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One of the ways to minimize fossil fuel consumption is to optimize the feedwater heaters of the power plants. The newly-built power plants work optimally at their design conditions; however, by aging, they often deviate from those conditions. Therefore, new optimal conditions are required to be determined for them. In this study, invoking a Predictive Model, the impact of different configurations of the feedwater heaters on the performance of the power plant is examined. It is shown that there are optimal values for the pressure of closed feedwater heaters. Following the optimization procedure of Conjugate Directions Method, the optimal pressures for bleeding off steam for all the closed feedwater heaters and the deaerator are achieved, simultaneously. The multi-variable optimization is carried out based on the maximal energy and exergy efficiencies as well as the maximal net delivered power of the cycle.

Copper Sulfate (CuSO4) is the most used in aquaculture as chemotherapeutic bath against bacterial, fungal and parasitic diseases but it is very toxic for fish so the goal of this study was to determine the lethal concentration of CuSO4 and evaluate it is toxicity in the gill and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in Cyprinus carpio. Fish exposed to 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/L for 24 hours, each concentration with three replication each have six fish. The mortality rate was 100% at concentration 10 mg/L, which represented lethal concentration, while medium lethal concentration (LC50) was determined by Trevan method and it is 5mg/L. The fish with LC100 concentration exhibit abnormal respiration with gasping swimming, nervous sings with up down and stay at basin then die at 2-3 hours. The histopathological examination of the gills revealed circulatory disturbances, cellularity reaction, progressive and regressive alteration, this microscopic alteration was evaluated as semi-quantities analysis and there was variable significant (P≤0.05) in the pathological alteration and gill indexes between two treatments. In the brain and spinal cord, the lesions are represented by vasogenic edema, infiltration of inflammatory cells with atrophy in the neuronal body cells and hemorrhage. It is concluded from this study that the use of copper sulfate is within limited concentrations because increasing its concentration leads to fish toxicity, and it was observed that the gill tissue is more sensitive to toxicity than the central nervous system

Abstract Recently, cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) have attracted wide attention owing to their superior properties compared to their bulk materials. For example, they represent an outstanding model for fabricating green metallic/metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs). In this study, two CNs (carboxylated CNs and sulfated CNs) extracted from agro-wastes of palm sheath fibers were used as templates for the facile and green synthesis of ZnO NPs by employing the sono-co-precipitation method. The obtained nanomaterials were characterized using TEM, EDX, UV–visible, DLS, FT-IR, and XRD analysis. As a result, the size and concentration of synthesized ZnO NPs were inversely proportional to one another and were affected by the CNs utilized and the reaction temperature used. Contagious diseases incited by multifarious toxigenic bacteria present severe threats to human health. The fabricated bio-nanocomposites were evaluated in terms of their antimicrobial efficacy by agar well diffusion method and broth microdilution assay, showing that CN–ZnO bio-nanocomposites were effective against the tested Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella) and Gram-positive (Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. The influence of the subinhibitory concentrations of these suspensions on the expression of the most critical virulence toxin genes of the tested strains was effective. Significant downregulation levels were observed through toxigenic operons to both fabricated CN–ZnO bio-nanocomposites with a fold change ranging from 0.004 to 0.510, revealing a decline in the capacity and virulence of microorganisms to pose infections. Therefore, these newly fabricated CNS–ZnO bio-nanocomposites could be employed rationally in food systems as a novel preservative to inhibit microbial growth and repress the synthesis of exotoxins.

Fluid flow applications to improve water resource management towards sustainable irrigation are one of the main targets of engineers nowadays, especially with global climate change. The performance assessment of the irrigation system is an important area of research to improve water resource management. Through drip irrigation systems, this review evaluated the application uniformity of water and nutrients to sustain agricultural production and protect the environment’s natural resources. To achieve these goals, the adequate use of nutrients and water must be emphasized by utilizing sufficient water and nutrient management approaches, including a drip irrigation system that supplies the inputs immediately to the crop’s root zone. The process operating pressure and the drip line length are the two most crucial aspects that affect the uniformity of the water and nutrient distribution in fields. Inconsistent or inadequate applications of fertilizers and water in the fields contribute to the incorrect supply of useful water and nutrients in the soil profile along the drip line length resulting in a significant decrease in crop yields and poor product quality. The main cause behind the operating pressures in a “micro-irrigation system” is the inadequate distribution of fertilizers and water in the fields. Therefore, the effects of such non-uniform distribution must be carefully quantified and studied to understand the reasons behind soil degradation and groundwater contamination, which occurs due to excess nutrient leaching from the crop’s root zone. Data on the distribution and movement of water and nutrients in the soil is essential for designing efficient fertilization systems. Drip irrigation can reduce water exposure and input costs, making agribusiness more resilient, profitable, and successful. This paper discusses the uniformity of the nutrients and water application for crops grown in various agro-climatic regions. In addition, an effort was made to compare the findings’ quality of various commonly used methods of water and nutrient application under different climatic conditions.

This research aims to study and analyze the impact of agricultural policy on marketing the rice crop in Iraq for the period 2000-2020 and to identify the actual contribution of agricultural policy and its positive role, regression analysis was used by OLS method to measure the impact of agricultural marketing policy in Iraq for the period 2000-2020, and it is necessary to increase the marketed quantities in a way that helps move the price According to the supply and demand of the marketed quantities, which increases the impact of the marketed quantities on the price while reducing the government support followed as an encouraging policy. The study concluded that the production was not sufficient to cover the local markets, which led the government to work on an encouraging policy by subsidizing rice prices due to the population increase to cover the domestic product from it and to meet the local need of the rice crop.

