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Le centre de pedopsychiatrie a lhopitalAr-razi de saleaouvertsesportes le mercredi 7 juillet 2010. Ce nouveau centre a puetrecree grace a unefructueuse collaboration entre la direction du centrehospitalier ibn Sina, lhopitalAr-razi, deux associations hollandaises de bascule et pace maker ainsi que le CHU damsterdam. Objectif :La connaissance du profil des consultants, leurscaracteristiquessociodemographiques et cliniquespermettra de mieux adapter loffre de soins a la demandeet didentifier les besoinsenterme de formation et de services offertsenpedopsychiatrie. Materiels et methodes:Notre etude est de type retrospectif sur 210 dossiersde patients ayantconsulteau service de pedopsychiatrie de lhopitalAr-razide sale entrejanvier 2016 et juin 2017. Resultats: La majorite des consultants etaient de sexemasculin (M=69,5%VERSUS F=30,5%).La Moyenne dageetait de 8,8 et la tranche dage6-11constituait la moitie des consultants,le tiers etaitrepresente par les adolescents. Le rang dans la fratrie le plus representativeetaitlaine et lenfantunique(48%) suivi par le deuxieme et le troisieme avec des tauxrespectifs de (20%)et (17%).La majorite de nos patients proviennent du milieu urbain (95,2%) et les trois quart etaient de la region rabat- sale.Le un tiers des demandes de consultations emanaient des parents suivis des medecinsgeneralistespuispsychiatres. Les motifs de consultation les plus rencontresetaient : le trouble du langage (30%), les troubles du comportement( 19,5 %)et les difficultesscolaires(18,6 %) qui sontretrouvesdavantage chez les garcons.Les troubles les plus frequentssont le handicap intellectuelsuivi par les troubles du spectreautistique, les troubles anxieux et le trouble dhyperactiviteet deficitdattention. Conclusion:Lerecours aux consultations pedopsychiatriquesconnaitune forte demande pendantcesdernieresdecennies, vu la sensibilisation et la prise de conscience de la famillemarocaine.Toutefois, uneenqueteaupres de la population generalepermettraitdadapter au mieuxloffre de soins a la demande.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis and septic shock are major problems faced the healthcare systems all over the world every year. The ultrasound (US) is a simple, non-invasive, easily accessible technique, and showed great accuracy in diaphragm assessment. AIM: We evaluated the diaphragmatic function assessed by US in patients with sepsis and septic shock and correlated these assessments with different parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study carried out on 30 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) diagnosed with sepsis and/or septic shock. Both diaphragmatic excursion (DE) and thickness fraction (diaphragm thickening fraction [TDI] %) were assessed by US on admission and every 48 h along the patients’ ICU stay. RESULTS: In the current study, there was a statistically significant reverse relationship between mortality and the different diaphragmatic function parameters (DE on admission, average DE, on admission TDI%, average TDI%). On the other hand, the DE (on admission and average) showed a statistically significant reverse relation with the need and duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) while the TDI% showed a statistically significant reverse relation only with the duration of MV. Besides, there was a statistically significant direct relationship between successful weaning from MV and all the measured parameters. CONCLUSION: We proposed that the diaphragmatic function parameters (DE on admission, average DE, on admission TDI% and average TDI%) assessed by US of septic ICU patients could be used as a predictor of the need, duration, and successful weaning from MV and also as a predictor of mortality.

Freshwater muscles are highly impacted by many human activities. As a result, it is considered as one of the most threatened ecosystem worldwide. Studying genetic diversity is crucial for any further research on conservation efforts. In the present study, inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker analysis was employed to study genetic diversity between 8 randomly selected specimens of bivalve. Total of 53 bands were produced from the 10 primers. Of these 37 bands were polymorphic, resulted in 69.8% polymorphism. Some primers showed more polymorphic bands than the others. For example, primer ISSR M17 produced no polymorphic bands. While primer ISSR M1 produced 3 polymorphic bands (100% polymorphism). Cluster analysis based on similarity matrix obtained showed that the 8 bivalve specimens can be clustered into two groups, one group containing specimens 2 and 6 and the other group represents specimens 4, 5, 1, 3, 7, and 8. These data may suggest that the bivalves in Abohomos, Behera Governorate may have more than one species. The implication of these data on the conservation of the bivalve is explained. The conclusion is that the bivalve population have enough genetic diversity. These populations are adapted to the environment they lives in.

Antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi isolated from Euphorbia milli was evaluated against Gram positive, Gram negative bacteria, unicellular yeast and filamentous fungi. The most active strain was selected and identified morphologically and genetically as Chaetomium ovatoascomatis NRC. The total ethyl acetate extract of C. ovatoascomatis NRC exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity against Gram negative; Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteric and fungi; Aspergillus niger with MIC of 62.5 ug/ml. While n-hexane fraction demonstrated broader activity against Gram positive; Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus cereus, Gram negative; Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteric, fungi; Candida albicans and F. solani. Phytochemical analysis of ethyl acetate strain extract was performed by LCMSMS analysis and n-hexane fraction was analyzed by GCMS. LCMSMS determined five major metabolites with potential antimicrobial activities including coumarin glycoside; esculin and flavonoids. GCMS analysis of n-hexane fraction tentatively identified 30 compounds, where 9,12-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester was the major compound.

Cyclops spp. is among the most common zooplankton in fish larval rearing tanks of the Marine Hatchery of the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt. This study aims to investigate the molecular analysis of this species and to evaluate the effect of a feeding diet composed of soybean, yeast, and microalgae (Tetraselmis chuii) on their population density and nutritional value. Phylogenetic identification of this species was conducted using (12S) rRNA molecular marker technique. The analysis showed that the investigated sample could be identified as Cyclops abyssorum divergens. Different concentrations of soybean and yeast ranging between 0.1 and 0.5 mg.l−1, and different microalgal density population ranging between 1.0 and 5 × 106 cells.ml−1 were used to feed cyclops for six consecutive days. The results showed that the treatment fed with soybean (0.5 µg/ml) recorded the highest population density of Cyclops (was 27 individuals/ml). As for the nutritional value, C. abyssorum divergens fed on T. chuii recorded the highest protein, lipids, and total amino acid values. Moreover, the highest value of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were detected in the C. abyssorum divergens growth fed on T. chuii.

A dual-channel multiplier (DCM) for energy efficient second-order piecewise-polynomial function evaluation for 3-D graphics applications is presented in this paper. The performance of the evaluation process is highly dependent on the design of the multiplication and squaring structure. A novel hardware implementation for polynomial evaluation is presented. The proposed approach compensates the complex multipliers by using DCM which reduces the hardware complexity. The DCM scheme performs complex functions with power-efficient and area-efficient approach. The multiplier reduces the hardware computational effort in the piecewise polynomial approximation with uniform or nonuniform segmentation. For large operand input size, a multiplier adder converter and a dedicated radix-4 squaring unit are also proposed. These units achieve the least power consumption compared to previous approaches with large input word size. Comparison with general purpose multiplication has shown reduction in power, and delay by up to 36%, and 50%, respectively. The proposed technique exhibits up to 93% saving in power consumption compared to the current traditional schemes.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes have been proved to be effective in treating neural related diseases in rodents. These devices were successfully extended to the field of human neuro therapy. Many different electrodes exist. However, no quantitative ranking criterion is available to allow meaningful comparison of the various DBS electrodes to aid the designer.This paper presents a novel Figure of Merit (FOM) dedicated to DBS electrodes. The proposed optimization performance takes into account safety factors of mechanical analysis and the estimated fabrication cost of some materials. The FOM is used to rank several DBS electrode designs.Finite Element Models (FEM) analysis for several electrode layouts are conducted. FEM shows the effects of different design parameters on the electrode mechanical performance. These parameters include electrode dimensions, geometry, and materials. The electrodes mechanical analysis is evaluated from different points of view including: linear buckling analysis, stationary analysis with axial and shear loading. The safety factors are calculated for several designs with different materials (brittle and ductile materials). The results obtained from FEM mechanical analysis for the various electrodes prototypes are presented, which provide guidelines for different electrode designs and material choice. A proposed fabrication process along with an estimated fabrication cost is also introduced.

An energy efficient double logarithmic arithmetic (DLA) technique is proposed for 3-D graphics applications. DLA manipulates the logarithmic arithmetic and improves the architecture for the realization of the transcendental functions and the advanced lighting model using energy efficient techniques. The DLA features complete elimination of multipliers in logarithmic domain by using successive logarithmic converters. DLA demonstrates up to 56% reduction in power consumption as compared to the existing techniques. The main advantage of this approach is the ability to perform the complex functions using power-efficient, area-efficient, as well as high frequency design. The proposed technique performs transcendental functions using multiplier free hardware architecture. Moreover, based on nonuniform subdivisions and piecewise linear approximation, novel logarithmic and antilogarithmic converters are also proposed. These converters achieve optimal power consumption as compared to several recent approaches. The proposed converters provide low relative error with less nonuniform subdivisions. Up to 19%, 12%, and 20% reduction in relative error, area, and power consumption are achieved, respectively.

