A Bioactive Fraction from Streptomyces sp. Enhances Maize Tolerance against Drought Stress

Warrad Mona,Hassan Yasser M.,Mohamed Mahmoud S.M,Hagagy Nashwa,Al-Maghrabi Omar A,Selim Samy,Saleh Ahmed M.,AbdElgawad Hamada 한국미생물·생명공학회 2020 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.30 No.8

Drought stress is threatening the growth and productivity of many economical crops. Therefore, it is necessary to establish innovative and efficient approaches for improving crop growth and productivity. Here we investigated the potentials of the cell-free extract of Actinobacteria (Ac) isolated from a semi-arid habitat (Al-Jouf region, Saudi Arabia) to recover the reduction in maize growth and improve the physiological stress tolerance induced by drought. Three Ac isolates were screened for production of secondary metabolites, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The isolate Ac3 revealed the highest levels of flavonoids, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in addition to having abilities to produce siderophores and phytohormones. Based on seed germination experiment, the selected bioactive fraction of Ac3 cell-free extract (F2.7, containing mainly isoquercetin), increased the growth and photosynthesis rate under drought stress. Moreover, F2.7 application significantly alleviated drought stress-induced increases in H2O2, lipid peroxidation (MDA) and protein oxidation (protein carbonyls). It also increased total antioxidant power and molecular antioxidant levels (total ascorbate, glutathione and tocopherols). F2.7 improved the primary metabolism of stressed maize plants; for example, it increased in several individuals of soluble carbohydrates, organic acids, amino acids, and fatty acids. Interestingly, to reduce stress impact, F2.7 accumulated some compatible solutes including total soluble sugars, sucrose and proline. Hence, this comprehensive assessment recommends the potentials of actinobacterial cell-free extract as an alternative ecofriendly approach to improve crop growth and quality under water deficit conditions.

Insights into the Incidence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus Causing Yellowing Disease of Watermelon in Western and Southwestern Regions of Saudi Arabia

M. H. Ahmad,M. T. Shakeel,I. M. Al-Shahwan,M. A. Al-Saleh,M. A. Amer 한국식물병리학회 2018 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.34 No.5

During the spring season of 2014, a total of 148 melon and watermelon leaf samples were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants in the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia and were tested for the presence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) and other suspected cucurbit viruses by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ninety-eight samples were found to be positive for the presence of WmCSV, nine samples were positive for the presence of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), and 22 showed a mixed infection with both WmCSV and CYSDV. No other cucurbit viruses were detected in any of the samples. Host range experiments revealed that eight out of fourteen tested plant species were susceptible to WmCSV. PCR products of approximately 1.2 kb were obtained after amplification using primers specifically targeting the coat protein region of WmCSV. Positive PCR results were confirmed by dot blot hybridization. Coat protein gene sequences from eleven WmCSV isolates indicated that the highest identity was between the 104WMA-SA isolate from the Wadi Baish location and a previously reported isolate from the AL-Lith location in Saudi Arabia. The lowest identity was observed between the 42WMA-SA isolate and an isolate from Palestine.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel porous organic polymers for effective selective capture of CO2

Ahmed M. Alloush,Hamza Abdulghani,Hassan A. Amasha,Tawfik A. Saleh,Othman Charles S. Al Hamouz 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.113 No.-

Performing carbon dioxide (CO2) capture in an environmentally benign and cost-effective way is challengingowing to several factors including selectivity. Thus, the development of polymers that providehigh capacity and selectivity for the removal of CO2 gas is important. N-based porous polymers arepromising for CO2 capture due to their abundant porosity, variable surface characteristics, and great stability. Herein, porous organic polymers were synthesized by microwave-assisted Freidel-Crafts alkylationof 2,20-bipyridine and pyrrole with dimethoxymethane as a cross-linker. The synthesized polymers werecharacterized by Fourier transform infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analyzers,and surface analyzers based on Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory (BET). The porous polymers exhibitedhigh surface areas of 580 – 930 m2/g. The polymers showed high ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST)selectivity of 53 – 63 toward CO2 over N2 at 1 bar and 298 K under flue gas composition. Whereas theselectivity toward CO2 over CH4 at 1 bar and 298 K under natural gas composition was 12 – 18. The synthesizedpolymers achieved exceptional H2O adsorption capacity at P/P0 = 0.9 and 293 K of 35 – 45 mmol/g. The results reveal the polymers provide promising candidates for the CO2 capture from various mixtures,such as flue gas and natural gas.

