First evidence for human occupation of a lava tube in Arabia: The archaeology of Umm Jirsan Cave and its surroundings, northern Saudi Arabia

Recent advances in interdisciplinary archaeological research in Arabia have focused on the evolution and historical development of regional human populations as well as the diverse patterns of cultural change, migration, and adaptations to environmental fluctuations. Obtaining a comprehensive understanding of cultural developments such as the emergence and lifeways of Neolithic groups has been hindered by the limited preservation of stratified archaeological assemblages and organic remains, a common challenge in arid environments. Underground settings like caves and lava tubes, which are prevalent in Arabia but which have seen limited scientific exploration, offer promising opportunities for addressing these issues. Here, we report on an archaeological excavation and a related survey at and around Umm Jirsan lava tube in the Harrat Khaybar, north-western Saudi Arabia. Our results reveal repeated phases of human occupation of the site ranging from at least the Neolithic through to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age. Pastoralist use of the lava tube and surrounding landscape is attested in rock art and faunal records, suggesting that Umm Jirsan was situated along a pastoral route linking key oases. Isotopic data indicates that herbivores primarily grazed on wild grasses and shrubs rather than being provided with fodder, while humans had a diet consistently high in protein but with increasing consumption of C3 plants through-time, perhaps related to the emergence of oasis agriculture. While underground and naturally sheltered localities are globally prominent in archaeology and Quaternary science, our work represents the first such combined records for Saudi Arabia and highlight the potential for interdisciplinary studies in caves and lava tubes

Potential bioactivity of Phoenix dactylifera fruits, leaves, and seeds against prostate and pancreatic cancer cells

The use of functional foods’ phytochemicals in the chemoprevention of different cancer diseases has become one of the hot scientific areas in the clinical nutrition field. For instance, the Khalas palm cultivar (KPC; Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the natural sustainable resources that have high bioactivity and functionality. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative activity and mode of action of KPC’s different parts on prostate (Pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells at a molecular level. In the methods, KPC’s leaves, seeds, and fruits’ chemical composition and phytochemical analysis were analyzed. Also, the cytotoxic effects of each extract were assessed against pc3 and panc1 cell lines. Besides, induction of apoptosis, cell cycle analysis, and gene expression of both Cap3 and Cap9 were studied. The obtained results indicated that KPC leaves extract exhibited the highest significant (P < 0.01) anti-proliferation activity against the utilized cancer cell lines compared to fruits and seeds extracts. Also, there were significant (P < 0.05) differences in the phenolic contents, flavonoid of compounds, and antioxidant power of the leaves when compared to the seeds and fruits. Additionally, the highest cytotoxic effect (lowest IC50) was recorded with leave extract than seeds and fruits. Meanwhile, the seeds extract induced (P < 0.05) the apoptosis and arrested cells in the G2/M phase as well as up-regulated the gene expression of the apoptotic-related genes (Casp3 and Casp9) compared to the control group. In conclusion, this study showed that the presence of bioactive components in the KPC different parts extracts have the significant ability to induce the apoptotic pathway that could down-regulate the proliferation of prostate (pc3) and pancreatic (panc1) cancer cells. The pathway mechanism of action was induced by the phytol molecule presented in its leaves extract

Optimising Imaging Protocols for Whole-Body SPECT/CT

Aim: This thesis investigates the application of whole-body single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (WB-SPECT/CT) imaging in clinical practice. Method: The first study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies to examine the diagnostic performance of WB-SPECT/CT in detecting bone metastasis and its added value compared to planar bone scintigraphy (PBS). The second study optimised the acquisition and reconstruction parameters to preserve image quality while reducing acquisition time by utilising a phantom and clinical example. In the third study, 5 patients recruited to evaluate the clinical image quality, noise, and diagnostic confidence for various acquisition durations and iterative reconstructions. In the fourth study, 11 participants referred for bone scintigraphy using PBS and SPECT/CT to investigate the feasibility of reprojected fast WB SPECT/CT images in clinical practice. Results: The first study showed that WB-SPECT/CT performed better than PBS. The second study revealed that as the number of iterations increased, there was a corresponding improvement in overall contrast recovery, but it also increased noise levels. Additionally, the two smallest spheres (13 and 10 mm) were invisible at 3 s/view as they did not conform to the Rose criterion of Contrast to noise ratio> 5. The final study showed that the data acquired for 480 s and 450 s corresponded to ratings of good image quality, average noise and fair confidence, with no statistically significant difference between the two acquisition times. Conclusion: Rapid scanning approaching 450 seconds per bed position is feasible for WB bone SPECT/CT to provide an optimal balance between acquisition time and image quality. Furthermore, R-PBS derived from fast WB bone SPECT/CT data may be a viable alternative to PBS. Moreover, a reduced acquisition time for SPECT/CT imaging increases the potential of WB-SPECT to be adopted in a broader range of clinical applications

