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Agricultural wastes contain many recyclable constituents of versatile properties that enable their utilization in many technological applications. Among these renewable materials, lignin appears as an abundant and affordable biodegradable polymer. In this work, nanolignin (NL) is blended in different ratios with polyethersulphone (PES) namely 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 3%. Casted films prepared from PES/NL composites were thoroughly characterized by FTIR and UV spectroscopy. The films demonstrated high UV absorbance that increases by rising amount of NL in the composite film. Moreover samples PES-NL1.00 and PES-NL3.00 showed ≈0.20 % transmittance at 380 nm. Thermal gravimetric analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability of nanocomposite films compared to pure PES. The electric conductivity and dielectric properties are evaluated using the Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) technique. The measurements showed that the prepared films have low permittivity accompanied by a very low dielectric loss. Addition of NL at concentration varied between 0 and 3 wt% to the PES decreases ε′ unsystematically from 4.4 to 3.5 and tan δ from 0.008 to 0.005. On the other hand, the increase of temperature by 100 °C, increases the permittivity by about 1% indicating the thermal stability against dielectric properties. These UV-blocking and dielectric features make this nanocomposite very promising as high-performance interlayer dielectrics for fabricating semiconductor devices.

In recent years, new spaces were required for a variety of activities. This study deals with library buildings as a case study that is most important to cultural buildings. New library buildings are being built as part of the city's attempts to promote visibility, image, and brand as a desirable future and identity. A large number of new public libraries are thoughtfully constructed in rundown urban areas and former industrial zones to provide attractive new urban and meeting spaces. As a result of the recent digitization of knowledge resources, library spaces have become less popular, and they have had to reinvent their role in the urban fabric. To reach a wider audience and become vibrant spaces, libraries are redirecting their activities. The research's objective is to present and discuss some international library building designs that represent distinct cultural and socioeconomic ideas. Models were chosen from a variety of locations that, for users and frequent visitors to the context in general, were marked by change and development. The goal of the analysis of the chosen global case studies is to determine the successes and lessons learnt. Followed by case studies from Egypt from which a survey has been conducted. Four case studies from Egypt were selected from various locations in order to gather different viewpoints using a questionnaire. The study employs a theoretical analytical methodology, with case studies, comparisons, and discussions; analyzing the implementation of new activities in contemporary libraries to determine their impact on the urban and human level, as well as how they interact with the context and human perceptions. The study concludes by recommendations and suggestions to case studies based on users’ preferences. The findings illustrate the changes that have taken place in modern library spaces, helping to reshape the identity of a new community or development area by creating a lively and communicative environment that will draw a big population and serve the general public.

Abstract Azo dyes are widely used for dyeing polyester fabrics but require optimization of properties like color strength and fastness. Fourteen novel disperse azo dyes were synthesized from 2,3-naphthalenediol and aniline derivatives to examine their potential for polyester dyeing. The dyes were prepared via diazotization and coupling reactions and characterized using FT-IR, UV–Vis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and elemental analysis. Furthermore, several techniques were employed to study the azo-hydrazone tautomerism, including UV–Vis spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and computational methods. DFT computations revealed hydrazone tautomers were more stable than azo tautomers. The prepared azo dyes were applied on polyester fabrics at 2% depth using a high temperature pressure technique in water utilizing DYEWELL-002 as a dispersing agent. The color shading of dyed polyester samples ranged from peach amber to apple of my eye, depending on the coupler moieties. The fastness properties, assessed using a grey scale of dyed polyester fabrics, indicated very good to excellent grades for most dyes. Additionally, measurements of color strength (K/S), dye exhaustion (%E), as well as colorimetric colors CILAB of dyed polyester fabrics values, were measured and discussed in terms of the effect of substituents. The findings provide new insights into structure-performance relationships to design optimized disperse dyes for polyester coloration. Overall, the synthesized aryldiazenyl dyes are promising candidates for dyeing polyester fabrics across a spectrum of shades with good fastness properties.

