Rice blast disease (RBD) is one of the most devastating diseases of cultivated rice caused by the pathogenic fungi Magnaporthe oryzae. To explore new compounds with antifungal activity against Magnaporthe oryzae, a select group of compounds synthesized in our laboratory targeting CYP90D1, a key enzyme in brassinosteroid biosynthesis, has been evaluated. The antifungal activity of the test compounds against Magnaporthe oryzae was determined by using in vitro mycelial growth inhibition tests. Structure-activity relationship analysis indicated that introducing a double bone to the alkyloxy substituent at the position 2 of phenoxy moiety of this synthetic series enhanced the antifungal activity. Moreover, a bulkyl substituent at the alkyloxy moiety exhibited a negative effect on promoting the antifungal activity. Among the 11 test compounds, we found that 2RS, 4RS-1-[4-chlorophenyl-(2-methylphenoxy)-ethyl]-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl-methyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole (7h) displayed potent antifungal activity against Magnaporthe oryzae with an IC50 value approximately 23.3±0.5 ?M

Integrity of soil is extremely important from an ecological standpoint. When mining for natural resources occurs, the soil is disrupted and often times removed leaving behind soil of poor nutritional quality for both flora and fauna. Soil fabrication and/or planting are often employed for remediation purposes to amend the soil quality. The major goal of our study was to compare bacteria using 16s rDNA of soil collected from an acid mine drainage site to nearby soil plots where remediation or fabrication of the soil took place. The diversity of represented phyla from the fabricated sites was 2-3 times greater than the diversity found in the mining soil. The most abundant phyla from the mining soil site were Proteobacteria (66%) and from the amended soil either Proteobacteria (45%) or Firmicutes (45.5-57.5%). The distribution of species varied between samples. The most diverse sample was the compost sample (7.8x increase) compared to the mining soil; while the least diverse sample was the ray grass (4.2 fold increase). Our results indicate that specific methods for environmental improvement of the soil increased microorganism diversity beyond the number of species present in unamended mining soil alone.

Schistosomiasis is one of the world’s most prevalent parasitic diseases and cause of morbidity and mortality. The present study was designed to investigate the immune mechanisms possibly involved in the amelioration of histopathological changes in livers of Schistosoma mansoni infected mice treated with Nigella sativa oil combined with artemether (ART) or praziquantel (PZQ). Hitological alterations of liver and granulomas diameter were recorded. Total serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and cytokine profils; IL-2, IL-12 and TNF-? were studied. The levels of total serum IgG after treatment with N. sativa or ART or PZQ of non-infected mice recorded a significant decrease compared to normal control group. While N. sativa combined with ART or PZQ of infected groups showed significant increase in total IgG (684.24 ± 3.03, 647.42 ± 2.21 and 708.50 ± 18.06, respectively) compared to infected lab control group (570.84 ± 6.55). Effect of N. sativa oil on cytokines IL-2 and TNF-? of non-infected and infected mice showed significant increase (P<0.001, Kruskal wallis). While treatment with ART of non-infected showed significant decrease in IL-2 and 12 and increase in TNF-?. PZQ treatment showed significant increase in IL-2 and decrease in IL-12 compared to normal control group. Effect of N. sativa oil combined with ART or PZQ showed significant increase on cytokines (IL-2, IL-12 and TNF-?) compared to infected control group. Histological observation of liver tissue of infected and non-infected mice treated with N. sativa combined with ART or PZQ showed some improvement in histological damages in all treated groups. The present data recorded that N. sativa combined with ART or PZQ recorded a significant decrease in granuloma diameter (35.42 % and 32.23 %), when compared to infected control group. It can be concluded that N. sativa is a promising adjuvant with antihelminthic drugs in the treatment of schistosomiasis.

The early steps up to the formation of acyclic C-40 carotenoids are presumed to be common to the biosynthesis of all carotenoids with 40 or more carbon atoms (long chain carotenoids). No direct evidence so far available to confirm the early steps for the formation of the long – chain C45 and C50 carotenoids and their glycosides, which simply means that at least, the earlier steps of their biosynthesis are still poorly understood. In the present study, a novel biological system was developed capable of incorporation of [1-14C]-isopentenyl pyrophosphate into the carotenoids of Micrococcus luteus. The results revealed that the novel long – chain carotenoids are sharing the same precursor with the conventional C40-carotenoids. Moreover, the unique bio- radiolabeling developed in this study may be invaluable for labeling the individual carotenoids and related compounds as alternative to the complicated, time consuming chemical synthesis.

