Unique Substance Research Articles

Institutional Mechanisms for Preventing and Resolving Cross-Border Water Disputes

The fundamental role of international law is to provide a framework for the coexistence of and cooperation among states. If international law and institutions work well, their contribution to the management of international affairs remains in the background. This essay seeks to illuminate the largely unnoticed work of river commissions in preventing and resolving cross-border water disputes. Among the oldest of international organizations, river commissions have long been at the forefront of technical and diplomatic interactions between countries. Similar to other international organizations, river commissions were created to better coordinate interstate interactions and more efficiently pursue common goals. They differ from other international organisations in the focus on water, a unique substance that cuts across so many aspects of human existence and requires specific treatment depending on the hydrological, political, social and economic context. Given the diversity of the contexts, river commissions differ from each other in their design and the tasks assigned to them. Therefore, a river commission is an umbrella term that encompasses a diversity of joint arrangements for cooperation between the riparian countries over their shared waters. This essay argues that river commissions helped to prevent, mitigate, and resolve many cross-border water disputes by building communities over water, enhancing technical knowledge and routinizing organisational transformations.

"Nadie sabe lo que puede un cuerpo". Historia de la inversión de un error

La frase “nadie sabe lo que puede un cuerpo” se la retoma generalmente para plantear la indeterminación de los cuerpos o el poder ilimitado de ellos. Sin embargo, algo que no se tiene en cuenta es que uno de los puntos centrales de la filosofía spinoziana es la doble atribución; por lo que mente y cuerpo son una sola y misma cosa vista desde distintos atributos de la única sustancia. Para explicar esta frase, que nunca aparece formulada de esa manera en las obras de Spinoza, considero que es crucial la noción de individuo. Mi hipótesis es que dicha afirmación es inadecuada si partimos de la doble atribución y si consideramos las caracterizaciones del individuo. Mis objetivos son dos: (1) desarrollar las caracterizaciones del individuo como cuerpo complejo y conatus para abordar cómo estas caracterizaciones responden a la pregunta por lo que puede un cuerpo y (2) analizar el escolio que dio lugar a la frase del título, frase que invierte erróneamente un viejo error.

On the Will of the People: Notes on the Political “Theory” of Populism

The “will of the (national) people” is the ubiquitously invoked reference unit of populist politics. The essay tries to demystify the notion that such will can be conceived of as a unique and unified substance deriving from collective ethnic identity. Arguably, all political theory is concerned with arguing for ways by which citizens can make e pluribus unum—for example, by coming to agree on procedures and institutions by which conflicts of interest and ideas can be settled according to standards of fairness. It is argued that populists in their political rhetoric and practice typically try to circumvent the burden of such argument and proof. Instead, they appeal to the notion of some preexisting existential unity of the people’s will, which they can redeem only through practices of repression and exclusion.

THE CONCEPT OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES IN THE CHUVASH LITERATURE AND IN THE POEM “NARSPI” BY K. IVANOV

