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The article's first section discusses how the corporation declined as a result of its subpar response to its financial instability. We concentrate on the approaching fall of the corporation in Yemen as well as a new legal definition of company decline. Companies can also reverse the drop by putting company crisis management into place and using both formal and informal methods to handle crises. The financial facets of corporate crisis management are covered next in relation to financial management. In the second section, we go into the methods and working methodology that were applied to the study of a particular sample of businesses. The statistics of testing reductions in a chosen sample of institutions are included in the application section of the paper, and we utilize financial analysis to show the decline of the sample of institutions. The study's findings and discussion help us identify the characteristics of the factors that contributed to the company's decline, and the study's conclusion offers suggestions for economic action in the area of the company's financial health with the main objective of preventing or delaying the company's decline with the fewest losses possible.

The phreatophytic tree;Prosopis juliflora(P. juliflora), of the Fabaceae family is a widespread invasive plant. The present study aimed to examine the characteristics of the anti-cancer effects potentially induced byP. julifloraleaves extracts, and to compare the bioactivity of its chemical composition in methanolic and butanolic solvents. MCF-7/breast, LS-174T/colorectal, and HepG2/liver, cancer cell lines were cultivated and incubated with various concentrations of the methanolic and butanolic extracts of the plant leaves, and hence the impact on cell viability, proliferation, and cell cycle stages have been investigated. Both extracts ofP. julifloraleave induced concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against the previously mentioned cancer cell lines. The calculated IC50 averaged 16.7, 18.04 and, 8.10μg/ml for methanolic extract, and 12.5, 32.8 and 5.17μg/ml for butanolic extract ofP. julifloraleaves on MCF-7, LS-174T and, HePG2, respectively. Detailed cellular analyses revealed that the cytotoxic action ofP. julifloraextracts was mainly via apoptosis but not necrosis for MCF7 in both extracts, either. However, apoptosis and necrosis reciprocally detected for LS-174T and HePG2 in response to the methanolic and butanolic extracts, either. The DNA-flow cytometry analysis showed cells specific antiproliferative action and cell cycle stages arrest in the tested cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative action has detected mostly at the G0/G1 rather than the S-phase of the cell cycle in both extracts. For identifying the chemical composition of the plant and evaluating the anticancer potency, both the methanolic and butanolic extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Betaine and nicotinamide were the major constituents detected for both extracts showing potential anti-cancer effects against breast, hepatic, and colorectal cancerous cells.

Vegetable waste (spinach, potato, and cauliflower) is a rich and natural source of nutrients, potentially good for supplying minerals, essential amino acids, and antioxidants to the birds. Relatively, its cost very low, easily to accessible, easily process & pose little risk of illness. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effect of vegetable waste (VW) as feed supplement on growth performance and hematology of broiler chicks. For this purpose, a total of 200 (4 days old) vaccinated chicks were acquired from a commercial hatchery Multan which was acclimated for three weeks (21 days) on basal starter feed after that 25-day-old chicks with uniform body weight were allocated according to a CRD (completely randomized design) into four dietary treatments with three replicates of each contained 15 chicks in 12 pens. In dietary treatments, chicks were feed with basal feed (BF) and supplemented feed with vegetable waste (VW) of spinach, potato, and cauliflower. For this purpose, the dietary treatments included control treatment ( T 1 ) (100% BF+0% VW) and other dietary treatments ( T 2 ) (75% BF+25% VW), ( T 3 ) (50% BF+50% VW), and ( T 4 ) (25% BF+75% VW). The body weight, feed intake, food conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality were checked on weekly and daily basis. For hematology analysis, after the 1st experimental week (25-day-old chicks) and the last 5th experimental week (56-day-old chicks), the samples of blood were gathered from the wing’s veins of two birds from each treatment in random way. At the end of five weeks (35 days), birds with uniform average body weight were selected per treatment with three replicates (2 bird/replicate) and then were manually slaughtered according to the Halal method to analyze the weight of internal body organs of broilers by physical and statistical analysis (ANOVA). There was no significant effect ( P > 0.05 ) on feed intake and FCR among all the dietary treatments. But in average, body weight and BWG were higher in treatment ( T 2 ) ( P < 0.01 ) than all other dietary treatments ( T 3 ) and ( T 4 ) and control treatment ( T 1 ). The blood constituents in this study showed that broilers in control treatment ( T 1 ) and other dietary treatments ( T 2 ), ( T 3 ), and ( T 4 ) fed on different doses were significantly ( P < 0.01 ) different from each other. The week 5 ( W 5 ) shows higher values of blood constituents ( P < 0.01 ) than week 1 ( W 1 ). The carcass yield of the chicks fed on different doses showed that they were significantly different ( P < 0.01 ) among the dietary treatments. The VW inclusion 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% had positive effect on blood constituents and carcass yield of the broiler chicks; they were significantly ( P < 0.01 ) different among the treatments.

Silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) are widely invested in medicine, industry, agriculture, consuming products, optical imaging agents, cosmetics, and drug delivery. However, the toxicity of these NPs on human health and the ecosystem have not been extensively studied and little information is available about their behavioural toxicities. The current study aimed to find out the behavioural alterations that might be induced by chronic exposure to 10 nm SiO2 NPs. BALB/C mice were subjected to 36 injections of SiO2 NPs (2 mg/kg Bw) and subjected to 11 neurobehavioural tests: elevated plus‐maze test, elevated zero‐maze test, multiradial maze test, open field test, hole‐board test, light‐dark box test, forced swimming test, tail‐suspension test, Morris water‐maze test, Y‐maze test and multiple T‐maze test. Treated mice demonstrated anxiety‐like effect, depression tendency, behavioural despair stress, exploration and locomotors activity reduction with error induction in both reference and working memories. The findings may suggest that silica NPs are anxiogenic and could aggravate depression affecting memory, learning, overall activity and exploratory behaviour. Moreover, the findings may indicate that these nanomaterials (NMs) may induce potential oxidative stress in the body leading to neurobehavioural alterations with possible changes in the vital organ including the central nervous system.

This study was conducted to evaluate the abundance and distribution pattern of three keystone Vachellia taxa in wadi Khoda and wadi Rahaba, Gebel Elba National Park, a protected area in south-eastern Egypt. These taxa included Vachellia tortilis subsp. tortilis, Vachellia tortilis subsp. raddiana, and Vachellia ehrenbergiana. In wadi Khoda, only two of these taxa were detected (V. tortilis subsp. raddiana and V. tortilis subsp. tortilis), while all three taxa were encountered in wadi Rahaba. The density of trees in wadi Khoda was 34.3 plant ha−1 compared to 26.3 plant ha−1 in wadi Rahaba. Vachellia tortilis subsp. raddiana was the most frequently observed tree, with an average of 47.93% and 68.25% in wadi Rahaba and wadi Khoda, respectively. Crown depth and tree height were mainly associated with elevation, indicating that elevation plays a key role in the growth of these Vachellia taxa. Our results suggest that human activities have had limited effect on the distribution of these three keystone taxa. Thus, management in Gebel Elba National Park should continue to limit the impact of human activities on these three keystone species.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the mean concentrations of heavy metals including aluminum (Al), arsenic, nickel (Ni), mercury, lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) and to assess the health hazards due to the exposure of cattle/human population to a distinct or the mixture of heavy metals through various sources. Materials and methods: A total of 180 samples including water sources, animal feed, and raw cows milk from rural regions in Qena, Egypt, were examined using the inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP; iCAP 6200). Results: The data highlighted heavy metal pollution with variable concentrations among most of the investigated regions. All concentrations of Al, Ni, and Cd detected in the feeding stuff showed a strong correlation to their respective levels in milk rather than those detected in water (R2= 0.072 vs. 0.039, 0.13 vs. 0.10, and 0.46 vs. 0.014, respectively) (p < 0.05). Anisocytosis and poi¬kilocytosis with a tendency to rouleaux formation were evident, and basophilic stippling was a pathognomic indicator for heavy metal toxicity, especially Pb. Leukopenia and macrocytic anemia were shown in 50% and 65% of examined cattle, respectively. The target hazard quotients values were more than one (>1) for all heavy metals from water intake for both children and adults and Al and Cd in milk for children, and the hazard index values were indicated higher for noncarcino¬genic health hazards. The target cancer risk values predispose people in the surveyed villages to higher cancerous risks due to exposures to the mixture of heavy metal through the consumption of water and milk. Conclusion: The bioaccumulation and transmission of heavy metal mixtures from water sources and feeding material have detrimental influences on milk pollution and cattle health which seem to be a serious issue affecting public health in those rural communities. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020; 7(2.000): 345-359]

Autophagy promotes cell survival or induces apoptosis in cancer cells. While SIRT1 and AMPK induce autophagy in both normal and cancer cells, Akt and mTOR can inhibit it. Calycosin, a methoxyisoflavone, protects against several types of solid tumours including colorectal cancer. However, the mechanisms behind the antitumour effect of Calycosin remain largely unknown. This study investigates if autophagy mediates the anti-tumourigenesis effect afforded by Calycosin and examines if this effect involves activation of SIRT1 and/or AMPK. Human colorectal (HT29) carcinoma cells were cultured under normal conditions with Calycosin (50 μmol/L) in the presence or absence of chloroquine (10 μmol/L), EX-527 (100 nmol/L, SIRT1 inhibitor), or IGF-1 (100 ng/mL, Akt/mTOR activator) for 48 hours. Calycosin inhibited cell growth, proliferation and invasion and increased protein levels of Beclin-1 and LC3II, markers of autophagy. It significantly increased protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and SIRT1, and activity of AMPK and reduced those of Bcl-2. These effects were parallel with concomitant reduction in protein levels p-src, integrin-β1 and Cyclin-D1 and activities of Akt and mTOR. Inhibition of autophagy by CQ reversed all these effects except cell invasion. Interestingly, co-incubating the cells with either EX-527 or IGF-1 completely prevented Calycosin-induced autophagy and all other associated effects and increased cell invasion. Also, blockade of SIRT-1 prevented the activation of AMPK, Akt, and mTOR, suggesting it to be an upstream regulator of these markers. In conclusion, Calycosin stimulates CRC cell apoptosis and inhibits their invasion by acting as SIRT1 activator which induces activation of AMPK-induced inhibition of Akt/mTOR axis.

