Mohamed I. Ali

Antifungal effects of different plant extracts and their major components of selected aloe species.

Different extracts of both fresh and dry leaves of Aloe eru A. Berger, A. vera L. Webb & Berth and A. arborescens Mill. were screened for their antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium herbarum and Fusarium moniliforme. The toxicity of the isolated pure components were evaluated on the tested fungi. A comparative chromatographic study was performed to differentiate between natural components existing in various fractions and extracts of Aloe species and specific spray reagents were used for the detection of anthraquinones in the isolated components. Copyright

SYNTHESIS AND REACTIONS OF 2,3-DIHYDRO- 5-ARYL-5H,6H-THIAZOLO[3,2-b]-2,4-DIAZAFLUORENE-3,6-DIONES OF POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Abstract 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-l-aryl-3,9-dioxo-2,4-diazafluorenes (2) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-aryl-9-oxo-3-thi-oxo-2,4-diazafluorenes (3) were newly synthesized. Compounds 3 reacted with chloroacetic acid, α-bromopropanoic acid, or B-bromopropanoic acid in the presence of fused sodium acetate and acetic anhydride to give 2,3-dihydro-5-aryl-5H,6H-thiazolo[3,2-b]2,4-diazafluorene-3,6-diones (4), 2-methyl-2,3-dihydro-5-aryl-5H,6H-thiazolo[3,2-b]2,4-diazafluorene-3,6-diones (5) and 2,3-dihydro-6-aryl-6H,7H-thiazino[3,2-b]2,4-diazafluorene-4,7-diones (6), respectively. 2,3-Dihydro-2-arylmethylene-5-aryl-5H,6H-thiazolo[3,2-b]2,4-diazafluorene-3,6-diones (7) were prepared by the reaction of compounds (3) with chloroacetic acid and aromatic aldehydes in the presence of fused sodium acetate and acetic anhydride or by the reactions of (4) with aromatic aldehydes in the presence of acetic anhydride. 2-(Arylhydroazono)-5-aryl-2,3-dihydro-5H,6H-thiazolo[3,2-b]2,4-diazafluorene-3,6-diones (8) were synthesized by couplin...

A Requirements Elicitation Approach for Cloud Based Software Product Line ERPs

Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in business organizations aims to integrate all business units of an organization. Configuring and customizing ERP systems are the main challenges that face the implementation process. ERP systems contain many similar modules and units which can be implemented for most of the ERP systems. Software Product Lines (SPLs) as a trend in software engineering is very promising, as it can offer a lot of facilities and benefits for all types of stakeholders. Building SPLs for ERP systems will affect the implementation process of ERP systems and will increase the flexibility of configuration and customization. Moreover, moving ERPs to the cloud will facilitate the implementation process and will affect the Return On Investment (ROI) due to scalability plans in cloud services. This research introduces an SPLs requirements elicitation approach for cloud ERP systems. This approach combines the principles of SPLs with ERP systems in the cloud environment.

Circulating microRNAs panel as a diagnostic tool for discrimination of HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can significantly improve the overall survival of HCC patients. However, current diagnostic markers are compromised and limited by their low sensitivity and specificity. In this work, circulating microRNAs (miRs) were utilized as a diagnostic tool to test their efficiency to segregate HCC and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients from healthy subjects. Nine HCC-related miRs (miR-21, miR-30c, miR-93, miR-122, miR-125b, miR-126, miR-130a, miR-193b and miR-222) were analyzed by Real-Time PCR in 86 serum samples; 34 HCC and 52 HCV patients in addition to 25 healthy subjects. The sensitivity and specificity of these miRs were assessed. Our results demonstrated that the median serum level of seven miRs was significantly reduced (P ranges from <0.01 to<0.001) in HCC patients whereas nine miRs were reduced (P<0.001) in HCV compared to healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses had shown high diagnostic accuracy (AUC=1.0) when seven and nine combined miRs were considered in HCC and HCV groups, respectively compared to their counterparts. However, a combination of differentially expressed miRs did not improve the discriminatory power (AUC=0.742) when HCC compared to non-HCC groups. miR-122 showed the highest sensitivity and specificity to stratify HCC and HCV versus normal individuals and HCC versus HCV patients. We conclude that differentially expressed miRs in the serum of HCV and HCC patients can be utilized as surrogate and non-invasive biomarker for segregation of HCV and HCC patients from healthy subjects.

Prevalence of photosensitivity in chronic hepatitis C virus patients and its relation to serum and urinary porphyrins.

HCV is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt. The aim was to study the prevalence of photosensitivity among asymptomatic HCV‐infected patients and its possible relation to porphyrins levels and whether it can be considered an alarm for early diagnosis of the disease, which is the most important goal in the management.