In this paper, the images of the sun and the moon, which are the prototype of the spiritual world in Chuvash mythopoetic literature, are considered. The reflection of the concept of these heavenly bodies in classical Chuvash literature is also studied. The main attention is paid to the study of the sun role in K. Ivanov's poem Narspi, where this concept acts as an image of the Almighty. In Chuvash literary studies, many works are devoted to the study of literary traditions and artistic images originating from ancient times. The purpose of this study is to consider the concept of the sun and the moon in the context of the Turkic artistic tradition. This topic is relevant, as the study of deep connections of different peoples’ mythopoetic literature helps to understand better both the work of individual authors and artistic trends in literature as a whole. One of the Turkic literary traditions is the cult of the sun and the moon, which is associated with the folklore aesthetic views of these peoples. Cultivation of these images is observed in the literature of the Turkic peoples from the earliest period. The cult of the sun and the moon image was preserved in Chuvash literature. The Chuvash have many myths where the sun and the moon were originally inseparable. Then they were separated by fate. In the myths of the moon and the sun, the animalistic worldview of the Chuvash ancestors is observed. These heavenly bodies are certain substances that are set to serve humanity. In the traditional culture of the people, they are perceived as living beings with human qualities: kindness, mercy, modesty, fatigue, etc. In Chuvash literature, the unity of the sun and the moon personify warmth and light. The ancient Chuvash revered the sun and believed that it was impossible to speak badly of it, because it sees and hears everything. It was also a symbol of justice and prosperity in their lives. In folklore, the sun is deified. Although the moon, being its younger brother, does not play the role of a deity, but it is also a benefactor and helper of people living on earth. Undoubtedly, the cult of the sun and the moon, having arisen at the dawn of mankind with the advent of the first religious beliefs, penetrated into the Turkic environment. The veneration of these heavenly bodies was being cultivated by the Chuvash ancestors for several centuries and, of course, a transformation took place. However, this tradition has been preserved in Chuvash folk literature, and the veneration of the sun and the moon was later reflected in classical Chuvash literature. In the poem Narspi by K.V. Ivanov the sun is a kind of unique substance, which acts as a higher power, evaluating the events taking place in the poem. The sun in the poem is not just a symbol-epithet, but one of the acting heroes, which sometimes replaces the image of the narrator, condemns the actions of some heroes, sympathizes with others, and evaluates the third ones. Mention of the sun image is present at the very beginning of the work and at its end. The work begins with a description of the origin of life in the spring and ends with the death of the main character. One circle of human life closes. But time and the universe are eternal. The constancy of traditions, the natural world is transmitted through the image of the sun, which will move along its trajectory further. Thus, we have revealed that the Chuvash poet K.V. Ivanov turned to the cult images of the sun and the moon, developing them to poetic symbols.

Yeniçağ’daki Spiritüel Cevher Anlayışına De La Mettrie’nin İtirazı

Yeniçağ felsefesinde spiritüel cevher, Descartes gibi düalist ya da Berkeley gibi immateryalist filozoflar tarafından savunulduğu kadar, maddî dünyanın mevcudiyetini kerhen tasdik eden Leibniz ve Malebranche gibi filozoflarca da savunulmuş bir görüştür. Düalistler nezdinde fiziksel-maddî cevher ile birlikte mevcut, ama mahiyeti bakımından ondan kökten farklı addedilen; Leibniz ile Malebranche içinse “fiziksel” denen fenomenlerin dayanağı olan spiritüel bir substratum faraziyesi, Hıristiyanlığın resmî öğretisine uygun düşmesi itibariyle çok sayıda taraftar bulmuştur. Böylece, düşünme, hissetme, irade gibi yetilere sahip ve uzamlı olmayan spiritüel cevher, söz konusu yetilerden yoksun ve uzamlı maddî cevher karşısında yüceltilmiş ve kutsanmıştır. Bu anlayış, düşünce tarihinin farklı dönemlerinde olduğu gibi, anti-tezine eleştirel hareket noktası sağlamıştır ve böylece yegâne cevherin maddî olduğunu savunan bir grup Yeniçağ filozofu sahneye çıkmıştır. Hobbes ve Locke gibi dinibütün görünen materyalistlerden bir asır sonra, Aydınlanma döneminde çok sayıda filozof dinsel dogmaların insan aklının önünde engel teşkil ettiğini savunarak materyalist ve ateist bir tavır takınacaktır. Makalemizde, “Fransız materyalistleri” diye anılanların öncüsü De La Mettrie’nin spiritüel cevhere itirazını inceledik. De La Mettrie “ruh” adlandırmasının, hakkında hiçbir ideaya sahip bulunmadığımız boş bir terimden ibaret olduğunu savunur. Ona göre bizlerdeki düşünen kısmı kastetmek üzere kullanılan bu sözümona “ruh”a atfedilen bütün yetiler de aslında beynin ve bedenin organlaşmasına tâbidir. Dolayısıyla da duyumsayan varlık neticede, düalistlerin ve spiritüalist monistlerin savunduğunun aksine, organlaşmış maddedir. Böylece madde, De La Mettrie’nin nezdinde var olan tek cevherdir.

Relationship between Students’ Self-Regulation and Motivation in Universities

Self-regulated students are those who know about their metacognitive information of techniques and undertakings, just as self-learning. These students can move their metacognitive learning to all unique circumstances and substance zones. The research was conducted to explore the relationship between self-regulation and motivation among students at university level of Lahore. Researchers identify the perceptions of university students about their Self-Regulation and Motivation level. The major objective of the study was to investigate relationship between Self-Regulation and Motivation among Students at university level of Lahore. The total sample was consisted of 200 teachers. Majority students agreed that they usually keep track of progress toward their goals. According to them their behaviors are not different from other people. Students were agreeing that they tend to compare themselves with other people. They do not learn well from punishment. They said they have lot willpower. Some students said that they set goals for themself and keep track of progress. The r - value shows that there was a significant positive association between self-regulation and motivation of students. Moreover, it is concluded that there was a moderate relationship between Self-Regulation and Motivation. There was significant difference in male and female students regarding self-regulation and motivation. There is need to organize or introduce such kind of activities to enhance the self-regulation and motivation among students. Keywords: Self-regulated, self-learning, motivation, university. DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/54-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Water is Everywhere. It Holds Everything, Even a Key to Understanding the Universe. D. I. Mendeleev’s Law is the Prototype of the Universe Constitution

Principles of the world origin and structure in relation to the Mendeleev’s periodic law are presented in this paper. Our Universe consisting of hydrogen (88.6%), helium (11.3%), and other chemical elements (0.1%) has created very favorable conditions for life on the Earth, including the much-needed water—a unique substance with all its anomalies. Special attention is given to hydrogen, the first element of the periodic table, from which the formation of our solar system began. Moreover, hydrogen is a basic building material for all the other elements. It is shown that a fundamentally important fact implies that all the worlds consist of the same chemical elements of the periodic table; today the total number of the known elements in this table amounts to 118, including the artificially produced ones. There are no new elements in the Universe. And herein lies the genius of Mendeleev as the author of the periodic law and the whole grandeur of the law of understanding the world, in which the humanity lives, making it possible to predict the existence of new planets and the existence of unknown chemical elements in the periodic table that were not discovered earlier. The second unique substance on planet Earth is water, because it can simultaneously exist in three phase states: liquid, solid and gaseous with a multitude of various physical, biological and other anomalies violating the generally accepted laws of nature, but owing to which life exists on our planet. Indeed, it is just the entropy changes of the process that make a decisive contribution to all energy characteristics of transformation of some substances into others. The essence of all chemical processes occurring on earth in accordance with the laws of non-equilibrium thermodynamics consists in an infinite sequence of self-organization processes. Due to these laws, new types of structures can spontaneously arise that are characterized by a transition from chaos and disorder to the order and strict organization. Despite an enormous progress in the study of the Universe, its structure remains to be no less mysterious. It remains to find scientific evidence that there is a Supreme Being that generates the intellect inherent only to Human Being.

The Extraction of Natural Dyes from Henna Leaves (Lawsonia Inermis L.) by Ultrasound-assisted Method

One alternative to reduce the effect of water pollution from the textile industry is to replace the use of synthetic dye with the natural one. Henna leaves are one of the natural dye sources which has lawsone, a unique substance that produces orange colour. Some commonly used conventional extractions are soxhletation and maceration. One extraction method that is tried to be developed in this study is the Ultrasound-assisted Extraction. The effects of feed ratio to solvent, time, temperature and solvent types were investigated and discussed in this study. The highest yield from the extraction of Henna leaves was found to be 17.96% which was achieved at pH 1 with the extraction time of 10 minutes, feed/solvent ratio of 0.02, and aquadest solvent. Based on the both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the extracted colour, the ultrasound assisted method was found to be more effective and efficient than the soxhletation method.

