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In this work, Cu NPs were loaded at a fixed percentage (5 wt%) on 1D, (1D + 0D) and 0D ZnO nanostructures to investigate the effect of the support morphology on the reduction of organic pollutants in water. The synthesized materials were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N

The well-established CdS-NiMoO4 nano-heterojunction showed superior photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light irradiation with efficient photostability.

The alkaline rocks are known for enriching rare lithophilic elements, including lithium, uranium, and tin, which negatively impact aquatic life. This study offers an intensive investigation of the influence of alkaline rocks on Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The variation in blood profile, the induction of antioxidant enzymes, morphological erythrocyte, and histological structure have been conducted for the fish after 15 days of exposure to alkaline rocks powder with a dose of 100 μg/L. As a result, there was a pronounced decrease in blood profiles, such as platelets and white blood cell counts. There was a failure in the liver and kidney functions. Moreover, it shows an increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities as antioxidant biomarkers. Also, exposure to alkaline rocks induced DNA mutation and erythrocyte distortion. We concluded that the bulk alkaline rocks induced changes in the hemato-biochemical and antioxidant parameters of Nile tilapia. Additionally, exposure to bulk alkaline rock compounds also caused poikilocytosis and nuclear abnormalities of RBCs. This draws our attention to the seriousness of climatic changes, the erosion of rocks, and their access to water.

Background: Flexible bronchoscopy has become the “gold standard” for managing the expected and unexpected difficult airway. Several drugs have been used to provide adequate sedation to optimize adequate fiberoptic intubation. Objective: To compare the sedative effects of dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulphate during awake fiberoptic nasal intubation in controlled hypertensive adults undergoing elective surgeries. Patients and methods: Sixty controlled hypertensive patients intubated using awake fiberoptic. They were divided into 2 equal groups: Patients received dexmedetomidine infusion at dose of 1ug/kg, and the other patients received magnesium sulphate at dose of 30mg/kg. Topicalization of airway was done using lidocaine “spray as you go technique”. After completing the loading dose, Ramsay score was assessed before intubation. The 2 groups were compared according to Ramsay score, cough score, facial grimace and hemodynamic changes. This study was done at Al-Azhar University Hospitals after approval of the medical ethical committee, from May 2019 till November 2020. Results: Ramsay score, cough score and facial grimace were favorable with less hemodynamic effects in dexmedetomidine group than magnesium group. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine was effective sedative agent for awake fiberoptic intubation in controlled hypertensive patients in comparison with magnesium sulphate.

To investigate the effectiveness of nebulized magnesium sulfate in treating persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborn (PPHN). Twenty-eight mechanically ventilated term neonates with severe PPHN were randomized into two groups: NebMag group (n = 14), who receiving nebulized isotonic magnesium (1024 mg/h), and IVMag group (n = 14), who received intravenous magnesium (200 mg/kg over 30 min, followed by 50 mg/kg/h). The study time frame was 24 h. Outcome measures were the changes in oxygenation index (OI), mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), vasoactive inotropic score (VIS), and serum magnesium level. Baseline demographic, ventilatory, and hemodynamic characteristics were comparable between the two groups. At the end of the study, the OI decreased by 44.3% in the NebMag group compared with 35.3% in the IVMag group (mean difference −3.14; 95%CI −5.08, −1.19; p 0.003). The NebMag group had a higher MABP (mean difference 2.29 mmHg; 95% CI 1.80, 2.77; p 0.000) and lower VIS (mean difference −14.64; 95% CI −16.52, −12.77; p 0.000) at the 24-h study time point. The increase in serum magnesium level, measured at 12-h study time point, was lower in the NebMag group (mean difference −2.26 mmol/L; 95% CI −2.58, −1.96; p 0.000). Nebulized magnesium sulfate may be an effective therapeutic modality for neonates with severe PPHN on mechanical ventilation, but this should be confirmed by larger studies. Retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT04328636).

