Introduction of Purple and Deep Purple F1 Carrot Hybrids to Egypt Showed High Antioxidant Activity and High Content of Total Flavonoids and Phenols

For the improvement of carrot cultivation in Egypt and because of the deterioration of the local Egyptian purple carrots, two novel colored (Purple and Deep Purple) F1 carrot hybrids were introduced for the first time from Netherland to be evaluated and compared to the broadly cultivated yellow Japanese F1 hybrid (Kuruda) under the Middle Egypt sandy soil growing conditions. The horticultural evaluation showed that the two purple hybrids have elongated thick roots and good vegetative growth and gave a very high yield of roots in two successive winter seasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. The Deep Purple hybrid exceeded the other two hybrids in almost all studied chemical and horticultural characteristics. It showed about three folds of leaves fresh weight/plant, two folds of both root fresh weight/plant and yield/m2 when compared with Purple and Kuruda hybrids. The chemical analyses declared that the Purple and Deep Purple hybrids have higher contents of all estimated components and the Deep Purple hybrid had the highest values of total flavonoids (about two folds), total phenols (about 5-6 folds), antioxidant activity percentage (7-8 times), and total soluble solids percentage (1.5-2 times) than that of the yellow F1 hybrid “Kuruda”. These newly introduced two Purple and Deep Purple F1 hybrids may be very promising in production and processing purposes of purple carrots and good materials in carrot breeding programs in Egypt

A New Learning Theory-based Framework for Combining Flow State with Game Elements to Promote Engagement and Learning in Serious Games

Serious games (SGs) are seen as a clear aid and a potential technique for motivating learners to engage in active and beneficial learning. The creation of SGs is a difficult task. Learning theory, learning aspects (pedagogy and learning materials), and game design are three cross-disciplinary issues related to successful SG design. Numerous studies have looked at this matter and provided guidelines and frameworks for resolving important research concerns. We discovered, however, that research hardly ever discusses the roots of learning theory in SGs. Unfortunately, designing proper SGs is still more of an art than a science. The science of SGs has to be developed on a strong theoretical basis. By illustrating how SGs may be understood from several theoretical viewpoints in learning theory and going through a number of core game design elements that are necessary for successful learning, this paper makes an attempt to solve this issue. Then, in order to encourage engagement and learning in SG contexts, we provide a new framework for the design and development of SG models that makes it easier to combine flow state with such game elements. The agile software process model serves as the basis for the development process in our system. The Unified Modeling Language was used to model prototypes and diagrams. A case study entitled One day without the use of computer-based intervention technologies was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework

The Syrian public opinion versus frames in news media

The study aims at analyzing frames used by the media to report news about the Syrian crisis with the aim of understanding whether the Syrian voice -represented in public opinion data- finds its place in the media. The study conducts content analysis of 276 news stories\u27 frames divided across two periods of time -during 2015 (Obama\u27s administration) and 2017 (Trump\u27s administration). A content analysis methodology is applied to three online newspapers: the American New York Times, the Syrian Syria Times and the Russian Russia Beyond The Headlines. Each of these newspapers represents the governmental stance and policies in relation to the Syrian Crisis. The study attempts to have a deeper understanding of the interplay of powerful elites represented by the governments of the three countries and the Syrian people represented in public opinion polls. The media\u27s ultimate goal is serving public interest; however, and per the literature, the media can be used by elites to achieve wider acceptance of their policies regardless of the public interest (and their opinion in the matter)

Clinical and electrophysiological study of peripheral and central neuromuscular changes in connective tissue diseases in children

AbstractIntroductionChildren with juvenile connective tissue diseases (JCTDs) may have a wide variety of clinical features ranging from fever or a simple arthritis to complex multisystem autoimmune diseases.Aim of the workTo study clinical and electrophysiological peripheral and central neuromuscular changes in children with connective tissue diseases.Patients and methodsThirty children with different JCTDs were enrolled. Clinical and neurological examination and laboratory investigations were done. Electrophysiological evaluation was performed and included: peripheral nerve conduction studies, late responses, somatosensory evoked potential and electromyography.ResultsTwenty patients had juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (66.7%), 8 patients had juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) (26.7%), one patient had juvenile systemic sclerosis (JSScl), and one patient had juvenile overlap syndrome (JSScl and polymyositis). Clinical neurologic abnormalities were present in 3 patients (ulnar neuropathy, median neuropathy and polymyositis). Electrophysiological abnormalities were detected in 18 patients (clinical in 3 and subclinical in 15 patients) and included ulnar entrapment neuropathy, median axonal neuropathy, demyelinating sensory motor polyneuropathy, deep peroneal nerve entrapment at the ankle (anterior tarsal tunnel syndrome), prolonged posterior tibial somatosensory evoked potential latency and prolonged H reflex latency not explained by peripheral neuropathy, increased H/M ratio and myopathic motor units. The most common electrophysiological abnormalities were present in patients with JSLE.ConclusionClinical neurological abnormalities are not common in JCTDs whereas subclinical neurological abnormalities are common findings. Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus had the most common abnormalities among JCTDs. Polyneuropathy in JIA is commonly of demyelinating type. Entrapment neuropathy is less frequent than in adults

