Sustainable Development is the only path to achieve the green economy

Sustainable development is the management of renewable resources for the good of the entire human and natural community. Built into this concept is an awareness of the animal and plant life of the surrounding environment .The goal of sustainable development is to provide resources for the use of present populations without compromising the availability of those resources for future generations, and without causing environmental damage that challenges the survival of natural ecosystems. Consequently, sustainable economies cannot be based on the use of non-renewable resources. Ultimately, sustainable economies must be supported by the use of renewable resources such as biological productivity, and solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy sources. However, even renewable resources may be subjected to overexploitation and other types of environmental degradation. Central to the notion of sustainable development is the requirement that renewable resources are utilized in ways that do not diminish their capacity for renewal, so that they will always be present to sustain future generations of humans. On the other hand, Egypt welcomes the concept of the green economy to achieve sustainable development ,within the framework of respect for national priorities of each country, in order to achieve more decent work opportunities, and developments continued, and use environmental resources. Egypt have passed already in the implementation of a number of pilot projects in this regard, and look forward to witnessing the next stage for more cooperation with development. The energy is the main driver of economic and social development with the necessity to development of primary energy resources and the proper management and use of the most important policies and development strategies Egypt depends in achieving economic development and technological several sources of energy available to a power and petroleum and natural gas, but that recently Egypt has seen a severe lack of energy due to the following reasons Increased energy consumption rate - Lower crude oil and gas production rates in the country - Some electricity production plants with low efficiency - increasing  proportion of commercial waste- Slow  expansion  of the  use  of  alternative  energy .In this sense the Ministry of Environment has searched for alternative sources of energy assessing its environmental impact and its economic and social impact at the same time and take measures and actions that would raise sustainable proportion of renewable energy in the Egyptian energy mix and working to reduce the pressures of climate change where can these measures can contribute to maximize the utilization of alternative energy resources and traditional such as the use of solid waste as well as alternative fuels and use them as a form of alternative energy.</p

Molecular discovery of new allele associated with loose smut resistance gene Ut-X in spring wheat

Received: February 1st, 2021 ; Accepted: April 24th, 2021 ; Published: April 29th, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] of resistance to loose smut incited by the fungus Ustilago tritici (Pers.) Rostr. are still unknown in the Egyptian spring wheat. Loose smut incidence (LSI) was assessed in ten wheat cultivars through a two-year field trial during 2018–2020. All of the tested cultivars exhibited various percentages of susceptibility (> 10–70% LSI) to the disease except cultivar Misr-3 which exhibited resistance. The most susceptible cultivars were Sakha-93 (60%), Giza-168 (42.1%), and Misr-2 (34.28%). However, the resistant cultivar Misr-3 recorded the least LSI amounting to 5%. The wheat cultivars were screened by the SCAR marker (Xcrc4.2) to identify the presence/absence of loose smut resistance gene Ut-X. Molecular data revealed that the SCAR marker (Xcrc4.2) generated two alleles in cultivars with PCR fragments size of 800-bp and ≃200-bp. The favorable allele 800-bp was generated only in the resistant Egyptian cultivar ‘Misr-3’ and the resistant check cultivar ‘Biggar’, indicating the presence of the gene. Meanwhile, another allele ≃ 200-bp was generated in seven Egyptian cultivars, Giza-168, Giza-171, Misr2, Sakha-93, Gemmeiza-12, N-95, and Shandweel-1, indicating the absence of the resistant gene. This is the first study to report resistance genes to loose smut in Egyptian spring wheat, by detecting Ut-X in cultivar Misr-3. In addition, the study documented the first report of another allele ≃200-bp associated with SCAR marker (Xcrc4.2). Findings also revealed that the race-specific resistance gene Ut-X confers effective resistance to local U. tritici races, including race T10 which could be widely incorporated in breeding programs to control the disease

Oil Revenue and State Budget Dynamic Relationship: Evidence from Bahrain

The main purpose of the study is to investigate the short run and long run relationship between government revenues and government expenditures in Bahrain over the period from 1990 to 2017. Using annual data and time series analysis, the study indicated that the above two variables, government revenues and government expenditures were integrated of order one when both Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillip-Perron (PP) unit root tests were applied. The empirical results have revealed that unidirectional causality runs from government revenues to government expenditures. Thus, there is evidence in support of “revenue-spend” hypothesis. Finally, the results revealed that a 1% increase in oil revenue induces an increase in government expenditures by 1.37%. Therefore, policymakers in Bahrain should focus to further diversify the sources of government revenues from non-oil sectors in such a way that the country will be immune to vulnerability, especially when world oil market performs poorly. Keywords: Oil revenues, Cointegration, Government expenditures, Government revenues, Granger causality, Bahrain. JEL Classifications: E62, H20, H30, C30, C40, C51 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.699

CMC is more than a measure of corticospinal tract integrity in acute stroke patients

