Influence of Storage Temperature and Duration of Tomato Leaf Samples on Proline Content

In arid and semi-arid countries such as Jordan, shortage in water sources might affect agricultural development and reduces the effectiveness of economic benefits of most crops planted in such areas. Tomato is an important agricultural crop and faces severe drought stress due to climate changes, therefore, measurement of proline accumulation in plant tissues is used as an indicator for drought stress tolerance. This research was conducted at Jarash University Campus in northern Jordan. A field experiment was carried out to investigate the impact of different storage temperature (+4ºC, - 20ºC and -80ºC) and different storage durations (0, 3, 6 and 11 weeks) on proline content in five different Jordanian tomato landraces. Results indicated that the average free proline content for samples tested directly after leaves collection was 7.1 µmol/g. Proline content in leaves stored at +4 ºC for 3, 6, and 11 weeks was 4.8, 1.8, and 1.1µmol/g, respectively, while for -20ºC was 11.8, 7.9, and 9.5 µmol/g for samples stored for 3, 6, 11 weeks respectively. In contrast the highest values for these parameters were obtained from samples stored at -80ºC, the average measured values of free proline content were 9.5, 7.8, and 12.9 µmol/g at 3, 6, and 11 weeks of storage, respectively. Based on the results obtained by this research, it is recommended to measure proline content directly after leaves collection. However, for large number of samples, keeping the samples at -20ºC not longer than six weeks could be a solution. Finally, we highly recommend the development of in-field method for measurement of free proline content

An investigation into the effect of social support on job performance and job satisfaction in the Jordanian insurance industry

An increased sense of job performance and better job satisfaction can be achieved by receiving social support. In order to fulfil this purpose, this study aimed to determine the relationship between social support on the one hand and job performance and job satisfaction on the other hand for the Jordanian insurance industry employees. Survey data were gathered from 269 employees from the Jordanian insurance industry. The PLS 3.0 software was used to process data using the structural equation modelling method. The study’s findings revealed that all social support factors were positively and significantly related to job performance and job satisfaction, including manager support, peer support, friends support, and others’ support. Hence, job performance and job satisfaction in the Jordanian insurance industry can be predicted by studying the existence of social support. The study’s findings concluded that the higher the social support, the higher the job performance and job satisfaction

Evaluation of the Wound Healing Potential of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra: An Experimental Animal Study and Histopathological Examination

The wound healing potential of the aerial parts of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra (Hypericaceae) was evaluated using an in vivo excision wound model in rats. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into seven groups; blank vehicles (olive oil and petroleum jelly), negative control, treatments [H. triquetrifolium ethanolic extract in petroleum jelly (5% and 10%) and H. triquetrifolium olive oil macerate (100 and 200 g/L)], and positive control (MEBO). Treatments were applied topically once daily until the wounds had completely healed. Wound areas and contraction rates were calculated, and full-thickness samples of the healed skin were collected for histopathological examination. H. triquetrifolium ointment (5%) showed the best wound healing activity with statistically significant differences when compared with the MEBO, petroleum jelly, and the negative control groups. Tissue sections were histopathologically examined in terms of re-epithelialization, granulation tissue development, collagen deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration, angiogenesis, and ulcer formation to support the in vivo excision wound model findings. H. triquetrifolium ointment (5%) showed the best histopathological scores in both re-epithelialization and ulcer formation. For quality control purposes, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used to quantify key marker compounds in the extract, namely hypericin and rutin which showed a content of 0.64% and 4.46% (w/w), respectively. Based on the experimental results, H. triquetrifolium ointment (5%) exhibits remarkable wound healing properties at various stages of the wound healing process. Further investigations to prove its safety and efficacy in different types of wounds and to uncover its cellular mechanisms are warranted.This work was funded by the Deanship of Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology (Grant number: 122/2017), and Qatar University

An Optimal Nonlinear Type-2 Fuzzy FOPID Control Design Based on Integral Performance Criteria Using FSM

A fractional-order fuzzy proportional integral derivative (PID) controller is a controller that combines the benefits of fractional calculus and fuzzy logic with the conventional PID controller. In this paper, a four-stage optimization algorithm is proposed for the design of a Type-2 Fuzzy fractional-order PID controller based on the Fourier Series Method (FSM). Three distinct control structures are introduced: Type-2 fuzzy fractional PD + fractional PI controller, Type-2 fuzzy fractional PID, and Type-2 fuzzy fractional PD + Type-2 fuzzy fractional PI controller. In addition to a modified multi-performance criterion cost function, four integral performance criteria are employed as cost functions for each stage. The suggested algorithm avoids the utilization of the approximation equivalent for the fractional-order system and instead employs FSM. Furthermore, the approach optimizes the nonlinearity within the upper membership function (UMF) and the uncertainty range through the lower membership function, as opposed to arbitrary selection. By considering variations in the membership functions, the outcomes exhibit a superior response compared to previous investigations. The results of the three control structures are compared with the traditional PID controller, and simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. The findings suggest that by optimizing different integral performance criteria using this design technique, controllers for both integer and fractional-order plants can yield favorable step responses. The proposed algorithm is validated by comparing its step response performance with that of previous research, followed by a discussion on sensitivity analysis and computational requirements

