Response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to drought stress under in vitro and field conditions

Background Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), the world’s third most important crop, is frequently thought to be sensitive to moderately sensitive to drought, and yield has fallen considerably over consecutive stress periods. Drought produces a wide range of responses in potato, from physiological alterations to variations in growth rates and yield. Knowledge about these responses is essential for getting a full understanding of drought-tolerance mechanism in potato plants which will help in the identification of drought-tolerant cultivars. Results A set of 21 commercial potato cultivars representing the genetic diversity in the Middle East countries market were screened for drought tolerance by measuring morpho-physiological traits and tuber production under in vitro and field trials. Cultivars were exposed to drought stress ranging from no drought to 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mol L−1 sorbitol in in vitro-based screening and 60, 40 and 20% soil moisture content in field-based screening. Drought stress adversely affected plant growth, yield and cultivars differed for their responses. Shoots and roots fresh weights, root length, surface area of root, no. of roots, no. of leaves, leaf area, plant water content %, K+ content, under in vitro drought treatments and shoots fresh and dry weights, no. of tubers and tuber yield under field drought treatments were examined and all decreased due to drought. The stress tolerance index decreased with increasing drought in examined cultivars; nevertheless, it revealed a degree of tolerance in some of them. Grouping cultivars by cluster analysis for response to drought resulted in: (i) a tolerant group of five cultivars, (ii) a moderately tolerant group of 11 cultivars, and (iii) a sensitive group of five cultivars. Furthermore, stress-related genes, i.e., DRO, ERECTA, ERF, DREB and StMYB were up-regulated in the five cultivars of the tolerant group. Likewise, the stomatal conductance and transpiration explained high correlation with the tuber yield in this group of cultivars. Conclusion The diversity in germplasm indicated that potato cultivars can be developed for production under certain degrees of drought. Some cultivars are good candidates to be included in drought-tolerant breeding programs and recommended for cultivation in drought-stricken regions. Graphical Abstract

Investigating the Export Competitiveness of Indonesian Automobile in the Middle-East Countries

Since the automobile is one of Indonesia’s value-added commodities with the highest export potency, this paper attempts to investigate the competitiveness of Indonesian automobile in the Middle-east countries by employing the RSCA index and the EPD. The RSCA indices from the selected Middle-east countries reveal that the Indonesian automobile has a comparative advantage in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, SA, and the UAE while Egypt and Jordan show a comparative disadvantage. The export competitiveness stability has medium to extreme fluctuations, particularly in Lebanon and the UAE, and shows an increasing trend only in Jordan and Qatar. The EPD matrix displays that Indonesia has Rising Star positions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and SA. While Falling Star positions are shown in Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE. Indonesia should focus on SUV export development since this model has the highest demand in the Middle-east countries.

Evaluating the Impacts of Courtyards on Educational Buildings, Case Study in the University of Sharjah

Courtyards are traditionally associated with the Middle East countries, where climate and culture have given shape to a particular type of traditional architecture. The study evaluates the environmental and social impacts of courtyards in an educational building integrated with occupant’s interaction behavior. The case study of the University of Sharjah includes eight different courtyards unoccupied for many years, in different locations around the building with various proportions; the objectives were to examine and evaluate the impact of redesigning the interior spaces of the courtyards in terms of environmental and social aspects. The inductive and experimental approach were adopted in this research, where two surveys were conducted for the occupants, before and after the design applications. In addition to the use of eco-tech software for simulation. In conclusion, the results of surveys and interviews clarified the problem and offered some recommendations and simulation analysis provided recommendations and guidelines for designers.

Intravenous Maintenance Fluid Therapy in the Pediatric Acute and Critical Care Setting: A European Practice Survey. Intravenous Maintenance Fluids in Pediatric Practice: A European Survey

Background: The ideal fluid for intravenous maintenance fluid therapy (IV-MFT) in acutely and critically ill children is controversial and evidence based clinical practice guidelines are lacking. The current prescribing practices remains unknown.Aim: We aimed to describe the current practices and choice of pediatric acute care clinicians in prescribing IV-MFT in the context of acutely and critically ill children with regards to the amount, tonicity, composition, use of balanced fluid and prescribing strategies in various clinical contexts. Method: A cross-sectional electronic survey was emailed in April-May 2021 to pediatric critical care physicians across European and Middle East countries. The survey instrument was developed by an expert multi-professional panel within ESPNIC. The survey instrument included their practice of prescribing the IV-MFT: indication, amount, tonicity, use of balance solutions & composition of IV-MFT.Results: 154 respondents from 35 European and Middle East countries participated in this survey (response rate 64%). Respondents were staff physicians or nurse practitioners in charge of critically ill children. They all indicated that they routinely use a predefined formula to prescribe the amount of an IV-MFT. The use of balanced solution was preferred in case of altered serum Na and Cl levels or metabolic acidosis. 42% of responders (65/153) believed that balanced solutions should always be used. In terms of the indication and the composition of IV-MFT prescribed, responses were heterogenous among centers. 70% of the respondents (n=107) believed there was a gap between the current practice in their unit and what they considered ideal IV-MFT due to the lack of guidelines and inadequate training of health care professionals.Conclusion: Our study showed considerable variability in clinical prescribing practice of IV-MFT in PICUs across Europe and the middle east. There is an urgent need to develop evidence-based guidelines for IV-MFT prescription in acutely and critically ill children.