In healthy subjects, motor cortex activity and electromyographic (EMG) signals from contracting contralateral muscle show coherence in the beta (15-30 Hz) range. Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) is considered a sign of functional coupling between muscle and brain. Based on prior studies, CMC is altered in stroke, but functional significance of this finding has remained unclear. Here, we examined CMC in acute stroke patients and correlated the results with clinical outcome measures and corticospinal tract (CST) integrity estimated with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). During isometric contraction of the extensor carpi radialis muscle, EMG and magneto encephalographic oscillatory signals were recorded from 29 patients with paresis of the upper extremity due to ischemic stroke and 22 control subjects. CMC amplitudes and peak frequencies at 13-30 Hz were compared between the two groups. In the patients, the peak frequency in both the affected and the unaffected hemisphere was significantly (p < 0.01) lower and the strength of CMC was significantly (p < 0.05) weaker in the affected hemisphere compared to the control subjects. The strength of CMC in the patients correlated with the level of tactile sensitivity and clinical test results of hand function. In contrast, no correlation between measures of CST integrity and CMC was found. The results confirm the earlier findings that CMC is altered in acute stroke and demonstrate that CMC is bidirectional and not solely a measure of integrity of the efferent corticospinal tract.Peer reviewe

Comparison of automated infarct core volume measures between non-contrast computed tomography and perfusion imaging in acute stroke code patients evaluated for potential endovascular treatment

Introduction: Patients with small core infarction and salvageable penumbra are likely to benefit from endovascular treatment (EVT). As computed tomography perfusion imaging (CTP) is not always available 24/7 for patient selection, many patients are transferred to stroke centers for CTP. We compared automatically measured infarct core volume (NCCTcore) from the non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) with ischemic core volume (CTPcore) from CTP and the outcome of EVT to clarify if NCCTcore measurement alone is sufficient to identify patients that benefit from transfer to stroke centers for EVT. Patients and methods: We included all consecutive stroke-code patients imaged with both NCCT and CTP at Helsinki University Hospital during 9/2016-01/2018. NCCTcore and CTPcore volumes were automatically calculated from the acute NCCT images. Follow-up infarct volume (FIV) was measured from 24 h follow-up NCCT to evaluate efficacy of EVT. To study whether NCCTcore could be used to identify patients eligible to EVT, we subgrouped patients based on NCCTcore volumes (>50 mL and > 70 mL). Results: Out of 1743 patients, baseline NCCTcore, CTPcore and follow-up NCCT was available for 288 patients. Median time from symptom onset to baseline imaging was 74 min (IQR 52-118), and time to follow-up imaging 24.15 h (22.25-26.33). Baseline NCCTcore was 20 mL (10-42), CTPcore 4 mL (0-16), and FIV 5 mL (1-49). Out of 288 patients, 23 had NCCTcore > 70 mL and 26 had CTPcore > 70 mL. NCCTcore and CTPcore performed similarly well in predicting large FIV (>70 ml). Conclusion: NCCTcore is a promising tool to identify patients that are not eligible to EVT due to large ischemic cores at baseline imaging.Peer reviewe

Is infarct core growth linear? Infarct volume estimation by computed tomography perfusion imaging

Objectives Current guidelines for recanalization treatment are based on the time elapsed between symptom onset and treatment and visualization of existing penumbra in computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging. The time window for treatment options relies on linear growth of infarction although individual infarct growth rate may vary. We aimed to test how accurately the estimated follow-up infarct volume (eFIV) can be approximated by using a linear growth model based on CTP baseline imaging. If eFIV did not fall within the margins of +/- 19% of the follow-up infarct volume (FIV) measured at 24 h from non-enhanced computed tomography images, the results would imply that the infarct growth is not linear. Materials and Methods All consecutive endovascularly treated (EVT) patients from 11/2015 to 9/2019 at the Helsinki University Hospital with large vessel occlusion (LVO), CTP imaging, and known time of symptom onset were included. Infarct growth rate was assumed to be linear and calculated by dividing the ischemic core volume (CTPcore) by the time from symptom onset to baseline imaging. eFIV was calculated by multiplying the infarct growth rate with the time from baseline imaging to recanalization or in case of futile recanalization to follow-up imaging at 24 h, limited to the penumbra. Collateral flow was estimated by calculating hypoperfusion intensity ratio (HIR). Results Of 5234 patients, 48 had LVO, EVT, CTP imaging, and known time of symptom onset. In 40/48 patients (87%), infarct growth was not linear. HIR did not differ between patients with linear and nonlinear growth (p > .05). As expected, in over half of the patients with successful recanalization eFIV exceeded FIV. Conclusions Infarct growth was not linear in most patients and thus time elapsed from symptom onset and CTPcore appear to be insufficient parameters for clinical decision-making in EVT candidates.Peer reviewe

Which resources matter the most to firm performance? An experimental study on Malaysian listed firms