This paper presents a proposed design for analyzing electrocardiography (ECG) signals. This methodology employs highpass least-square linear phase Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filtering technique to filter out the baseline wander noise embedded in the input ECG signal to the system. Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) was utilized as a feature extraction methodology to extract the reduced feature set from the input ECG signal. The design uses back propagation neural network classifier to classify the input ECG signal. The system is implemented on Xilinx 3AN-XC3S700AN Field Programming Gate Array (FPGA) board. A system simulation has been done. The design is compared with some other designs achieving total accuracy of 97.8%, and achieving reduction in utilizing resources on FPGA implementation.

The new field of neuro-prosthetics focuses on the design and implementation of neural prostheses to restore some of the lost neural functions. The electrode-tissue contacts remain one of the major obstacles of neural prostheses microstructure. Recently, Microelectrode fabrication techniques have been developed to have a long-term and stable interface with the brain. In this paper, a comparative analysis of finite element models (FEM) for several electrode layouts is conducted. FEM involves parametric and sensitivity analysis to show the effects of the different design parameters on the electrode mechanical performance. These parameters include electrode dimensions, geometry, and materials. The electrodes mechanical performance is evaluated with various analysis techniques including: linear buckling analysis, stationary analysis with axial and shear loading, and failure analysis for brittle and ductile materials. Finally, a novel figure of merit (FOM) is presented and dedicated to the various electrodes prototypes. The proposed designs take into account mechanical performance, fabrication cost, and cross sectional area of the electrode. The FOM provides important design insights to help the electrodes designers to select the best electrode design parameters that meet their design constraints.

An efficient manipulation of the logarithmic number system (LNS) is proposed resulting in saving in power and area of graphical processing unit (GPU). Double Logarithmic Arithmetic (DLA) approach is presented to achieve low power applications. The proposed scheme exploits the logarithmic field and enhances the computation of the transcendental operations and the lighting pattern operations for energy and area efficiency. The DLA is exploited by means of cascading logarithmic converters to completely eliminate multipliers. Comparison results show that this work achieves up to 51% saving in power and 40% area reduction as compared to the current schemes. The proposed methodology can implement all the transcendental processes utilizing multiplier-free hardware structural.

Logarithmic number system (LNS) is increasingly used for low power arithmetic calculations in graphical processing unit (GPU). LNS requires less hardware. Based on uniform subdivisions and linear-Lagrange interpolation, a novel 8-subdivisions logarithmic/antilogarithmic converters are proposed. Compared with different methodologies, the proposed logarithmic/antilogarithmic converters achieve high accuracy. Also, a significant decrease in area is presented in the comparison between the proposed converters and the prior ones. Hardware implementation using shift-and-add approach is adopted to further simplify the hardware. The novel logarithmic/antilogarithmic converters are implemented and synthesized using 90 nm CMOS technology. Up to 23% and 11% decrease in relative error and area are achieved.

Cubesat is a nano-satellite system standard, where a nano-satellite has structure, power, telemetry, payload among other subsystems, however, it fits up to 1.3 kilograms and 10cm×10cm×10cm modules [1]. Nano-satellites present flexibility in design; in recent years there are several proposals on how to implement the subsystems. The resolution continued to improve, which in turn lead to the need for higher accuracy pointing. They push the bounds of small size and low cost developed to provide cheap access to space and used primarily by universities, these satellites are measured in the tens of centimeters, weigh between one and ten kilograms, and usually cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.

A wider range of applications are represented by logarithmic number system (LNS). For 3D graphics, large savings in power is achieved by using LNS to perform complex operations. Saving in power and size of logarithmic and antilogarithmic converters are achieved in this paper. Based on non-uniform sub-segments and piecewise straight line approximation, novel group of logarithmic and antilogarithmic converters are presented. The proposed converters attain good pattern of precision and power dissipation as compared to different latest techniques. Synthesis results for 90-nm CMOS technology are also presented. High precision with less non-uniform sub-segments are obtained. The proposed converters reduce the power dissipation and area by more than 20%, and 23%, respectively, with up to 26% cutting in relative error.

