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Jadimurthy R, Jagadish S, Nayak SC, Kumar S, Mohan CD, Rangappa KS. Phytochemicals as Invaluable Sources of Potent Antimicrobial Agents to Combat Antibiotic Resistance. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13040948. [PMID: 37109477 PMCID: PMC10145550 DOI: 10.3390/life13040948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants have been used for therapeutic purposes against various human ailments for several centuries. Plant-derived natural compounds have been implemented in clinics against microbial diseases. Unfortunately, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has significantly reduced the efficacy of existing standard antimicrobials. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to discover new antimicrobial agents against drug-resistant pathogens. In the present article, we have discussed the importance of plant metabolites in the context of their medicinal applications and elaborated on their mechanism of antimicrobial action against human pathogens. The WHO has categorized some drug-resistant bacteria and fungi as critical and high priority based on the need to develope new drugs, and we have considered the plant metabolites that target these bacteria and fungi. We have also emphasized the role of phytochemicals that target deadly viruses such as COVID-19, Ebola, and dengue. Additionally, we have also elaborated on the synergetic effect of plant-derived compounds with standard antimicrobials against clinically important microbes. Overall, this article provides an overview of the importance of considering phytogenous compounds in the development of antimicrobial compounds as therapeutic agents against drug-resistant microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragi Jadimurthy
- Department of Studies in Molecular Biology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570006, India
| | - Swamy Jagadish
- Department of Studies in Molecular Biology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570006, India
| | - Siddaiah Chandra Nayak
- Department of Studies in Biotechnology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570006, India
| | - Sumana Kumar
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore 570015, India
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From Biodiversity to Musketry: Detection of Plant Diversity in Pre-Industrial Peloponnese during the Flora Graeca Expedition. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12121957. [PMID: 36556322 PMCID: PMC9785030 DOI: 10.3390/life12121957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
As the interest in natural, sustainable ecosystems arises in many fields, wild plant diversity is reconsidered. The present study is based on extant literature evidence from the journey of John Sibthorp (Professor of Botany, Oxford University) to Peloponnese (Greece) in pre-industrial time. In the year 1795, Peloponnese was a botanically unknown region, very dangerous for travellers and under civil unrest, in conjuncture with a pre-rebellion period. Our study reveals approximately 200 wild plant taxa that were collected from Peloponnese localities in 1795, transported to Oxford University (UK), and quoted in the magnificent edition Flora Graeca Sibthorpiana of the 19th century. Moreover, these plants currently constitute a living collection in Peloponnese, confirmed according to updated data on the vascular Flora of Greece. The presented lists constitute a source of information for plant biologists, linking the past to the present, shedding light on the study of adaptive traits of wild Mediterranean plants and revealing the temporal dimension of natural history. Nowadays, increasing and thorough understanding of the considered plants' functionality to abiotic and biotic environmental stimuli provides a new framework of sustainability and management options.