New soft operators related to supra soft δi \delta_i -open sets and applications

This project aimed to introduce the notion of supra soft $\delta_i$-open sets in supra soft topological spaces. Also, we declared the differences between the new concept and other old generalizations. We presented new operators such as supra soft $\delta_i$-interior, supra soft $\delta_i$-closure, supra soft $\delta_i$-boundary and supra soft $\delta_i$-cluster. We found out many deviations to our new operators; to name a few: If $int^s_{\delta_i}(F, E) = (F, E)$, then it doesn't imply that $(F, E) \in SOS_{\delta_i}(X)$. Furthermore, we applied this notion to define new kinds of mappings, like supra soft $\delta_i$-continuous mappings, supra soft $\delta_i$-irresolute mappings, supra soft $\delta_i$-open mappings and supra soft $\delta_i$-closed mappings. We studied their main properties in special to distinguish between our new notions and the previous generalizations. It has been pointed out in this work that many famous previous studies have been investigated here; in fact, I believe that this is an extra justification for the work included in this manuscript

A new species and a key to the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones, Buthidae) from Saudi Arabia

A new species, Leiurus hadb Al-Qahtni, Al-Salem, Alqahtani & Badry, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Majami al-Hadb Protected Area in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. The new species is compared with species of Leiurus distributed in Saudi Arabia, especially L. arabicus Lowe, Yağmur & Kovařík, 2014. The integrated results indicate that the population found in Majami al-Hadb represents a distinct species, which is described herein. Moreover, the molecular analysis is conducted on the mitochondrial gene 16S rRNA to compare L. hadb sp. nov. with samples of L. arabicus and L. haenggii from Saudi Arabia. The analysis revealed a genetic divergence ranging from 6.0 to 12%. The combination of molecular evidence and morphological characteristics provides adequate support for recognizing the Majami al-Hadb population as a distinct species. Additionally, an identification key for the genus Leiurus found in Saudi Arabia is also provided

Physiological, Anatomical, and Agronomic Responses of <i>Cucurbita pepo</i> to Exogenously Sprayed Potassium Silicate at Different Concentrations under Varying Water Regimes

Drought is one of the major environmental stresses that devastatingly impact squash development, growth, and productivity. Potassium silicate can attenuate the injuries caused by water stress. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the influence of three concentrations of potassium silicate; 10, 15, and 20 g/L on squash plants versus untreated control under three irrigation regimes; 100, 75, and 50% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ET). The obtained results indicated that moderate (75% ET) or severe (50% ET) drought stress conditions gradually declined photosynthetic pigments, relative water content (RWC), mineral content, physiological parameters, and anatomical characteristics. These deleterious impacts were reflected on all growth and yield traits, i.e., plant height, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot, and fruit yield. On the other hand, the antioxidant enzyme activities; superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POX) significantly increased under severe drought stress at 50% ET followed by 75% ET. However, all evaluated exogenous applications of potassium silicate substantially enhanced photosynthetic pigments, RWC, N, P, and K content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and anatomical characters (periderm thickness, cortex thickness, midrib thickness, mesophyll thickness, number of xylem vessels per main vascular bundle, thickness of vascular bundle, thickness of collenchymatous tissue and upper epidermis, and thickness of collenchymatous tissue and lower epidermis). These desirable impacts were reflected in enhancing all growth and yield parameters. Conclusively, this study alludes that the exogenously applied of potassium silicate, particularly at 20 g/L, can alleviate the deleterious effects of drought stress and enhance the growth and productivity of squash plants, especially in arid environments

Exploring Salinity Tolerance Mechanisms in Diverse Wheat Genotypes Using Physiological, Anatomical, Agronomic and Gene Expression Analyses

