Identification of rice blast disease-suppressing bacterial strains from the rhizosphere of rice grown in Pakistan.

Sixteen bacterial strains isolated from the roots and rhizosphere of rice plants growing in saline and non-saline soils from the Shorkot area of Pakistan were tested for their ability to promote plant growth and reduce the incidence of rice blast disease. When applied to the soil, many of the isolated rhizobacterial strains increased seedling growth and/or suppressed rice blast disease in greenhouse-grown plants of the cultivars Super Basmati and Azucena, but each cultivar responded to different subsets of the bacteria. In the cv Super Basmati, increased blast resistance was correlated with the production of siderophores by the rhizobacteria. Several strains inhibited the growth of the causative agent of rice blast disease, the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, in an in vitro dual culture assay. Direct bioantagonism was correlated with disease resistance in Super Basmati, but not in Azucena, and direct antagonism as a cause for the reduced disease incidence is also unlikely since no epiphytic colonisation of leaves was detected. Rhizosphere colonisation by the bacteria in plants grown in sterile sand was correlated with disease resistance in Super Basmati, but not in Azucena. As well as the differences in strains that protected each cv against blast disease, we also found that there were differences in the ability of some strains to protect plants against blast depending on soil type. Hence, there are complex interactions between rhizobacteria and rice plants with respect to biocontrol of rice blast disease, dependent upon both rice cv and soil type. The identity of strains that promoted high levels of disease protection, including three that performed well across all plant cultivars and growth conditions, was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing

Frequency of Clinical Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Asthmatic Patients

Background: Gastroesophageal reflex is known as an acid reflex, is long term condition where stomach contents back into the oesophagus resulting in either symptoms or complications. GERD disease is caused by weakness or failure of the lower oesophageal sphincter. Symptoms include the acidic taste behind the mouth, heart burn, chest pain, difficult breathing and vomiting. Complication includes esophagitis, oesophageal strictures and barrettes oesophagus. Objective: The aim of this research was to introduce the symptoms of GERD disease in asthmatic patients and how these symptoms worsen the symptoms of asthma disease and what clinical pictures present with the asthmatic disease. Methodology: A designed performa was used to collect the data and after filling the performa, results were drawn and conclusion through the facts and the information given by patients. Results: In the present study among all 164 asthmatic patients, 70 (42.7%) patients showed dyspepsia, 58 (35.4%) were with chest burning, 23 (14%) were asking about chest pain, with acidic mouth taste were 39 (23.8%), 22 (13.4%) were feeling sore throat and 44 (26.8%) showed regurgitation reflex. Among these 164 patients 16 (9.8%) were smokers and 148 (90.2 %) were non-smokers. 47 (28.7%) were males and 117 (71.3%) were females. Conclusion: It is concluded that gastroesophageal reflux disease in asthmatic patients present symptoms of acidic mouth taste, chest burning, chest pain, dyspepsia, regurgitation reflex and sore throat

Optimization and acceptance of enteric MRI in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of bowel. CT and barium fluoroscopy are main stay of radiological investigation but impart high radiation dose. MRI is a safe and less invasive technique to assess bowel. The thesis examines the use of magnetic resonance Imaging in enteric inflammatory bowel disease. A discussion on inflammatory bowel disease and overview of MRI techniques, diagnostic features and review of literature is described. A national survey about the uptake of MRI for the investigation of IBD showed that 38% of radiology departments offered enteric MRI and barium studies remaining the main imaging investigation performed. A proforma administered to clinicians in OPD showed significant increase in their diagnostic confidence for small bowel disease after MRE, which had positive impact on therapeutic strategy of 61% of patients. The results of a prospective studies investigating MR colonography as a biomarker of disease activity are then presented. Quantitative measurements of contrast enhancement in normal colon have shown intersegmental differences. Three proposed qualitative MRI scores of disease activity correlated with endoscopic disease activity, but correlation with histopathological scores was less apparent. The use of unprepared colonic MRI in assessment of acute colitis is then investigated. A qualitative total colonic inflammation score (TCIS) proposed and validated against clinical standards including stool frequency and CRP. It also has prognostic ability for length of hospital stay. Region of interest derived quantitative measurements from the colon wall including T2 signal and contrast enhancement are then compared to a validated clinical score of colitis activity. Quantitative markers seemed less robust then qualitative scores, although quantified contrast enhancement is correlated with disease severity. Patient experiences of MR Colonography and colonoscopy are investigated by using face-to-face qualitative interviews, together with a quantitative questionnaire. Patient preference is highly complex but patients expressed overall preference for MRC

Conceptual framework for telehealth adoption in Indian healthcare

India is a developing country with a large landmass and a huge socio-culturally, economically and, ethnically diverse population. The healthcare system for such a diverse and complex country could entail challenges and difficulties in execution and outreach. Here, the emerging area of Telehealth could afford a place for itself in providing healthcare and health education to a large section of people residing in areas where there is acute shortage of healthcare professionals. Almost, seventy per cent of the population in India are rural. The infrastructure in India, similar to other developing countries, is erratic and differs throughout the country. Similarly, the ICT infrastructure is developed in the urban areas whereas there are insufficient ICT facilities in the rural areas. As telehealth depends on the utilisation of ICT infrastructure it is essential to conduct a study to find out the determinants of ICT adoption in the Indian telehealth environment. Moreover, as evident from relevant literature, telehealth is in a nascent stage in India, with most of the projects currently in a pilot study level. As such, it would be practical to conduct the study from an organisational point of view because the organisational adoption of ICT will eventually foster the implementation of telehealth in the domain of Indian healthcare. The study focuses on developing a conceptual framework of ICT adoption in the Indian telehealth environment, as limited research has been conducted in this area. The study highlighted the drivers and barriers of telehealth around the world, reviewed the relevant models of ICT adoption and generated themes to develop the conceptual framework. Empirical testing of the conceptual framework may have the potential to establish and confirm the determinants of ICT adoption in the Indian telehealth environment. The conceptual framework may be utilised for governmental and non-governmental policy level decision making