Fibrinolytic Activity of Some Fungi Isolated from Self-Heated Composted Fertilizer

Mesophilic fungi isolated from organic fertilizer compost samples accounted for 70.94% of the total fungal count, while thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi constituted 29.05% of that count. Eight mesophilic fungal species, namelyAspergillus niger, Monilia sitophila, Paecilomyces divaricata, Penicillium chrysogenum, P. fellutanum, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, S. brumptii andZygorhynchus japonicus; two thermophilic fungiHumicola grisea andOidiodendron flavum and three thermotolerant speciesAspergillus fumigatus, Thermomyces lanuginosus andZygorhynchus vuilleminii were isolated during the study.Most of the tested fungi showed a proteolytic activity and liquified gelatin in the test tube method and in cup plates. The thermophilic fungusO. flavum was the most potent proteolytic fungus.The comparative fibrinolytic assay revealed the following sequence in the ability of the tested fungi to hydrolyse fibrin:O. fiavum>S. brevicaulis>H. grisea>A. fumigatus>T. lanuginosus.

Synthesis and Some Reactions of Naphthoylacetanilides

Abstract The structure of some naphthoylacetanilides (1) obtained from a new route of synthesis is elucidated via inspection of IR, NMR, and mass spectral data. Napthoylacetanilides condensed with one or two moles of aromatic aldehyde to give 2-(naphthoyl)-cinnamanili-des (2) or 3-aryl-2,2′-dinaphthoyl-glutaric acid dianilides (3). Compound 2b added phenylmercaptan to give 3-phenyl 3-phenylthio-2-naphthoyl-propananilide (4). Reduction of 2b gave 2-benzyl 2-(2-naphthoyl)acetanilide (5). 1 is coupled with aryldiazonium salt to give 2-oxo naphthoylacetanilides-2-arylhydrazones (6). The mechanism of the reactions is discussed.

Synthesis of 5 H-Thiazolo[2,3-b]quinazoline-3,5(2 H)-dione. Its Condensation with Aldehydes, Coupling with Diazonium Salts and Cleavage by Amines

Cyclodehydration of (4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2-quinazolinylthio)acetic acid (1) afforded 5 H-thiazolo[2,3-b]quinazoline-3,5(2 H)-dione (2). Condensation of 2 with aldehydes gave the 2-arylmethylene derivatives (6 a-d) and coupling with diazonium salts gave the hydrazones (9a, b). The thiazolone ring in 2 has been cleaved by amines to give a-(4-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2-quinazolinylthio)acetanilides (11 a-d). The arylmethylene derivatives of the angular isomer of 2, 5 H-thiazolo[3,2-a]quinazoline-1,5(2 H)-dione (4), were also prepared.

Production of green concrete using recycled waste aggregate and byproducts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the sustainability benefits of using demolition and industrial wastes as a replacement for aggregates and cement in traditional concrete mixes. Design/methodology/approach Crushed concrete from demolition sites served as a replacement for fine and coarse aggregate in some of the mixes at various ratios. In addition, ground granulated blast furnace slag, metakaolin, silica fume, and fly ash each served as a cement replacement for cement content in the mixes tested in this research at various rates. Compression strength tests, permeability, and thermal expansion tests were performed on various mixes to compare their performance to that of traditional mixes with natural aggregate, and with no cement replacement. Findings The compressive strength results indicated the suitability of using such demolition wastes as replacements in producing green concrete (GC) without hindering its mechanical characteristics significantly. In addition, the results indicated an enhancement in the mechanical characteristics of GC when replacing cement with pozzolanic industrial wastes and byproducts. Originality/value The research assesses the utilization of sustainable GC using recycled waste aggregate and byproducts.

Effect of sorghum replacement and probiotic on growth performance and feed utilization of the Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing yellow corn (Zea maize) with sorghum (sorghum bicolor) on the growth performance and body composition of the Nile Tilapia. Sorghum was included into diets at four levels (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). The diets with zero sorghum level act as a control and response of fish fed on diets containing sorghum and additive Lacto cel-con supplementation (as probiotic) at a rate of (0.3g/kg diet). All the diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. The results after 16 week experimental period indicated that fish fed on the diets containing 75% sorghum + probiotic (T3) showed significantly better growth performance and feed utilization in terms final body weight, weight gain, mean daily gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, feed intake, protein efficiency ratio and net protein utilization than those fed on the control diet. The present study indicated that, the adverse effect of replacing yellow corn (Zea maize) with sorghum (sorghum bicolor) at 75% + probiotic is the best ratio on the growth performance and feed utilization as a fish meal in Tilapia diets.