Insights into the Incidence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus Causing Yellowing Disease of Watermelon in Western and Southwestern Regions of Saudi Arabia

Ahmad, M.H.,Shakeel, M.T.,Al-Shahwan, I.M.,Al-Saleh, M.A.,Amer, M.A. The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2018 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.34 No.5

During the spring season of 2014, a total of 148 melon and watermelon leaf samples were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants in the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia and were tested for the presence of Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) and other suspected cucurbit viruses by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Ninety-eight samples were found to be positive for the presence of WmCSV, nine samples were positive for the presence of Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV), and 22 showed a mixed infection with both WmCSV and CYSDV. No other cucurbit viruses were detected in any of the samples. Host range experiments revealed that eight out of fourteen tested plant species were susceptible to WmCSV. PCR products of approximately 1.2 kb were obtained after amplification using primers specifically targeting the coat protein region of WmCSV. Positive PCR results were confirmed by dot blot hybridization. Coat protein gene sequences from eleven WmCSV isolates indicated that the highest identity was between the 104WMA-SA isolate from the Wadi Baish location and a previously reported isolate from the AL-Lith location in Saudi Arabia. The lowest identity was observed between the 42WMA-SA isolate and an isolate from Palestine.

Allelic variation of melanocortin-1 receptor locus in Saudi indigenous sheep exhibiting different color coats

Mahmoud, Ahmed H.,Mashaly, Ashraf M.,Rady, Ahmed M.,Al-Anazi, Khalid M.,Saleh, Amgad A. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2017 Animal Bioscience Vol.30 No.2

Objective: This study was designed to characterize the DNA polymorphisms of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene in indigenous Saudi Arabian sheep breeds exhibiting different color coats, along with individuals of the Sawaknee breed, an exotic sheep imported from Sudan. Methods: The complete coding region of MC1R gene including parts of 3' and 5' untranslated regions was amplified and sequenced from three the indigenous Saudi sheep; Najdi (generally black, n = 41), Naeimi (generally white with brown faces, n = 36) and Herri (generally white, n = 18), in addition to 13 Sawaknee sheep. Results: Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the MC1R gene: two led to nonsynonymous mutations (c.218 T>A, p.73 Met>Lys and c.361 G>A, p.121 Asp>Asn) and three led to synonymous mutations (c.429 C>T, p.143 Tyr>Tyr; c.600 T>G, p.200 Leu>Leu, and c.735 C>T, p.245 Ile>Ile). Based on these five SNPs, eight haplotypes representing MC1R $E^d$ and $E^+$ alleles were identified among the studied sheep breeds. The most common haplotype (H3) of the dominant $E^d$ allele was associated with either black or brown coat color in Najdi and Sawaknee sheep, respectively. Two other haplotypes (H6 and H7) of $E^d$ allele, with only the nonsynonymous mutation A218T, were detected for the first time in Saudi indigenous sheep. Conclusion: In addition to investigating the MC1R allelic variation in Saudi indigenous sheep populations, the present study supports the assumption that the two independent nonsynonymous Met73Lys and Asp121Asn mutations in MC1R gene are associated with black or red coat colors in sheep breeds.

Lucerne transient streak virus; a Recently Detected Virus Infecting Alfafa (Medicago sativa) in Central Saudi Arabia

Ahmed Raza,Ibrahim M. Al-Shahwan,Omer A. Abdalla,Mohammed A. AL-Saleh,Mahmoud A. Amer 한국식물병리학회 2017 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.33 No.1

A survey was conducted to determine the status ofLucerne transient streak virus (LTSV) in three highyieldingalfalfa regions in central Saudi Arabia (Riyadh,Qassim, and Hail) during 2014. Three hundredand eight symptomatic alfalfa, and seven Sonchus oleraceussamples were collected. DAS-ELISA indicatedthat 59 of these samples were positive to LTSV. Twoisolates of LTSV from each region were selected formolecular studies. RT-PCR confirmed the presence ofLTSV in the selected samples using a specific primerpair. Percentage identity and homology tree comparisonsrevealed that all Saudi isolates were more closelyrelated to each other but also closely related to the Canadianisolate-JQ782213 (97.1–97.6%) and the NewZealand isolate-U31286 (95.8–97.1%). ComparingSaudi isolates of LTSV with ten other sobemovirusesbased on the coat protein gene sequences confirmedthe distant relationship between them. Eleven out offourteen plant species used in host range study werepositive to LTSV. This is the first time to documentthat Trifolium alexandrinum, Nicotiana occidentalis,Chenopodium glaucum, and Lathyrus sativus are newhost plant species for LTSV and that N. occidentalisbeing a good propagative host for it.