In this paper, we designed and fabricated a high performance, low power image processing unit for payload camera subsystem for a nano satellite. The nano satellite has very limited power source produced from solar panels as the dimension of this panel is 10×10 cm. The camera system is the most subsystem in the satellite, which consumes high power during the image processing stage. We presented, a low power architecture for the matrix — vector multiplier of a constant matrix by a vector, which transforms the main part of the Discrete Cosine (DCT) in the compression circuit of an image unit. The image processing unit has been designed using FPGA technology, lower power is achieved on the architectural level. We have fabricated the PCB using FPGA (SPARTAN 3E 200), with SD Card for image storage and EEPROM for FPGA programming. This PCB is 4 layers and is designed with miniature dimensions to be more reliable and can be easily installed in the nano satellite inside camera module.

Please cite this paper as: Lohiniva et al. (2012) Poultry rearing and slaughtering practices in rural Egypt: an exploration of risk factors for H5N1 virus human transmission. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12023. Background Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) virus continues to cause infections in Egypt. This study describes the practices associated with raising and slaughtering household poultry to identify risk factors for H5N1 infection and reasons for non-compliance with preventive measures. Methods An investigation was conducted of 56 households with household flocks (19 households with human H5N1 cases, 19 with poultry H5N1 cases, and 18 with no reported poultry or human H5N1 cases). Data were collected via structured observations and in-depth interviews. Results Half of the households kept at least some free-range poultry and mixed at least some different species of poultry as it was considered beneficial for the poultry. Feeding and cleaning practices exposed children to contact with poultry; slaughtering contaminated homes; use of personal protective barriers was not a norm; waste management exposed the communities to slaughtering waste and dead chickens; and reporting of sick and dead poultry was not a practice. Only minor changes in poultry-handling took place following H5N1 virus outbreaks. Discussion H5N1 virus prevention in Egypt represents both an epidemiological and socio-cultural challenge. Traditional poultry-rearing practices that likely increase exposures to H5N1-infected poultry are common throughout Egypt. Despite education campaigns following sporadic H5N1 outbreaks, no differences in these practices could be detected between households with previous H5N1 human or poultry cases and those households with any previous experience with H5N1. Development of H5N1 infection–related education campaign strategies should focus on perceptions underlying traditional practices in order to tailor public awareness messages that are meaningful for communities.

A miniature SAW device is designed and fabricated at 1GHz for wireless communication system. A 5@mm thin film of ZnO is successfully deposited using RF sputtering technique on plasma-enhanced chemical deposition (PECVD) SiO"2 layer of 1@mm on top of Si wafer under various operating conditions. The c-axis-oriented ZnO film exhibit a sharp diffraction peak corresponding to the (002) reflection at 2@q=34.42. The fabrication process utilizing the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology of the SAW device is described. Simulation of the RF-SAW filter is performed. Measurements and experimental work are presented for the RF-SAW device.

We present a summary of the scientific objectives, payload and mission profile of the Space Weather & Ultraviolet Solar Variability Microsatellite Mission (SWUSV) proposed to CNES and ESA (small mission).

Please cite this paper as: Lohiniva et al. (2012) Poultry rearing and slaughtering practices in rural Egypt: an exploration of risk factors for H5N1 virus human transmission. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/irv.12023. Background Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) virus continues to cause infections in Egypt. This study describes the practices associated with raising and slaughtering household poultry to identify risk factors for H5N1 infection and reasons for non‐compliance with preventive measures. Methods An investigation was conducted of 56 households with household flocks (19 households with human H5N1 cases, 19 with poultry H5N1 cases, and 18 with no reported poultry or human H5N1 cases). Data were collected via structured observations and in‐depth interviews. Results Half of the households kept at least some free‐range poultry and mixed at least some different species of poultry as it was considered beneficial for the poultry. Feeding and cleaning practices exposed children to contact with poultry; slaughtering contaminated homes; use of personal protective barriers was not a norm; waste management exposed the communities to slaughtering waste and dead chickens; and reporting of sick and dead poultry was not a practice. Only minor changes in poultry‐handling took place following H5N1 virus outbreaks. Discussion H5N1 virus prevention in Egypt represents both an epidemiological and socio‐cultural challenge. Traditional poultry‐rearing practices that likely increase exposures to H5N1‐infected poultry are common throughout Egypt. Despite education campaigns following sporadic H5N1 outbreaks, no differences in these practices could be detected between households with previous H5N1 human or poultry cases and those households with any previous experience with H5N1. Development of H5N1 infection–related education campaign strategies should focus on perceptions underlying traditional practices in order to tailor public awareness messages that are meaningful for communities.

