11 research outputs found
Antifungal Activity of Green and Chemically Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles against Alternaria citri, the Causal Agent Citrus Black Rot
No full textCitrus black rot is a serious disease of citrus plants caused by Alternaria citri. The current study aimed to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) by chemically or green method and investigate their anti -fungal activity against A. citri. The sizes of synthesized as measured by transmission electron microscope of ZnO-NPs were 88 and 65 nm for chemical and green methods, respectively. The studied prepared ZnO-NPs were applied, in vitro and in situ, at different concen-trations (500, 1,000, and 2,000 & mu;g/ml) in post-harvest treatment on navel orange fruits to verify the possible control effect against A. citri. Results of in vitro assay demonstrated that, at concentration 2,000 & mu;g/ml, the green ZnO-NPs was able to inhibit about 61% of the fungal growth followed by 52% of chemical ZnO-NPs. In addition, scanning electron microscopy of A. citri treated in vitro with green ZnO-NPs showed swelling and deformation of conidia. Results showed also that, using a chemically and green ZnO-NPs at 2,000 & mu;g/ml in situ in post-harvest treatment of orange, artificially -infected with A. citri, has reduced the disease severity to 6.92% and 9.23%, respectively, compared to 23.84% of positive control (non-treated fruits) after 20 days of storage. The out findings of this study may contribute to the development of a natural, effective, and eco-friendly strategy for eradicating harmful phytopatho-genic fungi
Biocontrol effect of ginger glycoprotein and essential oil against Vicia faba damping-off caused by Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani
No full textThe Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani are destructive soil-borne pathogens worldwide, significantly impacting crop yields and quality. Synthetic fungicides are usually used for their control despite their adverse environmental and human health impacts. Therefore, there is a growing interest in discovering natural alternatives to synthetic pesticides. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of ginger glycoprotein and essential oil (EO) as antifungal agents against R. solani and F. solani, correlated with diseases that cause root decay and wilt in Vicia faba L. An in vitro trial assessed the antifungal efficacy of ginger EO and glycoprotein singularly (at 10 and 25 μg/mL) compared to Rizolex-T 50 WP (at 25, 50, and 75 μg/mL) against F. solani and R. solani mycelium growth. Whereas, the in vivo trial evaluated the efficacy of ginger EO and glycoprotein at 50 and 100 μg/mL, compared to Rizolex-T 50 WP at 50 μg/mL, in reducing pre- and post-emergence damping-off percentages. Sodium dodecyl-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and particle size distribution were carried out to characterize seed glycoprotein. SDS-PAGE of the glycoprotein indicated two bands corresponding to 35 and 29 KDa. An HPLC examination of the glycoprotein carbohydrate component identified glucose, mannose, and fructose. GC-MS analysis of the components of EO identified 28 majors’ substances. R. solani and F. solani mycelial proliferation was dose-dependently inhibited by both EO and glycoprotein. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), used for investigating eventually morphological changes in tested fungi after treatment. In the in vivo test, it was seen that both EO and glycoprotein at 50 and 100 μg/mL made the symptoms caused by the tested fungi a lot less severe compared to the control. The results showed that ginger glycoprotein and essential oil might be able to be used instead of synthetic fungicides to treat V. faba damping off
Inhibition of Penicillium digitatum in vitro and in postharvest orange fruit by a soy protein fraction containing mainly β-conglycinin
No full textSulforaphane protects against sodium valproate–induced acute liver injury
No full textDrug-induced hepatotoxicity is one of the most commonly encountered obstacles in the field of medical practice. Sodium valproate (VPA) is amongst many drugs with reported hepatotoxic effects. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a thiol compound of wide abundance in cruciferous plants and numerous reported therapeutic efficacies. The current investigation sheds light on the potential hepatoprotective effect of SFN against VPA-induced liver injury in rats. Twice daily I.P. VPA (700 mg/kg) for 7 days induced significant biochemical alterations and hepatic histopathological damage. SFN (0.5 mg/kg, orally) for 7 days significantly boosted liver functions biomarkers; it reduced serum ALT, AST and ALP and restored serum albumin concentration in a significant manner. Meanwhile, SFN significantly mitigated VPA-induced histopathological alterations. To highlight the mechanisms implicated in the observed hepatoprotective action, hepatic MDA and TNFÎą contents significantly declined with concomitant increase in hepatic haemoxygenase-1(HO-1) content and GSH concentration with SFN treatment. In conclusion; SFN can significantly ameliorate VPA-induced hepatotoxicity and liver injury mainly by direct association between antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
The Effect of Pruning and Compression on Graphical Representations of the Output of a Speech Recognizer
No full textLarr vocabular y continuous speech reech ition can benefitfre an e#cient data strR turfor rrR/sentingalarE number of acoustic hypotheses compactly. Wor gr1:1 or lattices have been chosen as such an e#cientinter face between acousticroust ition engines and subsequent languageprguag ing modules. This paper firR investigates the e#ect ofprEI/-- dur ing acoustic decoding on the quality ofwor lattices and shows that by combiningdi#erEE pre ing options (at the model level and wor level), we can obtain wor lattices withcompar bleaccurE/ to theorRE/ al lattices and a manageable size. In orer to use the wor lattices as the inputfor a post-prt-RI ing language module, they shouldprx--:/1 thetar/E hypotheses andtheir scor while being as small as possible. In this paper weintr oduce awor grC comprmpR/-- algor thm that significantlyrnt ces the number ofwor-- in thegrRxEE alrRx---- entation without eliminatingutter ance hypothesesor distortRI their acousticscort . Wecompar this wor grR comprCx/)R algor thm withsever lother latticesize-rRI cing appr aches and demon strnR thereRx1C-- strx gth of the new wor gr1/ comprw sionalgor:I+ for decr: ing the number ofworC in thereR/) entation. ExperR entsar conductedacrRI corRI/ and vocabular sizes todeterE/R the consistency of theprR/--) and comprC sionrnRIIC) # 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. AllrlRI srEIE ved. 1.I5k4 Wor latticesar often chosen as theinter/C1 between an acousticrusticRx-- and a subsequent prubsequ using amor complex language model (LM)or mor specific acoustic model because of www.elsevierw.elsevi te/csl COMPUTER SPEECH AND LANGUAGE * Corr)R)R)Rr author Tel.: +1-765-494-3652; fax: +1-765-494-3371. E-mailaddr9(--)b harRxC/1:Rwxxx/Rrx+ [email protected]/Rr (M.P.Har.RIC mike.johnson@marrx+Rwxx (M.T. Johnson),[email protected])xRwEE..
Levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills use during breastfeeding; effect on infants’ health and development
No full textCounseling and in-advance provision of levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills decrease the rate of unplanned pregnancy during breastfeeding: a randomized controlled trial
No full textNanoparticles and Chemical Inducers: A Sustainable Shield against Onion White Rot
No full textThis study investigated the effectiveness of nanoparticles and chemical inducers in managing onion white rot caused by Sclerotium cepivorum. The pathogen severely threatens onion cultivation, resulting in significant yield losses and economic setbacks. Traditional fungicides, though effective, raise environmental concerns, prompting a shift toward eco-friendly alternatives. In this study, four S. cepivorum isolates were utilized, each exhibiting varying degrees of pathogenicity, with the third isolate from Abu-Hamad demonstrating the highest potency. During the in vitro studies, three nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated, including Fe3O4 NPs, Cu NPs, and ZnO NPs, which demonstrated the potential to inhibit mycelial growth, with salicylic acid and Fe3O4 NPs exhibiting synergistic effects. In vivo, these nanoparticles reduced the disease incidence and severity, with Fe3O4 NPs at 1000–1400 ppm resulting in 65.0–80.0% incidence and 80.0–90.0% severity. ZnO NPs had the most positive impact on the chlorophyll content, while Cu NPs had minimal effects. At 1000 ppm, Fe3O4 NPs had variable effects on the phenolic compounds (total: 6.28, free: 4.81, related: 2.59), while ZnO NPs caused minor fluctuations (total: 3.60, free: 1.82, related: 1.73). For the chemical inducers, salicylic acid reduced the disease (10.0% incidence, 25.0% to 10.0% severity) and promoted growth, and it elevated the chlorophyll values and enhanced the phenolic compounds in infected onions. Potassium phosphate dibasic (PDP) had mixed effects, and ascorbic acid showed limited efficacy toward disease reduction. However, PDP at 1400 ppm and ascorbic acid at 1000 ppm elevated the chlorophyll values and enhanced the phenolic compounds. Furthermore, this study extended to traditional fungicides, highlighting their inhibitory effects on S. cepivorum. This research provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of these approaches, emphasizing their potential in eco-friendly onion white rot management
Assessing the Effectiveness of Eco-Friendly Management Approaches for Controlling Wheat Yellow Rust and Their Impact on Antioxidant Enzymes
No full textWheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a destructive disease that causes significant yield losses in wheat production worldwide, including in Egypt. The use of biocontrol agents is among the best eco-friendly management strategies to control this disease, as they are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional chemical control methods. In a comparative analysis, antioxidant enzyme activity and various management approaches were compared with two bacterial biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida. This study showed the remarkable efficacy of endophytic bacteria, B. subtilis and P. putida, in mitigating wheat stripe rust infection across three wheat varieties, namely Misr1, Gimmeiza11, and Sids12. B. subtilis exhibited superior performance compared to P. putida, resulting in infection types of 1 and 2.66, respectively, following inoculation. The highest reduction rate was observed with Tilit fungicide (500 ppm), followed by B. subtilis and Salicylic acid (1000 ppm), respectively. Variations in wheat varieties’ response to Pst infection were observed, with Misr1 exhibiting the lowest infection and Sids12 showing high susceptibility. Among the tested inducers, Salicylic acid demonstrated the greatest reduction in disease infection, followed by Indole acetic acid, while Oxalic acid exhibited the lowest decrease. Additionally, the study evaluated the activities of five antioxidant enzymes, including Catalase, Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POX), in the wheat-stripe rust interaction under different integrated management approaches. The wheat variety Misr1 treated with Tilit (500 ppm), B. subtilis, Salicylic acid, Montoro (500 ppm), and P. putida exhibited the highest increase in all enzymatic activities. These findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of B. subtilis and P. putida as biocontrol agents for wheat stripe rust control in Egypt, emphasizing their potential role in sustainable, integrated, and environmentally friendly management practices
