot) thermal element (TE) to validate this new measuring technique. Moreover, the solar cell open circuit voltage has been measured. Besides, the cell output power has been calculated and can be correlated with the measured incident radiation

Mesenchymal and stemness transdifferentiation via in-vitro infection of T24 cell line with Klebsiella pneumoniae

أثبتت الدراسات الحديثة أن وجود البكتيريا داخل أنسجة الورم له أثرعلى بيئة الورم وبالتالي يؤثرفى سلوك السرطان وتطوره واستجابة الخلايا  للعلاج. فى هذا البحث تم دراسة التحول التمايزى لخلايا سرطان المثانة الظاهرية الى خلايا ميزنكيمية و خلايا جذعية نتيجة لاحداث العدوى البكتيرية. وذلك من خلال إحداث عدوى لسلالة خلايا سرطان المثانة البولية (T24) ببكتيريا الكلبسيلا الرئوية لمدة يومين وأربعة أيام. تم قياس التعبير الجينى باستخدام جهاز البلمرة المتسلسل.وأظهرت النتائج زيادة في صفات الخلايا الميزنكيمية ؛ فزاد التعبير الجينى لجين الفيمنتين ، ونقص التعبيرالجينى للسيتوكيراتين، وعزز تحليل كيمياء الهيستولوجية المناعية هذه النتيجة. علاوة على ذلك، زاد التعبيرالجينى للجينات الدالة على الخلايا الجذعية. العدوى البكتيرية للخلايا السرطانية قد تسبب التمايز الخلوى، مما قد يؤدى الى تحسن قدرة الخلايا السرطانية على الانتشار والتجدد الذاتي. وبالتالي، قد تساهم البكتيريا في تطور سرطان المثانة وإنتشاره.Klebsiella pneumoniae has been found in the urinary tract of some bladder cancer patients. Bacterial presence within tumor tissue may affect the tumor-microenvironment and consequently influence cancer behavior, development, and treatment response. This study investigated mesenchymal and stemness transdifferentiation of bladder cancer cell line due to environmental stress of K. pneumoniae. Cultures of urothelial bladder cancer cell line (T24) were infected with K. pneumoniae with different multiplicity of infection (MOI) for two and four days. Transdifferentiation-associated features were morphologically assessed. Moreover, transdifferentiation markers were estimated using Q-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Q-PCR data showed an increase in mesenchymal transdifferentiation traits; vimentin expression was upregulated, and cytokeratin19 expression downregulated significantly (P<0.001) compared with controls, which were emphasized by immunohistochemistry results. Moreover, stemness transdifferentiation markers expression increased significantly (P<0.001). The heterogeneous tumor cell population may be altered by bacterial infection, which improves cancer cells' migration and self-renewal ability. Thus, bacteria may be engaged in cancer progression and metastases.

Antimicrobial Activity and Quantum Chemical Calculations of Pyrazol-2,3-Dihydrothiazole Sugar Derivatives

A number of new [(pyrazol-4-yl) methylene] hydrazono-2,3-dihydrothiazoles, sugar hydrazones, and their N-glycoside derivatives were synthesized. The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR technique. The newly synthesized compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activities and showed moderate to high inhibition activities. Quantum chemistry calculations were used to study the molecular geometry and electronic structure of the selected derivatives. The energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) has been calculated using the theoretical computations to reflect the chemical reactivity and kinetic stability of compounds. Keywords: 1H-pyrazole, aminothiazole, ethylchloroacetate, quantum chemical calculations, antimicrobial activity

EFFECT OF SOME METHODS FOR CONTROLLING WEEDS AND WILT DISEASES ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF GERANIUM PLANTS

Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L’Herit ex Ait.) plants infected with root rot and wilt diseases were collected from different locations of Behira, Ismailia and Minia Governorates, Egypt. Fusarium, Macrophomina, Rhizoctonia and Pythium were isolated from the infected plants. The results showed that F. oxysporum recorded the highest isolated rate, followed by R. solani, F. solani, M. phaseolina and Pythium sp. The effect of various concentrations of marjoram and peppermint essential oils on the mycelial growth of the isolated fungi was tested in vitro. Marjoram and peppermint oils completely inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum, F. solani, R. solani and Pythium sp. at the concentration of 5 ml/l. A Field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Agricultural Research Station, Malawy, Minia Governorate, Egypt, during two successive seasons of 2020 and 2021 to study the effect of different weed control methods (un-weeded control, clover cover yield, hand hoeing and black plastic mulch) on weeds biomass. The results indicated that all weed control treatments significantly decreased the weight of grassy broad-leaf weeds and total weeds compared to the un-weeded control. Moreover, all weed control treatments and plants treated with the essential oils of marjoram and peppermint as well as the biocides (Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma harzianum) significantly decreased the wilt disease incidence and improved the vegetative growth, yield and volatile oil of geranium plants. The results indicated that plastic mulch was the most effective in reducing wilt incidence as well as increasing all growth characteristics and productivity of volatile oil, while the highest disease incidence and the lowest growth and yield were recorded under un-weeded treatment. The application of the marjoram essential oil or biocide B. subtilis resulted in the lowest incidence of wilt disease and the highest increase in the growth, herb yield, essential oil yield and main components of essential oil. The highest growth characters and volatile oil were recorded with either black plastic mulch and marjoram essential oil or with B. subtilis treatment