Abstract Bladder cancer is a prevalent malignancy with diverse subtypes, including invasive and non-invasive tissue. Accurate classification of these subtypes is crucial for personalized treatment and prognosis. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study on the classification of bladder cancer into into three classes, two of them are the malignant set as non invasive type and invasive type and one set is the normal bladder mucosa to be used as stander measurement for computer deep learning. We utilized a dataset containing histopathological images of bladder tissue samples, split into a training set (70%), a validation set (15%), and a test set (15%). Four different deep-learning architectures were evaluated for their performance in classifying bladder cancer, EfficientNetB2, InceptionResNetV2, InceptionV3, and ResNet50V2. Additionally, we explored the potential of Vision Transformers with two different configurations, ViT_B32 and ViT_B16, for this classification task. Our experimental results revealed significant variations in the models’ accuracies for classifying bladder cancer. The highest accuracy was achieved using the InceptionResNetV2 model, with an impressive accuracy of 98.73%. Vision Transformers also showed promising results, with ViT_B32 achieving an accuracy of 99.49%, and ViT_B16 achieving an accuracy of 99.23%. EfficientNetB2 and ResNet50V2 also exhibited competitive performances, achieving accuracies of 95.43% and 93%, respectively. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that deep learning models, particularly Vision Transformers (ViT_B32 and ViT_B16), can effectively classify bladder cancer into its three classes with high accuracy. These findings have potential implications for aiding clinical decision-making and improving patient outcomes in the field of oncology.

Abstract Obesity has harmful consequences on reproductive outcomes and the rapid increase in obesity is assumed to be influenced by epigenetics and trans-generation effects. Our study aimed to explore the effect of maternal and/or paternal obesity on the ovarian tissues of the first-generation female offspring in rats. The study was conducted on 40 adult Wistar albino rats (20 males and 20 females). Obesity was induced by feeding them an obesogenic diet for 3 months. The pregnancy was induced in the females by mating with males in four combinations: healthy mother with healthy father (control parents, CP), healthy mother with obese fathers (OF), obese mothers with healthy father (OM), and obese mother with obese father (obese parents, OP). After delivery, the female offspring at two months were sacrificed, and the blood and ovarian tissues were collected to assess the studied parameters. Our result showed differential impacts of maternal and paternal obesity on the ovarian health of the female offspring. The female offspring of obese OM or OP showed early signs of obesity. These metabolic abnormalities were associated with signs of ovarian lesions, impaired folliculogenesis, and decreased oocyte quality and also showed significant alterations in mitochondrial biogenesis, redox status, inflammation, and microRNAs expression (miR-149 and miR-494). In conclusion, altered ovarian expression of microRNAs and associated impaired mitochondrial biogenesis pathways may be the root causes for the observed intergeneration transmission of the obesogenic phenotype.

Abstract Polystyrene (PS) is a thermoplastic polymer used in food packaging and the manufacture of trays and cups, among other applications. In this work, the preparation of a membrane by electrospinning blended sulphonated expanded PS waste and polybutylenesuccinate (PBS) is described. The fiber quality is controlled by selecting the right polymers’ ratios and solvents. Investigation of the structure of the produced membranes by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance confirmed the successful sulphonation of expanded PS and the appearance of characteristic (PBS) bands in the prepared blends. Morphology study of the electrospun membranes using a scanning electron microscope revealed that the quality of the fibers is improved significantly by increasing the amount of PBS in the blend solution. Moreover, continuous and more homogenous fibers are produced by increasing the ratio of PBS to 2%. The efficiency of the prepared membranes in dye removal was tested using methylene blue. The effects of different parameters such as, pH, contact time, temperature, and dye concentration have been studied. Also, kinetic and adsorption isotherm models as well as the durability of the prepared membranes were investigated. The membrane prepared from PSS/1% PBS demonstrated the highest dye uptake (846 mol) with good regeneration efficiency. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic and fits the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The values of activation energy for the adsorption process are 36.98, 30.70, and 43.40 kJ/mol over PSS, PSS/1% PBS and PSS/2% PBS, respectively.