This study investigates the impact of various resources, specifically both tangible and intangible ones, together with capabilities of Malaysian listed firms, on their performance. This empirical study attempts to enrich the understanding of the resources-performance relationship, which is one of a business process within the firm, as well as filling the gaps in present knowledge. Firms, which are not able to develop and sustain their performance, are associated with the vulnerability and adverse performance result, especially during various periods of economic crisis (three sub-periods of major shocks, i.e., The Volcker Shock (Commodities Shock) of early 1980s, Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, and the Global Financial Meltdown of 2008). Hence, this research intends to explore which resources matter the most to firm profitability and its success. Drawing upon the combination of Donabedian’s structure process outcome and resource-based theories of the firm a conceptual framework is developed. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 250 publicly traded companies listed on Bursa Malaysia (MYX). In order to achieve the objective and response to the study question, partial least square and regression analysis are applied. Findings indicate that tangible resources have no impact, while intangible resources have positive and significant impact on firm performance. In addition, results show that efficient allocation of intangible resources is crucial to achieving good performance

Potential Correlation between Carboxylic Acid Metabolites in Biomphalaria alexandrina Snails after Exposure to Schistosoma mansoni Infection

Carboxylic acids play an important role in both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways of both the snail and the parasite. Monitoring the effects of infection by schistosome on Biomphalaria alexandrina carboxylic acids metabolic profiles represents a promising additional source of information about the state of metabolic system. We separated and quantified pyruvic, fumaric, malic, oxalic, and acetic acids using ion-suppression reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to detect correlations between these acids in both hemolymph and digestive gland gonad complex (DGG's) samples in a total of 300 B. alexandrina snails (150 infected and 150 controls) at different stages of infection. The results showed that the majority of metabolite pairs did not show significant correlations. However, some high correlations were found between the studied acids within the control group but not in other groups. More striking was the existence of reversed correlations between the same acids at different stages of infection. Some possible explanations of the underlying mechanisms were discussed. Ultimately, however, further data are required for resolving the responsible regulatory events. These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics as a novel approach for fundamental investigations of host-pathogen interactions as well as disease surveillance and control

Age-Related Differences in Functional Nodes of the Brain Cortex – A High Model Order Group ICA Study

Functional MRI measured with blood oxygen dependent (BOLD) contrast in the absence of intermittent tasks reflects spontaneous activity of so-called resting state networks (RSN) of the brain. Group level independent component analysis (ICA) of BOLD data can separate the human brain cortex into 42 independent RSNs. In this study we evaluated age-related effects from primary motor and sensory, and, higher level control RSNs. One hundred sixty-eight healthy subjects were scanned and divided into three groups: 55 adolescents (ADO, 13.2 ± 2.4 years), 59 young adults (YA, 22.2 ± 0.6 years), and 54 older adults (OA, 42.7 ± 0.5 years), all with normal IQ. High model order group probabilistic ICA components (70) were calculated and dual-regression analysis was used to compare 21 RSN's spatial differences between groups. The power spectra were derived from individual ICA mixing matrix time series of the group analyses for frequency domain analysis. We show that primary sensory and motor networks tend to alter more in younger age groups, whereas associative and higher level cognitive networks consolidate and re-arrange until older adulthood. The change has a common trend: both spatial extent and the low frequency power of the RSN's reduce with increasing age. We interpret these result as a sign of normal pruning via focusing of activity to less distributed local hubs

The Application of the Novel Grading Scale (Lawton-Young Grading System) to Predict the Outcome of Brain Arteriovenous Malformation

BACKGROUND: A supplementary grading scale (Supplemented Spetzler-Martin grade, Supp-SM) was introduced in 2010 as a refinement of the SM system to improve preoperative risk prediction of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability to predict surgical outcomes using the Supp-SM grading scale. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted on 200 patients admitted to the Helsinki University Hospital between 2000 and 2014. The validity of the Supp-SM and SM grading systems was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves, with respect to the change between preoperative and early (3-4 mo) as well as final postoperative modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. RESULTS: The performance of the Supp-SM was superior to that of the SM grading scale in the early follow-up (3-4 mo): AUROC = 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49-0.65) for SM and AUROC = 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60-0.75) for Supp-SM. The Supp-SM performance continued improving over SM at the late follow-up: AUROC = 0.63 (95% CI: 0.55-0.71) for SM and AUROC = 0.70 (95% CI: 0.62-0.77) for Supp-SM. The perforating artery supply, which is not part of either grading system, plays an important role in the early follow-up outcome (P = .008; odds ratio: 2.95; 95% CI: 1.32-6.55) and in the late follow-up outcome (P <.001; odds ratio: 5.89; 95% CI: 2.49-13.91). CONCLUSION: The Supp-SM grading system improves the outcome prediction accuracy and is a feasible alternative to the SMS, even for series with higher proportion of high-grade AVMs. However, perforators play important role on the outcome.Peer reviewe