This study explores the propagation properties of orbital angular momentum (OAM) carried by a vector anomalous vortex beam (VAVB) in maritime atmospheric turbulence, utilizing the Rytov approximation. A comparative analysis is conducted between the VAVB and Laguerre-Gaussian beam, revealing that the VAVB exhibits a higher detection probability under specific circumstances. This suggests that the VAVB is more suitable for scenarios where maximizing detection probability is critical. The detection probability of the signal OAM mode is affected by the characteristics of maritime atmospheric turbulence and propagation distance, but can be significantly improved by manipulating beam parameters such as wavelength, beam order, beam waist, and quantum number, while considering the characteristics of maritime atmospheric turbulence. Hence, the use of VAVB has the potential to facilitate reliable optical communication in challenging maritime environments.

Natural bioactive alternatives are the utmost requests from researchers to provide biosafe and effectual health-guarding agents. The biopolymers chitosan nanoparticles (NCT), mucilage of cress seed (GCm; Lepidium sativum), and GCm-mediated selenium nanoparticles (GCm/SeNPs) were innovatively employed for fabricating novel bioactive natural nanocomposites (NCs) with elevated bioactivities as bactericidal (against Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus) and anticancer (against CaCo-2 and HeLa cells). The SeNPs were successfully generated with GCm, and different NCs formulations were fabricated from NCT:GCm/SeNPs amalgam ratios including T1, T2, and T3 with 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 ratios, respectively. The infrared analysis of synthesized molecules appointed apparent physical interactions among interacted molecules. The average particles’ sizes and charges of molecules/NCs were (12.7, 316.4, 252.8, and 127.3 nm) and (−6.9, +38.7, +26.2, and −25.8 mV) for SeNPs, T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The biocidal assessment of NCs indicated that T1 was the strongest antibacterial formulation, whereas T3 was the superior anticancer amalgam. These NCs formulations could exceed the biocidal potentialities of standard biocides. T1-NC could cause severe destructions/deformations in challenged S. typhimurium within 9 h, whereas T3-NCs induced apparent fluorescent apoptosis signs in treated HeLa cells. The prospective applications innovatively designed biocidal natural NCs that are recommended for controlling pathogenic bacteria and fighting cancerous cells.

Salinity is a significant abiotic stress that has a profound effect on growth, the content of secondary products, and the genotoxicity of cells. Lime, Citrus aurantifolia, is a popular plant belonging to the family Rutaceae. The interest in cultivating this plant is due to the importance of its volatile oil, which is included in many pharmaceutical industries, but C. aurantifolia plants are affected by the NaCl salinity levels. In the present study, a comet assay test has been applied to evaluate the genotoxic impact of salinity at 0, 50, 100, and 200 mM of NaCl on C. aurantifolia tissue-cultured plants. Furthermore, terpene gene expression was investigated using a semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results from the two analyses revealed that 200 mM of NaCl stress resulted in high levels of severe damage to the C. aurantifolia plants’ DNA tail 21.8%, tail length 6.56 µm, and tail moment 3.19 Unit. The relative highest expression of RtHK and TAT genes was 2.08, and 1.693, respectively, when plants were exposed to 200 mM of NaCl, whereas pv4CL2RT expressed 1.50 in plants subjected to 100 mM of NaCl. The accumulation of transcripts for the RTMYB was 0.951 when plants were treated with NaCl at 50 mM, and RtGPPS gene was significantly decreased to 0.446 during saline exposure at 100 mM. We conclude that the comet assay test offers an appropriate tool to detect DNA damage as well as RtHK, TAT, and pv4CL2RT genes having post-transcriptional regulation in C. aurantifolia plant cells under salinity stress. Future studies are needed to assess the application of gene expression and comet assay technologies using another set of genes that show vulnerability to different stresses on lime and other plants.

Organic compounds have enhanced different industrial outputs, but many related environmental challenges, such as groundwater and surface water pollution related to these compounds, have piqued governments' and citizens' interest worldwide. Photocatalysis has recently been proven to be an effective method of eliminating these pollutants. This study investigated the photocatalytic degradation of 1-naphthyl methylcarbamate (carbaryl pesticide) and methyl orange (dye) using an efficient SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst. A straightforward solid-state technique created a mesoporous SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst with various SnO2 NP concentrations. Various analytical approaches were used to characterize the SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis). The degradation of carbaryl, as a model pesticide and methyl orange as a model dye, under visible light was tested to determine the photocatalytic activity of the SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite with various mass percentages of SnO2 NPs. The results showed that SnO2 NPs successfully improved the photoactivity of g-C3N4. The photocatalytic activity showed that the carbaryl photodegradation rate increased from 32% by g-C3N4 to 85% and 96% for methyl orange by SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst (20%), indicating that SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite is a promising photocatalyst for pesticides and dyes. The enhanced photodegradation effectiveness of SnO2 NPs@g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst was related to increased surface area and improved illumination radiation ability by successfully separating charge carriers.

Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, are crucial in combating cancer and aiding in the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents owing to their biologically active compounds. They offer a promising avenue for developing effective anticancer medications because of their low toxicity, diverse chemical structures, and ability to target various cancers. Allicin is one of the main ingredients in garlic (Allium sativum L.). It is a bioactive sulfur compound maintained in various plant sections in a precursor state. Numerous studies have documented the positive health benefits of this natural compound on many chronic conditions, including gastric, hepatic, breast, lung, cervical, prostate, and colon cancer. Moreover, allicin may target several cancer hallmarks or fundamental biological traits and functions that influence cancer development and spread. Cancer hallmarks include sustained proliferation, evasion of growth suppressors, metastasis, replicative immortality, angiogenesis, resistance to cell death, altered cellular energetics, and immune evasion. The findings of this review should provide researchers and medical professionals with a solid basis to support fundamental and clinical investigations of allicin as a prospective anticancer drug. This review outlines the anticancer role of allicin in each hallmark of cancer.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin, which is a type of flavonoid found in high concentrations in green tea. EGCG has been studied extensively for its potential health benefits, particularly in cancer. EGCG has been found to exhibit anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic, and pro-apoptotic effects in numerous cancer cell lines and animal models. EGCG has demonstrated the ability to interrupt various signaling pathways associated with cellular proliferation and division in different cancer types. EGCG anticancer activity is mediated by interfering with various cancer hallmarks. This article summarize and highlight the effects of EGCG on cancer hallmarks and focused on the impacts of EGCG on these cancer-related hallmarks. The studies discussed in this review enrich the understanding of EGCG’s potential as a therapeutic tool against cancer, offering a substantial foundation for scientists and medical experts to advance scientific and clinical investigations regarding EGCG’s possibility as a potential anticancer treatment.

A number of obstacles, including irrigated wastewater and soil contamination, arise in the growth of aromatic and medicinal plants. This study aimed to reduce the effects of contaminated soil and wastewater irrigation on rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plants by using biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) produced by the ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) plant extract. The AgNPs were characterized using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR). The experimental design involved three distinct groups of plants: one group was irrigated with regular tap water, another group was rooted in soil contaminated by sewage-wastewater and irrigated with processed wastewater, and the final group consisted of plants grown in wastewater-contaminated soil, irrigated with processed wastewater, and sprayed with 200 mM l ^−1 AgNPs. The study also examined the impact of different treatments on gene expression and secondary metabolite levels in rosemary plants. According to HPLC investigations, nineteen phenol compounds and flavonoids were identified in a methanolic extract of rosemary that was grown in contaminated soil, irrigated with wastewater, and sprayed with AgNPs. Plants treated with wastewater and nanoparticles produced quantities of secondary compounds, including resvertol, vanillic acid, and gallic acid with 1.11, 0.15, and 0.01 mg g ^−1 respectively, which are all regarded as significant antioxidants employed in the pharmaceutical industry. Hexokinase synthase (HK), geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS), and linalool synthase (LS) coding genes were found to have highly expressed expressions when plants grown in contaminated soil, wastewater-irrigated plants, and nanoparticle-sprayed plants, respectively, at a 23.2- and 5.54-fold level, where the HK gene was 8.7 times more strongly expressed. Conversely, plants grown in contaminated soil and irrigated with treated wastewater showed downregulation of these genes. Conclusively, using silver nanoparticles significantly reduced the influence of wastewater pollution on secondary metabolites in rosemary plants, which was increased by the gene expression results and was completely consistent with HPLC analysis.

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations of a small dispersive event on 2022 February 27 and 28 indicate scatter-free propagation as the dominant transport mechanism between the low corona and greater than 35 solar radii. The event occurred during unique orbital conditions that prevailed along specific flux tubes that PSP encountered repeatedly between 25 and 35 R _s during outbound orbit 11. This segment of the PSP orbit exhibits almost stationary angular motion relative to the rotating solar surface, such that in the rotating frame, PSP’s motion is essentially radial. The time dispersion often observed in impulsive solar energetic particle (SEP) events continues in this case down to velocities including the core solar-wind ion velocities. Especially at the onset of this event, the ^3 He content is much larger than the usual SEP abundances seen in the energy range from ∼100 keV to several MeV for helium. Later in the event, iron is enhanced. The compositional signatures suggest this to be an example of an acceleration mechanism for generating the seed energetic particles required by shock (or compression) acceleration models in SEP events to account for the enrichment of various species above solar abundances in such events. A preliminary search of similar orbital conditions over the PSP mission has not revealed additional such events, although favorable conditions (isolated impulsive acceleration and well-ordered magnetic field connection with minimal magnetic field fluctuation) that would be required are infrequently realized, given the small fraction of the PSP trajectory that meets these observation conditions.

Acute traumatic lumbar hernia (ATLH) is rare in blunt trauma and can be overlooked due to the presence of multiple injuries following the trauma incidence. ATLH is usually found at the time of radiological examination or during surgical exploration. Awareness of the clinicians about the possibility of ATLH can enhance early diagnosis and reduce the occurrence of serious complications including bowel obstruction and strangulation. Herein, we present two cases of ATLH in which one of them was treated conservatively in the acute stage and the other patient was treated surgically. Conservative management can be adopted in the acute stage with the delayed repair of the hernia after resolving the muscles' contusion. However, early operative intervention is essential if conservative management failed or in the event of acute deterioration of the patient's condition.

