Optimization of exopolysaccharide production by pleurotus ostreatus using diffrent cultivation strategies

Pleurotus ostreatus or known as oyster mushroom was regarded as one of the most cultivated mushroom around the world. One of the qualities it has is it able to produced exopolysaccharide called pleuran which secreted into the medium during submerged fermentation. The polysaccharide composed mainly of ß-(1/3)-D glucose and ß-(1/6)-D glucose linked by glycosidic bond. It has molecular weight of 2.4 X 104 Da with molecular formula of (C6H10O5)x The importance of pleuran is that it has the immunomodulatory properties that associated in triggering our immune system response. Nowadays, submerged fermentation is considered as the best method in cultivation this kind of mushroom. However, the production process of this kind of mushroom and its exopolysaccharide production especially in term of medium component is still unclear. In this research, the objectives were to optimize the medium composition and to find the optimum carbon to nitrogen (C: N) ratio for high exopolysaccharide production. Eight different media was screened and followed by factor by factor optimization of the medium component. The factors that been studied were ideal concentration of glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate. Media number six which contain glucose 60.0 g L-1, yeast extract 2.0 g L-1, (NH4)2SO4 5.0 g L-1, MgSO4.7H2O 0.2 g L-1, K2HPO4 1.0 g L-1 was selected as best media production for P. ostreatus cultivation . The experiment then was further with different concentration of each component in the medium six excluding magnesium sulfate heptahydrate which maintained at 0.2 g L-1 throughout all the experiment stage. The range concentration for glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate was setup between 0 – 120 g L-1, 0 – 4 g L-1, 0 – 5 g L-1 and 0 – 2 g L-1 respectively. In order to get the best C: N ratio for highest exopolysaccharide production, eleven ratio of carbon to nitrogen was experimented ranging from 15:1 to 65:1.Result shown that the optimum concentration for glucose, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and dipotassium phosphate was 80.0, 4.0, 2.5 and 1.0 g L-1 respectively whiles the optimal C: N ratio recorded was 40: 1. The optimized medium also produced 2.83 g L-1 of exopolysaccharide increasingly up to 49 % when compared with un-optimized medium which only produced 1.9 g L-1 of exopolysaccharide

Improving the prognostic value of blunt abdominal trauma scoring systems in children

Purpose Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is a frequent reason for hospital admission and a significant cause of death in children older than 2 years of age. Mechanisms causing abdominal injuries are predominantly motorvehicle accidents, falls, and intentional injuries. Blunt trauma accounts for 90% of pediatric injuries. There are many scoring systems that are designed to monitor victims of BAT and to predict victims who may require conservative management and those who may require surgical intervention. None of these scoring systems is perfect and fulfill the data for accurate prediction of the prognosis of these victims. We assessed three  different clinical scoring systems and their prognostic properties alone and after their modification by adding a plain, erect, abdominal radiographic film to improve their prognostic values.Patients and methods We included all patients presenting with BAT older than 2 years and younger than 18 years. All children were subjected to three different trauma scoring systems. We evaluated all children usingPediatric Trauma Score, Clinical Abdominal Score System, and Blunt Abdominal Trauma in Children. We then added plain, erect, abdominal radiographic films to these systems.Results A total of 250 children with BAT were subjected to three different scoring systems. Among them, 58% were boys and 42% were girls. The cause for BAT in two hundred and two cases was car accidents, falling from heights in seven, and kicks and abuse in 41 cases. The mean time until hospital arrival was 2 h. The mean age was 15 years. The mean time for every scoring system was 5 min. Radiographic imaging showed positive signs of trauma (air under diaphragm, elevated copula of diaphragm) in 45 patients.Conclusion Adding a simple radiographic film in the erect position of the abdomen and lower chest markedly improved the prognostic value of the different scoring systems included. Keywords: children, scoring systems, traum

Estradiol and ascorbic acid alleviate malathion-induced lung damage in albino Wistar rats: A histopathological study

Aim: To assess the modulatory role of estradiol and ascorbic acid in malathion-induced pulmonary toxicity in albino Wistar rats. Methods: A total of twenty albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups; the control group (group 1) was given corn oil alone, the test group (group 2) received a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil, treatment group A (group 3) was administered a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil plus estradiol 40 µg/100 g (gram), and treatment group B (group 4) received a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil plus ascorbic acid 100 mg/kg. Experimental rats were administered once daily for four weeks. The lungs were examined histopathologically using two staining methods (Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson Trichrome). Results: There were significant reductions in degeneration, interstitial pneumonia and interstitial fibrosis for group 3 (treatment group A) compared to group 2 (test group) (p<0.05). These reductions were more statistically significant for group 4 (treatment group B) compared to group 2 (test group) (p<0.01). Therefore, the damage was less pronounced and injury severity was moderate in group 3 treated with estradiol. Group 4, with ascorbic acid, showed the most improvement with significant tissue repair under microscopic examination and mild injury compared to group 3. Conclusions: The results of our present study suggest that both estradiol and ascorbic acid have clear protective effects against malathion-induced lung injury. However, ascorbic acid exhibited more pronounced protective effects compared to estradiol. With more comprehensive studies, the positive effects of ascorbic acid and estradiol can be used to prevent lung damage in individuals exposed to malathion