Modelling energy consumption of the Jordanian transportation sector: the application of multivariate linear regression and adaptive neuro-fuzzy techniques

Studying the current level of energy consumed by the transportation sector in Jordan is a top priority and an important variable when it comes to modelling accurate projections of future consumption in order to monitor Jordan's sustainable development. This study compares two methods for modelling energy consumption within the Jordanian transportation sector: a multivariate linear regression model and a Neuro-fuzzy model. Within these two paradigms, energy consumption is modelled as a function of a number of factors such as: vehicles number, level of income and ownership, and fuel prices. A parallelism between the two models is highlighted providing a precise simulation for the energy consumption in the Jordanian transportation sector. The comparison proposes that when it comes to forecasting, the performance of the neuro-fuzzy model exceeds that of the multivariate linear regression model

Evaluating the Impact of Pre-Anthesis Water Deficit on Yield and Yield Components in Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmak) Genotypes under Controlled Environmental Conditions

The purpose of this study was to measure the impacts of pre-anthesis drought during reproductive stages (GS31 and GS39) on triticale (X Triticosecale wittmak) yield and yield components. Four triticale genotypes (2 Local, and 2 from the USA) were exposed to pre-anthesis drought stress at both of stem elongation stage (B-treatment) and flag leaf emergence stage (C-treatment). Grain yield was not affected by pre-anthesis stress. Under no stress conditions (A-treatment), a strong correlation between grain yield and the number of grains per plant and plant height was detected. Under B-treatment, yield was negatively correlated with spike length and under C-treatment, yield was positively correlated with the number of grains per plant. The number of grains per plant, thousand grain weight, and harvest index were also not affected by drought stresses. This implied that the tested genotypes were drought tolerant since they form a large number of tillers, and when subjected to pre-anthesis drought it helps the plants to cover the soil surface and reduce water evaporation. JU and S1 showed fast pre-anthesis growth (early flowering cultivars) which makes them favored for further breeding. while N1 and N2 had slow pre-anthesis growth (late flowering cultivars) which enabled them to store more photosynthate pre-anthesis, which might compensate for the pre-anthesis drought effect on them

Cytotoxic Homoisoflavones from the Bulbs of Bellevalia eigii

Eight new and 10 known compounds were isolated from an organic extract of the bulbs of Bellevalia eigii as part of a search for anticancer leads from native plants of Jordan. Of these, the series of 16 homoisoflavonoids (1–16) comprise the seven new analogues 7-O-methyl-3′-hydroxy-3,9-dihydropunctatin (3), 6-hydroxy-7-O-methyl-3,9-dihydropunctatin (6), 7,4′-di-O-methyl-3′-hydroxy-3,9-dihydropunctatin (9), 7-O-methylpunctatin (10), 7-O-methyl-3′-hydroxypunctatin (13), 5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxychroman-4-one (14), and 7-O-methyl-8-demethoxy-3-hydroxy-3,9-dihydropunctatin (15). The known ferulic acid-derived acrylamide (17) and the new methylthioacrylate bellegimycin (18) are also reported. The structures were elucidated using a set of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques; the absolute configurations of compounds 1–9, 15, and 16 were determined using ECD spectroscopy, while a modified Mosher’s ester method was used for compound 18. Optical rotation data for the known compounds 1, 2, and 8 are reported here for the first time. The cytotoxic activities of all compounds were evaluated using the MDA-MB-435 (melanoma) and HT-29 (colon) cancer cell lines. Compounds 4 and 9 were the most potent on the latter cell line, with IC50 values of 1.0 and 1.1 μM, respectively. Compounds 1–18 were assessed for antimicrobial activity using a collection of bacteria and fungi; compounds 4 and 12 showed promising activity against the bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis with MIC values of 17 and 24 μg/mL, respectively.Deanship of Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, and via program project grant P01 CA125066 from the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

PREVALENCE OF THROMBOPHILIC GENETIC FACTORS AMONG PATIENTS WITH RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA

Purpose:To determine the prevalence of thrombophilic factors in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).Methods:Fifty consecutive patients with RP and 50 controls matched by age and gender were tested for the presence of the following mutations: factor II (GA20210), factor V Leiden (GA1691), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (CT677), factor XIIIa (Val(34)Leu), -fibrinogen (GA455), tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFRII) (M196R), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (4 G/5 G), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (GA844).Results:The following heterozygous mutations were found in patients/controls: factor V Leiden (12/14), factor XIIIa (20/30), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 TT (48/52), -fibrinogen GA455 (36/36), TNFRII (M196R) (40/42), PAI-1 4 G/5 G (40/48), and PAI-1 GA844 (50/52). The difference between patients with RP and the control group was not statistically significant for the prevalence of any of the studied factors (P > 0.05).Conclusion:In this study, thrombophilic mutations were not increased in patients with RP. Thrombophilic mutations do not seem to be risk factors for RP. Routine investigation of hereditary thrombophilia in these patients is not justified