Wind reduction patterns around isolated biomass for wind erosion control in a desertified area of Central Sudan

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of sparse vegetation, feature common in arid zone, to reduce wind force (velocity) and hence protect the surface and regions downwind from drifting sand and their consequences. Respectively 4 (with heights h of 4, 3.2, 2 and 1.66 m), 2 (with h of 3 and 2.5 m) and 3 (with h of 1.04, 0.9 and 0.8 m ) well established single biomass configurations of Leptadenia pyrotechnica trees, Prosopis juliflora trees and Panicum turgidum grass, were selected in the field. Solar powered cup anemometer wind measurements with a data logger system were taken at heights of 0.25 and 0.5 h, at distances 0.5 and 1 h, at four sides of the tree in the prevailing wind direction and perpendicular to it, and additionally at 2, 4 and 6 h windward and leeward. The protection effectiveness of the biomass was calculated as a wind reduction ratio and in terms of objects protection, which was evaluated using the dimensionless protection index (É). The study showed that windward protection provided by Leptadenia and Prosopis at level 0.25h and distance 0.5 h was similar, w ith a wind reduction ratio R0.8, while Panicum showed comparably higher R-values. Even at the 0.5 h level, Panicum showed an R of 0.65 at 0.5 h distance. Leew ard, at 0.25 h level differences were small, R increasing from 0.6/0.7 to 0.8/1 with distance, Leptadenia protecting best. At higher level (0.5 h) at distances 0.5 and 1 h Prosopis gave better protection than the other two at distances 0.5, 1 and 2 h. The research is an exam ple of simple experimental work under difficult environmental conditions in Africa. It was part of studies in which additional attention was paid to quantification aspects under such conditions as well as to the problems it helped solve in the African societies concerned as agrometeorological service

Proučavanje parametara rasprašivanja plazmom velike gustoće u koaksijalnom ubrzivaču plazme

Plasma accelerator was used for the deposition of a material powder placed at a breach. A capacitor bank of 46.26 µF charged to 3 kV (208.17 J) gave a peak current of 8.8 kA after 15 µs. Plasma inductance varied between 3 µH and 1.5 µH while the plasma resistance varied between 5 mΩ and 300 mΩ within one shot, while the electron temperature and plasma density near the substrate measured with a double electric probe was about 3 eV and 2.7 × 1013 cm−3 , respectively. Carbon plasma velocity at the muzzle was 6.0 cm/µs which agrees with calculations. The deposited graphite powder showed mostly a homogeneous distribution of clusters. The total efficiency of the system, considering both the internal and kinetic energy, was found to be 10.9 %.Rabili smo ubrzivač plazme za naparavanje praha postavljenog na otvoru za snop. Sklop kapacitora od 46.26 µF nabijen na 3 kV (208.2 J) davao je vršnu struju 8.8 kA nakon 15 µs. Indukcija plazme mijenjala se između 3 i 1.5 µH, a otpor plazme između 5 i 300 mΩ tijekom pojedinog palenja. Elektronska temperatura i gustoća plazme u blizini podloge, koje smo mjerili dvostrukom električnom sondom, iznose oko 3 eV odn. 2.7 × 1013 cm−3 . Brzina ugljične plazme kod otvora iznosi 6.0 cm/µs, u skladu s izračunatom vrijednošću. Naparen grafitni prah pokazuje većma jednoličnu raspodjelu nakupina. Ukupna učinkovitost sustava, ubrajajući unutarnju i kinetičku energiju, iznosi 10.9 %

Optimization of the industrial production of bacterial alpha amylase in Egypt. IV. Fermentor production and characterization of the enzyme of two strains of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Production of alpha amylase using amplified variants of Bacillus subtilis (strain SCH) and of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (strain 267CH) was conducted in a bioreactor with multiprotein-mineral media. Thetime course of fermentation in a bioreactor revealed that the highest yield (about 8 x 104 U/ml within 60 h) by strain SCH was obtained by applying: 3.5% initial starch, 2% additional starch after 19 h, 3 vvmaeration and 300 rpm agitation. The highest yield (about 19 x 104 U/ml within 100 h) by strain 267CH was obtained by applying: 2.5% initial starch, 2% additional starch after 24 h, 3 vvm aeration, and 300 rpmagitation with the productivity after 60 h reaching only about 14 x 104 U/ml. Production occurred in both the logarithmic and postlogarithmic phases of growth. Maximum consumption of starch and proteinoccurred during the first day of incubation. The optical density peak coincided with enzyme production peak in case of strain SCH and preceded that of enzyme production in case of strain 267CH. The alphaamylase produced by the two strains was shown to be of the liquefying and not the saccharifying type. Both enzymes liquefied starch to a dextrose equivalent of about 15 - 17 at 95oC hence they areclassified among thermostable alpha amylases. They exhibited broad pH and temperature activity profiles. The optimum pH for activity was 4 - 7 for alpha amylase produced by strain SCH and 4 - 8 foralpha amylase produced by strain 267CH while the optimum temperatures for their activities were in the range 37 -75oC at 0.5% starch and in the range 85 - 95oC at 35% starch

QT Interval and QT Dispersion in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: Revisiting the Old Theory

www.karger.com/nne This is an Open Access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License (www.karger.com/OA-license), applicable to the online version of the article only. Distribution for non-commercial purposes only.

