Soil compaction is recognized as a yield limiting factor in crop production. Compaction problems continue to exist for several reasons, including; 1) the large size (mass) of agricultural vehicles; 2) increased operations on wet soils because of larger farm acreage and multi-axle driven equipment; and, 3) the lack of controlled traffic patterns in fields. Where compaction is identified as a pro...

Asymmetry is a common phenomenon in higher organisms. In humans, the cortical representation of language exhibits a high degree of asymmetry with a prevalence of about 90% of left hemispheric dominance, the underlying mechanisms of which are largely unknown. Another sign that exhibits a form of lateralization is the scalp hair-whorl direction, which is either clockwise or anti-clockwise. The sc...

The use of context information in networks of mobile devices is crucial to respond adequately to the user’s expectations. We therefore require that applications dynamically adapt their behaviour according to context changes. Current-day technology typically consists of a series of programming patterns to achieve dynamic behaviour adaptation. However, combining different contexts in such systems...

To investigate the influence of genetic differences in the MHC on susceptibility to avian coccidiosis, M5.1 and M15.2 B-haplotype-disparate Fayoumi chickens were orally infected with live Eimeria maxima oocysts, and BW gain, fecal oocyst production, and expression of 14 immune-related genes were determined as parameters of protective immunity. Weight loss was reduced and fecal parasite numbers ...

Contamination of poultry and poultry products by Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis (SE) continues to be problematic even though biosafety management practices have aided in reduction of the SE burden. Identification of molecular markers linked to disease resistance loci would further reduce SE burden by enabling selection for genetic resistance. The objectives of this study were therefore...

In this study, 21 microsatellite markers were used to genotype 196 Egyptian local chickens obtained from Fayoumi (n = 35), Dandarawy (n = 30), Baladi (n = 29), Sinai (n = 30), El-Salam (n = 36), and Golden Montazah (n = 36) strains. The results were compared to two pure commercial chicken populations reared in Japan-White Leghorn (n = 42) and Rhode Island Red (n = 43). A total of 162 alleles we...

Salmonella enteritidis (SE) contamination of poultry products is of global food-safety concern. The natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) affects host innate immunity to intracellular bacteria because of its ability to transport divalent cations in late endosome/lysosomes. Studying the association of the NRAMP1 gene and chicken innate immune response to SE can, therefore, ...

Patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells not only provide a promising tool for cellular disease models in general, but also open up the opportunity to establish cell-type-specific systems for personalized medicine. One of the crucial prerequisites for these strategies, however, is a fast and efficient reprogramming strategy from easy accessible somatic cell populations. Kera...