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Water scarcity poses a significant challenge in arid and semi-arid regions, necessitating a focused exploration of groundwater resources. Egypt, confronted with various water challenges, particularly in its Western Desert, relies heavily on groundwater as the exclusive water source due to the presence of the Nubian Sandstone aquifer. Effective groundwater management in this region is imperative. This study delves into the hydrogeological characteristics of the Nubian Sandstone aquifer system (NSAS) in the prominent New Valley Oases—Kharga, Dakhla, and Farafra—where agricultural activities heavily depend on groundwater. The primary objective entails a meticulous temporal assessment of the impact of groundwater development on aquifer behavior, groundwater levels, and drawdown. Employing a remote sensing approach, agricultural expansion from 1995 to 2020 was scrutinized. The Visual MODFLOW package served as a robust tool for simulating groundwater flow in the study areas. Noteworthy findings reveal an upward trajectory in agricultural crop areas, escalating by approximately 6% from 1740 km² in 1995 to 1850 km² in 2020. Concurrently, drawdown, influenced by current groundwater extraction, is anticipated to range from 0.5 to 5 meters per year. To ensure the sustainable development of these areas, stringent regulations must be implemented, underscoring the imperative for judicious groundwater management practices. This research underscores the critical need for informed decision-making and proactive measures to address the evolving dynamics of groundwater resources in the New Valley Oases.

Abstract Chocolate spot and heat stress devastatingly impact the production of faba bean, particularly under prevailing climatic changes and rising drastic environmental conditions. Hence, the adaptability of faba bean performance is a decisive objective of plant breeders to ensure its sustainable production. The present study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance and stability of diverse eleven faba bean genotypes for yield characters, chocolate spot, and heat stress in eight different growing environments. The faba bean genotypes were evaluated at two sowing dates in two different locations during two growing seasons. The evaluated eleven faba bean genotypes were sown timely in autumn (25 October) and late sowing in early winter (25 November) in Bilbeis and Elkhatara during 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. The results exhibited substantial differences among the evaluated sowing dates, locations, and faba bean genotypes for all studied characters. The genotypes Sakha-3, Nubaria-3, Nubaria-5, Misr-3, and Wadi-1 were able to produce acceptable yield and quality characters under timely sowing in autumn and late sowing in early winter in all tested environments. Moreover, the genotypes Nubaria-3, Nubaria-4, Nubaria-5, Sakha-4, Giza-3, and Triple White exhibited better resistance to chocolate spot. The assessed faba bean genotypes were evaluated under late sowing to expose the plants to high temperature stress at flowering and throughout the anthesis and seed-filling stages. The genotypes Nubaria-5, Nubaria-3, Nubaria-4, Sakha-3, Sakha-4, Wadi-1, and Misr-3 possessed tolerance to heat stress more than the other genotypes. Different statistical methods were applied to study the stability of assessed genotypes such as joint regression, Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) analysis, AMMI stability value, Wricke's and Ecovalence values. The estimated stability parameters were consistent in depicting the stability of the assessed faba bean genotypes. The findings revealed that Sakha-1, Misr-3, Nubaria-4, and Nubaria-5 demonstrated stable and desirable performance across all tested environments. The heatmap was employed to classify the assessed faba bean genotypes into different groups based on agronomic performance, chocolate spot resistance and heat stress tolerance. Nubaria-3, Nubaria-4, Nubaria-5, and Misr-3 had the best performance for agronomic performance, chocolate spot resistance, and heat stress tolerance. The obtained results provide evidence of employing promising faba bean genotypes for improving the stability of agronomic performance, chocolate spot resistance, and heat stress tolerance in breeding programs principally under unprecedented climate fluctuations.