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Kazemi-Shahandashti SS, Mann L, El-nagish A, Harpke D, Nemati Z, Usadel B, Heitkam T. Ancient Artworks and Crocus Genetics Both Support Saffron's Origin in Early Greece. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:834416. [PMID: 35283878 PMCID: PMC8913524 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.834416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) is a male-sterile, triploid flower crop, and source of the spice and colorant saffron. For over three millennia, it was cultivated across the Mediterranean, including ancient Greece, Persia, and other cultures, later spreading all over the world. Despite saffron crocus' early omnipresence, its origin has been the matter of a century-old debate, in terms of area and time as well as parental species contribution. While remnants of the ancient arts, crafts, and texts still provide hints on its origin, modern genetics has the potential to efficiently follow these leads, thus shedding light on new possible lines of descent. In this review, we follow ancient arts and recent genetics to trace the evolutionary origin of saffron crocus. We focus on the place and time of saffron domestication and cultivation, and address its presumed autopolyploid origin involving cytotypes of wild Crocus cartwrightianus. Both ancient arts from Greece, Iran, and Mesopotamia as well as recent cytogenetic and comparative next-generation sequencing approaches point to saffron's emergence and domestication in ancient Greece, showing how both disciplines converge in tracing its origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyyedeh-Sanam Kazemi-Shahandashti
- Institute of Biological Data Science, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- IBG-4 Bioinformatics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ludwig Mann
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Abdullah El-nagish
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Dörte Harpke
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Zahra Nemati
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Björn Usadel
- Institute of Biological Data Science, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- IBG-4 Bioinformatics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Tony Heitkam
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Dutta T, Anand U, Saha SC, Mane AB, Prasanth DA, Kandimalla R, Proćków J, Dey A. Advancing urban ethnopharmacology: a modern concept of sustainability, conservation and cross-cultural adaptations of medicinal plant lore in the urban environment. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab073. [PMID: 34548925 PMCID: PMC8448427 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The discipline 'urban ethnopharmacology' emerged as a collection of traditional knowledge, ancient civilizations, history and folklore being circulated since generations, usage of botanical products, palaeobotany and agronomy. Non-traditional botanical knowledge increases the availability of healthcare and other essential products to the underprivileged masses. Intercultural medicine essentially involves 'practices in healthcare that bridge indigenous medicine and western medicine, where both are considered as complementary'. A unique aspect of urban ethnopharmacology is its pluricultural character. Plant medicine blossomed due to intercultural interactions and has its roots in major anthropological events of the past. Unani medicine was developed by Khalif Harun Al Rashid and Khalif Al Mansur by translating Greek and Sanskrit works. Similarly, Indo-Aryan migration led to the development of Vedic culture, which product is Ayurveda. Greek medicine reached its summit when it travelled to Egypt. In the past few decades, ethnobotanical field studies proliferated, especially in the developed countries to cope with the increasing demands of population expansion. At the same time, sacred groves continued to be an important method of conservation across several cultures even in the urban aspect. Lack of scientific research, validating the efficiency, messy applications, biopiracy and slower results are the main constrains to limit its acceptability. Access to resources and benefit sharing may be considered as a potential solution. Indigenous communities can copyright their traditional formulations and then can collaborate with companies, who have to provide the original inventors with a fair share of the profits since a significant portion of the health economy is generated by herbal medicine. Search string included the terms 'Urban' + 'Ethnopharmacology', which was searched in Google Scholar to retrieve the relevant literature. The present review aims to critically analyse the global concept of urban ethnopharmacology with the inherent plurality of the cross-cultural adaptations of medicinal plant use by urban people across the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tusheema Dutta
- Ethnopharmacology and Natural Product Research Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, 700073, West Bengal, India
| | - Uttpal Anand
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
| | - Suchismita Chatterjee Saha
- Department of Zoology, Nabadwip Vidyasagar College (Affiliated to the University of Kalyani), Nabadwip, West Bengal, 741302, India
| | - Abhijit Bhagwan Mane
- Department of Zoology, Dr. Patangrao Kadam Mahavidyalaya, Sangli, (Affiliated to Shivaji University of Kolhapur), Maharashtra, 416308, India
| | - Dorairaj Arvind Prasanth
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biosciences, Periyar University, Salem, 636011, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Ramesh Kandimalla
- CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Uppal Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, 500007, Telangana, India
- Department of Biochemistry, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, 506007, Telangana, India
| | - Jarosław Proćków
- Department of Plant Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Abhijit Dey
- Ethnopharmacology and Natural Product Research Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata, 700073, West Bengal, India
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A microbotanical and microwear perspective to plant processing activities and foodways at Neolithic Çatalhöyük. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252312. [PMID: 34111169 PMCID: PMC8191975 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Çatalhöyük is a renowned archaeological site in central Anatolia, best known for its Neolithic occupation dated from 7100 to 6000 cal BC. The site received worldwide attention early on for its large size, well-preserved mudbrick architecture, and elaborate wall paintings. Excavations at the site over almost three decades have unearthed rich archaeobotanical remains and a diverse ground stone assemblage produced by what once was a vibrant farming community. The study presented here adds to our understanding of crops and plant processing at Çatalhöyük by integrating phytoliths and starch analyses on grinding implements found at three domestic contexts attributed to the Middle (6700–6500 cal BC) and Late (6500–6300 cal BC) period of occupation. Our results reveal a rich microbotanical assemblage that testifies the use of a wide range of geophytes and wild seasonal resources previously unknown at the site. Moreover, by comparing results from the microbotanical proxies and microscopic wear patterns on artefacts, we are also able to discern various plant processing practices the analysed artefacts were employed for. In sum, this work further expands our understanding of plants and crop processing activities performed by the inhabitants of Neolithic Çatalhöyük.
