Type of Tomato Classification Using Deep Learning

Abstract: Tomatoes are part of the major crops in food security. Tomatoes are plants grown in temperate and hot regions of South American origin from Peru, and then spread to most countries of the world. Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C and mineral salts, and are recommended for people with constipation, diabetes and patients with heart and body diseases. Studies and scientific studies have proven the importance of eating tomato juice in reducing the activity of platelets in diabetics, which helps in protecting them from developing deadly blood clots. A tomato classification approach is presented with a data set containing approximately 5,266 images with 7 species belonging to tomatoes. The Neural Network Algorithms (CNN), a deep learning technique applied widely in image recognition, is used for this task

Formulation, evaluation and optimization of miconazole nitrate tablet prepared by foam granulation technique

The aim of our study was to utilize novel foam granulation technique in formulation of miconazole nitrate; a model hydrophobic drug as oral disintegrating tablets "ODT" particularly to enhance its bioavailability. Foam granulation technique has additional advantages over the other traditional granulation technique since; it enhances the granulation process and produce acceptable tablets. Fractional factorial design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and processing variables on the prepared miconazole ODT. The prepared granules were evaluated by measuring their density, flowability, granules size and shape, and granules wetting time. The quality attributes of the prepared tablets; drug content, tablet thickness, uniformity of weight, tablet tensile strength, friability, disintegration, and dissolution were also evaluated. The results indicated that, the prepared granules showed acceptable characteristics and is significantly affected by the disintegrant type, urea concentration, and the lubricant type. The quality attributes of the tablets were not affected by the processing parameters. From the prepared formulas; F20, F19, F12, and F20 displayed 18, 35, 35, and 40 seconds disintegration time respectively and the percent of dissolution after 15 minutes ranged from 94.4-100%. These results ascertained that foam granulation technique fulfill the requirement in preparation of miconazole ODT. Key words: miconazole nitrate, foam granulation, oral disintegrating tablet

Assessment of the distal runoff in patients with long standing diabetes mellitus and lower limb ischemia: MDCTA versus DSA

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) in comparison with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in patients with long standing diabetes mellitus and chronic lower limb ischemia.Subjects and methodsOne hundred patients with long standing DM and chronic limb ischemia underwent both CT angiography and DSA. The distal runoff of each lower limb was divided into 13 arterial segments. The status of each segment was graded as: 1, (normal or less than 10% stenosis); 2, (10–49% stenosis); 3, (50–99% stenosis); 4, occlusion. The effect of calcification on the diagnostic accuracy of CT angiography was evaluated. CTA findings were compared with DSA findings for each arterial segment. The sensitivity and specificity of CT angiography were determined using DSA as the gold standard.ResultsA total of 100 patients were included (mean age, 58years; 70% men). The sensitivity and specificity of CT angiography were significantly affected by the degree of vessel wall calcification, and increase the need for additional imaging.ConclusionVessel wall calcifications decrease the diagnostic accuracy of CT angiography in patients with long standing DM and peripheral arterial disease

Influence of Pyrolysis Temperature and Production Conditions on Switchgrass Biochar for Use as a Soil Amendment

Biochars form recalcitrant carbon and increase water and nutrient retention in soils; however, the magnitude is contingent upon production conditions and thermo-chemical conversion processes. Herein we aim at (i) characterizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)-biochar morphology, (ii) estimating water-holding capacity under increasing ratios of char: soil; and, (iii) determining nutrient profile variation as a function of pyrolysis conversion methodologies (i.e. continuous, auger pyrolysis system versus batch pyrolysis systems) for terminal use as a soil amendment. Auger system chars produced at 600 °C had the greatest lignin portion by weight among the biochars produced from the continuous system. On the other hand, a batch pyrolysis system (400 °C – 3h) yielded biochar with 73.10% lignin (12 fold increases), indicating higher recalcitrance, whereas lower production temperatures (400 °C) yielded greater hemicellulose (i.e. greater mineralization promoting substrate). Under both pyrolysis methods, increasing biochar soil application rates resulted in linear decreases in bulk density (g cm-3). Increases in auger-char (400 °C) applications increased soil water-holding capacities; however, application rates of \u3e2 Mt ha-1 are required. Pyrolysis batch chars did not influence water-holding abilities (P\u3e0.05). Biochar macro and micronutrients increased, as the pyrolysis temperature increased in the auger system from 400 to 600 °C, and the residence time increased in the batch pyrolysis system from 1 to 3 h. Conversely, nitrogen levels tended to decrease under the two previously mentioned conditions. Consequently, not all chars are inherently equal, in that varying operation systems, residence times, and production conditions greatly affect uses as a soil amendment and overall rate of efficacy