The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) processes chemical signals crucial for species-specific socio-sexual behaviors. There is limited information about the AOB of wild rodents, and this study aims to characterize the neurochemical organization of the AOB in the fossorial water vole (Arvicola scherman), a subterranean Cricetidae rodent. We employed histological, immunohistochemical, and lectin-histochemical techniques. The AOB of these voles exhibits a distinct laminar organization, with prominent mitral cells and a dense population of periglomerular cells. Lectin histochemistry and G-protein immunohistochemistry confirmed the existence of an antero-posterior zonation. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated significant expression of PGP 9.5, suggesting its involvement in maintaining neuronal activity within the AOB. In contrast, the absence of SMI-32 labelling in the AOB, compared to its strong expression in the main olfactory bulb, highlights functional distinctions between these two olfactory subsystems. Calcium-binding proteins allowed the characterization of atypical sub-bulbar nuclei topographically related to the AOB. All these features suggest that the AOB of Arvicola scherman is adapted for enhanced processing of chemosensory signals, which may play a pivotal role in its subterranean lifestyle. Our results provide a foundation for future studies exploring the implications of these adaptations, including potential improvements in the management of these vole populations.

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal tumor which is usually diagnosed at advanced stage. Molecular targeted drugs were used recently to treat HCC, however, due to serious side effects, mainly cardiotoxicity and emergence of resistance, there is demanding to explore new chemotherapeutics. 10 novel thiazoloquinoxaline derivatives coupled with different sulfonamide moieties 4(a–j) were designed and synthesized fulfilling pharmacophoric features of VEGFR-2 inhibition. Structures of all new compounds were verified via spectral and microanalytical data. After carrying in-vitro VEGFR-2 assay for compounds 4(a–j); sulfapyridine and sulfamethoxazole derivatives 4d and 4f showed potential inhibitory effect [61.04 and 83.35 nM], respectively, comparable to standard sorafenib [51.41 nM]. Both were then further evaluated for their cytocidal activity against HepG2 cell-line and against myocardium cells using H9C2 cell-line. As a result, only sulfapyridine derivative 4d exhibited a significant inhibition of HepG2 cells viability [IC50 = 4.31 μM]. Furthermore, it showed relatively lower cytotoxic impact against normal H9C2 myocardium cells [IC50, 33.47 μM] compared to that of sorafenib [IC50, 98.07 μM]. In-vivo study was carried out to determine myocardium safety of compound 4d on irradiated mice (8 Gy). In-vivo results of sulfapyridine derivative 4d showed normal cardiac enzyme function (CK) and serum catalase activity with significant reductions in LDH, cardiac TNF-α and caspase-9 levels, alongside with its efficacy in suppressing the expression of hepatic VEGF. In conclusion, sulfapyridine derivative 4d could be considered a promising candidate as VEGFR-2 inhibitor with less myocardium side effect.

Abstract The kinetic constants for free and immobilized cells were determined by measuring reaction rates at different metal concentrations at the optimum reaction conditions. (Kmax and Vmax) were calculated from the slope and intercept of the straight lines. The pseudo-second-order rate constants are derived based on the sorption capacity of the solid phase, where K2 is the rate constant for the pseudo-second-order model. Determined experimentally by plotting t/q against t. The mean free vitality of adsorption (E) was figured as 2.62 kJ mol−1 and the extent of E communicated gives data on the adsorption mechanism. An E value ranging from 1 to 8 indicates physisorption and 8–16 kJ mol−1 predicts ion exchange. Thus, the evaluated value of 2.62 kJ mol−1 predicts the phenomenon of physisorption, which suggests that metal ions were favorably adsorbed by this biosorbent in a multi-layer fashion. The overall result suggested that 98.2% of U (VI) by biosorption of U in the mechanism of adsorption will include chemisorption mechanistic pathway: Langmuir, Freundlich, equations and the values of Kf 5.791 where KL 3.9 were determined from the linear plot of log qe vs. log Ce at 30 °C, indicating that metal ions were favorably adsorbed by this biosorbent in a multi-layer fashion and instrumentation of beads characterizing novel Binding sites using FTIR & SEM beside change in peaks position which assigned for its groups confirm biosorption of metal.

