1,556 research outputs found
Effect of propolis extract (bee glue) on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) under greenhouse conditions
No full textEl-sayed, Salwa M., Emam, Heba M. (2021): Effect of propolis extract (bee glue) on Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) under greenhouse conditions. Persian Journal of Acarology 10 (23): 299-308, DOI: 10.22073/pja.v10i3.6673
Change Score (Breast Cancer)
No full textCode for the change score calculation and modeling for the change score project with breast cancer patients. The paper related to this project has been published as: K.M. Cole, S. McGee, M. Clemons, M. Liu, F. MacDonald, L. Vandermeer, T.L. Ng, G. Pond, K. El Emam, "Development and application of a weighted change score to evaluate interventions for vasomotor symptoms in patients with breast cancer using regression trees: A cohort study", Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Volume 207, pages 313–321, 19 May 2024
Subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials studied in man
No full textUsing surface recording electrodes and signal averaging, the cervical and lumbar somatosensory evoked potentials were investigated.Following median ncrvc stimulation, the cervical somatosensory evoked potential consists of four negative components called N9, NI l, N13 and N14. Evidence is presented to show that: N9 has its origin in the medial cord of brachial plexus; NI 1 is a post-synaptic potential, originating in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord; NI3 and N14 are from more rostral structures, the dorsal column nuclei and thalamus respectively arc suggested as sites of origin. Following tibial nerve stimulation in the popliteal fossa, the lumbar somatosensory evoked potential consists of two negative waves called N10 and N13. Evidence is presented to show that NI O originates in the cauda equina and N13 from the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.Changes and abnormalities in the potentials were examined in three clinical conditions. In multiple sclerosis, low amplitude and abnormally formed or even absent potential were noticed. In certain cases these were shown to be improved during a period of spinal cord stimulation. In cervical spondylosis the responses were delayed or absent in some cases. Patients with traumatic paraplegia showed normal potentials caudal to the lesion but absent or delayed small potential rostrally according to whether the lesion was complete or partial. In some patients with multiple sclerosis, recordings were made from epidural electrodes following stimulation of the cord. Estimates of dorsal column conduction velocities were made and ranged from 8 to 68 M/sec.</p
Termitaria hexasporodochia Wilson, Emam, Davis, Barden, Hall, Ware. 2023, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Species:</i> <i>Termitaria hexasporodochia</i> Wilson, Emam, Davis, Barden, Hall, Ware. <i>sp. nov.</i> <p>Mycobank ID: MB832822</p> <p>Newark Museum Herbarium, Newark, NJ (NEMU)</p> <p>American Museum of Natural History, NYC, NY (AMNH)</p> <p> <i>Type Specimens</i></p> <p> <i>Locality</i>: South America, Guyana: Rupununi River Region, Karanambu Ranch, Capuchin trail, elevation: 100km, 03°44.85’ N,059°19.13’ W, tropical rainforest surrounded by open savannah, on host termite in an arboreal soil mound, 11, January 2016, Collected by M. Wilson, J. Ware, P. Barden, S. George. L. Johnson, S.T. Mafla-Mills.</p> <p> On <i>Amitermes</i> sp., preserved in ethanol. Deposited at AMNH and registered at NEMU Herbarium (NEMU), labeled: South America, Guyana: Rupununi River Region, Karanambu Ranch, Capuchin trail, elevation: 100km, 03°44.85’ N, 059°19.13’ W, collected 11, January 2016, (holotype: T1-P1S7S3!, isotypes: T2-P1S7S3!, T2-P2S7S3!).</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis— Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> exhibits a unique phenotype, exclusively forming six moderately sized black rimmed, elliptical sporodochia on the ventral abdominal segments (4–6) of its host. <i>Termitaria hexasporodochia</i> <i>sp.nov</i>. exhibits8–9conidia per collarette,is 116–120μm thick,elliptical in shape, has a conidiogenesis zone location 20μm–25μm from the sporodochium base, and thick-walled, lobate haustoria. The dimensions of the sporodochia range from 256 μm–609μm to 102–218 μm, the phialides are 110–115 μm in length, and the expiculum is the only pigmented region noted.</p> <p> <i>Description of the holotype</i> —Entomogenous: Sporodochium thallus is 116 μm thick, 256 μm long, 102 μm wide, and ellipsoid in shape. At the basal layer, haustoria are initially formed from thick-walled haustorial mother cells at the base of the sporodochium and appear thick and lobular. Haustoria range from 19–23μm in length, and 1.7–2.4 μm in width. Superficial to this layer is the sporogenous hymenium layer composed of a mass of tight columnar phialides 110–115 μm thick. Each individual phialide ranges from 1.5–2.2 μm in diameter, terminating in two flat rounded tips. Endogenously-formed conidia originate from long rod-shaped conidiogenous cells at the conidiogenous locus, located 20–25 μm from the base of each phialide. Conidial spores are rectangular and catenate, 1–1.3 μm in width and 3–4 μm in length. 