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Johnson KH, Paxton AB, Taylor JC, Hoyt J, McCord J, Hoffman W. Extracting ecological metrics from archeological surveys of shipwrecks using submersible video and laser‐line scanning. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Avery B. Paxton
- CSS‐Inc 10301 Democracy Lane, Suite 300 Fairfax Virginia22030USA
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort North Carolina28516USA
| | - J. Christopher Taylor
- National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort North Carolina28516USA
| | - Joseph Hoyt
- Maritime Heritage Program, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1305 East‐West Highway, N/NMS Silver Spring Maryland20910USA
| | - John McCord
- Coastal Studies Institute East Carolina University 850 NC‐345 Wanchese North Carolina27981USA
| | - William Hoffman
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs 45600 Woodland Road, VAM‐OREP Sterling Virginia20166USA
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Fatur K. Sagas of the Solanaceae: Speculative ethnobotanical perspectives on the Norse berserkers. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2019; 244:112151. [PMID: 31404578 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The Norse berserkers were wild warriors of Scandinavia known to enter a trance-like state that allowed them to fight with increased strength and a rage that granted them immunity to many forms of harm in battle. Though many theories have been advanced as to the cause of this state, the most widely believed is that the intoxicating mushroom Amanita muscaria was used. AIM OF THE STUDY The following article underlines the issues with this theory and provides an alternate intoxicant that fits with the reports of berserker behaviour much better: Hyoscyamus niger. MATERIALS AND METHODS Literature from a variety of disciplines pertaining to history, toxicology, pharmacology, and botany was compiled to frame and support the argument. RESULTS H. niger proved to be a more likely intoxicant used to induce the berserker rage state. CONCLUSIONS With its anticholinergic tropane alkaloids and symptom profile, H. niger is a much more likely cause of the berserker state than A muscaria. Though there is not enough archaeological and historical evidence to prove or disprove this theory, it provides a novel explanation that is at present the most viable means of understanding the berserkers' trance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karsten Fatur
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, 32 Tržaška Cesta, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Samorini G. The oldest archeological data evidencing the relationship of Homo sapiens with psychoactive plants: A worldwide overview. JOURNAL OF PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1556/2054.2019.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Modern sophisticated archeometric instruments are increasingly capable of detecting the presence of psychoactive plant sources in archeological contexts, testifying the antiquity of humanity’s search for altered states of consciousness. The purpose of this article is to provide a general picture of these findings, covering the main psychoactive plant sources of the world, and identifying the most ancient dates so far evidenced by archeology. This review is based on the archeological literature identifying the presence of psychoactive plant sources, relying on original research documents. The research produced two main results: (a) a systematization of the types of archeological evidence that testify the relationship between Homo sapiens and these psychoactive sources, subdivided into direct evidence (i.e., material findings, chemical, and genetic) and indirect evidence (i.e., anthropophysical, iconographic, literary, and paraphernalia); and (b) producing a list of the earliest known dates of the relationship of H. sapiens with the main psychoactive plant sources. There appears to be a general diffusion of the use of plant drugs from at least the Neolithic period (for the Old World) and the pre-Formative period (for the Americas). These dates should not to be understood as the first use of these materials, instead they refer to the oldest dates currently determined by either direct or indirect archeological evidence. Several of these dates are likely to be modified back in time by future excavations and finds.
