Isolation, molecular identification and under lab evaluation of the entomopathogenic fungi M. anisopliae and B. bassiana against the Red Palm Weevil R. ferrugineus in Gaza Strip

Plant diseases generate challenging problems in commercial, agriculture and pose real economic threats to both conventional and organic farming systems. The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) (RPW) is one of the most destructive pests of palms in the world. Nowadays, control methods revolve around treatments based on chemicals, biotechnological systems using semi-chemicals or the development of the sterile insect technique (hardly sustainable at this time) and biological control. Biological control as the use of natural microorganisms, extracted products from microorganisms or genetically improved to resist or eliminate of pathogens. Our aim was to evaluate the entomopathogenicity of indigenous Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae obtained in Gaza strip against larvae and adults of R. ferrugineus in order to identify indigenous strains potentially suitable for Red Palm Weevil biological control. B. bassiana & M. anisopliae were isolated from larvae and adult dead of RPW from different position of Gaza strip. Morphological analysis of the isolated fungi and molecular identification was determined using PCR technique. Also, the efficiency of the isolated fungi were evaluated under lab conditions and optimized as a biological agent. On the anther hand, the ability of treated RPW male to infect females is examined and calculated using Abbott's formula. Our results showed that the B. bassiana and M. anisopliae exhibited a good biological control agent against larvae and adults of RPW. The pathogenicity of the two most virulent isolates and the toxicity assay on larvae showed a highest mortality percentage nearly to 100

C3Ro: An efficient mining algorithm of extende d-close d contiguous robust sequential patterns in noisy data

International audienceSequential pattern mining has been the focus of many works, but still faces a tough challenge in the mining of large databases for both efficiency and apprehensibility of its resulting set. To overcome these issues, the most promising direction taken by the literature relies on the use of constraints, including the well-known closedness constraint. However, such a mining is not resistant to noise in data, a characteristic of most real-world data. The main research question raised in this paper is thus: how to efficiently mine an apprehensible set of sequential patterns from noisy data? In order to address this research question, we introduce 1) two original constraints designed for the mining of noisy data: the robustness and the extended-closedness constraints, 2) a generic pattern mining algorithm, C3Ro, designed to mine a wide range of sequential patterns, going from closed or maximal contiguous sequential patterns to closed or maximal regular sequential patterns. C3Ro is dedicated to practitioners and is able to manage their multiple constraints. C3Ro also is the first sequential pattern mining algorithm to be as generic and parameterizable. Extensive experiments have been conducted and reveal the high efficiency of C3Ro, especially in large datasets, over well-known algorithms from the literature. Additional experiments have been conducted on a real-world job offers noisy dataset, with the goal to mine activities. This experiment offers a more thorough insight into C3Ro algorithm: job market experts confirm that the constraints we introduced actually have a significant positive impact on the apprehensibility of the set of mined activities

Isolated displaced non-union of a triquetral body fracture: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Fractures of the body of the triquetral bone are the second most common carpal fractures, and these fractures can be missed on plain X-ray. Although non-union of triquetral body fractures is very rare, such cases are associated with considerable morbidity and reduction in functional activity.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 29-year-old Caucasian British man who sustained an isolated displaced triquetral body fracture that resulted in non-union, who was treated surgically. We describe an original operative management for this debilitating injury. An open reduction and internal fixation using double headed compression screws was performed, without bone grafting, and with early immobilization of the wrist.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We propose this novel approach and advocate early clinical suspicion of triquetral body fractures in patients with a history of fall on an outstretched hand and ulnar sided wrist pain. We recommend evaluation using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scanning.</p

Distributed Edge Connectivity in Sublinear Time

We present the first sublinear-time algorithm for a distributed message-passing network sto compute its edge connectivity $\lambda$ exactly in the CONGEST model, as long as there are no parallel edges. Our algorithm takes $\tilde O(n^{1-1/353}D^{1/353}+n^{1-1/706})$ time to compute $\lambda$ and a cut of cardinality $\lambda$ with high probability, where $n$ and $D$ are the number of nodes and the diameter of the network, respectively, and $\tilde O$ hides polylogarithmic factors. This running time is sublinear in $n$ (i.e. $\tilde O(n^{1-\epsilon})$) whenever $D$ is. Previous sublinear-time distributed algorithms can solve this problem either (i) exactly only when $\lambda=O(n^{1/8-\epsilon})$ [Thurimella PODC'95; Pritchard, Thurimella, ACM Trans. Algorithms'11; Nanongkai, Su, DISC'14] or (ii) approximately [Ghaffari, Kuhn, DISC'13; Nanongkai, Su, DISC'14]. To achieve this we develop and combine several new techniques. First, we design the first distributed algorithm that can compute a $k$-edge connectivity certificate for any $k=O(n^{1-\epsilon})$ in time $\tilde O(\sqrt{nk}+D)$. Second, we show that by combining the recent distributed expander decomposition technique of [Chang, Pettie, Zhang, SODA'19] with techniques from the sequential deterministic edge connectivity algorithm of [Kawarabayashi, Thorup, STOC'15], we can decompose the network into a sublinear number of clusters with small average diameter and without any mincut separating a cluster (except the `trivial' ones). Finally, by extending the tree packing technique from [Karger STOC'96], we can find the minimum cut in time proportional to the number of components. As a byproduct of this technique, we obtain an $\tilde O(n)$-time algorithm for computing exact minimum cut for weighted graphs.Comment: Accepted at 51st ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC 2019

