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Hydroponic systems are known to provide a platform for uniform growth conditions until the reproductive stage. However, many plant species, including sunflower, show poor growth and survivability under conventional hydroponic systems due to poor nutrient availability, hypoxia and algal contamination. Thus, we tested various hydroponic systems to select a hydroponic system suitable for screening of sunflower germplasm. Sunflower accessions showed better growth and leaf gas exchange in newly-designed over conventional hydroponic systems. Selected hydroponic systems were further engaged in sunflower accession screening under heat and osmotic stress in a two-pan system (210 cm × 60 cm). Heat stress treatment was applied by growing sunflower germplasm at 42 °C and osmotic stress by adding polyethylene glycol 8000 which decreased the osmotic potential to − 0.6 MPa. There was significant variability among the sunflower accessions for their ability to survive under stress. Accessions such as C-2721 (43%), C-291 (46%) and D-14 (43%) had lower cell membrane injury percentage under osmotic stress and high seedling survivability (60‒80%) under heat stress when compared with susceptible accessions. Moreover, resistant accessions exhibited greater cuticular waxes and root length but lower transpiration losses. The newly designed hydroponic platform proved reliable for the selection of resistant sunflower accessions. Selected parental lines were validated by assessing their hybrids under field trials across two seasons under water and temperature stress during the reproductive phase (autumn). Hybrid H3 obtained by crossing drought and heat resistant parents had the highest seed yield and water use efficiency.

The Nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticle size was successfully prepared using the sol-gel method, while, the conducting polymer (PANI-PTSA) the chemical oxidative method was used. The nanocomposit...

CdO nanostructure was synthesized using the simple co-precipitation method at three concentrations of ethylene glycol (EG) (0.01, 0.1 and 1 M) as stabilization materials. The prepared samples were calcined at 450 °C for 3 h. The structural properties of samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XDR patterns showed good crystallinity of CdO samples and the crystallite size increased from 32.5 nm to 35 nm as the EG concentration increased from 0.01 M to 1 M. The optical properties of CdO samples were investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy. The absorbance spectra of the prepared samples showed UV absorption band with cut-off wavelength less than 271 nm. The optical band gap decreased from 4.09 eV to 3.59 eV as crystallite size increased from 32.5 nm to 35 nm due to the nanostructure nature of the prepared samples. Antibacterial activities of CdO samples were evaluated against three types of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and the zone range of the inhibition (9 – 14 mm). The reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as, superoxide anion radical, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide have been generated on the surface of the CdO nanoparticles. The released Cd2+ from the surfaces of the CdO nanostructure and ROS come into contact with the bacterial cell membranes and cause membrane and protein denaturation damage. في هذا الدراسة، تم تحضير مركب اكسيد الكادميوم النانوني بطريقة الترسيب البسيطة وذلك باستخدام ثلاثة تراكيز من بولي ايثلين الجلايكول (0.01 و 0.1 و 1 مولار) للحصول على تغيير في حجم المركب النانوني. لقد تم تكسير الراسب المتكون من التجربة عند درجة حرارة 450 درجة مئوية لمدة 3 ساعات في وجود الهواء. تم دراسة الخواص التركيبية للمركبات المحضرة باستخدام جهاز حيود الاشعة السينية وقد اظهرت نتائج الدراسة ان المركبات المحضرة لها تركيب متعدد التبلور ذو تركيب مكعبي متمركز الوجه. كما اظهرت الدراسة ان الحجم البلوري لأكسيد الكادميوم يزيد من 32.5 الى 35 نانومتر بزيادة تركيز البولي ايثلين الجلايكول من 0.01 الى 1 مولار. تم دراسة الخواص البصرية للمركبات المحضرة باستخدام جهاز مطيافية الفوق بنفسجية و المنطقة المرئية. لقد اظهرت اطياف الامتصاصية ان العينات قيد الدراسة تملك اطوال موجية قطع ضمن المنطقة فوق البنفسجية. كما اظهرت قيم فجوة الطاقة للمركبات انها تقل من 4.09 الى 3.59 الكترون فولت عند زيادة الحجم البلوري لتلك المركبات من 32.5 الى 35 نانومتر وهذا يعود الى الخاصية النانونية التي تميزت بها العينات قيد الدراسة. تم دراسة الفعالية المضادة للبكتريا للعينات المحضرة على ثلاثة انواع من البكتيريا المعدية (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). لقد اظهرت اختبارات الفعالية المضادة للبكتريا ان عرض الهالات المتكونة بسبب اضافة العينات قيد الدراسة تتراوح بين 9 و 14 مليمتر. يمكن تفسير تكون تلك الهالات والتي تعبر عن قتل البكتريا من انتاج مركبات الاكسجين الفعالة (ROS) مثل جذور البيروكسيد الهيدروجين و جذور السوبر بيروكسيد. يتم توليد تلك الجذور على سطح مركبات اكسيد الكادميوم النانوية. بالإضافة لتلك الجذور المتولدة، فان ايونات الكادميوم تظهر عند سطح مركبات اكسيد الكادميوم النانوية والتي تعمل كلها (الجذور وايونات الكادميوم) على الاتصال بجدار الخلية البكتيرية ومن ثم تسبب اضرار بليغه له. هذا يؤدي بدوره الى دخول الجذور الفعالة المتولدة وتدمير البروتينات وبقية المكونات الحيوية للخلية البكتيرية مما يسبب موتها في النهاية.

