Bacillus Thuringiensis Var. Aizawai HD-137 as a Potential Agent for Biological Control

Four strains of Bacillus thuringiensis were screened for their chitinolytic activity on colloidal chitin. B. thuringiensis var. aizawai HD-137 with the GenBank accession number HM173355 showed the highest chitinase activity, which was recorded after 2 days of incubation. The optimum condition for high chitinase production was Nutrient Yeast extract, Salt Medium, NYSM, with 0.2% colloidal chitin, two days of incubation, pH 6 and 30°C. The novel strain B. thuringiensis var. aizawai HD-137 is also considered as a powerful phytopathogenic control agent in which it showed inhibition of the mycelial growth of some phytopathogenic fungi, Alternaria solani, Rhizopus B1 and B2, Fusarium solani and Aspergillus flavus. The clear zones of mycelial inhibition ranged from 12 to 19mm. The partial nucleotides sequence of chitinase gene from B. thuringiensis var. aizawai HD-137 showed similarities to the chitinase producing bacteria in the GenBank, and it was more related to B. thuringiensis (AB699714, GQ921840 and GQ921842) and B. ehimensis chi60 (AB110081). It is obvious that the B. thuringiensis var. aizawai HD-137 is considered as a significant biocontrol agent against phytopathogenic fungi

Adverse effects of moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine and their combination on pregnant rats

Objective: To detail an easy approach to identify the changes that moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine have caused in the dam of female rats.Design: Randomized controlled experimental study.Animals: This study was conducted on thirty-five female (170-200 gm) mature white rats (170-200 gm) and clinically intact, 20 mature male albino rats for the purpose of mating. Procedures: Once mating has occurred, this is considered the first day of pregnancy. Rats were randomly divided into seven groups 1) a control group 2) The moxifloxacin group 6 days 3) the moxifloxacin group 13 days 4) the flunixin meglumine group 6 days 5) the flunixin meglumine group 13 days 6) the moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine mg group 6 days 7) the moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine mg group on day 13. Rats were killed on the days specified for the sixth day and the thirteenth day. Blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical analysis of blood and tissue for pathological examination.Results: Moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine and their combination have been shown to have some negative effects in mothers of rats, so we recommend that caution be exercised when using moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine during pregnancy. It was found that the tested drugs had caused a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels compared to the control group. The histopathological examination of mothers, who were given moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine and their mixtures, showed variable alterations in kidney, liver and placenta. Conclusion and clinical relevance: From the above it is clear that moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine and their combination have caused some negative effects for pregnant rats, so we recommend that you use caution when using moxifloxacin and flunixin meglumine during pregnancy

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity and Heritability of Some Rapeseed (Brassica Napus) Genotypes Using Agronomical and Molecular Traits

High level of heritability and variability were estimated for all traits among genotypes. The genetic similarity of nine genotypes Brassica napus was estimated by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), which ranged from 69% to 94%. The phylogenetic tree resulted in two different clusters; the first including two genotypes which also showed high similarity in agronomic traits and the second included the rest of the genotypes. The genetic diversity was discussed in relation to molecular and agronomical traits. High and positive correlation were recorded for all traits. The high coupled of heritability and variability is considered as a powerful source for the selection of donors in the breeding program, where the genetic gain depends on the availability of genetic variation and high heritability

APPLICATION OF THERMAL ENERGY HARVESTING IN POWERING WSN NODE WITH EVENT-PRIORITY-DRIVEN DISSEMINATION ALGORITHM FOR IOT APPLICATIONS

Energy Harvesting (EH) has become a crucial part of self-powered autonomous systems, particularly for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) nodes and the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. The main advantages of exploiting Energy Harvesting approach lies on its portability, scalability, and low maintenance, as it reduces the dependency on batteries, therefore offers a sustainable and long-term solution for wireless monitoring over a wide area and a large number of sensor nodes. This paper discusses the use of Thermal Energy Harvesting (TEH) approach to power up a wireless sensor node for IoT applications. Wireless node WSN_1_TEH consists of MEGA328P as the main MCU, nRF24L01 wireless module, and DHT22 sensor. The TEH system consists of two thermoelectric generators with DC-DC boost converter based on MAX757 and an 8200µF storage capacitor. In the experiment, the TEH system was set to function as the only power source for the sensor node; for comparison of its performance with a 7.4 V rechargeable lithium polymer battery-powered counterpart, by operating for 40 hours continuously. In order to reduce power consumption, the WSN_1_TEH node was equipped with an energy-aware EventPriority-Driven Dissemination algorithm. It was developed to manage the WSN_1_TEH operation and to make the sink station able to detect a missing wireless node within the network, which will guarantee the nodes integrity detection. This algorithm will send out data packet based on event or priority, every 20 s of sleeping period. Besides power saving, it also reduces the overall network traffic. Based on the findings, the overall power consumption of this node is 39 mW in “active with transmission” mode, 28-32 mW in “active without transmission” mode, and only 23 mW when operating in “sleep” mode

