Recent Achievements in the Bio-control of Orobanche Infesting Important Crops in the Mediterranean Basin

Orobanche spp. （broomrapes） are holoparasitic plants distributed predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere parasitizing the roots of a range of plant species mainly in wild ecosystems. Orobanche species cause severe yield reduction of many important crops. There are only very few herbicides which are able to selectively control broomrapes and different approaches have been put forward to develop natural product based pesticides to control Orobanche. Several phytopathogenic fungi were evaluated for their use as potential mycoherbicide and for ability to produce toxic metabolites which could be applied as herbicides. Using the alternative approach ＂suicidal germination＂, interesting results were obtained by testing two microbial metabolites （fusicoccins and ophiobolin A） especially with Orobanche species whose germination is not induced by the synthetic strigolactone GR24. From pea root exudates, peagol and peagoldione, close related to strigolactones, and three polyphenols, named peapolyphenols A-C, together with already well known polyphenol and a chalcone, were isolated. They showed a selective stimulation of Orobanche seed germination with the last two and peapolyphenol A showing a specific stimulatory activity on O. foetida. This review describes the most recent results achieved on Orobanche bio-control, mainly focusing on those regarding O. ramosa, O. crenata and O. foetida.

Efficacy and Compliance of Oral Iron Poly-Maltose Complex versus Oral Ferrous Sulfate in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnant Women

Objective: To compare the efficacy and compliance of the conventional therapy of iron deficiency anemia (ferrous sulfate) with the new forms of therapy chewable iron tablets: (iron polymaltose complex) in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women. Methods: This Randomized Control Trial study included 290 pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia, and they were randomly allocated to a control group who received ferrous sulfate capsules for two months and study group who received iron polymaltose complex chewable tablets for two months. Complete Blood Picture (hemoglobin level and hematocrit level) and Serum ferritin level were done after four and eight weeks to determine the efficacy. In addition, any complains or side effects had been reported to assess the tolerability of the drugs. Two-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the change in hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels in both groups. Results: There was no statistical significant difference between the two research groups as regards baseline hemoglobin, and at week 4 from onset of treatment (p values = 0.990, 0.112, consecutively). However, there was statistical significant difference on week 8 of continuous drug intake in both groups in which the iron poly maltose complex research group had significantly higher hemoglobin levels (p value = 0.006). Conclusion: The results of the study showed oral iron polymaltose complex increases Hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels more than oral ferrous sulfate and produces less adverse effects than ferrous sulfate.

A New Hiatus within the Lutetian of the El Basatin Section,Gebel Mokattam, Egypt:Field and Sedimentological Observations, with Special Emphasis on Nummulites

The Eocene succession of the El Basatin Section in Gebel Mokattam, east of Cairo, consists, from base to top, of two main units; the Mokattam and Maadi Formations. The Mokattam Formation consists of two Members, the Building Stone Member and the Giushi Member. The Upper Building Stone Member yielded six species of Nummulites belonging to the Upper Lutetian. These species are: Nummulites farisi Hussein et al., 2004; Nummulites cf. praegizehensis Boukhary and Hussein-Kamel, 1993; Nummulites cf. gizehensis(Forsk?l, 1775); Nummulites discorbinus(Schlotheim 1820) and Arxina schwageri(Silvestri, 1928) emended by Boukhary et al. 2012 and Nummulites crassichordatus Boukhary et al., 2010. The Giushi Member yielded three species that indicate a Bartonian age. These species, which continued from their first appearance in the Upper Building Stone Members, are N. discorbinus, A. schwageri and N. crassichordatus. The Maadi Formation, which has been previously considered to be of Bartonian–Priabonian age, is devoid of fossils in the study section. The two members of the Mokattam Formation represent a carbonate platform facies. The deposition of the Upper Building Stone Member was disturbed during the Lutetian by slumping and a convolute-bedding interval, indicating a short hiatus. The subsequent regression resulted in a very shallow marine to near-shore facies in the above Maadi Formation.

On the Validity and Evolution of Assilina Species during the Ypresian–Lutetian:Example from Bir Dakhl,Eastern Desert,Egypt

The genus Assilina is a taxon within the Nummulitacea that appeared early in the Ypresian(Early Eocene)and continued until the end of the Lutetian(Middle Eocene).Thus,this taxon could be useful for the chronostratigraphy of this time interval.Lower Eocene rocks in southern Galala,Egypt are exposed at Bir Dakhl.This section includes marl sediments with debris flow shallow-marine facies deposits laid down during early Eocene times and includes fossils of large foraminifera:Assilina placentula Deshayes,1838 and Nummulites burdigalensis de la Harpe,1926.These are systematically treated,described and illustrated.Nummulites burdigalensis belongs to the N.burdigalensis group,and Assilina placentula belongs to the group of Assilina exponens.This assumption is based on qualitative morphology and quantitative measurements.Both species,together with Operculina libyca Schwager,1883,enable the assignment of the Bir Dakhl(D5-40 Section)to the Early Eocene,Ypresian(SBZ10 of Serra-Kiel et al.,1998)supporting an earlier opinion that Assilina placentula belongs to that zone in the calibrated larger foraminiferal biostratigraphic zonation.

Characters of Nummulites multiplicutiospiralis n.sp.from the Qarara Formation,Maghagha,Nile Valley,Egypt

Nummulites multiplicutiospiralis n.sp.is described and illustrated for both generations from a claystone of Lutetian age in the Middle Eocene Qarara Formation,Maghagha,Nile valley,Egypt.Previously considered to be Nummulites gizehensis,we describe this form as a new species based on diameter of the test and protoconch sizes,septal shape and granulations.The primary feature of this species is spiral multiplication,seen in spiral section.The species is also characterized morphologically by lenticular to flat tests with rounded periphery,wrinkled to broadly meandering septal filaments and few granules on the periphery in microspheric forms.The granules are spirally arranged on the septal filaments in megalospheric forms.Chambers are longer than high and the spire is irregular.The new taxon belongs to the Nummulites partschi Group,Subgroup N.gizehensis.Reflexive coiling in the spiral may develop through ontogeny as in N.rollandi,the species which was considered to be an index species in the southern Tethys(Boukhary et al.,1982 and Boukhary et al.2010).The characters of the new species,as well as its retrogenesis and reflexive coiling,should be further studied in general in Nummulites spp.,to understand the importance of such characters phylogenetically.

Growth,Structural and Optical Characterization of Se_(75)Te_(17)Ge_8 Thin Films

Se75Te17Ge8 thin film was processed on glass substrates by a pulsed laser deposition technique. The ceramic target used for the deposition was prepared by a solid state sintering method in a vacuum sealed silica tube. The structural characterization was investigated by X-ray diffraction coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The optical parameters were determined from the transmittance and reflectance spectra of the prepared film. The Wemple and Di Domenico models both were appropriate to describe the experimental results. The optical absorption coefficient was analyzed to identify the type of the optical transition and determine the corresponding energy values.