8–9 spores were found in each collarette and 11–13 in each phialide. Spores break off simultaneously as they reach the sporodochium surface. The surface of each sporodochial lesion appears perforated, bearing a hexagonal pattern referred to as “textura angularis”, with pores being larger in diameter along the rim preceding the sterile expiculum. The expiculum forms a smooth black crust with no apparent openings. The holotype selected for description was one of the six lesions found infesting the 4 th ventral abdominal segment of an <i>Amitermes</i> termite worker T1-S7S3!.</p> <p> <i>Etymology— Termitaria</i> is the established generic name, and <i>hexasporodochia</i> is an adjective referring to the hexad arrangement of sporodochia exhibited on the type-host, <i>Amitermes</i>.</p> <p> <i>Ecology and host species— Amitermes sp.</i> found to be infested with <i>Termitaria</i> were collected from large arboreal mounds constructed on sandpaper trees (<i>Curatella americana</i>) growing at the interface between open savannah and rainforest (Fig. 2). The mounds were found during the dry season (January) in regions surrounding the Rupununi River that flood during the annual wet season (May-August). It was found only on worker caste termite hosts, never on soldiers or reproductives.</p> <p> <i>Differential diagnoses— Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> exhibits a unique arrangement phenotype, forming six moderately-sized, black-rimmed, elliptical sporodochia on the ventral abdominal segments (4–6) of its host. This fungus belongs to the genus <i>Termitaria</i> and is readily distinguished from two described members of the genus <i>Mattirolella.</i> It lacks a major generic character shared amongst <i>Mattirolella</i>, the sterile hyphae separating fertile hyphae in the hymenium is not present in the new species. The maximum lengths of <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> sporodochia are less than half the size of those described for Australian species, <i>T. macrospora</i> and <i>T. rhombicarpa</i> (Table 1; Kimbrough & Lenz 1982). Additionally, <i>T. rhombicarpa</i> can be distinguished by the rhomboid shaped sporodochium it typically forms on the host as opposed to the elliptical/circular lesion formed on <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i>, shorter phialide lengths (Table 1, 100–105 μm vs. 110–115μm), longer conidiogenous locus (Table 1. 30–35 μm vs. 20–15 μm from phialide base) and haustoria penetrating twice as deep into the host cuticle (TABLE 1. 50–55 μm vs. 20–23 μm). <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> spores are easily distinguished from those produced by <i>T. macrospora</i>.</p> <p> As its name suggests <i>T. macrospora</i> produces 4–5 massive spores per collarette (app 3.8–9.1 μm) whereas <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> produces 8–9 spores per collarette (app 1–1.3 <i>×</i> 3–4 μm). Another Australian species, <i>T. longiphialidis</i>, is best identified by its small circular sporodochia and having the longest phialides of any <i>Termitaria</i> species (Table 1. 160–180 μm vs. 110–115 μm; Kimbrough & Lenz 1982). <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> is readily distinguished from the commonly described <i>T. snyderi</i>, by phialide length. <i>T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> possesses a much thicker sporodochium, with phialides double the length of those found in <i>T. snyderi</i> (Table 1, 110–115 μm vs. 50–60 μm). <i>T. coronata</i> can be distinguished from all <i>Termitaria</i> species, <i>T. hexasporodochia</i> <i>sp. nov</i>. included, in the appearance of its sporodochium, with its echinulate surface and the high position of its conidiogenous locus (Table 1, 50–60 μm vs. 20–25 μm).</p> <p> <i>Ultrastructure of T. hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> —The complete sporodochium (Fig.4) is composed of many tightly aligned vertical columns. We group the sporodochia layers into three major regions (Fig.5A); the basal region (Fig. 5) most closely appressed to the insect cuticle, the sporogenous hymenial region (Fig. 6), and the upper region (Fig.7) filled with conidia and phialides terminating into flaps.