Common fig (Ficus carica L.), an economically-important fruit species widely cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin, is gaining increasing interest in the tropical and subtropical regions. A vast genetic diversity of common fig is available; however, systematic studies of cultivar performance in a particular new environment are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 17 common fig cultivars grown under the Malaysian tropical climate. Evaluation was based on 15 parameters relevant to fruit yield, fruit quality and pest susceptibility. The results showed variable performance among the cultivars tested; 10 cultivars performed well for orchard establishment. Cultivar ‘A134’ produced the highest fruit yield per plant (3410 g) compared to the average yield of the cultivars studied (2500 g). Cultivars ‘Fen Chan Huang’ and ‘Wuhan’ produced the highest number of fruits per plant, 119 and 82 fruits, respectively. Mealybug infestation and ostiole-end splitting are major limitations to fig cultivation in Malaysia. Cultivar ‘Longue d’Aout’ was the most susceptible to mealybug infestation; whereas cultivar ‘B110’ was the most resistant. Above 60% of the fruits of cvs. ‘Brunswick’ and ‘Qing Pi’ had split ostiole; however, this was less than 20% in cvs. ‘Longue d’Aout’ and ‘Alma’. This study facilitates successful farming of figs in Malaysia and provides insights for future development programs.

A common modern cultivation practice is bagging the fruit bunch if date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) which may influence fruit maturity and nutraceutical quality. Exposure of fruits to photooxidative stress induces changes in the endogenous concentrations of plant hormones and other metabolites, which may cause accelerated fruit maturity. This study was conducted to examine the effect of exposure to direct and indirect sunlight on date palm fruit development. The indirect sunlight treatment was simulated by fruit bunch bagging, a common practice in modern date production. The exposure of date palm fruits to direct sunlight-induced photooxidative stress causing an increased concentration of ascorbic acid and decreased content of chlorophyll, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and phenols compared to the fruit bagging treatment. Direct sunlight also reduced the concentration of phytohormones, including indoleacetic acid, gibberellin, and zeatin, but increased abscisic acid accumulation. The directly-exposed fruits reached a partially-mature stage (Rutab) in August, whereas the bagged fruits remained at the immature stage (Khalal). This study is the first to describe the biochemical basis of the observed improvement of date palm fruit development in response to reduced light intensity. Besides, it provides insights into controlling date palm fruit maturity and subsequently prolonging the shelf life dates on the tree; thus, extending the marketing period for the benefit of the farmers.