Global warming and climate change are major concerns across multiple disciplines. Population growth, urbanization, and industrialization are significant contributing factors to such problems due to the escalating use of fossil fuels required to meet growing energy demands. The building sector uses the largest share of total global energy production and produces tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Emerging eco-friendly technologies, such as solar and wind energy harvesting, are being extensively explored; however, they are insufficient. Nature-inspired technologies could offer solutions to our problems. For instance, algae are microorganisms that use water, light, and CO2 to produce energy and sustain life, and the exploitation of these characteristics in a built environment is termed algae building technology, which is a very efficient and green application suitable for a sustainable future. Algae-integrated façades show great versatility through biomass and energy production, wastewater treatment, shading, and thermal and acoustic insulation. In this paper, algae will be introduced as a robust tool toward a greener and more sustainable future. Algae building technology and its implementation will be demonstrated. Furthermore, steps for applying this sustainable strategy in Egypt will be discussed.

Abstract The interest in active packaging for extending food shelf life has increased lately. Moreover, the negative impact of synthetic plastic wastes on the environmental motivated the researchers to seek for bio-based alternatives. In this context, active packaging film made of a composite composed of Lepidium sativum extract (LSE), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and a fixed amount of hyperbranched polyamide amine (PAMAM) were prepared. The chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the film were investigated. Moreover, we examined the extract’s constituents and antioxidant properties. Cheddar cheese samples were coated with films of different compositions. The samples coated with active packaging films showed a longer preservation time of up to 4 weeks compared to other samples, which noticeably deteriorated. The films showed potent antimicrobial activity against five food-borne bacteria: three gram-negative bacteria including Escherichia coli O157.H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella Typhimurium, and two gram-positive bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Applying PVA films containing LSE improved the microbiological quality and delayed the visible decay of cheddar cheese. The oxidizability of the fat extracted from different cheese samples was 0.40–0.98, confirming oxidation resistance. Finally, cheese samples coated with treated films were protected from forming trans fats compared to other samples, demonstrating the effectiveness of modified films as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and food-preserving packaging.

Internet of Things (IoT) technology is a complementary part of our style of life. IoT technology coexists with existing cellular communication for developing 5G. Both academic researchers and industrial householders pay attention to the benefits of IoT technology. However, the rapid growth of IoT networks suffers from some limitations, such as heavy traffic load, traffic congestion,... etc. In this paper, a parallel distributed smart home architecture is proposed to solve human-being problems and achieve welfare in society. The proposed network has a light traffic load and low traffic congestion to avoid a single-point failure. The architecture of the proposed smart home network involves connectivity, security, registration, protocols, and scenarios to update registration. Also, the paper presents a framework of state diagrams, processes, and algorithms for IoT smart home networks. This framework includes a design and implementation of a pilot model of IoT smart home domains to meet human beneficiaries. The model consists of six practical smart home network domains in both normal and urgent modes to proof of the concept. The pilot model is programmed based on three major aspects: objectives, processes with algorithms, and state diagrams. The novelty of the paper lies in the capability to implement a smart home architecture pilot model using simple development kits. The design and implementation of the practical IoT smart home networks are tested and measured using a CoolTerm sniffer tool. The results of measurement prove that the proposed model achieves light traffic profiles and low average data rates.

