Evaluation the mechanical harvesting efficiency of olive with the application of fruit loosening spray

Abstract: Olive is harvested mainly by hand in the Mediterranean. This resulted in steady rising of harvesting cost due to shortage of skilled labors at harvesting time. Operation cost might be reduced and harvesting processes will be carried out on time if mechanical harvesters are used. In 2015 an experiment was performed to study the effects of mechanical harvester and use of loosening agent on harvesting productivity and efficiency. The experiment was conducted using randomized complete block with two regional olive varieties Nabali Rosie and Nabali. Harvesting productivity by hand (hand picking), pneumatic comb and branch shaker machines were evaluated. Ethrel abscission chemical was used two weeks before harvesting as an abscission and loosening agent at three concentration levels: 0, 1500 and 3000 ppm. The results showed that harvesting techniques and Ethrel amount had significant effects on yield productivity at α = 0.01. The harvesting productivity increased by two and four times compared to traditional method (hand harvesting) using pneumatic comb and branch shaker machines, respectively. The fruit detachment force (FDF) was also significantly affected by abscission dosage at α = 0.01. It was reduced from 9.35 N to 5.65 N for Nabali Rosie at ethrel level of 1500 ppm. This reduction in FDF as result of abscission application increased the removal percentage and harvesting production of olives. The percentages of injured fruits and detached leaves were acceptable with less than 10% and 12%, respectively

<i>MICA</i> Polymorphism and Genetic Predisposition to T1D in Jordanian Patients: A Case-Control Study

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder whose etiology includes genetic and environmental factors. The non-classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I chain-related gene A (MICA) gene has been associated with increased susceptibility to T1D as the interaction of MICA to the Natural Killer Group 2D (NK2GD) receptors found on the cell surface of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells is responsible for inducing immune responses. MICA polymorphisms were reported in association with T1D among different ethnic groups. However, data from different populations revealed conflicting results, so the association of MICA polymorphisms with predisposition to T1D remains uncertain. The aim of this sequencing-based study was to identify, for the first time, the possible MICA alleles and/or genotypes that could be associated with T1D susceptibility in the Jordanian population. Polymorphisms in exons 2–4 and the short tandem repeats (STR) in exon 5 of the highly polymorphic MICA gene were analyzed. No evidence for association between T1D and MICA alleles/genotypes was found in this study, except for the MICA*011 allele which was found to be negatively associated with T1D (p = 0.023, OR = 0.125). In conclusion, MICA polymorphisms seem not to be associated with increasing T1D susceptibility in Jordanian patients

Immunogenetic Profiling of SLE and LN among Jordanian Patients

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a prolonged inflammatory autoimmune disease, which is characterized by a high titer of serological autoantibodies. Interactions between environmental and genetic factors play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of SLE. Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes, namely HLA-class II genes, are one of the main candidate genes that increase susceptibility to SLE. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the association of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 genes among Jordanian patients diagnosed with SLE and Lupus Nephritis (LN) using the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Sequence-Specific Primer (PCR-SSP) technique. This study showed that SLE is positively associated with DRB1*0301, DRB1*1101, DRB1*1102 and HLA-DQB1*0601. Furthermore, HLA-DRB1*0301, DRB1*1101, HLA-DRB1*1501 and HLA-DQB1*0601 were found to be linked to SLE patients with LN. In addition, haplotypes HLA-DRB1*0301/DQB1*0201 and HLA-DRB1*1501/DQB1*0601 were found to be linked to SLE and LN. Our findings may serve as possible predictive markers for early screening for LN risk in SLE patients. In light of these results, the role of HLA gene polymorphisms may help in understanding the clinical course, prognosis of the disease and developing better treatment strategies for SLE patients. In addition, it may help in early diagnosis, prevention, intervention and management of the disease

Parents’ attitudes, knowledge and practice towards vaccinating their children against COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

The question of whether children should be vaccinated against COVID-19 is currently being argued. The risk-benefit analysis of the vaccine in children has been more challenging because of the low prevalence of acute COVID-19 in children and the lack of confidence in the relative effects of the vaccine and the disease. One of the most convincing arguments for vaccinating healthy children is to protect them from long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to assess Jordanian parents’ intention to vaccinate their children. This is an Internet-based cross-sectional survey. The researchers prepared a Google Forms survey and shared the link with a number of Jordanian Facebook generic groups. Data were gathered between September and November 2021. In this study, convenience sampling was used. Knowledge about COVID-19 and preventive practices against COVID-19 were calculated for each participant. A total of 819 participants completed the survey (female = 70.9%). Of these, 274 (30.2%) participants intended to vaccinate their children, whereas the rest were either unsure 176 (21.5%) or intended not to vaccinate their children 396 (48.4%). The variables that increased the odds of answering “No” vs “Yes” to “will you vaccinate your children against COVID-19” included not willing to take the vaccines themselves (OR 3.75; CI, 1.46–9.62) and low protective practice group (OR 1.73;CI, 1.12–2.68). Participants had significant levels of refusal/hesitancy. Several barriers to vaccination were identified; attempts to overcome these should be stepped up

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P &lt; 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)