Characterization of immobilized alkaline cyclodextringlycosyltransferase from a newly isolated Bacillus agaradhaerens KSU-A11

Alkaliphilic bacteria were isolated from soil and water samples obtained from Egyptian soda lakes (Wadi Natrun area, Egypt). Screening for cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase)-producing alkaliphilic bacteria resulted in isolation of 10 positive strains. Strain KSU-A11 was selected as the best CGTase producer (2.1 U/ml). 16S rDNA sequence analysis identified the KSU-A11strain as Bacillus agaradhaerens. CGTase was partially purified using starch adsorption technique. The partially purified CGTase was immobilized on chitin by covalent binding tecnique using cross linking reaction with high immobilization yield (85%). The properties of the free and immobilized CGTase were determined. The optimum pH of the immobilized enzyme was slightly higher than that of the free enzyme at pH 10 and 10.5, respectively. In addition, both free and immobilized enzyme retained 94 to 100% of its initial activity over a wide pH range (pH 6.0 to 11.0). The enzymatic activity of both free and immobilized CGTase was highest at temperature 50°C; however, the relative activities of the immobilized CGTase were slightly higher than those of the free enzyme. Furthermore, investigation of thermostability of the enzyme indicated that the immobilization process of CGTase on chitin significantly protected the enzyme against thermo-inactivation. Kinetic parameters, Km and Vmax, values for free and immobilized enzymes were estimated and while there was no change in the Vmax value (83.3 μmol/min. mg) for both free and immobilized CGTase, the Km of the enzyme increased from 14.28 to 20 mg/ml upon immobilization. The immobilization of the enzyme showed high operational stability by retaining almost 50% of the initial activity after nine uses.Key words: Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase, Bacillus agaradhaerens, immobilization, chitin, alkaliphiles

EFFECT OF K-FELDSPAR ROCK FERTILIZER ON GROWTH AND MINERAL CONTENT OF MORINGA SEEDLINGS (MORINGA OLEIFERA)

A field experiment was conducted at the Botanical Gardens Research Department Land, Hort. Res. Inst. Alex., Egypt,during 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons to study the effect of Kfeldspar rock fertilizer on growth and mineral content of Moringa seedlings. Feldspar grinded rock and potassium sulphate were used as fertilizer sources of K fertilizer to Moringa plants. Fertilizer treatments consisted of three rates of K-feldspar (0, 200, 400 g /tree) and three rates of K-sulphate (0, 100, 200 g /tree), besides six combinations prepared from K-feldspar and K-sulphate. These amounts were addedas a soil drench in two equal doses, the first one was applied immediately after planting (on April, 15th.), while the other after 3 months from the first (on July, 15th.). In addition, all Moringa seedlings received phosphate (50 g P2O5/ tree), organic manure (3kg/tree) and N (50 g / tree) at processing and preparing the soil to planting seedlings. Also, in the second season, Moringa seedlings were cultivated at the same age and height as well as the same agricultural practices as in the first one. The obtained results indicated that all treatments increased plant height and stem diameter with various significant differences compared to the control at the different determinations assessed in the two seasons. However, the superiority in the two seasons was for the combination of 200g K-F + 100g K-S, which gave the tallest plantsand widest stems, as well as K mineral content of either soil or plant. In general, connecting between K-F and K-S recorded better results than the individual application of each in most determinations registered in both seasons. Also, increasing the rate of either K-F or KS, individually or in combination caused an addition improvement in all previous characters measured in different stages of the two seasons. Moreover, treatments that involved K-feldspar gave better results in the second period of each season than that included K-sulphate alone, indicating its ability to provide plants with K+ ions for a long period. So, it can be recommended to fertilize Moringa seedlings with 200g K-feldspar grinded rock + 100g of K-sulphate for to obtain the best growth with the least cost

Pathogenicity of three genetically distinct and highly pathogenic Egyptian H5N8 avian influenza viruses in chickens

