Acaricidal efficiency of solar 50 % new emulsifiable concentrate formulation against the two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions

Oils are some of the most efficient and secure alternatives to synthetic fungicides, acaricides and insecticides used as pesticides for decades. Around the world, mineral oils are a potential pesticide against many pests. To provide novel active ingredients and new pesticide formulations to the pesticide industry, the major goal of this research was to formulate one of the petroleum fractions and test its acaricidal efficiency against two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Solar's physical features were put to the test. Then, it was prepared as an emulsifiable concentrate following the guidelines provided by specialized pesticide organizations for this kind of formulation. The novel formulation was subsequently biologically tested against T. urticae adults in the lab, and it demonstrated good acaricidal activity with an LC50 of 4548 ppm. Under greenhouse conditions, it was also tested against T. urticae immature, adults (males and females) and number of deposited eggs. There was a direct correlation for all stages between concentration, the percentage of immature and adult mortality, and the percentage of egg-hatching inhibition. In the case of the immature, 100% mortality was shown after 7 days of treatment. However, in the case of adult males and females, 100% mortality was shown after 3 days of treatment. Additionally, after 14 days from treatment, it entirely stopped egg depositing. The new formulation might be applied to manage the TSSM.

Palm oil formulation as 34 % mayonnaise and evaluation of its biological efficacy against citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri under laboratory and field conditions

The use of environmentally friendly pesticides using palm oil derivatives as palm oil methyl ester (PME) carrier solvents has been reported. PME-based glyphosate isopropylamine nanoemulsion in the water against weeds has been the subject of numerous studies as well as palm oil methyl ester molluscicidal against golden apple snails. This study's major goal was to formulate palm oil in an appropriate formulation form and assess its insecticidal effectiveness against citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri. Palm oil was formulated as 34% oil in water emulsion (O/W) (mayonnaise). The new mayonnaise formulation successfully passed all physical and chemical testing requirements set out by pesticide organizations for (O/W) emulsions. Under laboratory conditions, it was biologically evaluated against nymphs and adults of the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri, with serial concentrations. It had considerable insecticidal activity against all study stages, although the impact on nymphs was significantly greater than that on adults. This was evident from its LC50 values, which were 53.52 and 58.58 mg/ml for nymphs and adults, respectively. The citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri, in its adult, nymphs, and gravid stages, was tested using the new palm oil 34% mayonnaise formulation in the field. The highest mortality percentages were seen in the nymphs, followed by adults and then the gravid stage. After additional research, the newly developed palm oil formula might be employed to combat the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri

Polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit k_v1.4 by interacting with positively charged extracellular pore residues

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) modulate voltage-gated K(+) channel inactivation by an unknown site and mechanism. The effects of ω-6 and ω-3 PUFAs were investigated on the heterologously expressed K(v)1.4 channel. PUFAs inhibited wild-type K(v)1.4 during repetitive pulsing as a result of slowing of recovery from inactivation. In a mutant K(v)1.4 channel lacking N-type inactivation, PUFAs reversibly enhanced C-type inactivation (K(d), 15–43 μM). C-type inactivation was affected by extracellular H(+) and K(+) as well as PUFAs and there was an interaction among the three: the effect of PUFAs was reversed during acidosis and abolished on raising K(+). Replacement of two positively charged residues in the extracellular pore (H508 and K532) abolished the effects of the PUFAs (and extracellular H(+) and K(+)) on C-type inactivation but had no effect on the lipoelectric modulation of voltage sensor activation, suggesting two separable interaction sites/mechanisms of action of PUFAs. Charge calculations suggest that the acidic head group of the PUFAs raises the pK(a) of H508 and this reduces the K(+) occupancy of the selectivity filter, stabilizing the C-type inactivated state

Evaluation of a community-based participatory physical activity promotion project: effect on cardiovascular disease risk profiles of school employees

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The efficacy of physical activity in improving cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles has been well established. However, the effectiveness of health promotion programs implemented at the community level remains controversial. This study evaluated a school-based work-site physical activity program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a community-based participatory research model, a work-site wellness intervention was implemented in a rural public school system in Southwestern Oklahoma. During the 2005-2006 school year, 187 participants (mean age 45 years) completed a pre intervention screening for CVD risk factors followed by a physical activity promotion program. Post intervention screening was conducted after a 6 month period. During both screening sessions, body composition, blood pressure, lipids, glucose and self-reported physical activity levels were assessed. The focus of the intervention was on promoting physical activity. Opportunities for in school physical activity were created by marking hallways, adding a treadmill in each school, and allowing teachers to use planning periods for physical activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the post intervention screening, compared to pre intervention levels, participants had lower total, low, and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (t = 5.9, p < 0.0001, t = 2.6, p = 0.01, and t = 13.2, p < 0.0001 respectively), lower systolic blood pressure (t = 2.9, p = 0.004), and higher self-reported physical activity levels (Sign t = -1.901, p = 0.06).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A successful participatory program was associated with improvements in several CVD risk factors among school employees. Limitations of this study such as seasonal variation in the outcome variables and lack of a control group limit our ability to draw solid conclusions about the effectiveness of the intervention.</p

Rice Bran as an Alternative Feedstuff in Broiler Nutrition and Impact of Liposorb® and Vitamin E-Se on Sustainability of Performance, Carcass Traits, Blood Biochemistry, and Antioxidant Indices