Nanostructured Au33Pd67 alloy films were fabricated on glass using one-step air plasma DC magnetron sputtering. The films exhibited highly sensitive detection of dye molecules (RhB and CV) by the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The synthesized films also showed good catalytic properties for the reduction in 4-nitrophenol at pH ≈ 9.8. Such unique characteristic of the films was linked to the evolution of nanostructure, which can be controlled simply by the sputtering time. At the shorter sputtering time (10 and 20 s), the film was composed of isolated particles. By increasing the sputtering time (30 and 40 s), agglomeration of such nanoparticles resulted in the formation of the partially connected island nanostructures (about 38 nm) which can be confirmed by TEM and electrical resistivity measurement. The detection limit of 1 × 10–12 M RhB and 1 × 10–8 M CV with an enhancement factor of 7 × 107 and 3.3 × 104, respectively, was achieved over the film synthesized at the sputtering time of 30 s. The high sensitivity of this film can be ascribed to the strong electromagnetic field at the junction spots formed between the two adjacent islands. Moreover, this film has a slightly lower SERS, and better catalytic properties, in contrast to Au (30 s) film. Finally, the film providing efficient SERS enhancement is not the most active catalyst. Unlike the SERS, the catalytic activity depends highly on the amount of AuPd deposited.

Background. Nephrotic syndrome is a common kidney disease among children which is characterized by proteinuria, hypercholesterolemia, hypoproteinemia, and edema. The urinary losses of proteins including albumin and thyroid-binding globulin might affect the thyroid hormone levels in those children. Objective. To assess the thyroid function in children with nephrotic syndrome during the nephrotic attack and after remission.Methods. This was a prospective study conducted at the Pediatrics department, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt over a one-year period (from January to December 2017). Data were collected from 51 children with nephrotic syndrome aged between 1 and 12 years old. The study participants were subjected to investigations including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxin (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), serum urea, creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin, total proteins, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio and 24 hours urinary proteins during the nephrotic attack and after remission.Results. The mean age for the study participants was 6.1 ± 2.9 years. Thirty-one participants were males (60.8%). The study found that serum TSH levels were elevated while serum Total T3 and Total T4 were reduced during the nephrotic attack. As regards the thyroid hormone status, we found true hypothyroidism in 12 patients (23.52%) and subclinical hypothyroidism in 24 patients (47.06%) during the nephrotic attack. However, only one patient (1.96%) had true hypothyroidism and 14 patients (27.45%) had subclinical hypothyroidism after remission. Conclusion. A large proportion of children with nephrotic syndrome had thyroid dysfunction in the form of either true (overt) or subclinical hypothyroidism. Therefore, monitoring the thyroid function in those children is important.

Metallic copper nanoparticle (Cu NP)-doped 1D hydroxyapatite was synthesized using a simple chemical reduction method. To describe the structure and composition of the Cu/HAP nanocomposites, physicochemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma, N

In this work, the production of dimethyl ether (DME) from methanol over natural kaolin clay modified through impregnation with various percentages of H2SO4, WO3, or ZrO2 catalysts was investigated. The prepared catalysts were characterized via X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and N2-sorption analysis. The acidity of these catalysts was determined through the dehydration of isopropyl alcohol and the chemisorption of pyridine. The catalytic activity performance revealed that the addition of modifiers into kaolin enhanced the latter’s activity toward DME production. In addition, the kaolin clay modified with 10 wt% ZrO2 exhibited excellent activity of 98% conversion with 100% selectivity at 275 °C. Moreover, this catalyst could proceed the reaction for a long time (6 days) without any noticeable deactivation. The remarkable improvement in the catalytic performance achievement was well correlated with the acidity and the structure of the catalysts.

The oxidation of 3',3″-dibromothymolsulfonphthalein (DBTS) in neutral medium by potassium permanganate multi-equivalent oxidant has been studied spectrophotometrically. Pseudo-first-order plots showed inverted S-shape throughout the entire course of the reaction. The initial rates were found to be relatively fast in the early stages, followed by a decrease in the oxidation rates over longer time periods in the slow stage. Under pseudo-first-order conditions where [DBTS] ≫ 10 [MnO

Batch adsorption of Congo red (CR) on tartaric acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse was performed via varying the experimental factors such as initial dye concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose and particle size. Tries were done to fit the equilibrium results using isotherms of Langmiur, Freundlich, Tempkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R). Among these, the Langmuir isotherm is not applicable. However, the other three isotherms exhibit correlation coefficient > 0.95, indicating their well applicability to the studied system. Different kinetic models were applied in order to have an insight on the kinetic adsorption process mechanism.