Abstract Backgroud Cryptosporidium species are zoonotic protozoan parasites responsible for gastroenteritis in various animals and humans. The diagnosis of Cryptosporidium presents many challenges. This research attempted to match the diagnostic efficiency of the modified Ziehl–Neelsen technique (mZN), immunochromatographic assays (IC), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of Cryptosporidium in faecal samples of cattle in Kuwait. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was utilised to determine the predominant species infecting cattle in Kuwait and correlating the detected species with the results of different diagnostic tests used, the presence or absence of clinical signs, and the age group of the infected cattle. Results Of 400 analysed faecal samples, Cryptosporidium positive samples were 23%, 15.25%, and 14% using IC, ELISA, and mZN. IC had the highest sensitivity (74.07%), and mZN had the highest specificity (98.29%) using a composite reference standard (CRS) as a gold standard. The rapid IC test results in high false-positive results of cryptosporidiosis, whereas using mZN alone is insufficient to declare a negative faecal sample. Only 74.5% (35/47) of Cryptosporidium-positive samples by the three assays could be amplified by PCR. This study was the first to genotype Cryptosporidium in Kuwait. Cryptosporidium parvum (n = 26) was the dominant species detected from cattle samples, followed by C. andersoni (n = 6), C. bovis (n = 2), and C. raynae (n = 1). The findings showed a statistically relevant relationship between diarrhoea and the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in faecal samples of cattle (p-value = 0.0003). Pre-weaned calves were the most vulnerable age group to Cryptosporidium spp. infection (p-value = 0.0007). Conclusion For screening of Cryptosporidium infection in faecal samples, antigen detection or PCR methods combined with one of the microscopy techniques should be used. Cryptosporidium parvum was the prepoderant Cryptosporidium spp. recovered from cattle samples in Kuwait followed by C. andersoni. Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant risk factor for diarrhoea in pre-weaned calves. However, further study is needed as many other causes of diarrhoea in calves must be ruled out before a diagnosis of Cryptosporidium diarrhoea can be made.

Background: COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be a vital tool in controlling the pandemic. Hesitation with COVID-19 immunization has been reported worldwide. The acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine among health care workers (HCWs) is an important step in determining the success of any new vaccination program. This study aims to estimate the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self- administered questionnaire was conducted among HCWs in December 2020. Data were analyzed using a bivariate level to identify the statistical association with acceptability using the Chi-squared test. At the multivariate level, we determined the socio-demographic and knowledge factors associated with vaccine acceptability. Results: A total of 608 out of 700 HCWs participated (response rate 87 %), of which 64.8 % were Oman citizens and 53.8 % were aged between 30 and 39 years. The majority of the participants were female (62.8 %) and married (87.0 %), while 48.5 % of the respondents were doctors. Only 43 % of the participants were willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while 57 % were either uncertain 35 % or unwilling 22 % to be vaccinated. The main reason for not being willing to receive the vaccine was their perceived adverse events after vaccination. The male participants (OR: 1.96 95 % CI 1.22–3.13) and those with a positive attitude towards the vaccine (OR: 9.17(95 %) CI-1.78–47.07) were more willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly, trust in the government (OR: 2.41 95 % CI 1.57–3.71) and having sound knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine (OR: 15.91 95 % CI 9.81–25.88) improved the acceptability to vaccinate among the HCWs. In contrast, having a previous experience with SARS-CoV-2 (OR: 1.65, 95 % CI: 1.08–2.54), was associated with a significant decrease in COVID-19 vaccine acceptability. Conclusion: 50 % of HCWs reported being uncertain or unwilling to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 vaccine. Male gender, positive attitude towards the vaccines, trust in government and knowledge of COVID-19 vaccine as key factors that determine improved vaccine acceptability among HCWs. Therefore, to facilitate herd immunity among the population, it is necessary to initiate effective communication strategies among HCWs in order to sensitize them towards the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A variety of methods, including both modeling and non-modeling water balance techniques, are used in this study to estimate water availability allocated for different demands. The area under investigation is the shared Diyala River basin between Iraq and Iran, which is vulnerable to climate change impact and upstream control and aims to enhance watershed management. Two rainfall-runoff models were applied, the Tanh curve model and the modified Tanh curve model for runoff simulation at the Derbendkhan and Hemmrin hydrometric stations. Data from two meteorological stations in Iraq (Khanakin and Sulymania) and one in Iran (Sanandaj) for 20 hydrological years (2000–2020) was used. Some goodness of fit indicators were used to evaluate the reliability of the model outcomes, including the correlation coefficient, the root mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the deviation of runoff volume, and the index of agreement. Statistical analysis shows no statistically significant difference between observed and predicted runoff at all stations in winter, spring, and annual time scales when using the Tanh curve model, or for monthly and extreme wet events when using the modified Tanh curve method. The modified Tanh curve model was more accurate than the Tanh model and applied only to Sulymania and Sanandaj stations, as it required a considerable amount of precipitation in at least semi-humid areas. HIGHLIGHTS Two empirical models are used to predict Diyala River runoff. The Tanh curve model produces a reasonable fit for winter, spring, and annual time scales, and the modified Tanh curve model gives a reasonable fit on a monthly time scale.; The modified Tanh curve model performed better than the Tanh curve model.; The modified Tanh curve model does not work for arid or semi-arid climates.; Wet extreme events are represented well by the modified Tanh curve model, while the Tanh curve model could not represent dry or wet extreme events.;