The impact of dietary rice bran with or without feed additives on the performance, carcasses, and blood profiles of chickens was examined. A total of 245 unsexed one-week-old broiler chicks were divided into seven groups, with seven replications of five chicks each. The treatments were: (1) control, (2) 5% rice bran, (3) 5% rice bran + 0.5 g/kg of Liposorb®, (4) 5% rice bran + 1 g/kg of vitamin E-Se, (5) 10% rice bran, (6) 10% rice bran + 0.5 g/kg Liposorb®, and (7) 10% rice bran + 1 g/kg of vitamin E–selenium. Considering the entire experimental period, it did not affect the in vivo performance of the broilers. However, all the experimental diets decreased dressing % compared with the control (p < 0.01) and the worst values were obtained for the 10% RB groups (75.7, 75.9, and 75.8%, respectively, for 10%RB, 10%RB + Liposorb, and 10%RB + Vit. E-Se groups). All the experimental diets decreased (p < 0.01) the albumin/globulin ratio due to an increased level of serum globulins. Differences in lipid profiles, antioxidants, and immunity parameters in plasma were not related to dietary treatments. In conclusion, the use of rice bran up to 10% in diets had no harmful effect on the overall growth performance of the broilers from 1 to 5 weeks of age. Still, carcass characteristics were negatively affected, except for heart percentage. In addition, the supplementation of Liposorb® or vitamin E-Se to rice bran diets did not recover these harmful effects. Thus, rice bran could be utilized at 10% in broiler diets when growth performance was considered; further research is required

Occurrence of Equine West Nile VirusAmongHorses in Qatar :A Preliminary Investigation

West Nile Virus (WNV) is an emerging threat to public health authorities around the globe. WNV is maintained in ecosystems primarily in enzootic cycles involving mosquito vector and avian hosts, with epizootic spread to mammals including horses and humans. Outbreaks of WNV disease in mammals have been associated with significant losses. The factors that play roles in the evaluation of these outbreaks are not fully known and the disease has not been reported in Qatar. We carried out a study to determine the prevalence of exposure to WNV in the State of Qatar and identify the factors that are likely to associate with seroconverion

Observing intermediate-mass black holes and the upper--stellar-mass gap with LIGO and Virgo

Using ground-based gravitational-wave detectors, we probe the mass function of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) wherein we also include BHs in the upper mass gap $\sim 60-130~M_\odot$. Employing the projected sensitivity of the upcoming LIGO and Virgo fourth observing (O4) run, we perform Bayesian analysis on quasi-circular non-precessing, spinning IMBH binaries (IMBHBs) with total masses 50\mbox{--} 500\, M_\odot, mass ratios 1.25, 4, and 10, and dimensionless spins up to 0.95, and estimate the precision with which the source-frame parameters can be measured. We find that, at $2\sigma$, the mass of the heavier component of IMBHBs can be constrained with an uncertainty of $\sim 10-40\%$ at a signal-to-noise ratio of $20$. Focusing on the stellar-mass gap with new tabulations of the $^{12}\text{C}(\alpha, \gamma)^{16} \text{O}$ reaction rate and its uncertanties, we evolve massive helium core stars using \MESA\, to establish the lower and upper edge of the mass gap as $\simeq$\,59$^{+34}_{-13}$\,$M_{\odot}$ and $\simeq$\,139$^{+30}_{-14}$\,$M_{\odot}$ respectively, where the error bars give the mass range that follows from the $\pm 3\sigma$ uncertainty in the $^{12}\text{C}(\alpha, \gamma) ^{16} \text{O}$ nuclear reaction rate. We find that high resolution of the tabulated reaction rate and fine temporal resolution are necessary to resolve the peak of the BH mass spectrum. We then study IMBHBs with components lying in the mass gap and show that the O4 run will be able to robustly identify most such systems. Finally, we re-analyse GW190521 with a state-of-the-art aligned-spin waveform model, finding that the primary mass lies in the mass gap with 90\% credibility

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on platelet reactivity and endogenous fibrinolysis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction- a substudy of the CONDI-2/ERIC4 PPCI randomised controlled trial

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedBackground: Remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in animal models of myocardial infarction. Platelet thrombus formation is a critical determinant of outcome in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Whether the beneficial effects of RIC are related to thrombotic parameters is unclear. Methods and Results: In a pre-specified substudy of the Effect of Remote Ischaemic Conditioning on clinical outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (ERIC-PPCI) trial, we assessed the effect of RIC on thrombotic status. Patients presenting with STEMI were randomised to immediate RIC consisting of an automated autoRICTM cuff on the upper arm inflated to 200mmHg for 5 minutes and deflated for 5 minutes for 4 cycles (n=53) or sham (n=47). Venous blood was tested at presentation, discharge (48 h) and 6-8 weeks, to assess platelet reactivity, coagulation and endogenous fibrinolysis using the Global Thrombosis Test and thromboelastography (TEG). Baseline thrombotic status was similar in the 2 groups. At discharge, there was some evidence that the time to in vitro thrombotic occlusion under high shear stress was longer with RIC compared to sham (454±105s vs. 403±105s; mean difference 50.1s; 95% confidence interval [CI] 93.7- 6.4, P=0.025), but this was no longer apparent at 6-8 weeks. There was no difference in clot formation or endogenous fibrinolysis between the study arms at any time-point. Conclusion: RIC may reduce platelet reactivity in the first 48h post-STEMI. Further research is needed to delineate mechanisms through which RIC may reduce platelet reactivity, and whether it may improve outcomes in patients with persistent high on-treatment platelet reactivity.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio