Effect of ascorbic acid on growth and chemical constituents of Monstera delicious under lead pollutant conditions

Pots experiment was conducted during the two successive seasons of (2013 – 2014) and (2014 – 2015) in the green house of National Research Centre (NRC), Giza, Egypt. It intended to find out the effect of ascorbic acid application at three concentrations (0, 100 and 200 ppm) on growth and chemical constituents of Monstera delicious plants under four concentrations of lead (0, 25, 50 and 100 ppm). The results showed that the application of ascorbic acid at 200 ppm and lead at 25 ppm led to increase growth parameters (i. e. plant height, leaf area, neck leaf length, root length, number of leaves, stem diameter and fresh and dry weight of all plant organs. The same tendency was absorved regarding N, P, K and total carbohydrates compared with control plants. While, the plants treated with lead at 100 ppm gave the highest values of lead content of Monstera delicious plants.          The data also indicated that the highest values of plant height, leaf area, neck leaf length, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of leaves and stems were obtained from plants treated with ascorbic acid at 200 ppm combined with lead at 25 ppm. While, the combined treatment between ascorbic acid at 200 ppm + lead at 50 ppm led to significantly increase root length and stem diameter. Whilst, spraying with ascorbic acid at 200 ppm combined with unspraying lead gave significantly increase fresh and dry weight of roots. The highest increases in chemical constituents of Monstera delicious plants were obtained from plants treated with ascorbic acid at 200 ppm combined with lead at 25 ppm of N, P, K and total carbohydrates percentage, except lead content which gave the highest values when plants supplied ascorbic acid at 200 ppm combined with lead at 100 ppm.Key words: Lead, Ascorbic acid, Monstera delicious, Pollutan

Ability of some woody trees for growth under the stress of irrigation with wastewater

This experiment was carried out during two successive seasons of 2014 and 2015 at the National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt, to investigate the effect of irrigation with two types of water (Tap water and Waste water) on growth, and chemical composition of some seedlings of woody trees (Terminalia angustifolia, Rademachera ignea  and Ficus mango). Growth parameter (plant hight(cm), No. of leaves/plant, length of root (cm) and stem dimeter (cm) increased significantly in all seedlings by using waste                              water than tap water, except in Rademachera ignea  seedlings irrigated with tap water significantly increased number of leaves compared with wastewater. Irrigation with wastewater significantly increased fresh and dry weight of leaves, stems and roots in all seedlings , except in stems of Rademarchera ignea seedlings which wastewater decreased fresh weight of stems compared with tap water. Total carbohydrates increased in leaves and roots in Terminalia ,in leaves in Rademarchera ignea and in stems in Ficus seedlings by using wastewater. Chlorophyll a,b increased in Terminalia angustifolia and Rademarcher ignea a when treated with wastewater, while carotenoids increased by tap water treatment. In Ficus mango seedlings chl.a ,b and carotenoids increased by using tap water. Treating all seedlings  with wastewater  increased zn and pb in leaves while in stems wastewater increased zn and pb in Rademarchera ignea and in Ficus mango  seedlings, while pb increased by using wastewater in Terminalia angustifolia seedlings. N content increased in leaves in all seedlings, in stems and roots of Terminalia angustifolia by application tap water, but in roots of  Rademarchera ignea and Ficus mango seedlings increased  by using wastewater. P content increased in Ficus mango and Terminalia angustifolia  seedling in leaves by using tap water ,wastewater increased p content in Terminalia angustifolia, and Rademarchera ignea seedling in stem ,while tap water increased p content in Rademarchera ignea and Ficus mango seedlings in roots. K content increased in all organs in three seedlings by using wastewater .Key words: Wastewater, Tap water,  Terminalia angustifolia, Rademachera ignea  and Ficus mango seedlings, Growth, Chemical constituents

The electrical conductivity of cellulosic derivatives in the presence of moisture

The work presented in this thesis consists of a review of previous work on cellulosic materials and related polymers, and the results of an experimental investigation into the electrical conductivity of cellulosic derivatives (cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate) in the presence of moisture. The experimental work for the present investigation has been carried out in three parts. The first part concerns the preparation of thin films of cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate butyrate from the raw material using a casting technique. The second and major part of the experimental work concerns electrical measurements, including the measurement of dielectric constant dielectric loss and volume conductance under different conditions of humidity and contamination, etc. These follow the experiments made by Barker and Thomas on the effect of moisture and high electric fields on conductivity in alkali-halide doped cellulose acetate. The third and the final part of the experimental work deals with the sorption measurements, i.e. the sorption isotherms for the materials and their correlation with the electrical measurements. This part is incomplete. The results obtained are in agreement with the results of Barker and Thomas and the two materials have given similar results. However the work has been extended beyond the original work of Barker and Thomas and significant disagreement has been found with their work. In particular results obtained at different humidity do not support the theory proposed by Barker and Thomas. The surface conductance of the specimens was measured and was found to be negligible at all humidities. It is concluded that there is no surface conduction on these materials

Learning Disabilities: The Missing Discussion in Disability Studies: Is There a Possibility for Alliance?

We propose an alliance between disability studies (DS) and the field of learning disabilities (LD); an alliance based on the need for shared research ethics and a critique of contemporary educational practices that perpetuate misunderstandings and marginalization of disabled students. The positivist thinking that has permeated both research and instruction in LD has resulted in significant minority overrepresentation. Not only could LD benefit from DS social analyses and humanities scholarship, but DS could become a more inclusive, more representative discipline

Autophagic Reprogramming of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages

ABSTRACT Background: Macroautophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process among eukaryotes. Autophagosome is a piece of double-membrane machinery that fuses with lysosomes during macroautophagy to form autolysosomes. Autolysosome degrades organelles and organizes the pathogen engulfment during phagocytosis in innate immunity. Macrophages are highly dynamic immune cells that orchestrate the host-pathogen interaction. Interestingly, autophagy is implicated in disease pathophysiologies such as Crohn’s disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we studied the interplay between autophagy and macrophage polarization (activation) through two approaches: 1- Systems biology approach to construct the genetic regulatory network and pathway analysis. And to predict the target proteins that mediate the interplay between autophagy and macrophage activation(polarization). 2- In vitro experimental validation of target proteins using immune co-localization studies, flow cytometry studies, laser confocal microscopy studies, and gene expression analysis. Methods. A systems biology approach was performed to find the interplay between Autophagy related genes (Atgs) & Differentially expressed genes of Macrophage Polarization M1-M2 (DEGs), followed by common pathway enrichment and construction of transcription factors and mi-RNAs regulatory networks. The Atgs and DEGs targets that mediate the interplay between autophagy and macrophage polarization were defined, and experimental validation for targets took place. Bone marrow-derived monocytes were isolated from the femur and tibia of female mice. After differentiation of monocytes to M0, M1, and M2a, the lineage phenotypes were characterized using flow cytometry. Afterward, we validated the targets of Smad1, LC3A&B, Atg16L1, Atg7, IL6, CD68, Arg-1, and Vamp7. Finally, we investigated the impact of autophagy inhibition on all immune lineages using autophagy inhibitor Bafilomycin-A. Results: Immune phenotyping by flow cytometry revealed three macrophage phenotypes: (IL6+/CD68+) M0 φ, (IL6+/CD68+/Arg-1 +) M1 φ and (CD68+/Arg-1) M2a φ lineages. And 3D 9 | P a g e reconstruction of laser confocal microscopy Z-stalk images revealed an increase of autophagy activity in both M1 and M2a lineages. In addition, a significant increase was also observed in pre autophagosome size and number of Atg-7, Atg-16L1 in interleukin -4 activated M2a cells compared to control M 0 naïve cells. The size of LC 3 A& B auto phagosomal aggregates showed an increase in M2a cells. RT qPCR supported these findings and showed the high gene expression profile of Atg 16 L 1- 3, smad1, and Vamp 7 in M2a lineage. Bafilomycin –A, an autophagy inhibitor, induced increased expression of CD68 and Arg-1 in all cell lineages. Phagocytosis assay with Heat killed E Coli bacteria showed decreased phagocytosis activity in IL-4 activated M2a cells but not M1 cells. Conclusion: This study suggests that autophagy reprograms macrophages through CD68 and Arginase-1 phagocytosis markers and Atg 16 L 1 -3 dependent manner

Pakistan’s Infrastructure Capital-Growth Analysis

Purpose- This empirical study facet at Pakistan for the period between 1960 and 2017 in the connection between public investment, public capital stock, private investment, private capital stock, and real GDP. Design/Methodology- Using theoretical and empirical literature assessment, to measure the impact of private investment, private capital stock, government investment, and government capital stock on Pakistan's real gross domestic product, we involved the ARDL Bound tests. Findings- A positive and significant connection was revealed between government investment, a private capital stock with real GDP. Private investment showed a substantial but negative impact in the short run, despite capital stocks indicating a positive and insignificant relationship with Pakistan's RGDP. The long-term consequences showed that the government's capital stocks, public investment, private capital stocks, and RGDP from Pakistan are linked positively and significantly. Private investment, however, has shown harmful and detrimental or insignificant relations with Pakistan's RGDP. Practical Implications- Our study may benefit the Pakistani economy, particularly while useful for academics and researchers to understand the basic concept of 'capital-growth' philosophy

From Dialogue to Bakhtin’s Dialogue: A Critical Review in Learning Disability Research

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of dialogue used in peer-refereed research articles related to learning disabilities (LD) and instruction. We attempted to evaluate the quality of dialogue in these articles through a lens that Bakhtin and various disability studies scholars offer. In addition, we suggest that disability scholars’ concepts and uses of dialogue provided a way for us to frame our Bakhtinian critique in the broader context of theorizing the social model of disability. From a critical review of these articles, we identified various limitations in ways that dialogue is used to conduct the studies and also in the ways that dialogue is represented by the authors. The studies often minimized the voices of the students labeled as LD. We offer many suggestions for how to present their voices in research and how to improve teaching through conceptualizing learning in a different, more sensitive way as informed by Bakhtin’s notion of dialogue

DETERMINING FACTOR FOR MALAYSIAN MONEY DEMAND FUNCTION

The reason for our study was to determine the factors that influence the role of money demand in the Malaysian economy. We implicit various economic factors comprise real CPI, real interest rate, financial innovation, and real GDP and analyzed through implying ARDL Bound test for short-run and the long-run period over 1970-2018 time-series data. Based on empirical results, we revealed that over the short-run period, financial innovation having positive and significant while real GDP has a negative and significant relationship with real money demand function in Malaysia. The official real exchange rate has a positive and significant relationship with real money demand, with an increase of one unit in the real exchange rate, increasing the money demand function by 0.97 in the long term. More, negative and significant relationships revealed among real GDP and real money demand function which direct that by increase 1% change in real GDP direct to decrease in real money demand by 0.6395 in the Malaysian economy and finally real money demand predicted 13.0796 when all independent variable is zero in the Malaysian economy

Not aid, but trade - an application of ARDL bound test for Pakistan economy

Purpose: Our research study aimed to analyze the statement of the proverb 'Not-Aid, but-Trade,' for the economy of Pakistan over 1970-2018 based on time-series data collected from the World Development Indicators - World Bank. Research Methodology: Through evaluation of the theoretical and empirical literature, we estimate the influence of official development assistance, trade openness, foreign direct investment, inflation, and gross capital formation on the gross domestic product of Pakistan. To accomplish the required concerns, we implied the Unit-Root test, and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model Bound analysis. Results: No significant relationship revealed between inflation and official development assistance. In contrast, the openness of trade and foreign direct investment shows a significant positive relationship with the gross domestic product of Pakistan. Similarly, gross capital formation has a negative but significant connection with the gross domestic product of Pakistan. For the short-run period, trade openness, foreign direct investment, and inflation impart to a positive and significant relationship; however, gross capital formation presents a negative but significant linking with gross domestic product. Limitations: Our study covers the Pakistan economy time-series data over the 1970-2018 period. Contribution: Our study is helpful for the Pakistani economic policy formation, particularly useful for academics and researchers to understand the basic concept related to 'not-aid but-trade' philosophy. Keywords: GDP, ODA, Trade, GCF, Inflatio

