Identification of mosquito larvicidal bacterial strains isolated from north Sinai in Egypt

In the present study, two of the most toxic bacterial strains of Bacillus sphaericus against mosquito were identified with the most recent genetic techniques. The PCR product profiles indicated the presence of genes encoding Bin A, Bin B and Mtx1 in all analyzed strains; they are consistent with protein profiles. The preliminary bioinformatics analysis of the binary toxin genes sequence revealed that the open reading frames had high similarities when matched with nucleotides sequence in the database of other B. sphaericus strains. The biological activity of B. sphaericus strains varied according to growing medium, and cultivation time. The highest yield of viable counts, spores and larvicidal protein were attained after 5 days. Poly (P) medium achieved the highest yield of growth, sporulation, protein and larvicidal activity for all tested strains compared to the other tested media. The larvicidal protein produced by local strains (B. sphaericus EMCC 1931 and EMCC 1932) in P medium was more lethal against the 3rd instar larvae of Culex pipiens than that of reference strains (B. sphaericus 1593 and B. sphaericus 2297). The obtained results revealed that P medium was the most effective medium and will be used in future work in order to optimize large scale production of biocide by the locally isolated Bacillus sphaericus strains

Ion beam processes in Si

Observation of the effects of implants of energetic ions at high dose rates into Si have produced some exciting and interesting results. The mechanism whereby displacement damage produced by ions self-anneals during high dose rate implantation is discussed. It is shown that ion beam annealing (IBA) offers in certain situations unique possibilities for damage annealing. Annealing results of the near surface in Si with a buried oxide layer, formed by high dose implantation, are presented in order to illustrate the advantages offered by IBA. It is also shown that ion irradiation can stimulate the epitaxial recrystallization of amorphous overlayers in Si. The nonequilibrium alloying which results from such epitaxial processes is discussed as well as mechanisms which limit the solid solubility during irradiation. Finally, a dose rate dependency for the production of stable damage by ion irradiation at a constant fluence has been observed. For low fluence implants, the amount of damage is substantially greater in the case of high flux rather than low flux implantation

Optimal accommodation and management of high renewable penetration in distribution systems

The paper presents a new bi-level optimisation framework for optimal accommodation and operational management of wind power generation and battery energy storage system (BESS) simultaneously, aiming to maximise the renewable hosting capacity of distribution networks. A new objective function is suggested comprising of annual energy loss in feeders, reverse power flow into the grid, non-utilised BESS capacities, round-trip conversion losses of BESSs and node voltage deviation subjected to various system security constraints. An artificial-intelligence-based optimal management of BESS is proposed for effective control of high-renewable power generation. Due to the high investment and running costs of BESS, minimum storage capacity has been ensured in planning stage. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed model, it is implemented on a benchmark test distribution system of 33-bus. Besides, various test cases are investigated and compared, which shows that the proposed optimisation model is promising

Effect of genistein and oestradiol on the adrenal cortex of the ovariectomised adult female albino rats

Background: Genistein, a naturally occurring soy isoflavone, attracts interest as an effective and safe alternative to hormone replacement therapy for menopausal problems. The aim of the current study was to compare between the effect of genistein and oestradiol on the adrenal cortex of the ovariectomised adult female albino rats. Materials and methods: Twenty rats were used in the current study and divided into four groups, 5 rats in each group; group 1 (control non-ovariectomised), group 2 (ovariectomised), group 3 (ovariectomised + genistein) and group 4 (ovariectomised + oestradiol). The rats were sacrificed after 4 weeks. Both adrenal glands were removed for light microscope using haematoxylin and eosin stain, ultrastructural study and immunohistochemical examination using proliferating cell nuclear antigen, caspase-3, and oestrogen receptor-b. Results: Ovariectomised rats showed signs of degeneration in all zones of adrenal cortex. On the other hand, treatment with genistein showed restoration of the adrenal cortex with less proliferative effect than oestradiol. Conclusions: So, genistein can be used as effective therapy to decrease the symptoms of menopause without fear of cancer development

