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Background: Body position generally effect on respiratory and stroke disease. Stroke morbidity increased by inappropriate position during the early recovery phase. Aim: To evaluate the effect of changing selected body positions on oxygen saturation among patients with acute stroke. Research design: Quasi-experiment research design applied in this study. Sitting: the study carried out at the stroke intensive care unit of the Neurological Department of Aswan University Hospitals. Sample: 60 patients with acute stroke within 24- 48 hours following mild to moderate and severe stroke allocated a randomized sequence of four positions. One hour spent in each position. SaO2 was recorded each15 minutes by pulse oximetry with a finger probe. Tools of data collection: structured interview questionnaire sheet, Glasgow Coma Scale, the Scandinavian stroke scale, and oxygen saturation monitoring record. Results: mean score of SaO2 at 2nd 15 min, 3rd 15 min, 4th min, and mean SaO2 of one hour at the semi-sitting position was higher than different positions (Supine position, Right side position, and Left side position) with statistically significant differences with p-value .008, .05, .002, and .019 respectively, the semi-sitting position was the best position of all position. Conclusion: the study finding concluded that the semi-sitting position is the best position than other positions in improving oxygen saturation after one hour from positioning among stroke patients. Recommendation: use a semi-sitting position and implicate this positioning strategy in the future to improve arterial oxygen saturation in acute stroke patients.

Background: Insomnia disorder is a public health concern and is often considered a normal aging phenomenon. Aim of the study: evaluating the effect of sleeping instruction on reducing insomnia among the elderly. Design: A quasi-experimental design. Settings: conducted at sleep disturbance outpatient clinic in Aswan university hospital g a structured interview questionnaire & Athens insomnia scale Results: The designed sleep hygiene program had statistically significant improvement in elderly knowledge and practices. Indeed, there was no statistically significant correlation between elderly’ sleep hygiene and Athens insomnia scale as sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and day time dysfunction at the pre and post-intervention phases at P < 0.05.Conclusion: The designed sleep hygiene program don in this study had statistically significant improvement in elderly knowledge and practices and reducing insomnia. Recommendations: Design an awareness Program regarding insomnia among the elderly to enhance sleep by emphasizing the importance of sleep hygiene practice.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Egyptian women and although incidence rates are not as high as in the west, yet breast cancer mortality is considerably worse. The nurse plays a critical role in the early detection and prevention of breast cancer. Aim of the study: To assess factors associated with delayed diagnosis of woman breast cancer. Research design: A descriptive exploratory research design. Sample: Purposive sample of 100 women diagnosed with late-stage of breast cancer. Setting: The study was carried out in the surgical inpatient ward and outpatient clinic, chemotherapy and radiation inpatient therapy wards at Aswan oncology cancer institute. Tools of data collection: Structured interview sheet developed by researchers and had two tools, First Tool: covered 2 parts: 1st part: Sociodemographic characteristics; 2nd part: Medical history, Second Toolcovered by 2 parts 1st part Knowledge about risk factor and screening test of breast cancer.: 2nd part factors related to women and health care system delay. Study Duration: During the period of four months from the beginning of February 2018 to the end of Mai 2018. Results: The study results revealed that the most common factors that delay diagnosis of breast cancer were lack of awareness of breast cancer (95%), fear of disease & treatment adverse effects (53%). Also, statistically a highly significant (P

Herein, we investigated the applicability of thick film and bulk disk forms of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) for low-dose X-ray radiation dosimetry using the extended gate field effect transistor (EGFET) configuration. The samples were fabricated using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. A thick film of AZO was deposited on a glass substrate, while the bulk disk form was prepared by pressing the collected powders. The prepared samples were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) to determine the crystallinity and surface morphology. The analyses show that the samples are crystalline and comprise nanosheets of varying sizes. The EGFET devices were exposed to different X-ray radiation doses, then characterized by measuring the I–V characteristics pre- and post-irradiation. The measurements revealed an increase in the values of drain–source currents with radiation doses. To study the detection efficiency of the device, various bias voltages were also tested for the linear and saturation regimes. Performance parameters of the devices, such as sensitivity to X-radiation exposure and different gate bias voltage, were found to depend highly on the device geometry. The bulk disk type appears to be more radiation-sensitive than the AZO thick film. Furthermore, boosting the bias voltage increased the sensitivity of both devices.

