The Early Basilica Church, El-Ashmonein Archaeological Site, Minia, Egypt: Geo-Environmental Analysis and Engineering Characterization of the Building Materials

El-Ashmonein is a significant archaeological site with different buildings from various eras. Between the villages of El-Idara and El-Ashmonein are there mains of Hermopolis, one of the ancient Egyptian metropolis capitals of the fifteenth century of Upper Egypt, called the hare. The buildings in this archaeological site are exposed to many causes of destruction and damage. The remaining structures and granite free standing columns in this area are suffered from plenty of geo-environmental and geotechnical problems. The main objectives of this study are 1) to assess the current state of preservation of this important archaeological site, especially the basilica church with its free standing huge columns, 2) to analyze the different actions which cause the destruction of the archaeological site, in particular the old flash floods and earthquakes, and 3) to identify the geochemical and engineering properties of the construction materials of the granitic columns and other limestone structures of the basilica church by using different kind of sophisticated analytical and diagnostic tools and methods. The multi-criteria analysis allowed the integration of several elements for mapping the vulnerable zones. Results revealed that about 80% of the study area was exposed to high and medium old floods vulnerability because of the vicinity to the Nile River. The structural and non-structural measures recommended in this research will help the decision makers and planners to effectively develop strategies for future site management, intervention retrofitting and rehabilitation of this unique archaeological site.

Impact of Surface Water and Groundwater Pollutions on Irrigated Soil, El Minia Province, Northern Upper Egypt

Current research has been focused on heavy metals pollution in surface water and groundwater and effect on irrigated soil from El Minia Province, north Upper Egypt. Concentration of heavy metals (e.g., As, Co, Hg, Ni, Se, Cd and Cr) in surface water, groundwater and irrigated soil samples is most significantly affected by leachate of many pollutants as the factories, agricultural activities, urban and natural processes. Microbiological parameters and microscopic investigations are revealed that some localities are common by micro-organisms, which are unsuitable for drinking waters.

Self-Medication among Adults in Minia, Egypt: A Cross Sectional Community-Based Study

Self-medication may be associated with side effects and increases the chance of drug interactions and also affects the adherence to treatment and quality of life. This study aims at determining the pattern of self-medication, identifying knowledge, attitude and self-reported practices concerning the usage of the drugs and identifying demographic factors that could influence self-medication practices among the general population in El-Minia, Egypt. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 randomly selected adults using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Data were collected by using a structured interview questionnaire. Respondents who had practiced some sort of self-medication during the past month were 73% of the sample. The commonest cause of self-medication, illness, was perceived as minor (59.7%). The most common perceived illness for self-medication was common cold (90.6%). Older respondents (>40 years) were about twice more likely to practice self-medication than younger ones. Similarly, professionals in their work were 3.4 times more likely to practice self-medication than unemployed individuals. Self-medication is a relatively frequent problem in Minia and interventions at different levels are required.

Currently Married Women with an Unmet Need for Contraception in Minia Governorate, Egypt: Profile and Determinants

Background: Understanding the magnitude of unmet contraceptive need and the underlying determinants will help the programs and services to respond effectively. Aim: Identify the prevalence and determinants of unmet contraceptive need among married women in the childbearing period in Minia Governorate. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was done among married women of child bearing age (18 - 49 years). Total 534 study participants were selected randomly and interviewed by using pretested structured questionnaire. Results: Overall level of unmet need was 12.7%. Women age > 35 years old were about three times (adjusted OR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.13 - 7.35) more likely to have unmet need for family planning compared to younger women. Women who had more children (adjusted OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04 - 1.67), more female offspring (adjusted OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09 - 1.65), and women whose partner had non-supportive attitude towards family planning (adjusted OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.53 - 5.72) were more likely to have unmet need. Conclusion: The prevalence of unmet need of family planning among women in Minia Governorate remains high. Therefore, family planning programs that cover the older woman’s need for limiting and that focus on couples could be useful in reducing the rate of unmet need.

