Biological control of the predominant seed-borne fungi of tomato by using plant extracts

Aqueous extracts from five wild traditional medicinal plants (Achillea fragrantissima, Balanites aegyptiaca, Peganum harmala, Rumex vesicarius, and Urtica urens) which were collected from different locations in Egypt were tested against the predominant fungal pathogens (Alternaria alternata f. sp. lycopersici,  A.  solani, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and Rhizoctonia solani) infested tomato seeds . All the aqueous plant extracts significantly inhibited the mycelial growth and spore germination of these fungi, but the extract of A. fragrantissima exhibited the strongest antifungal activity. The maximum seed germination, plant emergence and seedling vigor was detected after the treatment of tomato seeds with 10% A. fragrantissima extract. Pathogenicity testing of tomato seeds by predominant fungi indicated positive infection of tomato seeds but A. solani had the most aggressive infection. In greenhouse experiment, the aqueous A. fragrantissima extract reduced disease severity but increased total pigments, total phenolics and fruit yield

Oral nifedipine versus intravenous labetalol for acute blood pressure control in hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

Background: To compare intravenous labetalol with oral nifedipine in terms of rapidity at which they control blood pressure in acute hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy.Methods: A randomized controlled study. Pregnant women with severe gestational hypertension with BP ≥160/110 mmHg after ≥20 weeks of gestation were randomized with computer generated numbers, either to receive IV labetalol with an escalating dose of 20, 40, 80, 80 and 80 mg or nifedipine capsule orally in a dose of 10 mg every 15 minutes (upto 5 doses) until a BP of ≤150/100 mmHg is achieved. Crossover treatment was to be effected if initial treatment regimen was unsuccessful. Primary outcome was time taken and number of doses required to achieve the target BP of ≤150/100 mmHg. Secondary outcomes were volume of urine output, maternal heart rate changes, fetal heart rate abnormality, perinatal and maternal outcome and side effects.Results: Oral nifedipine achieved the target BP (≤150/100 mmHg) more rapidly in (26.25±12.60) minutes in comparison to (32.62±12.19) minutes with IV labetalol (p= 0.024). Nifedipine group also took less number of doses to achieve the target BP of (≤150/100 mmHg) mmHg than IV labetalol (1.75±0.840 vs. 2.18±0.83), p= 0.024. Volume of urine output was also significantly more in nifedipine group (94.90±1.84 ml) at 1 hour and thereafter till 24 hour of treatment in comparison to IV labetalol (41.28±2.14 ml), p= 0.000. Side effects are few and not serious. No patient required crossover treatment.Conclusions: Both the drugs are equally effective in controlling acute hypertensive emergencies of pregnancy, however oral nifedipine is more rapid in controlling severe hypertension and also it is associated with significantly increased urine output

Hybrid Microstrip Diplexer Design for Multi-band WiMAX Application in 2.3 and 3.5 GHz Bands

In this paper, a design of hybrid microstrip diplexer is proposed for multi-band Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) application in 2.3 and 3.5 GHz bands. The diplexer consists of a combination of two different filter designs. These filters were designed based on microstripline coupling techniques in order to obtain minimum insertion losses and achieve the desired frequency bandwidth. Therefore, a coupled open loop ring resonator was chosen for the filter design in 2.3 GHz band and a folded coupled line resonator was chosen for the filter design in 3.5 GHz band. Then, these filters were combined with a ring manifold matching network to be a hybrid microstrip diplexer. Based on the results, good agreements were achieved between the simulation and measurement results in terms of insertion loss, return loss and bandwidth in the 2.3 and 3.5 GHz bands

Occurrence and germination of dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments from the Red Sea off the coasts of Saudi Arabia

AbstractThe distribution and abundance of dinoflagellate cyst assemblages were investigated in surface sediments from south-western Red sea coasts of Saudi Arabia at six sites during March 2010. A total of 19 taxa of dinoflagellate cysts were identified from all sites. The sampling sites showed a similar cyst assemblage, but they differed in total cyst abundance (3 to 4083 cysts g−1 dry weight). Cyst abundance was strongly correlated with sediment characteristics, the highest numbers being recorded in sediments with large contents of organic carbon, silt and clay. Cyst assemblages were dominated by cysts of potentially toxic species, including Cochlodinium polykrikos, Prorocentrum minimum, Dinophysis acuminata, Alexandrium catenella and Scrippsiella trochoidea. Most cysts germinated successfully at different rates at 15 and 25° C. This study suggests that surface sediments from all Saudi Red Sea coasts should be monitored for the presence of dinoflagellate cysts to give ample warning of the presence and abundance of toxic species in a given area

Development of a Multimedia Courseware as a Teaching Aid for Children with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a language based learning disability resulting in people experiencing difficulties in reading, spelling, writing and speaking. These problems are sometimes compounded by short term memory difficulties, a lack of organisational skills and time management issues which all have an impact on learning. This paper focuses on the planning, analysis and design of an e-learning courseware to teach dyslexics to read using the ‘picture thinking’ model. The development of this e-learning courseware involves transforming the traditional content of printed books from passive prints and illustrations into interactive multimedia content. The interactive multimedia content will focus on clear presentation of materials, good navigational assistance and a variety of multimedia options to tap into visual, auditory and kinaesthetic skills to support dyslexics. The targeted users will be children with dyslexia and pre-schoolers aged 5 to 7 learning to read Bahasa Melayu. A successful implementation of this courseware will be useful to the dyslexic learners as it will use picture thinking model and multisensory approach to the best of their ability instead of approaching them with the same teaching approaches used to teach their non- dyslexic counterparts