Human Adenovirus Molecular Characterization in Various Water Environments and Seasonal Impacts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The regular monitoring of water environments is essential for preventing waterborne virus-mediated contamination and mitigating health concerns. We aimed to detect human adenovirus (HAdV) in the Wadi Hanifah (WH) and Wadi Namar (WN) lakes, King Saud University wastewater treatment plant (KSU-WWTP), Manfouha-WWTP, irrigation water (IW), and AnNazim landfill (ANLF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. HAdV hexon sequences were analyzed against 71 HAdV prototypes and investigated for seasonal influence. ANLF had the highest HAdV prevalence (83.3%). Remarkably, the F species of HAdV, especially serotype 41, predominated. Daily temperature ranges (22–45 °C and 10–33 °C) influenced the significance of the differences between the locations. The most significant relationship of ANLF and IW to WH and KSU-WWTP was found at the high-temperature range (p = 0.001). Meanwhile, WN was most correlated to ANLF at the low-temperature range (p < 0.0001). Seasonal influences on HAdV prevalence were insignificant despite HAdV’s high prevalence in autumn and winter months, favoring low temperatures (high: 22–25 °C, low: 14–17 °C) at five out of six locations. Our study provides insightful information on HAdV prevalence and the circulating strains that can address the knowledge gap in the environmental impacts of viruses and help control viral diseases in public health management

Integrative Effects of Rice-Straw Biochar and Silicon on Oil and Seed Quality, Yield and Physiological Traits of Helianthus annuus L. Grown under Water Deficit Stress

Water deficit stress can negatively affect oil quality, crop yields and soil infertility. Thus, we investigated the effects of rice-straw biochar, foliar silicon and their combination on quality, yield and physiological traits of sunflower grown under three water deficit stress treatments. Water stress treatments were 50% (WS0; no stress), 70% (WS1; moderate stress) and 90% (WS2; severe stress) depletion of the available soil moisture. The results showed that WS1 and WS2 negatively affected oil quality, mycorrhizal spores, yield and physiological traits of the sunflower; however, biochar, silicon and their combination significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved most of those traits. Oil and oleic acid contents of sunflower grown under WS2 were decreased by 18% and 25.8% compared to those grown under WS0, respectively. Nevertheless, the biochar and silicon combination resulted in higher oil (10.2%) and oleic acid (12.2%) in plants grown under WS2 than those grown in untreated plots. Also, a significant increase (182% and 277%) in mycorrhizal spores was obtained in soil treated combination of biochar and silicon under WS1 and WS2 in comparison to untreated soil, respectively. On the other hand, plants grown under WS1 and WS2 exhibited reduced seed yield ha−1 by 16.5% and 53.5% compared to those grown under WS0, respectively. However, seed yield ha−1 were increased by 26.8% and 27.1% in plots treated with combined treatment compared to untreated plants, respectively. In addition, the biochar and silicon combination significantly increased stomatal conductance by 21.4% and 12.1%, reduced proline by 56.6% and 51.2% and reduced catalase activity by 13.4% and 17.3% under WS1 and WS2 compared to those grown in untreated plots, respectively. Therefore, the combined treatment of biochar and silicon can minimize and alleviate the negative effects of WS1 and WS2, improve oil quality, physiological traits, microbial activity and seed yield ha−1 in sunflower plants

Phylogenetic Analysis of Ryegrass (<i>Lolium rigidum</i>) Populations and the Proliferation of ALS Resistance in Saudi Arabia