Tantalum isocyanide complexes: TaI(CNDipp)6 (Dipp is 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) and ionic [Ta(CNDipp)7][Ta(CNDipp)6], a formal disproportionation product of the 17-electron Ta0 metalloradical Ta(CNDipp)6.

Treatment of tetraethylammonium hexacarbonyltantalate, [Et4N][Ta(CO)6], with 1.1 equivalents of molecular iodine (I2) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at 200 K, followed by the addition of 6.0 equivalents of 2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide (CNDipp) and slow warming to 293 K over a 24 h period gave the tantalum(I) iodide derivative hexakis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide-κC)iodidotantalum(I), [TaI(C13H17N)6] or TaI(CNDipp)6, 1. Recrystallization of this substance from pentane provided deep-red nearly black parallelepipeds of the product, which was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Addition of 1 in THF at 200 K to a suspension of an excess (5.8 equivalents) of caesium graphite (CsC8), followed by warming, filtration, and solvent removal, afforded a dark-green oily solid of unknown composition, from which several red-brown rhombohedral plates of the ditantalum salt heptakis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide-κC)tantalum hexakis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide-κC)tantalate, [Ta(C13H17N)7][Ta(C13H17N)6] or [Ta(CNDipp)7][Ta(CNDipp)6], 2, were harvested. Salt 2 is a unique substance, as it is the only known example of a salt containing a homoleptic cation, [MLx]+, and a homoleptic anion, [MLy]-, with the same transition metal and π-acceptor ligand L. In solution, 2 undergoes full comproportionation to afford the recently reported 17-electron paramagnetic zerovalent tantalum complex Ta(CNDipp)6, the only known isolable TaL6 complex of Ta0.

Long-term administration of Greek Royal Jelly decreases GABA concentration in the striatum and hypothalamus of naturally aged Wistar male rats

Royal Jelly (RJ) is a unique substance obtained from bees that has been used widely in European and Asian traditional medicine for its potential to prevent signs of aging through its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic properties. We recently reported an enhancement in spatial memory along with changes in monoaminergic transmission in aged rats after chronic RJ administration. Here, we aim to further explore the action of RJ on central nervous system activity by examining levels of amino acids in selected brain structures of aged male Wistar rats following 2-months of Greek RJ administration. RJ powder was previously chemically characterized and given orally (50 or 100 mg of powder/kg b.w./day) by gastric gavage. The concentrations of amino acids (alanine, aspartic acid, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid, histidine and taurine) in the brain regions examined (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus) were quantified using HPLC. We also examined basic biochemical parameters of renal and hepatic activity, as damage of these organs could potentially explain the changes in brain function and behavior. Upon biochemical examination, a decrease in the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid was observed in both the striatum and hypothalamus. Liver and kidney functions were not changed by chronic RJ-administration. Our results provide insight toward understanding the mechanism of action of RJ and its effects on neurotransmission in the central nervous system.

Life-time history of insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms as correlates of alcohol, cocaine and heroin use and relapse among adults seeking substance use treatment in the United States from 1991 to 1994.