The Impact of the Governance of Private Universities in Building Partnership with NGOs Operating in Gaza Strip

The aim of the research is to demonstrate the impact of private universities' governance in building partnership with NGOs operating in Gaza Strip. The researchers used the descriptive analytical method, and the research population consists of employees in the universities in Gaza Strip. It was applied on the University of Palestine and the University of Gaza. A random sample of (57) employees was selected and (52) responses were obtained with a rate of (91.2%). The results of the study showed that the level of availability of the principles of governance in the universities in Gaza Strip from the point of view of employees was high. The relative weight of private universities was 67%. The order of principles is as follows: (laws and regulations, academic freedom, accounting and accountability, board responsibilities, the rights of all stakeholders, transparency and disclosure). The results showed that the level of partnership in private universities from the point of view of employees was high. The relative weight of private universities was 74.5%. The results of the study also showed that there is a statistically significant relationship at the level of (α≤0.0.05) between governance in all its dimensions and strengthening the partnership between universities and NGOs. The study concluded with a set of recommendations, the most important of which is the necessity to work on the interest and benefit from the principles of governance available in the private universities in the Gaza Strip through the preparation of a document for the university governance which includes the identification of the tasks, processes and responsibilities assigned to each member, and the need to increase the level of partnership between private universities on the one hand and community organizations on the other hand, as well as the need to follow up the Ministry of Education to the extent to which universities in Palestine adhere to the principles and rules of governance. Oblige all institutions to disclose and transparency standards and to present the outcomes of their work to the beneficiaries of these services. The establishment of a special unit for partnership and community development, which will support the positive relationship between the university and community institutions. Work to remove all obstacles that limit the partnership between universities and community organizations, the most important of which is the limited powers granted to universities and the weak funding allocated to partnerships where the Ministry of Education and Higher Education can support projects based on partnership, as well as the need to link between production centers and the needs of the community through the development of a clear plan, the philosophy, goals and criteria of partnership with the participation of all parties

Governance of Public Universities and Their Role in Promoting Partnership with Non-Governmental Institutions

The aim of the research is to demonstrate the role of public universities in promoting partnership with non-governmental organizations in Gaza Strip from the point of view of employees in public universities. The researcher used the descriptive analytical method. The research community consisted of the employees of the Islamic University and Al-Azhar University. The study tool was a questionnaire applied to a simple random sample of employees. A questionnaire was obtained by 228 responses with a recovery rate of 94.2%. The study concluded that there is a statistically significant relationship between governance in all its dimensions (laws and regulations, academic freedom, accounting and accountability, the responsibilities of the board of directors, the rights of all the beneficiaries, transparency and disclosure) and strengthening the partnership between universities and civil society organizations. The study reached a number of recommendations, the most important of which is the need to work on applying the principles of governance, especially after the world has recently witnessed environmental, social and economic phenomena that have clearly affected the financial and administrative performance of many international institutions. The need to focus on human resources and their knowledge of the rules and principles of governance in addition to providing them with all the latest developments and scientific information in this area, and that the departments of universities focused on training programs, seminars and seminars specialized in governance, and the integration of some specialized scientific materials of governance in the courses taught by the scientific

Phytochemical composition and antimicrobial properties of Markhamia platycalyx (Baker) Sprague leaf

Purpose: To isolate new antimicrobial agents from the leaves of Markhamia platycalyx (Baker) Sprague and assess their phytochemical characteristics and antimicrobial activity. Methods: Different chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques (NMR and ESI-MS) were applied for the identification of antimicrobial compounds. Agar-well diffusion technique was used for determination of antimicrobial activity. Anti-HCV effects were investigated using VITROS Anti-HCV assay. Results: Eighteen compounds were isolated for the first time from this genus. These were phytol, noctacosanoic acid (OCTA), tormentic acid and β-sitosterol-3-O-(6'-O-heptadecanoyl)-β-Dglucopyranoside. The other compounds were β-sitosterol, ursolic acid (URSA), oleanolic acids, pomolic acid (POMA), 2-epi-tormentic and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside. However, stigmasterol and acteoside, which were seen in previous studies, were also present. Total ethanol extract (TEE) was the most effective against Escherichia coli, with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.0 µg/mL. Acteoside, URSA and 2-epi-tormentic acid showed the highest antibacterial effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa while 2-epi-tormentic acid and acteoside produced the least MIC on Candida glabrata. These effects were superior to those produced by standard antibiotics. However, 2-epitormentic acid and β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside had no anti-HCV effects. Conclusion: Due to the good antimicrobial properties of Markhamia platycalyx, it is a potential source of new antimicrobial drugs