Abstract Cytosine deaminase (CDA) is a prodrug mediating enzyme converting 5-flurocytosine into 5-flurouracil with profound broad-range anticancer activity towards various cell lines. Availability, molecular stability, and catalytic efficiency are the main limiting factors halting the clinical applications of this enzyme on prodrug and gene therapies, thus, screening for CDA with unique biochemical and catalytic properties was the objective. Thermotolerant/ thermophilic fungi could be a distinctive repertoire for enzymes with affordable stability and catalytic efficiency. Among the recovered thermotolerant isolates, Aspergillus niger with optimal growth at 45 °C had the highest CDA productivity. The enzyme was purified, with purification 15.4 folds, molecular mass 48 kDa and 98 kDa, under denaturing and native PAGE, respectively. The purified CDA was covalently conjugated with dextran with the highest immobilization yield of 75%. The free and CDA-dextran conjugates have the same optimum pH 7.4, reaction temperature 37 °C, and pI 4.5, and similar response to the inhibitors and amino acids suicide analogues, ensuring the lack of effect of dextran conjugation on the CDA conformational structure. CDA-Dextran conjugates had more resistance to proteolysis in response to proteinase K and trypsin by 2.9 and 1.5 folds, respectively. CDA-Dextran conjugates displayed a dramatic structural and thermal stability than the free enzyme, authenticating the acquired structural and catalytic stability upon dextran conjugation. The thermal stability of CDA was increased by about 1.5 folds, upon dextran conjugation, as revealed from the half-life time (T 1/2 ). The affinity of CDA-conjugates (K m 0.15 mM) and free CDA (K m 0.22 mM) to deaminate 5-fluorocytosine was increased by 1.5 folds. Upon dextran conjugation, the antiproliferative activity of the CDA towards the different cell lines “MDA-MB, HepG-2, and PC-3” was significantly increased by mediating the prodrug 5-FC. The CDA-dextran conjugates strongly reduce the tumor size and weight of the Ehrlich cells (EAC), dramatically increase the titers of Caspase-independent apoptotic markers PARP-1 and AIF, with no cellular cytotoxic activity, as revealed from the hematological and biochemical parameters.

Abstract Background The toxicity profile of lactobacilli may be strain dependent, so it should be considered for safe utilization of probiotics. Further, in vivo studies are necessary to evaluate their safety. Result The ability of various probiotic strains to hydrolyze bile salts has been confirmed without noticeable hemolytic activity. Results revealed the presence of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, and β-galactosidase activity in all investigated isolates, while none of the isolates produced the carcinogenic enzyme β-glucuronidase. The probiotic strains exhibited remarkable cholesterol-lowering impact. Also, we found no evidence of chronic toxicity under the experimental conditions based on gross pathological examination of the viscera and study of the spleen and liver weight ratios. These findings indicated that the investigated strains, either alone or combined with their metabolites, had no obvious adverse effect on the mice's general health status. Conclusion There is prove that the investigated probiotic strains are safe to be utilized for enhancing of the growth performance and are free of adverse side effects.

Planthopper infestation in rice causes direct and indirect damage through feeding and viral transmission. Host microbes and small RNAs (sRNAs) play essential roles in regulating biological processes, such as metabolism, development, immunity, and stress responses in eukaryotic organisms, including plants and insects. Recently, advanced metagenomic approaches have facilitated investigations on microbial diversity and its function in insects and plants, highlighting the significance of microbiota in sustaining host life and regulating their interactions with the environment. Recent research has also suggested significant roles for sRNA-regulated genes during rice–planthopper interactions. The response and behavior of the rice plant to planthopper feeding are determined by changes in the host transcriptome, which might be regulated by sRNAs. In addition, the roles of microbial symbionts and sRNAs in the host response to viral infection are complex and involve defense-related changes in the host transcriptomic profile. This review reviews the structure and potential functions of microbes and sRNAs in rice and the associated planthopper species. In addition, the involvement of the microbiota and sRNAs in the rice–planthopper–virus interactions during planthopper infestation and viral infection are discussed.

