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These experiments were conducted to study the response of some Egyptian cotton, Giza 96 (extra-long stable) and Giza Giza 96 (extra-long stable)varieties and its yield characteristic, lint percentage, fiber and yarn properties when using bio-fertilizers such as vermicompost, Bacteria bacteria inoculums (Bacillus polymxa, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus circulans) and algae extract under different growing area, Sakha region (clay soil) and El-Nubaria region (calcareous soil).Concerning the effect of different treatments application on soil properties, thisresults showed a significantly increaseof soil organic matter, pHit was relatively insignificantly decreased and the vermicompost treatments had positive effects on the levels of N, P and K. available. As soil biological count of Bacteria, Fungi, Actinomycetes and Carbon dioxide evolution rate it showed a significant increase. The content of cotton plant leaves of chlorophyll A, B, Carotenoids and Total phenols was significantly improved under different fertilizer treatments compared to the control.The treatment with (vermicompost fertilizer + bacterial inoculation + 50% of mineral fertilizer recommended dose + algae extract) proved its superiority over the rest of the treatments, especially in the seed cotton yield, and lint percentage, which increased at 1.41 kentar per feddan and 0.63(lint %) compared to the two control treatments. Data of cotton yield characteristics, fiber and yarn properties were recorded significantly different due to cultivated in different regions.The difference among studied varieties may be due to the growth habit and response of each one to environmental conditions, which controlled by genetic factors and efficient utilization of inputs and natural resources.

This paper presents an optimal method for locating and sizing of fixed shunt capacitor banks in case of static load on single radial distribution feeder. Mathematical models to represent cost saving due to power and energy loss reduction are presented considering growth in load, growth in load factor and increase in cost of energy. The cost saving due to release in system capacity, capacitor cost, voltage drop and voltage pipe constraints as a function of capacitive current flows in feeder segments have been formulated. The cost functions have been performed for optimizing the choice of fixed shunt capacitors. This proposed method has a special advantage that the optimal location of capacitors is limited by the lean period voltage rise constraint and thus avoiding over-voltage Problems during the off-peak hours. The effect of unit-capacitor value on optima i solution is introduced.

Background Cell lesion and apoptosis with release of cell -free DNA (CFD) in circulation are associated with chronic inflammation of psoriasis. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the CFD concentrations in sera of patients with psoriasis, to assess its relationship with disease severity as defined by Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and other inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)) levels, and to monitor the efficacy of treatment. Patients and methods Thirty adult patients with different types of psoriasis (25 vulgaris; 10 mild, 15 moderate and 5 erythroderma; severe) were evaluated during the exacerbation phase of the disease, before starting (T0) and after 12 weeks (T12) of treatment with topical therapy for mild cases, narrowband-ultraviolet light B (NB-UVB) for moderate cases and methotrexate for severe cases. Twenty healthy controls were also involved in the study. The concentrations of CFD in sera were measured before and after treatment by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) using primers of the human β -globin gene. Results At T0, all patients presented significant higher levels of ESR (P=0.05) and CFD (P=0.001) compared with controls. Highly significant elevations of all parameters were observed in severe disease (erythroderma) compared to mild/moderate disease (vulgaris). Methotrexate treatment induced highly significant reductions in all inflammatory markers including CFD (P= 0.042) while topical and UV irradiation therapies had no effects. CFD concentrations showed positive correlations with both PASI (r=0.422, P=0.020) and ESR (r=0.321, P=0.023) only before the start of treatment. Conclusion The level of circulating CFD could be used to monitor psoriasis severity. However, its level cannot be stated for the treatment, except in severe erythrodermic patients upon successful treatment with methotrexate. We recommend validation of a convenient and accurate DNA assay applied directly to biological samples which does not require prior DNA extraction and amplification.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a widespread progressive neurodegenerative disease; its main neuropathological hallmark is massive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Most PD studies were focused on the basal ganglia. However, the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum also play certain roles in PD pathophysiology. Dopamine replacement therapies remain the most effective clinical option for PD patients despite the occasional severe side effects. Bee Venom (BV) produced by Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is rich in neuroactive molecules; this venom is an irrefutable source of neuroprotectors and neuromodulators. In our study, we evaluated the neurotherapeutic effects of Egyptian BV against PD hallmarks in a PD mouse model. Six subcutaneous injections of 1.5 mg/kg of rotenone at 48-h-long intervals induced significant reductions in the motor strength and motor coordination. Additionally, significant declines in the dopamine level and total antioxidant capacity combined with significant elevation in interleukin 1β and interleukin 6 were observed. Rotenone-treated mice showed nuclear pyknosis and neuronal degeneration in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, eosinophilic plaques, and hemorrhages in the striatum focal area and nuclear pyknosis and neuronal degeneration with diffuse gliosis in other brain structures. In rotenone-treated mice, i.p. injections of BV (6 doses 1.0 mg/kg at 24-h-long interval) recovered motor strength and motor coordination. Moreover, BV markedly increased the dopamine level and total antioxidant capacity. Also, BV greatly reduced the interleukin 1β and interleukin 6 contents. Furthermore, BV preserved neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus with no histopathological alterations. Besides, BV restricted nuclear pyknosis and neuronal degeneration in a few neurons in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and focal area of the striatum. Overall, BV may be a promising biotherapy for PD patients.

