Solid-state fermentation of agricultural wastes into food through pleurotus cultivation

The technical feasibility of using agricultural wastes (mango and date industry wastes) as a substrate for the cultivation ofPleurotus ostreatus NRRL-0366 is evaluated. When comparing the biological efficiency of mushroom production, the highest yield of fruiting bodies was obtained using a mixture of date waste and rice straw at a ratio (1:1) (11.96%), followed by a mixture 3:1 (11.16%). The lowest one was the mixture 2:1 (9.19%). FungusPleurotus ostreatus NRRL-0366 can also be cultivated on mango waste supplemented with rice straw at a different ratio. The best one was the 1:1 mixture (10.18%), whereas the lowest was a mixture 3:1 (6.4%). Comparing the results obtained favored the use of date waste as a substrate for growingPleurotus ostreatus NRRL-0366. Spawn was cultured on three different substrates as follows: Date waste alone (I); 1:1 (by wt) date waste and rice straw (II); 1:1:1 date waste, rice straw, and corncobs (III). Final dry weight and composition of the fruiting bodies are tabulated for the three sets of conditions. Date waste and rice straw mixture (II) is a good source of nonstarchy carbohydrate (67%) and protein (27.44%) containing amounts of essential amino acids, especially lysine and low RNA (3.81%). Elemental analysis were studied in the fruit bodies of the three media.     

Preparation of Some Fused Pyridopyrimidine and Pyridothienotriazine Derivatives for Biological Evaluation

Compounds 2 and 9 were formed using 3-(4-chloro-phenyl)-1-pyridin-2-yl propenone ( 1 ) and malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate, respectively. The pyridine derivative 2 was in turn used as a precursor for the preparation of some pyridopyrimidine and fused pyridopyrimidine derivatives 3–8 On the other hand, the pyridine derivative 9 was used for the preparation of thienopyridine derivatives 11 and 12 Nitrozation of compound 12 afforded pyridothienotriazine derivative 13 Some of the prepared products showed potent antimicrobial activity.     

New Secondary Metabolites from Asphodelus tenuifolius

Asphorins A and B ( 1 and 2 , resp.), two new triterpene glycosides, have been isolated along with a new chromone, 3 , from the AcOEt subfraction of the MeOH extract of the whole plant of Asphodelus tenuifolius. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis including 2D‐NMR spectroscopic experiments.     

Synthesis and Anti‐Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) Evaluation of Some Novel Nicotinonitriles and Their N‐Acylic Nucleosides

Pyridine and fused pyridines derivatives are interesting compounds with diverse chemical properties and pharmacological activities. Herein, the synthesis and antiviral evaluation of some new pyridines are described.     

Synthesis of a new β-naphthothiazole monomethine cyanine dye for the detection of DNA in aqueous solution

Novel monomethine cyanine dye (MC) derived from β-naphthothiazole and benzothiazole has been prepared and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, FTIR, ESIMS, elemental analyses, absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The dye was conveniently synthesized by the condensation of two sulfate heterocyclic quaternary salts. The interaction between calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane–HCl (Tris–HCl) aqueous buffer solution and MC has been studied with spectral fluorescence method. The binding constant value has been determined by fluorescence titration of MC with ct-DNA concentrations. The result obtained is consistent with an intercalative binding interaction between MC and ct-DNA. Compared with ethidium bromide (EB), MC showed a huge fluorescence enhancement upon mixing with ct-DNA.     

RuCl3-catalyzed oxidation of iodoarenes with peracetic acid: new facile preparation of iodylarenes

New facile methodology for the preparation of pentavalent iodine compounds using peracetic acid as an oxidant in the presence of catalytic amounts of ruthenium trichloride is described. The new procedure allows the preparation of several previously unknown iodylarenes bearing strongly electron-withdrawing CF3 groups in the aromatic ring.     

Radiological responses of different types of Egyptian Mediterranean coastal sediments

The aim of this study was to identify gamma self-absorption correction factors for different types of Egyptian Mediterranean coastal sediments. Self-absorption corrections based on direct transmission through different thicknesses of the most dominant sediment species have been tested against point sources with gamma-ray energies of ²⁴¹Am, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co with 2% uncertainties. Black sand samples from the Rashid branch of the Nile River quantitatively absorbed the low energy of ²⁴¹Am through a thickness of 5 cm. In decreasing order of gamma energy self-absorption of ²⁴¹Am, the samples under investigation ranked black sand, Matrouh sand, Sidi Gaber sand, shells, Salloum sand, and clay. Empirical self-absorption correction formulas were also deduced. Chemical analyses such as pH, CaCO₃, total dissolved solids, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, CO₃^2?, HCO₃^? and total Fe²⁺ have been carried out for the sediments. The relationships between self absorption corrections and the other chemical parameters of the sediments were also examined.     

Synthesis,Reactions, and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Some Polycondensed Thienopyrimidine Derivatives

Some novel indeno[2,1-b]thiophenes, indeno[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-d][1,2,3]triazines, indeno[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines, indeno[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-d][1,3]thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidines, and indeno[1′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-d][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidines 2–16 were prepared starting with 2-aminoindeno[2,1-b]thiophene-3-carboxylic acid amide ( 1 ). Furthermore, the antimicrobial evaluation of the prepared products showed that many of them revealed promising antimicrobial activity.     

Electrostatic effects on nanofiber formation of self-assembling peptide amphiphiles

Self-assembling peptide amphiphile molecules have been of interest to various tissue engineering studies. These molecules self-assemble into nanofibers which organize into three-dimensional networks to form hydrocolloid systems mimicking the extracellular matrix. The formation of nanofibers is affected by the electrostatic interactions among the peptides. In this work, we studied the effect of charged groups on the peptides on nanofiber formation. The self-assembly process was studied by pH and zeta potential measurements, FT-IR, circular dichroism, rheology, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The aggregation of the peptides was triggered upon neutralization of the charged residues by pH change or addition of electrolyte or biomacromolecules. Understanding the controlled formation of the hydrocolloid gels composed of peptide amphiphile nanofibers can lead us to develop in situ gel forming bioactive collagen mimetic nanofibers for various tissue engineering studies including bioactive surface coatings.