Antimicrobial activity of fruits, leaves, seeds and stems extracts of Ziziphus spina -Christi

Petroleum ether , chloroform , methanol and aqueous extracts of the fruits, leaves, seeds and stems of  Ziziphus spina -Christi belonging to the family Rhamnaceae were screened for their antimicrobial activity against six standard bacteria: two Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis ,Staphylococcus aureus),four Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two fungi (Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans)  using the cup plate agar diffusion method. The methanol extracts of all parts showed the highest activity against the bacteria tested followed by chloroform then petroleum ether. The aqueous extracts of all parts were inactive against all bacterial organisms. All four parts of the plant extracts showed no antifungal activity against the two fungi tested. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the most active methanol extracts of fruits, leaves and stems were determine against standard bacteria using the agar plate dilution method. The antibacterial activity of five reference drugs and the antifungal activity of two reference drugs were determined against six bacteria and two fungi and their activities were compared with the activity of the plant extracts

Plant Disease Diagnosing Based on Deep Learning Techniques: A Survey and Research Challenges

Agriculture crops are highly significant for the sustenance of human life and act as an essential source for national income development worldwide. Plant diseases and pests are considered one of the most imperative factors influencing food production, quality, and minimize losses in production. Farmers are currently facing difficulty in identifying various plant diseases and pests, which are important to prevent plant diseases effectively in a complicated environment. The recent development of deep learning techniques has found use in the diagnosis of plant diseases and pests, providing a robust tool with highly accurate results. In this context, this paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature that aims to identify the state of the art of the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in the process of diagnosing and identification of plant pest and diseases. In addition, it presents some issues that are facing the models performance, and also indicates gaps that should be addressed in the future. In this regard, we review studies with various methods that addressed plant disease detection, dataset characteristics, the crops, and pathogens. Moreover, it discusses the commonly employed five-step methodology for plant disease recognition, involving data acquisition, preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. It discusses various deep learning architecture-based solutions that have a faster convergence rate of plant disease recognition. From this review, it is possible to understand the innovative trends regarding the use of CNN’s algorithms in the plant diseases diagnosis and to recognize the gaps that need the attention of the research community

Non-LTE, Relativistic Accretion Disk Fits to 3C~273 and the Origin of the Lyman Limit Spectral Break

We fit general relativistic, geometrically thin accretion disk models with non-LTE atmospheres to near simultaneous multiwavelength data of 3C~273, extending from the optical to the far ultraviolet. Our model fits show no flux discontinuity associated with a hydrogen Lyman edge, but they do exhibit a spectral break which qualitatively resembles that seen in the data. This break arises from relativistic smearing of Lyman emission edges which are produced locally at tens of gravitational radii in the disk. We discuss the possible effects of metal line blanketing on the model spectra, as well as the substantial Comptonization required to explain the observed soft X-ray excess. Our best fit accretion disk model underpredicts the near ultraviolet emission in this source, and also has an optical spectrum which is too red. We discuss some of the remaining physical uncertainties, and suggest in particular that an extension of our models to the slim disk regime and/or including nonzero magnetic torques across the innermost stable circular orbit may help resolve these discrepancies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Architecture in Sudan: The Post–Independence Era (1956-1970). Focus on the Work of Abdel Moneim Mustafa

This article is part of a study on the Sudanese social and political context during the formation of the Modern Movement and the manifestations in built form and spatial expression during the period 1900-1970. The study has been on–going for several years and includes a literature search, local surveys (of unpublished and undocumented information) as well as photographs taken by the authors, sourced from architects or published material. It is argued that the Sudanese response to the International Style was in fact early experimentation in critical regionalism. The most notable architectural heritage in Sudan are the archaeological remains at Kerma and Napata as well as the remains of ancient Meroe about 180 km north of Khartoum. These cultures demonstrated sophistication in building materials and construction techniques. Due to climate changes, political changes and religious changes over a large stretch of time (642AD with the signing of the Bagt Treaty–1898 at the demise of the Mahdist era) the qualities of the built environment became more transient and rudimentary in character with a greater focus on manifesting tradition through body images, clothing and rituals that were not necessarily tied to a particular physical location rather than through monuments. With foreign interest in the strategic location of the Sudan, and as a part of the scramble for Africa, came specific stylistic and technical manifestations