Introduction: There is still lack of morphological and phylogenetic information on the pathogenic nematode of the camel Haemonchus longistipes. In the present study, this parasite was isolated in Saudi Arabia and described. Material and Methods: The abomasa of two Arabian camels were collected from a slaughterhouse in Abha province and examined for nematode infection. Worms were described morphologically and morphometrically by electron microscopy. Multiple sequence alignment and the phylogenetic tree of the parasite were constructed from maximum likelihood analysis of its ITS-2 rDNA sequences. Results: These nematodes had a slender body terminating anteriorly at a conspicuous dorsal lancet. A pair of lateral cervical papillae distant from the anterior end was observed. The buccal aperture was hexagonal and surrounded by two amphids, six externo-labial papillae, and four cephalic papillae. Males terminated posteriorly at a bursa supported by spicules and lateral and dorsal rays. Females were linguiform and knobbed morphotypes with distinct ovijectors and a dorsal rim covering the anal pore. The taxonomy was confirmed by the morphology and number of the longitudinal cuticular ridges in a 43–46 range. The sequence alignment and phylogeny revealed 92% homology with H. longistipes (AJ577461.1), and the sequence was deposited into GenBank. Conclusion: The present study describes H. longistipes morphologically and molecularly which facilitates further discrimination of this species worldwide.

The present study aimed to determine the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), thyme oil (THO), or their combination on the nutrient digestibility coefficients, reproductive parameters, and some blood metabolites of male Californian rabbits. One hundred rabbits, 29-weeks of age (initial body weight 3.48 &plusmn, 0.08 kg) were randomly distributed into four groups, 25 rabbits each. Treatment groups were fed a control diet, a control diet supplemented with ZnO-NPs (100 mg/kg), THO (500 mg/kg), or combination of ZnO-NPs (100 mg/kg) and THO (500 mg/kg). The feeding trial lasted for 35 days. Results showed improvements in dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and crude fiber in ZnO-NPs, THO, and their combination treated groups compared to those of control. Furthermore, semen volume, sperm motility, vitality, and morphology were significantly improved (p &lt, 0.01) in ZnO-NPs and THO groups rather than the control. Both ZnO-NPs and THO, as either individual or combined treatments significantly improved the serum alanine amino-transferase (ALT), aspartate amino-transferase (AST), urea, and creatinine compared to the control. Moreover, serum concentrations of testosterone were significantly increased in rabbits supplemented with ZnO-NPs, THO, or their combination compared to those of control (p &lt, 0.05). In conclusion, ZnO-NPs, THO, or their combination improved the digestibility of nutrients, liver/ kidney functions, semen characteristics, and testosterone concentration in male rabbits.

Designing an efficient routing protocol that opportunistically forwards data to the destination node through nearby sensor nodes or devices is significantly important for an effective incidence response and disaster recovery framework. Existing sensor routing protocols are mostly not effective in such disaster recovery applications as the networks are affected (destroyed or overused) in disasters such as earthquake, flood, Tsunami and wildfire. These protocols require a large number of message transmissions to reestablish the clusters and communications that is not energy efficient and result in packet loss. This paper introduces ODCR - an energy efficient and reliable opportunistic density clustered-based routing protocol for such emergency sensor applications. We perform simulation to measure the performance of ODCR protocol in terms of network energy consumptions, throughput and packet loss ratio. Simulation results demonstrate that the ODCR protocol is much better than the existing TEEN, LEACH and LORA protocols in term of these performance metrics.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have novel application and are used in many household application, nanomedicine, agriculture, industries and pharmaceutical products. These applications may be accompanied with potential risk in human health and the ecosystems. The current study was carried out to find out the acute damage that might be induced by TiO2 NPs in the heart and testis. Three groups of Wistar albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were subjected to a single dose TiO2 NPs (126, 252, 378 mg/kg bw). Cardiac and testicular biopsies from each animal under study were handled for histological and histochemical examination. Rats exposed to TiO2 NPs demonstrated the following cardiac alterations: myofibres wavy appearance, myofibre disarray, partial cross striation, cardiomyocytes hydropic degeneration together with vacuolation and nuclear alterations. Moreover, acute exposure to TiO2 NPs induced the following testicular alterations: spermatocytes degeneration, spermatids sloughing and interstitial edema. The presented cardiac and testicular alterations were dose dependent. From the findings of the present study, it might be concluded that TiO2 nanomaterials are capable of inducing acute cardiac and testicular damage that is dose dependent and could adversely affect the function of the vital organs.

The present study surveyed the flora of the Jebel Fayfa region, South-West Saudi Arabia to analyze four elements of the vegetation: floristic diversity, life form, lifespan, and phytogeographical affinities. A total of 341 species of vascular plants were recorded belonging to 240 genera in 70 families, of which 101 species distributed among 40 families were considered as new additions to the flora of Jabal Fayfa. Six species are considered endemic to the study area while 27 are endangered. The most represented families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae. The flora of Jabal Fayfa exhibited a high degree of monotypism. A total of 20 families (28.57%) were represented by a single species, and 180 genera (75.00%) were monotypic. The recorded flora consists of 70.09% perennials and 29.91% annuals. Phanerophytes and therophytes were the most frequent lifeforms. Phytogeographical analysis revealed that the biregional elements of the Saharo-Arabian/Sudano-Zambezian chorotype are the most dominant chorotypes (35.48%), forming two-thirds of the floristic structure in Jabal Fayfa. The new additions to the local flora of the region indicate that the Jabal Fayfa region and the country need further thorough botanical exploration and documentation which would help in adding several species to the flora of Saudi Arabia.