A new design of the MOSFET dosimeter is being developed in a different study to measure the dose delivered to the tissue layers. Development of zinc oxide-Lead (ZnO-Pb) of different thicknesses fabricated by chemical bath deposition were investigated to study their sensitivity following irradiation using a low absorbed dose that can be used in diagnostic and interventional radiology (9, 36.5, and 70 mGy) and high absorbed dose (1, 5, and 10 Gy) of X-ray. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared films were analysed using FESEM and XRD measurements. The device relies on sensing the changes in the local electric field arising from radiation interactions in the absorber, coupled with the semiconductor materials used in this work—ZnO-Pb as the EGFET. Then the sensitivity of all devices was examined. Generally, thin-film devices showed less sensitivity to X-ray than the disk type. The sensitivity of the thin film dropped from 6.66 mV/to 1.42 mV/Gy, while the sensitivity of the ZnO-Pb disk type was 23.3 mV/Gy, which then dropped to 6.30 6.42 mV/Gy. Furthermore, the disk type ZnO-Pb was exposed to a high absorbed dose and obtained a sensitivity value of 0.08 mV/Gy, while the ZnO-Pb thin film obtained 0.01 mV/Gy. This can be related to the influence of thickness on the sensitivity of the dosimeter. However, the device’s performance characteristics, like sensitivity to radiation exposure and operating dose area, were discovered to be strongly dependent on the materials employed, effective atomic number, and thickness of the materials. Based on the results shown above, these devices might be considered a low-cost candidate for real-time -radiation dosimetry at room temperature. Furthermore, the thickest sample of 1 mm showed better sensitivity to radiation, compared to the thinner samples.

Even though several studies have demonstrated the use of Indium Tin Oxides (ITO) as an extended gate field effect transistor (EGFET), the effect of different doses of gamma radiation on the intrinsic properties of the ITO films has not been considered. This study investigates the effect of gamma irradiation on the structural, optical, morphological and electrical properties as well as pH sensitivity (as an extended gate field effect transistor) of ITO thin films. ITO thin films with thickness of 400 nm were prepared using a radio frequency sputtering technique. The samples were then subjected to various doses of gamma radiation from a Co-60 radio-isotope (0.5 kGy, 1 kGy, 1.5 kGy, and 2 kGy). The structural and morphological changes as well as transmission and absorption of the thin films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and UV–Vis spectrophotometry, before and after irradiation. The irradiated ITO thin films were then used as an extended gate field effect transistor to determine its ability to improve sensitivity as pH sensors. The grain size and transmittance in the range 300–900 nm of the ITO films were found to decrease with increasing gamma irradiation dose. In contrast, the uniformity and surface roughness of ITO thin films increased with increasing gamma radiation dose due to the formation of lattice defects. Moreover, the electrical resistance of the thin films increased with increasing dose because of the low current density and high number of surface defects associated with irradiation. The pH sensitivity of the ITO thin films improved after irradiation, possibly due to the concomitant increase in surface roughness with increasing radiation dose. The improvements in the pH sensitivity of ITO thin films after irradiation justify their potential use as pH sensors. Keywords: Indium Tin Oxide, Thin films, Gamma irradiation, Optical band gap, X-ray diffraction, EGFET, pH sensor

Heavy weight concrete (HWC) is one of the most used artificial materials for the embodiment of special infrastructures such as nuclear power, medical, nuclear science and industrial facilities. The review highlights the main aspects of HWC covering the general concept of radiation physics, fundamental of geometrical design for radiation attenuation and recent advances of HWC technology. An overview of recent research and development of HWC for various applications in engineering and radiation attenuation is elaborated. Besides, the primary industrial applications, future challenges and current limitations of research and development of HWC are also deliberated. Recent works had established that the degree of attenuation of biologically harmful forms of radiation, such as gamma-rays and X-rays, is proportional to the atomic mass (Z) of the shielding material. The high penetration power enables the radiations to penetrates the living bodies and causes harmful ionization of the biological cells. Therefore, the concrete material capable of effective attenuation of these rays plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and health of personnel in nuclear facilities. A comprehensive analysis of the literature shows the limitations in the present body of knowledge associated with the use of more than one type of nano-materials to achieve a virtually impervious HWCs. Besides, a significant gap was identified on the method of improving the cost efficiency of HWC by the use of byproduct heavyweight aggregates or by adding more than one type of aggregate and inclusion of heavyweight fiber. The review had established several critical areas for future works covering cost optimization in the formulation of high-quality HWC, reactive powder and geopolymer HWC, combinations of nano-materials, crack control and elevating Z-value of HWC to improve harmful radiation attenuation performance.

As the nuclear energy sector continues to grow worldwide, the improvement of concrete’s radioactive isolation properties for preserving both the environment and human lives in nuclear power plant applications has received a global interest among researchers. Although nano-silica, nano-calcium carbonate, and steel furnace slag have high molar mass and favorable physical properties to improve the concrete’s radioactive insulation properties, scarce literature on the subject matter has been published. The goal of this study is to investigate the appropriateness of using nanomaterials such as nano-silica slurry and nano-calcium carbonate as additives for the production of steel furnace slag (aggregate of steel furnace slag: ASFS)-based heavyweight concrete (HWC) with improved durability, mechanical strength, and gamma (γ)-ray attenuation properties. A new contribution of the study is the use of nano-SiO2 slurry and nano-CaCO3 in concrete binder formulation to enhance concrete gamma-ray shielding capability. An optimized content was developed for the nano calcium carbonate, in combination with a constant amount of nano-silica slurry, to improve the performance of the HWC. An investigation program was implemented with eight concrete mixes, which were prepared by utilizing ASFS as the main aggregate with 3% of nano-silica slurry in combination with (0–3%) of nano-calcium carbonate as additives to produce high strength HWC. The hardened concrete samples were evaluated for mechanical strength, fluid transport and γ-ray shielding properties. The effect of 3% nano-SiO2 slurry and 2.0% nano-CaCO3 on the compressive strength and gamma-ray shielding increased by 10.3 and 3.4%, respectively, at 28 days as compared to the control mix without nanomaterials additives. The other mechanical and fluid transport properties of the concrete were also improved significantly. In conclusion, the combined use of nano-silica slurry and nano-calcium carbonate would enhance the mechanical strength, fluid transport and γ-ray shielding properties of steel furnace-slag heavyweight concrete.