The Wadi Al-Qassab and Wadi Al-Murr are the main valleys in the west of the town of Qaiyarah, extending almost parallel in the northwest-southeast direction and descending from the topographically high areas located to the west towards the Tigris River in the east. Wadi Al-Qassab extends in the area sandwiched between the mountains (Attshan, Nuegett and Eklayan) in the north of the valley and the mountains (Jawan, Najmah and Qaiyarah) south of the valley which represents anticlines. While Wadi Al-Murr extends to the south of the mountains (Najmah and Qaiyarah). These two valleys are active during the rainy season due to the wide catchment area, especially for Wadi Al-Qassab, which several seasonal tributaries flow. The structural situation reflected by the Qaiyarah and Najma anticlines helps reveal many types of rocks belonging to the Fat'ha and Injana formations, as well as the sediments that cover the area mainly derived from the rocks of these two formations. The two valleys' sediments were classified as sand and gravelly sand that will contribute to the groundwater recharge during the rainy season. The average mineral compositions of the sediments (according to X-ray data and chemical composition of major and minor oxides) in the valleys of Al-Murr and Al-Qassab were estimated to be silicate minerals (such as quartz, clay minerals and feldspar minerals) estimated at 62.78% and 59.89%, carbonate minerals (main calcite) 26.14% and 31.97%, the evaporite minerals that included gypsum mineral 5.46% and 2.87% and halite 0.62% and 0.36%, in addition to the iron oxide phases of 4.69% and 4.41%, respectively. Most of the trace elements have been associated with clay minerals, either in the form of substitution and/or adsorption, and some of them are maybe as resistant minerals inherited from the source rocks from which they were derived. Chemical analysis shows that there are no significant indicators of hydrocarbon pollutions that may enrich the area with some organometallic compounds in valley sediments due to the emitted refinery gases and fine hydrocarbon particles.

Measurement(s) Wingspan • Habitat Affinity • oviposition • voltinism • phenology • hostplant association Technology Type(s) natural language processing Sample Characteristic - Organism Lepidoptera Sample Characteristic - Location Global

يهدف البحث إلى دراسة العلاقة طويلة الأجل بين تحركات أسعار الذهب وسوق الأسهم السعودي تداول TADAWUL بصفته أحد أكبر وأهم الأسواق المالية في المنطقة ، إذ يعد أكبر سوق لرأس المال في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وتاسع أكبر سوق للأوراق المالية في العالم، حيث تقدر القيمة السوقية لأسهم الشركات المدرجة في السوق الرئيسي 2.62 ترليون دولار، ومن أجل التحقق من فرضية البحث والتوصل للنتائج فقد تم استخدام انموذج تحليل الانحدار الخطي البسيط - طريقة المربعات الصغرى العادية OLS-Ordinary Least Squares وبالاعتماد على بيانات شهرية مدتها من 1-2003 ولغاية 12-2020 (18) عاما، وقد أظهرت النتائج بأن ردة فعل المؤشر العام لأسعار أسهم السوق السعودي TASI كانت سلبية تجاه تحركات أسعار الذهب، كما حاول البحث اختبار العلاقة بين أسعار الذهب واثنين من القطاعات المهمة في سوق الأسهم السعودي وهما قطاع الاتصالات والمعلومات Telecom & Information Sector ((TTIS، وقطاع البنوك والخدمات المالية Banking & Financial Services (TBFS)، حيث أظهرت النتائج تباين استجابة هذين القطاعين تجاه تغيرات أسعار الذهب ما بين الايجابي والسلبي، وبناء على ما أفرزته نتائج الدراسة يمكن عد سعر الذهب أحد المتغيرات التي يجب على المستثمرين والمحللين الماليين مراعاتها عند صياغة القرارات الاستثمارية واحد المحركات التي يمكن من خلالها التنبؤ بسلوك أسعار الأسهم في الأجل القصير.

A new pavement technology has been developed in Highway engineering: asphalt pavement production is less susceptible to oxidation and the consequent damages. The warm mix asphalt (WMA) is produced at a temperature of about (10-40) oC lower than the hot asphalt paving. This is done using one of the methods of producing a WMA. Although WMA's performance is rather good, according to previous studies, as it is less susceptible to oxidation, it is possible to modify some of its properties using different materials, including polymers. Waste tires of vehicles are one of the types of polymers because of their flexible properties. The production of HMA, WMA, and WMA modified with proportions of (1, 1.5, and 2%) of rubber crumbs by the dry method are accomplished in this work. Marshall Test and volumetric properties determination are performed to evaluate its performance. The results showed that using 1% of rubber crumbs as a replacement for fine aggregate in the warm asphalt mixture produced the best properties of the WMA compared to the conventional WMA.