In vitro, Alternative Methods to the Biological Control of the Aphids by Entomopathogenic Fungi Beauveria bassiana Isolates from Gaza Strip

Sustainable vegetable production it depends mainly on yield and quality, if not properly managed, pests and diseases can dramatically reduce crop yield, quality and subsequent returns. Plant diseases need to be controlled to maintain the quality and abundance of food, feed, and fiber produced by growers around the world (Pal and Gardener, 2006). Disease control is an essential component of crop management for increase yield potential. A low disease loss in your fields in the recent past does not ensure disease losses will remain low (Tobacco disease management (2015). Every year gardeners confront many insect pests feasting on fruits and vegetables (Jackman, 1998). Plants have many pests, such as aphids and mites. Aphids are important herbivores of both wild and cultivated plants that feed on the phloem of vascular plants (Züst and Agrawal, 2016). Most vegetables crops attached by this pest and also it can stunt and distort the growth of plants and cause wilting and bud drop, resulting in poor flowering and fruit set. Synthetic pesticides have played a central role for control plant pathogen (Chandler et al., 2011; El-Wakeil, 2013). In the recent years, the negative effects on health and the environment as a result of the indiscriminate use of pesticides have led the EU to the prohibition of many synthetic pesticides (D'Addabbo et al., 2014). Consequently

Bacteriological Occurrence of Salmonella spp. in Hens Eggs and their Environment in Selected Farms in Gaza Strip

Salmonellosis is one of the most common and widely distributed food-borne diseases. It constitutes a major public health burden and represents a significant cost in many countries. Poultry and eggs are considered as major sources for these pathogenic microorganisms. To investigate the occurrence of Salmonella in Gaza Strip, 596 samples (100 egg pools, 88 feed samples, 320 chicken excreta and cloacal swabs and 88 water samples) were collected from 12 poultry farms in Gaza strip. Sampling program was between January 2007 and December 2007. Samples were tested at the Public Health Laboratory of MOH in Gaza strip. Data were collected through direct interview and structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied on 12 poultry farms to evaluate the level of cleaning in certain farms, which contain a number of questions that were answered by farmer owners. The study showed that egg pools, feed samples and water samples were negative for Salmonella spp., whereas one Salmonella spp. was isolated from chicken excreta pools from Khan-Younis poultry farms. The questionnaire results supported the findings of the study in terms of quasi-absence of infection with Salmonella. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Gaza investigating the occurrence of Salmonella spp. in eggs and environment in selected local egg production farms

ANTIBACTERIAL & ANTIFUNGAL POTENTIALITY OF RICINUS COMMUNIS & COLEUS FORSKOHLII ON SOME HUMAN PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

The objective of the present study was to explore the antibacterial and antifungal activity of two plant extracts (Ricinus communis & Coleus forskohlii) against some selected pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus

1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol) modifies uptake and release of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in skeletal muscle cells in culture

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The major circulating metabolite of vitamin D 3 , 25-hydroxycholecalciferol [25(OH)D], has a remarkably long half-life in blood for a (seco)steroid. Data from our studies and others are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a role for skeletal muscle in the maintenance of vitamin D status. Muscle cells internalise vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) from the circulation by means of a megalin/cubilin plasma membrane transport mechanism. The internalised DBP molecules then bind to actin and thus provide an intracellular array of high affinity binding sites for its specific ligand, 25(OH)D. There is evidence that the residence time for DBP in muscle cells is short and that it undergoes proteolytic degradation, releasing bound 25(OH)D. The processes of internalisation of DBP and its intracellular residence time, bound to actin, appear to be regulated. To explore whether 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol) has any effect on this process, cell cultures of myotubes and primary skeletal muscle fibers were incubated in a medium containing 10 −10 M calcitriol but with no added DBP. After 3 h pre-incubation with calcitriol, the net uptake of 25(OH)D by these calcitriol-treated cells over a further 4 h was significantly greater than that in vehicle-treated control cells. This was accompanied by a significant increase in intracellular DBP protein. However, after 16 h of pre-incubation with calcitriol, the muscle cells showed a significantly depressed ability to accumulate 25(OH)D compared to control cells over a further 4 or 16 hours. These effects of pre-incubation with calcitriol were abolished in fibers from VDR-knockout mice. The effect was also abolished by the addition of 4,4\u27-diisothiocyano-2,2\u27-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DIDS), which inhibits chloride channel opening. Incubation of C2 myotubes with calcitriol also significantly reduced retention of previously accumulated 25(OH)D after 4 or 8 h. It is concluded from these in vitro studies that calcitriol can modify the DBP-dependent uptake and release of 25(OH)D by skeletal muscle cells in a manner that suggests some inducible change in the function of these cells