Despite the progress in using silver nano products in many fields, including medicine, food, and industry, their effects on the environment need more attention. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effect of silver/saponin nanocomposites (Ag/S NCs) for the first time on the aquatic environment by using freshwater clam, Caelatura aegyptiaca, as a fundamental bioindicator in the freshwater system. Following the preparation and characterization of Ag/S NCs by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, UV–Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and acute toxicity study, we exposed the clam to three different doses of Ag/S NCs (12.5, 25 and 50 mg L−1) for consecutive 6 days. All Ag/S NCs concentrations caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide while induced a notable decrease in glutathione and catalase levels in all studied organs. Moreover, the histological alternations were observed in gills, labial palp, and foot tissues, particularly at dose 50 mg L−1. From the results of our work, we concluded that toxicity of Ag/S NCs on freshwater clam leads to an oxidative stress response as well as histopathological changes. Besides, we assumed that Coelatura aegyptiaca could be used as a sensitive bioindicator for monitoring water pollution caused by different nanoparticles. Therefore, we do recommend performing further studies by using fresh clam to provide a better assessment for our aquatic environment to prevent water pollution locally and globally.

Background Bivalves can accumulate and concentrate most pollutants, even if they are present in somewhat low concentrations. The present study aimed to use freshwater bivalveas for the first time as vital indicator for silver/chitosan nanocomposites (Ag-CS NCs) in the freshwater environment. Methods Following the preparation and characterization of Ag-CS NCs by using UV–vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and acute toxicity study, the animals exposed to three different dose of nano chitosan (CS), AgNPs, and Ag-CS NCs (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/L) for consecutive 6 days. Results Ag-CS particles were in size range of 8–19 nm. The nominal concentrations for Ag-CS NCs were 12.5, 25 and 50 mg Ag L−1 were corresponding to measured concentration of AgNPs 0.37, 0.81, and 1.65 mg Ag L−1, respectively. All concentrations of Ag-CS NCs caused a significant increase in MDA and NO, while GSH and CAT levels decreased significantly in all organs. Histological investigation of the gills, labial palp and foot tissues showed alternation after exposure to Ag-CS NCs, especially at dose 50 mg/L. Conclusion The present study showed that exposure to Ag-CS NCs caused oxidative stress responses in Coelatura aegyptiaca and histological changes in the organs. These physiological and histological changes observed after exposure to Ag-CS NCs were most likely the result of the action of AgNPs themselves while the effect of chitosan on these changes was negligible. We concluded that Coelatura aegyptiaca was a sensitive bio-indicator for monitoring of the past and the present water pollution by nanoparticles.

Prosopis juliflora is a small mesquite tree native to Central and South America, with invasive populations in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including North Africa and the Arab Gulf region where it has been introduced for livestock forage. In Egypt, the geographical pattern of its spread suggests that domestic sheep are important seed vectors. We assessed the effect of seed passage through the sheep digestive system on germination. Only 7 % of seeds passed through the digestive system intact, and these seeds had greater volume and weight. Excreted seeds had higher germination rates and germinated more quickly than untreated control seeds under laboratory conditions. Our results further strengthen evidence for the importance of domesticated animals as vectors of this invasive species and suggest that sheep must be considered in management strategies to prevent further spread into protected areas. Postprint

Background: Atorvastatin (ATOR) is widely used for the treatment and prevention of hypercholesterolemia and various diseases, such as cardiovascular complication, with little data about the histopathological and ultrastructural renal alterations that might be induced by this drug. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to investigate the potential toxicity of therapeutic doses of atorvastatin on the microanatomy and ultrastructure of renal tissues from Wistar albino rats. Methods: Adult male Wistar albino rats received an oral daily dose of 5 mg/kg body weight for 90 consecutive days. Biopsies from both kidneys of each study rat were taken for histopathological and ultrastructural examination. Results: ATOR-treated rats exhibited glomerular, tubular, and interstitial histological alterations, including degeneration, necrosis, hyaline droplets, edema, cortical hemorrhages, mesangial hypercellularity, and blood capillary dilation and congestion. In addition, ATOR exposure increased the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase with a concurrent reduction in proteins and neutral mucosubstances content of the glomeruli and renal cells. Moreover, ATOR-treated animals demonstrated glomerular ultrastructural alterations, consisting mainly of capillary tuft dilatation, glomerular basement membrane thickening, and mesangial cell proliferation. The renal cells of the proximal tubules demonstrated damaged mitochondria, degenerative cellular changes, endoplasmic reticulum dilatation, lysosomal and autophagosome activation, nuclear alteration, myelin figure formation, and microvilli disorganization. Conclusion: The findings of the present work may indicate that ATOR can induce renal histological, histochemical, and ultrastructural alterations that may affect kidney and other vital organ function.