Lucerne transient streak virus; a Recently Detected Virus Infecting Alfafa (Medicago sativa) in Central Saudi Arabia

Raza, Ahmed,Al-Shahwan, Ibrahim M.,Abdalla, Omer A.,Al-Saleh, Mohammed A.,Amer, Mahmoud A. The Korean Society of Plant Pathology 2017 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.33 No.1

A survey was conducted to determine the status of Lucerne transient streak virus (LTSV) in three high-yielding alfalfa regions in central Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Qassim, and Hail) during 2014. Three hundred and eight symptomatic alfalfa, and seven Sonchus oleraceus samples were collected. DAS-ELISA indicated that 59 of these samples were positive to LTSV. Two isolates of LTSV from each region were selected for molecular studies. RT-PCR confirmed the presence of LTSV in the selected samples using a specific primer pair. Percentage identity and homology tree comparisons revealed that all Saudi isolates were more closely related to each other but also closely related to the Canadian isolate-JQ782213 (97.1-97.6%) and the New Zealand isolate-U31286 (95.8-97.1%). Comparing Saudi isolates of LTSV with ten other sobemoviruses based on the coat protein gene sequences confirmed the distant relationship between them. Eleven out of fourteen plant species used in host range study were positive to LTSV. This is the first time to document that Trifolium alexandrinum, Nicotiana occidentalis, Chenopodium glaucum, and Lathyrus sativus are new host plant species for LTSV and that N. occidentalis being a good propagative host for it.

Solid State Production of Polygalacturonase and Xylanase by Trichoderma Species Using Cantaloupe and Watermelon Rinds

Saleh A. Mohamed,Abdulrahman L. Al-Malki,Jalaluddin A. Khan,Saleh A. Kabli,Saleh M. Al-Garni 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.5

Different solid state fermentation (SSF) sources were tested such as cantaloupe and watermelon rinds, orange and banana peels, for the production of polygalacturonase (PG) and xylanase (Xyl) by Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma virens. The maximum production of both PG and Xyl were obtained by T. harzianum and T. virnes grown on cantaloupe and watermelon rinds, respectively. Time course, moisture content, temperature, pH, supplementation with carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized to achieve the maximum production of both PG and Xyl of T. harzianum and T. virens using cantaloupe and watermelon rinds, respectively. The maximum production of PG and Xyl of T. harzianum and T. virens was recorded at 4–5 days of incubation, 50–66%moisture, temperature 28–35°C and pH 6–7. The influence of supplementary carbon and nitrogen sources was studied. For T. harzianum, lactose enhanced PG activity from 87 to 120 units/g solid, where starch and maltose enhanced Xyl activity from 40 to 55–60 units/g solid for T. virnes. Among the nitrogen sources, ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate,yeast extract and urea increased PG activity from 90to 110–113 units/g solid for T. harzianum. Similarly, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulphate and yeast extract increased Xyl activity from 45 to 55–70 units/g solid for T. virens.

Prediction of compressive strength of concrete using neural networks

Yousef A. Al-Salloum,Abid A. Shah,Saleh H. Alsayed,Tarek H. Almusallam,M.S. Al-Haddad,H. Abbas 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2012 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.10 No.2

This research deals with the prediction of compressive strength of normal and high strength concrete using neural networks. The compressive strength was modeled as a function of eight variables: quantities of cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, micro-silica, water and super-plasticizer, maximum size of coarse aggregate, fineness modulus of fine aggregate. Two networks, one using raw variables and another using grouped dimensionless variables were constructed, trained and tested using available experimental data, covering a large range of concrete compressive strengths. The neural network models were compared with regression models. The neural networks based model gave high prediction accuracy and the results demonstrated that the use of neural networks in assessing compressive strength of concrete is both practical and beneficial. The performance of model using the grouped dimensionless variables is better than the prediction using raw variables.

Investigation of photon, neutron and proton shielding features of H₃BO₃-ZnO-Na₂O-BaO glass system

Mhareb, M.H.A.,Alajerami, Y.S.M.,Dwaikat, Nidal,Al-Buriahi, M.S.,Alqahtani, Muna,Alshahri, Fatimh,Saleh, Noha,Alonizan, N.,Saleh, M.A.,Sayyed, M.I. Korean Nuclear Society 2021 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.53 No.3

The current study aims to explore the shielding properties of multi-component borate-based glass series. Seven glass-samples with composition of (80-y)H₃BO₃-10ZnO-10Na₂O-yBaO where (y = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mol.%) were synthesized by melt-quench method. Various shielding features for photons, neutrons, and protons were determined for all prepared samples. XCOM, Phy-X program, and SRIM code were performed to determine and explain several shielding properties such as equivalent atomic number, exposure build-up factor, specific gamma-ray constants, effective removal cross-section (Σ_R), neutron scattering and absorption, Mass Stopping Power (MSP) and projected range. The energy ranges for photons and protons were 0.015-15 MeV and 0.01-10 MeV, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) was also determined experimentally by utilizing two radioactive sources (¹⁶⁶Ho and ¹³⁷Cs). Consistent results were obtained between experimental and XCOM values in determining μ/ρ of the new glasses. The addition of BaO to the glass matrix led to enhance the μ/ρ and specific gamma-ray constants of glasses. Whereas the remarkable reductions in Σ_R, MSP, and projected range values were reported with increasing BaO concentrations. The acquired results nominate the use of these glasses in different radiation shielding purposes.