Effect of Germination on Improving Grain Quality, Chemical Composition, Antioxidants, and Phytic Acid in Rice (Oryza sativa)

This study aimed to study the effect of the germination process on grain quality, chemical composition for brown rice and comparing them with white rice for use it is on a commercial scale . Three rice varieties namely Sakha 104(Japonica), Giza 178(Japonica- Indica), and Giza 182(Indica) were used in this study. And the three statuses (milled rice, brown rice, and germinated brown rice). A completely randomized design in the factorial arrangement was used in this experiment to determine some cooking and eating quality characters i.e. gelatinization temperature, amylose content and elongation %, Water uptake, hardness, chemical composition: Phytic acid, total antioxidant capacity, and panel test evaluation for rice samples. The results indicated that there were significant differences in amylose content and gelatinization temperature among the three rice statuses and no significant difference in these characters with the three rice varieties under study. Germinated brown rice showed the lowest amylose content (15.58%), followed by brown rice (17.26%) and white rice (18.39%). Brown rice gave the highest temperature followed by germinated brown rice then milled rice. A maximum elongation ratio was observed in Giza178 (Japonica Indica). White rice gave the maximum elongation (47.18%) followed by germinated brown (24.56 %) then brown rice (16.08 %). Japonica rice exhibited lower hardness than indica rice. The strongest value (4.82) was recorded at brown rice, while the weakest value (3.64) was in white rice. The Indica rice variety Giza181 had the highest protein and fat%. The germinated brown rice had the highest value of protein, crude fiber, and fat (7.27, 1.98, and 2.87%, respectively), compared with compared to brown rice and white rice. White rice had lower Phytic acid (%) followed by germinated brown rice, then brown rice. Japonica rice cultivar (Sakha 104) has a higher antioxidant level than Indica rice cultivar (Giza 182)....

Over-Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Plant LeGST01, the Mammalian GST-Omega Homolog that Interacts with LeTPX1 from a Tomato cDNA Library

The study focuses on an in vivo GST- omega homologue (pCRT7/TPxII intB4) over-expression, purification and characterization. Experiments purport to characterize the antioxidant activity of the LeTPx1, the interacting glutathione S-transferases BI-GST/GPx, LeGST-T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and the mammalian inhibitor of apoptosis Bcl-2. Upon specific expression, the proteins exerted, differential protective effects in yeast cells treated with lethal doses of the prooxidants hydrogen peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, and cumene hydroperoxide. The antioxidant activity of LeTPx1 was highest against the cumene hydroperoxide. The overexpressing GST (omega) homologue TPxintB4 (Baier and Dietz, 1999) which share a considerable homology of the mammalian GST-omega1. In conclusion, the work shows that yeast parental strains are extremely sensitive to very low concentrations (0.2mM) of Cumenehydroperoxide. However, after applying the different antioxidants; it appears that the smallest concentrations t to be tolerated.

Evaluation of Exposure Index Values for Conventional Radiology Examinations: Retrospective Study in Governmental Hospitals at West Bank, Palestine

In the digital radiology system, radiologic technologists (RTs) can choose imaging parameters to include kVp and mAs. The RTs received feedback after acquisition of an image in the form of Exposure Index (EI). The aim of the current study was to check if the EI values are within the range values recommended by the manufacturer (MREI) for radiological examinations that include the chest, abdomen, pelvis, spine, and extremities. Data was collected from 3,000 adult X-ray examinations taken from several government hospitals in Palestine. The information included patient gender, kVp, mAs, EI values, and examination time. All examinations included in the study used the grid. While the study excluded all images that contained an implant or prosthesis. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to analyze the data, while the Mann–Whitney U test was used to detect statistically significant differences, P < 0.05. Some examinations showed the EI values outside the MREI ranges. The EIs in the chest AP examination were higher in the female group than males while other examinations have no difference between males and females. The EIs out of working hours were higher than in working hours, especially in the chest (P <0.0001), abdominal (P <0.0001), pelvic (P =0.02), and spine (P =0.0005) exams. In the summary, it has been proven that some of the examinations are outside the MREIs, with differences between the patient gender and the time of the examination. The retrospective study for the exposure index is very important in reducing the risk of radiation to patients.

