Characterisation of Synchytrium Psophocarpi (Rac.) Baumann and its Pathogenicity on Winged Bean in Peninsular Malaysia

Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetranologobus) is an important vegetable crop grown in various tropical climates around South East Asia and Oceania. Its edible parts include leaves and bean pods. An important disease damaging to winged bean is false rust or orange gall caused by Synchytrium psophocarpi (Rac.) Baumann. It causes the appearance of bright-orange pustules along the veins of young leaves, stems, pods, and sepals of winged bean flowers. It also reduces pod production and seed yield which is more prevalent during rainy season and high moisture. Thus far, there has been no literature documenting the incidences of orange gall and the causal organism on winged bean in Malaysia. The main objective of this study were to record the local distribution of the disease and to characterized of the causal organism. Evaluation of pathogenicity on winged bean and various other leguminous plants was also conducted. Fungi occurring on diseased winged bean leaves, pods and stems collected from the states of Selangor and Johor showed typical symptoms. Samples were examined using light and scanning electron microscope for the characterization of sporangia and zoospores. The sporangia have thin walls that are clear and colorless. At higher magnification (1000x), these sporangia appear to contain yellow or orange granules that can be very dense. The average diameter of each sporangium is about 28.64μm by 40.77μm, implying the variation in the sizes. They were generally spherical than ovoid in shape. This diameter is in accordance with previous reports where the average was about 41.20μm

Morphological characteristics and pathogenicity of Synchytrium psophocarpi (Rac.) Baumann associated with false rust on winged bean

Problem statement: Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus L.) is an important tropical legume in countries like Malaysia due to its potential as a high protein value crop. However, bright-orange pustules observed on the veins of young leaves, stems, pods and sepals depict symptoms of false rust disease on beans. The causal agent of this disease has been found to be Synchytrium psophocarpi. Currently, there is no published literature of this or other related species in Malaysia. Thus, there is a very serious lack of knowledge on the taxonomic characterization and pathogenicity of the local fungus. Therefore, there is an important need for this microorganism to be documented. Approach: This study was reported based from samples obtained from infected winged bean plants found in the fields around the University Putra Malaysia campus in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. The morphological characteristics were studied using dark field and scanning electron microscope. Meanwhile, pathogenicity test was carried out using two methods which were moist chamber and on Petri dish. Results: The sporangia were spherical to ovoid in shape and approximately 20.69 μm in diameter. The average diameter for spore measured was 2.02 μm and the flagella were 10.75 μm in length. Positive disease development with false rust disease symptoms was observed in both methods of inoculation practiced. It confirmed the pathogenicity of the fungus as the causal pathogen with the appearance of clear disease symptoms. Conclusion: This research finding is the first detailed report for Synchytrium psophocarpi associated with false rust disease of winged bean in Malaysia. It described the morphology, zoospore production and pathogenicity of the causal fungal organism. This information would be very useful for the studies involving this pathogen in future

Sol-gel synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of magnesium aluminate spinel nanoparticles for high-capacity hydrogen storage

In this research, we successfully synthesized magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) spinel nanoparticles using a sol-gel process, with stearic acid serving as a capping agent. The synthesis process involved calcination at 900 °C for 4 h, resulting in the formation of nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of approximately 12 nm, as determined through Debye–Scherrer analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The optical band gap was measured as 2.84 eV using Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) analysis. Additionally, we found the mean pore size of the nanoparticles to be 20.2 nm through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. We characterized the resulting powders using various techniques, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). We conducted electrochemical investigations utilizing the Chronopotentiometry (CP) technique. The electrochemical analysis demonstrated that MgAl2O4 spinel nanoparticles exhibit a noteworthy hydrogen storage capacity of 4000 mAh/g, highlighting their potential as promising candidates for hydrogen storage applications. This comprehensive study underscores the successful synthesis, thorough characterization, and exceptional electrochemical performance of MgAl2O4 spinel nanoparticles, firmly positioning them as valuable materials for advancing hydrogen storage technologies

Environmental and Population Studies Concerning Exposure to Pesticides in Iran: A Comprehensive Review

Pesticides are widely used in Iranian agriculture and this has made a major toxicological concern among health professionals. The objective of this study is to explore national data about pesticides toxicity. All relevant databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus in a time period of 1960 to 2012 were searched for the keywords “Pesticides, Iran, Environment, and Population studies”. A total of 57 studies were found relevant and then included into study. Almost all non-experimental studies carried out in Iran were classified into two main categories of residue assessment in different samples and toxic effects on human. Depending on the dose and duration of exposure, toxic effects of pesticides have been studied in two classifications including acute toxicity or acute poisoning and chronic toxicity. High extent of pesticides have been used during the past decade in Iran while no enough proper studies were done to explore their possible toxic effects in the environment and the people

Reduction of local scouring with protective spur dike

One of the main parameters in design of spur dikes is the estimation of local scour depth around their tail. Spur dikes are usually built in series and their stability depends on the stability of the first spur dike. In this research, an experimental investigation is carried out in order to reduce local scouring around the first spur dike in a series of spur dikes (4 spur dikes). A smaller protective spur dike perpendicular to the flow direction is proposed to substantially reduce the local scouring. All experiments are performed in the experimental flume with moving bed. Also, all the spur dikes are rigid, and are made of pressurized plywood, straight and non-submerged. For various experimental lengths (L') and distances(X) of the protective spur dike, different value of relative velocity (u/uc) is calculated. Finally, in favor of statistical analysis which has been done on the experimental data, an empirical equation for the relative scouring is derived

Experimental investigation and flow analysis of clear-water scour around pier and abutment in proximity

