Wyroby ze szkła i fajansu egipskiego

During archaeological research in the cremation cemetery in Żelazna Nowa, 106 glass and four faience artefacts were uncovered. Most of them were found in eleven cremation burials (1, 2, 19A, 33, 34, vicinity of 36, 37, 39, 44, 47, 54) dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. The glass pieces are highly fragmented, melted, or fused with other elements of the pyre, with only one glass bead completely preserved (type 218c acc. to Tempelmann-Mączyńska). The faience objects have survived in better shape: these are two complete beads and two fragments, all representing type 171 (acc. to Tempelmann-Mączyńska). Chemical compositions of 12 glass pieces and one fragment of a faience bead were determined using EPMA analysis. All the analysed artefacts turned out to be sodium glasses, made using both mineral sodium (natron) and sodium from the ash of halophytic plants (one sample). Natron glasses represent three groups distinguished by varying contents of MgO and K2O. The differences in concentrations of these components indicate that sands from different deposits were added in the glass-making process. This corroborates a hypothesis positing multiple centres of glass production during the Roman Period.

Evaluation of Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp and Three Halophytic Plants in Marine Aquaponic Systems under Three Salinities

The effect of salinity on the growth performance of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and three halophyte plants, red orache (Atriplex hortensis), okahijiki (Salsola komarovii), and minutina (Plantago coronopus), in a marine aquaponic system with biofloc was evaluated in this study. The experiment was conducted for 4 weeks, and the three treatments were 10, 15, or 20 ppt (parts per thousand). The growth performance of the shrimp and the three halophytes were affected by the salinity. Compared to the shrimp reared in 10 ppt, those reared in 15 and 20 ppt had higher final weight, weight gain rate (WGR), and specific growth rate (SGR), and lower feed conversion ratio (FCR). The results from shrimp raised in 15 ppt were 2.0 ± 0.1 g, 89.9 ± 2.2%, 2.3 ± 0.0%, and 1.5 ± 0.0, respectively, and those in 20 ppt were 2.0 ± 0.1 g, 93.9 ± 5.4%, 2.4 ± 0.1%, and 1.4 ± 0.1, respectively. On the other hand, the growth performance and nutrient content in halophyte plants decreased with the increasing salinity. In general, the three halophyte plants had better results in the 10 and 15 ppt treatments than those in 20 ppt. Therefore, the salinity of 15 ppt was suggested as the optimal condition for the integrated cultivation of whiteleg shrimp and the three halophytes in marine aquaponics. Additionally, they are compatible species for the development of marine aquaponics.

Anti-Microbial, Anti-Oxidant, and α-Amylase Inhibitory Activity of Traditionally-Used Medicinal Herbs: A Comparative Analyses of Pharmacology, and Phytoconstituents of Regional Halophytic Plants’ Diaspora

Halophytes are the category of plants growing under harsh conditions of super-salinity, and are wide-spread in the coastal Mediterranean climatic conditions and desert oasis. They are adept at surviving through maintaining excessive production of enzymatic, and non-enzymatic secondary metabolites, especially phenolics and flavonoids that primarily work as anti-oxidants and phytoalexins. Five major halophyte species growing in the kingdom’s Qassim’s high-salted desert regions were investigated for confirming their traditionally used biological activity of sugar-control and anti-infectious properties. In this context, the comparative presence of phenolics, and flavonoids together with anti-microbial, anti-oxidants, and the anti-diabetic potentials of the plants’ extracts were investigated through the α-amylase inhibition method. The highest concentrations of phenolics and flavonoids were detected in Salsola imbricata (360 mg/g of the extract as Gallic-Acid-Equivalents/GAE, and 70.5 mg/g of the extract as Rutin-Equivalents/RE). In contrast, the lowest concentrations of phenolics and flavonoids were detected in Salsola cyclophylla (126.6 mg/g GAE, and 20.5 mg/g RE). The halophytes were found rich in trace elements, a factor for water-retention in high-salinity plants, wherein iron and zinc elements were found comparatively in higher concentrations in Aeluropus lagopoides (4113 µg/kg, and 40.1 µg/kg, respectively), while the copper was detected in higher concentration (11.1 µg/kg) in S. imbricata, analyzed through Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometric (ICP-OES) analysis. The anti-oxidant potentials and α-amylase enzyme inhibition-based anti-diabetic activity of S. imbricata was significantly higher than the other halophytes under study, wherein S. cyclophylla exhibited the lowest level of α-amylase inhibition. The maximum DPPH radicals’ (52.47 mg/mL), and α-amylase inhibitions (IC50 22.98 µg/mL) were detected in A.lagopoides. The anti-microbial activity against the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus was strongly exhibited by Zygophyllum simplex (33 mm Inhibition Zone-Diameter, 50 µg/mL Minimum-Inhibitory-Concentration), while Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans growths were moderately inhibited by Tamarix aphylla. The current findings exhibited significant differences among the locally distributed halophytic plants species with regards to their bioactivity levels, anti-oxidant potentials, and the presence of trace elements. The ongoing data corroborated the plants’ traditional uses in infections and diabetic conditions. The enhanced local distribution of the plants’ diaspora and higher density of occurrence of these plants species in this region, in comparison to their normal climatic condition’s counterparts, seemed to be affected by humans’ use of the species as part of the traditional and alternative medicine over a period of long time.

Composition and changes in the spontaneous flora of the Wadi El Rayan Ramsar site, Fayoum, Egypt, in the last 20 years

Wadi El Rayan is located in Egypt in the Sahara ecoregion the Palearctic ecozone (the world’s largest hot desert). The total area of Wadi El Rayan is 1759km2. The aim of this work was to study the ecosystems, compare species composition, species richness and species diversity of the study sites in the Wadi El Rayan protected area and the distributions of plants in the different landform. The field observations found that there is a low diversity and number of plant species around the lakes, in particular a decline in vegetation cover in accordance with a dramatic decrease in the water level in the lakes compared to earlier studies. The reduction of water levels due to decreased water supply is considered the main threat facing ecosystems and biodiversity in the lake area which requires a continuous survey of flora and measures to be implemented to conserve the natural vegetation in the area. Based on investigations of the spontaneous flora of Wadi El Rayan in 2018, 18 taxa of vascular plants were recorded. This inventory was compared with published records of investigations made in 1998, 2002 and 2014. A total of 18 vascular plant species belonging to 14 families were recorded in the wetland and desert ecosystems around the lakes of Wadi El Rayan. The vegetation mainly consists of sparsely distributed xerophytic and halophytic plants except in the wetland ecosystem around the lakes where it is characterized by some hydrophytic and halophytic plants. The family with the highest number of species was Poaceae followed by Zygophyllaceae. The results showed that a higher number of species was recorded from the Lower Lake (13 species) than the Upper Lake (10 species) and (5 species) for the connecting channel. The most frequently recorded species were Phragmites australis, Tamarix nilotica, Juncus rigidus and Alhagi graecorum: the first two species were the most successful species as they grow in a variety of ecosystems and habitats.