Investigation of Bunch Cut at Different Times After Pollination and Flower Position in the Spikelet in Date Palm ‘Sukkary’ Variety

As many studies on other crops showed an acropetal decline of fruit-set and fruit size in the inflorescence, this paper investigates the effect of flower position in spikelets in the ‘Sukkary’ variety of date palm on fruit-set and final fruit weight. Also studied was the best time to apply strand-cut (bunch cut) as an alternative to hand thinning, to increase final fruit weight. Hand thinning is a labor cost operation and worker productivity operation is one adult tree per day maximum. To study fruit-set in relation to fruit position, three types of pollen were used to pollinate female trees: new pollen harvested in March 2018, pollen stored for one year at room temperature (25-35° C), and pollen stored for two years at room temperature. Four weeks after pollination, fruits aborted and those non-aborted in every bunch were counted. Recording was done in every spikelet from proximal to distal. To study the effect of fruit position in spikelet on fruit weight, fresh pollen was used to pollinate ‘Sukkary’ females. Every two days, fruit weight was measured from pollination to harvest, and fruit growth pattern was drawn. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out for the final fruit weight in every spikelet part. This investigation showed no pattern in fruit-set or in final fruit weight when using new pollen. When pollinated with old pollen that was one and two years old, the proximal ‘Sukkary’ flowers of the spikelets showed less fruit-set compared to those of the middle and distal part. This basipetal decline is explained by low viability of old pollen, combined with the basipetal opening of the spathes in date palm...

Assessment of Low Doses Radiation Effects Using Tumor Markers among Palestinian Radiation Workers

Understanding the impact of radiation on occupational workers has been a huge concern; particularly when it comes to cancer, which is considered as a stochastic effect from radiation. This paper aims at investigating the effect of low radiation dose on tumor markers tests among Radiation Workers (RWs). Additionally, it aims at demonstrating the effect of independent variables, such exposed dose, smoking status, and the type of work on tumor markers. As for the methodology, the researchers have retrospectively reviewed collected database of tumor marker tests in four Governmental Hospitals between the period (2013- 2019) to trace the patterns of tumor marker over the years. The exposed dose record was taken from the Energy Department. Additionally, a questionnaire was distributed to acquire correlated independent variables with tumor markers records and 78 RWs participated in this study. Results indicated that after several years of tracing tumor markers, they all tend to increase in a normal range. Significantly, the Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has increased by approximately 57% in RWs. Moreover, the smoking workers have a statistically significant change in CEA. Finally, the study has not shown any relationship between the radiation doses and tumor markers. In conclusion, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the correlated tumor markers with low radiation doses among occupational worker. The researchers believe that these finding will contribute to ‘gap-filling’ in low dose effects, and demonstrate the importance of laboratory medical test in prediction of low doses effect. However, further investigations are needed to achieve results that are more accurate.

Nitrate Reducing and Denitrifying Bacteria in Oil/Brine Contaminated Soils

Soil microorganisms are a fundamental part of biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen. Denitrification is an important component of nitrogen cycling, in which some microorganisms (e.g. denitrifying bacteria) use nitrate or nitrite as alternative electron acceptors. In fact, several studies have focused on various aspects of nitrogen cycling. Philippot et al. (2009) linked the distribution of the fraction of bacteria with the genetic capacity to reduce N2O to N2 to areas with low potential N2O emissions in a pasture. In addition, it was shown that a map of denitrification activity across a whole farm was reflected by maps displaying the community size and structure of a specific fraction of the denitrifyers at the site (Enwall et al., 2010). Since denitrification releases mineralized nitrogen in the soil ecosystem to the atmosphere, the balance between denitrification and N-fixation can determine the biologically available nitrogen for soils. Denitrification could be affected by soil ecosystem contaminants such as crude oil and brine as they may alter the abundance and species composition of denitrifying bacteria in predictable ways. For example, γ-Proteobacteria are known to increase in crude-oil contaminated sites and in fact, a wide diversity of γ-Proteobacteria including Pseudomonas and Vibrio species were shown to degrade hydrocarbons under nitrate reducing (NR) conditions (Rockne et al., 2000). Other studies showed that strains for several genera of γ-Proteobacteria have the ability to denitrify. In fact, it was shown that nitrate and nitrite reduction rates were increasingly inhibited at increasing NaCl concentrations when comparing treatment of fishery wastewaters. Bacterial diversity in brine-contaminated sites is expected to be less because of selection for salt-tolerant genera such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas.

