Diversity of inulinase-producing fungi associated with two Asteraceous plants, Pulicaria crispa (Forssk.) and Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) growing in an extreme arid environment

Inulinases are potentially valuable enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of plant’s inulin into high fructose syrups as sweetening ingredients for food industry and ethanol production. The high demands for inulinase enzymes have promoted interest in microbial inulinases as the most suitable approach for biosynthesis of fructose syrups from inulin. Arid land ecosystem represents a valuable bioresource for soil microbial diversity with unique biochemical and physiological properties. In the present study, we explored the fungi diversity associated with the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of two desert medicinal plants namely Pluchea dioscoridis and Pulicaria crispa growing in the South-Eastern desert of Aswan, Egypt. A total of 180 fungal isolates were screened based on their ability to grow on potato dextrose agar medium supplemented with 1% inulin. The isolated fungal colonies were morphologically identified according to cultural characteristics and spore-bearing structure. In addition, the inulinase activity of the isolated fungi was examined spectrophotometrically. Among these, Aspergillus terreus var. terreus 233, Botrytis cinerea, Aspergillus aegyptiacus, Cochliobolus australiensis 447 and Cochliobolus australiensis exhibited high inulinase activity ranging from 5.05 to 7.26 U/ml. This study provides a promising source of microbial inulinase, which can be scaled up for industrial applications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.120564

Bioremoval capacity of phenol by some selected endophytic fungi isolated from Hibiscus sabdariffa and batch biodegradation of phenol in paper and pulp effluents

Background and Objectives: The use of endophytic fungi for management of phenol residue in paper and pulp industries has been shown as cost-effective and eco-friendly approach. In this study, isolation of endophytic fungi from roots, stems, and leaves of Hibiscus sabdariffa was conducted. Additionally, the isolated fungi were examined for their ability to degrade phenol and its derivatives in paper and pulp industrial samples, using different growth conditions. Materials and Methods: Out of 35 isolated endophyitc fungi, 31 were examined for their phenol biodegradation capacity using Czapek Dox broth medium containing Catechol and Resorcinol as a sole carbon source at final concentrations of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8%. Results: A total of 35 fungal species belonging to 18 fungal genera were isolated and identified from different parts of H. sabdariffa plants. All strains have the capability for degrading phenol and their derivatives with variable extents. The optimum condition of degrading phenol in paper and pulp effluent samples by Fusarium poae11r7 were at pH 3-5, temperature at 28-35°C, good agitation speed at no agitation and 100 rpm. Conclusion: All endophytic fungal species can utilize phenol and its derivatives as a carbon source and be the potential to degrade phenol in industrial contaminants

'Divided they stand, divided they fail': opposition politics in Morocco

The literature on democratization emphasises how authoritarian constraints usually lead genuine opposition parties and movements to form alliances in order to make demands for reform to the authoritarian regime. There is significant empirical evidence to support this theoretical point. While this trend is partly visible in the Middle East and North Africa, such coalitions are usually short-lived and limited to a single issue, never reaching the stage of formal and organic alliances. This article, using the case of Morocco, seeks to explain this puzzle by focusing on ideological and strategic differences that exist between the Islamist and the secular/liberal sectors of civil society, where significant opposition politics occurs. In addition, this article also aims to explain how pro-democracy strategies of the European Union further widen this divide, functioning as a key obstacle to democratic reforms

Using simulation tools for optimizing cooling loads and daylighting levels in Egyptian campus buildings

This article presents a case of heuristic optimization of cooling loads and daylighting levels in deep halls of Egyptian Universities, using DesignBuilder software, with EnergyPlus and Radiance engines, in order to show the vital role of simulation tools in architects’ hands. Generally speaking, campus buildings in Egypt reflect real problems of energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality of the overcrowded educational spaces. The case, studied in the article, is for three drawing halls of different specifications, located in the main building of the Faculty of Engineering at Mansoura University. The simulation work is processed along a road map of three consequent phases: simulating the existing situation of thermal and visual comfort inside the three halls; optimizing cooling loads by testing various alternatives of design parameters; and including daylighting levels in the optimization process. The study found that optimizing windows shading of overhangs and louvers, low-transmittance characteristics of glazing, and ventilation system would provide from 26% to 31% reduction of cooling loads compared to base case, without taking into account daylighting requirements. While, opening skylight strips, perpendicular to the external facade, with 8% window–roof-ratio, would provide required daylighting levels with minimum increase of cooling loads. The principle objective, attained through this article, is to underline the significance of using building performance simulation (BPS) tools in the architectural educational and research work. Keywords: BPS tools, Heuristic optimization, Deep halls, Egyptian campus buildings, Cooling loads, Daylighting level

BILATERAL CONTROL OF a 2-DOF TELEOPERATED MANIPULATOR USING UDP SCHEME

This paper presents the design and development of a control scheme, for a robot master–slave teleoperation system man–machine interface. The developed system consists of JUPITER XL SCARA robot as a slave manipulator with only the first two links activated, a wireless User Datagram Protocol (UDP) network, and PC as a master controller. The system model parameters identified using the Least-Squares method. A workspace-control system was developed to deals with the problem of position-tracking of bilateral teleoperated two degrees of freedom manipulator, and aid the human operator in driving and controlling the slave robot that performs critical and difficult tasks such as underwater works. A Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) controllers with different input signals were applied to the system. It was proved experimentally and by simulation on Matlab that the FLC gave a better performance than the PID controller. The two parallel loop subroutine technique proved a great enhancement to the system performance as it decreased the total delay time in the system to almost 25 ms

Risk of first trimester spontaneous miscarriage among singleton gestations following ICSI and its relation to underlying cause of infertility

Study objective: To assess the association between the first trimester miscarriage rates among women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and underlying etiology of infertility. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Ain Shams University maternity hospital. Materials and methods: The study included women who became pregnant with singleton pregnancy following ICSI as a treatment for different causes of infertility. Women were followed up throughout the first trimester of pregnancy up to 12 weeks’ gestation (10 weeks after the day of embryo transfer). Main outcome measure: First trimester miscarriage rate. Results: Two hundred and thirty four pregnant young women were included in the study, 164 (70.9%) women miscarried. The causes of infertility among these women were as follows: 41 (25%) mild male factor infertility, 40 (24.4%) severe male factor infertility, 45 (27.44%) tubal factor, 7 (4.27%) polycystic ovarian syndrome, 3 (1.83%) endometriosis, 20 (12.19%) unexplained and 8 (4.87%) multifactorial. Stepwise logistic multi-regression analysis showed that both maternal age (>31 years) and tubal block were the most sensitive discriminators for the prediction of first trimester spontaneous miscarriage among the study population (P < 0.01). Major conclusions: First trimester spontaneous miscarriage rates among pregnant women with singleton pregnancy following ICSI were related to maternal age >31 years and/or the presence of tubal block