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with psychiatric and cognitive dysfunctions. We aimed to investigate depression, anxiety, and cognitive function of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients before and after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Forty CHC patients (20 non-cirrhotic and 20 cirrhotic) who had undergone DAA treatment in our outpatient clinic and ten controls. We administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression questionnaires to measure the anxiety and depression symptoms and the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instruments (CASI) to measure the cognitive function at the beginning and 3 months after the end of the treatment. Results Sustained virological response (SVR) was achieved in all patients. Post-treatment anxiety and depression scores showed a significant improvement than pre-treatment ones in CHC patients. Regarding CASI, before and after the treatment, a statistical significance was found in short-term memory (P = 0.001), concentration (P = 0.033), abstract thinking and judgment (P = 0.024), total (P = 0.001) in non-cirrhotic, Also, an improvement was seen in long-term memory (P = 0.015), short-term memory (P

The Feller exponential population growth is the continuous analogues of the classical branching process with fixed number of individuals. In this paper, I begin by proving that the discrete birth-death process, M/M/1 queue, could be mathematically modelled by the same Feller exponential growth equation via the Kolmogorov forward equation. This equation mathematically formulates the classical Markov chain process. The non-classical linear birth-death growth equation is studied by extending the first-order time derivative by the Caputo time fractional operator, to study the effect of the memory on this stochastic process. The approximate solutions of the models are numerically studied by implementing the finite difference method and the fourth order compact finite difference method. The stability of the difference schemes are studied by using the Matrix method. The time evolution of these approximate solutions are compared for different values of the time fractional orders. The approximate solutions corresponding to different values of the birth and death rates are also compared.

Abstract In this review paper, I focus on presenting the reasons of extending the partial differential equations to space-time fractional differential equations. I believe that extending any partial differential equations or any system of equations to fractional systems without giving concrete reasons has no sense. The experiments agrees with the theoretical studies on extending the first order-time derivative to time-fractional derivative. The simulations of some processes also agrees with the theory of continuous time random walks for extending the second-order space fractional derivative to the Riesz–Feller fractional operators. For this aim, I give a condense review the theory of Brownian motion, Langevin equations, diffusion processes and the continuous time random walk. Some partial differential equations that are successfully extended to space-time-fractional differential equations are also presented.

Global warming and climate change are major concerns across multiple disciplines. Population growth, urbanization, and industrialization are significant contributing factors to such problems due to the escalating use of fossil fuels required to meet growing energy demands. The building sector uses the largest share of total global energy production and produces tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Emerging eco-friendly technologies, such as solar and wind energy harvesting, are being extensively explored; however, they are insufficient. Nature-inspired technologies could offer solutions to our problems. For instance, algae are microorganisms that use water, light, and CO2 to produce energy and sustain life, and the exploitation of these characteristics in a built environment is termed algae building technology, which is a very efficient and green application suitable for a sustainable future. Algae-integrated façades show great versatility through biomass and energy production, wastewater treatment, shading, and thermal and acoustic insulation. In this paper, algae will be introduced as a robust tool toward a greener and more sustainable future. Algae building technology and its implementation will be demonstrated. Furthermore, steps for applying this sustainable strategy in Egypt will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of multiple health complications, and it has become a major focus in targeted research fields. As known, black seeds are rich sources of bio-active compounds and widely used to promote human health due to their excellent medicinal and pharmaceutical properties. The present study investigated the antioxidant potency of various black seeds from plants and their derived mycoendophytes, and determined the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in different extracts, followed by characterization of major constituents by HPLC analysis. Finally, in silico docking determined their binding affinities to target myeloperoxidase enzymes. Ten dominant mycoendophytes were isolated from different black seed plants. Three isolates were then selected based on high antiradical potency and further identified by ITS ribosomal gene sequencing. Those isolated were Aspergillus niger TU 62, Chaetomium madrasense AUMC14830, and Rhizopus oryzae AUMC14823. Nigella sativa seeds and their corresponding endophyte A. niger had the highest content of phenolics in their n-butanol extracts (28.50 and 24.43 mg/g), flavonoids (15.02 and 11.45 mg/g), and antioxidant activities (90.48 and 81.48%), respectively, followed by Dodonaea viscosa and Portulaca oleracea along with their mycoendophytic R. oryzae and C. madrasense. Significant positive correlations were found between total phenolics, flavonoids, and the antioxidant activities of different tested extracts. The n-butanol extracts of both black seeds and their derived mycoendophytes showed reasonable IC50 values (0.81–1.44 mg/ml) compared to the control with significant correlations among their phytochemical contents. Overall, seventeen standard phenolics and flavonoids were used, and the compounds were detected in different degrees of existence and concentration in the examined extracts through HPLC analysis. Moreover, the investigation of the molecular simulation results of detected compounds against the myeloperoxidase enzyme revealed that, as a targeted antioxidant, rutin possessed a high affinity (−15.3184 kcal/mol) as an inhibitor. Taken together, the black seeds and their derived mycoendophytes are promising bio-prospects for the broad industrial sector of antioxidants with several valuable potential pharmaceutical and nutritional applications.