Morphological and simple sequence repeat (SSR) approaches were used to determine the genetic diversity of 29 ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) genotypes belonging to eight populations collected from several regions in Saudi Arabia. In this study, 50 in Silico-developed SSR markers derived from genomic and expressed sequence tag (EST) microsatellites were examined. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences in all studied traits. Cluster analysis based on the morphological data of the 29 Lolium genotypes and using PAST (paleontological statistics) software was performed. According to the results, clustering was based mostly on genotype location. The sensitive genotypes for herbicide were clustered in one group. In addition, using EST-SSR markers, we observed the existence of a considerable number of genetic variations among Lolium genotypes. From these markers, only 31 produced reasonable amplification products. The results showed that 23 SSR markers revealed that 74.19% were polymorphic. The number of alleles detected per primer ranged from one to five in the primer LTC SSR1. The tested primers amplified 1434 bands across eight populations, with an average of 46.26 bands per primer. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.11 to 0.76 for the primers LT EST-SSR5 and LTC SSR1. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA) clustering of the 29 genotypes representing eight populations was based essentially on their locations and herbicide-tolerance levels. Most of the populations formed into four clusters, together representing genotypes. Moreover, the tolerant populations were distinguished from the sensitive ones. The relationship between the genetic diversity and geographical source of Lolium rigidum populations of Saudi Arabia was revealed through this study. The results showed that the efficiency of developed SSR markers are transferable across species. They have been helpful to assess the genetic diversity of the ryegrass population as this could be applied to differentiate between tolerant and sensitive populations of ryegrass

The Role of Carbon Nanotubes in Improving Drought Tolerance via Upregulation of the Physiological Processes of Peanut Plants Grown in Sandy Soils

Drought stress is an important challenge to global food security and agricultural output, and dramatic and rapid climate change has made the problem worse, causing unexpected impacts on the growth, development, and yield of different plants. Understanding the biochemical, ecological, and physiological reactions to these pressures is essential for improved management. Carbon materials’ impacts on plants subjected to different stresses are still poorly studied. Thus, this study was carried out investigate the feasibility of applying carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (0, 20, and 40 mg/L) as a foliar treatment for mitigating the effect of water stress (100%, 75%, and 50% irrigation water, IW) on peanut plants growing in sandy soil through assessments of growth and productivity and some physiological and biochemical measurements. Exposure of peanuts to decreased irrigation water led to significant decreases in growth, yield, photosynthetic pigments, indole acetic acid (IAA), and some nutritional components in peanut seeds, but increased levels of osmolytes such as total soluble carbohydrates (TSS) and proline, in addition to free amino acids and phenolics. However, foliar spraying with CNTs could ameliorate the impacts of decreased irrigation water on growth and production via enhancing the studied physiological parameters, such as photosynthetic pigments, IAA, osmolytes, and phenolics. Furthermore, the application of carbon nanotubes improved the nutrient contents, as expressed by the oil yield, protein yield, total carbohydrates, antioxidant activities (DPPH), B-carotene, lycopene, and flavonoids in peanut seeds, either under normal or water stress conditions. The higher level of CNTs (40 mg/L) was more effective than the lower one (20 mg/L) at increasing the above-mentioned parameters. In conclusion, foliar treatment with carbon nanotubes has the ability to enhance peanut drought tolerance and increase its growth and productivity under sandy soil conditions

Molecular detection of QTLs for flour quality traits in two doubled haploid populations in spring wheat under heat stress

Wheat four quality is a complex group of traits of tremendous importance to wheat producers, end-users and breeders. Eight four quality traits; four protein content, wet gluten content, gluten index, dry gluten content, falling number, ash content, test weight and four moisture were measured in two doubled haploid populations (Yecora Rojo X Ksu106 and Klassic × Ksu105) at Riyadh and Al-Qassim locations under heat treatments. Single-nucleotide polymorphism markers have been used to determine the number of QTLs controlling the four quality traits in both populations. Analysis of variance revealed high signifcant diferences (P<0.01) for all traits among wheat genotypes and between locations in both populations. The wheat genotypes × location interaction was high signifcant in both populations. A total of 58 additive QTLs were detected for the eight four quality traits in the Yecora Rojo × Ksu106 population at Riyadh and Al-Qassim locations under heat treatments. They were mainly distributed over the 21 wheat chromosomes except 4B and 4D chromosomes. Moreover, in Klassic × Ksu105 population, there were 69 additive QTLs identifed over the full set of chromosomes except 3D chromosome under two locations. This study will facilitate the generation of improved wheat varieties with good quality via molecular markerassisted breeding