Influence of Platelets Rich Plasma on Repair of Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon Rupture in Donkeys (An Experimental Study)

This study was planned to prospectively evaluate the influence of platelets rich plasma (PRP) on the restoration of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in donkeys. Eighteen apparently clinically healthy male donkeys of 3-6 years old, weighing 150-200 kg, were used. The animals were classified into two equal groups; control group and PRP group. One cm transection of the full thickness of middle portion of the SDFT was made in all animals. First, all animals were subjected to sedation via xylazine HCl injection in a dose of 1 mg/kg body weight then the animals were deeply narcotized with chloral hydrate 10% in a dose of 5 gm/50 kg body weight. A linear skin incision in the palmar aspect of the right fore limb at the mid cannon region was performed in all operated animals. The animals in PRP group were subjected to intratendinous injections of 4 mL PRP with weekly interval (day 0, w1, w2, w3) under the guidance of ultrasonography. Representative tendon specimens from all animals were collected 30, 60, and 90 days post operation (PO) for histopathological examination. The obtained clinical and histopathological results reveled that PRP application improved the healing of SDFT compared to the control group, through increasing and acceleration of angiogenesis, fibrogenesis, collagen deposition and remodeling in the injured tendon matrices

Dental disorders in dogs and cats: A retrospective study

The study was conducted on 289 clinical cases of dogs and cats admitted to the Clinic of Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, over 18 months. Thorough oral, dental, and radiographic examinations were performed on all cases. Disorders were recorded in a predesigned survey sheet along with several factors such as breed, age, sex, diet, and body condition score. Cases were categorized into four groups according to age. The results revealed that 138 (47.75%) of the total cases have dental disorders, 81 (58.7%) males and 57 (41.3%) females. Periodontal diseases were the most recorded affection 128 cases. Among animals admitted to the department clinic, then dental plaque (111 cases). Animals on soft food diet among total affected cases recorded, 89 cases (64.5%), then mixed diet (soft and hard food) 40 cases 29% and the last group dry or hard diet, 9 cases only 6.5%. The most affected breeds were German shepherd dogs 5.797% and Shirazy cats 57.97%. Data statistical analysis showed that age and diet had (P<0.05), which means that these two factors impacted the occurrence of dental disorders, in contrast, sex had (P= 0.143), which indicates that sex statistically did not affect the occurrence of dental disorders, moreover a spearman correlation test was performed between age and dental disorders (P<0.05) and revealed that, with an increase in age, there is an increase in dental disorders

Assessment of the capacity for flood monitoring and early warning in Enlargement and Eastern/ Southern Neighbourhood countries of the European Union

Flooding is a natural disaster that can damage large areas in the vicinity of rivers, and in the case of flash floods, also in the vicinity of smaller streams. The Global Risks Report 2017 lists extreme weather events, of which flooding is the main risk in most countries, as the risk with the second highest potential impact and the highest likelihood of occurrence. It furthermore seems likely that climate change will aggravate flood impacts in many regions. This report presents an assessment of the capacity for flood monitoring and early flood warning in 17 of the 22 countries which belong to the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood policy of the European Union and the enlargement candidate countries. Many of these receive external funding to improve their systems, but this is often on an ad hoc basis and through individual projects.JRC.E.1-Disaster Risk Managemen

An investigation into the effect of rate of stirring of bath electrolyte on the properties of electrodeposited CdTe thin film semiconductors

