The degree of practicing art education activities and its relationship with happiness (a field study on a sample of six grade students in Tartous city)

  The aim of the research is to know the degree of practicing the art education activities among the sixth grade students and the level of their happiness, as well as the differences between the average of the assessment of the members of the research sample to the degree of practicing the art education activities, the level of happiness according to the gender variation, and to know the connection relationship between the average concepts of the sample's members to practicing art education activities and their average concepts to happiness, In order to achieve the objectives of the research, a questionnaire consisting of (38) clauses were distributed on four fields for practicing art education and another questionnaire for the level of feeling of happiness reached (28) clauses, and applied to a sample of (246) students for the academic year 2017/2018. The current research uses an analytical descriptive approach. The results of the study indicated that the degree of practicing of art education activities among the sixth grade students was on average, and the level of their happiness was on average ,too. The results showed a statistical difference between the responses of the research sample members on the degree of practicing art education activities for sixth graders And the level of their sense of happiness for the gender variation in favor of females. The results showed a strong correlation between the degree of practice of art education activities and the level of happiness among students in the sixth graders

Creative thinking and its relation to motivation achievement (Field study on a sample of pioneers of the vanguards in Banias region)

  The aim of the research is to identify the level of creative thinking among the research sample members of Pioneers of the vanguards in Banias region, as well as the level of their achievement motivation, and defining the relationship between creative thinking and motivation of achievement among the research sample members, as well as the difference among pioneers of the vanguards of the level of creative thinking, For the variable (specialization). In order to achieve the objective of the research, the descriptive approach was used. The sample included (86) students of Pioneers of the vanguards in Banias region for the academic year 2017/2018.Two scales were applied, The first, Torrance for Creative Thinking (B), included four skills (fluency, flexibility, originality, details), and the second (achievement motivation scale), which included (33) clauses. And reached several results, the most important of which: - The level of creative thinking among the members of the research sample of pioneers of the vanguards in Banias region came at a low level. - The level of motivation for achievement among the members of the research sample of pioneers in Banias region was high. - There is a significant statistical correlation between the creative thinking and the motivation of achievement among the research sample of pioneers of the vanguards in Banias region. - There is a difference of statistical significance among the sample members in the level of creative thinking among the members of the research sample of the pioneers of the vanguards according to the variable (specialization) in favor of specialists in mathematics and arts. - There is a statistically significant difference among the sample members in the level of achievement motivation among the members of the research sample of the pioneers of the vanguards according to the variable (specialization) in favor of specialists in mathematics and Arabic language

Job satisfaction and its relationship to the psychological happiness of teachers in schools of talent and ordinary -A field study in the cities of Tartous and Lattakia

  The aim of the research is to identify the level of job satisfaction of teachers in the schools of talent and ordinary in the cities of Tartous and Lattakia, as well as the level of their psychological happiness, and the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological happiness among the research sample of teachers, as well as the difference between teachers in the level of job satisfaction, and the level of  psychological happiness they have depending on the variables (school type, educational experience, city). In order to achieve the objective of the research, the descriptive analytical method was used. The sample included 254 teachers from schools of talent and ordinary in the cities of Tartous and Lattakia for the academic year 2017/2018. Two measures were applied. The first (job satisfaction scale), included 24 clauses, and the second, (Psychological Happiness Scale) included 28 clauses. And reached several results, the most important of them: - The level of job satisfaction of teachers in the schools of talent and ordinary came to a medium degree - The level of psychological happiness of teachers in the schools of talent and ordinary came to a medium degree. - There is a significant statistical correlation between the level of job satisfaction and the level of psychological happiness among the members of the research sample of teachers in the schools of talent and ordinary in the cities of Tartous and Lattakia. - There is a statistically significant difference among the sample of teachers in the level of job satisfaction, as well as in the level of psychological happiness according to the variables (type of school), in favor of schools of talent. - There were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) among the sample of teachers in the level of job satisfaction, as well as in the level of psychological happiness according to the variable (educational experience). - There was no statistically significant difference at the level of significance (0.05) among the sample of teachers in the level of job satisfaction, as well as in the level of psychological happiness according to the variable (city)