Myiasis is an infestation of living tissue with larvae of dipteran flies that commonly inhabit tropical and subtropical regions. The infection principally affects animals but human cases have been also reported. The larvae commonly invade the contaminated cutaneous structures such as wounds or furuncles, but sometimes can invade inner deeper structures. Many cases of myiasis affecting the newborn infants are globally reported with the highest incidence in rural communities with poor hygienic conditions. In this piece of research, we report a case of umbilical myiasis of an 11-day-old infant from Al-Mikhwah city, South Western Saudi Arabia. Parasitologic examination identified the infestation with tumbu fly (Cordylobia anthropophaga) larvae. The clinical presentation and epidemiology were discussed.

The constraint of trans-Planckian censorship conjecture on brane inflation model is considered. The conjectures put an upper bound on the main parameter including temperature, inflation time, potential, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio parameter $r$. It is determined that the resulting constraint could be more stronger than what we have for the standard inflationary models. The constraint in general depends on the brane tension and it is concluded that the conjecture also confined the value of brane tension in order to have consistency for the model. Confining the brane tension turns into a determining value for the five-dimensional Planck mass., Comment: 6 pages, Grammar corrections made, submitted version

PURPOSE: We aimed to define a novel autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder, characterize its clinical features, and identify the underlying genetic cause for this condition. METHODS: We performed a detailed clinical characterization of 19 individuals from nine unrelated, consanguineous families with a neurodevelopmental disorder. We used genome/exome sequencing approaches, linkage and cosegregation analyses to identify disease-causing variants, and we performed three-dimensional molecular in silico analysis to predict causality of variants where applicable. RESULTS: In all affected individuals who presented with a neurodevelopmental syndrome with progressive microcephaly, seizures, and intellectual disability we identified biallelic disease-causing variants in Protocadherin-gamma-C4 (PCDHGC4). Five variants were predicted to induce premature protein truncation leading to a loss of PCDHGC4 function. The three detected missense variants were located in extracellular cadherin (EC) domains EC5 and EC6 of PCDHGC4, and in silico analysis of the affected residues showed that two of these substitutions were predicted to influence the Ca2+-binding affinity, which is essential for multimerization of the protein, whereas the third missense variant directly influenced the cis-dimerization interface of PCDHGC4. CONCLUSION: We show that biallelic variants in PCDHGC4 are causing a novel autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder and link PCDHGC4 as a member of the clustered PCDH family to a Mendelian disorder in humans.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are now understood to be ubiquitous mediators of cellular communication. In this review, we suggest that EVs have evolved into a highly regulated system of communication with complex functions including export of wastes, toxins and nutrients, targeted delivery of immune effectors and vectors of RNA silencing. Eukaryotic EVs come in different shapes and sizes and have been classified according to their biogenesis and size distributions. Small EVs (or exosomes) are released through fusion of endosome-derived multivesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. Medium EVs (or microvesicles) bud off the plasma membrane as a form of exocytosis. Finally, large EVs (or apoptotic bodies) are produced as a result of the apoptotic process. This review considers EV secretion and uptake in four eukaryotic kingdoms, three of which produce cell walls. The impacts cell walls have on EVs in plants and fungi are discussed, as are roles of fungal EVs in virulence. Contributions of plant EVs to development and innate immunity are presented. Compelling cases are sporophytic self-incompatibility and cellular invasion by haustorium-forming filamentous pathogens. The involvement of EVs in all of these eukaryotic processes is reconciled considering their evolutionary history., Within the context of animal extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their interactions, recent developments in the growing fields of plant and fungal EVs suggest complex cross-kingdom communication with microbes for infection/protection.

This study addresses the development of unpollinated and pollinated flowers of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). cv. Deglet Noor in three successive seasons (2015–2017), focusing on the physico-c...

A new 2-iminothiazolidin-4-ones compound and its derivatives were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, CHN, and 1HNMR techniques. The target compounds were assessed for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, and the study was performed using Swiss albino mice (25-30 g) for investigation. A hind edema model caused by , while the analgesic activity was assessed using an acetic acid-induced writhing and a hot plate test evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity.