Men’s Perception of Domestic Violence, Rural Minia, Egypt

Background: Domestic violence is an important prevalent, yet hidden and ignored health concern with significant impact on women’s health and wellbeing. This research was guided by the belief that men could play a role in preventing domestic violence as the majority of domestic violence is perpetrated by men. Aim: To assess attitudes of men towards domestic violence and factors affecting violence supportive attitude. Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study conducted in a rural area, Minia District, 2015. A systematic random sample was used. An interview-administered questionnaire was used including questions related to violence supportive environments, and opinion of men of causes and existence of domestic violence within families. Gender equity score (GES) was applied. Results: A total of 440 males participated. 57.3% of the participants reported that domestic violence was sometimes justified and needed in certain cases, and nearly two third (69%) of them practiced violence against their wives mostly in the form of physical one (64%). Small proportion of males reported high support for gender equity (7%). The study identified reasons for domestic violence, as perceived by men: The commonest was marital disputes (48.9%), followed by financial problems (36.4%) and social and economic disparity between the spouses (12.7%). Regarding the effect of violence on families, 30.9% of males reported that it led to lack of proper education. Conclusion and Recommendations: There is a tendency to describe this community as abusive. There is a need for development of relevant and culturally sensitive domestic violence education/prevention program in rural Egypt.

Computed tomography for the prediction of oesophageal variceal bleeding:A surrogate or complementary to the gold standard?

In this editorial we comment on the in-press article in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal endoscopy about the role of computed tomography(CT)for the prediction of esophageal variceal bleeding.The mortality and morbidity are much increased in patients with chronic liver diseases when complicated with variceal bleeding.Predicting the patient at a risk of bleeding is extremely important and receives a great deal of attention,paving the way for primary prophylaxis either using medical treatment including carvedilol or propranolol,or endoscopic band ligation.Endoscopic examination and the hepatic venous pressure gradient are the gold standards in the diagnosis and prediction of variceal bleeding.Several non-invasive laboratory and radiological examinations are used for the prediction of variceal bleeding.The contrast-enhanced multislice CT is a widely used non-invasive,radiological examination that has many advantages.In this editorial we briefly comment on the current research regarding the use of CT as a non-invasive tool in predicting the variceal bleeding.

Performance Assessment of a Real PV System Connected to a Low-Voltage Grid

The generation of photovoltaic(PV)solar energy is increasing continuously because it is renewable,unlimited,and clean energy.In the past,generation systems depended on non-renewable sources such as oil,coal,and gas.Therefore,this paper assesses the performance of a 51 kW PV solar power plant connected to a low-voltage grid to feed an administrative building in the 6th of October City,Egypt.The performance analysis of the considered grid-connected PV system is carried out using power system simulator for Engineering(PSS/E)software.Where the PSS/E program,monitors and uses the power analyzer that displays the parameters and measures some parameters such as current,voltage,total power,power factor,frequency,and current and voltage harmonics,the used inverter from the type of grid inverter for the considered system.The results conclude that when the maximum solar radiation is reached,the maximum current can be obtained from the solar panels,thus obtaining the maximum power and power factor.Decreasing total voltage harmonic distortion,a current harmonic distortion within permissible limits using active harmonic distortion because this type is fast in processing up to 300 microseconds.The connection between solar stations and the national grid makes the system more efficient.

COVID-19 mortality paradox(United States vs Africa):Mass vaccination vs early treatment

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)mortality rate in 55 African countries is almost 4.5 times lower than in the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)despite Africa having over 4.2 times more people.This mortality paradox is also evident when comparing Nigeria,a heavily populated,poorly vaccinated and weakly mandated country to Israel,a small,highly vaccinated and strictly mandated country.Nigeria has almost 4 times lower COVID mortality than Israel.In this Field of Vision perspective,I explain how this paradox has evolved drawing upon my academic,clinical and social experience.Since April 2020,I’ve developed and been using the Egyptian immune-modulatory Kelleni’s protocol to manage COVID-19 patients including pediatric,geriatric,pregnant,immune-compromised and other individuals suffering from multiple comorbidities.It’s unfortunate that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is still evolving accompanied by more deaths.However in Africa,we’ve been able to live without anxiety or mandates throughout the pandemic because we trust science and adopted early treatment using safe,and effective repurposed drugs that have saved the majority of COVID-19 patients.This article represents an African and Egyptian tale of honor.

