Host range, severity and trans boundary transmission of Orf virus (ORFV).

Contagious ecthyma in small ruminants is a zoonotic disease caused by Orf virus (ORFV) in the genus Parapoxvirus that can be deadly to its natural hosts. It causes significant losses worldwide, and commonly infects humans. However, the literature about its comparative severity in sheep and goat hosts is misleading; and while contagious ecthyma has been shown to occur in camels and transmit to humans, there is confusion as to whether ORFV is responsible.

Anomalous Li Storage Capability in Atomically Thin Two-Dimensional Sheets of Nonlayered MoO.

Since the first exfoliation and identification of graphene in 2004, research on layered ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has achieved remarkable progress. Realizing the special importance of 2D geometry, we demonstrate that the controlled synthesis of nonlayered nanomaterials in 2D geometry can yield some unique properties that otherwise cannot be achieved in these nonlayered systems. Herein, we report a systematic study involving theoretical and experimental approaches to evaluate the Li-ion storage capability in 2D atomic sheets of nonlayered molybdenum dioxide (MoO).

Cryo-mediated exfoliation and fracturing of layered materials into 2D quantum dots.

Atomically thin quantum dots from layered materials promise new science and applications, but their scalable synthesis and separation have been challenging. We demonstrate a universal approach for the preparation of quantum dots from a series of materials, such as graphite, MoS, WS, h-BN, TiS, NbS, BiSe, MoTe, SbTe, etc., using a cryo-mediated liquid-phase exfoliation and fracturing process.

Soil legacy data rescue via GlobalSoilMap and other international and national initiatives.

Legacy soil data have been produced over 70 years in nearly all countries of the world. Unfortunately, data, information and knowledge are still currently fragmented and at risk of getting lost if they remain in a paper format. To process this legacy data into consistent, spatially explicit and continuous global soil information, data are being rescued and compiled into databases.

Hybrid MoS/h-BN Nanofillers As Synergic Heat Dissipation and Reinforcement Additives in Epoxy Nanocomposites.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials as molybdenum disulfide (MoS), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and their hybrid (MoS/h-BN) were employed as fillers to improve the physical properties of epoxy composites. Nanocomposites were produced in different concentrations and studied in their microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties. The hybrid 2D mixture imparted efficient reinforcement to the epoxy leading to increases of up to 95% in tensile strength, 60% in ultimate strain, and 58% in Young's modulus.

ANALYSIS OF PHENOLIC AND FLAVONOIDS OF WILD PLANT EXTRACTS BY LC/PDA AND LC/MS AND THEIR ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY.

Background: Ephedra is among Palestinian medicinal plants that are traditionally used in folkloric medicine for treating many diseases. Ephedra is known to have antibacterial and antioxidant effects. The goal of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant activity of different extracts from the plant growing wild in Palestine, and to analyze their phenolic and flavonoid constituents by HPLC/PDA and HPLC/MS.

Chemical investigation and quality of urban dew collections with dust precipitates.

The quality and chemical composition of urban dew collections with dust precipitates without pre-cleaning of the collecting surface WSF (white standard foil) were investigated for 16 out of 20 collected samples with collected volumes ranging from 22 to 230 ml. The collection period was from March to July 2015 at an urban area, Jubaiha, which is located in the northern part of the capital city Amman, Jordan. The obtained results indicated the predominance of Ca and SO ions (ratio 2.

A metal-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction to multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates.

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into higher-energy liquid fuels and chemicals is a promising but challenging renewable energy conversion technology. Among the electrocatalysts screened so far for carbon dioxide reduction, which includes metals, alloys, organometallics, layered materials and carbon nanostructures, only copper exhibits selectivity towards formation of hydrocarbons and multi-carbon oxygenates at fairly high efficiencies, whereas most others favour production of carbon monoxide or formate. Here we report that nanometre-size N-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) catalyse the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates at high Faradaic efficiencies, high current densities and low overpotentials.

Activity Pattern of Urban Adult Students in an Eastern Mediterranean Society.

Knowledge of human activity patterns is needed in air pollution exposure and health risk assessment. However, human activity patterns have never been evaluated in the Eastern Mediterranean societies. Therefore, we investigated the activity pattern of 285 subjects (17-63 years) in Amman, Jordan during October to November, 2015.

Development and Validation of an HPLC-UV Method for Determination of Eight Phenolic Compounds in Date Palms.

A simple, precise, accurate, and selective method was developed and validated for determination of eight phenolic compounds (gallic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanilic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid) in date palms. Separation was achieved on an RP C18 column using the mobile phase methanol-water with 2% acetic acid (18+82, v/v). This method was validated according to the requirements for new methods, which include accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, LOD, LOQ, linearity, and range.

Metal-free, single-polymer device exhibits resistive memory effect.