Simple Summary: The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) helps animals to process chemical signals, such as pheromones and kairomones, that are important for social and reproductive behaviors. This study focuses on the fossorial water vole, a rodent that lives mostly underground and relies on chemical communication. We examined the structure of the AOB in these voles using various staining techniques to visualize different cell types. The results showed that the fossorial water vole AOB has a well-organized structure, with specific cells in different layers. We also found that certain glycans and proteins are more active in the AOB compared to the main olfactory bulb, which suggests that these two areas of the brain have different roles in processing smells. This research helps us understand how the sense of smell of the fossorial water vole is specially adapted to its underground environment. The findings could be useful for further studies on how to manage these vole populations, as their behavior and chemical communication are essential for their survival and interactions in underground environments. The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) processes chemical signals crucial for species-specific socio-sexual behaviors. There is limited information about the AOB of wild rodents, and this study aims to characterize the neurochemical organization of the AOB in the fossorial water vole (Arvicola scherman), a subterranean Cricetidae rodent. We employed histological, immunohistochemical, and lectin-histochemical techniques. The AOB of these voles exhibits a distinct laminar organization, with prominent mitral cells and a dense population of periglomerular cells. Lectin histochemistry and G-protein immunohistochemistry confirmed the existence of an antero-posterior zonation. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated significant expression of PGP 9.5, suggesting its involvement in maintaining neuronal activity within the AOB. In contrast, the absence of SMI-32 labelling in the AOB, compared to its strong expression in the main olfactory bulb, highlights functional distinctions between these two olfactory subsystems. Calcium-binding proteins allowed the characterization of atypical sub-bulbar nuclei topographically related to the AOB. All these features suggest that the AOB of Arvicola scherman is adapted for enhanced processing of chemosensory signals, which may play a pivotal role in its subterranean lifestyle. Our results provide a foundation for future studies exploring the implications of these adaptations, including potential improvements in the management of these vole populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated impact of dietary supplementation with garlic oil (GO) on growth performance and alleviation of heat stress (HS) impact in broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day old Cobb broilers were randomly assigned to four treatments, each with six replicates of 10 birds. Treatment one (- Control) was offered a basal diet (BD) and raised under thermo-neutral temperature throughout the experiment (42 days), while Treatment 2 (+Cont) received BD throughout the experimental period, and raised under thermoneutral temperatures during the experiment weeks, but subjected to HS during the fifth week. Treatments 3 and 4 were exposed to the same HS during the fifth week and fed a BD supplemented with 5 g GO/kg, and 15g GO/kg throughout the experimental period. Compared to the thermoneutral control, the heat-stressed control displayed a lower growth performance, in terms of decreased feed intake, higher feed conversion ratio, higher mortality, altered serum metabolites, and lower antioxidative activity. Both GO treatments resulted in deteriorated growth performance compared to the thermoneutral control and relatively worse than the CHS control (P > 0.05). The GO treatments reduced serum triglycerides, cholesterol, and malondialdehyde concentrations, but enhanced glutathione peroxidase activity and total antioxidant capacity compared to HS control. The two GO treatments exhibited significantly higher villus length/crypt depth ratio than the thermoneutral control. In conclusion, GO treatments displayed poor growth performance results, but enhanced the serum antioxidant properties under the study conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium is one of the most limiting factors for the growth and reproduction of peanut, which ultimately affects pod and seed yields. A two-year field experiment was carried out to assess the impact of five calcium applications, including nano-calcium and conventional forms, on growth, leaf nutrient content, yield traits, and quality parameters of three diverse peanut cultivars (Ismailia-1, Giza-5, and Giza-6). The applied calcium applications were calcium sulfate, which is recommended for commercial peanut cultivation and commonly referred to as gypsum (coded as Ca-1), calcium nitrate (Ca-2), nano-calcium nitrate (Ca-3), 50% calcium nitrate + 50% nano-calcium (Ca-4), and 50% calcium sulfate + 50% nano-calcium (Ca-5). Calcium sulfate (gypsum, Ca-1) was soil-supplied during the seedbed preparation as recommended, while the other calcium applications (Ca-2, Ca-3, Ca-4, and Ca-5) were exogenously sprayed three times at 30, 45, and 60 days after sowing. The soil of the experimental site was alkaline, with a high pH of 8.6. The results revealed significant differences among cultivars, calcium applications, and their interactions. The soil-supplied gypsum Ca-1 displayed lower agronomic performance on all recorded growth, leaf nutrient content, yield traits, and quality parameters. On the other hand, the foliar-supplied calcium, particularly Ca-4 and Ca-5, displayed superior effects compared to the other simple calcium forms. Ca-4 and Ca-5 produced significantly higher seed yield (3.58 and 3.38 t/ha) than the simple recommended form (Ca-1, 2.34 t/ha). This could be due to the difficulty of calcium uptake from soil-supplied calcium under high soil pH compared to the exogenously sprayed nano-calcium form. Moreover, the superior performance of Ca-4 and Ca-5 could be caused by the mixture of fertilizers from the synergistic effect of calcium and nitrate or sulfate. Furthermore, the effect of nitrate was applied in nano form in the Ca4 and Ca-5 treatments, which contributed to improving nutrient uptake efficiency and plant growth compared to the other treatments. The peanut cultivar Giza-6 showed superiority for most measured traits over the other two cultivars. The interaction effect between the assessed cultivars and calcium applications was significant for various traits. The cultivar Giza-6 showed a significant advantage for most measured traits with the mixture of 50% calcium nitrate + 50% nano-calcium (Ca-4). Conclusively, the results pointed out the advantage of the exogenously sprayed nano-calcium form combined with calcium nitrate or calcium sulfate for promoting growth, leaf nutrient content, yield, and quality traits of peanut, particularly with high-yielding cultivars under sandy soil with high pH.