Background: To estimate the various indications, values and misuses of Holter monitoring in the diagnosis and management of pediatric patients. Methods: The study was a prospective observational study, carried out at Pediatric Arrhythmia Clinic and at PICU of Sohag University Hospital over two years from 09/2017 to 09/2019. It encountered 80 pediatric patients (34 females), their age ranged from 29 days to 15 years with mean age of 6.18 years. All patients were subjected to echocardiography, 12 leads ECG and holter monitoring for 24 hours. Minimum, mean, maximum heart rate, rhythms and corrected QT were evaluated. Indications of Holter examination, its abnormalities were analyzed, also its positive diagnosis and management were defined. Results: Palpitations and syncopy were the main indications for holter examination 22 (27.50%) patients for each, abnormal examination in 17 (21.25%), chest pain in 13 patients (16.25%) and cardiomyopathy (7.5%) (one with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and five with Dilated Cardiomyopathy). There were 50 (62.50%) patients had abnormalities in Holter recordings. The highest contribution to diagnosis was in cardiomyopathy (83.3%) where the most common abnormalities were ventricular tachycardia (50%) and ventricular premature beats in (33.3%). An abnormal ECG was significantly associated with a higher diagnostic yield (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The most important indications for Holter monitoring include palpitations, syncope, abnormal physical exam findings, chest pain, and cardiomyopathy. Holter monitoring is an extremely important tool in the assessment of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. HM detects serious arrhythmias to identify patients who are at increased risk for subsequent morbid events. The abnormal ECG findings were associated with having an abnormal Holter, therefore Holter monitoring can be used to help select which patients should get this screening tool especially in low budget programs countries.

Background: arrhythmia" refers to any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses. Cardiac arrhythmias have been classified into tachycardia and bradycardia. Pediatric arrhythmias account for approximately 55 per 100,000 patients evaluated in pediatric emergency departments. Sinus tachycardia is by far the most commonly reported arrhythmia, followed by supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) which represents about 13%, and bradycardia accounting for about 6% of all cases Objective: To characterize patients attending pediatric arrhythmia outpatient clinic as regards the presence of cardiac rhythm abnormalities, the pattern of cardiac rhythm abnormalities and the impact of diagnosis and treatment on the patient morbidity.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on 500 pediatric patients from October 2016 to September 2017 in the Pediatric arrhythmia outpatient Clinics of the Pediatric Department. All patients in this study were subjected to complete clinical history including the cause of the referral, complete clinical examinations and twelve leads ECG. The following investigations were requested when indicated and its results were included in the study: Serum electrolyte, Echocardiography, Holter cardiac rhythm monitoring and Electrophysiological studies (EPS), and finally data was analyzed by SPSS software.

Background: Cardiac defects are the most common type of birth defects . Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a common cardio-vascular malformation, it is caused by the spontaneous malformation of the interatrial septum resulting in one or more openings, commonly referred to as holes in the heart .Patients and methods : This study is a prospective hospital based study involving all children at the age from 0 to 18 years diagnosed by echo-cardiography as having isolated atrial septal defect and admitted to paediatric department , intermediate care and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) ; also out patient clinic at Sohag university hospital during the period from January 2012 to January 2013 .Results : We studied [65] patients diagnosed by trans-thoracic echo-cardiography as isolated atrial septal defect (ASD) ,Their ages ranged from 5 days to 13 years with Mean ± SD ( 2.27 ± 2.8 years) . The main presenting Symptoms included ; reccurent chest infections , respiratory distress, feeding difficulties, exertional dyspnea,failure to thrive, manifestations of heart failure , and permanent cyanosis . Echo findings demonstrated that,the majority of cases had ASDII , followed by ASDI , then combined ASD , and less common type was sinus venosus ASD . Conclusion : The great majority of infants with ASDII are most often asymptomatic. Frequently,the condition is detected by a murmur on routine physical examination when they are school-aged children.

Copper nanoparticles were fabricated and deposited on a glass substrate by spark discharge of copper electrode under different atmospheric conditions for SERS application. An interesting dependence of the deposition process and the formation of different particle structures on the deposition atmospheres were observed. Static air atmosphere ensured the deposition of the Cu particles on the glass surface by avoiding the repulsion between charged Cu particles and the surface of the glass through the formation of CuO, which acts as a seed mediated for nanorods formation. The average diameter of the as-deposited Cu rods was measured by the TEM to be 39 nm. Thermal annealing of the film up to 200 °C resulted in a reduction in the diameter of the nanorods as well as an increase in the rod density. A water solution of dye molecule (crystal violet) with a concentration of 1 × 10–6 to 1 × 10–9 M was dropped on the prepared Cu substrate. Raman signals from dye molecule were detected and their intensities changed according to deposition time, post-annealing temperature and dye concentration. A significant increase in the Raman scattering signal of a dye molecule was observed in the film fabricated at 30 min of deposition time and post-annealed temperature of 200 °C for 1 h. This substrate provides a maximum SERS intensity with a detection limit of 1 × 10–8 M, with an enhancement factor of 3.9 × 103. The SERS performance of the substrates was correlated well with the change in their surface morphologies.

Background:Scorpionism is an endemic health problem in Upper Egypt.This study shows theepidemiological,clinical and laboratory manifestations of scorpion envenomation and identify factors that are predictive of severe cases. Methods: Prospective study had been performed at Emergency Unit in the Sohag university hospital and Sohag General Hospital from January to December , 2016. It included 50 patients with definite history of scorpion sting envenomation.Theepidemiological,clinical,andlaboratory findings of patientswererecorded. Results: We found that 44% had abnormal serum troponin and 58% had abnormal serum CKmb. Also 54% had abnormal serum lactate dehydrogenase and 44% had abnormal serum myoglobin. ECG study revealed changes in the severe group in the form of low QRS, ST segment change, sinus tachycardia and ventricular ectopics. Severe group showed significant reduction in the %SF and LVEF in the comparison to the mild/moderate group. Conclusions:The present study is demonstrated that cTnI is a highly specific and sensitive indicator for myocardial injury and adverse outcome in victims of scorpion envenomation. So cTnI may be used in these cases for both diagnosis and prognosis. The use of cTnI in the immediate assessment of patients with severe systemic envenomation appears warranted to identify those at risk of myocardial injury.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of an educational program on nurses' knowledge and performance regarding nursing care of children with WT. Setting: This study was conducted at the outpatient and inpatient of pediatric oncology departments in Children Cancer Hospital (57357). This study sample is convenient, involved all the available (60) staff nurses giving nursing care for about 70 children suffering from WT. Tools of data collection included a structured interviewing questionnaire and Observational checklists sheets for assessing nurses' knowledge and performance (pre-posttest and follow up). The findings of the present study revealed that, the impact of the educational program on nurses' knowledge and performance about care of children with WT the result concluded that there was a positive correlation between nurses' knowledge and performance regarding WT after the educational program implementation. The result recommended that newly appointed nurses who are working at oncology unit must have an orientation program prior to care of children with Wilms' tumor, periodical continuous on job-training programs for oncology nurses to update and refresh their knowledge and performance about care of children with Wilms' tumor, regular clinical sessions to monitor the nursing performance at 57357 hospital will reinforce and improve the skills regarding to care of children with Wilms' tumor and further studies and replication of this study in other oncology units.

Dimethylamino-2H-5-dihydropyrane-6-methyl-4-one (DADHP) is a novel antibacterial pyrones derivatives and potential pharmaceutical that was quantitatively synthesized by oxidizing azithromycin (AZ) antibiotic with potassium permanganate in an alkaline medium (pH 12). The oxidation reaction was kinetically studied using spectrophotometric technique at ionic strength equal to 0.02 mol dm

A novel ZrO2-acriflavine nanocomposite thin film [ZrO2+ACF]C complex as a powder form was synthesized and prepared as a thin film using the Sol-Gel spin coating tool. Various methods of characterization have been utilized, such as FTIR, UV–Vis, SEM and optical properties. Optimization by DMol3 and CASTEP was implemented utilizing DFT. The chemical structure for [ZrO2+ACF]C as nanocomposite family drugs was confirmed by its spectroscopic and structural properties. The average crystallite size [ZrO2+ ACF]C is 59.76 nm. Furthermore. The optical energy band gap calculated by Tauc's equation is 2.291 eV and 2.117 eV for [ACF]TF and [ZrO2+ACF]C films, respectively. Whereas the calculated by DFT (DMol3) are 2.213 eV and 1.633 eV for [ACF]TF and [ZrO2+ACF]C, respectively. In addition, the optoelectrical parameters have been computed for [ACF]TF and [ZrO2+ACF]C films. The simulated values obtained by CASTEP in DFT for the optical parameters of [ZrO2+ACF]C are in good agreement with the experimental values. The [ZrO2+ACF]C presents a good candidate for optoelectronics and solar cell applications.

