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Purpose: Spinal and lower extremity degeneration often causes pain and disability. Lower extremity osteoarthritis, eventually leading to total knee- (TKA) and -hip arthroplasty (THA), can alter posture through compensatory mechanisms, potentially causing spinal misalignment and paraspinal muscle (PM) atrophy. This study aims to evaluate the association between prior THA or TKA and PM-degeneration in patients undergoing elective lumbar surgery for degenerative conditions. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing lumbar surgery for degenerative conditions was conducted. Patients were categorized based on prior THA, TKA, or both. Quantitative analysis of functional cross-sectional area (fCSA) and fat infiltration (FI) of psoas, multifidus (MF), and erector spinae (ES) muscles at L4-level was performed using T2-weighted MRI images. The association between the FI and fCSA of the PM and prior arthroplasty was investigated. Differences were assessed using ANOVA and multivariable linear regression. Results: Overall, 584 patients (60% female, 64 ± 12 years) were included. 66 patients (11%) had prior TKA, 36 patients (6%) THA, and 15 patients (3%) both TKA and THA. Patients with arthroplasty were mostly female (57%) and notably older (p < 0.001). The FI of the MF and the ES was significantly higher in the arthroplasty-group (both p < 0.001). Patients with prior TKA showed significantly higher FI (Est = 4.3%, p = 0.013) and lower fCSA (Est=-0.9 cm2, p = 0.012) in the MF compared to the non-arthroplasty-group. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a significant lower fCSA and higher FI in the MF among individuals with prior TKA. This highlights the complex knee-spine relationship and how these structures interact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated impact of dietary supplementation with garlic oil (GO) on growth performance and alleviation of heat stress (HS) impact in broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day old Cobb broilers were randomly assigned to four treatments, each with six replicates of 10 birds. Treatment one (- Control) was offered a basal diet (BD) and raised under thermo-neutral temperature throughout the experiment (42 days), while Treatment 2 (+Cont) received BD throughout the experimental period, and raised under thermoneutral temperatures during the experiment weeks, but subjected to HS during the fifth week. Treatments 3 and 4 were exposed to the same HS during the fifth week and fed a BD supplemented with 5 g GO/kg, and 15g GO/kg throughout the experimental period. Compared to the thermoneutral control, the heat-stressed control displayed a lower growth performance, in terms of decreased feed intake, higher feed conversion ratio, higher mortality, altered serum metabolites, and lower antioxidative activity. Both GO treatments resulted in deteriorated growth performance compared to the thermoneutral control and relatively worse than the CHS control (P > 0.05). The GO treatments reduced serum triglycerides, cholesterol, and malondialdehyde concentrations, but enhanced glutathione peroxidase activity and total antioxidant capacity compared to HS control. The two GO treatments exhibited significantly higher villus length/crypt depth ratio than the thermoneutral control. In conclusion, GO treatments displayed poor growth performance results, but enhanced the serum antioxidant properties under the study conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Protection & Pathology is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The literature is scarce in exploring the role of imaging parameters like ultrasound (US) as a biomarker for surgical outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the associations between skin US parameters and revision surgery following spine lumbar fusion. Methods: Posterior lumbar fusion patients with 2-years follow-up were assessed. Previous fusion or revision not due to adjacent segment disease (ASD) were excluded. Revisions were classified as cases and non-revision were classified as controls. US measurements conducted at two standardized locations on the lumbar back. Skin echogenicity of the average dermal (AD), upper 1/3 of the dermal (UD), lower 1/3 of the dermal (LD), and subcutaneous layer were measured. Echogenicity was calculated with the embedded echogenicity function of our institution's imaging platform (PACS). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 128 patients (51% female, age 62 [54–72] years) were included in the final analysis. 17 patients required revision surgery. AD, UD, and LD echogenicity showed significantly higher results among revision cases 124.5 [IQR = 115.75,131.63], 128.5 [IQR = 125,131.63] and 125.5 [IQR = 107.91,136.50] compared to the control group 114.3 [IQR = 98.83,124.8], 118.5 [IQR = 109.28,127.50], 114 [IQR = 94.20,126.75] respectively. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate a significant association between higher echogenicity values in different layers of the dermis and requiring revision surgery. The results provide insights into the potential use of skin US parameters as predictors for revision surgery. These findings may reflect underlying alterations in collagen. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms driving these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paraspinal muscle atrophy is gaining attention in spine surgery due to its link to back pain, spinal degeneration and worse postoperative outcomes. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool for muscle quality assessment, primarily utilized for patients with neuromuscular diseases. However, EIM's accuracy for paraspinal muscle assessment remains understudied. In this study, we investigated the correlation between EIM readings and MRI‐derived muscle parameters, as well as the influence of dermal and subcutaneous parameters on these readings. We retrospectively analyzed patients with lumbar spinal degeneration who underwent paraspinal EIM assessment between May 2023 to July 2023. Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration (FI) and functional cross‐sectional area (fCSA), as well as the subcutaneous thickness were assessed on MRI scans. Skin ultrasound imaging was assessed for dermal thickness and the echogenicities of the dermal and subcutaneous layers. All measurements were performed on the bilaterally. The correlation between EIM readings were compared with ultrasound and MRI parameters using Spearman's correlation analyses. A total of 20 patients (65.0% female) with a median age of 69.5 years (IQR, 61.3–73.8) were analyzed. The fCSA and FI did not significantly correlate with the EIM readings, regardless of frequency. All EIM readings across frequencies correlated with subcutaneous thickness, echogenicity, or dermal thickness. With the current methodology, paraspinal EIM is not a valid alternative to MRI assessment of muscle quality, as it is strongly influenced by the dermal and subcutaneous layers. Further studies are required for refining the methodology and confirming our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Croton socotranus Balf.f. shrub is widely used traditionally in Asia as an anti-infective. The study was conducted for metabolite profiling, oral acute toxicity and antioxidant studies, antimicrobial activity and anticancer effect against human hepatoma (HepG2), breast cancer (MCF-7) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of 39 compounds, predominantly comprising fatty acids (57.76%), sesquiterpenes (24.56%) and triterpenes (9.54%). The n-hexane fraction exhibited promising antimicrobial activity and displayed a potent anti-tumour effect against HepG2, MCF-7 and RD cells with IC50 values of 3.4, 6.5 and 7.1 μg/mL, respectively. Histological examination revealed significant morphological changes consistent with the changes observed in the apoptotic mechanism of action. The molecular docking study provided insights into the rational binding modes of the identified compounds with phosphoinositide 3-kinase and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 enzymes. Our findings suggest the potential of C. socotranus as a valuable source of antimicrobial and anticancer agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how the combination of robot-mediated haptic interaction and cerebellar neuromodulation can improve task performance and promote motor skill development in healthy individuals using a robotic exoskeleton worn on the index finger. The authors propose a leader-follower type of mirror game where participants can follow a leader in a two-dimensional virtual reality environment while the exoskeleton tracks the index finger motion using an admittance filter. The game requires two primary learning phases: the initial phase focuses on mastering the pinching interface, while the second phase centers on predicting the leader's movements. Cerebral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with anodal polarity is applied to the subjects during the game. It is shown that the subjects' performance improves as they play the game. The combination of tDCS with finger exoskeleton significantly enhances task performance. Our research indicates that modulation of the cerebellum during the mirror game improves the motor skills of healthy individuals. The results also indicate potential uses for motor neurorehabilitation in hemiplegia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proper investigation of geomechanical properties of reservoir sediments allows accurate prediction of both magnitude and direction of different stress regimes. These are crucial for hydrocarbon production and development particularly in deformed and structurally controlled petroliferous basins. The rift basins in the north Western Desert (NWD) provide analogues for these structurally controlled prolific regions, where the syn-rift Jurassic sedimentary successions host prolific reservoir targets. However, a detailed assessment of the geomechanical behavior of the Jurassic reservoirs has never been investigated. Thus, the present study utilizes wireline log data to determine the geomechanical properties of the syn-rift Jurassic facies of the Khatatba Formation in Shushan Basin in the NWD. Mechanical earth model was constructed and formation microimager logs (FMI) were interpreted for to investigate the geomechanical behavior and wellbore stability of the studied deformed facies. The stress direction was determined from FMI by identifying drilling-induced fractures, breakout zones and formation fractures. Resistive, conductive and partially conductive fractures are oriented in