Natural Dyes in Cyanide and Anion Sensing

Cyanide is one of anions of concern due to its high toxicity. It causes death at a low dosage (2.6 mM) and the allowable level should be lower than 1.9 mmolar according to World health Organization (WHO). Cyanide contamination in the environment comes from many sources as metallurgy, gold mining, cyanide fishing, manufacturing acrylonitriles and related polymers, and natural sources. Cyanide also is present in some foods and food products such as cassava, bitter almonds, apple seeds, and some beans. The wide spread of cyanide in these food is of concern and the levels should be monitored and evaluated. In addition cyanide, may leak and get into water bodies or soil accidentally or intentionally, therefore, developing an easy, simple method for its detection is a priority. Many methods have been developed for detection of cyanide and anions such as titrations, distillations, GC-ECD, and spectrophotometrically. Colorimetric methods have been developed which are easy and simple that can give qualitative results visually and quantitatively using absorption or fluorescence spectroscopy. We have tuned into using dyes and natural dyes that are none toxic and available to use as visual (colorimetric) using both absorption and fluorescence techniques. Curcumin [1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione] is obtained from dry rhizomes of Curcuma longa, as the main yellow pigment used as spices, cosmetic and traditional medicine. It has been reported that curcumin also has many pharmacological functions like antioxygenation, antibiosis and antitumor. Despite the fact that extensive colorimetric and related photophysical studies of curcumin has been extensively studied, less study has done on its potentiality in application as a colorimetric and naked eye sensor of biologically and environmentally important anions like fluoride, acetate and phosphate. Some studies reported interaction of curcumin with cyclodextrin based on changes in basicity in acetonitrile which showed its importance in supramolecular chemistry. We herein describe a simple and efficient visible colorimeric cyanide and fluoride ions detection using commercially available curcumin as a receptor. The method could allow application in detection of curcumin, fluoride and cyanide, important chemical and biological species The choice of curcumin as a sensor for anion was mainly based on the fact that curcumin is a phenol and therefore exist in a equilibrium between its protonated and deprotonated forms in relatively basic media. It also contains a carbonyl group succeptable to nucleophilic addition, this will make it have two anion receptors., hydroxyl for hydrogen bonding to associate with basic anions. The carbonyl is areceptor for nucleophilc anions such as cyanide. Due to this reason curcumin can interact differently with different anions and enhance its selectivity based on the sovent choice. It will behave as a chemodosimeter. Acetonitrile, a polar aprotic solvent is is a good media for the analysis, it does not compete with anion in the recognition sites of curcumin. Variation in color changes of curcumin in acetonitrile was done by addition of aliquots of various anions as tetrabutylammonium salts. Addition of fluoride and cyanide ions induced color change from yellow, purple, blue to deep blue with intensity at every level dependent on the fluoride ion concentration. Acetate ion changed the color of solution to light purple, while dihydrogen phosphate induced only a tinge of color enhancement. Chloride, bromide and perchlorate were found to show no effect on the solution of curcumin. In an aquaeous acetonitrile solution the effect was observed only for cyanide only with a clear color change from yellow to red. While other anions had no significant effect. This indicates that the mechanism of interaction is based on nucleophilic addition in the case of cyanide in aqueous media and hydrogen bonding in nonpeotoc solvents. The stoichiometry was determinned to be 1:1 for cyanide and 1:2 for fluoride. The binding constants and detection limits were calculated form the UV-vis absorption titrations. In this presentation the method, structures of dye and complexes, the titration curves, color changes, binding constants and aplication will be discussed.qscienc

Interspecies Interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli in vitro

Microbial interactions are frequently categorized according to how they affect each population in a binary system. We aimed to determine the interaction between P . aeruginosa, S . aureus, and E . coli in-vitro. In this experimental hospitalized patients’ sputum, urine, and blood samples were used to collect a total of 90 clinical isolates for the study in Damanhour Medical National Institute, Behira, Egypt, followed by accurate identification and testing for antibiotic sensitivity. To examine the effect of the supernatant of P. aeruginosa on S. aureus and E. coli determined MIC using broth microdilution method. We also measured the activity of lasA protease by assessing the S. aureus cell lysis potential of P. aeruginosa culture supernatants. Extraction of pyocyanin was made to determine the change in the cell nature of S. aureus upon exposure to pyocyanin by using a scanning electron microscope and the shape of colonies on the culture media was determined. Finally, we detect lasA, operon phz, phzM, phzS and rhlAB genes for P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa showed a great impact on S. aureus isolates resistant to different antibiotics as it facilitates their killing and may drive the normal colonies of S. aureus into SCVs. The ability to form biofilm by S. aureus and E. coli decreased in the presence of Pseudomonas supernatant

Prognostic value of B-cell maturation antigen, CD56 expression and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio in patients with multiple myeloma

Introduction: B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) plays a critical role in regulating B-cell proliferation and differentiation into plasma cells. CD56 is involved in the adhesion of myeloma cells to the bone marrow matrix. Thus, lack of CD56 expression is associated with a higher incidence of extramedullary disease. An elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been recognized as a poor prognostic factor in various hematological malignancies.The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of BCMA, CD56 and NLR as novel prognostic markers in multiple myeloma (MM).Material and methods: The study included 80 subjects, 40 MM patients, and 40 normal healthy age- and sex-matched controls. BCMA was analyzed by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay. Flow cytometry was used for the determination of CD56 expression. NLR was calculated from the complete blood count differential count. All patients received six cycles of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone (VCD). Treatment outcome was assessed and progression-free survival (PFS) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.Results: Patients who achieved complete remission showed lower BCMA levels, positive CD56 expression, and lower NLR. Moreover, higher BCMA levels and CD56 negative expression were significantly associated with shorter PFS.Conclusions: Our study emphasizes the importance of BCMA, CD56 and   NLR to predict the clinical outcome in MM patients. This could help in better risk stratification and tailored clinical management of MM patients