Neonatologists usually wait 48 hours for blood culture results before deciding to discontinue antibiotics. The objective of the study was to analyze time to positive blood culture in rule out sepsis and estimate the minimum duration of antibiotics.Retrospective analysis of blood culture at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, McMaster Children's Hospital (January 2004 to December 2013) using BacT/Alert® 3D microbial system was conducted. We calculated average time taken for blood culture samples to emit a positive signal and compared it between Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Kaplan-Meier curves for time to detect positive culture were generated. A Cox proportional hazard regression model with the outcome variable "time to detect positive blood culture" and predictor variables "early-onset sepsis (EOS) versus late-onset sepsis (LOS)", "Gram-positive versus Gram-negative" and "definite versus possible pathogen versus contaminant" was generated.Of 7,480 blood cultures performed in 9,254 neonates, 885 samples grew microorganisms. 845 culture reports from 627 neonates were analyzed. Definite or opportunistic pathogens caused 815 (96%) infections (54 EOS and 791 LOS) and the rest were contaminants. Gram-negative organisms grew significantly faster than Gram-positive (P0.001). Cultures from EOS were positive significantly earlier than LOS (P = 0.032). Gram-negative status was an independent predictor of early detection of a positive culture (hazard ratio 3.5 [95% CI, 2.7-4.5] P0.001).The probability of positive blood culture beyond 24 hours for a Gram-negative organism is small. Empiric antimicrobial treatment can be reduced after 24 hours to target only Gram-positive organisms in LOS and can be stopped in EOS unless clinical or laboratory parameters strongly suggest sepsis.

Fruit trees provide essential nutrients to humans by contributing to major agricultural outputs and economic growth globally. However, major constraints to sustainable agricultural productivity are the uncontrolled proliferation of the population, and biotic and abiotic stresses. Tree mutation breeding has been substantially improved using different physical and chemical mutagens. Nonetheless, tree plant breeding has certain crucial bottlenecks including a long life cycle, ploidy level, occurrence of sequence polymorphisms, nature of parthenocarpic fruit development and linkage. Genetic engineering of trees has focused on boosting quality traits such as productivity, wood quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent technological advances in genome editing provide a unique opportunity for the genetic improvement of woody plants. This review examines application of the CRISPR-Cas system to reduce disease susceptibility, alter plant architecture, enhance fruit quality, and improve yields. Examples are discussed of the contemporary CRISPR-Cas system to engineer easily scorable PDS genes, modify lignin, and to alter the flowering onset, fertility, tree architecture and certain biotic stresses.

Fruit trees provide essential nutrients to humans by contributing to major agricultural outputs and economic growth globally. However, major constraints to sustainable agricultural productivity are the uncontrolled proliferation of the population, and biotic and abiotic stresses. Tree mutation breeding has been substantially improved using different physical and chemical mutagens. Nonetheless, tree plant breeding has certain crucial bottlenecks including a long life cycle, ploidy level, occurrence of sequence polymorphisms, nature of parthenocarpic fruit development and linkage. Genetic engineering of trees has focused on boosting quality traits such as productivity, wood quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent technological advances in genome editing provide a unique opportunity for the genetic improvement of woody plants. This review examines application of the CRISPR-Cas system to reduce disease susceptibility, alter plant architecture, enhance fruit quality, and improve yields. Examples are discussed of the contemporary CRISPR-Cas system to engineer easily scorable PDS genes, modify lignin, and to alter the flowering onset, fertility, tree architecture and certain biotic stresses.

Male and female infertility is a global major health problem. Approximately 15% of couples of a reproductive age are unable to achieve the desired pregnancy within 12 months, despite daily unprotected sexual intercourse, and about 10% of infertilities have no specific reason worldwide. Currently, many researchers are interested to investigate the use of natural remedies for preventive and curative purposes of infertility. This review brings together some of the data on the nutritional characteristics of the date palm and its different parts on fertility outcomes and critically evaluates the past and recent literature relevant to the consumption of date fruit against infertility-related problems. Due to its antioxidant potential, dates are considered a functional treatment for reducing the risks of infertility. In males, the date palm has a potent effect on the reproductive parameters including hormonal levels and seminal vesicle parameters as well as sperm motility, count, and viability; whereas, in females, it shows a convincing effect on reproductive parameters including oogenesis process, strengthening of oocytes, regulation of hormones, strengthening of pregnancy, reduction of the need for labor augmentation, and postpartum hemorrhage prevention.