Synthesis of Certain 6-(Arylthio)uracils and Related Derivatives as Potential Antiviral Agents

Ali A. El-Emam*,Mohamed A. M. Massoud,Eman R. El-Bendary,Magda A. El-Sayed 대한화학회 2004 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.25 No.7

Prolonged semen incubation alters the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa

Sayed Abbas Datli Beigi,Mohammad Ali Khalili,Ali Nabi,Mohammad Hosseini,Abolghasem Abbasi Sarcheshmeh,Mojdeh Sabour The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine 2022 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.49 No.4

Objective: The present study assessed the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa at different time intervals (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 hours) after incubation at 37℃. Methods: Twenty-five normozoospermic semen samples were incubated at 37℃. Incubation was performed at four time intervals of 0 (after liquefaction), 1, 1.5, and 2 hours. The samples were evaluated for sperm parameters at each time interval. Results: The rate of sperm progressive motility decreased at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours as well as 2 hours compared to 1 hour and 0 hours. The rate of non-motile spermatozoa also decreased after 2 hours compared to after 0 hours. No significant changes were observed in sperm viability (p=0.98) and non- progressive motility (p=0.48) at any time intervals. Abnormal sperm morphology increased at 1.5 hours of incubation time (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in DNA fragmentation at 1 hour compared to 0 hours (median [interquartile range]: 19.5 [4] vs. 19 [4]), as well as at 1.5 hours compared to 1 hour (20 [5]). However, a significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased remarkably after 1 hour of incubation time. No significant differences were observed in the acrosome reaction or malonaldehyde levels at any time point (p=0.34 and p=0.98, respectively). Conclusion: The incubation of normozoospermic samples before use in assisted reproductive technology should be less than 1.5 hours to minimize the destructive effects of prolonged incubation time on general and specific sperm parameters.

Essential oils affect the development of apricot brown rot during post-harvest storage

Ali Sultan Qaiser,Wahab Said 한국원예학회 2023 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.64 No.4

An Apricot is an important but highly perishable stone fruit. It suff ers huge post-harvest losses mainly due to brown rot caused by Monilinia fructicola . The current study investigates the eff ect of essential oils (EOs) to reduce postharvest losses in apricot due to brown rot. The Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the EOs were accomplished before testing them on apricots and diff erent oil contents were assessed with their respective concentrations on the post-harvest longevity of the apricots. The study was designed in two phases. Initially, fi ve diff erent plant-based essential oils Lemon, Mint, Clove, Cinnamon, and Lavender were assessed In vitro against the mycelial growth of artifi cially inoculated M. fructicola. Oil concentrations were 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1% respectively. Mint and Clove oils maintained a minute microbial load (below 10 mm mycelial growth) and showed lower sensory acceptance toward M. fructicola which means that both oils were highly eff ective against M. fructicola. In the second phase of this study, apricot fruits were assessed for their decaying percentages during storage at 20 ºC after oil treatment. Again, Mint, Lavender, and Clove oil maintained trifl ing fungal rot diameters (4, 2, and 6 mm respectively) and exhibited repudiation toward M. fructicola . Diff erent concentrations of oils were tested during the study: however, the maximum oil concentration i.e. 1% proved suitable in each case for post-harvest preservation during storage to Monilinia fructicola . Major postharvest loss-preventing oils against brown rots in both experiments were Clove, Mint, and Lavender. The present study provides a baseline for the eff ective postharvest application of plant-based essential oils and temperature conditions during postharvest storage of apricot to reduce losses and increase their availability in distant markets

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field in the Vicinity of the Transformer Station of Overhead Power Lines

Said Ghnimi,Adnen Rajhi,Ali Gharsallah,Youssef Bizid 대한전기학회 2018 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.13 No.4

This paper studies the magnetic fields between the power lines which are finite length and other ones which are infinitely long around the first tower in the proximity of the power transformers. They will be used as a source of disturbance applied to the power line. The method applied in this study was gradual; develop the theoretical formulation of the magnetic fields of these lines which are finite length and other ones which are infinitely long, examine the effects of different couplings between the different neighboring lines and the distribution transformers on behavior of magnetic fields. The method also focused on the experimental results analyzing the magnetic fields which will be used as a source applied to the auditory implants EMC. The theoretical and experimental results were compared and discussed for three power lines (90kV, 150kV and 225kV) near the power station, and it proved the effect of these substations on the simulated and measured results of the magnetic field. The maximum intensities of magnetic fields measured at the height of 1m from the ground for the circuit of three lines close to each substation were significantly lower than the ICNIRP reference levels for occupational and non occupational exposures.

