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A simplest, rapid, reliable, and cost-effective staining method of the hypocotyls in the infected lupine plants was modified from Woodbury method for Native PAGE catalase to define the role of the fungal catalase produced by F. oxysporum on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) of Lupinus termis during infection. Fresh sections in hypocotyls of the infected plant and control ones were taken and stained directly on a glass slide. The visual detection of oxygen evolution from the xylem vessel, as a fungal catalase activity, gives a potential evidence for its role in embolism formation and wilt disease. White and blue color indicates the presence of catalase and H2O2 respectively. The catalase activity was significantly increased in the fungal growth medium than in the control plants. A model has built up to summarize the role of fungal catalase in the embolism formation, water current disconnection, and wilt disease.

In this study, the causal agent of Centuarea ragusina wilt disease was recorded for the first time in Egypt. Morphological characterization and DNA sequencing showed that the pathogen was Fusarium solani. A pathogenicity test conducted gave 60 % infection. A pure culture of F. solani was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25 °C from diseased plants and deposited in the culture collection of the Assiut University Mycological
Centre as AUMC 9299 and the ITS sequence was uploaded to GenBank as accession number MG734215.

Abstract
Plants of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. cv Giza 2) were salt-stressed with a combination of NaCl and CaCl2
in concentrations having different osmotic potentials (
s from 0 to −1.0 MPa) and were treated with 5 and 10
mg L−1 of thiamin either sprayed on the shoot or applied to the root. The membranes of leaf discs from saltstressed
plants appeared to be less stable (more injured) under heat (51 °C) and drought (40% polyethylene glycol
6000) stresses than control plants. Salinity slowed the rate of growth (length and dry mass production), lowered
leaf relative water content (RWC) and leaf and root water potential (
w), decreased the contents of chlorophyll
(Chl), soluble sugars (SS) and the K+/Na+ ratio but enhanced total free amino acids (TAA), Na+, Ca2+
and Cl− accumulation in the shoot and root system. Root or shoot application of thiamin reduced membrane
injury by either heat or dehydration stress, lowered leaf
w, improved uptake of K+, and increased leaf RWC,
Chl, SS, TAA contents and dry mass production. The effects of salinity (
s), thiamin (Thi.) and their interaction
(
s × Thi) on the parameters tested were significant. Salinity was dominant (as indicated by 2 values) in affecting
the contents of Ca2+, Cl−, TAA and membrane stability to heat and leaf
w. The role of thiamin was dominant
for Na+, K+ and SS contents and the contribution of interaction was dominant for growth parameters, Chl.
and root
w.

Abstract
Plants of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. cv Giza 2) were salt-stressed with a combination of NaCl and CaCl2
in concentrations having different osmotic potentials (
s from 0 to −1.0 MPa) and were treated with 5 and 10
mg L−1 of thiamin either sprayed on the shoot or applied to the root. The membranes of leaf discs from saltstressed
plants appeared to be less stable (more injured) under heat (51 °C) and drought (40% polyethylene glycol
6000) stresses than control plants. Salinity slowed the rate of growth (length and dry mass production), lowered
leaf relative water content (RWC) and leaf and root water potential (
w), decreased the contents of chlorophyll
(Chl), soluble sugars (SS) and the K+/Na+ ratio but enhanced total free amino acids (TAA), Na+, Ca2+
and Cl− accumulation in the shoot and root system. Root or shoot application of thiamin reduced membrane
injury by either heat or dehydration stress, lowered leaf
w, improved uptake of K+, and increased leaf RWC,
Chl, SS, TAA contents and dry mass production. The effects of salinity (
s), thiamin (Thi.) and their interaction
(
s × Thi) on the parameters tested were significant. Salinity was dominant (as indicated by 2 values) in affecting
the contents of Ca2+, Cl−, TAA and membrane stability to heat and leaf
w. The role of thiamin was dominant
for Na+, K+ and SS contents and the contribution of interaction was dominant for growth parameters, Chl.
and root
w.