This study demonstrates the shifts in the threshold voltage (( Δ V TH ) of a fabricated extended gate field effect transistor (EGFET) induced by low-dose gamma irradiation as a detection procedure for the collective irradiation dose detection. A metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) under ionizing irradiation generates electron–hole ( e − - h + ) pairs within the oxide layer. These massive holes confined inside the oxide layer owing to their low mobility and produce excess charge. Consequently, the characteristics of the MOSFET and V T H (turn on) are altered, which is detrimental to the transistor’s operation unless inhibited. To resolve this issue, chemical bath deposition was used to grow a multilayer ZnO/Pb/G thin film to assess the feasibility of achieving a low dose gamma (Co-60) irradiation detector. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared film were analyzed using FESEM, XRD, and UV–Vis absorption measurements. The irradiation dose-dependent V T H traits of the ZnO/Pb/G film-based EGFET were found to be linear. Further, it is established that the simple, rapid, low-cost and eco-friendly technique for the extended gate fabrication may constitute a basis for the development of low doses (up to 12.98 μ Sv) gamma irradiation dosimetry.

In this work, an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) based on flowers-like n-ZnO nanorods (NFs)/p-GaN was fabricated using direct heat substrate-modified chemical bath deposition (DHS-MCBD) method. Initially, the ZnO nanoparticles were grown on the top of a p-type GaN substrate as a seed layer which facilitated the growth of high-density of ZnO nanorods in various directions. The current-voltage (I–V) characteristics of the fabricated LED device showed a rectifying behavior of ZnO NFs/p-GaN heterojunction whereas the breakdown mechanism for the device was generated by the tunneling effect. The luminescence properties of the device were studied at room temperature (RT) by using electroluminescence (EL) technique. The back side EL spectrum of the device displayed a sharp UV emission peaks at 367 and 378 nm for GaN and ZnO respectively. On the other hand, the EL spectrum taken from the front side was composed of UV emission, near blue emission along with a broadband green emission. The EL emission for the device was also observed with the naked eye under normal light from both of its sides. The light emission mechanism and the waveguiding effect of the ZnO NRs have been discussed in this work.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films of multilayers structure were fabricated by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method on a glass substrate. After growing, the optical, structural and morphological characterizations of the samples were studied. Moreover, the crystallite size and energy band gap were calculated by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and UV-visible spectrometer, respectively. XRD showed that the crystalline size of the samples decreased with increasing the layers up to four layers, while the energy band gap increased with increasing the layers. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) used to study the morphological properties of the samples. Based on the effective atomic number, electron density and light yield properties of the samples make it suitable to be used as an ionizing radiation detector. Eventually, the samples will be used as a scintillator material to detect ionizing radiation.

In this work, we report the fabrication of a near- ultraviolet (UV) light emitting (LED) device based on the growth of n-ZnO nanorod (NRs) arrays on the p-GaN layer/sapphire substrate heterostructure using the low-cost hydrothermal technique. Morphological, structural and optical properties of the as-fabricated sample are described. The room temperature current-voltage (I–V) measurements of the fabricated LED device confirmed a rectifying diode behaviour. The device presents near UV color under reverse bias. The luminescence properties of were investigated from both sides of the fabricated LED device at room temperature by electroluminescence (EL). EL spectrum of color emitting LED composed of intense peaks centered at 367 nm, 379 nm and a broad band around green emission. EL emission for the device has seen with the naked eye under normal light.

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the health problems with great burden on the liver that may end with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this work was to assess serum vitamin D level in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease children Methods This cross sectional case control study involved 47 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease selected while recruiting the pediatric hepatology clinics. Their ages ranged from 5–15 years and were compared with 23 healthy age and sex matched children. All involved patients were subjected to careful history taking, clinical examination and for patients and control, anthropometric measures for body mass index (BMI) calculation (plotted on WHO percentile growth charts), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), bilirubin (total and direct), serum albumin, creatinine, triglycerides, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL),low density lipoprotein (LDL), fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin (for calculation of insulin resistance), C reactive protein and serum vitamin D all were assayed. NAFLD was detected by ultrasonography and graded as absent, mild, moderate and severe. Results Ninety-three percent of NAFLD patients were obese. Significant differences were found between patients and control regarding AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, total and direct bilirubin, serum albumin, creatinine, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and serum vitamin D levels. Significant negative correlation was found between serum vitamin D level and grades of steatosis. Conclusions Serum vitamin D level decreases in children with NAFLD. This low serum vitamin D level is associated with higher stages of steatosis but not with BMI.