A Distributionally Robust Optimization Scheduling Model for Regional Integrated Energy Systems Considering Hot Dry Rock Co-Generation

Hot dry rock(HDR)is rich in reserve,widely distributed,green,low-carbon,and has broad development potential and prospects.In this paper,a distributionally robust optimization(DRO)scheduling model for a regionally integrated energy system(RIES)considering HDR co-generation is proposed.First,the HDR-enhanced geothermal system(HDR-EGS)is introduced into the RIES.HDR-EGS realizes the thermoelectric decoupling of combined heat and power(CHP)through coordinated operation with the regional power grid and the regional heat grid,which enhances the system wind power(WP)feed-in space.Secondly,peak-hour loads are shifted using price demand response guidance in the context of time-of-day pricing.Finally,the optimization objective is established to minimize the total cost in the RIES scheduling cycle and construct a DRO scheduling model for RIES with HDR-EGS.By simulating a real small-scale RIES,the results show that HDR-EGS can effectively promote WP consumption and reduce the operating cost of the system.

Optimization of Cooperative RelayingMolecular Communications for Nanomedical Applications

Recently,nano-systems based on molecular communications via diffusion(MCvD)have been implemented in a variety of nanomedical applications,most notably in targeted drug delivery system(TDDS)scenarios.Furthermore,because the MCvD is unreliable and there exists molecular noise and inter symbol interference(ISI),cooperative nano-relays can acquire the reliability for drug delivery to targeted diseased cells,especially if the separation distance between the nano transmitter and nano receiver is increased.In this work,we propose an approach for optimizing the performance of the nano system using cooperative molecular communications with a nano relay scheme,while accounting for blood flow effects in terms of drift velocity.The fractions of the molecular drug that should be allocated to the nano transmitter and nano relay positioning are computed using a collaborative optimization problem solved by theModified Central Force Optimization(MCFO)algorithm.Unlike the previous work,the probability of bit error is expressed in a closed-form expression.It is used as an objective function to determine the optimal velocity of the drug molecules and the detection threshold at the nano receiver.The simulation results show that the probability of bit error can be dramatically reduced by optimizing the drift velocity,detection threshold,location of the nano-relay in the proposed nano system,and molecular drug budget.

The impact of foot reflexology on fatigue and sleep quality in school-aged children undergoing hemodialysis

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effects of foot reflexology on fatigue and sleep quality in school-aged children receiving hemodialysis.Methods:A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was utilized.Thirty children of ages 6-12 undergoing in-center hemodialysis were recruited.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and Inventory of Fatigue Symptom(IFS)scales were administered at baseline.Participants then received 30 min of foot reflexology massage before hemodialysis sessions 3 days per week for 12 weeks.Posttest administration of the sleep and fatigue scales occurred after the intervention period.Results:Reflexology massage led to significant improvements in sleep quality components,including duration(0%-30%normal sleepers),efficiency(0%-50%>85%),latency(50%-0%>60 min),disturbances,and daytime dysfunction.The mean PSQI score decreased from 18.2 to 9.7(P<0.05).Fatigue severity substantially decreased,with the mean IFS score improving from 105.7 to 64.1(P<0.05).Conclusion:Foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention for reducing fatigue and improving sleep quality in children on hemodialysis,warranting integration into routine care.

Impact of educational interventions on mothers’ awareness and communication with their attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder children

Objective:The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of the educational intervention on mothers’knowledge,awareness,and communication difficulties experienced with their children and mothers’capacity to successfully interact with their affected child before and after the intervention.Materials and Methods:A quasi-experimental research design was used.A total of 30 mothers and their children complaining of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from four Dawadmi primary schools were included.Data were collected through a self-developed questionnaire from September 2023 to January 2024 after study acceptance by Shaqra University’s scientific deanship.Intervention prepared according to subjects’needs and current scientific base and demonstrated in 10 sessions in schools.Results:Regarding mothers’age,more than one-fourth of them(26.7%)ranged from 31 to 35 year old,and about a third(36.7%)had secondary education.Regarding mother’s job,about 76.7%do not work,and the majority of affected children(66.6%)were male,there were significant improvements in mothers’knowledge pre-and postintervention also a significant improvement in mothers’awareness about symptoms of poor attention,hyperactivity,and impulsivity pre-and postintervention was found.Significant differences were found before and after the intervention regarding the impact of the intervention in decreasing mothers’challenges.Conclusion:The study hypothesis was accepted,and the intervention improved mothers;knowledge,awareness,and communication challenges.The intervention should be conducted and followed up for a long period of time to manage all mother’s and children’s daily challenges,improve children’s daily activities,and stabilize effective communication patterns between children and their family members.