</p> <p> <i>The basal region</i> —This region of the sporodochium is approximately 4–5 rows and 8.5–12.5 μm thick. It is comprised of haustorial mother cells that give rise to a subcuticular layer of haustoria that penetrates the host (Fig. 5). The thin-walled cells composing the upper layer of the basal region have been referred to in previous studies as the “subhymenial layer” and gives rise apically to the hymenial phialides (Kimbrough and Thorne 1982). Haustoria aggregate towards and penetrate the host via tetra ocular channels in its cuticle. We observe 12+ major penetration points between the fungal body and its host (Fig.5 B), extending below the cuticle to thick-walled lobular haustoria ranging from 19–23 μm in length and 1.7–2.5 μm in width. We do not refer to this “haustorial region” as an internal region within the sporodochium because it lays below the cuticular layer of its host (Fig.6E–F). Additionally, its penetration into the host cuticle does not change the classification of this fungus as an ectoparasite, in that it does not invade the host cytoplasm. Each sporodochia appears to be formed from major infestation sites with cells growing upward from the basal layer, with approximately 160–240 openings per sporodochium (size dependent) that appear dark in photomicrographs (Fig.5C).</p> <p> <i>The sporogenous hymenium region</i> —This region consists of a thick hymenium of tightly appressed phialides (Fig.6A), comprised of long rod-shaped conidiogenous cells 14–22 μm in length, which differentiate into asexual conidia at a fixed conidiogenous locus (Fig 6B–C). The phialides are approximately 1.5–1.2 μm in diameter and the conidiogenous locus (Fig.6D), the initial point of asexual spore differentiation, occurs 20–25μm, from the base of each hymenial phialide. Each collarette contains 8–9 rectangular, catenate conidia (Fig.7B–C), and approximately 11–13 spores can be found in the phialide during this time. Under high-definition microscopy, the internal surface of the hymenial phialides are coated with a dense mat of minute filaments that appear to be restricted to the upper 3/4th of the secondary canals (Fig.7A).</p> <p> <i> The upper region <i>—</i> At the superficial level of the sporodochia, a dark, peripheral expiculum surrounds a region resembling a hexagonal honeycomb (Fig.7A,C). This pattern is formed by fields of terminating phialides (Fig.3B) of elongate tubes referred to as <i>textura angularis</i>, the apices of which are bivalved (Fig 7B–D). The apical valves are formed by two isosceles trapezoidal flaps that fit closely together to form a large circular pad of thousands of hexagons (Fig.7D). Visible from confocal stack images just below the pad surface, each sporodochia appears densely populated with hexagonal pores, with the conidial spores visible within each tubular hymenial channel leading to the apical pore valves (Fig.7B). On average, a sporodochia contains approximately 12,000 –14,000 phialides.</i></p> <p> Overall, the most striking feature of <i>Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> is apparent in the arrangement and ultrastructure of the six moderately-sized, black-rimmed, elliptical sporodochia it forms on its termite host. Of all members of the family Kathistaceae, the formation of sporodochia on termites is diagnostic for members of the genera <i>Termitaria</i> and <i>Mattirolella</i>, hence why we focus on those two genera in assessing the new species. <i>Termitariopsis</i> is the only remaining member of Kathistaceae which forms sporodochia, although it does not use termites as a host and exhibits sporodochial features absent in the other two genera (Table 2a). <i>Kathistes</i> genera do not form sporodochia and are described instead off of their sexual form, whereas <i>Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov.</i> is described by its asexual sporodochia form. The genus <i>Ectomyces calotermi</i>, described on termites to form sporodochial lesions, has been synonymized with <i>Termitaria snyderi</i> (Tate 1928), a species described in this article. No further examination is needed on this genus as its synonym <i>T. snyderi</i> is examined here. We place the new species in <i>Termitaria</i> because it lacks the defining features of <i>Mattirolella</i>: sterile hyphae interspersed with fertile hyphae and an epihymenium (Table 2a). The new species can be differentiated from other <i>Termitaria</i> species by sporodochial length (<i>T. macrospora</i> and <i>T. rhombicarpa),</i> sporodochial shape (<i>T. rhombicarpa),</i> phialide lengths (<i>T. longiphialidis, T. snyderi</i>), location of conidiogenous locus, spore size, and haustorial depth (Table 2a).</p>Published as part of <i>Wilson, Megan M., Emam, Amany, Davis, Steven R., Hall, Gene, Barden, Phillip & Ware, Jessica L., 2023, Description of a novel termite ectoparasite, Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov. (Kathistaceae), presenting an unusual six-sectioned infestation, and a key to the fungal family Kathistaceae, pp. 106-124 in Phytotaxa 591 (2)</i> on pages 111-113, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.591.2.3, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7797494">http://zenodo.org/record/7797494</a>