The effect of microfinance on women’s empowerment : Evidence from Malaysia

Sayed Samer Ali AL-SHAMI,Muhammad M. RAZALI,Izaidin MAJID,Ahmed ROZELAN,Nurulizwa RASHID 이화여자대학교 아시아여성학센터 2016 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.22 No.3

Microfinance is widely known as a financial development tool for those deprived of access to financial services, especially women. However, the literature provides conflicting evidence and shows that women’s empowerment may not, or may only be partially achieved through microcredit, especially in Muslim societies. This study seeks to scrutinize the effect of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), a microcredit institution, on Malay Muslim women in an urban area. A quasi-experimental method was used to conduct a cross sectional survey of 500 old and new clients. Informal semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 current clients who had received microcredit two years earlier. The findings show that AIM microcredit empowered the women and enhanced gender equality. It enabled women to access financial capital, form their micro- and smallbusinesses and obtain an income which helped them to contribute to household expenditure. Even though the effect of microcredit was partial, it provided them bargaining power for decision-making and controlling of resources and enhanced their self-esteem in their households and communities. Pembiayaan mikro secara meluasnya dikenali sebagai kaedah membangunkan mereka yang tidak diberi peluang akses perkhidmatan kewangan lain, khasnya di kalangan golongan wanita. Walau bagaimanapun, literatur kajian lampau telah mengemukakan bukti yang bercanggah di mana pembiayaan mikro kepada golongan wanita terutamanya mereka dalam masyarakat Islam mungkin tidak langsung atau mungkin sebahagiannya sahaja memberi kesan terhadap kejayaan mereka. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti kesan Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) iaitu sebuah institusi pembiayaan mikro, di kalangan wanita Melayu Islam di kawasan bandar. Satu kaedah kuasieksperimen telah digunakan untuk menjalankan kajian terhadap 500 pelanggan lama dan baru pembiayaan mikro. Temubual informal separa berstruktur telah dijalankan bersama 20 pelanggan yang sedang menerima pembiayaan mikro dalam tempoh dua tahun sebelumnya. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pembiayaan mikro AIM menjadikan wanita bertambah berjaya dan dapat menyumbang terhadap kesamarataan antara gender. Ia membolehkan mereka memperolehi modal, membentuk perniagaan mikro atau kecil dan seterusnya memperolehi pendapatan yang dapat membantu mereka untuk menyumbang kepada perbelanjaan isi rumah. Walaupun kesan pembiayaan mikro ini menyumbang kepada sebahagian sahaja peningkatan ini, namun ia dapat menyediakan mereka kuasa tawar-menawar untuk membuat keputusan, kawalan ke atas sumber dan meningkatkan keyakinan diri golongan ini.

New Open Channel with Elliptic Sides and Horizontal Bottom

Said M. Easa,Ali R. Vatankhah 대한토목학회 2014 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.18 No.4

This paper presents a new general open channel section with elliptic sides and horizontal bottom. The proposed section producesspecial channel forms, such as a circular section with a horizontal bottom, a circular section, and a rectangular section. Exact andapproximate formulas for the area and perimeter of the channel are derived. These formulas are then used to develop an optimizationmodel for determining the optimal section design that minimizes the total construction cost for excavation and composite linings. Inaddition, the most hydraulically efficient elliptic section was derived. The constraints of the optimization model include channeldischarge and physical requirements, such as flow depth, top width, and side slope with fixed or depth-dependent freeboard. The costperformance of the proposed section was compared with another general open channel section (power-law) and the trapezoidalsection using different design scenarios. The results show that the new section is substantially more economical and more flexiblethan the existing power-law section, and is generally superior to the trapezoidal section.

