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•In patients treated with deferiprone, ANC levels <0.2 × 109/L conferred the highest risk of serious infections.•An ANC of <0.2 × 109/L may be a clinically relevant threshold to define agranulocytosis with a high risk of infection.

Sociologists have long identified job pressure as a central work-related stressor with far-reaching consequences for workers’ well-being, their families, and organizations. However, surprisingly little empirical work examines how schedule control influences job pressure in a longitudinal framework—or the status-based contingencies in the resource functions of schedule control. Drawing on five waves of population-level panel data from the Canadian Work, Stress, and Health Study (2011–2019), I use fixed-effects analyses to examine the relationship between schedule control and job pressure, examining whether schedule control operates differently across occupations (professionals versus non-professionals) and levels of authority in the workplace. My findings help advance the sociological study of work-stress research by resolving competing predictions about the relationship between schedule control and job pressure across status. While others have argued the possibility for schedule control to intensify work-related pressures, I find that schedule control helps reduce job pressure. However, my results reveal that schedule control does not benefit all workers equally: it has unequal upsides for higher status workers. These discoveries sharpen existing knowledge about the resource functions of schedule control and are discussed in light of synthesizing key ideas from the sociology of work, and the stress process and job demands-resources models.

Building material technologies have recently shown interest in alternative and low CO2-binders that require reduced energy consumption. Magnesium oxychloride (MOC) cement is an attractive alternative binder due to properties like low density, fire resistance, and thermal insulation. However, MOC cement has poor water resistance, which limits its durability. This study investigated enhancing the water submergence performance of MOC using organic polymer modifications. MOC cement samples were prepared with polyurethane (PU) or epoxy (EX) added directly during mixing (M) or as a surface coating (P). Compressive-strength was measured after 28 days of air curing and after 7, 28, and 60 days of water submergence. The 28-day strength of control MOC decreased by 26.1% and 32.6% with M-PU and M-EX mixing, likely due to reduced workability and hydration. However, P-PU and P-EX coating had no adverse strength effects. After 60 days of submergence, the compressive-strength of control MOC declined by 90.4%, while M-PU and M-EX had reduced losses of 52.9% and 67.7%, respectively. P-PU and P-EX displayed the greatest durability with strength losses of only 25.8% and 22.4% after 60 days. The polymer modifications provided a hydrophobic barrier limiting water ingress into the MOC. Overall, the EX-polymer modification led to better water resistance compared to PU, attributed to superior hardness, adhesion, and chemical resistance. The results demonstrate that polymer modification with PU or EX can effectively improve the water submergence durability of MOC cement.

Multiresonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters have gained popularity given their potential of attaining negligible singlet–triplet energy gaps, i.e., ΔEST, without hindering emission, thus increasing the reverse and direct intersystem crossing rates without affecting fluorescence. This is achieved due to the singlet and triplet states’ short-range charge transfer character (SRCT). Thus, obtaining quantitative information about SRCT would help develop new MR-TADF emitters. This work studies three different families of MR-TADF emitters: DOBOA, DiKTa, and OQAO. First, we compute their adiabatic ΔESTwith four different methods (TDA-CAM-B3LYP, STEOM-DLPNO-CCSD, ADC(2), and SCS-CC2). Then, we compute fluorescence (kr), direct (kISC), and reverse intersystem crossing rate constants. For kr, we assessed the effect of different levels of approximations on the rate calculations. We show that krdoes not depend significantly on the different harmonic models (adiabatic Hessian or vertical Hessian), coordinate systems, and broadening widths. Moreover, Herzberg–Teller effects are negligible for krbut are the main contribution for kISCand kRISC. The computed rate constants agree well with the experimental results. Moreover, we propose the use of two wave function descriptors, Qatand LOCa, based on the 1-particle transition density matrix, which assigns the amount of charge centered on the atoms. We compute these descriptors for three transitions: S0→ S1, S0→ T1, and S1→ T1. For the studied cases, these descriptors are independent of the choice of the electronic structure method and optimal geometry. We show that the adiabatic ΔESTdecreases with the increase of S1→ T1Qat, while ΔESTincreases with an increase of the S0→ T1Qat. These trends showcase how the Qatvalues can act as guiding descriptors to design new MR-TADF emitters with small ΔESTvalues.

•Both patients with sickle cell disease and ED providers strongly endorse IPPs.•Collaboration among specialties, including informatics and patients, is needed to successfully implement IPPs.

There are no agreed upon terminology to define “refractory” pediatric immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Guidelines are therefore limited to arbitrary and outdated definitions. The Pediatric ITP Consortium of North America held a meeting in 2023 to define this entity. With 100% agreement, the faculty established that pediatric ITP that is refractory to emergent therapy could be defined as no platelet response after treatment with all eligible emergent pharmacotherapies. With 100% agreement, the working group established that pediatric patients with ITP that continue to demonstrate high disease burden and/or no platelet response despite treatment with multiple classes of disease-modifying therapies represent a challenging subset of ITP. These patients are at higher risk of ongoing disease burden and merit additional investigation as well as consideration for clinical trials or novel therapies. Future efforts to define disease burden and disease response will be completed in collaboration with the ITP International Working Group.