Description of a novel termite ectoparasite, Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov. (Kathistaceae), presenting an unusual six-sectioned infestation, and a key to the fungal family Kathistaceae
No full textWilson, Megan M., Emam, Amany, Davis, Steven R., Hall, Gene, Barden, Phillip, Ware, Jessica L. (2023): Description of a novel termite ectoparasite, Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov. (Kathistaceae), presenting an unusual six-sectioned infestation, and a key to the fungal family Kathistaceae. Phytotaxa 591 (2): 106-124, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.591.2.3, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-04-22-0755-PD
Phenotypic and Genotypic Assay for Detection of Extended Spectrum beta-lactamases Production by Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates in Emam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, Iran
No full textObjectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs, to evaluate the susceptibility of K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs towards non-beta-lactam antibiotics and to study the dominant ESBLs gene in Emam Reza hospital. K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) performed for detection of blaSHV, TEM and CTX-M. The findings showed that 43.69, 13.59, 7.77, 11.65 and 23.3 were from UT!, ICUs, surgery ward, lesion infections and RTI, respectively. The results showed that 43.7 of isolates were ESBLs produces. The findings revealed that 26.7, 6.7, 20 and 0 of K.pneumoniae producing ESBLs were resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazol and imipenem, respectively. Thirty-nine blaSHV, seven blaTEM and seven blaCTX-M identified among K.pneumoniae producing ESBLs. The results reflected in cold month resistant to third generation cephalosporins were more than warm months. Generally, frequency of blaSHV was more than blaCTX-M and blaTEM
Dynamic Analysis of Modified Hybrid Symmetric Bistable Lamin
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Mechanical Engineering by Ibrahim Khalil Diab entitled, “Dynamic Analysis of Modified Hybrid Symmetric Bistable Lamin”, submitted in November 2023. Thesis advisor is Dr. Samir Emam. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).Bistable laminates have been studied for decades. Their ability to take a stable shape with minimal actuation force has given them much attention and research for morphing applications. Multiple studies have been done to determine how laminates behave under different configurations. Studies include modified hybrid bistable laminates (m-HBSL). Most studies examine the laminate’s behavior under specific loading conditions. To better simulate the use of bistable laminates into real life applications, the response under dynamic loadings must be investigated. Yet, the m-HBSL behavior hasn’t been studied under dynamic loading conditions. This report presents a detailed literature review on the history of bistable laminates to date. Furthermore, an m-HBSL model is studied using ABAQUS. The model investigates three different case studies on the same structure. In all cases, the laminate settles at one of the static equilibrium positions. In the first case, a concentrated dynamic load at the tip of the free edge of the laminate is applied. The second case involves a uniform pressure on the laminate. The third case involves an out of plane displacement applied to the cantilevered end of the laminate. The main objective is to identify the dynamic snap through load and compare it with the static counterpart. Meanwhile, the application of dynamic loads investigates the single-well and double-well response. It is found out that under the dynamic loading, the laminate snaps at lower loads compared with the static snap through. It was found that the laminate will snap at 85% less load under harmonic loads than the static counterparts. However, the laminate will require 35% less load to snap dynamically under pressure loading. Meanwhile, the resonant response shows a periodic single well, chaotic double well, and periodic double well as the load is varied. This emphasizes the crucial role that dynamic response has for the analysis and design of bistable symmetric laminates. Furthermore, the laminate shows a change in shape when higher tip loads are applied. Finally, the laminate shows no steady state response when actuated using the other two loading techniques.College of EngineeringDepartment of Mechanical EngineeringMaster of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME
Phenotypic and genotypic assay for detection of extended spectrum B-lactamases production by Klebsiella pnemoniae isolates in Emam Reza Hospital in Tabriz, Iran.