International Symposium on Sociology and the Question of Indigenization "Ibn Khaldon Center for Humanities and Social Sciences – Qatar University" (26 October 2019)

            استضاف مركز ابن خلدون للعلوم الإنسانية والاجتماعية بجامعة قطر على مدى يوم كامل (26 أكتوبر 2019) الندوة الدولية الموسومة بـ"علم الاجتماع وسؤال الأقلمة"، بهدف تدارس تجارب أقلمة علم الاجتماع في العالم العربي والإسلامي والوقوف على العوائق والمتطلبات النظرية والمنهجية المرتبطة به. تضمنت الندوة ثلاث جلسات رئيسية، افتتحت بكلمة مدير المركز الدكتور نايف بن نهار، رحّب فيها بالضيوف وطالبهم بحرية النقاش والتبادل الفكري حول موضوع الأقلمة. تلته كلمة عميد كلية الآداب والعلوم بجامعة قطر الدكتور إبراهيم الكعبي، الذي عبّر عن سعادته باستضافة عدد مهم من المشتغلين في مجال علم الاجتماع من العالمين العربي والإسلامي في قارتي آسيا وإفريقيا

Biochemical effects of Resveratrol and Curcumin combination on obese diabetic rats

Abstract Obesity is a global health problem associated with various metabolic disorders as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and oxidative stress. Therefore, utilization of nontoxic natural products represents a logical preventive and/or therapeutic approach for it. The aim of the present article is to evaluate anti-obesity and antioxidant effects of curcumin (50 mg/kg.b.w) and resveratrol (25 mg/kg.b.w) and their combinatorial formulation in obese diabetic rats feed high fat diet (HFD) for 8 consecutive weeks prior. The results of this study also showed that curcumin and resveratrol, both individually and in combination showed antioxidant and anti-obesity actions in experimental diabetic rats for 8 consecutive weeks prior. Indeed, them combination was significantly prevented the increase in the levels of body weight gain, blood glucose, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, free fatty acids, atherogenic index, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the liver tissue and improved the insulin resistance index, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) when compared to the high fat diet (HFD) control than either agent alone. The results clearly suggest that the combination of dietary curcumin and resveratrol produced a higher anti-obesity, anti-atherogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities on experimental obese diabetic rats than their individual influences

Role of Lung Ultrasound and Inferior Vena Cava Diameter in Assessment of Patients with Heart Failure

Background: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a multifaceted clinical condition marked by recurrent episodes of acute decompensation, needing repetitive hospital stays, and re-admissions. The CHF management is still a clinical challenge; choices are built on clinical evaluations of volume status, which are utilized for cardiac filling pressureestimation. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the role of lung US and Inferior Vena Cava Diameter (IVCD) in assessment of HF-cases. Patients and Methods: The current work has been performed on 50 HF (heart failure) cases diagnosed in the Chest Department of Al- Azhar University Hospitals from April 2019 to June 2021. Chest radiograph, as a reference for the presence of pulmonary congestion, echocardiography for both systolic and diastolic function assessment and lung U/S. US examinations of the anterolateral chest were done. Results: A highly significant association was found among inferior Vena Cava-Collapsibility Index (IVC-CI) and Dyspnea Class. A highly significant association was found among IVC-CI and echocardiography. A highly significant association was found among IVC-CI and B lines. Conclusion: Ultrasound can be utilized as an alternative technique for estimating the intra-vascular volume such as measuring the IVCD and so the caval index. The utilization of pulmonary ultrasound (PU) to evaluate dyspneic cases and those with HF in dissimilar clinical settings raises the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of pulmonary congestion diagnosing and prognosis in HF cases