Relativistic Photon Mediated Shocks

A system of equations governing the structure of a steady, relativistic radiation dominated shock is derived, starting from the general form of the transfer equation obeyed by the photon distribution function. Closure is obtained by truncating the system of moment equations at some order. The anisotropy of the photon distribution function inside the shock is shown to increase with increasing shock velocity, approaching nearly perfect beaming at upstream Lorentz factors $\Gamma_{-}>>1$. Solutions of the shock equations are presented for some range of upstream conditions. These solutions are shown to converge as the truncation order is increased.Comment: 5 pages, a shorter version will appear in PR

Development of a Personalized Decision Aid for Breast Cancer Risk Reduction and Management

Background: Breast cancer risk reduction has the potential to decrease the incidence of the disease, yet remains underused. We report on the development a web-based tool that provides automated risk assessment and personalized decision support designed for collaborative use between patients and clinicians. Methods: Under Institutional Review Board approval, we evaluated the decision tool through a patient focus group, usability testing, and provider interviews (including breast specialists, primary care physicians, genetic counselors). This included demonstrations and data collection at two scientific conferences (2009 International Shared Decision Making Conference, 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium). Results: Overall, the evaluations were favorable. The patient focus group evaluations and usability testing (N = 34) provided qualitative feedback about format and design; 88% of these participants found the tool useful and 94% found it easy to use. 91% of the providers (N = 23) indicated that they would use the tool in their clinical setting. Conclusion: BreastHealthDecisions.org represents a new approach to breast cancer prevention care and a framework for high quality preventive healthcare. The ability to integrate risk assessment and decision support in real time will allow for informed, value-driven, and patient-centered breast cancer prevention decisions. The tool is being further evaluated in the clinical setting

A Fresh Look at Grape Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe necator) A and B Genotypes Revealed Frequent Mixed Infections and Only B Genotypes in Flag Shoot Samples

Erysiphe necator populations, causing powdery mildew of grapes, have a complex genetic structure. Two genotypes, A and B, were identified in most vineyards across the world on the basis of fixed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in several DNA regions. It was hypothesized that A populations overwinter as mycelia in grapevine buds, giving rise to so-called flag shoots in spring, and are more sensitive to fungicides than B populations, which overwinter as ascospores and become widespread later in the season. Other studies concluded that the biological significance of these genotypes is unclear. In the spring of 2015, there was a unique opportunity to collect E. necator samples from flag shoots in Hungary. The same grapevines were sampled in summer and autumn as well. A total of 182 samples were genotyped on the basis of beta-tubulin (TUB2), nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) intergenic spacer (IGS), and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Genotypes of 56 samples collected in 2009-2011 were used for comparison. Genotype A was not detected at all in spring, and was present in only 19 samples in total, mixed with genotype B, and sometimes with another frequently found genotype, designated as B2. These results did not support the hypothesis about temporal isolation of the two genotypes and indicated that these are randomly distributed in vineyards

Design and In-vitro Evaluation of Controlled Release Cephalexin Subgingival Films Using Natural Biodegradable Polymer

The aim of the present investigation was to prepare and evaluate cephalexin controlled release subgingival films using biodegradable sodium alginate. The equipment necessary for the present investigation was fabricated and employed for casting of sodium alginate subgingival films. Subgingival films of drug:polymer in various proportions (10:90, 25:75, 50:50 and 75:25) were prepared using solvent casting method. A 10%w/v CaCl2 solution was used for gelation of the films. As polymer concentration is increased the smoothness of the films increased. The thickness of films varied from 146±5 to 312±15 μm which is well below the recommended thickness (0.24 μg/ml) up to 120 hrs which is sufficient to inhibit the growth of the micro-organisms. The rate of drug release was inversely proportional to polymer concentration in the formulations. The low K1 and ‘r’ values obtained may be due to biphasic drug release pattern. The formulations did not fit into Higuchi equation because of low values o

Colorectal carcinoma associated with schistosomiasis: a possible causal relationship

The association between schistosomiasis and colorectal malignancy has long been suggested in the literature, but it is not uniformly accepted. In the Far East, considerable evidence supports an etiological link between Schistosoma japonicum and colorectal cancer. However, the available data regarding the role of Schistosoma mansoni in colorectal carcinogenesis are conflicting and most often do not show causality. We report on a patient with sigmoid colonic cancer coexisting with schistosomiasis, and we provide a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the epidemiology and pathobiology of this association