All-polymer, write-once-read-many times resistive memory devices have been fabricated on flexible substrates using a single polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). Spin-cast or inkjet-printed films of solvent-modified PEDOT:PSS are used as electrodes, while the unmodified or as-is PEDOT:PSS is used as the semiconducting active layer. The all-polymer devices exhibit an irreversible but stable transition from a low resistance state (ON) to a high resistance state (OFF) at low voltages caused by an electric-field-induced morphological rearrangement of PEDOT and PSS at the electrode interface.

Optical sensing properties of dithiocarbamate-functionalized microspheres, using a polyvinylpyridine-polyvinylbenzyl chloride copolymer.

In this study, a new modified optical chemical sensor based on swellable polymer microspheres is developed using a 5% copolymer of polyvinylpyridine-polyvinyl-benzyl chloride microspheres functionalized as the corresponding dithiocarbamate. This sensor demonstrated significant enhancements in sensitivity, dynamic range and response time. These improvements are related to the presence of pyridine in the polymer backbone, which is believed to increase the space between the groups, thus decreasing steric hindrance, and hence increasing substitution of the dithiocarbamate group.

Spatial analysis of soil salinity and soil structural stability in a semiarid region of New South Wales, Australia.

Salt-affected soils are a major threat to agriculture especially in the semiarid regions of the world. The effective management of these soils requires adequate understanding of not only how water and, hence, solutes are transported within the soil, but also how soil salinity and sodicity spatially interact to determine soil structural breakdown. For sustainable agricultural production, information on quantitative soil quality, such as salinity, is required for effective land management and environmental planning.

Thymol and carvacrol production from leaves of wild Palestinian Majorana syriaca.

Majorana syriaca (Zaatar in Arabic), belonging to the mint family, Labiates, is cultivated widely and grows wild in the mountains of Palestine between the months April to August. In order to determine the secondary metabolites from wild leaves of Palestinian M. syriaca, comparative analysis by static headspace (HS) and steam distillation (SD) GC-MS was used.

Natural compounds of Palestine flora. Comparison analysis by static headspace and steam distillation GC-MS of semivolatile secondary metabolites from leaves of cultivated Palestinian Majorana syriaca.

Background: A comparative analysis by using static headspace (HS) and steam distillation (SD) GC-MS of the volatile and the semi-volatile secondary metabolites from leaves of cultivated Majorana syriaca.

Methods: The essential oils endogenous to cultivated thyme were isolated and identified by HS-GC-MS technology and compared to those from SD-GC-MS.

Results: The HS-GC-MS results showed that the Palestinian cultivated thyme is rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons and phenolic monoterpenes such as alpha-phellandrene, alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, m-cymene, p-cymene, gamma-terpinene, thymol and carvacrol.

Kinetics and mechanisms of chlorine dioxide and chlorite oxidations of cysteine and glutathione.

Chlorine dioxide oxidation of cysteine (CSH) is investigated under pseudo-first-order conditions (with excess CSH) in buffered aqueous solutions, p[H+] 2.7-9.5 at 25.

Chlorine dioxide reduction by aqueous iron(II) through outer-sphere and inner-sphere electron-transfer pathways.

The reduction of ClO(2) to ClO(2)(-) by aqueous iron(II) in 0.5 M HClO(4) proceeds by both outer-sphere (86%) and inner-sphere (14%) electron-transfer pathways. The second-order rate constant for the outer-sphere reaction is 1.

Kinetics and mechanisms of bromine chloride reactions with bromite and chlorite ions.

Chloride ion catalyzes the reactions of HOBr with bromite and chlorite ions in phosphate buffer (p[H(+)] 5 to 7). Bromine chloride is generated in situ in small equilibrium concentrations by the addition of excess Cl(-) to HOBr. In the BrCl/ClO(2)(-) reaction, where ClO(2)(-) is in excess, a first-order rate of formation of ClO(2) is observed that depends on the HOBr concentration.

New pathways for chlorine dioxide decomposition in basic solution.

The product distribution from the decay of chlorine dioxide in basic solution changes as the ClO(2) concentration decreases. While disproportionation reactions that give equal amounts of ClO(2)(-) and ClO(3)(-) dominate the stoichiometry at millimolar or higher levels of ClO(2), the ratio of ClO(2)(-) to ClO(3)(-) formed increases significantly at micromolar ClO(2) levels. Kinetic evidence shows three concurrent pathways that all exhibit a first-order dependence in [OH(-)] but have variable order in [ClO(2)].

Mapping the distribution of DDT residues as DDE in the soils of the irrigated regions of northern New South Wales, Australia using ELISA and GIS.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene] has been used to map DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane)] residues in the top 10 cm of soil in three river valleys of northern New South Wales, Australia. Despite being almost 20 years since DDT was last applied for cotton growing in these areas, the relationship between sites of greatest application and current residue levels was strong. DDE concentrations in the range 0-2 ppm were found, although most the 389 soil samples examined contained less than 0.