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE POWER CONSUMPTION OF 315 MHz RF ASK TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER MODULES FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK NODE

Sensor node in WSNs is the major bottle neck that restricts WSNs realization due to limited processing, communication ability and power sources. The communication or wireless transmission unit has noticeable effects on wireless sensor node system, since its power consumption is dependent on the transferred data package size. This research paper presents evaluation and characterization of transmission time, minimum amount of operating voltage and current, and hence the power required to transmit certain size packets of data of an off-shelf RF ASK 315 MHz wireless module. A microcontroller with the VirtualWire library was used to provide data to the transmitter module and transmit it to the receiver, located 2 m apart, with transmitting rate of 2 kbit/s. The experimental outcome showed that the tested module would need 50 ms with 0.3 mW in order to transmit a byte of data. The transmission time increased proportionally with the data package size. Meanwhile, the transmission power increased in logarithmic manner with the data package size

Reaction of N,N '-disubstituted hydrazinecarbothioamides with 2-bromo-2-substituted acetophenones

Reaction of hydrazinecarbothioamides with 2-bromoacetophenones furnished the formation of thiazole-, bis-thiazole-, pyrazole- and 1,3,4-thiadiazole- derivatives in good yields. The mechanism was discussed. The structures of products were proved by MS, IR, NMR, elemental analyses and X-ray structure analyses. [GRAPHICS] .Peer reviewe

Interaction of Curves Proposed for Design and Analysis of Hollow Reinforced Concrete Columns

This Study is aimed to present a simplified approach enable to construction of a new design charts for hollow section reinforced concrete columns subjected to an axial compressive load and uniaxial bending. These design charts can be used directly in the analysis and design of hollow section columns. These charts can be used in design to determine the required amount of steel reinforcing in addition to the required column dimensions, while in the analysis by using these charts; the column load capacity can be estimated. Two design examples are given to explain the use of the new design charts. It has been shown by these examples that the new proposed charts are very simple to use in structural design applications

Optimising degradation and mechanical performance of additively manufactured biodegradable Fe–Mn scaffolds using design strategies based on triply periodic minimal surfaces

Additively manufactured lattices based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) have attracted significant research interest from the medical industry due to their good mechanical and biomorphic properties. However, most studies have focussed on permanent metallic implants, while very little work has been undertaken on manufacturing biodegradable metal lattices. In this study, the mechanical properties and in vitro corrosion of selective laser melted Fe–35%Mn lattices based on gyroid, diamond and Schwarz primitive unit-cells were comprehensively evaluated to investigate the relationships between lattice type and implant performance. The gyroid-based lattices were the most readily processable scaffold design for controllable porosity and matching the CAD design. Mechanical properties were influenced by lattice geometry and pore volume. The Schwarz lattices were stronger and stiffer than other designs with the 42% porosity scaffold exhibiting the highest combination of strength and ductility, while diamond and gyroid based scaffolds had lower strength and stiffness and were more plastically compliant. The corrosion behaviour was strongly influenced by porosity, and moderately influenced by geometry and geometry-porosity interaction. At 60% porosity, the diamond lattice displayed the highest degradation rate due to an inherently high surface area-to-volume ratio. The biodegradable Fe–35Mn porous scaffolds showed a good cytocompatibility to primary human osteoblasts cells. Additive manufacturing of biodegradable Fe–Mn alloys employing TPMS lattice designs is a viable approach to optimise and customise the mechanical properties and degradation response of resorbable implants toward specific clinical applications for hard tissue orthopaedic repair

Genomic and serum tumor markers in Egyptian females with and without family cancer history

OBJECTIVE: Multiple variables affect the probability of development of cancer. The present study aimed to screen Egyptian females for early prognostic cancer markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), the soluble form of transmembrane mucin protein (CA15-3), MUC1 and important sex hormones (Progesteron, Oestrogen, and Prolactin) and three germline BRCA1/2 founder mutations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-five DNA samples were screened for 185delAG and 5382insC in the BRCA1 and 6174delT in the BRCA2 genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-directed mutagenesis. Each sample of the 185delAG and the 6174delT mutations was confirmed using Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Nine suspected PCR products of 185delAG and the forty-five amplicons of 6174delT mutations were further confirmed using Sanger sequencing. Sex hormones (Progesteron, Oestrogen, and Prolactin) and cancer antigens (CA 15-3 and CEA) concentrations were quantitatively determined in serum samples using ELISA. RESULTS: We found significant associations only for oestrogen (p-value=0.036), while non-significant (p-value= 0.123) hyperprolactinemia with cancer history. But none of the individuals carried the BRCA1/2 studied mutations while new variants were detected; (delA) in position 93865, deletion (delA) or substitution of A by G (A/G) in position 93858 and (insA) in position 93844 with frequency of 50%, 50%, 25% and 25%, respectively, in subjects with cancer history. CONCLUSIONS: The serum level of oestrogen could be a useful non-invasive cancer marker while significant association of hyperprolactinemia and the new BRCA1/2 variants with cancer needs extra study