Background Cell lesion and apoptosis with release of cell -free DNA (CFD) in circulation are associated with chronic inflammation of psoriasis. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the CFD concentrations in sera of patients with psoriasis, to assess its relationship with disease severity as defined by Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and other inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)) levels, and to monitor the efficacy of treatment. Patients and Methods Thirty adult patients with different types of psoriasis (25 vulgaris; 10 mild, 15 moderate and 5 erythroderma; severe) were evaluated during the exacerbation phase of the disease, before starting (T0) and after 12 weeks (T12) of treatment with topical therapy for mild cases, narrowband-ultraviolet light B (NB-UVB) for moderate cases and methotrexate for severe cases. Twenty healthy controls were also involved in the study. The concentrations of CFD in sera were measured before and after treatment by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) using primers of the human β -globin gene. Results At T0, all patients presented significant higher levels of ESR (P=0.05) and CFD (P=0.001) compared with controls. Highly significant elevations of all parameters were observed in severe disease (erythroderma) compared to mild/moderate disease (vulgaris). Methotrexate treatment induced highly significant reductions in all inflammatory markers including CFD (P= 0.042) while topical and UV irradiation therapies had no effects. CFD concentrations showed positive correlations with both PASI (r=0.422, P=0.020) and ESR (r=0.321, P=0.023) only before the start of treatment. Conclusion The level of circulating CFD could be used to monitor psoriasis severity. However, its level cannot be stated for the treatment, except in severe erythrodermic patients upon successful treatment with methotrexate. We recommend validation of a convenient and accurate DNA assay applied directly to biological samples which does not require prior DNA extraction and amplification.

Failure to grow (ill-thrift) in calves has a negative effect on animal production and health. The present study was carried out from November, 2009 to May, 2013 to investigate the risk factors of ill-thrift in buffalo calves. A total of 344 calves at 78 smallholder farms were selected randomly. A questionnaire was designed to include managemental, nutritional and disease risk factors. Serum selenium, copper, zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium were measured. Data were subjected to logistic regression analysis and results were expressed as p value, odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI). Fifty-five calves (15.9%) showed ill-thrift. On animal level, the final multivariate logistic regression model showed a significant association between ill-thrift and early weaning (p

In this work, a new Broadband RF energy harvesting system is introduced, employing an Archimedean spiral antenna, a 6-stage voltage doubler, and a DC-DC converter. The proposed system operates over a frequency range from 0.9 GHz to 4 GHz. A balun is used to feed the antenna and is connected to the rectifying circuit via an SMA connector. The spiral antenna is fabricated using Conductive Shieldit super and Felt for the substrate. Also, other textile materials were used such as: Stainless steel threads for the conductive layer and Fleece for the substrate. The measured rectified DC voltage had a peak of 1.5V when testing outdoors, and was 0.5 V when testing indoors. The overall system efficiency was approximately 30%.