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in medical preparations. The present study aims to find out the influence of widely used five metallic NPs on the expression of major hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme (DME) genes. Six groups of BALB/C mice, 7 mice each, were exposed to: Gold NPs, silver NPs, copper oxide NPs, silicon dioxide NPs and zinc oxide NPs, for 21 days. Liver biopsies from all mice were subjected to mouse cyp3a11, cyp2c29, ugt2b1 and interleukin-6 (il6) gene expression quantification using real-time polymerase chain reaction, in addition to inflammatory cell infiltration examination. All tested NPs caused a sharp and significant (ANOVA, p value0.05) downregulation in the expression of DME genes, with the highest influence was observed in mice exposed to copper oxide NPs. Additionally, all NPs induced hepatic inflammation and upregulated the expression of il6 gene, which were inversely correlated with the expression of DMEs. It is concluded that all tested NPs downregulated the expression of DME genes, with the highest influence exhibited by copper oxide NPs, in correlation with inflammation and il6 gene induction in the liver. Further studies are needed to find out the effect of anti-inflammatory compounds against the alterations induced by metallic NPs exposure on hepatic DMEs.

The study aimed to clarify the characteristics of black tea (BTE) and/or curcumin (CMN) against aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1). Forty eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into eight groups. G1 was non-treated control. G2, G3, and G4 were olive oil, BTE, and CMN, respectively. G5 was olive oil-dissolved AFB1 (25 µg/kg b.w). G6, G7, and G8 were AFB1 along with BTE (2%), CMN (200 mg/kg b.w.), and BTE plus CMN, respectively. All treatments were orally given for consecutive 90 days. After treatment period, rats were sacrificed. Serobiochemical analysis and histopathology showed hepatorenal dysfunction in response to AFB1. Glutathione-antioxidants were significantly decreased versus increased lipid peroxides (p < .05-.001). AFB1 significantly increased the expression of the antitumor p53, but decreased that of antiapoptotic Bcl2 in liver or kidney tissue, either (p < .05). BTE or CMN ameliorated those changes induced by AFB1 in both liver and kidney with highly pronounced improvement when combined BTE/CMN was used. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Black tea (BTE) and curcumin (CMN) were known for their antioxidant effects, and several studies reported their independent effects against different toxicities including aflatoxicosis. The current study clarifies the ameliorative characteristics of both agents; BTE and/or CMN, against the toxicity resulted from the chronic exposure to aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1) (25 µg/kg b.w. for consecutive 90 days). The dose of either agents, BTE or CMN, was 200 mg/kg b.w. along with AFB1. The pathologic changes, serobiochemical parameters, oxidative stress, histological changes, and the molecular disruption, induced by AFB1 in both liver and kidney were obviously and significantly ameliorated after BTE and/or CMN treatments in variable potencies where both agents showed the most effective antitoxic capacities.

Routing or forwarding information, such as the location of incidents and victims in a disaster, is significantly important for quick and accurate incident response. However, forwarding such information in disaster areas has been a challenging task for the Wireless Sensor Network as existing networks are affected (destroyed or overused) the disaster. Opportunistic information forwarding can play a vital role in such circumstances. Existing opportunistic routing protocols require huge message transmissions for cluster restoration, which is not energy efficient and results in packet loss. Hence, this paper introduces an energy efficient and reliable opportunistic density cluster-based routing protocol that opportunistically transmits data using a density-clustering protocol for emergency and disaster situations. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol outperforms some existing and well-known routing protocols in terms of network energy consumption, throughput and successful data transmissions.

The relay selection is a promising approach of maximizing the diversity gain achieved in the cooperative wireless sensor networks. In the cooperative networks, the proper selection of relay node is a challenging task. The proper selection of relay nodes not only improves the source–destination performance, but also maximizes the overall system performance. There are many factors involved in designing a relay selection algorithm. The different relay selection algorithms have different focus, criteria, objective, mechanism, and performance issues. In this article, several relay assignment algorithms have been analyzed to show the effectiveness of channel capacity, power allocation, coverage expansion and interference mitigation in term of proper relay selection schemes. Moreover, this paper discusses some relay selection schemes, their challenging issues, limitations, performance criteria, and mechanisms. This article also highlights the significant design issues of relay selection methods and compares them that are appropriate in the cooperative wireless sensor networks.

Virulent pathotypes of E. coli seriously affect the livestock regarding the misuse of antibiotics. All 180 samples collected from cow’s environment and dairy shops in Qena, Egypt were serologically...

Safe and sound use of compost in plant agronomy involves the application of mature and stable compost, which have many prospective benefits for soil improvement. Though, to be measured useful, a compost should be of high quality. It should be nontoxic to plants, humans, ecosystem, and valuable for soil. In addition, it must be exempt free from pathogenic bodies, hold only nominal quantities of external resources, have tolerable amounts of organic pollutants and free from trace elements and be satisfactorily mature and stable because immature and unstable compost has a number of problems. The present review chapter deals with the methods most commonly used for estimating maturity and stability of compost. Based on in-depth literature analysis, a case is proposed for the usage of a battery of tests owing to the fact that a solitary and stand-alone test for both compost maturity and stability has not yet been agreed upon by the researchers. In addition, we provide the guidelines and regulations for compost stability and maturity all around the world.

