The Relationship Between Matric Water and Related Physiological Properties

Matric water was measured as the water retained by plant material on a pressure membrane or ultra filter after equilibration under 20 bars nitrogen gas pressure and the removal of free water. At increasing pressures lesser amounts of water are held by matric or colloidal surface forces. Twenty bars pressure, supplied by cylinder nitrogen for 48 hours, was used in this study. Matric water was expressed as a percent of either (a) the dry weight or (b) the original water content. Plant material was oven dried, ground, and then saturated with water prior to the determination. The matric water values of different aged leaves from a number of local species were studied. The highest values of matric water were found in the younger leaves. Both matric water and original moisture content were higher for spring than for fall or midwinter values. The linear relationship between matric water and original moisture content was established for all trees studied. Another linear relation was found between either the matric water or the water content of the tree leaves and the inverse of their age in months. Petioles had a higher matric water value as well as a water content than leaf blades in all the species studied. Roots and old stems had the lowest values of matric water. The matric water values increased during the cold hardening of Cabbage leaves. No appreciable differences in the matric water values for Sunflower leaves grown under different temperatures were found. The crude protein and cell wall materials were isolated and their matric water values studied. Crude proteins had a higher value of matric water than cell wall materials alone. The matric water values of several biocolloidal materials were determined also. Agar had the highest value of matric water, fibrous cellulose the lowest, and the proteins had intermediate values

Biodiesel production using a SrO-ZnO/Al₂O₃ bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst

Ali Al-Saadi developed a new type of catalysts called bifunctional catalysts. Biodiesel can be produced from any type of oil through a chemical reaction with the presence of these types of catalysts. He found that the bifunctional catalysts are efficient with acidic oils, vegetable oils, and also with waste cooking oils

A FRAMEWORK FOR GUIDING THE BRIEFING PROCESS IN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE UAE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a procurement method that employs a long-term contractual arrangement between public and private sectors with the intention of developing a public facility. A PPP brief must supply information that not only particularizes the project requirements but also specifies its program, risk management, expected performance output and payment mechanism. Many challenges currently face the briefing process of PPP projects in the UAE. A uniform briefing process has not been agreed, because there is no unified tender law or PPP procurement process in the country. The main aim of this research is to develop a framework for guiding the development of PPP briefing stage in the UAE construction industry. To this end, a process framework for PPP briefing with special reference to UAE construction projects was developed first, on the basis of an intensive literature review and analysis of case studies. This framework was validated through interviews with PPP experts and professionals in the UAE. Following this, the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in PPP briefing, with special reference to UAE construction projects, were investigated and identified through a literature review, expert interviews, and a questionnaire survey. This step led to developing another framework for CSFs in PPP briefing with special reference to UAE construction projects. With these in mind, CSFs were modelled to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) the main aim of which was to guide the of the briefing stage for PPP projects in the UAE. Its main objectives focused on assessing the readiness of public and private organizations for successful briefing development, highlighting areas for improvements and helping to develop action plans to improve the briefing process. In order to validate the developed model and assess its performance as a decision-making tool, two mega construction projects (real case studies) were assessed by means of the proposed model. The outputs of the implemented evaluation validated the major aspects of this model and its developed prototype, together with its performance for its stated purpose

Do the Telecom Giants in Oman – Omantel and Ooredoo have the Same Financial Status?

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the difference between the financial position of Omantel and Ooredoo and to investigate performance efficiency of Omantel and Ooredoo. Design/methodology/approach: The secondary data was obtained from the annual reports of Oman's major telecom providers listed in the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) for the period 2015 to 2020. The data collected from the financial statements was analysed using ratio analyses with the help of excel. Findings: The study revealed that Omantel had a better performance compared to the private telecom sector – Ooredoo in terms of current assets, non-current assets, shareholders’ equity, operating profit, and net profit. The study further confirmed that Omantel performed well over the years 2015 to 2020. Research limitations/implications: The study confirmed that the Oman telecom financial performances can be measured using current assets, non-current assets, liabilities, shareholders’ equity, operating expenses, operating profit, and net profit which can be a good measure to adjudge the financial performances of the telecom sector in Oman. Social implications: The study helps the stakeholders of the Oman telecom to understand the factors and the telecom-related customer services that might help to enrich the financial performances of the Oman telecommunication sector and to take necessary changes in the strategy and suitable decisions accordingly. Originality/Value: The study was restricted to two major Oman telecom service providers selected and the study had relied mostly on quantitative techniques involving financial statement analyses. The study can be extended to all the telecom providers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries including the most determining factor viz. growth performance