Background: Infection is one of the major complications as well as cause of death in systemic lupus erythematosus patients (SLE). Differentiation between early infection and disease flare in these patients is often clinically difficult because both have similar signs and symptoms. Aim: To evaluate CD64 expression on neutrophils as an early marker that can discriminate between infection and disease flare in SLE patients. Also, its clinical utility in comparison with traditional laboratory tests used for detecting infection will be studied. Methods: The study included 38 subjects; 10 apparently healthy individuals as healthy controls and 28 SLE patients divided into three groups (10 SLE patients with infection, 10 SLE patients with flare and 8 SLE patients without infection or flare). CD64 on neutrophils was measured using flow cytometry. Total leucocytic count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and high-sensitive C-reactive protein were also measured. Results: The median of the percentage of neutrophils expressing CD64 was higher in all SLE patients compared to normal control. It was significantly higher in SLE patients with infection than those with disease activity (P

Two field experiments were performed at El-Baramon, Experimental Station, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, during the successive seasons of 2007 and 2008 to study the effect of boron foliar nutrition and different combinations of mineral and organic nitrogen fertilization on growth, chemical composition and yield of sweet pepper cv. California wonder. The main results could be summarized that: 1- Foliar application of boron at 100 ppm and fertilization with 75% mineral nitrogen fertilizer + 25% organic nitrogen resulted significasnt increase of plant height, number of branches, fresh and dry weight. 2-The highest significant values of A, B, total chlorophyll and carotene as well as N, P, K and Ca contents in sweet pepper plant leaves were obtained with foliar addition of boron at 100 ppm and fertilization with 75% mineral nitrogen + 25% organic nitrogen. 3- Fruit sitting percentage, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, fruit yield per plant and total yield per feddan were significantly increased as a result of foliar addition with boron at 100 ppm and fertilization at level of 75% mineral nitrogen fertilizers + 25% organic nitrogen. 4- Foliar nutrition of boron at 100 ppm and fertilization by 75% mineral nitrogen + 25% organic nitrogen significantly increased fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit flesh thickness, fruit dry weigh and TSS as well as vit C. In general, this study demonstrated that it is possible to produce highest growth, yield and quality of sweet pepper fruits by foliar application with boron at 100 ppm and fertilization using 75% from the recommended dose as mineral nitrogen plus 25% from the recommended dose as organic nitrogen.

Two field experiments were conducted at Kalabshow district, Dakahlia Governorate during two successive summer seasons of 2007 and 2008 to study the effect of phosphorus fertilizers,i.e., super phosphate and rock phosphate in different combination with gypsum, sulphur and phosphorein on growth ,mineral composition and productivity of tomato cv. Super marmand . The experiment included fourteen treatments arranged in randomized complete block design. The treatments contained two sources of phosphorus (P) fertilizers [super phosphate (SP) and rock phosphate (RP) at 100% from recommended dose (RD),i.e,75KgP2O5] and different combination of SP or RP at low rate (65%),i.e,52.5 KgP2O5 of RD) with gypsum (G),sulphur (S)and phosphorein(Phn). The main results were as follows: 1- Addition of super phosphate(SP) at 65 % of the recommended phosphorus rate(RD) with gypsum(G) and phosphorein(Phn) as soil amendment had a significant effect on number of leaves per plant, plant height , roots& shoots and total dry weights per plant as well as relative dry weight (%)during the two seasons. 2-Application of rock phosphate (RP) at 65 % of the recommended phosphorus rate RD) resulted in significant decrease of foliage concentration of N and P as well as the N, P ,K total uptake from N,P,K in both seasons. 3- The highest significant N and P concentration and N, P and K uptake were resulted from application of super phosphate (SP) at 65 %from RD in the presence of gypsum (G) and phosphorein (Phn) at both seasons. 4- Addition of the recommended phosphorus rate as super phosphate(SP) or applying (SP) at 65% from RD with gypsum and phosphorein showed the most superior effect regarding average fruit weight, number of fruits and fruit yield of tomato plant as well as total yield per feddan. 5- Application of super phosphate (SP) at 65 %with gypsum (G) and phosphorein (Phn) resulted in 6.45 % increment in the total yield comparing to the control treatment (average of the two seasons) . 6- Applying super phosphate (SP) at 65% from RD with gypsum (G) and phosphorein (Phn) showed the superior significant values for most fruit quality, i.e., T.S.S %, Vit C and total carbohydrates content of tomato fruits. In general, this study demonstrated that it is possible to produce highest growth, yield and quality of tomato plants by applying super phosphate at 65 % of the recommended phosphorus rate with 2.5 ton/feddan of gypsum and 1 kg/feddan of phosphorein. Moreover, the phosphatic fertilization can be reduced by 35 % of the recommended rate beside reduction of chemical pollution.