To examine the association between a life-time history of insomnia and hypersomnia compared with no sleep disturbance and substance use patterns and amounts before and after a substance use treatment episode. Secondary analysis of data from the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies conducted from 1991 to 1994. Data were collected at 96 substance use treatment programs in 11 United States cities, including short-term in-patient, long-term residential, methadone maintenance and out-patient drug-free treatment modalities. Study samples included 7168 adults at treatment entry and 2965 at 12months post-treatment entry whose primary substance use at entry was alcohol (14.7%), cocaine (62.7%) or heroin (22.6%). Life-time history of insomnia and hypersomnia was assessed via self-report. Type and frequency of substance use were assessed at treatment entry. Substance use was also assessed 12months following treatment completion. Associations were examined using linear and logistic regression with age, sex, race, education level, depression history, treatment modality and in-treatment substance use as covariates. Life-time history of insomnia, hypersomnia, both or neither was reported by 26.3, 9.5, 28.0 and 36.2% of participants, respectively. Compared with no sleep disturbance, life-time insomnia and hypersomnia were associated at treatment entry with unique substance use patterns and a higher frequency of any substance use (P<0.001). All types of sleep disturbance were associated with higher rates of cocaine use at 12-month post-entry (odds ratios: 1.30-1.57). There is evidence of an adverse association between substance use and sleep disturbance including higher frequency of all substance use before substance abuse treatment and higher rates of cocaine use after a treatment episode.

The Feather Structure of Oriental Honey Buzzards (Pernis ptilorhynchus) and Other Hawk Species in Relation to Their Foraging Behavior.

The basic structure of a bird feather may be adapted to suit a variety of functions on different parts of the body and in different species. In Oriental honey buzzards (Pernis ptilorhynchus), a species which often preys on the larvae of bees and wasps, it is thought that the bird's integument may provide protection against the stings of these insects. We investigated the structure of Oriental honey buzzard feathers from the face, head, and neck using light and scanning electron microscopy. The structure and appearance of the feathers were compared with those of two other hawk species which live in similar habitats but have different diets: the grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus) and the black kite (Milvus migrans). All feathers of Oriental honey buzzards that were examined were smaller than feathers from the same regions of the body of other species and had a reduced number of plumulaceous barbs; barbs were also closer together at the feather tip and had a high barbule density. The small 'scale feathers' on the face had deep barbules with a curved, armor-like appearance, which may help prevent stings from reaching the skin. A unique filamentous substance was observed on all the honey buzzard feathers, particularly those from around the eye of a male bird. It is possible that this may be related to a chemical defense mechanism to deter bees and wasps.

Role transitions and substance use among Hispanic emerging adults: A longitudinal study using coarsened exact matching

IntroductionEmerging adulthood (ages 18 to 25) is characterized by changes in relationships, education, work, and viewpoints on life. The prevalence of substance use also peaks during this period. Among emerging adults, Hispanics have a unique substance use profile, and have been described as a priority population for substance use prevention. Cross-sectional studies among Hispanics have shown that specific role transitions (e.g., starting or ending romantic relationships) were associated with substance use. Negative affect from uncertainty/stress that accompanies role transitions in emerging adulthood may lead to substance use as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Longitudinal studies are needed to gain a more complete understanding of these associations. MethodsParticipants completed surveys for Project RED, a longitudinal study of substance use among Hispanics in Southern California. This study used Coarsened Exact Matching to overcome the methodological limitations of previous studies. Participants were matched on pretreatment variables including age, gender, substance use behavior in high school, and depressive symptoms. Past-month cigarette use, binge drinking, marijuana use, and hard drug use were the outcomes of interest. After matching, each outcome was regressed on each individual role transition in year one of emerging adulthood with this process repeated in year two of emerging adulthood. ResultsRole transitions in romance and work were positively associated with multiple categories of substance use. ConclusionsPrevention programs should teach emerging adults ways to cope with the stress from role transitions. Individual role transitions may be used to screen for subgroups of emerging adults at high risk for substance use.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Inhaled Toxicants from Waterpipe and Cigarette Smoking.

Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is an emerging trend worldwide. To inform public health policy and educational programming, we systematically reviewed the biomedical literature to compute the inhaled smoke volume, nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide (CO) associated with a single WTS session and a single cigarette. We searched seven biomedical bibliographic databases for controlled laboratory or natural environment studies designed to mimic human tobacco consumption. Included studies quantified the mainstream smoke of a single cigarette and/or single WTS session for smoke volume, nicotine, tar, and/or CO. We conducted meta-analyses to calculate summary estimates for the inhalation of each unique substance for each mode of tobacco consumption. We assessed between-study heterogeneity using chi-squared and I-squared statistics. Sufficient data from 17 studies were available to derive pooled estimates for inhalation of each exposure via each smoking method. Two researchers working independently abstracted measurement of smoke volume in liters, and nicotine, tar, and CO in milligrams. All numbers included in meta-analyses matched precisely between the two researchers (100% agreement, Cohen's k=1.00). Whereas one WTS session was associated with 74.1 liters of smoke inhalation (95% confidence interval [CI] 38.2, 110.0), one cigarette was associated with 0.6 liters of smoke (95% CI 0.5, 0.7). One WTS session was also associated with higher levels of nicotine, tar, and CO. One WTS session consistently exposed users to larger smoke volumes and higher levels of tobacco toxicants compared with one cigarette. These computed estimates may be valuable to emphasize in prevention programming.

Recent knowledge: Concepts of dermal absorption in relation to skin decontamination.

Skin decontamination is an important step mitigating percutaneous absorption through the stratum corneum (SC), which is also a highly complex process. Thus, understanding diffusion mechanisms and measuring dermal absorption rates are critical to protect humans from toxic exposures. Here, highly varied literature is placed in a biological and clinical perspective in regards to decontamination. Literature from PubMed and Surge Laboratory library files were searched and reviewed for relevance. Recent data have shown multiple layers of SC structural heterogeneity, which results in unique substance partitioning characteristics across the membrane. As such, attempts to model and understand this behavior in alternative in vitro membranes prove difficult. More synthetic and natural membranes are being explored as models for in vivo behavior. In addition, commonly accepted decontamination methods are undergoing risk assessment. These recent and varied literature findings update available knowledge regarding skin decontamination and its challenges, with a focus on dermal absorption.

Many InChIs and quite some feat.

Fifteen years have passed since the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) international chemical identifier (InChI) project [1–8] was initiated in 2000. The increasing complexity of molecular structures was making conventional naming procedures inconvenient, and there was no suitable, openly available electronic format for linking chemical structures over the Internet. So, InChI was developed as a freely available, non-proprietary identifier for chemical substances that can be used in printed and electronic data sources, thus enabling easier linking of data compilations and unambiguous identification of chemical substances. It was developed under the auspices of IUPAC, with principal contributions from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and more recently, the InChI Trust [9]. The Trust is a notfor-profit organization that develops and improves on the current standard. InChI is freely available under terms even less restrictive than those of the GNU Lesser General Public License. Any organization can use it, in either public or private databases. The source code and associated software, documentation, and licensing conditions can be downloaded free from the InChI Trust website. InChI is written in C and can be compiled on most systems. Version 1 was launched in 2005. The current version (1.04) was released in September 2011. InChI is not a registry system: it does not depend on the existence of a database of unique substance records to establish the next available sequence number for any new substance. InChI is not a replacement for any existing internal structure representations; indeed, it is often used in addition to an internal representation [10]. Its value is in finding and linking information. An InChI string is not directly intelligible to the human reader; like bar codes, InChIs are not designed to be read by humans. The InChI certification suite is a software package developed and designed to check that an installation of the InChI program has been performed correctly. The programs test an installation against a broad set of structures which are provided with the suite. Once the programs are run and the results sent back to the Trust, an ‘‘InChI certified’’ logo is sent to the applicant. The InChI Trust certification logo can then be put on the pages of the applicant’s website.