Abstract Background Lockdown has been enforced globally to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Patients with uncontrolled asthma are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, highlighting the priority of adequate asthma control during the pandemic. Staying indoors exposes asthmatics to indoor asthma triggers, including disinfectants used for limiting the virus spread, in addition to psychological stresses of the pandemic which represent crucial contributors to loss of asthma control. Elective medical care, curtailed by the lockdown procedures, compromises adequate asthma follow up. The current study evaluated the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the level of asthma control and mental health of bronchial asthma patients. The study included 264 bronchial asthma patients, aged 12 years and older, who responded to an online questionnaire including the asthma control test to evaluate asthma control in the preceding 4 weeks. Anxiety and depression scores and the impact of event scale were also provided. Results Seventy percent of asthmatics had uncontrolled asthma, and disinfectant use was associated with perceived increase in asthma symptoms in 77.7%. Anxiety and depression were associated with uncontrolled asthma in 50% of participants, suggesting a possible psychological impact on asthma patients. Conclusions During lockdown, asthma patients participating in the study had significantly uncontrolled disease and associated anxiety and depression. Since regular follow-up of asthma patients is cornerstone to adequate asthma control, alternative methods of medical care for asthma patients during lockdown are warranted, and particular need for mental health support ought to be provided as a continuum to adequate asthma control.

Background and Aim Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common etiology for infection-related cancers and represents 5.5% of global cancer burden that increases the need for more sensitive noninvasive diagnostic techniques. The aim was to evaluate the role of saliva and stool samples in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection to replace invasive techniques and to compare between three noninvasive diagnostic tests: salivary culture, PCR, and rapid stool antigen test (RSAT). Patients and methods The study was conducted on 45 patients with dyspepsia and 45 healthy participants as a control. Saliva and stool samples were taken from all groups and subjected to culture, PCR for detection of 16SrRNA gene of H. pylori, and RSAT to detect H. pylori. Gastric biopsy samples were taken for H. pylori culture, rapid urea test, and histopathology from 20 patients. Results A total of 15.6% specimens were positive by salivary culture in patients’ group and 2.2% specimens were positive in the control group. About 31% were positive by salivary PCR in patients’ group and 6.7% were positive by salivary PCR in the control group. About 71% were positive by RSAT in patients and 49% were positive by RSAT in controls. From 20 patients, gastric biopsy samples were taken, 11 patients were positive for H. pylori infection by gastric biopsy culture, 20 were positive by histopathological examination, and 13 were positive by rapid urea test. The salivary culture showed (100%) specificity, (38.5%) sensitivity, and (60%) accuracy. While PCR on saliva showed specificity (100%), (61.5%) sensitivity, and (75%) accuracy. RSAT showed (71.4%) specificity, 92.3% sensitivity, and 85% accuracy. Conclusion The oral cavity is an important extragastric reservoir of H. pylori; salivary PCR technique shows a much higher specificity and sensitivity than salivary culture. RSAT shows high sensitivity but with lower specificity.