No full textObjectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence of K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs, to evaluate the susceptibility of K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs towards non-beta-lactam antibiotics and to study the dominant ESBLs gene in Emam Reza hospital. K. pneumoniae producing ESBLs identified by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) performed for detection of blaSHV, TEM and CTX-M. The findings showed that 43.69%, 13.59%, 7.77%, 11.65% and 23.3% were from UTI, ICUs, surgery ward, lesion infections and RTI, respectively. The results showed that
43.7% of isolates were ESBLs produces. The findings revealed that 26.7%, 6.7%, 20% and 0% of K.pneumoniae producing ESBLs were resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin,
cotrimoxazol and imipenem, respectively. Thirty-nine blaSHV, seven blaTEM and seven blaCTX-M identified among K.pneumoniae producing ESBLs. The results reflected in
cold month resistant to third generation cephalosporins were more than warm months. Generally, frequency of blaSHV was more than blaCTX-M and blaTEM
Analysis of Non-Yielding Basement Wall Adjacent to Strip Footing
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Civil Engineering by Majid Omar Touqan entitled, "Analysis of Non-Yielding Basement Wall Adjacent to Strip Footing," submitted in May 2016. Thesis advisor is Dr. Magdi El-Emam. Soft and hard copy available.Foundation depth below the ground surface is one of the major factors that contributes to the bearing capacity and settlement of shallow foundation. Hence, it is common to find adjacent buildings on shallow foundations that are constructed at different depths. This situation leads to geotechnical and/or structural problems especially when a shallow foundation is constructed adjacent to a basement wall. A literature review and communications with local municipalities indicated that there is no solid code of practice that can be adopted to solve problems of shallow foundations constructed adjacent to non-yielding wall. The objective of this research is to study the behavior of non-yielding walls adjacent to strip footing experimentally and analytically. Parameters investigated during this study are footing depth below ground surface, horizontal distance from the basement wall to the footing, footing contact pressure, and width. To achieve these objectives, 15 reduced-scale wall-footing model tests with 1.15 m height by 1.4 m width and 2.7 m in length were constructed with well graded backfill sand. The strip footing was subjected to an incremental vertical stress until excessive deformation occurred. The wall-footing models were instrumented to measure lateral wall deflection, footing vertical stresses and settlement, horizontal forces transferred to the top and bottom boundaries of the wall, and vertical force transferred to the bottom of the non-yielding wall. Results showed that the non-yielding wall and the adjacent strip footing are working interactively, and the load capacity of the strip footing was affected significantly by the behavior of the non-yielding wall. Location of the footing relative to the wall, the footing width, and the footing embedment depth were the major parameters that influenced the wall-footing responses. The existence of the strip footing in the vicinity of the basement wall imposed significant vertical and horizontal forces at the wall top and bottom boundaries. A comparison between experimental results and results from the elastic theory method in combination with Jacky formula for lateral earth pressure at rest indicated that the analytical method underestimated the lateral earth forces on non-yielding walls due to strip footing. Therefore, a modification of the current used analytical methods was suggested to improve its accuracy. Finally, the experimental and analytical results indicated that the location of lateral forces above the wall bottom boundary was changed with the footing design parameters.College of EngineeringDepartment of Civil EngineeringMaster of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE
Association of TORCH Pathogens With Spontaneous Pregnancy Loss: A Prospective Study From Pakistan
No full textThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of TORCH infections (Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella virus, Cytomegalovirus [CMV], and herpes simplex virus [HSV]) among pregnant women reported at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Pakistan. The study was conducted at PIMS from May 2021 to September 2022. This prospective study analyzed 8000 samples submitted to the pathology laboratory for routine testing. The ELISA method was employed to detect immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 23.0). TORCH agent infections during pregnancy account for 19.82% of cases. T. gondii is responsible for 5.1% of complete abortions, 6.6% of incomplete abortions, 4.8% of missed abortions, and 2.8% of threatened abortions. Rubella is another pathogen that can lead to abortion in pregnant women, contributing to 7.8% of complete abortions, 19.7% of incomplete abortions, 5.7% of missed abortions, and 5.5% of threatened abortions. CMV and HSV are also implicated in abortion. CMV accounts for 6.2% of complete abortions, 9.1% of incomplete abortions, 4.8% of missed abortions, and 5.2% of threatened abortions. HSV plays a significant role in abortion as well, causing 4.2% of complete abortions, 7.1% of incomplete abortions, 1.5% of missed abortions, and 4.0% of threatened abortions. Data with a p value of less than 0.001 indicate strong statistical significance. The findings suggest that TORCH agents and abortion are significantly correlated, with TORCH agent infections being a major cause of abortion
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