Phenol removal from aqueous solution using amino modified silica nanoparticles

Sayed Saleh,Alaa Younis,Reham Ali,Eman Elkady 한국화학공학회 2019 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.36 No.4

Phenols constitute a widespread class of water pollutants that are generated from many industries and are known to cause a significant threat to the aquatic environment. Phenols are, therefore, considered as dangerous pollutants by global international quality organizations. This has led to a growing demand for an efficient technology for phenol removal from wastewater. Different sizes of amino-modified silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were synthesized with 10- 40nm in diameter (AMS-10 to 40), and their properties were characterized in terms of size and surface modification using transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, elemental analyses (C, H, N), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR). The adsorption process was carried out utilizing batch mode experiment; the influence of various factors including pH of the medium, the contact time, the initial concentration of the adsorbate and the dose of the adsorbent on the phenol adsorption efficiency of SiNPs of various sizes were investigated. Phenol removal efficiency was found to be size-dependent, such that the phenol adsorption capacity of the SiNPs was in the following order: AMS-10>AMS-20>AMS-30>AMS-40 nm. The adsorption capacity and binding coefficient were calculated to be 35.2mg/g and 0.192mg/L, respectively, for AMS-10. The amino-modified SiNPs were found to be promising adsorbents for the phenol ions removal from the aqueous medium.

Yeast Extract as an Effective and Safe Mediator for the Baker’s-Yeast-Based Microbial Fuel Cell

Sayed, Enas Taha,Barakat, Nasser A. M.,Abdelkareem, Mohammad Ali,Fouad, H.,Nakagawa, Nobuyoshi American Chemical Society 2015 INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH - Vol.54 No.12

<P>Although utilizing the exogenous mediators distinctly enhances the microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance, possibility of microorganisms’ toxicity, environmental aspect and cost are the main dilemmas facing wide applications. Therefore, successful applying of the yeast extract as a mediator in the baker’s-yeast-based (<I>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</I>-based) MFCs would be of great interest as it will overcome all the aforementioned problems. The influence of the yeast extract addition was investigated based on the yeast cell adhesion on the surface of plain and gold-sputtered carbon paper anodes. In the case of plain carbon paper, the addition of the yeast extract considerably enhanced the performance of the yeast-based MFC, which can be attributed to the yeast extract role as growth media or as a mediator; the current and power densities increased from 94 to 190 mA/cm<SUP>2</SUP> and from 12.9 to 32.6 mW/cm<SUP>2</SUP>, respectively. However, compared with the plain carbon paper, in the case of gold-sputtered anode the performance significantly increased with yeast extract addition, whereas it drastically decreased without yeast extract; the current and power densities increased from 25 to 300 mA/cm<SUP>2</SUP> and from 2 to 70 mW/cm<SUP>2</SUP>, respectively. The obtained results indicated that yeast extract can be exploited as an effective mediator in the <I>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</I>-based MFCs.</P>

Synthesis of super-absorbent poly(AN)-g-starch composite hydrogel and its modelling for aqueous sorption of cadmium ions

Ali Hashem,Chukwunonso Onyeka Aniagor,Mohamed Abdel-Fattah Afifi,Ashraf Abou-Okeil,Sayed Hussein Samaha 한국화학공학회 2021 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.38 No.10

To entrench heavy metal chelation functional groups, native corn starch was grafted with acrylonitrile and subsequently hydrolyzed (using sodium hydroxide) to produce chemically crosslinked superabsorbent hydrogels (SAHs) of three-dimensional hydrophilic polymeric networks. SAHs demonstrated fast swelling and superabsorbent properties, with a swelling capacity of 612 g water/g SAHs. Due to the usefulness of equilibrium and kinetic data for elucidating the nature of adsorbate-adsorbent interaction, the adsorption study was extensively modelled using selected nonlinear isotherm and kinetics models. The Toth and intraparticle diffusion models satisfactorily predicted the isotherm and kinetic data, respectively, while the dominance of the metal complexation mechanism was asserted in the study. Meanwhile, the metal ion uptake by SAHs occurred at a fast equilibration time of 20 min. Furthermore, the adsorbent’s instrumental characterization (scanning electron microscopy, SEM; Energy dispersion X-ray, EDX; X-ray diffraction, XRD and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, FTIR) result confirmed that SAHs possesses the desired metal chelation properties. Thus, the potential application of the developed SAHs as biosorbent in the decontamination of the heavy metal-laden stream was explicitly demonstrated in the study.

Effect of Ketoconazole, a Cytochrome P450 Inhibitor, on the Efficacy of Quinine and Halofantrine against Schistosoma mansoni in Mice

Sayed Hassan Seif el-Din,Abdel-Nasser Abdel-Aal Sabra,Olfat Ali Hammam,Naglaa Mohamed El-Lakkany 대한기생충학열대의학회 2013 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.51 No.2