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Abstract
Ancient Roman wine is found outside of the borders of the Roman world as a result of the Roman influence, trade and political relations. In our project, we decided to extensively research and recreate the ancient method of wine making in order to understand ancient viticulture and viniculture as it could have been if implemented outside of the borders. The objective was to recreate roman wine using ancient methods based on ancient texts (such as Columella, Pliny the Elder, Cicero, Cato the Elder, Galenus and Mago). The wine was made using modern grapes grown on lands considered by the Romans as barbaric (i.e., outside the Roman Limes), in modern Poland. The aim of the project—except for the wine making itself—was to measure the level of alcohol created through fermentation process. Ethanol levels in samples were obtained using gas chromatography (GC).
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The Long-Term Perspective of Human Impact on Landscape for Environmental Change (LoTEC) and Sustainability: From Botany to the Interdisciplinary Approach. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11020413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This is not the first time the Earth has to experience dramatic environmental and climate changes but this seems to be the first time that a living species—humanity—is able to understand that great changes are taking place rapidly and that probably natural and anthropogenic forces are involved in the process that is under way [...]
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Letters to the Editor. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2017; 250:970-972. [DOI: 10.2460/javma.250.9.970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Jenkins L. Pharmaceutical Compounding: Our First Foray Into Common Ground and Controversies. Ther Innov Regul Sci 2016; 50:264-265. [DOI: 10.1177/2168479016644238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Studying Ancient Anthropogenic Impacts on Current Floral Biodiversity in the Southern Levant as reflected by the Philistine Migration. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13308. [PMID: 26304818 PMCID: PMC4642518 DOI: 10.1038/srep13308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human migrations across geographic boundaries can facilitate the introduction of new husbandry practices and dispersal of plants and animals, resulting in changes in biodiversity. As previously demonstrated, the 12th century BCE Philistine migration-to the southern Levantine littoral, involved the transportation of pigs from Europe, engendering long term genetic displacement of local Near Eastern haplotypes. Building on this, and combining biogeographical methods of Floral List comparisons with archaeological data, we have elucidated the Philistine impact on Southern Levantine floral ecosystems. We demonstrate that previously unexploited local plants were incorporated into the Philistine milieu, and new species were introduced-from Europe, the Aegean, Egypt and Mesopotamia -resulting in the earliest locally cultivated sycamore, cumin, coriander, bay tree and opium poppy. This research has highlighted the impact of past cultures on the formation of floral ecosystems and their long-term effects on contemporary local biological diversity.
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Paris HS. Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon, Citrullus lanatus. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2015; 116:133-48. [PMID: 26141130 PMCID: PMC4512189 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcv077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Watermelons, Citrullus species (Cucurbitaceae), are native to Africa and have been cultivated since ancient times. The fruit flesh of wild watermelons is watery, but typically hard-textured, pale-coloured and bland or bitter. The familiar sweet dessert watermelons, C. lanatus, featuring non-bitter, tender, well-coloured flesh, have a narrow genetic base, suggesting that they originated from a series of selection events in a single ancestral population. The objective of the present investigation was to determine where dessert watermelons originated and the time frame during which sweet dessert watermelons emerged. KEY FINDINGS Archaeological remains of watermelons, mostly seeds, that date from 5000 years ago have been found in northeastern Africa. An image of a large, striped, oblong fruit on a tray has been found in an Egyptian tomb that dates to at least 4000 years ago. The Greek word pepon, Latin pepo and Hebrew avattiah of the first centuries CE were used for the same large, thick-rinded, wet fruit which, evidently, was the watermelon. Hebrew literature from the end of the second century CE and Latin literature from the beginning of the sixth century CE present watermelons together with three sweet fruits: figs, table grapes and pomegranates. Wild and primitive watermelons have been observed repeatedly in Sudan and neighbouring countries of northeastern Africa. CONCLUSIONS The diverse evidence, combined, indicates that northeastern Africa is the centre of origin of the dessert watermelon, that watermelons were domesticated for water and food there over 4000 years ago, and that sweet dessert watermelons emerged in Mediterranean lands by approximately 2000 years ago. Next-generation ancient-DNA sequencing and state-of-the-art genomic analysis offer opportunities to rigorously assess the relationships among ancient and living wild and primitive watermelons from northeastern Africa, modern sweet dessert watermelons and other Citrullus taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry S Paris
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, P. O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30-095, Israel
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