ZrO2 was treated with 10% S O 2 - 4 from different metal sulfate precursors for methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether. All the samples exhibited tetragonal phase and no diffraction peaks corresponding to metal sulfates or metal oxides were observed. The FT-IR results revealed that there were different interactions between sulfate and ZrO2, and this had a great effect on the surface area of the samples. The catalytic activity was measured over the catalysts in the temperature range of 100–300°C. The results revealed that sulfated zirconia with CuSO4·5H2O and Al2(SO4)3·16H2O showed the best catalytic activity. The maximum yield of DME ≈ 87% was obtained over CuSZ at a reaction temperature of 275°C. Moreover, the catalytic activity of the catalysts was correlated well with their surface acidity that measured by dehydration of isopropanol.

The present study concerns with exploring the possibility of using of tartaric acid pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for removing diazonium blue (DB) from aqueous solutions. The effect of different factors on the efficiency of the adsorbent for the DB dye removal was investigated, including initial dye concentration, contact time, SCB dosage and SCB particle size. Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and D–R isothermal models have been employed to analyze the adsorption equilibrium data. It was found that the adsorption of the dye fits well with the D–R model. The adsorption kinetics was also done applying four kinetic models. The regression equation coefficients refer to fitting the data to the second-order kinetic equation for removal of the DB dye. It is probable that the rate limiting step is a chemical adsorption between the adsorbent and the dye. This chemisorption process is further confirmed from the energy value of 15.1 kJ mol−1 deduced from the D–R isotherm.

Beta-ketothiolase (mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase, T2) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by impaired metabolism of ketones and isoleucine. In this study, we report on the first two siblings with T2 deficiency from Libya. Both siblings presented with ketoacidosis, but the severity and outcomes were quite distinctive. T2 deficiency in patient 1, the younger sister, manifested as recurrent severe episodes of ketoacidosis during the first year of life. She unfortunately experienced neurodevelopmental complications, and died at 14 months old, after her 5th episode. In contrast, patient 2, the elder brother, experienced only one ketoacidotic episode at the age of 4 years. He recovered uneventfully and has continued to achieve age-appropriate development to date. Upon analysis, the siblings’ blood acylcarnitine profiles had shown increased levels of C5:1 and C5-OH carnitine. ACAT1 mutational analysis revealed patient 2 is homozygotic for a novel mutation–c.674C > A (p.Ala225Glu); this mutation was then confirmed by familial analysis. Transient expression analysis of c.674C > A mutant T2 cDNA revealed neither potassium ion-activated acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase activity, which represents T2 activity, nor mutant T2 protein. Therefore, this mutation is truly pathogenic. Interestingly, the incidence of T2 deficiency may be high among the Arab population. This disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis for unexplained ketoacidosis in children. Patients with T2 deficiency could have a favorable outcome if diagnosed and treated early.

Background and objectives: Growth failure is common among children with congenital heart disease (CHD). This study aimed at the assessment of the effect of therapeutic cardiac catheterization on the growth status of children with CHD.Patients and Method: This was a prospective observational study conducted at pediatric cardiac catheterization unit-Sohag university hospital, from October-2016 to September-2017, on children with congenital acyanotic heart diseases who were admitted for therapeutic cardiac catheterization. We assessed the growth parameters as a weight for age Z-score (WAZ), height for age Z-score (HAZ), body mass index and upper arm circumference before catheterization, at one month, three months and six months after catheterization. The growth status was considered normal when WAZ and HAZ were from -2 SD, underweight if WAZ was ≤ -2 SD and stunting if HAZ was ≤ -2 SD. Results: One-hundred and two children with congenital acyanotic heart diseases were included. The mean age was 3.95 ±3.11 years. Sixty participants(58.8%) were females. Before catheterization,70 patients (68.6%) had normal growth status, 20 patients (19.6%) had underweight and 19 patients (18.6%) had stunting. The prevalence of underweight significantly diminished to3.92% (p < 0.001) at the 6th month after catheterization. However, no significant differences in the prevalence of stunting were found during the follow-up period.Conclusion: Therapeutic cardiac catheterization had a significantly positive impact on weight gain shortly after catheterization. However, improvement in the height could not be detected in the first 6 months after catheterization and longer follow-up periods are required.