NE–SW, ESE–WSW, NW–SE, NE–SW and SW–NE directions coinciding with the Jurassic syn-rift structures. The ENE–WSW direction of breakout and minimum horizontal stress (SHmin) are the same as that of the primary fault in the study region contrasting with the NNW–SSE direction of maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) and induced fractures. The present study highlights the significance of integrating wireline logging results in interpreting the critical and non-critical stress orientations which are necessary for optimal production plans in structurally controlled prolific basins around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large intelligent surfaces arise as an emerging technology and critical building block for sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks. Reconfigurable holographic surfaces (RHSs) have been attracting significant attention recently as active antenna arrays with the capability of forming narrow beams at low cost and complexity. This paper introduces the directional modulation (DM) concept for RHS, where a large number of elements are exploited to control not only the signal's power at the receiver but also its phase. Thus, a novel DM algorithm is proposed for RHS enables modulating a carrier wave to transmit information toward specific directions while broadcasting arbitrary signals toward other directions. Error vector magnitude results are reported for multiple users, where the directions of two users with respect to the RHS are varied. Mutual information result is also provided for 6 users to demonstrate the application of RHS for the physical layer security. Results are highly promising for future low-cost and secure spatially multiplexed communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chosen plaintext attacks (CPA) pose a significant security risk to encryption algorithms. However, it can be difficult to perform such an attack without direct access to the encryption process. This paper introduces a new cryptoanalysis method that uses hidden CPA to analyze image encryption schemes based on substitution boxes (S-boxes) Unlike traditional CPA methods, the proposed algorithm does not require that they can directly into the encryption process. Instead, a hidden attack vector is embedded in the natural host image to reduce the risk of attack detection. By asking the owner of the encryption algorithm to encrypt this encryption image and provide a cipher image, the input vector can be compared with its encrypted counterpart This can have an effective S-box and break encryption the algorithm, which does not interact directly with the encryption process. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can completely recover cipher images in cascading S-box encryption schemes, regardless of the number of S-boxes used. Additionally, it conceals the CPA vector within the host image imperceptibly, achieving a high PSNR of 49.47 dB, indicating minimal visual distortion. Furthermore, our CPA significantly outperforms existing techniques in speed, recovering a 256 × 256 grayscale image in just 1.2 seconds. This method provides a simple yet effective cryptanalysis tool to evaluate the security of such image encryption schemes against CPAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a surge in research on mitigating environmental degradation and creating environmental awareness in recent past, researcher and other policmakers are still of the view that environmental destruction is on the rise, thereby calling into question the viability of these works to address the problem. This study, therefore, seeks to conduct a trend analysis to examine the knowledge gaps in studies related to understanding the determining factors of environmental degradation using a bibliometric analysis. For this purpose, the study reviewed existing papers using keyword search engines in the Dimensions database to retrieve published scientific works from 2000 to 2023. The study revealed that the main focus of environmental degradation has evolved over time, shifting from the sole focus of ecological footprint in between 2000 and 2005 to more such as carbon footprint, greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration, renewable energy, and input–output analysis 2013 to 2023. Also, the last decade has seen a drastic rise in scholarly works on environmental degradation. The result also revealed that the emerging theme in relation to environmental degradation is associated with indoor air pollution. It is therefore imperative for researchers to shift their focus to indoor air pollution as this may have a more direct and devastating impact on not only the environment but also human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Applied & Theoretical Social Sciences is the property of Journal of Applied & Theoretical Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Permeability prediction and distribution is very critical for reservoir modeling process. The conventional method for obtaining permeability data is from cores, which is a very costly method. Therefore, it is usual to pay attention to logs for calculating permeability where it has massive limitations regarding this step. The aim of this study is to use unique artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to tackle this challenge and predict permeability in the studied