Investigation of the chemical composition of the essential oils from subterranean organs (S) of Nephrolepis cordifolia (NC) and Nephrolepis exaltata (NE) (F. Lomariopsidaceae) grown in Egypt was carried out. Gas Chromatography/mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the hydro-distilled NCS and NES oils revealed that oxygenated compounds were abundant, being 55.35% and 33.85%, respectively. Ethyl palmitate (8%), ethyl linolenate (6.33%), ?-ionone (5.99%), phytol (3.93%) diterpene alcohol and ?-cadinol (3.3%) were the major identified constituents in NCS. Linalool (8.23%), thymol (4.47%), methyl palmitate (2.75%), ?-cadinol (2.04%), geraniol (1.66%) and eugenol (1.53%) were the majors in NES. The volatile samples were screened for their antimicrobial activities using the agar diffusion technique and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). The essential oils exhibited potential antibacterial and antifungal activities against most of the tested microorganisms, with diameters of inhibition zones ranging from 17.1 ± 0.42 to 19.2 ± 0.29 mm and MIC values from 3.9 to15.63?g/ml. The cytotoxic activity was determined by MTT assay based on cell viability in breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116) and lung (A-549) carcinoma cells. The study revealed remarkable cytotoxicity of NCS oil. The presence of phytol (3.93%), ?-Cadinol (3.30%), ?-Ionone (2.36%) and ?-Ionone (5.99%) significantly contributed to the potent cytotoxic activities of NCS oil.

Traditional free-range rural animal production system which forms an integral part of farming systems, in almost all rural communities in Ghana is characterized by mismanagement, malnutrition, theft, predation, diseases and parasites infestation resulting in high mortality and low productivity. This study assessed the types and degree of ectoparasites infestation and their distribution on the body parts of goats and domestic fowls in Vunania in order to generate a data set that could help in formulating strategies for their control in the area and its environs. Ten houses were randomly selected and adaptive sampling was employed for the selection of neighbourhood units for sample collection. Fifty goats and fifty domestic fowls of any age, one each from each house, were randomly selected for screening for ectoparasites using hand picking and brushing. The ectoparasites collected were transferred to laboratory for processing and identification. About 76% of the studied goats and 84% of domestic fowls were infested with ticks, fleas, and mites respectively, while lice were recorded in domestic fowls only. The estimated populations of ectoparasites of all kinds on goats and domestic fowls were 4,110 and 9,688, respectively. In goats, the ears and underside of limbs were preferred by ticks and mites while fleas were common around the neck and back regions of the body. In domestic fowls, lice and fleas were distributed almost on all the body parts, although fleas preferred the vent. Lice were, conversely, found around the neck, back, and the chest. Ticks particularly liked the underside of limbs, the chest and the wings. The presence of the ectoparasites calls for stringent control efforts to curtail their health effects and more research to ascertain their negative effects on the livestock industry in the study area.

Syphilis is a chronic bacterial sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochaete called Treponema pallidum. It can also be transmitted by blood transfusion or vertically. The present study was carried out to diagnosis the syphilis infection during pregnancy. In this study 400 pregnant women were enrolled over eleven months from March 2012 to January 2013 serological methods including VDRL as screening test and TPHA as confirmatory test were used. Venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) reveals that out of 400 pregnant women twelve cases (3%) were positive, out of 12 samples were positive by VDRL nine (75%) were positive by TPHA. Congenitally transmissible syphilis continues to occur among pregnant women in the Iraq Cases would be missed and stillbirths and congenitally infected babies would occur if antenatal screening was not achieved.

Aspergillus niger is a soil saprobe and produces a wide array of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes and cell wall degrading enzymes. An investigation on the various properties of partially purified polygalacturonase and cellulase enzymes extracted from tomato fruits deteriorated by Aspergillus niger was carried out in this study. The results obtained shows that temperature, pH and substrate concentration have a profound effect on enzyme activity. The molecular weights of the enzymes extracted also suggest that it may be species dependent.