ABSTRACT
The interactive effects of mechanical wounding with
or without crude extracts of neem (Azadirachta
indica) and bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis,
CCT) supplementation on growth, chlorophyll,
carotenoids, soluble sugars (SS), soluble proteins
(SP) and total free amino acids (TAA) in Ricinus
communis plants were studied. In responses to
mechanical wounding Ricinus plants produced more
soluble sugars and soluble proteins. On the other
hand, chlorophyll a, cartenoids and total free amino
acids contents as well as dry mass production
declined upon wounding. Neem and CCT crude
extracts application, whether independently or in
combination, counteracted in various degrees the
deleterious effects of wounding stress on growth.
Crude extracts increased SS, SP as well as Chl and
cartenoids contents and improved wounded plants
growth. The effect of single factors (wounding,
neem and CCT extract) could be modified or reverse
by the interaction between these factors when used
in combination (eg. total amino acids, Chl a and
carotenoids). The results clearly indicate that CCT
and neem crude extracts supplementation might be
beneficial in attenuating the harmful effects of
mechanical wounding stress on plant growth.

ABSTRACT
The interactive effects of mechanical wounding with
or without crude extracts of neem (Azadirachta
indica) and bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis,
CCT) supplementation on growth, chlorophyll,
carotenoids, soluble sugars (SS), soluble proteins
(SP) and total free amino acids (TAA) in Ricinus
communis plants were studied. In responses to
mechanical wounding Ricinus plants produced more
soluble sugars and soluble proteins. On the other
hand, chlorophyll a, cartenoids and total free amino
acids contents as well as dry mass production
declined upon wounding. Neem and CCT crude
extracts application, whether independently or in
combination, counteracted in various degrees the
deleterious effects of wounding stress on growth.
Crude extracts increased SS, SP as well as Chl and
cartenoids contents and improved wounded plants
growth. The effect of single factors (wounding,
neem and CCT extract) could be modified or reverse
by the interaction between these factors when used
in combination (eg. total amino acids, Chl a and
carotenoids). The results clearly indicate that CCT
and neem crude extracts supplementation might be
beneficial in attenuating the harmful effects of
mechanical wounding stress on plant growth.

Neutrons are generated in the inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) device through different types of fusion reactions of the fuel gas such as deuterium (D) and tritium (T). Fusion in the IEC device takes place via various kinds of collisions like beam-beam collision, beam–background gas collision, and beam-target collision on the electrode surfaces. Two identical anodes for the IEC chamber made from titanium (Ti) and SUS-316L stainless steel (SS) are used to study the effect of the anode material on the neutron production rate (NPR). The NPRs from the chambers are measured at different applied powers. The achieved NPRs, so far, for Ti and SS are 8.9 × 107 n/s at 5.25 kW (75 kV, 70 mA) and 2.8 × 107 n/s at 10.5 kW (70 kV, 150 mA), respectively. The normalized NPR (NPR rated to the cathode current) from the Ti chamber is three to four times higher than that from the SS chamber. We observed a better NPR for the Ti chamber compared with the SS chamber. This is explained by the fusion reaction occurring between the neutrals and D atoms adsorbed/embedded on the inner surface of the anode. Moreover, the Ti chamber shows an improvement of the NPR as a function of the operating time ranging from 1.5 to 1.75 after 25 h from the first discharge.

This paper proposes a Langmuir probe–based diagnostics for plasma parameters inside gridded cathodes at high bias potentials in inertial electrostatic confinement devices. As the first step for the proof of concept, floating potential profiles were measured in deuterium and helium plasmas in a glow-discharge mode. The measurements with fusion-relevant cathode voltages up to 55 kV were carried out successfully. The results revealed that the positive potential buildup at the center ranges from 5% to 8% of the applied bias voltage to the gridded cathode, which is found to be much smaller than those in earlier works under cathode voltages lower than 5 kV. It was also shown that the floating potential profile is different significantly between deuterium and helium discharge plasmas.