wells using conventional logs and routine core analysis results of the core plugs as an input to predict the permeability in non-cored intervals using extreme gradient boosting algorithm (XGB). This led to promising results as per the R2 correlation coefficient. The R2 correlation coefficient between the predicted and actual permeability was 0.73 when using the porosity measured from core plugs and 0.51 when using the porosity calculated from logs. This study presents the use of machine-learning extreme gradient boosting algorithm in permeability prediction. To our knowledge, this algorithm has not been used in this formation and field before. In addition, the machine-learning model established is uniquely simple and convenient as only four commonly available logs are required as inputs, it even provides reliable results even if one of the required logs for input is synthesized due to its unavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Plant Production is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), often found incidentally on lateral lumbar radiographs, is increasingly recognized for its association with adverse outcomes in spine surgery. As a marker of advanced atherosclerosis affecting cardiovascular dynamics, this study evaluates AAC's impact on perioperative blood loss in posterior spinal fusion (PSF). Methods: Patients undergoing PSF from March 2016 to July 2023 were included. Estimated blood loss (EBL) and total blood volume (TBV) were calculated. AAC was assessed on lateral lumbar radiographs according to the Kauppila classification. Predictors of the EBL-to-TBV ratio (%EBL/TBV) were examined via univariable and multivariable regression analyses, which adjusted for parameters such as hypertension and aspirin use. Results: A total of 199 patients (47.2% female) were analyzed. AAC was present in 106 patients (53.3%). AAC independently predicted %EBL/TBV, accounting for an increase in blood loss of 4.46% of TBV (95% CI 1.17–7.74, p = 0.008). Conclusions: This is the first study to identify AAC as an independent predictor of perioperative blood loss in PSF. In addition to its link to degenerative spinal conditions and adverse postoperative outcomes, the relationship between AAC and increased blood loss warrants attention in patients undergoing PSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cirugía y Cirujanos is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigates the creation and analysis of chitosan-zinc oxide (CS-ZnO) nanocomposites, exploring their effectiveness in inhibiting bacteria. Two synthesis approaches, physical and chemical, were utilized. The CS-ZnO nanocomposites demonstrated strong antibacterial properties, especially against Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive bacterium. Chemically synthesized nanocomposites (CZ10 and CZ100) exhibited larger inhibition zones (16.4 mm and 18.7 mm) compared to physically prepared CS-Z5 and CS-Z20 (12.2 mm and 13.8 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, CZ nanocomposites displayed enhanced thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures of 281°C and 290°C, surpassing CS-Z5 and CS-Z20 (260°C and 258°C). The residual mass percentages at 800°C were significantly higher for CZ10 and CZ100 (58% and 61%) than for CS-Z5 and CS-Z20 (36% and 34%). UV–Visible spectroscopy revealed reduced band gaps in the CS-ZnO nanocomposites, indicating improved light absorption. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed uniform dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles within the chitosan matrix. In conclusion, this research underscores the impressive antimicrobial potential of CS-ZnO nanocomposites, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, and highlights their enhanced thermal stability. These findings hold promise for diverse applications in industries such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, and materials science, contributing to the development of sustainable materials with robust antimicrobial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) refers to intracranial hemorrhages frequently caused by minor head trauma and is mostly seen in middle and advanced age. One of the hypotheses regarding the development of CSH is that the inflammatory cascade plays a pivotal role in this process. Materials and Methods: The inclusion criteria covered patients in all ages who were diagnosed as CSH by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging and treated by surgical intervention in our clinic between 2018 and 2020. Patient files were reviewed retrospectively, and medical records of age, gender, trauma history, unilateral or bilateral lesion, and leukocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocytes, and platelet counts were obtained. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used for the most appropriate neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and age discrimination in the presence of CSH, and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effect of independent factors on dependent variables. Results: A total of 68 cases, 57 (83.8%) male and 11 (16.2%) female, aged between 13 and 93, were included in the study. The mean age of the patients included in the study was 72.59 ± 13.13 years. NLR of the cases ranged from 1.37 to 34.18, with a mean of 6.53 ± 6.74 and a median of 3.57. NLR and PLR were found to be statistically significantly higher in CSH patients compared to the healthy control group, and the cut-off values for NLR, PLR, and age were 2.8, 132, and 55, respectively. Age and NLR were found to be independent factors associated with CSH (P < 0.05). Conclusion: As seen from the results of this study, peripheral blood values in CSH patients may be significantly higher than in the healthy control group, while they are below the normal laboratory cut-off values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intervertebral vacuum phenomenon (IVP) and paraspinal muscular atrophy are age-related changes in the lumbar spine. The relationship between both parameters has not been investigated. We aimed to analyze the correlation between IVP and paraspinal muscular atrophy in addition to describing the lumbar vacuum severity (LVS) scale, a new parameter to estimate lumbar degeneration. Methods: We analyzed patients undergoing spine surgery between 2014 and 2016. IVP severity was assessed utilizing CT scans. The combination of vacuum severity on each lumbar level was used to define the LVS scale, which was classified into mild, moderate and severe. MRIs were used to evaluate paraspinal muscular fatty infiltration of the multifidus and erector spinae. The association of fatty infiltration with the severity of IVP at each lumbar level was assessed with a univariable and multivariable ordinal regression model. Results: Two hundred and sixty-seven patients were included in our study (128 females and 139 males) with a mean age of 62.6 years (55.1—71.2). Multivariate analysis adjusted for age, BMI and sex showed positive correlations between LVS-scale severity and fatty infiltration in the multifidus and erector spinae, whereas no correlation was observed in the psoas muscle. Conclusion: IVP severity is positively correlated with paraspinal muscular fatty infiltration. This correlation was stronger for the multifidus than the erector spinae. No correlations were observed in the psoas muscle. The lumbar vacuum severity scale was significantly correlated with advanced disc degeneration with vacuum phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vaginal bleeding can be a normal sign of implantation of the pregnancy, may herald the initiation of spontaneous abortion, or may be the sign of a pathologic condition such as ectopic pregnancy or gestational trophoblastic disease. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study included 68 cases of pregnant female with first trimester vaginal bleeding at Obstetrics& Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University. The duration of the study was from February 2021 to December 2021. General and local examinations were done for every participant. Vaginal bleeding was considered light when the women did not need hospital care and heavy when she was admitted to hospital. Fetal biometric measures and any maternal or fetal outcomes were noted and associated with vaginal bleeding. . Results: There was 29.5% had no complications but there is 8.8% had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), 17.6% had placental abruption, 30.9% had premature labor, 10.3% had premature rupture of membrane (PROM) and 2.9% had intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). Conclusion: Patients who were presented with severe vaginal bleeding had a pregnancy loss and hence a negative prognosis. Pregnancy prognosis is considerably influenced in the presence of sub-chorionic hematoma since the risk of preterm labour, IUGR, and notably miscarriage increases dramatically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is a part of the body's intricate biological reaction to noxious stimuli and defensive reactions. So, the aim of this investigation was to study the anti-inflammatory activity of exopolysaccharide (EPSSM) using carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. A halophilic bacterial strain was isolated from marine sediments in the Red Sea in Egypt. The isolate has been visually and physiologically recognized, as well as by analyzing its 16S rRNA gene, which confirms Kocuria sp. clone Asker4. This particular isolate can be referenced using the accession number OL798051.1. EPSSM was subjected to purification and fractionation by a DEAE-cellulose column. Preliminary chemical analysis of EPSSM indicated that the monosaccharides were fructose, glucuronic acid, and xylose, with 2.0, 0.5, and 1.0, respectively. The antioxidant potential of EPSSM was investigated, and it was discovered that the level of activity increased independently of the concentrations, reaching a maximum threshold of 94.13% at 100 µg/mL of EPSSM for 120 min. Also, EPSSM at 50 mg/kg orally produced a significant anti-inflammatory effect on the carrageenan model at 2, 3, and 4 intervals. The EPSSM intervention resulted in reductions in the levels of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes, as well as a decrease in glutathione. Furthermore, the levels of nitric oxide, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species resulting from carrageenan-induced edema showed a significant reduction subsequent to the administration of EPSSM. Moreover, the findings indicated that the protein expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and interleukin-6 were reduced following treatment with EPSSM, resulting in a reduction of paw edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) is a widely used tool for assessing musculoskeletal pain, both in research and clinical practice. However, a culturally appropriate Arabic version for the Libyan context has not been available. This study aims to translate the SF-MPQ, and to examine its reliability and validity for assessing musculoskeletal pain in Libya. Methods: The SF-MPQ was cross-culturally adapted into Arabic using a forward-backward method. A total of 151 patients (Mean age ± SD = 40.66 ± 14) with musculoskeletal pain completed the SF-MPQ and other measures. Of these, 148 patients completed the second round of questionnaire completion two days after the first visit. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to examine relative test-retest reliability and Bland-Altman plots was performed to examine absolute agreement between the two assessments. Spearman's correlation was applied to assess construct validity. Results: The Arabic translation of the SF-MPQ was linguistically equivalent, without significant discrepancies. All but two of the Arabic descriptors were used by more than 33% of the participants, indicating good item measurement equivalency. The results showed a satisfactory Cronbach's α (0.74 for the total score), which indicates good internal consistency. The ICC for the total score revealed a high correlation for the test-retest (0.91), suggesting excellent relative reliability. Bland-Altman analyses showed no significant systematic bias between the repeated measurements. There were positive statistically significant correlations among the SF-MPQ, the Visual Analog Scale, and the Fatigue Severity Scale (P < 0.001), demonstrating good construct validity. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Arabic SF-MPQ is reliable, valid, and cross-culturally equivalent to the original SF-MPQ for evaluating musculoskeletal pain among Arabic-speaking patients in Libya. Clinicians and researchers may therefore consider using this scale, as it is easy to use and understand by different age groups. Further research is needed to confirm our findings and to test the developed Arabic version of the SF-MPQ on different patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in many areas of life has allowed raising the efficiency of systems and converting them into smart ones, especially in the field of energy. Integrating AI with power systems allows electrical grids to be smart enough to predict the future load, which is known as Intelligent Load Forecasting (ILF). Hence, suitable decisions for power system planning and operation procedures can be taken accordingly. Moreover, ILF can play a vital role in electrical demand response, which guarantees a reliable transitioning of power systems. This paper introduces an Optimum Load Forecasting Strategy (OLFS) for predicting future load in smart electrical grids based on AI techniques. The proposed OLFS consists of two sequential phases, which are: Data Preprocessing Phase (DPP) and Load Forecasting Phase (LFP). In the former phase, an input electrical load dataset is prepared before the actual forecasting takes place through two essential tasks, namely feature selection and outlier rejection. Feature selection is carried out using Advanced Leopard Seal Optimization (ALSO) as a new nature-inspired optimization technique, while outlier rejection is accomplished through the Interquartile Range (IQR) as a measure of statistical dispersion. On the other hand, actual load forecasting takes place in LFP using a new predictor called the Weighted K-Nearest Neighbor (WKNN) algorithm. The proposed OLFS has been tested through extensive experiments. Results have shown that OLFS outperforms recent load forecasting techniques as it introduces the maximum prediction accuracy with the minimum root mean square error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Electromagnetic (EM) fields have been extensively studied as potent side-channel tools for testing the security of hardware implementations. In this work, a low-cost side-channel disassembler that uses fine-grained EM signals to predict a program's execution trace with high accuracy is proposed. Unlike conventional side-channel disassemblers, the proposed disassembler does not require extensive randomized instantiations of instructions to profile them, instead relying on leakage-model-informed sub-sampling of potential architectural states resulting from instruction execution, which is further augmented by using a structured hierarchical approach. The proposed disassembler consists of two phases: (i) In the feature-selection phase, signals are collected with a relatively small EM probe, performing high-resolution scans near the chip surface, as profiling codes are executed. The measured signals from the numerous probe configurations are compiled into a hierarchical database by storing the min-max envelopes of the probed EM fields and differential signals derived from them, a novel dimension that increases the potency of the analysis. The envelope-to-envelope distances are evaluated throughout the hierarchy to identify optimal measurement configurations that maximize the distance between each pair of instruction classes. (ii) In the classification phase, signals measured for unknown instructions