This study was carried out to determine the body measurements of Turkish Kangal (Karabash) Shepherd Dogs raised in Belgium, France, Germany and Slovenia comparing them with certain other breeds from different countries. To this end, a total of 39 (18 male and 21 female) dogs were analyzed with the Minitab 15 statistical software program using ANOVA and Student’s T-Test. Descriptive statistics were for live weight 50.5 ± 0.83 kg, height at shoulder 76.8 ± 0.50 cm, height at rump 76.1 ± 0.55 cm, body length 67.3 ± 0.63 cm, chest width 21.7 ± 0.26 cm, limb length 43.1 ± 0.47 cm, head length 29.4 ± 0.25 cm and ear length 12.7 ± 0.16 cm, respectively. The overall results of the study demonstrated that Turkish Kangal (Karabash) Shepherd Dogs raised in Belgium, France, Germany and Slovenia had a very close resemblance to dogs raised in the UK and USA, but that they were larger than the dogs raised in Turkey. In Europe the dogs reach mature body weight and size at around 2 years of age. The overall results of the current study revealed that the Turkish Kangal Dogs raised abroad were larger because of better life conditions.

A study on breeding and population status of Marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in Manghopir Shrine Area was undertaken during the years 2010-2013. There is a 61 meters wide and 122 meters long water pond adjacent to the shrine. This pond is home to 144 Marsh crocodiles among them, there are 98 adults, 28 subadults, 15 juveniles and 3 hatchlings. In this area, the Sheedi Community (native peoples of the area) is providing shelter to the species. The pond and its adjacent area is small for such a large population. They cannot perform their communal activities such as basking, breeding as the habitable area of the Crocodiles is overpopulated. Though there is a large number of sexually mature Crocodiles, a few nest, but due to intraspecific competition, animals cannot breed. Only five successful nesting events were observed during the study period. Additionally, there are no adequate husbandry measures taken for the protection of eggs and hatchlings. According to the Community, these Marsh crocodiles are gifts from their Saint, Sheikh Sakhi Sultan. Shortage of food and lack of requisite territory for biological activities are major threats to the Marsh crocodiles in the Manghopir Shrine Area.

The corrosion of austenitic stainless steel (type 304) in dilute sulphuric acid solutions in addition to recrystalized sodium chloride concentrates in the presence of specific proportions of phenylamine was studied with the aid of polarization resistance technique, electrode potential monitoring and coupon method. Results showed the overwhelming influence of the compound in corrosion inhibition with an inhibition efficiency of 97.5% from coupon analysis and 86.10% from polarization test at highest observed concentration of the inhibitor. Corrosion potential measurement showed potentials well with passivation values. Corrosion rate decreased progressively with increase in concentration of phenylamine. The adsorption of the compound on the steel surface followed the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic variables of adsorption surmised showed the interaction mode with the steel to be physiochemical and spontaneous. Observation from scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffractometry showed the electrochemical impact on the surface topography and the phase compounds of the steel samples studied. Results from statistical analysis depict the sharp influence of inhibitor concentration on the electrochemical performance of the compound.

This paper presents a novel approach to analyze the purity of pulse crops by applying machine vision technique. The research concentrated on describing issues related to the development and use of machine vision system for agricultural image interpretation especially for pulse crops. Pulse crops of different stages from different places were collected, saved into computer memory as red, green, blue intensities and converted to Joint Photographic Expert Group format. Four of the most common pulse crops taken from different places were Lentil, Ground Nut, Chick-pea and Split-pea. There were 808 images of pulse crops used for testing and pulse crop purity identification purposes. The success rates of this method for recognized and unrecognized pulse crops of Lentil, Ground Nut, Chick-pea and Split-pea were (84.61, 15.39%), (77.96, 22.04%), (82.19, 17.81%) and (82.69, 17.31%), respectively. Distinct feature of the purity gave the highest percentages of success in analyzing the pulse crop purity.

Software visualization helps developers to understand, compare and browse large scale information. Software projects consist of a large number of packages, classes and methods. It is not an easy task for developers to browse source code and get information about the project’s contents. This paper presents an approach to visualize the contents of a software project in summarized views named BookViews. Each project is modeled as a book in which its chapters represent packages, its sections represent classes and its pages represent methods. The visualization helps developers to understand the internal structure of java projects, as well as, compare between projects in simple and meaningful views. A pilot experimental study on an open source project has been conducted to evaluate BookViews. Results showed that BookViews supports program comprehension and helps developers in understanding the contents of software projects.