BackgroundIntracellular communication within the tumour is complex and extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as major contributing factors for the cell-to-cell communication in the local and distant tumour environments. Here, we examine the differential effects of breast cancer (BC) subtype-specific patient serum and cell-line derived EVs in the regulation of T cell mediated immune responses. MethodsUltracentrifugation was used to isolate EVs from sera of 63 BC patients, 15 healthy volunteers and 4 human breast cancer cell lines. Longitudinal blood draws for EV isolation for patients on neoadjuvant chemotherapy was also performed. Characterization of EVs was performed by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunoblotting. CD63 staining was performed on a tissue microarray of 218 BC patients. In-house bioinformatics algorithms were utilized for the computation of EV associated expression scores within The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and correlated with tumour infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) scores. In vitro stimulation of PBMCs with EVs from serum and cell-line derived EVs was performed and changes in the immune phenotypes characterized by flow cytometry. Cytokine profiles were assessed using a 105-plex immunoassay or IL10 ELISA. ResultsPatients with triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) exhibited the lowest number of EVs in the sera; whilst the highest was detected in ER+HER2+ cancers; reflected also in the higher level of CD63+ vesicles found within the ER+HER2+ local tumour microenvironment. Transcriptomic analysis of the TCGA data identified that samples assigned with lower EV scores had significantly higher abundance of CD4+ memory activated T cells, T follicular cells and CD8 T cells, plasma, and memory B cells; whilst samples with high EV scores were more enriched for anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages and mast cells. A negative correlation between EV expression scores and stromal TIL counts was also observed. In vitro experiments confirmed that circulating EVs within breast cancer subtypes have functionally differing immunomodulatory capabilities, with EVs from patients with the most aggressive breast cancer subtype (TNBCs) demonstrating the most immune-suppressive phenotype (decreased CD3+HLA-DR+ but increased CD3+PD-L1 T cells, increased CD4+CD127-CD25hi T regulatory cells with associated increase in IL10 cytokine production). In depth assessment of the cytokine modulation triggered by the serum/cell line derived exosomes confirmed differential inflammatory cytokine profiles across differing breast cancer subtypes. Studies using the MDA-231 TNBC breast cancer cell-line derived EVs provided further support that TNBC EVs induced the most immunosuppressive response within PBMCs.DiscussionOur study supports further investigations into how tumour derived EVs are a mechanism that cancers can exploit to promote immune suppression; and breast cancer subtypes produce EVs with differing immunomodulatory capabilities. Understanding the intracellular/extracellular pathways implicated in alteration from active to suppressed immune state may provide a promising way forward for restoring immune competence in specific breast cancer patient populations.

Anthropogenic activities cause soil pollution with different serious pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) compounds. This study assessed the contamination of PAHs in soil samples collected from 30 sites divided into eight groups (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in Basrah city-Iraq during 2019-2020. The soil characteristics including (moisture, pH, EC and TOC) were measured. Results showed the following ranges (soil moisture (0.03-0.18%),pH (6.90-8.16), EC (2.48-104.80) mS/cm and TOC (9.90-20.50%)). Gas Chromatography (GC) was used to measure PAHs in extracted soil samples. The total PAH range (499.96 - 5864.86) ng/g dry weight (DW). The most dominant percentage of PAHs in (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in dry season were (BghiP 36% , Chy 29% ,BkF 26% , BaP 18% ,BghiP 27% , InP 40% , BbF 19% and BbF 12%) respectively, while in wet season the most dominant PAHs were (Pyr 22% , BbF 16%, BkF 32% , BbF 36% , BkF 38% , Pyr 26% , BbF 43% and Pyr 35%) respectively. According to some calculated ratios, the sources of PAHs in Basrah soil were mixed between petrogenic and pyrogenic origins. The soil is classified from weakly to heavily contaminated with PAHs.

Objectives: Despite a significant reduction in the global case incidence and mortality of malaria in the past 20 years, malaria continues to wreak havoc on people’s health across the globe. Oman is a malaria-free country, meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria, having no indigenous malaria case documented since 2010, and maintaining that status for three consecutive years. Oman has a national strategy for prevention of re-establishment of malaria and to maintain their malaria-free status. In this paper, we explore Oman’s malaria elimination progress and provide recommendations for accelerating and sustaining malaria free status using WHO malaria elimination strategies. Methods: Secondary data from the years 1976 to 2020 was extracted from official sources utilized to assess progress. A review and epidemiological analysis of malaria cases, species classification, and source of infection was conducted. The data and situation were compared to WHO malaria elimination pillars. Results: The number of malaria cases reported from 1976 to 2020 was 298 070, a decline from 1.6 to 0.1 per 1000 population. Of the 4415 cases reported between 1994–2004, 98.0% were classified as imported and 73.0% of people diagnosed with malaria were 20–34 years old. The number of autochthonous cases began to decline in 1994 from a high of 4415 cases (3.6 per 1000 population) to zero by 2004 with no deaths attributed to autochthonous malaria cases after the year 2000. By 2020, Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 86.0% of cases, P. vivax cases declined to 9.0% and P. malaria and P. ovale comprised the remaining 6.0% of case notifications. Conclusions: Oman achieved malaria elimination status in 2013. To maintain this status, it is essential to adopt a national prevention strategy of re-establishment of malaria and maintain malaria-free status targets.

Basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC) is relatively a new type of fiber-reinforced concrete, which has demonstrated good mechanical performance. Several types of fibers such as steel, glass, and carbon fibers, are used to improve the performance of plain concrete. However, basalt fibers (BF) are being considered superior to these because of their comparable mechanical strength, higher durability than glass fibers, lesser cost than carbon fibers, sustainability due to abundant raw material, and environment-friendly production process. Hence, the number of studies on BFRC are increasing over the years. This review paper covers the properties of BF and BFRC. The effects of BF length and dosage are discussed in detail in term of fresh, hardened, and durability properties of BFRC, followed by highlighting some areas for future research. It is concluded that BF can potentially replace the other conventional fibers which are being used in the industry.