Background. Apoptosis, a major form of programmed cell death, plays a vital role in regulating tissue development and maintenance of homeostasis in eukaryotes. Apoptosis can occur via a death receptor-dependent extrinsic or a mitochondrial-dependent intrinsic pathway and can be induced by various chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, the anticancer activity of Saussurea costus and its mode of intervention in human cancer cells of breast, colon, and liver were investigated. Results. In this study, the bioactives of S. costus leaves were extensively extracted in five solvents of different polarity. The cytotoxicity and anticancer effect of the extracted secondary metabolites were investigated against breast (MCF-7), liver (HepG2), and colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines using a Sulphorhodamine B (SRB) assay. Secondary metabolites extracted using hexane, methanol, ethyl acetate, and chloroform had the highest cytotoxicity and thus the greatest anticancer effect on all the cancer cell lines tested (IC50; ranging from 0.25 to 2.5 μg/ml), while butanol was comparatively less active (IC50; ranging from 23.2 to 25.5 μg/ml). Further investigation using DNA flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy revealed that the extract arrested the cells in the G1 phase of cell cycle and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the elevated expression level of proapoptotic proteins and decreased expression level of antiapoptotic proteins confirmed that the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway was involved in mediating the apoptosis of cancer cells upon treatment with S. costus extract. These results altogether suggest that S. costus could be a potential anticancer agent. Conclusion. These results suggest that the S. costus extract is the potential source of the secondary metabolites that could be used as anticancer agent to treat diverse cancers of breast, colon, and liver.

This study investigated if the well-reported anti-tumor effects of resveratrol (RES) is mediated by modulation levels of galectin-3 (GAL-3), an anti-apoptotic lectin that is highly overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells. SKOV3 and OVCAR-3 OC cells were untreated or incubated with DMOS or increasing concentrations of RES (25, 50, 100 μM) for 72 hr. RES, in a dose-dependent manner and in both cell lines, induced cell death and inhibited cell migration and invasion It also downregulated Bcl-2 levels, increased cleaved caspase-3, and GAL-3 protein (but not mRNA) levels, suggesting increased breakdown. These effects were associated with reduced levels of p-NF-κB P65, p-IKKα/β, and p-Akt, major targets of Gal-3. Further investigation showed that RES enhanced levels of miR-424-3p which is able to degrade GAL-3. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that RES induced apoptosis in cancerous cells is associated with increased levels of miR-424-3p and reduced levels of GAL-3. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study highlights a possible mechanism by which RES could enhance cell death in OC cells and enhances their sensitivity to cisplatin. RES apoptotic effect and enhancement of OC cells to chemotherapy were associated with decreased abundance of GAL-3, a common cell survival molecule that promotes tumorigenesis and increased transcription of miR-424-3p that has the ability to degrade cellular GAL-3. These findings add a possible new mechanism by which RES acts and opens a window for further research to understand its mechanism of action.

Objective: To determine the mosquito vectors prevailing in Al-Ahsa, eastern region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Monthly larval collections were conducted for one year by means of long dipper from different breeding sites in rural and semi-urban locations. Physical and chemical characteristics (pH, salinity and temperature of water) of positive sites were recorded. Results: The survey revealed the presence of 7 mosquito species [Aedes caspius, Anopheles multicolor, Culex perexiguus (Cx. perexiguus), Culex pipiens (Cx. pipiens), Culex pusillus, Culiseta langiareolata and Culiseta subochrea (Cs. subochrea)] representing 4 genera. Aedes, Ochlerotatus, Anopheles multicolor, Cx. perexiguus and Cx. pipiens mosquitoes are known as important vectors. Cs. subochrea is recorded for the first time in Al-Hufuf Oasis. Cx. pipiens was the most common species followed by Cx. perexiguus then Aedes caspius. Results also showed that mosquitoes were abundant in winter and spring seasons then declined in summer and autumn seasons. Conclusions: The present study is updating the total number of mosquito species of Al-Ahsa district, eastern province of Saudi Arabia by adding the newly record Cs. subochrea species. Furthermore, data obtained from the present study improve existing surveillance, assist in minimizing risk of disease transmission and develop vector management programs of the mosquitoes across this area.

This paper introduces an efficient distributed data analysis framework for big data which comprises data processing at the data collecting nodes and the central server end as opposed to the existing framework that only comprises data processing at the central server end. As data are being processed at the data collecting end in the proposed framework, the amount of data is reduced to be processed at the server side by the commodity computers. The proposed distributed algorithm works both in low-powered nodes such as sensors and high-speed commodity computers and also performs sequential and parallel processing based on the amount of data received at the central server. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed distributed algorithm outperforms traditional distributed algorithms in terms of the size of data to be processed at the central server and data processing time.

Increasing entrance of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) in many fields exposes human beings to its biotoxicity. Thereby, the present study assesses the potential ameliorative role of curcumin phytosome (CP) on AlCl3-induced hepatotoxicity. Rats were divided into four groups (n = 6): group 1 served as control; group 2 received CP (200 mg CP/kg b.wt) for 21 days; group 3 injected three doses of AlCl3 (30 mg/kg/body weight) every 5 days intraperitoneally; group 4 received CP for 7 days prior to AlCl3 and then received CP concurrently with AlCl3 for another 14 days. AlCl3 markedly increased (P

The present study evaluated the possible ameliorative efficacy of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on AlCl3-induced hepatorenal injury in rats. Animals were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): group 1, the control; group 2, received SeNPs (0.4 mg/kg b.wt) for 21 days; group 3, injected with three doses of AlCl3 intraperitoneally (30 mg/kg/body weight) every 5 days; group 4, received SeNPs for 7 days prior to AlCl3 and then received SeNPs concurrently with AlCl3 for the following 14 days. It was observed that AlCl3 increased the levels of AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, total bilirubin, creatinine, urea, uric acid, and MDA significantly; as well as the reduction in the levels of GSH, SOD, GPx stores in comparison with the control group. These biochemical alterations were accompanied and confirmed by the lesion appeared in histological sections in addition to the increase in the expression of caspase-3 and the decrease of the Bcl-2expression. Treatment with SeNPs ameliorates the hepatorenal dysfunction, replenishes the endogenous antioxidant system, downregulates the expression of caspase-3, and upregulates the expression of Bcl-2. This hepatorenal ameliorative role may be due to the ability of SeNPs to equilibrate the oxidant/antioxidant system besides its ability to attenuate apoptosis process.