Continued advances in haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for children with non-malignant diseases (NMDs) have led to a growing population of survivors in whom late occurring toxic effects remain a challenge. We investigated the incidence of and risk factors for post-transplant toxicities in a contemporary cohort of children and adolescents undergoing HCT for NMDs.

The precipitation process was successfully employed to prepare ZnFe2O4and ZnFe2O4@SiO2nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoadsorbents were characterized employing transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brauner-Emmett and Teller (BET) methods. The potential adsorption capacities of the generated nanoparticles were assessed under various conditions, including pH, starting dye concentration, contact time, and temperature. The adsorption efficiency of ZnFe2O4@SiO2nanoparticles (95%) was higher than ZnFe2O4(93%). The adsorption data were described using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevich (DKR) isotherm models. The methylene blue (MB) removal kinetics by ZnFe2O4and ZnFe2O4@Silica nanoparticles were evaluated using linear pseudo-first-order (PFO) and pseudo-second-order (PSO) models. The removal fitted to pseudo-second-order (PSO) models as the correlation coefficient (R2) value was (0.9994). The Boyd model may be used to validate the kinetics data, and it can be deduced that the rate-determining phase was not intra-particle diffusion, but rather the hypothesized adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Based on the findings, ZnFe2O4@silica is an adsorbent material that may be useful in removing methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

•Survival has improved after Cord Blood Transplant in all racial and ethnic groups.•Black children have a higher risk of acute graft vs host disease.•There is no survival advantage to match patients and cord units by race and ethnicity.

Growing interest in utilizing and processing natural fibres (NF) to create biodegradable and sustainable composites as environmental concerns upsurge globally. Date palm trees (DPT) account for more than 4.5 million tons of waste annually worldwide, making it one of the most abundant agricultural biomass waste in the MENA region. This study evaluated the biological resistance of thermoplastic composites developed from polylactic acid (PLA) and recycled polyvinyl chloride (RPVC) reinforced with date palm fibre (DPF) at different contents (10, 20, 30, 40 wt.%) and fibre size (250 – 500 µm and ≥1,000 µm). Composites where exposed to the brown-rot fungus; Irpex lacteus, and white-rot fungus; Tyromyces palustris, to evaluate its resistance to biodegradation. Results showed that composites developed using PLA had higher weight loss (%) when compared to the same samples but reinforced with RPVC. Composites with higher DPF content showed high rates of decay when used with different polymer matrix. Also, DPF length had a significant effect on the disintegration of the composites. DPF/PLA reinforced with 40 wt.% DPF showed the highest weight loss (WL%) reaching 5.61% and 5.46% when exposed to Tyromyces palustris and Irpex lacteus respectively. On the other hand, the biodegradation had a direct impact on the disintegration of the composites developed where the WL%, of PLA composites developed with 40 wt.% DPF showed 61.40%.

Purpose: In several nations, it has been known that Boswellia carterii(BC) plants have a long history of usage as an anti-inflammatory medicine. Our current study deals with the study of two different ways of extraction of BC volatile oil and fixed oil as main constituents (Octyl acetate, 46.46% and β-Boswellic acid, 10.21%, respectively), preparation, and evaluation of Nano sponges loaded with either dexamethasone (DEX) or B. carteriivolatile/fixed oil mixture. Methods: Nano sponges were created utilizing an ultrasound-assisted synthesis method. Using spectrophotometry, the entrapment efficiency (EE%) of drugs in Nano sponges was considered. Several techniques were used to characterize Nano sponges. Results: EE% of drugs inside Nano sponges ranged from 99.15 ± 3.50 to 100% ± 4.76%. Particle size of Nano sponges ranged from 59.9 ± 26.3 to 229.2 ± 30.23 nm. Drugs released from Nano sponges bi-phasically according to Korsmeyer–Peppas model. The anti-inflammatory activity of either B. carteriioil mixture or Dexa salt and their Nano formulations (D4 and O1) in the treatment of respiratory allergy were evaluated in rat model mimicking chronic allergic respiratory diseases. Histopathologic examinations and measurement of Intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), Leukotriene B4(LTB4) and Interleukin β4 (ILβ4) levels exposed that, the treatment significantly lowered the levels of the inflammatory biomarkers in treated rats and exhibited improved histopathologic profiles when compared to positive control group. Conclusion: Boswelliaoil and its Nano sponge formulation O1 as well as Dexa salt Nano sponge formulation D4 had promising therapeutic effects on upper and lower respiratory allergic conditions.