Hormonal Assessment for Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease in Babylon Province

الذئبة الحمامية مرض المناعة الذاتية النظامية المزمن مع اعراض سريريه متغيره ويمكن ان يؤثر على جميع اعضاء الجسم ويهدد الحياة. هدفت الدراسة الى تحديد العلاقة بين عامل نمو البشرة وهرمون الكورتزول عند مرضى الذئبة الحمامية وقد اجريت الدراسة على 70 عينه شملت 36 مريضا و34 شخصا يمثلون مجموعه السيطرة واثبت الدراسة وجود فروقات ذات دلاله احصائية لعامل نمو البشة والكورتزول بين مجموعات الدراسةSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with variable clinical presentation. SLE can affect all organs and the involvement of major organs can be life threatening. This study aimed to determine the relationship of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and Cortisol hormone on SLE Disease. This study was carried out on (70) study sample, (36) were patients and (34) control. SLE disease had significant association between study groups and sex of patients with SEE disease were 16 times more likely to be female. There were significant mean differences of Epidermal growth factor and Cortisol Hormones by study group

Inhibition of cyclophosphomide mutagenicity using Glycyrrihza glabra root extract

The aims of the studying is using methanolic - water extract of the Glycyrrihza glabra root for inhibition the mutagenicity of anticancer drug by cytogenetic assays in vivo in three interaction between the drug and extract. The result shows that the extract is bioantimutagenesis. The treatment by extract after drug causes increase mitotic index and decrease chromosome aberration and sperm head abnormalities. The thin layer chromatography of the extract show that is contains different polar compounds

Improving chemical, rheological and sensory properties of commercial low-fat cream by concentrate addition of whey proteins

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of whey protein concentrate (WPC) addition on the commercial low-fat cream's chemical, rheological and sensory properties. WPC was added to the low-fat cream (10% fat)   in ratios of 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0% to represent the treatments C1, C2, and C3, respectively.In addition, a fat-rich, positive control treatment (C +) with a fat percentage of 30% and a negative low-fat control treatment (C-) with a fat percentage of 10% were investigated without adding WPC. Chemical tests were carried out, including the percentage of moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrates, total acidity, and pH, as well as rheological tests that included; hardness, springiness, and Cohesiveness. Also, a sensory evaluation was conducted. The results showed a decrease in the moisture percentage of the added treatments with the increment of the added WPC quantity. Also, a decrease in the fat percentage and pH of the WPC addition treatments was observed, combined with an increment in the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, ash, and total acidity. Regarding the microbiological properties, no bacterial or mycological contamination was observed during the manufacturing and storage periods. The results also showed the improvement of rheological and sensory characteristics by increasing the percentage of WPC addition compared with the positive and negative control treatments. The present study would be helpful in the production of low-fat cream fortified with whey proteins with high nutritional value

The Elk1 gene effect on prostate cancer cell line wound healing ability

In this study prostate cancer cell line model was used selecting three type of them (Pc3, DU145 & LNCaP) , gene transfecting was done by using the liposome into the cell culture cells then detecting the healing ability by the Wound Healing or (scratching) test that shows clear effect of ELK1 gene in this cells comparing with the control cell transfected with the knock down gene, using for each type of cells 6 repeats ,for each type there was two groups 1st for control ELK1 and the 2nd was knock down or (sh) ELK1, all works was done in Johns Hopkins University / School of Medicine / Pathology Department ( MD, USA

ELK1 Gene Transfection Effect in Prostate Cancer Cell Line Proliferation Activity

Three type of prostate cancer cell line was selected for this study (PC3, DU145 & LNCaP) as a model, transfected by liposome with the ELK1 gene ( control & knock down) , then detecting the proliferation ability of the cultured cell lines by the Mtt or (proliferation) assay that shows clear effect of ELK1 gene in this cells comparing with the control cell transfected with the knock down gene, using for each type of cells 6 repeats ,for each type there was two groups 1st for control ELK1 and the 2nd was knock down or (sh) ELK1, all works was done in Johns Hopkins University / School of Medicine / Pathology Department ( MD, USA