Electrodeposition (ED) has been recognized as a low cost and scalable technique available for fabrication of CdS/CdTe solar cells. Photovoltaic activity of these electrodeposited semiconductor materials drastically depends on the ED growth parameters namely; electrodeposition potential, concentrations and ratios of concentrations of precursors used to prepare the bath electrolyte, pH of the electrolyte, deposition temperature and rate of stirring of the electrolyte. In order to grow thin films with good photovoltaic properties, it is essential to maintain these variables at their optimum ranges of values during electrodepositions. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the dependence of the properties of electrodeposited CdTe thin film material on the rate of stirring of the bath electrolyte. The CdTe material was grown on glass/FTO (23 cm2) and glass/FTO/CdS (23 cm2) surfaces in bath electrolytes containing 1.0 mol/L CdSO4 and 1.0 mmol/L TeO2 solutions at different rates of stirring within the range of 0-350 rpm while keeping the values of pH of the electrolyte, deposition temperature and cathodic deposition potential with respect to the saturated calomel electrode at 2.3, 65 °C and 650 mV respectively. After the heat treatment at 400 °C in air atmosphere, the deposited samples with a good visual appearance were selected and evaluated based on their morphological, elemental, structural, optical and electrical properties in order to identify the optimum range of rate of stirring for electrodeposition of CdTe thin film semiconductors. Results revealed that, rates of stirring in the range of 60-85 rpm in a 100 mL volume of electrolyte containing the substrate and the counter electrodes in the center of the bath with a separation of 2.0 cm between them can electrodeposit CdTe layers exhibiting required levels of morphological, structural, optical and electrical properties on both glass/FTO and glass/FTO/CdS surfaces

Oval Domes: History, Geometry and Mechanics

An oval dome may be defined as a dome whose plan or profile (or both) has an oval form. The word Aoval@ comes from the latin Aovum@, egg. Then, an oval dome has an egg-shaped geometry. The first buildings with oval plans were built without a predetermined form, just trying to close an space in the most economical form. Eventually, the geometry was defined by using arcs of circle with common tangents in the points of change of curvature. Later the oval acquired a more regular form with two axis of symmetry. Therefore, an “oval” may be defined as an egg-shaped form, doubly symmetric, constructed with arcs of circle; an oval needs a minimum of four centres, but it is possible also to build polycentric ovals. The above definition corresponds with the origin and the use of oval forms in building and may be applied without problem until, say, the XVIIIth century. Since then, the teaching of conics in the elementary courses of geometry made the cultivated people to define the oval as an approximation to the ellipse, an “imperfect ellipse”: an oval was, then, a curve formed with arcs of circles which tries to approximate to the ellipse of the same axes. As we shall see, the ellipse has very rarely been used in building. Finally, in modern geometrical textbooks an oval is defined as a smooth closed convex curve, a more general definition which embraces the two previous, but which is of no particular use in the study of the employment of oval forms in building. The present paper contains the following parts: 1) an outline the origin and application of the oval in historical architecture; 2) a discussion of the spatial geometry of oval domes, i. e., the different methods employed to trace them; 3) a brief exposition of the mechanics of oval arches and domes; and 4) a final discussion of the role of Geometry in oval arch and dome design

A PDCD1 Role in the Genetic Predisposition to NAFLD-HCC?

Obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are contributing to the global rise in deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The pathogenesis of NAFLD-HCC is not well understood. The severity of hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis are key pathogenic mechanisms, but animal studies suggest altered immune responses are also involved. Genetic studies have so far highlighted a major role of gene variants promoting fat deposition in the liver (PNPLA3 rs738409; TM6SF2 rs58542926). Here, we have considered single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate immunoregulatory genes (MICA rs2596542; CD44 rs187115; PDCD1 rs7421861 and rs10204525), in 594 patients with NAFLD and 391 with NAFLD-HCC, from three European centres. Associations between age, body mass index, diabetes, cirrhosis and SNPs with HCC development were explored. PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 SNPs were associated with both progression to cirrhosis and NAFLD-HCC development, while PDCD1 SNPs were specifically associated with NAFLD-HCC risk, regardless of cirrhosis. PDCD1 rs7421861 was independently associated with NAFLD-HCC development, while PDCD1 rs10204525 acquired significance after adjusting for other risks, being most notable in the smaller numbers of women with NAFLD-HCC. The study highlights the potential impact of inter individual variation in immune tolerance induction in patients with NAFLD, both in the presence and absence of cirrhosis