Telomere length and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) level in patients with acute myeloid leukemia: Impact on clinical outcome

The response to treatment and overall survival of patients with AML is heterogeneous. Prognostic factors are urgently needed in order to be able to better predict treatment outcomes. The aim of the present work was to study telomere length and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) level in acute myeloid leukemia and to detect if these parameters might be useful in providing insight into the clinical outcome of AML patients. ELISA technique was used to measure hTERT level quantitative PCR for measuring telomere length. The study included 70 individuals, 50 patients with acute myeloid leukemia and twenty healthy individuals with comparable age and sex. There was statistically significant higher level of hTERT and lower RTL in patients than controls. The patients were treated according to the standard chemotherapy protocol for induction and they were followed up by bone marrow examination. Mean hTERT level in patients who did not achieve complete hematological remission was statistically significant higher than that in patients who achieved complete hematological remission (48.87 and 34.32 respectively) (z=−1.98, p=0.048). Mean RTL in patients who achieved remission was higher than that in patients who did not achieve remission (0.56 and 0.37 respectively). However, it did not reach statistical significance. Median survival time in patients who achieved remission was statistically significant longer than that in those who did not achieve remission (26ms and 4ms respectively).It was found that both relative telomere length and hTERT could be used for assessing clinical behavior and predicting treatment outcome in AML patients

GC/MS and LC-MS/MS phytochemical evaluation of the essential oil and selected secondary metabolites of Ajuga orientalis from Jordan and its antioxidant activity

The current investigation aimed to shed light in the volatile and non-volatile secondary metabolites of Ajuga orientalis L. from Jordan. GC/MS and GC/FID analysis of the hydrodistilled essential oil obtained from aerial parts of the plant revealed tiglic acid (18.90 %) as main constituent. Each of the methanol and butanol fractions of A. orientalis were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity determined by DDPH and ABTS methods. The extracts were then analyzed by LC-ESI-MS/MS to unveil their chemical constituents, especially phenols and flavonoids. Results showed that the AO-B extract had the highest TPC (217.63 ± 2.65 mg gallic acid/g dry extract), TFC (944.41 ± 4.77 mg quercetin /g dry extract), highest DPPH and ABTS antioxidant activity ((4.00 ± 0.20) × 10-2; (3.00 ± 0.20) × 10-2 mg/mL, respectively) as compared to the AO-M extract. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of both extracts revealed the presence of several phenolics, flavonoids and nonphenolic acids

Ballota saxatilis from Jordan: Evaluation of Essential Oil Composition and Phytochemical Profiling of Crude Extracts and Their In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity

The chemical composition of essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl from Jordan has been elucidated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, aqueous methanol (BsA), Butanol (BsB) and water (BsW) extracts were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities using the 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) methods. The most potent extracts were screened for their phenolic acids and flavonoid content using liquid the chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. The results indicated that the essential oil predominantly contained cis-pinane (14.76%), β-caryophyllene (8.91%) and allo-aromadendrene epoxide (6.39%). Among the different extracts investigated, the BsB fraction had the most TPC and TFC (455.79 ± 1.03 µg gallic acid/g dry extract; 272.62 ± 8.28 µg quercetin/g dry extract, respectively) and had the best radical and radical cation scavenging activities, as determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. Quantitative and qualitative LC-MS analyses of BsA and BsB using LC-MS revealed each of the kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (30.29%), chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (7.93%) and luteolin 7-o-glucoside (7.76%) as the main constituents of the BsA fraction. The BsB fraction was rich in 7,4′-dimethoxy-3-hydroxyflavone (34.68%), kaempferol-3,7,4′-trimethyl ether (29.17%) and corymbosin (9.66%) and lower concentration levels of kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (1.63%) and chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (0.51%)

Two new sponge species (Demospongiae: Chalinidae and Suberitidae) isolated from hyperarid mangroves of Qatar with notes on their potential antibacterial bioactivity.

This study presents the taxonomic description of two new sponge species that are intimately associated with the hyperarid mangrove ecosystem of Qatar. The study includes a preliminary evaluation of the sponges' potential bioactivity against pathogens. Chalinula qatari sp. nov. is a fragile thinly encrusting sponge with a vivid maroon colour in life, often with oscular chimneys and commonly recorded on pneumatophores in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zone. Suberites luna sp. nov. is a massive globular-lobate sponge with a greenish-black colour externally and a yellowish orange colour internally, recorded on pneumatophores in the shallow subtidal zone, with large specimens near the seagrass ecosystem that surrounds the mangrove. For both species, a drug extraction protocol and an antibacterial experiment was performed. The extract of Suberites luna sp. nov. was found to be bioactive against recognized pathogens such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, but no bioactive activity was recorded for Chalinula qatari sp. nov. This study highlights the importance of increasing bioprospecting effort in hyperarid conditions and the importance of combining bioprospecting with taxonomic studies for the identification of novel marine drugs.QNRF/URE