In the present investigation, the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of industrial zone of Amol which works with anaerobic system using Up flow Anaerobic Fixed Bed (UAFB) and aerobic system using Integrated Fixed Activated Sludge (IFAS) was studied. In order to measure the amount of energy consumed by the treatment plant, the electricity bills for the different months of 2012 and 2013 were checked and the average daily consumption of electric energy per 1 cubic meter of effluent calculated during these years was 6.62 kwh and 6.24 kWh, respectively. Furthermore, the electromechanical equipments of the plant in each unit were examined separately. The effective daily electrical energy that is the energy used in the treatment process was 4.45 kWh. In addition, the amount of electrical energy per 1 kilogram removed chemical oxygen demand (COD) was obtained. Regarding the energy consuming treatment plant equipments and the rapid increase in energy (electrical energy) prices, the energy management should be more seriously concerned.

A result on bi-shadowing for continuous single-valued contractions satisfying certain conditions has been given by Al- Badarneh (2015). In this paper, we continue the discussion of asymptotic properties of trajectories for mappings belonging to more subclasses of almost contractions. In particular, we prove that Zamfirescu Mappings, Quasi- Contractions, Generalised Contractions, and Hardy-Rogers Contractions are bi-shadowing.

The present paper deals with the ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles via a displacement reaction of silver trifluoromethylsulfonate with copper turnings in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfnate. The results revealed the formation of spherical silver nanoparticles. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). The EDX analysis of Ag nanoparticles showed the presence of high purity silver and no signals for other impurities were recorded. The average particle size determined by TEM and XRD was found to be 25 nm. The UV-vis spectroscopy exhibited the presence of the surface plasmon absorption of Ag nanoparticles.

The Thar Coalfield is located in the Sindh Province of South East Pakistan some 400km east of Karachi. It is world’s largest coalfield which is now being studied from Coalbed Methane resources point of view. Thar coal was deposited in Domain to Mountain/Bara Formation of Paleocene to early Eocene age. The pore diameter in coal helps tounderstand the formation Coalbed Methane. The studies conducted for Thar coalfield shows that coal has dual porosity, as some coal seams have nearly micropores or meso-pores, while other seams possess meso pore, on the basis of pore micropore, pore volume is also determined that shows that the samples from Thar coalfield pore volume vary between 0.06 and 2.36 cc/g. For the determination of adsorption capacity of methane, surface area of pores in coal is also calculated which shows that investigated coal has low values of surface area in coal. The investigation shows that, the Thar coal has smaller size of pore, therefore metane will diffuse in these pores, and based on surface area results it shows that the Thar coal has low adsorption capacity.

Water scarcity is considered as one of the most critical issue in Iran. Managing the domestic effluent for industrial, agricultural and recreational reuses can compensate the water shortage. Effluent Quality Index (EQI), is an efficient tool for rapidly evaluation of the quality achieved by different treatment systems for reuse purposes. The index is developed by a weighted average of eight parameters (TSS, BOD5, COD, NH4, PO4, FECAL COLIFORM, TDS, and PH) which obtained from Delphi method and Fuzzy Topsis decision making tools. Calculation of water quality rating curves (subindices) were based on giving a rating scores of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 corresponding to the 5th , 10th , 20th , 30th, 40th , 50th , 60th, 70th, 80th , 90th, and 99 percentiles respectively to each parameter observations. Then, the thresholds for different reuses and discharges are defined by using environmental limitations and developed EQI. Finally, the effluent quality of South Waste Water Treatment plant of Tehran for summer and autumn is evaluated using the developed EQI.

Ayvacik horse is reared in Ayvacik county of Canakkale province and its near which is a small size and solid horse breed. According to data of County Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Ayvacik, there were about 218 horse holders who had 328 horses. Enterprises of 107 of 218 accepted to reply survey queries which were carried out by a face-to-face survey. According to survey results, all of horse holders were male. In addition, horse holders were 95.3% married and the average age was 52.9 years old which were ranged from 21 to 79 years old age. 67.3% of horse holders were graduated from primary school. The average of horse holding was about 23.7% and numbers of horses kept by holders were for one, two, and more than two horses 65.4, 28, and 6.5%, respectively. In this survey study also some data were obtained about Ayvacik horse rearing so that the structure of Ayvacik horse holders were analyzed by using obtained results.