Retina Based Glowworm Swarm Optimization for Random Cryptographic Key Generation

ان توليد المفاتيح المستندة إلى المقاييس الحيوية يمثل استخدام الميزات المستخرجة من السمات التشريحية (الفسيولوجية) البشرية مثل بصمات الأصابع أو شبكية العين أو السمات السلوكية مثل التوقيع. تتميز القياسات الحيوية لشبكية العين بمتانة متأصلة، وبالتالي، فهي قادرة على توليد مفاتيح عشوائية بمستوى أمان أعلى مقارنة مع السمات الحيوية الأخرى. في السنوات الأخيرة ، اكتسبت خوارزميات التحسين المستوحاة من الطبيعة شعبية كبيرة في معالجة المشكلات الواقعية الصعبة وحل وظائف التحسين المعقدة التي لا تتوفر فيها الحلول الفعلية. في هذه الورقة ، تم اقتراح نظام فعال لتوليد مفاتيح عشوائية آمنة وقوية وفريدة من نوعها تستند إلى ميزات شبكية العين لتطبيقات التشفير. يتم استخراج ميزات شبكية العين باستخدام خوارزمية تحسين سرب الدودة المتوهجة (GSO)  والتي توفر نتائج واعدة من خلال التجارب باستخدام قواعد بيانات شبكية العين القياسية. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، من أجل توفير مفاتيح عشوائية عالية الجودة وغير متوقعة وغير مجددة، تم استخدام الخريطة الفوضوية في النظام المقترح. حيث يتضمن النظام المقترح أربع مراحل رئيسية: التقاط صورة شبكية العين باستخدام أي كاميرا شبكية موجودة في الأسواق, أو باستخدام قاعدة البيانات المتاحة والتي تسمى DRIONS-DB,  ثم معالجتها معالجة اولية، ثم فصل صورة شبكية العين المعالجة مسبقًا إلى أربعة أجزاء باستخدام تحويل مويجات الهار المنفصلة ذات المستوى الواحد (DWHT), بعد ذلك ، يتم استخدام النطاق الفرعي ذو التردد المنخفض (LL) للمرحلة التالية حيث يمثل النطاق الفرعي التشغيلي, بعد ذلك ، يتم استخراج الميزات المثلى باستخدام خوارزمية تحسين سرب الدودة المتوهجة (GSO)، وأخيرًا يتم دمج الميزات المثلى مع الخريطة الفوضوية لإنشاء مفتاح التشفير العشوائي. في النتائج التجريبية، تم استخدام التحليل الإحصائي NIST الذي يتضمن عشرة اختبارات إحصائية للتحقق من عشوائية مفتاح البت الثنائي المولد. مفاتيح التشفير العشوائية التي تم الحصول عليها كانت ناجحة في اختبارات التحليل الإحصائي NIST ، بالإضافة إلى درجة كبيرة من اللامركزية.The biometric-based keys generation represents the utilization of the extracted features from the human anatomical (physiological) traits like a fingerprint, retina, etc. or behavioral traits like a signature. The retina biometric has inherent robustness, therefore, it is capable of generating random keys with a higher security level compared to the other biometric traits. In this paper, an effective system to generate secure, robust and unique random keys based on retina features has been proposed for cryptographic applications. The retina features are extracted by using the algorithm of glowworm swarm optimization (GSO) that provides promising results through the experiments using the standard retina databases. Additionally, in order to provide high-quality random, unpredictable, and non-regenerated keys, the chaotic map has been used in the proposed system. In the experiments, the NIST statistical analysis which includes ten statistical tests has been employed to check the randomness of the generated binary bits key. The obtained random cryptographic keys are successful in the tests of NIST, in addition to a considerable degree of aperiodicity