Abstract: The susceptibility of date palm fresh fruit of four cultivars to natural infestation by the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier and the effect of their physio-chemical composition on infestation were studied at Sharkyia Governorate, Egypt in season 2013. Carbohydrate: though the ratio glucose and fructose originates from a one-to-one basis, thus ratio may change during ripening. Usually, glucose remaining the prominent one. Protein and fats: both substances occur in small amounts in the date flesh. Fat is mainly concentrated in the skin and has a more physiological importance in the protection of the fruit than contributing to the nutritional value of the date flesh (0.1-0.4%). Knowledge of the qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of date fruits is of prime important to the user of dates. The consumer interest will mainly focus on the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the product. For practical purposes the relative % of sucrose, glucose and fructose is sometimes propagandized as a more direct, accessible energy source to human body. Generally from the fore mentioned results it can be concluded that in consequence of the high levels of protein, the moderate levels of fats and carbohydrates and the low levels of ash of some date fruits cultivars, certain degrees of effectiveness were manifested towards the date palm weevil infestation. 

Abstract: The effect of ethanolic extract of essential oil of E. aromatica for the control of S. zeamais, S. oryzae , C. maculatus and T. castaneum was investigated in the laboratory. Essential oil was extracted from pulverized dry flower buds of E. aromatica using volatile or essential oil steam distillation apparatus. The oil was prepared into the following concentrations; 100%, 50%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, and 1% respectively in ethanol. 16.4g of cowpea seeds, 15.05g of maize seeds, 5g of rice seeds and 3.25g of wheat seeds were put into separate petri dishes. 5males and 5females of the insect pests were introduced into the petri dishes containing the seeds. The essential oils were were sprayed using a hand sprayer into the petri dishes containing the insect pests at different levels of concentrations 100%, 50%, 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% and 1% respectively. Insect mortality rate was monitored and observed to fall between for 5minutes in Sitophilus zeamais and 45minutes in Tribolium castaneum. The essential oil applied at all levels significantly reduced the population of each insect pest of the studied storage crops. 

Abstract: The Zugspitzplatt as part of the Wetterstein Mountains in southern Germany is a representative for a preserved tertiary paleosurface in the western part of the Northern Calcareous Alps. It is built from very pure triassic limestone (Wettersteinkalk). The mean contents of the sum of CaCO₃ and MgCO₃ range between 95% and 98%. That means the mean amounts of insoluble residuals are about 2% only. Thus, the pedogenesis is accompanied by high pH values. Eutric regosols are the most common soils in the altitudinal range between 2100 and about 2400 m a.s.l. By contrast an atypical and mica influenced occurrence of brown deposits and the development of cambisols with low pH values can also be observed there. These soil conditions entail special patterns of the alpine flora. In summer 2013 a soil mapping in the altitude class between 2100 and 2350 m a.s.l. was realized on the basis of 81 analyzed soil sites. These pedological investigations resulted in new conclusions about the genesis of the spatial pattern concerning the supply area of aeolian input of mica. 

Abstract: The effect of size reduction on the drying rate of cassava (Manihot sp.) and plantain (Musa paradisiacal) chips were analyzed comparatively through physical and statistical operations. In this study, duplicate cassava and plantain chips were used with varying thicknesses of 2mm, 4mm, 6mm and 8mm. The chips were subjected to natural sun drying with ambient temperature of 29⁰C and artificial tray drying with the following conditions: dry bulb temperature of 60⁰C, wet bulb temperature of 48⁰C, air flow rate of 2.0m/s and relative humidity of 52%. The results showed that there was more moisture loss in the tray drying method than the sun drying with distinct difference in their respective moisture contents. The observed result was due to increase in surface area, drying conditions and the drying methods applied in which dried chip was attained at 9 hours of drying time for all thicknesses. The final dried products were found to have high rate of microorganism inhibition and considerable weight loss for cheaper transport and storage. 

Abstract: A study of the radioactivity in drinking water from Al-Sader city in Baghdad, Iraq, has been carried out. Thirty water samples were analyzed by γ-ray spectroscopy to determine the ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K concentrations. The activity concentration values range were 1.400-55.79BqL^-1, ND-11.95BqL^-1 and 6.3800-253.86 BqL^-1 for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K respectively.  Radium Equivalent activity was calculated and it was range from 6.8807 BqL^-1 to 63.521 BqL^-1. The absorbed dose rate in air was also calculated for the samples and its range from 3.1524nGyh^-1 to 29.697nGyh^-1. The outdoor annual effective doses ranged from 0.0039mSv to 0.0364mSv with a mean value of 0.0184mSv and the indoor annual effective doses ranged from 0.0186mSv to 0.1716mSv with a mean value 0.0849mSv for one year. The radiation hazard indices of water samples were also calculated, the results showed that the average values of either radionuclides concentration or radiation hazard indices of all water samples under study were in the internationally permissible range. The excess lifetime cancer risk was calculated using the risk factors of International Commission on Radiological Protection and Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation. Thus, the values obtained when compared with their corresponding world permissible values, were found to be below the standard limits. The results from models that have been detected and put them in the calculations refer that the water of Al-Sader city is safe to drink