In late 2016, Egypt encountered multiple cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5N8 subtype. In a previous study, three distinct genotypes, including A/common-coot/Egypt/CA285/2016 (H5N8) (CA285), A/duck/Egypt/SS19/2017 (H5N8) (SS19), and A/duck/Egypt/F446/2017 (H5N8) (F446), were isolated from wild birds, a backyard, and a commercial farm, respectively, during the first wave of infection. In this current study, we investigated the differences in the pathogenicity, replication and transmissibility of the three genotypes and A/chicken/Egypt/15S75/2015 (H5N1) (S75) was used as the control. The intravenous pathogenicity index was between 2.68 and 2.9. The chicken lethal dose 50 values of F446, SS19 and CA285 were 103.7, 103.7, an 104 with a natural route of infection, respectively. These strains took longer than S75 to cause death when infection was carried out through the natural route (HPAI H5N1). After inoculation with the original concentration of 105 and 106 egg infective dose 50 (EID50), F446 had a higher mortality rate with short mean death times of 4, and 7 days, respectively compared with the other H5N8 viruses. Chickens inoculated with F446 and contacted exposed chickens infected with F446 showed the highest viral titer with remarkable differences in all H5N8 tested swabs at 2-4 days postinfection (dpi) compared to S75 at 2 dpi. This indicates that F446 had a more efficient transmission and spread from contact exposed birds to other birds. All H5N8 viruses were able to replicate systematically in all organs (trachea, brain, lung, and spleen) of the chicken with high viral titer with significantly different and more pathological changes observed in F446 than in other H5N8 viruses at 2 and 4 dpi. Compared with H5N1, we recorded a significantly high viral titer in the samples obtained from the lung, brain and both cloacal and tracheal swabs at 2 and 4 dpi, respectively and in the samples obtained from the spleen at 2 and 4 dpi among the experimental chicken. The comparative pathogenesis study revealed that in comparison with the other HPAI H5N8 viruses, the genotype F446 was more pathogenic, and showed more efficient viral replication and transmissibility in chickens in Egypt. The genotype F446 also showed a high viral titer than HPAI H5N1 and short mean death time at the third day after inoculation with 106 and 105 EID50, which revealed a conservation of certain H5N8 genotypes and a decrease in the incidence of H5N1

Designing and Implementing of Electronic Health Record System in Ksa using Sql & Asp.Net

Electronic health record (EHR) rapid progress for reporting electronic data storage that employs uniform data standards will enable health care organizations to respond more quickly to federal state, and private reporting requirements, including those that support patient safety and disease surveillance. An examination of many hospitals that recently implemented in King Saudi Arabia (KSA). A little of electronic health record (EHR) system finds that clinical and administrative leaders built EHR adoption into their strategic plans to integrate, inpatient and outpatient care system and a provide  continuum of coordinated services. Using Relational Data Base Management Systems (RDBMS) with eXtend Marker Language (XML) Systems and ASP.NET as web based system. Successful implementation depended on: strong leadership, full involvement of clinical staff in design and implementation, mandatory staff training, and strict adherence to timeline and budget. The EHR systems facilitate patient safety and quality development through; use of checklists, alerts, and predictive tools embedded clinical guidelines that promote standardized, evidence-based practices electronic prescribing and test-ordering that reduces errors and redundancy and discrete data fields that foster use of performance dashboards and compliance reports. The proposed system will be developed using ASP.NET as a technology of web based system. In this paper; most of the services, enjoyed on the Web are provided by web database applications and using .net technology. Such as, Web-based email, online shopping, forums and bulletin boards, corporate web sites, and sports and news portals are all database-driven. The main goals in this work, building a modern web site of electronic health record system in KSA hospitals. Keywords: XML, RDBMS, EHR , EMR, EPR, GIS, PH

Development Of Health Care Systems in Subareas of KSA Using GIS Concept

The present study was directed to show how Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used to support health planning and demanding on a micro-scale and explore the possibilities of using GIS for health care services in hospitals in Saudi Arabia subareas. The first part of this work explained the issues that affect a local health care planning and monitoring of catchment area and facilities management. Each one of these issues was covered using several GIS functions including network analysis and spatial data analysis. The second part defined GIS and its possible application in the health care field. In this section, the relevant GIS functions have also been explained. In response, alternative sources were used, such as Google Earth, printed maps and information gathered on the ground by GPS. The third part discussed the creation and implementation of GIS application models, which was made for a local health care center in Makah AlMokaramah region and Taif city in Saudi Arabia. All the produced models can be applied in any private or public hospital in Makkahh region and Taif city. They can be used to build a spatial decision making support system for hospitals in Taif region and serves five local health services neighborhoods named as Tarabah, AlKhurma, Rania, Zulam and Al-Moya. The most important results of this research were the determination of geographic locations of healthcare institutions, identifying ways and distances to reach the nearest access roads to these institutions. As well as being able to extract administrative regions on a large number of population, hospitals, health centers, number of beds, number of doctors and number of nurses. One of the recommendations of this research the need of using GIS and GPS (Global Positional System) to determine the locations of health institutions on a number of sites