ABSTRACTBackground: N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are thought to be for pain memory, and blocking them can help to reduce pain. We aimed to assess the preventive effects of small doses of ketamine administered prior to the skin incision in abdominal surgery, to assess analgesic efficacy and intra-operative and post-operative side effects.Methods: 60 adult patients with ASA I and II who were scheduled for abdominal surgery were randomly divided into two groups in a prospective, double-blind study. Before the skin incision, group K received 1 mg/kg ketamine intravenously, followed by a 0.12 mg/kg/h ketamine infusion till the skin was closed. Instead of ketamine, group C received normal saline. After extubation, both groups received morphine 5 mg IV. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure analgesic effectiveness at rest and after exercise, as well as the duration to the first analgesic and morphine intake in 24 h, and analyze changes in serum CRP and IL6 levels as indicators of its impact. Also, side effects of opioid or ketamine have been recorded.Results: Within 24 h, patients in the ketamine group had a significantly lower VAS score, a longer time to the first analgesic (326.3 ± 49.5 minutes), and lower morphine consumption (6.9 ± 2.91 mg). Also, postoperative interleukin 6 and CRP showed significant difference between the two groups (p ≤ 0.05). In group K, no side effects were detectable.Conclusion: Ketamine may be a promising drug in low doses that can limit and even prevent worsened inflammation. It also resulted in decreased postoperative opioid use, decreased pain rating, earlier retains of bowel motility, and decreased incidence of side effects.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the role of diffusion weight MRI (DWI) in the characterization of hepatic focal lesions by using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Thirty patients (18 women, 12 men; mean age 48.5 years) with hepatic focal lesions were included in this study. Patients underwent DW MR imaging with the SPLICE sequence. ADC of each focal lesion carcinoma was calculated from DW MR Images obtained with low and high b values. ADCs were compared among pathological types of focal lesions. Results Among the 30 patients included in the study, 46 focal lesions were detected. Twenty-four lesions were metastatic lesions from primary cancer, 7 lesions were hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 9 lesions were hemangiomas, and 6 lesions were simple cysts. There was highly significant difference between the mean ADC of the malignant lesions (metastasis and HCC) and the mean ADC of benign lesions (hemangiomas and cysts). The ADC of malignant lesion was much less than that of benign lesion. The mean ADC of malignant lesions (n = 31) was 0.73 ± 0.19 × 10−3 mm2/s, and the mean ADC of benign lesions (n = 15) was 1.94 ± 0.68 × 10−3 mm2/s (p value < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the cysts and hemangiomas. There was no statistically significant difference between the metastases and hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion ADCs values were able to differentiate benign from malignant lesions. ADC should be considered in the work up of patients with hepatic focal lesions.

Utilizing a hybrid nanofluid is a promising solution for enhancing the thermal performance of the solar collector in a sustainable manner. In the present work, the effect of using magnesium oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MgO/MWCNT) hybrid nanofluid on the thermal performance of the evacuated tube solar collector is experimentally investigated. Four different weight ratios of (80:20), (70:30), (60:40), and (50:50) are used for a hybrid of MgO with MWCNTs in a water base, respectively. The experiments are performed at a 0.02% particle concentration and at various volume flow rates ranging from 1 to 3 L/min. The results show an enhancement in the energy and exergy efficiencies with the increase in the weight ratios of MWCNTs nanoparticles and volume flow rate. The enhancement of the energy and exergy efficiencies of the collector is 55.83% and 77.14%, respectively, for MgO/MWCNT (50:50) hybrid nanofluid. It is found that increasing the weight ratio of MWCNTs nanoparticles from 20% to 30% achieves a significant increase in the collector efficiency enhancement compared to other hybrid nanofluids. The results conclude that MgO/MWCNT (50:50) performs better than all other hybrid nanofluids at all volume flow rates and is closer to MWCNT/water nanofluid.

The representation of the protein-ligand complexes used in building machine learning models play an important role in the accuracy of binding affinity prediction. The Extended Connectivity Interaction Features (ECIF) is one such representation. We report that (i) including the discretized distances between protein-ligand atom pairs in the ECIF scheme improves predictive accuracy, and (ii) in an evaluation using gradient boosted trees, we found that the resampling method used in selecting the best hyperparameters has a strong effect on predictive performance, especially for benchmarking purposes.