The systemic and resistant nature of the androgen-independent stage of prostate cancers makes it largely incurable even after intensive multimodal therapy. Apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are two fundamental events that are deeply linked to carcinogenesis. Hence, it is necessary to find a new combination of several therapies targeting apoptosis and EMT without causing side effects. Several recent studies have indicated that the Farnesoid X receptor is extensively associated with human tumorigenesis. The FXR agonist obeticholic acid (INT 747) has preliminarily exhibited a tumor suppressor potential. In this present study, we assess the potential synergism of FXR activation under nutrient deprivation in prostate cancer cell lines to investigate whether FXR activation enhances starvation-induced apoptosis in PC3 cells. In this study, PC-3 treatment with INT 747 significantly repressed cell proliferation and clonogenic potential. In addition, it significantly induced apoptosis of PC-3 cells and decreased their cancerogenic potential, as evaluated by annexin v apoptosis and transwell migration assay, respectively. The decreased expression of pro-caspase 3 by western blot analysis further confirmed INT 747-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) potentiated the antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, and antimetastatic effects of INT 747. Mechanistically, these effects were mediated through the downregulation of cyclin D1 and upregulation of PTEN. In conclusion, INT 747 alone markedly decreases, and when combined with FMD abrogates the growth and migration of PC-3 cells.

Abstract Background Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common infectious diseases that affects children. Breastfeeding has been linked to a lower risk of AOM in the first three years of childhood. The aim of this study was to identify the association between exclusive breastfeeding and the development of acute otitis media (AOM) and investigate the influence of breastfeeding duration on the presence of AOM. Methods In a retrospective case–control study, a sample of 98 children (cases) who were diagnosed with AOM and 98 children (controls) who were not diagnosed with AOM and were younger than two years old were selected from the Jordan University Hospital. Medical records were used to identify children with AOM. For both the case and control groups, the children’s mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire about factors linked to the incidence of AOM.The type of feeding and the duration of breastfeeding were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Results The data indicated that among children who developed AOM, 23.5%were artificiallyfed, while 22.4% and 13.3% were exclusively breastfed for 3 months and 6 months, respectively. Approximately 70.7% of the children without AOM were exclusively breastfed for 6 months, compared with only 29.3% of the children without AOM who were exclusively breastfed for 3 months.Logistic regression revealed that nonexclusive breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for 3 months, and exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months were protective factors against AOM (OR = 0.23, 0.18, and 0.25, respectively; P

Dexamethasone (DEX), which is a corticosteroid hormone (glucocorticoid), has been used to treat different conditions, such as immune system disorders, certain skin and eye disorders, as well as breathing problems. Cefotaxime sodium, also called Claforan, is synthesized from a naturally occurring material (semisynthetic). It is a broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic that could be utilized for parenteral administration. The present study aimed to investigate histological changes occurring in the tissues and cells of the rats’ ovary (primordial, primary, secondary, antral, and mature follicle) treated with Cefotaxime sodium, as well as DEX, and evaluate the impacts of these medications on animals’ fertility. In total, 40 female adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n=10). The control group received 0.5 ml/kg of distilled water daily for five days as a placebo. The second group was injected with 0.5 mg/kg of DEX daily for five days. The same amount of Claforan (0.5 mg/kg) was injected into the third group daily for five days, and the fourth group received 0.5 mg/kg of both Claforan and DEX daily for five days. Afterward, the ovaries were prepared for histological examination. The ImageJ image analysis system was used to detect morphometric parameters and calculate the area of these organs. The findings of the present study showed that the DEX and Claforan brought changes to the ovarian area and the number of follicles. The ovarian area significantly increased (P

The OBJECTIVE was to give a molecular genetic foundation of combination therapy in the early postoperative period for peritonitis.METHODS AND MATERIALS. 70 patients with diffuse peritonitis were studied: the first (n=35) – patients underwent basic treatment, the second (n=35) – combined treatment with the inclusion of Remaxol and laser irradiation. The severity of endotoxemia and oxidative stress, the state of the hemostasis system and the functional status of the liver were determined. Molecular genotyping of the following genes was performed: beta subunits of platelet fibrinogen receptor (T1565C, ITGB3), fibrinogen (G(-455)A, FGB), catalase (-262C/T, CAT), superoxide dismutase (C47T, SOD2).RESULTS. It was found that the early postoperative period in patients with peritonitis is accompanied by endotoxemia, oxidative stress, impaired functional status of the liver, hypercoagulation and hypofibrinolysis. In patients with conditionally «mutant» genotypes of the studied genes, peritonitis is more severe, the severity of changes in the studied indicators of homeostasis is greater. At the same time, the effectiveness of therapy decreased, the number of complications increased, and the stay of patients in the hospital increased. The early inclusion of Remaxol and laser radiation in basic therapy increases the overall effectiveness of treatment: the severity of endotoxemia and oxidative stress decreases, the functional state of the liver and hemostasis system is restored relatively quickly, and as a result, an improvement in clinical results has been registered (a 37.5 % decrease in the frequency of complications (χ2=3.360, p=0.047) and a reduction in the length of stay of patients in the hospital by 16.6 % (p