Cytosine deaminase (CDA) is a non-mammalian enzyme with powerful activity in mediating the prodrug 5-fluorcytosine (5-FC) into toxic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), as an alternative directed approach for the traditional chemotherapies and radiotherapies of cancer. This enzyme has been frequently reported and characterized from various microorganisms. The therapeutic strategy of 5-FC-CDA involves the administration of CDA followed by the prodrug 5-FC injection to generate cytotoxic 5-FU. The antiproliferative activity of CDA-5-FC elaborates from the higher activity of uracil pathway in tumor cells than normal ones. The main challenge of the therapeutic drug 5-FU are the short half-life, lack of selectivity and emergence of the drug resistance, consistently to the other chemotherapies. So, mediating the 5-FU to the tumor cells by CDA is one of the most feasible approaches to direct the drug to the tumor cells, reducing its toxic effects and improving their pharmacokinetic properties. Nevertheless, the catalytic efficiency, stability, antigenicity and targetability of CDA-5-FC, are the major challenges that limit the clinical application of this approach. Thus, exploring the biochemical properties of CDA from various microorganisms, as well as the approaches for localizing the system of CDA-5-FC to the tumor cells via the antibody directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) and gene directed prodrug therapy (GDEPT) were the objectives of this review. Finally, the perspectives for increasing the therapeutic efficacy, and targetability of the CDA-5-FC system were described.