Assessment of left ventricular function by global longitudinal strain in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: Comparative study with conventional method

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a strong prognostic parameter in patients with heart disease. The assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) from speckle-tracking analysis of 2-dimensional echocardiography has become a clinically feasible alternative to LVEF for the measurement of myocardial function.Objective: The aim of the current work was to compare between GLS speckle tracking echocardiography and Simpson’s biplane methods for assessment of left ventricular function in non-STEMI patients.Patients and methods: This study was carried out in Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University on 44 non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients scheduled for assessment of Left ventricular function by GLS and biplane Simpson method.Result: Mean systolic blood pressure was 122.05±18.37 mmHg. No statistically significant difference in systolic blood pressure was found across GLS groups (P= 0.17). Mean diastolic blood pressure was 73.41±12.00 mmHg. No statistically significant difference in diastolic blood pressure was found across GLS groups (P= 0.35). Mean heart rate was 68.84±7.13 bpm, and a statistically significant difference was found in heart rate across GLS groups (P= 0.039).Conclusion: It could be concluded that GLS speckle tracking echocardiography and Simpson’s biplane methods can be used as alternative different parameters for assessment of left ventricular function in non-STEMI patients

Non-manifesting AHI1 truncations indicate localized loss-of-function tolerance in a severe Mendelian disease gene

Determination of variant pathogenicity represents a major challenge in the era of high-throughput sequencing. Erroneous categorization may result if variants affect genes that are in fact dispensable. We demonstrate that this also applies to rare, apparently unambiguous truncating mutations of an established disease gene. By whole-exome sequencing (WES) in a consanguineous family with congenital non-syndromic deafness, we unexpectedly identified a homozygous nonsense variant, p.Arg1066*, in AHI1, a gene associated with Joubert syndrome (JBTS), a severe recessive ciliopathy. None of four homozygotes expressed any signs of JBTS, and one of them had normal hearing, which also ruled out p.Arg1066* as the cause of deafness. Homozygosity mapping and WES in the only other reported JBTS family with a homozygous C-terminal truncation (p.Trp1088Leufs*16) confirmed AHI1 as disease gene, but based on a more N-terminal missense mutation impairing WD40-repeat formation. Morpholinos against N-terminal zebrafish Ahi1, orthologous to where human mutations cluster, produced a ciliopathy, but targeting near human p.Arg1066 and p.Trp1088 did not. Most AHI1 mutations in JBTS patients result in truncated protein lacking WD40-repeats and the SH3 domain; disease was hitherto attributed to loss of these protein interaction modules. Our findings indicate that normal development does not require the C-terminal SH3 domain. This has far-reaching implications, considering that variants like p.Glu984* identified by preconception screening (‘Kingsmore panel') do not necessarily indicate JBTS carriership. Genomes of individuals with consanguineous background are enriched for homozygous variants that may unmask dispensable regions of disease genes and unrecognized false positives in diagnostic large-scale sequencing and preconception carrier screenin

Environmental Friendly Applications of Ground Tire Rubber (GTR) in Producing Concrete

Millions of waste automobile tires are generated yearly, an ever-growing issue for solid waste management authorities in Arkansas. Using waste tires as fuel generates toxic gases or dumping them in landfills is not sustainable. Hence, it is crucial to minimize the issues of managing and disposing of waste tires and incorporate them into concrete as construction material. This study aimed to investigate the fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of concrete incorporating waste ground tire rubber (GTR) as a replacement for sand and micronized rubber powder (MRP) as a replacement for cement. A total of eight concrete mixtures were prepared using 4%, 7%, and 10% MRP as cement replacement and 5%, 10%, and 15% GTR as a sand replacement to determine slump, unit weight, air content, compressive, tensile and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, drying shrinkage, alkali-silica reaction (ASR), sulfate attack, and scaling resistance. Experimental results showed that the addition of GTR and MRP in concrete reduced the workability and unit weight and increased the air content compared to the control mixture. Concrete mixtures containing 10% MRP and 15% GTR satisfied the ACI durability freeze-thaw criteria. Adding GTR and MRP in concrete decreased the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength and elastic modulus for mechanical properties. Concrete mixtures containing 5% GTR, and 16% and 13% MRP achieved the requirement of having 4000-psi threshold strength at 28 days of ARDOT. Increasing GTR and MRP content in concrete increased drying shrinkage and sulfate attack expansion compared to the control mixture. However, the incorporation of GTR and MRP in concrete substantially reduced the ASR expansion compared to the control mixture. The scaling resistance test results showed that the effect of deicing chemicals was comparatively higher on GTR-modified concrete compared to MRP-modified concrete. Considering the overall performance, the 5% replacement level of GTR and the 4% replacement level of MRP can be used for producing low-cost, durable, and sustainable concrete