A rapidly growing problem for life on earth is contamination of fresh water which is addressed in this article. By taking a glimpse on the causes of contaminations, persistent organic pollutants, especially synthetic dyes got prominent role. Here, out of commonly used techniques, adsorption using plant wastes was chosen for phytofiltration of such dyes. A natural adsorbent from plant source was selected and processed with acid, characterized with FTIR and SEM and then checked the efficacy on cationic dye brilliant green. Phytofiltration of dye was done to check the effectivity of both untreated (OA) and acid treated (OA-AC) form of Acacia concinna biowaste. Results were obtained, evaluated and presented here, giving maximum adsorption capacities (Qm) of AC and OA-AC 95.24 and 909.09 mg.g−1, respectively following Langmuir, pseudo second order kinetics and spontaneous exothermic nature, indicating their suitability to adopt on larger scale wastewater treatment effectively using green technology. NOVELTY STATEMENT: In this work, Acacia concinna both in untreated and acid treated form is used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Brilliant green dye from waste water, as not reported earlier, which proves its novelty. The values of adsorption capacities of both the adsorbent types are compared with different natural and synthetic adsorbents reported earlier, this comparison elaborate the efficacy of AC to be used as adsorbent and consider it as one of the efficient adsorbent materials naturally available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer stands out as a particularly challenging form of cancer to treat among various types. Traditional treatment methods have been longstanding approaches, yet their efficacy has diminished over time owing to heightened toxicity, adverse effects, and the emergence of multi-drug resistance. Nevertheless, a viable solution has emerged through the adoption of a complementary treatment strategy utilizing natural substances and the incorporation of intermittent fasting to enhance therapeutic outcomes. This study aimed to assess the anticancer activity of thymoquinone (TQ), intermittent fasting, and their combination using in vivo and in vitro methods. The anti-proliferative activity of TQ and fasting (glucose/serum restriction) were evaluated against the T47D, MDA-MB-231, and EMT6 cell lines and compared to normal cell lines (Vero) using the MTT colorimetric assay method. Additionally, this study aimed to determine the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of TQ. For the in vivo experiment, the antitumor activity of TQ and intermittent fasting (IF) was assessed by measuring the tumor sizes using a digital caliper to determine the change in the tumor size and survival rates. At the molecular level, the serum levels of glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB), leptin, and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured using standard kits. Additionally, the aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and creatinine serum levels were measured. The inhibition of the breast cancer cell lines was achieved by TQ. TQ and intermittent fasting both had an additional anticancer effect against breast tumors inoculated in mice. The combination therapy was evaluated and found to significantly reduce the tumor size, with a change in tumor size of −57.7%. Additionally, the combination of TQ and IF led to a decrease in the serum levels of glucose, IGF-1 (24.49 ng/mL) and leptin (1.77 ng/mL) while increasing β-hydroxybutyrate in the mice given combination therapy (200.86 nM) with no toxicity on the liver or kidneys. In the mice receiving combination therapy, TQ and IF treated breast cancer in an additive way without causing liver or kidney toxicity due to decreased levels of glucose, IGF-1, and leptin and increased levels of β-hydroxybutyrate. Further investigation is required to optimize the doses and determine the other possible mechanisms exhibited by the novel combination.

A new series of thiazolyl-pyrazoline derivatives (4a–d, 5a–d 6a, b, 7a–d, 8a, b, and 10a, b) have been designed and synthesized through the combination of thiazole and pyrazoline moieties, starting from the key building blocks pyrazoline carbothioamides (1a–b). These eighteen derivatives have been designed as anticipated EGFR/HER2 dual inhibitors. The efficacy of the developed compounds in inhibiting cell proliferation was assessed using the breast cancer MCF-7 cell line. Among the new synthesized thiazolyl-pyrazolines, compounds 6a, 6b, 10a, and 10b displayed potent anticancer activity toward MCF-7 with IC50 = 4.08, 5.64, 3.37, and 3.54 µM, respectively, when compared with lapatinib (IC50 = 5.88 µM). In addition, enzymatic assays were also run for the most cytotoxic compounds (6a and 6b) toward EGFR and HER2 to demonstrate their dual inhibitory activity. They revealed promising inhibition potency against EGFR with IC50 = 0.024, and 0.005 µM, respectively, whereas their IC50 = 0.047 and 0.022 µM toward HER2, respectively, compared with lapatinib (IC50 = 0.007 and 0.018 µM). Both compounds 6a and 10a induced apoptosis by arresting the cell cycle of the MCF-7 cell line at the G1 and G1/S phases, respectively. Molecular modeling studies for the promising candidates 6a and 10a showed that they formed the essential binding with the crucial amino acids for EGFR and HER2 inhibition, supporting the in vitro assay results. Furthermore, ADMET study predictions were carried out for the compounds in the study.

Candida albicans is a common pathogenic fungus that presents a challenge to healthcare facilities. It can switch between a yeast cell form that diffuses through the bloodstream to colonize internal organs and a filamentous form that penetrates host mucosa. Understanding the pathogen’s strategies for environmental adaptation and, ultimately, survival, is crucial. As a complementary study, herein, a multi-omics analysis was performed using high-resolution timsTOF MS to compare the proteomes and metabolomes of Wild Type (WT) Candida albicans (strain DK318) grown on agar plates versus liquid media. Proteomic analysis revealed a total of 1793 proteins and 15,013 peptides. Out of the 1403 identified proteins, 313 proteins were significantly differentially abundant with a p-value < 0.05. Of these, 156 and 157 proteins were significantly increased in liquid and solid media, respectively. Metabolomics analysis identified 192 metabolites in total. The majority (42/48) of the significantly altered metabolites (p-value 0.05 FDR, FC 1.5), mainly amino acids, were significantly higher in solid media, while only 2 metabolites were significantly higher in liquid media. The combined multi-omics analysis provides insight into adaptative morphological changes supporting Candida albicans’ life cycle and identifies crucial virulence factors during biofilm formation and bloodstream infection.