Abstract Background The Identification of B cell subsets with regulatory functions might open the way to new therapeutic strategies in the field of transplantation, which aim to reduce the dose of immunosuppressive drugs and prolong the graft survival. CD25 was proposed as a marker of a B-cell subset with an immunosuppressive action termed Bregs. The effect of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs on graft function in renal transplant recipients has not yet been elucidated. We investigated a potential impact of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs on renal graft function as well as a possible interaction of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs with peripheral Tregs in healthy controls, end-stage kidney disease patients (ESKD), and renal transplant recipients. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the association of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs with serum IL-10, TGF-ß1, and IFN-γ in the same study groups. Method Thirty-one healthy controls, ninety renal transplant recipients, and eighteen ESKD patients were enrolled. We evaluated the CD19 + CD25 + Bregs and Treg absolute counts. Next, we investigated CD19 + CD25 + Bregs as predictors of good graft function in multiple regression and ROC analyses. Finally, we evaluated the association between CD19 + CD25+ Bregs and serum IL-10, TGF-ß, and IFN-γ. Results ESKD patients and renal transplant recipients showed lower counts of CD19 + CD25+ Bregs compared to healthy controls (p

Water scarcity poses a significant challenge in arid and semi-arid regions, necessitating a focused exploration of groundwater resources. Egypt, confronted with various water challenges, particularly in its Western Desert, relies heavily on groundwater as the exclusive water source due to the presence of the Nubian Sandstone aquifer. Effective groundwater management in this region is imperative. This study delves into the hydrogeological characteristics of the Nubian Sandstone aquifer system (NSAS) in the prominent New Valley Oases--Kharga, Dakhla, and Farafra--where agricultural activities heavily depend on groundwater. The primary objective entails a meticulous temporal assessment of the impact of groundwater development on aquifer behavior, groundwater levels, and drawdown. Employing a remote sensing approach, agricultural expansion from 1995 to 2020 was scrutinized. The Visual MODFLOW package served as a robust tool for simulating groundwater flow in the study areas. Noteworthy findings reveal an upward trajectory in agricultural crop areas, escalating by approximately 6% from 1740 km² in 1995 to 1850 km² in 2020. Concurrently, drawdown, influenced by current groundwater extraction, is anticipated to range from 0.5 to 5 meters per year. To ensure the sustainable development of these areas, stringent regulations must be implemented, underscoring the imperative for judicious groundwater management practices. This research underscores the critical need for informed decision-making and proactive measures to address the evolving dynamics of groundwater resources in the New Valley Oases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sandstone surface samples were collected from Quseir Fm., a member of Nubian Sandstone at Gebel el-Silsila and subjected to petrographical investigation using polarizing microscope. X-Ray diffraction was carried out to determine mineralogy. Scanning electron microscope also was utilized for the morphological characterization of the rock components. This sandstone petrofacies is mainly quartz arenite. The depositional environment of the studied sandstones is fluvial to fluvial-marine, and they suffered post-depositional alterations. Alterations include diagenesis (clay infiltration and original detrital grains disintegration), weathering, deterioration phenomena as erosion, voids existence due to dissolution and absence of bound materials. Mineralogical characterization indicated that quartz is the main constituent of sandstone in addition to kaolinite clay mineral as a cementing material. Petrophysically, the studied samples subjected to porosity and permeability measurements. The measurements showed that the samples are highly porous and permeable. Permeability–porosity relation displayed two groups (A and B). Although porosity values are close to great extent, permeability is quite different for the two groups due to the different distributions of pore throats, perhaps as a result of uneven clay distribution within the two groups of samples. Many capillary pressure-derived parameters were calculated using experimental correlations. The results confirmed the presence of two flow groups, macroport group (group A) and megaport group (group B) that is the best in terms of reservoir quality. The two groups reflect the excellent properties for the studied potential reservoir.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.) is the fourth most important cereal crop in the world. Salinity decreases the productivity of plants grown under salinity conditions. It leads to deficiency and limited absorption of water and nutrients, ionic stress, oxidative stress, and osmotic imbalance. In saline soil, a field experiment was conducted to verify the effects of nine combinations among three levels of bio-fertilizers, i.e., control (without), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB), as well as three levels of phosphorus fertilizer recommended dose (RDP) on barley yield, its components and nutrients uptake, to evaluate the useful influences of these combinations to improve P management under salinity stress related to yield and its components as well as N, P, and K uptake in barley. Findings revealed that the combination AMF + 100% RDP improved plant height, length of spike, spikes weight, number of spikes plant−1, weight of 1000-grain, straw yield, grain yield, uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) in grain and uptake of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) in straw by 19.76, 33.21, 40.08, 33.76, 14.82, 24.95, 47.52, 104.54, 213.47, 168.24, 124.30, 183.59, and 160.84% in the first season, respectively. Meanwhile, the increase was 19.86, 29.73, 40.47, 39.94, 14.92, 24.95, 47.94, 104.73, 213.33, 168.64, 124.47, 183.86, and 161.09% in the second season, respectively. AMF showed greater efficiency and effectiveness compared to PSB in improving yield and its components for all studied traits. The results of principle component analysis indicated that all combinations except AMF + zero% RDP, PSB + zero% RDP, control + zero% RDP, and control + 66% RDP showed high scores on positive PC1, where all studied traits were high. Therefore, it is recommended to inoculate the soil with AMF or PSB with the addition of phosphate fertilizer at the recommended dose under salinity conditions, i.e., AMF + 100% RDP (T1) or AMF + 66% RDP (T2) or PSB + 100% RDP (T4). The use of bio-fertilizers has increased plant tolerance to salt stress, and this was evident from the increase in different traits with the use of treatments that include bio-fertilizers.