using optimal measurement configurations identified in the first phase are compared to the envelopes stored in the database to perform binary classification with majority voting, identifying candidate instruction classes at each hierarchical stage. Both phases of the disassembler rely on a four-stage hierarchical grouping of instructions by their length, size, operands, and functions. The proposed disassembler is shown to recover ∼97–99% of instructions from several test and application benchmark programs executed on the AT89S51 microcontroller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to study the physio‐chemical parameters of Wadi Feiran groundwater and classify it for use for drinking and irrigation. Twenty water samples collected from the WF have revealed a number of physio‐chemical parameters such as pH, TDS, SAR, EC, ions (Na+, Mg+2, Ca+2, K+, Cl−, SO4−2, NO3−, and HCO3−), and trace elements (U, Pb, Cd, Zr, and Fe). The study clarified that the major ion parameters are within the permissible limits according to WHO 2018, except for Ca+2, Cl−, SO4−2, and NO3−, but trace elements have high concentrations, except for Zn. To recognize the association between groundwater quality parameters and their collective impact on whole groundwater quality, correlation coefficient, factor, and cluster multivariate statistical analyses were carried out and confirmed with the constructed LU/LC map. These revealed that the increase of TDS, EC, Cl, SO4, Na, Mg, and NO3 is attributed to rainfall, leakage of municipal sewage Nile water, and human actions. GIS approaches were used to create thematic layers from groundwater physio‐chemical parameters, which were then weighted and combined to produce a groundwater quality model. This model was classified into potable, marginal, and un‐potable water. Potable and marginal water can be used for drinking and irrigation, but un‐potable water can only be used for irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Botany is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This cross-cultural validation study aimed to assess the psychometric properties and suitability of the Arabic version of the Fatigue Measure (FM) in the context of musculoskeletal patients in Libya. A total of 139 patients from diverse physiotherapy facilities participated in the study. The FM was administered to assess participants' perceived fatigue levels. Statistical analyses were performed to examine the FM's cross-cultural validity, including the assessment of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis, and the ROC curve analysis. The FM demonstrated strong internal consistency and reliability in the Libyan context, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.87. Test-retest reliability was high (ICC = 0.92, Cronbach alpha = 0.95). The EFA confirmed the unidimensionality of this measure, indicating the stability of the FM's underlying dimensions in this cultural setting. The ROC curve analysis revealed significant results with the AUC value = 0.95 [95% CI 0.91–0.97], (p < 0.001), indicating excellent sensitivity and specificity. The findings support the cross-cultural validity of the FM among musculoskeletal patients in Libya, suggesting its suitability as an effective tool for assessing fatigue in this population. Its brevity and ease of use make it valuable for clinicians and researchers seeking to address fatigue-related issues in the context of musculoskeletal conditions in Libya. Further research could explore the FM's responsiveness to intervention and longitudinal changes in fatigue levels to enhance its utility in clinical practice. Overall, the FM holds promise as a reliable instrument for measuring fatigue in musculoskeletal patients in the Libyan cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we suggest a theoretical model for the exchange of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) state of laser fields in a real cold atomic system for realization in an experimental setup. By using four-wave mixing (FWM) processes, we study the spatial dependence of the new weak generated signal light under electromagnetically induced transparency conditions when one of the laser lights becomes an optical vortex. We discuss the spatial dependence of FWM processes via experimental parameters for different conditions of the OAM of vortex light. We have found that the intensity and phase distributions of the new generated light depends strongly on the OAM number of the optical vortex light. Moreover, we investigate the absorption spectrum of the new generated signal light for different OAM of the optical vortex light. Our obtained results may have potential applications in quantum information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of photonic integrated circuits has historically been driven by communications. However, emerging markets and opportunities require platforms that can operate over a broader wavelength range, offer additional capabilities, or improve performance. This paper provides a perspective on these emerging opportunities and the most promising approaches for addressing them, with a focus on platforms that support on-chip light generation and amplification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saudi Medical Journal is the property of Saudi Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)