Background: persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a serious medical emergency in the neonatal period which occurs because of failure of transition of the fetal circulation into the normal circulation. The condition is characterized by persistently elevated pulmonary vascular pressures and carries with it a high rate of mortality and morbidity.Objective: to evaluate the effect of inhaled versus intravenous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a treatment of pulmonary hypertension in neonates.Methodology: this is an observational prospective study done in Sohag university hospital in the neonatal intensive care unit during the period from January 2016 to December 2017 on 50 neonates who were diagnosed to have PPHN by echocardiography. In this study, we compared the effect of intravenous versus the inhalational MgSO4 on reducing the PHN and SILDENAFIL was used as an adjuvant treatment.Results: there was a statistically significant difference between the three studied groups as regard: age, sex, the degree of respiratory distress, the pulmonary artery pressure before treatment, side effects of treatment, duration of treatment and the SpO2 after treatment. Also there was a great difference in SpO2 in the right hand before and after treatment. Pulmonary artery pressure as well differs greatly before and after treatment in the three groups.Conclusion: based on this study we don't recommend the use of nebulized MgSO4 alone as a treatment of PPHN in neonates.

A series of Ag2O/γ-Al2O3 nanocatalysts for direct dehydrogenation of methanol with various extents of Ag2O loading (0.5–15 wt%) were prepared by the wet impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM and N2 sorption. The catalysts were tested for direct dehydrogenation of methanol in a fixed-bed reactor at a relatively low temperature, 330 °C, using N2 as a carrier gas. The obtained results revealed that pure γ-Al2O3 exhibits quite poor selectivity toward formaldehyde (FA) formation (≈28%). On the other hand, the addition of Ag2O improves the catalytic activity of γ-Al2O3 where the catalyst with 10 wt% Ag2O exhibits 100% conversion of methanol with 100% yield of FA. Moreover, the catalyst with 1 wt% Ag2O achieved similar results at the reaction temperature of 370 °C.

WO3 catalyst was prepared by thermal decomposition of ammonium metatungstate (AMT) in a static air atmosphere for 3h at 450, 550, 650 and 750℃. The techniques employed for characterization of the catalyst were TG, DTA, XRD, FTIR, N2-sorption measurements. The surface acidity of the catalyst was investigated by adsorption of pyridine and 2, 6-dimethyl pyridine. The catalytic properties of the catalyst were carried out for the dehydration of isopropyl and methyl alcohols. The results revealed that WO3 is more active toward isopropanol dehydration than methanol dehydration. Also reflect that the reaction mechanism and the yield of propene and dimethyl ether produced from dehydration of isopropyl and methyl alcohols are controlled by the strength of acid sites.

A series of CuxCo3−xO4 catalysts were prepared and presented as active and stable catalysts in the oxidation of CO into CO2 at relatively low temperatures. These nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation assisted ultrasonic radiation method. The thermal behavior, structural, spectroscopic, texture, and morphological characterizations were carried out adopting TG-DTA, XRD, XPS, FTIR, N2-sorption, and TEM techniques. In addition, electrical conductivity and surface chemisorbed oxygen measurements were also studied. The quantity and strength of basic sites were estimated using CO2-TPD. The results revealed that the insertion of Cu2+ with values of x from 0.25 to 0.75, into Co3O4 catalysts calcined at 400 °C monotonically increases the SBET, the amount of surface chemisorbed oxygen, catalyst basicity, electrical conductivity and catalytic activity. In addition, the activity increases to an optimal amount of Cu2+ substitution for Co2+ with x = 0.75 which exhibited the most active catalyst with a value of T100 of 125 °C. Results of CO2-TPD demonstrated that, incorporation of Cu2+ with a value of x of 0.75 not only increases the total basicity, but also altered strength and distribution of basic sites over the surface of the catalyst. The role of the active redox sites existed on the surface of these catalysts such as, Co3+/Co2+, Cu2+/Cu+ and Co3+/Cu+, which are accountable for such alteration, was also debated. The most active catalyst Cu0.75Co2.25O4 displayed a long-term stability up to 100 h.

Samples of WO3 supported on γ-Al2O3 with loadings w(WO3) = 1–30 % were prepared by impregnation method and subjected to heat treatment at 500 and 550 °C for 3 h in a static air atmosphere. The catalysts were characterized by TG, DTA, XRD, TEM, TPD-pyridine, and N2 sorption measurements. The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by the dehydration of isopropanol and the adsorption of pyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine. Catalytic activity and selectivity of the catalysts were investigated for the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether at 230 °C in a conventional fixed bed flow type reactor at atmospheric pressure using nitrogen or air as a carrier gas. The results revealed that the catalysts with w(WO3) = 1–5 % loadings, calcined at 500 °C, exhibit a considerable increase in the catalytic performance toward methanol dehydration. The increase was, however, much more pronounced with the catalyst containing w(WO3) = 5 %, which attained dimethyl ether in 89 % yield.