Salinity is a widespread abiotic stress that devastatingly impacts wheat growth and restricts its productivity worldwide. The present study is aimed at elucidating biochemical, physiological, anatomical, gene expression analysis, and agronomic responses of three diverse wheat genotypes to different salinity levels. A salinity treatment of 5000 and 7000 ppm gradually reduced photosynthetic pigments, anatomical root and leaf measurements and agronomic traits of all evaluated wheat genotypes (Ismailia line, Misr 1, and Misr 3). In addition, increasing salinity levels substantially decreased all anatomical root and leaf measurements except sclerenchyma tissue upper and lower vascular bundle thickness compared with unstressed plants. However, proline content in stressed plants was stimulated by increasing salinity levels in all evaluated wheat genotypes. Moreover, Na+ ions content and antioxidant enzyme activities in stressed leaves increased the high level of salinity in all genotypes. The evaluated wheat genotypes demonstrated substantial variations in all studied characters. The Ismailia line exhibited the uppermost performance in photosynthetic pigments under both salinity levels. Additionally, the Ismailia line was superior in the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activity (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes followed by Misr 1. Moreover, the Ismailia line recorded the maximum anatomical root and leaf measurements under salinity stress, which enhanced its tolerance to salinity stress. The Ismailia line and Misr 3 presented high up-regulation of H+ATPase, NHX2 HAK, and HKT genes in the root and leaf under both salinity levels. The positive physiological, anatomical, and molecular responses of the Ismailia line under salinity stress were reflected on agronomic performance and exhibited superior values of all evaluated agronomic traits

Influence of Seed Soaking and Foliar Application Using Ozonated Water on Two Sweet Pepper Hybrids under Cold Stress

The harmful impacts of ozone (O3) on plant development and productivity have been excessively studied. Furthermore, the positive influences of its low concentrations still need to be explored further. The present study was performed to assess the impact of low concentrations of O3 on two sweet pepper hybrids under cold stress. The ozonated water was utilized for seed soaking or foliar application at concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 ppm. Seed soaking using ozonated water for 1 h was compared to soaking in distilled water as a control. Moreover, exogenously ozonated water was sprayed thrice at three-day intervals compared with untreated control. The differences between the applied methods (seed soaking and foliar application using ozonated water) were not statistically detected in most of the evaluated parameters. On the other hand, the evaluated hybrids displayed significant differences in the studied parameters, with the superiority of the Lirica evident in most germination and seedling growth parameters. Both applied methods significantly improved germination and seedling growth parameters. In particular, the concentration of 40 ppm displayed the highest enhancement of the germination index, coefficient velocity, and seedling quality. In addition, it promoted the seedling maintenance of high relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, proline, and ascorbate peroxidase activity under cold stress conditions. Moreover, it protected the cell wall from damage by decreasing membrane permeability (MP). Generally, the best results were obtained from 40 ppm followed by 30 ppm of O3 as seed soaking or foliar spray. The results pointed out the possible use of O3 in a low concentration to protect the plants from cold stress during germination and early plant growth

Antihyperlipidemic effect of bread fortified with potato peel powder against Triton X-100-induced hyperlipidemia in male albino rats

The present investigation aimed to improve the nutritional and healthy values and evaluate the influence of bread fortified with dried potato peels (BPP) on Triton X-100-induced hyperlipidemia in male albino rats. The findings demonstrated that BPP lowered hepatic triglycerides and total cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C). BPP exhibited potential lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective actions that were generated by the reduction of oxidative damage and preservation of the non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant systems compromised by hyperlipidemic condition. Furthermore, BPP considerably enhanced the mRNA expression of AMPKα (AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha), suppressed the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACCα), and decreased the mRNA expression of the adipogenic transcription factor SREBP-1c (sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c), which are essential regulators of hepatocyte lipid metabolism. A histopathological assessment of the liver confirmed the results. In conclusion, this investigation revealed a positive impact of bread fortified with BPP therapy in preventing hyperlipidemia

Influence of Seed Soaking and Foliar Application Using Ozonated Water on Two Sweet Pepper Hybrids under Cold Stress

The harmful impacts of ozone (O3) on plant development and productivity have been excessively studied. Furthermore, the positive influences of its low concentrations still need to be explored further. The present study was performed to assess the impact of low concentrations of O3 on two sweet pepper hybrids under cold stress. The ozonated water was utilized for seed soaking or foliar application at concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 ppm. Seed soaking using ozonated water for 1 h was compared to soaking in distilled water as a control. Moreover, exogenously ozonated water was sprayed thrice at three-day intervals compared with untreated control. The differences between the applied methods (seed soaking and foliar application using ozonated water) were not statistically detected in most of the evaluated parameters. On the other hand, the evaluated hybrids displayed significant differences in the studied parameters, with the superiority of the Lirica evident in most germination and seedling growth parameters. Both applied methods significantly improved germination and seedling growth parameters. In particular, the concentration of 40 ppm displayed the highest enhancement of the germination index, coefficient velocity, and seedling quality. In addition, it promoted the seedling maintenance of high relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, proline, and ascorbate peroxidase activity under cold stress conditions. Moreover, it protected the cell wall from damage by decreasing membrane permeability (MP). Generally, the best results were obtained from 40 ppm followed by 30 ppm of O3 as seed soaking or foliar spray. The results pointed out the possible use of O3 in a low concentration to protect the plants from cold stress during germination and early plant growth