A Culturally Competent Phenotypic Evaluation/Obesity Assessment in African and African American Populations: Pilot Study

BMI, a ratio of weight over height, is a culturally-biased tool imposed upon the scientific, academic and medical communities as an errant measure of obesity across ethnicity. Body Mass Index (BMI) relates mass (g) to a relative fat distribution with regards to height. Its genesis is from the actuarially derived and ethnically exclusive height and weight tables that promote the fictional notion of inter-ethnic ideal weights that would be later adopted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a competent measure of adiposity. Best practice, movement towards individualized medicine and deployment of effective models that impact the diabetes epidemic and its related precursors like insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, requires terminal use of BMI, a biologically meaningless and crude indicator of obesity, in favor of effective and culturally competent non-relative body composition evaluation of genetically determined adiposity that untenably compares values among groups. African Americans are among the increasingly affected groups for diabetes and posses unique composition variation requiring proper intra-cultural evaluation independent of inter-ethnic Eurocentric assumptions that over assesses obesity risk. Incorporating use of 4C models to evaluate adiposity and assess risk for diabetic predisposition and onset provides an effective unbiased assessment of the cultural components inherent within body composition variation among ethnicity, age, gender. Obesity and type II diabetes onset and pre-disposition is assessed phenotypically, in creation of a body mass profile among African and African American groups, using 4C model, photography, anthropometry, somatotype and genetic evaluation. Environmental obeseogenic cultural factors are also explored.

Food Preferences Survey in African Americans and West Africans: A Cultural Exploration of Agreement and Divergence in Attitudes in Food Environments and Food Responses

African Americans, currently over-represented among low SES groups, have been found to be among the most at risk groups for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Phenotypic expression, such as obesity, result from the combined effect of genetic inheritance and environmental influences. Environmental dynamics interact with individuals on micro, meso and ecto levels (Bronfrenbrenner, 1989), are diverse and cultural (Vygotsky, 1993) and are learned by individuals through modeling and observation (Bandura, 1989). Environmental factors such as parental influence and modeling, availability and accessibility of produce, sweetened drinks and fast foods, can contribute to or minimize the onset of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Consumption of fruits, vegetables and water has been shown to militate against the onset of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Keywords: African, African-American,, SES, type 2 diabetes, environment, modeling, observation, parental influence, produce consumption, affordability

Justification of Urgent Brain CT Examinations at Medium Size Hospital, Jerusalem

We studied requested urgent Brain CT Scan procedures justification. In addition, we addressed referrer’s (physician’s) awareness of radiation risks. In doing so, we considered two aspects to the issue. First, we reviewed the records of the requested urgent CT scan procedures for a sample of 339 patients at Al-Maqassed Hospital, a major hospital in Palestine. Secondly, we surveyed a sample of forty-two referrer’s from the same hospital to test their awareness of radiation risks. Our study shows that out of the 339 urgent brain CT requests, 69.6% were justified requests and 30.4% were unjustified. On the other hand, our survey on referrers shows that 42% of respondents knew the effective dose of a brain CT scan, 24% of respondents knew the radiation risks and 14% of respondents knew about radiation protection. Although the study is limited, yet it shows the need to reduce the number of brain CT examinations and the need to improve their justification. Consequently, the need for regular education and guideline implementation at least in this country is of paramount importance