Identification of genotyping-by-sequencing tags associated with bread-making quality traits in spring wheat under heat stress

The bread-making quality traits of bread wheat underlie into genetic make-up of a variety and are infuenced by environmental factors and their interaction. Identifying QTL that control bread-making traits in wheat under heat stress may help to develop cultivars that are improved for those traits. Two doubled haploid (DH) populations (Yecora Rojo×Ksu106 and Klasic× Ksu105) were used to identify QTL for eight bread-making traits in wheat under heat stress. The phenotyping of bread-making traits was performed under normal and heat stress conditions in Al-Qassim and Riyadh locations, Saudi Arabia. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers have been used to determine the number of QTLs controlling the bread-making traits. The genetic analysis of bread-making traits showed considerable variation for measurable traits with transgressive segregation under normal and heat stress conditions in both locations. A total of 60 QTL explained 10–22% of phenotypic variation in the population (Klassic × KSU105). In the population (Yecora Rojo× KSU106), the 98 QTL explained 10–23% of phenotypic variation. In the population (Klassic×KSU105), eleven co-located QTLs were identifed on chromosomes 2A, 3A, 3D, 5B and5D. The BBS QTL under heat stress co-located with QTLs for BCC and BSY under heat stress and normal conditions, respectively, in Riyadh location. Nineteen QTL clusters were identifed on chromosomes 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4D, 5A, 5B, 6A, 7A and 7D based on Map 2 in the population (Yecora Rojo× KSU106). Interestingly, one locus (JD_c4438_839) on the chromosome 5D was identifed in both populations and was considered stable QTL. This locus was associated with QLFV.hs and QSLFV.hs in the population (Klassic× KSU105) and QLFW.n in the population (Yecora Rojo×KSU106). The fnding of SNP marker (JD_c4438_839) has an important signifcant for marker-assisted selection of bread-making quality traits under heat stress

DataSheet_1_Exogenous nitric oxide promotes salinity tolerance in plants: A meta-analysis.docx

Nitric oxide (NO) has received much attention since it can boost plant defense mechanisms, and plenty of studies have shown that exogenous NO improves salinity tolerance in plants. However, because of the wide range of experimental settings, it is difficult to assess the administration of optimal dosages, frequency, timing, and method of application and the overall favorable effects of NO on growth and yield improvements. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to reveal the exact physiological and biochemical mechanisms and to understand the influence of plant-related or method-related factors on NO-mediated salt tolerance. Exogenous application of NO significantly influenced biomass accumulation, growth, and yield irrespective of salinity stress. According to this analysis, seed priming and foliar pre-treatment were the most effective methods of NO application to plants. Moreover, one-time and regular intervals of NO treatment were more beneficial for plant growth. The optimum concentration of NO ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 mM, and it alleviates salinity stress up to 150 mM NaCl. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of NO treatment was more pronounced as salinity stress was prolonged (>21 days). This meta-analysis showed that NO supplementation was significantly applicable at germination and seedling stages. Interestingly, exogenous NO treatment boosted plant growth most efficiently in dicots. This meta-analysis showed that exogenous NO alleviates salt-induced oxidative damage and improves plant growth and yield potential by regulating osmotic balance, mineral homeostasis, photosynthetic machinery, the metabolism of reactive oxygen species, and the antioxidant defense mechanism. Our analysis pointed out several research gaps, such as lipid metabolism regulation, reproductive stage performance, C4 plant responses, field-level yield impact, and economic profitability of farmers in response to exogenous NO, which need to be evaluated in the subsequent investigation.</p

Comparing students' performance in self-directed and directed self-learning in College of Medicine, University of Bisha