Mathematics Distance Learning and Learning Loss During COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ Perspectives

This study aimed to assess the experience of teachers during the Learning Loss and the appropriateness of its content and to identify the mechanisms of confronting it from the mathematics teachers' perspectives in Oman. The sample consisted of (46) male and female teachers who were taught the learning loss of mathematics in public schools during the academic year 2021/2022. A questionnaire with three domains (Learning Loss Content, Teacher, and Mechanisms for Coping with Learning Loss) was adopted. The results showed that the degree of teachers’ assessment of the learning loss experience came to a high degree. Besides, it showed that the experience of learning loss succeeded wildly among female teachers and achieved the necessary learning outcomes more than in male schools. It is recommended to take advantage of the current results in this study in preparing training programs for teachers to help them dealing with the difficulties that they faced by learning loss and conduct more studies dealing with the issue of learning loss in different samples and other stages

Feasibility Assessment of Warm Mix Asphalt in Arkansas

The future of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies is promising in the U.S. However, the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) does not have any specific guidelines to implement them in the field. This research aims to provide necessary baseline data for WMA as a proof of concept. In this study, three ARDOT approved Performance Grade (PG) binders namely PG 64-22, PG 70-22, and PG 76-22 were investigated. Each of these binders was obtained from two different sources. They were modified by varying doses of four selected additives: Sasobit®, Advera®, Evotherm®, and Rediset®. Additionally, four different types of aggregates (sandstone, limestone, gravel, and dolomite) from different quarries in Arkansas were evaluated for their compatibility with modified binders. Empirical test (Penetration test), Superpave Performance tests such as Rotational Viscometer, Rolling Thin-Film Oven (RTFO), Pressure-Aging Vessel (PAV), Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), and Bending Beam Rheometer), PG Plus tests such as Multiple Stress Creep Recovery and Frequency Sweep, chemical analyses (SARA analysis, FTIR, pH), science-based test (Surface Free Energy), and Texas Boiling Test on loose mixture samples were conducted at different aging conditions. Based on the RV test results, reduced mixing and compaction temperatures have been observed for Sasobit®, Evotherm®, and Rediset® modified samples. The DSR test results suggest that both Sasobit® and Advera® can reduce rut potential. On the other hand, BBR test results indicate that both Evotherm® and Rediset® have the capabilities of improved resistances against fatigue and low-temperature thermal cracking. Binder samples modified by these have also demonstrated minimal stripping in SFE and Texas Boiling Test. Advera® has modified the chemical compositions of the neat binders, which was also observed in the SARA analysis. The findings of this study will help the agency to select the most appropriate WMA additive along with its application rate

Remaking urban spaces in Egypt : a study of Bulaq Abul Ela planning schemes 1960-2005.

This thesis examines the shifting politics of remaking the urban experience in post-colonial Cairo, through investigating the account of remaking an old historical district, namely, Bulaq Abul Ela. It examines the extent to which planning approaches and ambitions to improve the quality of the built environment have achieved their objectives and attended to people's changing needs. To achieve this aim, critical analysis of the chronological development of the remaking process, planning institutions and legislation in Egypt has been undertaken in the context of three re-planning schemes for Bulaq, drafted between 1966 and 2005. Understanding spatial quality, in this context, indicates an intersection between two realms: spatial settings and social needs, which both influence the process of space reproduction in Cairo. The schemes are investigated on two levels; first, there is a careful study of the planning institution's ambitions for improving Bulaq's spatial qualities; second, there is critical analysis of how such visions were imposed on the schemes, and how this affected their credibility in terms of improving the district. Through each scheme, the district's conditions, approved re-planning actions, proposed physical attributes and land uses will be discussed and analyzed. The study is based on detailed accounts of original reports, meetings, decrees, correspondents' archives, interviews and fieldwork that took place between 2008 and 2009, and has relied on original documents from various planning institutions, and local newspapers in Egypt. The investigated schemes revealed a consistent clarity of the planning institution's visions towards remaking old districts, but alongside this, there is evidence of a lack of coherent processes in planning and of implementing these visions. Not only was there an apparent conflict between the planning institution's underlying objectives towards re-planning Bulaq, and people's needs, but within the planning institution itself there was a lack of reliability and consistency in performing its role, in which respect it was impeded by the absence of an effective legislative framework to guide planning practices in Egypt. The study revealed that Bulaq's spatial qualities are grounded in the historical authenticity of the district, its physical attributes, and the vibrant mix of activities and land usage practised in Bulaq's urban spaces. Thus, investigating Bulaq re-planning schemes has allowed the research to find new meanings, images, stories, and places to replace the increasingly undesirable authentic fabric of the district. Against this background, continuous dialogue for participation, shared commitments, and flexible planning approaches, have emerged as necessary and, indeed, the only tools through which improvement of the built environment and creation of a successful remaking project may be achieved