New Antenna Array Beamforming Techniques Based on Hybrid Convolution/Genetic Algorithm for 5G and Beyond Communications

Side lobe level reduction(SLL)of antenna arrays significantly enhances the signal-to-interference ratio and improves the quality of service(QOS)in recent and future wireless communication systems starting from 5G up to 7G.Furthermore,it improves the array gain and directivity,increasing the detection range and angular resolution of radar systems.This study proposes two highly efficient SLL reduction techniques.These techniques are based on the hybridization between either the single convolution or the double convolution algorithms and the genetic algorithm(GA)to develop the Conv/GA andDConv/GA,respectively.The convolution process determines the element’s excitations while the GA optimizes the element spacing.For M elements linear antenna array(LAA),the convolution of the excitation coefficients vector by itself provides a new vector of excitations of length N=(2M−1).This new vector is divided into three different sets of excitations including the odd excitations,even excitations,and middle excitations of lengths M,M−1,andM,respectively.When the same element spacing as the original LAA is used,it is noticed that the odd and even excitations provide a much lower SLL than that of the LAA but with amuch wider half-power beamwidth(HPBW).While the middle excitations give the same HPBWas the original LAA with a relatively higher SLL.Tomitigate the increased HPBWof the odd and even excitations,the element spacing is optimized using the GA.Thereby,the synthesized arrays have the same HPBW as the original LAA with a two-fold reduction in the SLL.Furthermore,for extreme SLL reduction,the DConv/GA is introduced.In this technique,the same procedure of the aforementioned Conv/GA technique is performed on the resultant even and odd excitation vectors.It provides a relatively wider HPBWthan the original LAA with about quad-fold reduction in the SLL.

Enhancing Mild Cognitive Impairment Detection through Efficient Magnetic Resonance Image Analysis

Neuroimaging has emerged over the last few decades as a crucial tool in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease(AD).Mild cognitive impairment(MCI)is a condition that falls between the spectrum of normal cognitive function and AD.However,previous studies have mainly used handcrafted features to classify MCI,AD,and normal control(NC)individuals.This paper focuses on using gray matter(GM)scans obtained through magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)for the diagnosis of individuals with MCI,AD,and NC.To improve classification performance,we developed two transfer learning strategies with data augmentation(i.e.,shear range,rotation,zoom range,channel shift).The first approach is a deep Siamese network(DSN),and the second approach involves using a cross-domain strategy with customized VGG-16.We performed experiments on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative(ADNI)dataset to evaluate the performance of our proposed models.Our experimental results demonstrate superior performance in classifying the three binary classification tasks:NC vs.AD,NC vs.MCI,and MCI vs.AD.Specifically,we achieved a classification accuracy of 97.68%,94.25%,and 92.18%for the three cases,respectively.Our study proposes two transfer learning strategies with data augmentation to accurately diagnose MCI,AD,and normal control individuals using GM scans.Our findings provide promising results for future research and clinical applications in the early detection and diagnosis of AD.

Reversibility and heritability of liver fibrosis:Implications for research and therapy

Liver fibrosis continues to be a major health problem worldwide due to lack of effective therapy.If the etiology cannot be eliminated,liver fibrosis progresses to cirrhosis and eventually to liver failure or malignancy;both are associated with a fatal outcome.Liver transplantation,the only curative therapy,is still mostly unavailable.Liver fibrosis was shown to be a reversible process;however,complete reversibility remains debatable.Recently,the molecular markers of liver fibrosis were shown to be transmitted across generations.Epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation,histone posttranslational modifications and noncoding RNA have emerged as major determinants of gene expression during liver fibrogenesis and carcinogenesis.Furthermore,epigenetic mechanisms have been shown to be transmitted through mitosis and meiosis to daughter cells and subsequent generations.However,the exact epigenetic regulation of complete liver fibrosis resolution and inheritance has not been fully elucidated.This communication will highlight the recent advances in the search for delineating the mechanisms governing resolution of liver fibrosis and the potential for multigenerational and transgenerational transmission of fibrosis markers.The fact that epigenetic changes,unlike genetic mutations,are reversible and can be modulated pharmacologically underscores the unique opportunity to develop effective therapy to completely reverse liver fibrosis,to prevent the development of malignancy and to regulate heritability of fibrosis phenotype.