A series of ZrO2/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of zirconyl nitrate hydrate aqueous solutions on nano-γ-Al2O3 with ZrO2 loadings (1–30 % w/w) and calcined at 450 and 550 °C for 3 h in a static air atmosphere. Physicochemical properties of the catalysts were determined using TG, DTA, XRD, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and N2 sorption measurements. The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by dehydration of isopropanol and adsorption of pyridine, 2,6-dimethyl pyridine and TPD–pyridine. This series of catalysts was used for vapor-phase dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether in a fixed bed reactor. It was found that all catalysts in this study were active and selective for DME synthesis. According to the experimental results, 1 % ZA catalyst exhibited the highest activity with selectivity of 100 % toward DME.

Sulfated zirconia catalysts were prepared by wetness impregnation of zirconium hydroxide with an aqueous solution of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 with SO 4 2− loadings (1–30%, w/w) and calcined at 450 °C for 3 h in a static air atmosphere. The catalysts were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM and BET measurements. The surface acidity of the catalysts was investigated by the dehydration of isopropanol and the adsorption of pyridine (PY) and 2,6-dimethyl pyridine (DMPY). The catalysts were tested for dehydration of methanol in a fixed-bed reactor at 230 °C using air as a carrier gas. The results revealed that among different catalysts, 10% SO 4 2− supported onto zirconia showed the highest catalytic activity with 83% conversion and 100% selectivity toward dimethyl ether. A good correlation was found between the acidity of the catalysts and their ability to dehydrate methanol.

Beta-ketothiolase deficiency (mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (T2) deficiency) is an inherited disease of isoleucine catabolism and ketone body utilization caused by ACAT1 mutations. We identified ten Indian patients who manifested with ketoacidotic episodes of variable severity. The patients showed increased urinary excretion of isoleucine-catabolic intermediates: 2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate, 2-methylacetoacetate, and tiglylglycine. Six patients had a favorable outcome, one died, and three developed neurodevelopmental sequela. Mutational analysis revealed a common (p.Met193Arg) and four novel (p.Ile323Thr, p.Ala215Asn, c.1012_1015dup, and c.730+1G>A) ACAT1 mutations. Transient expression analyses of wild-type and mutant cDNA were performed at 30, 37, and 40°C. A p.Ile323Thr mutant T2 was detected with relative enzyme activity and protein amount of 20% and 25%, respectively, compared with wild type at 37°C; it was more prevalent at 30°C but ablated at 40°C. These findings showed that p.Ile323Thr had a significant residual T2 activity with temperature-sensitive instability. Neither residual enzymatic activity nor mutant T2 protein was identified in p.Met193Arg, p.Ala215Asn, and c.1012_1015dup mutations using supernatants; however, these mutant T2 proteins were detected in insoluble pellets by immunoblot analysis. Expression analyses confirmed pathogenicity of these mutations. T2 deficiency has a likely high incidence in India and p.Met193Arg may be a common mutation in the Indian population.

The molecular structure of gelatin was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR. The spectrum is subjected to deconvolution in order to elucidate the constituents of the molecular structure. B3LYP/6-31g** was used to study 13 amino acids then the scaled spectrum was compared to those of protein in order to describe the contribution of each amino acid into protein structure. A special interest was paid to the NH and C=O region. The reactivity of each amino acid was studied in terms of some important physical parameters like total dipole moment and HOMO/LUMO which describe the interaction of amino acid with their surrounding molecules. Results indicated that B3LYP/6-31g** model is a suitable and precise method for studying molecular structure of protein.