This study investigated the effect of acylated synthetic ghrelin (AG) on the survival and proliferation of human chemosensitive ovarian cancer cells (A2780) and explored some mechanisms of action with a focus on the p53 apoptotic pathway and PI3K/Akt and NF-κB survival pathways. Human A2780 ovarian cancer cells were cultured with or without AG treatment in the presence or absence of cisplatin. In some cases, cisplatin+AG-treated cells were pre-incubated either with [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6, a ghrelin receptor antagonist, or with LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor. mRNA of ghrelin receptors(GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b), as well as, protein levels of GHS-R1a, were expressed abundantly in A2780 cells. AG treatment did not affect the mRNA and protein levels of GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b in both control and Cis-treated cells. However, while AG treatment had no effect on control cell viability, it significantly increased cell viability and proliferation and inhibited cell death in Cis-treated cells. In both control and Cis-treated cells, AG treatment significantly increased PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and enhanced the nuclear accumulation of NF-κB. Concomitantly, in both control and Cis-treated cells, AG significantly lowered the protein levels of p53, p-p53 (Ser16), PUMA, cytochrome C, and cleaved caspase-3. Interestingly, pre-incubating the cells with either [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 or LY294002 completely abolished the above-mentioned effect of AG in both control and Cis-treated cells. In conclusion, the findings of this study show that AG promotes cell survival of the OC cells and renders them resistat to Cis therapy, an effect that is mediated by the activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and activation of NF-κB, and requires GHS-R1a.

Sensors are being used in thousands of applications such as agriculture, health monitoring, air and water pollution monitoring, traffic monitoring and control. As these applications collect zettabytes of data everyday sensors play an integral role into big data. However, most of these data are redundant, and useless. Thus, efficient data aggregation and processing are significantly important in reducing redundant and useless data in sensor-based big data frameworks. Current studies on big data analytics do not focus on aggregating and filtering data at multiple layers of big data frameworks especially at the lower level at data collecting nodes (sensors) that reduce the processing overhead at the upper layer, i.e., big data server. Thus, this paper introduces a multi-tier data aggregation technique for sensor-based big data frameworks. While this work focuses more on data aggregation at sensor networks. To achieve energy efficiency it also demonstrates that efficient data processing at lower layers (sensor) significantly reduces overall energy consumption of the network and data transmission latency.

Ahmed M Abu El-Saad,1,4 Mohammed A Al-Kahtani,2 Ashraf M Abdel-Moneim3,4 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dammam University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt Abstract: Environmental exposure to arsenic represents a serious challenge to humans and other animals. The aim of the present study was to test the protective effect of antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) either individually or in combination with a chelating agent, meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), against sodium arsenite oral toxicity in male rats. Five groups were used: control; arsenic group (orally administrated in a concentration of 2 mg/kg body weight [b.w.]); the other three groups were orally administrated sodium arsenite in a concentration of 2 mg/kg b.w. followed by either NAC (10 mg/kg b.w., intraperitoneally [i.p.]), DMSA (50 mg/kg b.w., i.p.) or NAC plus DMSA. Arsenic toxicity caused significant rise in serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin, and a significant decrease in total protein (TP) and albumin levels after 3 weeks of experimental period. In addition, arsenic-treated rats showed significantly higher arsenic content in liver and significant rise in hepatic malondialdehyde level. By contrast, sharp decreases in glutathione content and catalase and glutathione reductase activities were discernible. NAC and/or DMSA counteracted most of these physiologic and biochemical defects. NAC monotherapy was more effective than DMSA in increasing TP, while DMSA was more effective in decreasing alanine aminotransferase. The combined treatment was superior over monotherapies in recovery of TP and glutathione. Biochemical data were well supported by histopathological and ultrastructural findings. In conclusion, the combination therapy of NAC and DMSA may be an ideal choice against oxidative insult induced by arsenic poisoning. Keywords: arsenic, N-acetylcysteine, meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, liver pathology, oxidative imbalance

Sensors play a vital role in the growth of big data as they are being used in numerous data-intensive applications. This paper introduces a multilayer big data aggregation framework and a priority-based, dynamic data aggregation (PDDA) scheme. The proposed PDDA approach works at the bottom layer at sensors (i.e., data collecting node) as opposed to most existing approaches which only consider aggregating data at the upper layer at the central server side. We evaluate the performance of the proposed PDDA approach and compare it against existing traditional tree and cluster-based schemes in terms of network lifetime and data latency. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed PDDA approach outperforms the existing approaches.