Cultural Variation in Aggressive Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Students’ Exposure to Bullying Across 32 Countries

Introduction. The prevalence rates of bullying vary significantly across countries and continents. Specifically, UNESCO estimates that the prevalence rates vary from 22.8% (Central America) to 48.2% (Sub-Saharan Africa). Recently, these differences among countries and regions have been attributed to culture- and country-level variables. Thus, the first purpose of this study is to examine the comparability of bullying in schools across countries. Secondly, a cross-cultural comparison of the latent mean scores of bullying is implemented. Method. The data of 286,481 adolescent students (M=15.78, SD=0.29) from 32 countries were analyzed using multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (MLCFA) and multigroup factor alignment. Results. Results indicated that the meaning of bullying is equivalent within and between cultures. However, cross-cultural differences in bullying are apparent. East Asian countries have the lowest latent means of bullying, while Southeast Asian countries have the highest means. Anglo-Saxon, Eastern European, Mediterranean, South American, and Middle East countries displayed rather higher scores. Discussion and Conclusion. These findings underscore the existence of cross-cultural differential responding in bullying measures. Further, the implicit role of culture as an important variable that determines the rates of bullying is underscored.

Evaluation of the Effects of Magnetically Treated Saline Water on Physiological, Antioxidant and Agronomic Traits of Jojoba [Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider]

Salinity poses a serious challenge to agriculture across the globe. In the Middle East, countries such as Saudi Arabia are facing potential problems of salinity due to the use of processed saline Red Sea water for agriculture. To tackle this challenge, the current study was conducted with the objective of assessing the effects of magnetically (1.80 mT) treated normal agriculture water (NW = 2.11 DSm−1) and different concentrations of Red Sea water (RSWC1 = 5.61 DSm−1 and RSWC2 = 7.01 DSm−1) on the physiological traits (chlorophyll, photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and membrane damage), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase), proline and agronomic characteristics (germination percentage, germination rate, shoot length and root length) of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) seedlings. The experiment was set in a glasshouse with three replicates, using RCBD with two factorial arrangements. The data were collected and subjected to statistical analysis using statistix8.1 and R-program. All magnetically treated concentrations of saline water showed significant improvements in all traits compared with their respective controls, except proline, membrane damage (MD) and germination rate (GR). However, the response of these all traits was more significant at NW compared with RSWC1 and RSWC2. Furthermore, correlation, PCA and heat map analysis revealed that all traits are significantly interlinked in determining the jojoba response to different concentrations of salinity, both in the presence and absence of MF.

TOURISM PRODUCT QUALITY PERCEPTIONS AND BIG SPENDERS’ TRAVEL INTENTIONS IN MALAYSIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES

Tourism is the second-largest economic driver of the Malaysian economy. This paper aims to examine the mediating role of perceived tourism product quality (TPQ) in Malaysia on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and the intent to travel to Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Middle East. Two-fold objectives were developed which are to investigate the significant difference of the perception between SEA and Middle East countries on Malaysian’s tourism products quality and to examine the mediating role of perceived tourism products quality in Malaysia towards eWOM and travelling intentions of SEA and the Middle East. The questionnaire that was used to collect the data used in this study was designed with tourists from SEA and the Middle East who have been to Malaysia in mind. The questionnaire was designed for online distribution using Google Forms. The study processed 92 responses from Middle Eastern tourists and had another 79 respondents from SEA. The data sets and responses were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and MANOVA techniques. The findings show a significant mediating effect of perceived TPQ towards the eWOM and revisit intentions of tourists. Besides, comparison analysis shows that SEA tourists are more likely to revisit Malaysia than the Middle East, the same as for the finding of eWOM and perceived TPQ. TPQ has a mediating impact on eWOM and the intention to revisit both geographical locations. The findings of this study are expected to positively affect stakeholders, especially the State Tourism, Tourism Board, and tourism industry players.

Study on the Demographic Analysis of Countries and the Construction of Population Health Index

The data in this paper are from the POPULATION Data Bureau of the United States, Statistics Bureau of the European Union, CEIC global database, etc. SPSS software was used to carry out statistical analysis on the population data of about 230 countries and regions in the world from 2002 to 2012. Through the hierarchical cluster analysis, the population data of the Middle East countries are clustered, and it is found that the population distribution of the Middle East countries is relatively uniform. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the determinants of the total American population, and it was found that the population aged 15-64 and the birth rate were significantly positively driven to the total American population. Finally, the population health index was constructed by factor analysis, and the supporting factors were life expectancy health factor and population quantity factor respectively.

New Record of the Bottle Liverworts Sphaerocarpos Donnellii Aust. for Iraq and Middle East Countries

The Order Sphaerocarpales of the bottle liverwort consists of five genera, among which Sphaerocarpos in turn consists of 8-9 species. The genus is nearly worldwide distributed, but disjunct, sporadic, and localized throughout the range in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. According to the published checklist, only two species of Sphaerocarpos were recorded in the middle east countries. These are S. texanus and S. michelii, both were found in Turkey, while only the latter was found in Iraq. By the current study, an additional species, S. donnellii, will be added to the byroflora of the Middle East (south west Asia) region. A specimen of this species was found in Mosul city, Nineveh province, Iraq, grown on loamy soil in a house garden.