EFFECT OF SOME OF ORGANIC AND BIO AND/OR MINERAL FERTILIZATION ON VEGETATIVE GROWTH AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DELONIX REGIA

This work wasexecuted during two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019 in the nursery and laboratory of Fac. Agric., Minia Univ., Egypt to investigate the response of vegetative and root growthand some chemical composition of Delonix regia seedlings to four percentages of humic acid (0, 1, 2 and 4%) and four bio- and/or mineral NPK fertilization treatments (control, 100% NPK, Minia Azotein and 75% NPK plus Minia Azotein), as well as, the interaction between them. All used three percentages of humic acid significantly increased vegetative growth (plant height, stem diameter, the aerial part dry weight), root growth (root number and roots dry weight) and chemical composition (photosynthetic pigments, NPK%, total phenolic and total flavonoids contents) over control. Humic acid at 4% more was effective treatment. All used bio-and/or mineral NPK fertilization treatments significantly increased all studied characters over control. The best treatments were 100% NPK or 75% NPK plus Minia Azotein. It could be recommended to add humic acid at 4% in combination with 100% NPK or 75% NPK plus Minia Azotein to improve growth of Delonix regia

Evaluating the Feasibility of Pro-Neurotensin and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 as Possible Indicators for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications

(1) Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome are associated with decreased vitamin D. In contrast, high pro-neurotensin (pro-NT) levels are linked with an increased risk of T2DM and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the validity of pro-NT and 25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 levels as predictors for T2DM complications; (2) Methods: One hundred T2DM, and one hundred healthy volunteers participated in this case-control study. Their Pro-NT and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were evaluated using the ELISA technique; (3) Results: Pro-NT and 25 (OH) vitamin D3 have significant validity and accuracy in T2DM prediction, 84.5%, and 90.5%, respectively (p = 0.001). At a value of \u3c29.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 showed 88% sensitivity and 93% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of \u3e124 Pmol/L, Pro-NT showed 81% sensitivity and 88% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of 16.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 had 78.4% sensitivity and 68.3% specificity in predicting T2DM complications. At a value of \u3e158 pmol/L, Pro-NT predicted T2DM complications with 67.6% sensitivity and 56.0% specificity; (4) Conclusions: 25 (OH) Vit D3 and Pro-NT could identify T2DM patients and predict T2DM complications. More extensive research is required to adequately validate this novel perspective with a large population study

Optical properties of zinc borotellurite glass system doped with erbium and erbium nanoparticles for photonic applications

Comparative analysis on optical properties between two glass series (a—ordinary glass, b—glass with nanoparticles) have been estimated. The two glass series (a—ordinary glass, b—glass with nanoparticles) with compositions {[(TeO2)0.70 (B2O3)0.30]0.70 (ZnO)0.30}1−y (Er2O3/Er2O3 nanoparticles)y; y = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05 mol% were successfully prepared by using melt-quenching method. The TEM, EDX and XRD have been used to confirm the existence of nanoparticles and all elements in the glass system. The density of b—glass with nanoparticles are found greater than a—ordinary glass. The optical properties of the glass series were characterized by using Ellipsometer and UV–Vis spectrophotometer. There is a linear increasing trend in refractive index of the glass series along with concentration of erbium and erbium nanoparticles oxide. The refractive index of b—glass with nanoparticles is greater than a—ordinary glass. Moreover, the absorption peaks of a—ordinary glass are more intense than b—glass with nanoparticles. The glass with nanoparticles will offer a potential materials for nanophotonic devices

Synthesis of Gemini cationic surfactants based on natural nicotinic acid and evaluation of their inhibition performance at C-steel/1 M HCl interface: Electrochemical and computational investigations

Herein, we prepare effective Gemini cationic surfactants (CSII, CSIV) and characterize them using FT-IR and 1HNMR spectroscopy. The adsorptive properties of CSII and CSIV at HCl/air and C-steel/HCl interfaces were examined with surface tension and electrochemical parameters, respectively. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the CSII and CSIV indicated their adsorption affinity at the HCl/air interface. Where, aliphatic chains increase surface coverage percentage and aid in surfactant adsorption. The electrochemical parameters of C-steel in 1 M HCl were studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) at different temperatures. The charge transfer resistance of the C-steel electrode was enhanced from 28.2 Ω.cm2 to 770.79 and 831.45 Ω.cm2 after adding 5 × 10−4 M of CSII and CSIV, respectively. Both CSII and CSIV act as mixed inhibitors with inhibition performance exceeding 97% due to their highly adsorption affinity. The chemical adsorption affinity of these compounds is suggested by the higher adsorption energy (∆G*ads) values (>−40 kJ mol−1) according to the Langmuir isotherm model. The theoretical calculations including DFT, and Monte Carlo simulation (MCs) provide insight into the relationship between corrosion inhibition and molecular structure, where the calculated parameters agree with the experimental results