Obesity is an emerging health problem in world wide countries. High fat diet (HFD), which is the main cause of obesity, induces inflammation and affects both lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. This study investigates the effect of inflammation induced by HFD on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. This study involves two parts, in vivo and in vitro. In the in vivo part, adult male albino rats were fed a HFD for 8 and 14 weeks. After each feeding period, the following parameters were measured (body weight, blood glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance, serum insulin, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, HDLc, LDLc, triglycerides, free fatty acids, neutrophils percentage and serum CRP levels) in addition to pancreas tissue histopathology. In the in vitro part, insulin release from isolated perfused pancreas preparations was measured. Pancreas preparations were isolated from adult male albino rats fed a HFD for 16 weeks. Feeding rats a HFD for 8 and 14 weeks induced inflammation, impaired lipid profile and carbohydrate metabolism. Feeding rats a HFD for 16 weeks increased in vitro glucose-stimulated insulin release. HFD induces inflammation which plays an important role in the impairment of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.

A pattern recognition application, using artificial neural networks (ANN), may be categorized as the largest category that covers the use of a neural networks for classifications. It is proved that ANNs are excellent for the applications of complex pattern recognition such as visual images of objects, speech recognition, printed or handwritten characters, and many other types of pattern recognition. Such wide applications are developed, based on the major advantage of the neural networks of being inherently error tolerant, i.e., it can solve problems adequately with information (data) that is uncertain, incomplete, or noisy. The reliable results of the power system security and economical analysis depend on the supply of real-time data base, results of power system state estimation, programs whose major problem is the determination of the network topology configuration. The determination of the topology suffers from the uncertainty of the collected data related to the circuit breakers status, due to the p...

Beta-ketothiolase deficiency is an inherited disorder of ketone body metabolism and isoleucine catabolism. It typically manifests as recurrent ketoacidotic episodes with characteristic abnormalitie...

Hydraulic fracturing has proven to be extremely successful in the western desert of Egypt. Approximately 85% of production in this area results from this stimulation technique, specifically in the reservoirs of interest documented in this paper. However, a deterrent to fracturing in many cases has been the proximity of the producing zones to underlying (or overlying) water zones, either located near the water-oil contact or hydrocarbon zones adjacent to water-bearing zones. In the absence of geological barriers, the fracture height can grow uncontrolled during a fracturing treatment into the water-bearing interval and cause unwanted water production. Excessive water production threatens the economics of a well by: shortening its production life, increasing disposal and lifting costs, boosting the fines migration, and increasing the rate of tubular corrosion and scale buildup. Many times, in marginal fields, these can be sufficient reasons to consider not fracturing. This paper presents case histories where wells were hydraulically fractured using conventional techniques resulting in higher than 60% water cut (even as much as 100% in one case); while with the use of the conformance-while-fracturing (CWF) method, the water cut obtained was as low as 4%, even when the adjacent water zones were within 20 ft of the perforations. This technique provides a tremendous boost to the economics and an effective solution (increasing recoverable reserves from these wells by allowing the hydrocarbons to be produced almost water-free) to a field otherwise plagued with water production. The CWF technique incorporates a relative-permeability modifier (RPM) in the fracturing-fluids design. The RPM provides a reduction in effective permeability to water without significant changes to the relative permeability to oil. This paper discusses the geological and reservoir parameters of the wells and zones of interest, the properties of the RPM, the CWF job-design considerations (and the associated challenges to the job design), its field applications, and post-fracturing results in comparison to offset wells fractured conventionally in the same reservoir and at the same level. It is envisaged that CWF techniques will prove to be beneficial to other operators faced with similar production challenges.

Hydraulic fracturing has been extremely successful in the western desert of Egypt, with approximately 85% of the production resulting from the use of this stimulation technique. However, in many cases, the proximity of producing zones to underlying (or overlying) water zones can be a deterrent to fracturing. In the absence of geological barriers, the fracture height can grow uncontrolled during a fracturing treatment into the water-bearing interval and cause unwanted water production. By shortening the well's production life and increasing disposal and lifting costs, excessive water production can be extremely detrimental in marginal fields. This paper presents case histories in which wells were hydraulically fractured using conventional techniques, resulting in higher than 60% water cut, and even as much as 100% in one case. While using the conformance-while-fracturing (CWF) method, the water cut was as low as 4%, even when the adjacent water zones were within 20 ft of the perforations. This technique provides a tremendous boost to the economics and an effective solution to a field otherwise plagued with water overproduction. The CWF technique incorporates a relative permeability modifier (RPM) in the fracturing-fluids design. The RPM results in a reduction of effective permeability-to-water without significant changes to the relative permeability-to-oil. This paper discusses the properties of the RPM, the CWF job-design considerations, its field applications, and post-fracturing results in comparison to offset wells fractured conventionally. These techniques might be beneficial to other companies faced with similar water-production challenges.