Satellite images help in studying various phenomena related to earth's surface. The range of applications varies from agriculture, geology, coast and marine studies to urban development and environmental affairs. CubeSat projects belong to the category of small satellites named Pico Satellites. They have a relative superiority over higher order satellites such as Micro and Mini satellites in terms of their short development time, lower complexity, and most importantly less cost. We present here an overview on the ongoing project EgyCubeSat-1, a Pico satellite that has a camera as an optical payload with ground sample distance better than 100 meters, synchronous orbit, and low earth orbit in the range 600 ~ 700 Km. The key innovation is the development of costumed optics that fit in the compact allocated space and result in better resolution.

Reliable sand detection is an important component of oil production system. In practice, produced sand in oil pipelines poses a serious problem in many production situations, since a small amount of sand in the produced fluid can result in significant erosion in a very short time stage. A new data fusion framework for sand detection in pipeline is presented. The framework is collecting data from oil pipeline using acoustic sensors (SENACO AS100) and Flow Analyzer (MC-II) in real time. The framework combines two modules: a wireless receiving and transmission (ReT) module and a data fusion module (DaF). The ReT module implementation is based on TinyOS and Crossbow MICAz motes. In order to optimize between the complexity and accuracy needs, DaF module is implemented using two methods; Fuzzy Art (FA) and Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE). The results show the efficient number of sensors needed and compare between FA and MLE redundant.

Population Councils USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) and the NGO Social Planning Analysis and Administration Consultants; (SPAAC) conducted an operations research study to measure the acceptability and effectiveness of two birth spacing message models. For Model I (health services model) birth spacing messages were communicated through services by health workers to women during prenatal and postpartum periods. Model II (community awareness model) provided this service plus an awareness raising component that targeted men through training community influentials to communicate messages. Both models proved effective in changing womens knowledge and attitudes towards birth spacing and in enhancing use of contraception at 10-11 months postpartum by 48 percent among Model I mothers and 43 percent among Model II mothers compared with 31 percent among control group mothers. Over the postpartum period women in the two intervention groups used contraception more consistently than women in the control group (median duration of protection against pregnancy was 6.8 months for Model I mothers 4.5 months for Model II mothers and 2.9 months for control group mothers). Both intervention models were associated with an increased utilization of services especially family planning services by women who only had one child (36 percent increase in Model I clinics 47 percent increase in Model II clinics and 3.2 percent in control clinics). However a fear of contraceptive side-effects continues to be a major concern among women and men in all groups and is an obstacle in achieving healthy birth intervals. (Excerpts)

In this paper we design RF SAW filter for wireless communication system applications. Modeling and simulation of the SAW filter for RF circuit is carried out. The modeling parameters are assuming monolithic integration of the SAW filter on CMOS chip. The optimum design of IDT parameters is considered for obtaining wide bandwidth of the filter. Simulation results are presented to investigate the performance of the SAW filter.

In this work modelling and analysis of a fabricated a fully integrated Double-Ring Capacitive Pressure Sensor (CPS) is described. The sensor fabrication is based on bulk-micromachining process, where silicon is etched from both sides to form a thin diaphragm. The silicon is then sealed by bonding to a glass wafer to form a hermetic chamber. Two metal electrodes which form the capacitor are deposited on the silicon diaphragm and glass, respectively. The difference between the pressures inside and outside of the chamber deforms the diaphragm which, in turn, changes the capacitance. Modelling the sensor capacitance and sensitivity versus applied pressure is given. Simulation results of the sensor capacitance and sensitivity are presented. Also measurement of the sensor sensitivity shows a very high sensitivity of 150?V/V-mmHg, which is the main advantage of the fabricated sensor.

A miniature SAW device is designed and fabricated at 1 GHz for wireless communication system. A 5 mum thin film of ZnO is successfully deposited using RF sputtering technique on PECVD SiO2 layer of 1 mum on top of Si wafer under various operating conditions. The c-axis oriented ZnO film exhibit a sharp diffraction peak corresponding to the (002) reflection at 2thetas=34.42. The fabrication process utilizing the MEMS technology of the SAW device is described simulation of the RF SAW filter is performed. Measurements and experimental work are presented for the RF SAW device.