الملخص: أهداف البحث: تزيد استراتيجية التعلم المرتكز على الطالب من احتمالية تخريج أطباء أكفاء ومعتمدين على أنفسهم وقادرين على حل المشكلات. اعتمدت كلية الطب بجامعة بيشة التعلم الموجه ذاتيا ممثلا بالتعلم القائم على حل المشكلات، والتعلم الذاتي الموجه ممثلا بالتعلم القائم على الفريق. طريقة البحث: تم جمع ما مجموعه 502 سؤالا من أسئلة متعددة الخيارات من اختبارات منتصف المقرر والامتحانات النهائية من قبل خبراء المواد ذات الصلة من تسع دورات خلال الفترة من سبتمبر 2020 حتى يونيو 2023 والتي اعتمدت التعلم القائم على حل المشكلات والتعلم القائم على الفريق؛ 247 سؤالا متعدد الأسئلة تتعلق بالتعلم القائم على حل المشكلات و255 سؤالا يتعلق بالتعلم القائم على الفريق. تم استخدام التحليل السيكومتري لتحديد الأسئلة الصعبة والسهلة والأمثل. نقطة ثنائية حيث تشير إلى نقطة ثنائية ضعيفة وهامشية وجيدة وممتازة على التوالي. وأخيرا، تمت محاولة عدد المشتتات الوظيفية بنسبة تزيد عن 5% من المرشحين. النتائج: لا توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية في أداء الطلاب في الاسئلة متعددة الاختيارات المتعلقة بالتعلم المبني على المشكلات (يمثل أداة التعلم الموجه ذاتيا للمجموعات الصغيرة)، والتعلم المبني على الفريق (يمثل أداة التعلم الموجه ذاتيا للمجموعات الكبيرة) فيما يتعلق بمؤشر الصعوبة، ووظائف تشتيت الانتباه. الاستنتاجات: لوحظ أنه لا يوجد فرق في أداء الطلاب سواء تم استخدام التعلم القائم على حل المشكلات أو التعلم القائم على الفريق لتعلم مقررات العلوم الطبية الأساسية. يحتاج التعلم في مجموعات صغيرة مثل التعلم القائم على حل المشكلات إلى موارد أكثر مقارنة بالتعلم في مجموعات كبيرة كما هو الحال في التعلم القائم على الفريق، وبالتالي يمكن لأي كلية أن تقرر استراتيجية التعلم المعتمدة على مواردها وعدد طلابها. Abstract: Background: Student-centered learning strategy increases the likelihood of graduation of competent, self-dependent, and problem-solving physicians. The University of Bisha, College of Medicine (UBCOM) adopted self-directed learning (SDL) represented by problem-based learning (PBL), and directed self-learning (DSL) represented by team-based learning (TBL). Aim: To compare the students’ performance in SDL and DSL among UBCOM students. Methodology: A total of 502 multiple choice questions (MCQs) from the mid-course and final exams were collected by the relevant subject experts from nine courses during the period from September 2020 till June 2023 that adopted PBL and TBL; 247 MCQs related to PBL and 255 related to TBL. Psychometric analysis was used to determine difficult, easy, and optimum questions (≤25%, ≥90%, and 26–89%, respectively). Point biserial as 0.40 which indicate poor, marginal, good, and excellent point biserial, respectively. Finally, the number of functional distractors was attempted by >5% of the candidates. Results: No significant differences were noted for the students’ performance in MCQs related to PBL (representing self-directed, small group learning tool), and TBL (representing directed-self, large group learning tool) regarding difficulty index (DI), point biserial, and distractors functionality. Conclusion: It has been observed that there is no difference in students’ performance whether PBL or TBL is used for learning Basic Medical Science courses. Small group learning such as PBL needs more resources in comparison to large group learning as in TBL, therefore any institute can decide on the adopted learning strategy depending on its resources and the number of students