Mite pests and their predators on seven vegetable crops (Arachnida: Acari)

During this study the frequency of occurrence and dominance of phytophagous and predatory mites harboring seven vegetable crops in Egypt, namely common bean, cowpea, eggplant, okra, squash, sweet pepper and sweet potato during 2017–2018 were investigated to identify predatory mites that might be useful for the biological control of the phytophagous mites. Three phytophagous and nine predatory mite species were surveyed. The two spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch of the family Tetranychidae was the dominant pest on these vegetables, while phytoseiids Phytoseiulus persimilis (Athias- Henriot), Typhlodromips swirskii (Athias- Henriot) and Euseius scutalis Chant were the dominant predators. The population of the native or indigenous phytoseiid mite fauna in Egypt such as Phytoseiulus persimilis could be considered as a good biocontrol agent and a part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program in the future. Mite fauna of Egypt especially local populations of Phytoseiulus persimilis can be considered for implementation in future Integrated Pest Management (IPM).     

The Global Flow of Hard Disk Drives: Quantifying the Concept of Value Leakage in E‐waste Recovery Systems

The remaining value within end‐of‐use/life hard disk drives (EoU/L HDDs) is often not optimally recovered. The improper collection and recovery of HDDs contribute not only to rising environmental and social concerns worldwide, but also to the transformation of the economy and a significant loss of value. Currently, the most preferred treatment option for used hard drives is to recover the metals with the highest recycling effectiveness, such as steel and aluminum, via a shredding‐based recycling process that results in both value and material leakages. The complexity of retrieving the remaining values within EoU/L HDDs demands a larger view of the global supply of HDDs available for recovery. The aim of this paper is to first identify the geographical patterns of transboundary global shipments of new and used HDDs between developing and developed regions, and then capture and quantify the value leakage by bringing several unique perspectives. Two analyses have been conducted. First, the loss of value due to the insufficient recovery of neodymium (Nd) at the global level is quantified. Second, the value leakage as a result of the delay on on‐time reuse of HDDs is captured. Furthermore, the central challenges toward proper recovery of HDDs, where consumer electronic industry can make significant contributions, have been identified. HDDs are well positioned to contribute important insights to the recovery of other electronic devices, so the findings from HDDs can be adopted for other types of electronics.     

Studies on the characterization of rat prostate androgen receptors

Summary Choline used as the sole carbon or carbon and nitrogen source induces in Pseudomonas aeruginosa an active transport system. The induction of the choline uptake is repressed by succinate independently of the presence of ammonium ion in the culture medium. The repression mediated by succinate was insensitive to cyclic AMP. Substitution for dibutyryl-cyclic AMP was without effect. Choline metabolites that also support the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were poor inducer agents of the choline transport. Kinetic evidence and the employment of choline metabolites as effectors indicated that the choline uptake system of this bacterium is formed by at least two components: one of high affinity (Km=3 µM) and another of low affinity (Km=400 µM). Contrary to what occurs in the synaptosome system, the high affinity form for the choline uptake was not dependent on Na⁺ ions and is not inhibited by hemicholinium-3. Since Pseudomonas aeruginosa can utilize choline as the sole carbon and nitrogen source, the induction of the choline transport with two components in this bacterium may be related to its own strategy to survive and grow in an adverse environment.     

Novel 3-pyridinecarbonitriles incorporating sulfonamide moieties as anti-breast cancer agents

A novel series of 3-pyridinecarbonitrile derivatives incorporating sulfonamide moieties and sulfonyl derivatives was synthesized using 2-chloro-6-methylnicotinonitrile as a strategic starting material. The structures of the synthesized compounds were elucidated on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectral data. All the prepared compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer activity against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Most of the compounds showed good to moderate activity, higher than that of the reference drug doxorubicin. Two compounds showed the same activity as doxorubicin, while three compounds exhibited remarkable activity.     

A coral damage index and its application to diving sites in the Egyptian Red Sea

 A coral damage index (CDI) is provided, to screen sites to obtain a perspective on the extent and severity of physical damage to coral. Sites are listed as “hot spots” if in any transect the percent of broken coral colonies (BCC) is greater than or equal to 4% or if the percent cover of coral rubble (CR) is greater than or equal to 3%. To demonstrate its utility, the CDI is applied to a real-life management situation off Hurghada and Safaga, Egypt in the Red Sea. The extent of coral damage covered all four diving sites. Forty percent of all the transects were “hot spots” that required management action. Thirty-one percent of the 16 “hot spot” transects were identified by both broken coral and rubble criteria, 25% by only broken coral criterion and 44% by only coral rubble criterion of the CDI, suggesting that past breakage was responsible for most of the observed damage. Sixty-three percent of the “hot spot” transects were at 4 m depth versus 37% at 8 m depth, suggesting that most of the damage was caused by anchors dragging across the reef in shallow water. The severity of coral damage, reflected by CR, was the greatest at Small Giftun in transect 5 at 4 m depth (333% above the CDI). EI Fanous experienced the most severe degree of broken coral damage (325% above the CDI) at 8 m depth along transect 2. Estimates of the number of dives per year show diving carrying capacities for El Fanous, Gotta Abu Ramada, Ras Abu Soma and Small Giftun being exceeded by large amounts. The CDI can be used globally to; gauge the severity and extent of damage, focus managers on areas that need mooring buoys and associated dive site management programs, and provide a starting point from which to focus more detailed coral reef assessments and restoration programs. Accepted: 30 June 1999     

Inactivation of pyruvate kinase type M2 from chicken liver by phosphorylation, catalyzed by a cAMP-independent protein kinase.

A cAMP-independent protein kinase from chicken liver phosphorylated and inactivated pyruvate kinase type M2 from the same tissue. Complete inactivation was reached when 4 mol of phosphate were incorporated/mol of tetrameric pyruvate kinase. The protein kinase bound with high affinity to pyruvate kinase type M2 (Km value for pyruvate kinase = 6 X 10(-10)M; it phosphorylated phosvitin and casein but not histones, ATP and GTP were substrates. The differences between the properties of this protein kinase in the interconversion of pyruvate kinase and that described previously are discussed.