The main purpose of this study is comparison and investigation of different types of composite columns in framed structures in plastic mode under dynamic loads. In this study the performance of the MRFs with composite columns has been evaluated using 3-story structural models, considering the base reactions obtained from the non-linear analysis. The results show good performance of composite sections under the seismic loads. Also, a comparison between two types of composite sections, the full and half-embedded steel sections in concrete, has been made. The columns are designed for the construction frames with 3 floors s by Plastics Method and to study the dynamic behavior of the models were used three strong earthquakes.

We know that calculating complex integrals is not as easy as calculating real integrals. Also, the complex integration techniques in comparison to real integration techniques are limited. In this paper we attempt to introduce partial-fraction decomposition technique of real integration for complex integration and with respect to the nature of complex integrals, generalize this method for a certain type of complex integral function that has no standard conditions.

In this study, we examine optimization of distributed generators (DGs) placement in power distribution system. In addition to the problem of reducing losses in the distribution system, we attempt to reduce the use of DGs in number and capacity each needs for load flow as much as possible. We used Teaching-Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm for the optimization of cost function. We implemented this algorithm with the placement of 2, 3 and 4 generators in an IEEE 14-bus distribution system. Our study results showed that power loss when using TLBO algorithm, is reduced.

The Nara Game Reserve area having a number of wetlands and Nara Canal form a Wetland Complex in Desert. In this study selected areas of twenty two important spots of the Nagiopeer and Dangewari wetlands was surveyed and their physico-chemical data was recorded. The samples were taken season wise from both the wetlands and the estimated parameters showed their chemical characters and quality of water. The water of both the wetlands was not suitable for human drinking due to high value of TDS. Seepage from Nara Canal is responsible for making most of the wetlands of the area to have high salt contents making them largely brackish. We also evaluated the status of wildlife of Nara Game Reserve. Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) has declined in numbers due to habitat degradation and human disturbance. Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrina) and Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) are rare and observed only in Jamrao Head area. The status of large mammals, especially ungulates and carnivores has declined over the past decades due to increase in human population, habitat deterioration, hunting and other ecological changes taking place due to development. Small mammals and rodents are quite common as noticed by their burrow system and direct sightings. The Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), a winter visitor to the desert areas is under severe hunting pressure. Grey Partridge (Francolinus pondicerianus) and some species of ducks such as Mallard and Common Teal are widely hunted. Main threats to the wildlife of the area are human population, hunting, habitat destruction and ecological changes. The Nara Wetland Complex is an important bio-ecological site which needs conservation and management plan for the sustainability of the Nara Game Reserve area.

Academic nurses appointed to leadership roles without preparation. Therefore, novice academic departments heads face a challenging environment. This paper reports and reflects on experiences of novice nursing academic heads from Jordan. In this study qualitative design using structured interviews with eight academic heads of nursing departments in Jordan was used. This study reports three issues: the role definition for an academic head, the required attributes for those heads and the important points to consider when starting the position. Based on results it recommends for the institutions to consider transitional period for the academics who will take administrative positions for the first time.

The cold condensation reaction of nicotinic acid hydrazide and 5-bromo-2-hydoxylbenzaldehyde to form a tridentate schiff base hydrazone ligand (H2L3) was studied. The prepared ligand was characterized using CHN analyxer, ESI mass spectrometry, IR, 1H NMR, 13CNMR and 2D NMR such as COSY and HSQC. Thereafter, five novel metal complexes [Pt(II), Zn(II), Mn(II), Ni(II) and Mo(V)] of the hydrazone ligand were synthesized and characterized based on conductivity measurements, CHN analysis, AAS, magnetic measurements, UV/Wis, IR, ESR and TGA/DTA study. The proposed structures of the metal complexes were further supported with the use of powder X-ray analysis. Antitubercular activity study of the compounds was evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by using microdiluted method. The study revealed that H2L3 exhibited promising anti-tubercular activity with MIC value of 0.82 ug/mL. Also, metal complexes ([pt(H2L3)cl]- 0.88 ug/mL, [mn(H2L3)(CH3COO)2]- 0.78 ug/mL, [Zn(H2L3)(CH3COO)2H2O]- 0.62 ug/mL and [Ni(H2L3)(Cl)2]H2O- 1.19 ug/mL) exhibited significant inhibition as compared to the standard drug (isoniazid- 0.91 ug/mL). Complex 2 and 3 with coordinated acetates showed two folds inhibition than standard isoniazid drug . Howevver, complex 5 with coordinated chlorine atom displayed atom displayed lower inhibition when compared to isoniazid.