The effect of nitrate pollution on the thyroid hormonal levels, body weight and other health indices was studied in male rats of different ages. The tested rats were divided into young (3 weeks old) and adult (12 weeks old) groups exposed to pollution via sodium nitrate (NaNO3) intake in drinking water in concentrations 100, 250, 550 mg/L daily for 4 months. The study revealed a dose dependent decrease in serum levels of thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) accompanied by increased levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in all nitrate exposed rats, indicating development of hypothyroidism. A significant reduction of the body weight gain was also recorded in the young animals at different nitrate doses, but only in the adults with the high dose. Meanwhile, a significantly elevated nitric oxide (NO) level in the serum and urine were noticed that confined to the young animals with medium (250 mg/ L) and high (550 mg/L) nitrate doses and the high dose adult animals. In addition, nitrate exposure resulted in a decreased serum concentrations of total proteins and protein fractions (albumin and globulin), accompanied by significant increases in the urea and creatinine levels in both serum and urine of the tested rats. This together with the above detected changes was found to exceed as the nitrate concentration increased and to be more pronounced in the young rats. Therefore, it can conclude that prolonged exposure to nitrate polluted drinking water is toxic to the thyroid hormonal activity and the other measured indices in both young and adult rats, but the young animals comprised the most age group susceptible to nitrate toxicity.

This paper presents an .efficient method for AC-DC power flow used in non- synchronous intercoihection. The proposed method treats the converter as voltage dependent loads and the variables are eliminated from the power flow equations. The method is successfully implemented to IEEE 5-bus test system interconnected with IEEE 14-bus test system. The technical conditions for interconnecting power systems, the short circuit capacity of AC connected b&, the geometrical topology of the land in DC link path, and location of AC bus from the generating stations, are considercd.

Plasmodium infection rates determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were compared for Anopheles sergentii (Theobald) and An. multicolor Cambouliu in Siwa Oasis, Egypt, an area with low-level Plasmodium vivax transmission, and in Bahariya and Farafra, two other Egyptian oases which appear to be free of malaria. Initial testing indicated that 4.4% (23 of 518) and 0.8% (4 of 518) of the An. sergentii were positive for P. vivax and P. falciparum , respectively, and that 1.4% (1 of 71) of the An. multicolor were positive for P. falciparum . However, after two confirmational tests, only 1.2% (6 of 518) of the An. sergentii remained consistently positive for P. vivax . Initial ELISA absorbance was not a useful predictor of potential false positive reactions in the P. vivax assay. Paradoxically, the six ELISA-positive An. sergentii were from the two malaria-free oases. This study raises the question of whether ELISA-positive reactions for anopheline vector species provides unequivocal evidence for transmission in areas of low malaria endemicity.