IntroductionGaps still exist regarding knowledge on regulatory cells in transplant recipients. We studied the phenotypic patterns of CD4+, CD8+CD28- Tregs, and CD19+IL-10+ Bregs in the blood of healthy controls (HC), end-stage kidney disease patients (ESKD), early and late stable renal transplant recipients (Tx), and transplant recipients with steroid-treated acute cellular rejection 1 week–3 months after successful treatment. We also investigated the relationship between immunosuppressive drugs and the aforementioned regulatory cells in transplant recipients.MethodsWe recruited 32 HC, 83 ESKD, 51 early Tx, 95 late Tx, and 9 transplant patients with a recent steroid-treated acute cellular rejection. Besides CD19+IL-10+ Bregs, we analyzed absolute and relative frequencies of CD4+CD25+CD127-Foxp3+ Tregs and CD8+CD28- Tregs and their expression of IL-10, TGF-ß, IFN-g, and Helios.ResultsWe found a negative correlation between absolute CD4+CD25+CD127-Foxp3+ Treg and relative CD19+IL-10+ Breg frequencies in early Tx recipients (r=-0.433, p=0.015, n=31). In that group, absolute CD4+CD25+CD127-Foxp3+ Tregs were negatively associated with steroid dose and tacrolimus trough levels (r=-0.377, p = 0.021, n=37; r=-0.43, p=0.033, n=25, respectively), opposite to IL-10+ Bregs, whose frequency apparently was not negatively affected by potent immunosuppression early posttransplant. We found also lower CD4+CD25+CD127-Foxp3+ Tregs in patients treated with basiliximab or rATG as compared with ESKD patients (p=0.001 and p

A technique to enhance the bandwidth of a circularly polarised antenna using the filter‐antenna design approach is presented. The design relies on adding a resonator coupled to the radiation element—an L‐shaped slot antenna in the case of global navigation satellite systems. This change in the feeding structure broadens both the impedance and the axial ratio (AR) bandwidths and allows more design flexibility. Compared with a reference L‐shaped slot antenna with a conventional feed, the proposed antenna design achieves a doubling of the impedance matching bandwidth from 19% to 41% over the frequency range from 1.2 to 1.81 GHz and a wider AR bandwidth from 35% to 44.5% in the range from 1.17 to 1.84 GHz. The AR bandwidth covers the entire impedance bandwidth. The effect of a metal reflector on antenna performance is also investigated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]