Fractional calculus model of articular cartilage based on experimental stress-relaxation

Articular cartilage is a unique substance that protects joints from damage and wear. Many decades of research have led to detailed biphasic and triphasic models for the intricate structure and behavior of cartilage. However, the models contain many assumptions on boundary conditions, permeability, viscosity, model size, loading, etc., that complicate the description of cartilage. For impact studies or biomimetic applications, cartilage can be studied phenomenologically to reduce modeling complexity. This work reports experimental results on the stress-relaxation of equine articular cartilage in unconfined loading. The response is described by a fractional calculus viscoelastic model, which gives storage and loss moduli as functions of frequency, rendering multiple advantages: (1) the fractional calculus model is robust, meaning that fewer constants are needed to accurately capture a wide spectrum of viscoelastic behavior compared to other viscoelastic models (e.g., Prony series), (2) in the special case where the fractional derivative is 1/2, it is shown that there is a straightforward time-domain representation, (3) the eigenvalue problem is simplified in subsequent dynamic studies, and (4) cartilage stress-relaxation can be described with as few as three constants, giving an advantage for large-scale dynamic studies that account for joint motion or impact. Moreover, the resulting storage and loss moduli can quantify healthy, damaged, or cultured cartilage, as well as artificial joints. The proposed characterization is suited for high-level analysis of multiphase materials, where the separate contribution of each phase is not desired. Potential uses of this analysis include biomimetic dampers and bearings, or artificial joints where the effective stiffness and damping are fundamental parameters.

Antagonistic mechanisms of endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens against Athelia rolfsii.

To explore specific mechanisms of endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens antagonizing Athelia rolfsii, causing southern blight of Atractylodes lancea and to evaluate the potential of this Ps. fluorescens strain to control southern blight. Endophytic Ps. fluorescens strain ALEB 7B isolated from A. lancea can significantly inhibit the growth of A. rolfsii strain SY4. Pre-inoculating A. lancea seedlings with Ps. fluorescens ALEB 7B reduces the southern blight morbidity rate significantly. In situ observation using scanning electron microscopy shows Ps. fluorescens ALEB 7B colonizing the plant cells. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Ps. fluorescens ALEB 7B can kill A. rolfsii SY4 and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) plays a major role. 2-Piperidinone is a unique substance having antifungal activity in dichloromethane extracts of bacterial cell-free culture filtrates. Other antagonistic mechanisms include ecological niche occupation, antibiotic production and lytic exoenzymes secretion. Specific antagonistic mechanisms of Ps. fluorescens ALEB 7B on A. rolfsii SY4 were detailed, including release of DMDS, production of 2-piperidone, secretion of antibiotics and lytic exoenzymes and competition for spaces and nutrients. This work firstly reports the significant inhibition of VOCs released by Ps. fluorescens on the growth of A. rolfsii. 2-Piperidinone is firstly found synthesized by Ps. fluorescens, having antifungal activity. This work provides an antagonistic bacterium with practical convenience and ecologically amity, which has potential for control to A. rolfsii in vitro.

The Milk Borne Pathogens of Raw Milk from Some Egyptian Farms in Different Seasons

Milk has good quality protein and is a unique substance in that it is consumed as fluid milk with minimal processing and also it is the raw material used to manufacture a wide variety of products. Milk is susceptible to contamination by many pathogenic microorganisms, which result in infection and threat to consumer’s health. The aim of this study was to determinate occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms in raw milk in four seasons from different locations in Egypt, the obtained counts results showed that the samples gave the lowest Total Plate Count (TPC) of 3x10cfu/ml in winters samples. While, the summers sample showed the highest TPC of 5.8x10cfu/ml. E. coli count ranged from 2x10cfu/ml to 5.8x 10cfu/ml which the lowest count was noticed in winters samples. Staphylococcal count ranged from 2.7 x 10cfu/ml (winter sample) to1.28 x 10cfu/ml (another sample in the same season). These results indicated poor hygienic standard of raw milk from uncontrolled environments and the increased public health risk of those consuming raw milk from such uncontrolled sources and all these tests consume time but with Cultureindependent methods that are based on protocols where total DNA (or RNA) is directly extracted from the substrate it can save time. Coupled with a global analysis, these methods make it possible to study the total diversity from the bulk extract in a single step.

The promise [and uncertainties] of Biochar

The promise [and uncertainties] of Biochar