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Electronic Health Records in the Australian Environment

With the widespread use of medical records and the subsequent rise in the use of electronic health records (EHRs), the success of their adoption has become an important consideration for health agencies. In the current digital environment, the adoption of EHR has become significant because it limits the use of paper trails, and the care may be more effective because it is based on the electronic transfer of patient information. However, an improvement in the quality of the healthcare service is dependent upon how well EHRs are managed in healthcare as many stakeholders will contribute to them. While the advantages of EHRs are significant and cannot be disputed, a number of concerns have been raised regarding their success, as well as the ways in which they are adopted. The diversity of factors that affect the adoption of EHRs in various contexts requires a comprehensive investigation in order to establish a precise knowledge of their adoption in various healthcare settings. Such identification will help to mitigate many issues in their organisation at policy, workflow efficiency adoption and management levels. In this study, various factors that affect the adoption of EHRs in Australia will be identified and explored so as to arrive at a conceptual model that can be empirically tested later. Considering the vast amount of resources being dedicated to the adoption of EHRs in Australia, identifying barriers to their adoption, especially on an organisational level is essential for its success. Many studies have been conducted to understand barriers to the adoption of EHRs in Australia; however, there have been few studies concentrating on an organisational level in order to explore the challenges and obstacles that face specific organisations

A REVISION OF THE GENUS Triticum L. IN EGYPT

This study was conducted to revise the taxonomic identity and clarify specific relationships among the studied Triticum species in Egypt. The studied species included; T. dicoccum (Schrank) Schubl.; T. dicoccoides (Koren ex Asch. & Graebn.) Aaron Sohn. T. tugidum L.; T. durum Desf.; T. pyramidale (Delile ex Schult.) Percival and T. aestivum L. Moreover, the wild Emmer Wheat T. dicoccoides (Koren ex Asch. & Graebn.) Aaron Sohn was recently found in Egypt as a new record. The genus Triticum L. includes 14 species, all of them are cultivated for food except the wild Emmer

Realization of Programmable BPSK Demodulator-Bit Synchronizer using Multirate Processing

This paper presents the design and implementation of programmable BPSK demodulator and bit synchronizer. The demodulator is based on the Costas loop design whereas the bit synchronizer is based on Gardner timing error detector. The advantage of this design is that it offers programmability using multi-rate processing and does not rely on computation of filter coefficients, NCO angle input for each specific data rate and thus avoids computational complexities. The algorithm and its application were verified on Matlab-Simulink and was implemented on ALTERA platform. A 32 kHz BPSK demodulator–bit synchronizer pair catering for data rates from 1 kbps to 8 kbps was implemented.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i3.556

Motivating Tacit Knowledge Sharing: The Role of Perceived Value of Knowledge and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Purpose: This study investigates the challenge of retaining and sharing tacit knowledge during employee transitions in organizations, with a specific focus on software developers' motivations. We examine two key motivational beliefs: the perceived value of knowledge and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and their influence on sharing intentions. Additionally, we explore how these beliefs shape attitudes, subsequently affecting intentions regarding tacit knowledge sharing.   Theoretical Framework: Grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), our research underscores the pivotal role of beliefs in shaping attitudes and intentions related to tacit knowledge sharing. Beliefs, encompassing the Perceived Value of Knowledge and OCB, play a significant role in molding attitudes. Using structural equation modeling, we analyze data collected from 197 software developers, employing confirmatory factor analysis to validate our measurement model and structural model analysis to explore relationships.   Findings: Our findings indicate that software developers are indeed willing to share their tacit knowledge, with their willingness positively influenced by the perceived value of tacit knowledge and engagement in OCB. Attitudes towards sharing tacit knowledge act as mediators in the relationship between these beliefs and sharing intentions.   Implications: In practical terms, organizations can foster tacit knowledge sharing by promoting positive attitudes, recognizing knowledge's perceived value, and cultivating a culture that encourages OCB. This facilitates a conducive environment for sharing, further enhanced by acknowledging and rewarding employees who exhibit OCB. Theoretical implications align with the Theory of Reasoned Action, emphasizing the role of attitude in shaping intentions. Our research contributes uniquely by exploring the underrepresented relationship between perceived knowledge value and tacit knowledge sharing, introducing a novel approach by examining the combined impact of OCB and perceived value. These insights are valuable for organizations looking to cultivate a culture of tacit knowledge sharing, driving innovation and enhancing performance

Does the institutional quality matter for renewable energy promotion in the OECD economies?

This study examines the effect of institutional quality on renewable energy promotion in the OECD economies. The study employs annual data from 1980 to 2014 on 18 OECD economies. The robust panel unit root tests show that all the considered variables have a similar order of integration, indicating that they are nonstationary at their levels but stationary at the first-order differences. The panel cointegration test with structural breaks and cross-section dependence confirms a long-run equilibrium association between institutional quality, renewable energy consumption, and control variables. The analysis of long-run estimations displays that better institutional quality makes a unique and substantial contribution to promoting renewable energy consumption. Overall, the study findings offer important policy implications highlighting the importance of institutional quality for the growth of renewable energy and a sustainable world