Prevention of peritoneal adhesions:A promising role for gene therapy

Adhesions are the most frequent complication of abdominopelvic surgery,yet the extent of the problem,and its serious consequences,has not been adequately recognized.Adhesions evolved as a life-saving mecha-nism to limit the spread of intraperitoneal inflammatory conditions.Three different pathophysiological mechanisms can independently trigger adhesion formation.Mesothelial cell injury and loss during operations,tissue hypoxia and inflammation each promotes adhesion formation separately,and potentiate the effect of each other.Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that interruption of a single pathway does not completely prevent adhesion formation.This review summarizes the pathogenesis of adhesion formation and the results of single gene therapy interventions.It explores the prom-ising role of combinatorial gene therapy and vector modif ications for the prevention of adhesion formation in order to stimulate new ideas and encourage rapid advancements in this field.

Hepato-cardiac disorders

Understanding the mutual relationship between the liver and the heart is important for both hepatologists and cardiologists. Hepato-cardiac diseases can be classified into heart diseases affecting the liver, liver diseases affecting the heart, and conditions affecting the heart and the liver at the same time. Differential diagnoses of liver injury are extremely important in a cardiologist's clinical practice calling for collaboration between cardiologists and hepatologists due to the many other diseases that can affect the liver and mimic haemodynamic injury. Acute and chronic heart failure may lead to acute ischemic hepatitis or chronic congestive hepatopathy. Treatment in these cases should be directed to the primary heart disease. In patients with advanced liver disease, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy may develop including hemodynamic changes, diastolic and systolic dysfunctions, reduced cardiac performance and electrophysiological abnormalities. Cardiac evaluation is important for patients with liver diseases especially before and after liver transplantation. Liver transplantation may lead to the improvement of all cardiac changes and the reversal of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. There are systemic diseases that may affect both the liver and the heart concomitantly including congenital, metabolic and inflammatory diseases as well as alcoholism. This review highlights these hepatocardiac

基于人工神经网络的发动机点火提前角预测模型

本文利用人工神经网络建立发动机点火提前角预测模型,提出显式优化神经网络模型复杂度的方法,并提出一种在将实验数据划分为训练、验证和测试数据集前的数据预处理方法,能有效提高模型的精度。得到的最优神经网络模型,对训练、验证、测试数据集预测的相关系数均为1,模型误差几乎为零。在划分数据集前通过复制原始数据集得到大量的数据样本,并通过多次迭代训练(999次),优化的发动机点火提前角预测模型具有很高的精度。

Exploitation of Fenton and Fenton-like reagents as alternative conditioners for alum sludge conditioning

The use of Fenton＇s reagent （Fe^2＋/H2O2） and Fenton-like reagents containing transition metals of Cu（Ⅱ）, Zn（Ⅱ）, Co（Ⅱ）, and Mn（Ⅱ） for an alum sludge conditioning to improve its dewaterability was investigated. The results obtained were compared with those obtained from conditioning the same alum sludge using cationic and anionic polymers. Experimental results show that Fenton＇s reagent was the best among the Fenton and Fenton-like reagents for the alum sludge conditioning. A considerable effectiveness of capillary suction time （CST） reduction efficiency of 47% can be achieved under test conditions of Fe^2＋/H2O2 = 20/125 mg/g DS （dry solid） and pH 6.0. The observation of floc-like particles after Fenton＇s reagent conditioning of alum sludge suggested that the mechanism of Fenton＇s reagent conditioning was different from that of polymer conditioning. In spite of the lower efficiency in the CST reduction of Fenton＇s reagent in alum sludge conditioning compared to that of polymer conditioning, Fenton＇s reagent offers a more environmentally safe option. Tiffs study provided an example of proactive treatment engineering, which is aimed at seeking a safe alternative to the use of polymers in sludge conditioning towards achieving a more sustainable sludge management strategy.

Role of biomarkers in the prediction and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

The prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)has progressively increased in recent years and is now thefifth and the second most common cancer in the World and in Egypt,respectively.Much work has focused in the development of assays for detecting hepatic carcinogensis before the observance of hepatic focal lesions.Particular attention has been directed towards HCC-specific biomarkers for use in the early diagnosis of HCC and in the confirmation of radiological studies.Although a number of biomarkers have been identified,none have been considered reliable indicators of early HCC lesions.This review presents a few of the most relevant HCC biomarkers and suggests improvements to the accuracy of diagnostic assays through their combined use.Furthermore,we present an algorithm for the biomarker-based diagnosis of HCC and highlight its important role in the early prediction of HCC.