ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF INDIGENOUS BACTERIAL ISOLATES ABLE TO DEGRADE ORGANOPHOSPHATES

The wide and indiscriminate use of pesticides for pest control in agriculture has inflicted serious harm and problems to humans as well as to the biodiversity. Microbial degradation of pesticides in contaminated soils has been considered advantageous to decontaminate areas that have been polluted by pesticides. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon were the most persistent residues in Egyptian soils. Four bacterial isolates were isolated from organophosphorus insecticides contaminated soils and genetically identified based on DNA sequence of 16s rDNA gene, Cronobacter muytjensii GH10, Achromobacter xylosoxidans GH9OP, Pseudomonas aeruginosa GH2NO8 and Pseudomonas putida GH4SNO/P were able to degrade 92.59%, 97.75%, 91.82%, and 90.78% of diazinon (600mg/l) as compared with 16.99% in control and 93.43%, 78.51%, 93.18% and 95.36% of chlorpyrifos (480mg/l) as compared with 4.28%, in control, respectively after 20 days of incubation

Catalytic deoxygenation by H2-free single-step conversion of free fatty acid feedstock over a Co-Ag carbon-based catalyst for green diesel production

A family of activated carbon-supported Co-Ag catalysts, synthesised through incipient wetness impregnation, have been evaluated for the deoxygenation of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) and inedible feedstocks (jatropha oil and waste cooking oil) to green diesel. High deoxygenation efficiency and conversion of PFAD to hydrocarbon liquid products through decarboxylation/decarbonylation (deCOx) is observed, with Co(10wt.%)-Ag(5− 20wt.%)/AC exhibiting the greatest hydrocarbon (C8–C20) fractions yield of 92 % and 95 % (C15+C17) selectivity after 120 min reaction at 350 ◦C. These results suggested the synergistic effect between the active metals, Co-Ag, and the activated carbon support, creating acid-base Bronsted ¨ sites, which significantly facilitated the selective deCOx pathway of the fatty acid. The catalyst Co(10wt.%)-Ag(10wt.%)/AC was capable of deoxygenation the PFAD over eight cycles. Thus, it can be believed a potentially promising catalyst for the production of green diesel, at the same time providing economic opportunities and added value to the palm oil industry

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Energy Efficiency in Sustainable Buildings: A Systematic Review with Taxonomy, Challenges, Motivations, Methodological Aspects, Recommendations, and Pathways for Future Research

In recent years, increasing interest has been shown in targeting energy efficiency as a roadmap for carbon mitigation, limiting energy use, improving buildings’ energy performance, and reducing energy consumption for achieving sustainable buildings. This article presents a systematic review to provide the best practices in this area and identify the challenges, motivations, recommendations, and pathways for future work. Discussing the methodological aspects gives insights for future researchers. This research used papers published on three scientific and reliable databases—Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore-from 2014 to May 23, 2021. The selected papers reached N = 134 based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and divided into review papers, proceeding conference, and articles. The review articles (N = 16/134) give an overall view on improving energy efficiency to achieve sustainability in buildings by using green building rating systems, developing and implementing policies, technology utilization, adopting techniques, and applying strategies. The conferences (N = 33/134) and articles (N = 85/134) focus more on details of different aspects of improving energy efficiency by reducing environmental, economic, social, and other impacts. A few articles proposed multiple-criteria decision-making methods to solve energy efficiency gaps for promoting sustainability in buildings. Achieving energy efficiency toward sustainable buildings is a hot topic in the sustainable development area. The outcomes from this paper will provide a valuable reference to stakeholders, governments, and decision-makers and give suggestions from the selected past studies. This review will provide motivation and attract future research endeavors in the field

Children sleep habits and their knowledge during COVID-19: the impact on quality of life

Abstract Background Amid the coronavirus crisis, many aspects of children's lives had been compromised, among which were their sleep habits. The current study aimed to examine children's sleep habits and the children's knowledge of the pandemic and its impact on their quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using observational cross-sectional analysis based on web-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, Parents completed the children's sleep habits questionnaire (CSHQ) and the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL-P), and the questionnaire regarding their children's knowledge about COVID-19. Results Among the total sample (n = 259), Children below the age of 6 (n = 52) showed statistically significant higher scores in the bedtime resistance, delayed sleep onset, and sleep anxiety subscales, while those older than the age of 12 (n = 50) showed a higher score in the sleep duration problem subscale and lower scores of physical, emotional and psychological functions. Finally, (71.4%) of the study population showed a high level of knowledge about the infectivity of the coronavirus and the fact that it is a pandemic. Conclusions Sleep problems are common among Egyptian children during the COVID-19 pandemic and have a significant impact on their quality of life

The medicinal activity of lyophilized aqueous seed extract of Lepidium sativum L. in an androgenic alopecia model

Abstract This study evaluated the topical effect of Lepidium sativum lyophilized seed extract (LSLE) towards Sustanon-induced alopecia in male adult Wistar albino rats in vivo, compared to minoxidil topical reference standard drug (MRD). LC–MS/MS together with molecular networking was used to profile the metabolites of LSLE. LSLE treated group revealed significant changes in alopecia related biomarkers, perturbation of androgenic markers; decline in testosterone level and elevation in 5α-reductase (5-AR); decline in the cholesterol level. On the other hand, LSLE treated group showed improvement in vascular markers; CTGF, FGF and VEGF. Groups treated topically with minoxidil and LSLE showed significant improvement in hair length. LC–MS/MS profile of LSLE tentatively identified 17 constituents: mainly glucosinolates, flavonoid glycosides, alkaloids and phenolic acids. The results point to the potential role of LSLE in the treatment of alopecia through decreasing 5(alpha)-dihydrotestosterone levels. Molecular docking was attempted to evaluate the probable binding mode of identified compounds to androgen receptor (PDB code: 4K7A)