Local scour around bridge piers and abutments is one of the most important causes of bridge failure. Despite a plethora of studies on scour around individual bridge piers or abutments, few studies focused on the joint impact of a pier and an abutment in proximity on scour. This study conducted laboratory experiments and flow analyses to examine the interaction of piers and abutments on clear-water scour. The experiments were conducted in a rectangular laboratory flume, including 18 main tests (combination of different types of piers and abutments) and five control tests (individual piers or abutments). Three types of piers (a rectangular pier with a rounded edge, a group of three cylindrical piers, a single cylindrical pier) and two types of abutment (a wing-wall abutment and a semi-circular abutment) were used. Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) was used to measure the three-dimensional flow velocity for analyses of streamline, velocity magnitude, vertical velocity, and bed shear stress. The results showed the velocity near the pier and abutment increased by up to 80%. The maximum scour depth around the abutment increased by up to 19%. In contrast, the maximum scour depth around the pier increased significantly by up to l71%. The presence of the pier in the vicinity of the abutment led to an increase in the scour hole volume by up to 87% relative to the case with an individual abutment. The empirical equations were also derived to accurately estimate the maximum scour depth at the pier adjacent to the abutment

The healthy behaviours and COVID-19 mortality among Iranian women: A case–control study

Background: Women are among the susceptible groups to Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Ardabil, north-west of Iran, despite the current global status. The underlying causes of high incidence and fatality rate of women in Ardabil are not fully understood. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the healthy behaviours in women of Ardabil and its relationship with COVID-19 mortality. Methods: We conducted a case–control study to compare the adherence to health protocols and behaviours with respect to COVID-19 between the infected (261 patients) and healthy (515 persons) women. Health protocols and behaviours such as using mask, gloves, disinfectants, history of travelling and contacting, and attending various gatherings and places during the COVID-19 pandemic along with demographic variables were defined as independent variables, and COVID-19 death rate was defined as the dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression methods were used to explore the risk factors associated with COVID-19 mortality. Results: Chi-square and Fisher tests showed significant differences between infected and healthy women in terms of history of contact and traveling (p < 0.05), wearing mask (p < 0.001), going to work place (p < 0.001), and attend public gatherings (p = 0.038). Multivariable logistic regression disclosed that the age group over 80 years: 8.97 times (95% CI 2.27–29.85), women with underlying chronic diseases: 4.14 times (95% CI 1.61–10.64), and obese women: 3.01 times (95% CI 1.04–6.03) were more likely to die from COVID-19 than other women. Conclusion: Considering the high incidence and mortality rate in Ardabil women due to COVID-19 and the corresponding health behavioural factors, special emphasis should be given to the increase of women awareness on the importance of healthy behaviours, diet, and life-style

Effect of triploidization on juvenile African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Triploid African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) produced through cold shock 3 min post fertilization were compared to diploid offspring of the same parentage at 66 days of age. Triploid fish were significantly shorter (11%) and weighed less (18%) than diploids but showed no significant difference in mortality or cannibalism, which can be an important source of losses under aquaculture conditions. Erythrocytes of triploid fish were more oval shaped than the normal spherical shape of diploid erythrocytes, were significantly larger (38%) and had nuclei that were significantly larger (25%) than observed in diploid fish. Erythrocyte morphological characteristics show potential as an indicator for the detection of triploidy in African catfish

Description of Epidemiological Features, Symptoms and Mortality of the Patients with COVID-19 in Some Provinces of Iran

Background: Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are different. There are some risk factors for COVID-19. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological features, symptoms and mortality of the patients with COVID-19 in Iran. Methods: This were a cohort study performed on 103,179 patients with COVID-19. The demographic and clinical data were collected in selected provinces. The required data of all patients was extracted from the COVID registry system and analyzed using STATA version 14 and Excel 2016. Results: The mean age was 52.40 years for men and 52.41 years for women. About 55.2% of the study population were male and 44.8% were female. Totally, 60.9% (5085) of deaths happened in men and 39.1% (3263) in women. The mean time from onset of symptoms to hospitalization in men and women were 3.47 and 3.48 days, respectively. The mean time from onset of symptoms to isolation was 2.81 days in men and was 2.87 days in women, from onset of symptoms to death was 9.29 and 9.54 days, respectively, from onset of symptoms to discharge was 7.47 and 7.39 days, and from hospitalization to death was 6.76 and 7.05 days. Cough and shortness of breath were the most common symptoms in the patients. Conclusion: According to the results, the overall mortality rate was higher in men than women. Women with cardiovascular disease and diabetes were more likely to die. The mean time from onset of symptoms to hospitalization, isolation, and discharge was similar in men and women

Estimating global injuries morbidity and mortality : methods and data used in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

Background: While there is a long history of measuring death and disability from injuries, modern research methods must account for the wide spectrum of disability that can occur in an injury, and must provide estimates with sufficient demographic, geographical and temporal detail to be useful for policy makers. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study used methods to provide highly detailed estimates of global injury burden that meet these criteria. Methods: In this study, we report and discuss the methods used in GBD 2017 for injury morbidity and mortality burden estimation. In summary, these methods included estimating cause-specific mortality for every cause of injury, and then estimating incidence for every cause of injury. Non-fatal disability for each cause is then calculated based on the probabilities of suffering from different types of bodily injury experienced. Results: GBD 2017 produced morbidity and mortality estimates for 38 causes of injury. Estimates were produced in terms of incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, cause-specific mortality, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years for a 28-year period for 22 age groups, 195 countries and both sexes. Conclusions: GBD 2017 demonstrated a complex and sophisticated series of analytical steps using the largest known database of morbidity and mortality data on injuries. GBD 2017 results should be used to help inform injury prevention policy making and resource allocation. We also identify important avenues for improving injury burden estimation in the future