Problem statement: Presence of pesticide in streams and lakes is largely due to the runoff from agricultural fields. Pesticides are not highly selective but are generally toxic to many macrophytes, non-target organisms such as fish. Fish, generally accumulate contaminants from aquatic environments and have been largely used in food safety studies. Approach: The toxic effect of the insecticide abamectin on oxygen consumption and some biochemical characteristics (total protein, carbohydrate and cholesterol in liver, muscle, kidney and gills) of the tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) were estimated. Results: The data shows that the rate of oxygen consumption was declined during all the exposure periods. On the other hand, all biochemical’s parameters were found to be decreased in all tissues on comparison with control. Conclusion: The results indicated the toxic nature of the insecticide abamectin.

Turmeric (rich in curcuminoids) and ginger (rich in gingerols and shogaols) rhizomes have been widely used as dietary spices and to treat different diseases in Ayurveda/Chinese medicine since antiquity. Here, we compared the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant activity of these two plants in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA). Both plants (at dose 200 mg/kg body weight) significantly suppressed (but with different degrees) the incidence and severity of arthritis by increasing/decreasing the production of anti-inflammatory/pro-inflammatory cytokines, respectively, and activating the anti-oxidant defence system. The anti-arthritic activity of turmeric exceeded that of ginger and indomethacin (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug), especially when the treatment started from the day of arthritis induction. The percentage of disease recovery was 4.6–8.3% and 10.2% more in turmeric compared with ginger and indomethacin (P < 0.05), respectively. The present study proves the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant activity of turmeric over ginger and indomethacin, which may have beneficial effects against rheumatoid arthritis onset/progression as shown in AIA rat model.

Problem statement: Al-Khadoud Spring is one of the largest spring in A l-Hassa governorate (Saudi Arabia). Due to the extended domestic activities and urbanization as well as the continuous industrial and agricultural growth of th e region, spring water quality is potentially changing. Approach: This study was conducted to measure toxic heavy metal concentrations in water and fish samples along the spring channel. Filtered spring water and tissues (liver and muscle) of captured fish were analyzed for heavy metals in an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer equipped with a Varian Model. Results: The concentrations of metals in water were found i n the following order: Fe 2+ >Zn 2+ >Cu 2+ >Pb 2+ >Mn 2+ >Cd 2+ . The levels of heavy metals recorded in water in t his study were generally low, when compared to WHO and USEPA recommended levels in water, except iron which was found to be higher than the recommended levels. In fish samples collected from the polluted spring, metal levels were significantly hi gher than the levels in water, indicating bioaccumulation. The highest levels of metals were generally reported in fish liver than muscle. Hepatic metal levels were ranked as follow: Zn 2+ >Cu 2+ >Pb 2+ >Cd 2+ . Conclusion: The present results showed that, the fishes, based on the higher levels of metal bioaccumulation, could be unsafe for human consumption. Consequently, very close monitoring of heavy metal loads in Al-Khadoud spring is recommended in view of the possible risks to hea lth of consumers.

Problem statement: Al-Khadoud spring is one of the most important water resources in Al- Hassa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. However, much of its biotic information is still unknown. This study presented preliminary ecological information of this aquatic body. The aim of this research was to study the water characteristics and the planktonic organisms inhibiting Al-Khadoud spring and its irrigational channels for a period of 1 year. Approach: A regular visit was monitoring the spring over a period of 1 year (June 2007 to may 2008). Physico-chemical characteristics of spring water were determined. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Plankton (Phytoplankton or zooplankton) were also investigated. Results: All the water quality variables measured showed considerable seasonal variation. The data of this study showed that there were marked seasonal differences in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the phytoplankton communities in Al-Khadoud spring and its irrigation canal. The changes in total algal counts throughout the investigation coincided closely with in Chlorophyceae abundance. Thirty six species were identified allover the period of the investigation. Out of these, 9 species belong to Chlorophyceae, 17 belong to Bacillariophyceae, 7 to Cyanophyceae and 3 to Euglenophyceae. Cyclotella meneghiniana Kutzing, Nitzschia closterium Ehernberg, Fragilaria capucina Desmazieres, Surirella ovalis Breb, Actinastrum sp., Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck, Scenedesmus quadriquda Breb, Oscillatoria sp. and Oscillatoria subbrevis Schmidle were observed in a high rank of occurrence. The phytoplankton crop showed a remarkable increase as compared with the previous records. The data showed that the zooplanktonic fauna identified in this aquatic body is a typical of the permanent freshwater and brackish water. Eleven species were recorded, 5 belonged to Cladoceran, 4 belonged to Rotifera and 2 belonged to Chironomid. Zooplankton species like Thermocyclops hyalinus, Mesocyclops sp., Moina micrura, Brachionus caudatus, B. falcatus and Filina longiseta were recorded at all sites investigated allover the study period. The scarcity of zooplankton species from Al-Khadoud spring and its irrigation canal could be due to the nature of these reservoirs as both receiving reuse-drainage and treated sewage water. Conclusion: These results indicated that after receiving water from the outlets either treated sewage water or of re-use drainage water, the spring water had an obvious increase in electrical conductivity, COD, total alkalinity, nitrates, phosphorus, chloride and potassium. These features indicated pollution with organic wastes, increased salinity and deteriorated oxygenated state. Based on this we can say that all these factors can be affected both soil and plants cultivated in the area of Al-Hassa.