The study aims to describe midterm outcomes following treatment of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) with short necks by endosutured aneurysm repair using the Heli-FX EndoAnchor system.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda(J. E. Smith), is a major agricultural pest known for developing resistance to insecticides. This study investigated a novel approach to manage FAW by silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) synthesized from eco-friendly leaf extract of Moringa oleiferaLam. (Moringaceae). This green synthesis method offers a sustainable and potentially safer alternative to traditional chemical processes. SiNP formation was confirmed by various techniques: UV–visible spectrophotometer, X-ray spectroscopy with energy-dispersive (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The effectiveness of SiNPs alone and their combination with three common insecticides (emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb, and chlorpyrifos) were evaluated against third instar larvae of fall armyworm. While SiNPs after 24 h by leaf dipping method recorded limited insecticidal activity (LC50= 9947.59 mg/L), it significantly enhanced the potency of all three insecticides. Combining SiNPs with emamectin benzoate resulted in the most dramatic increase in effectiveness compared to the insecticide alone with LC50= 0.295 mg/L and 0.42 mg/L, respectively. This research suggests that moringa extract can be a valuable resource for the green synthesis of nanoparticles potentially useful in pest control. This approach could potentially reduce the amount of insecticide needed for effective pest control, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practice.

•Haploidentical HCT has similar survival as MUD-HCT in myelofibrosis.•Strategies to prevent graft failure in haploidentical HCT need to be investigated.

In an attempt to increase the biodiversity of natural fibers, new sources of natural fibers should be discovered. Long textile-grade date palm (DP) fibers were used in the manufacturing of 50:50 polypropylene nonwoven composite. DP fibers are considered newcomers to the natural fiber library. The main aim of this work was to benchmark different types of DP fiber composites in comparison to other commercial leaf fiber composites, namely, sisal, abaca, and banana, in addition to FlexForm automotive composites. The composites were mechanically and physically characterized in order to determine their properties. The results showed that the void content in DP composites was lower than that in sisal and abaca by 33% and 40% respectively. DP composites have tensile strength within the same range as sisal composites and higher than that of banana by nearly 33%. The modulus of elasticity and failure strain of DP composites were nearly 3 GPa and up to 3% respectively. The flexural strength of DP composites (35 MPa) was in the same range as that of sisal and abaca. The normalized impact energy of DP composites was higher than that of banana by 50%. The dynamic mechanical analysis of the six composites showed similar behavior with a glass transition temperature around 10 °C. Finally, the water absorption behavior of DP composites was better than the other composites (lower than sisal by 63%). The results showed that DP fibers are good candidates for applications in automotive interior composites, given their competitive performance and high potential availability.

AbstractA series of chloroacetamide derivatives (1-22) was synthesized to address the urgent need for new antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. The chemical structures were confirmed by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. Most compounds inhibited in vitroGram-positive bacteria S. aureusand B. cereusas well as Gram-negative bacteria (E. coliand P. aeruginosa)and yeast (C. albicans). Interestingly, compound 13 showed the broadest spectrum, especially against B. cereus(MIC = 10 mg/L). Compounds 6 and 20 displayed potent activity against C. albicans(EC50= 197.02 and 189.13 mg/L, respectively). All compounds exhibited antioxidant activity, with 14 compounds surpassing α-tocopherol (standard) in DPPH radical scavenging. In silicoanalyses were conducted using molecular docking, drug-likeness data, physicochemical properties, and ADMET parameters to evaluate the potential of the compounds. Molecular docking simulations against the active sites of NADPH oxidase, penicillin-binding protein (bacterial target), and lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase (fungal target) revealed favorable binding energies for the majority of the compounds, indicating good affinity towards the targeted proteins. Overall, the research on novel multifunctional chloroacetamide derivatives is a valuable contribution to the field of biological chemistry and has the potential to lead to the development of new and improved products for a variety of microbes.

The search is on for safer alternatives to fumigants like methyl bromide and phosphine, which harm the ozone layer and pose other risks. Ethyl formate is a promising candidate due to its potential antimicrobial and insecticidal action in stored products like date fruits. The susceptibility of date fruits to microbial spoilage is significantly influenced by factors such as moisture content, storage practices, and environmental conditions. In the present study, the in vitro antimicrobial effect of ethyl formate against three microbial species, namely Aspergillus nigerF4, Mucor circinelloidesYMM22, and Pseudomonas aeruginosaB1 was tested under laboratory conditions. In addition, two common date fruit varieties, semi-dry El-Wady I and the dry Frehi, were fumigated with ethyl formate alone in a laboratory-scale prototype and with a mixture of ethyl formate and CO2at a semi-industrial scale prototype. Both varieties had an initial moisture content of around 13.40 and 12.48% for El-Wady I and Frehi, respectively. The fumigation was conducted using the optimal concentration of 70 mg/L air for 24 h incubation period. Fumigation with ethyl formate alone or in combination with CO2significantly reduced the number of viable bacteria and fungi (CFU/g), but the potential for a combined effect with CO2was not investigated. The percentages of reduction in the fungal count were 78.18 and 90.76% for Frehi and El-Wady I varieties, respectively in a semi-industrial scale prototype. Moreover, the percentages of reduction in the bacterial count were 53.31 and 65.20%, respectively for Frehi and El-Wady I varieties. Ethyl formate showed promise as a natural alternative to control microbial contamination of stored date fruits. Further research suggests that increasing fumigation duration or concentration could provide comprehensive control of microbial pathogens at all stages of development.

Individuals with minor ischaemic stroke and intracranial occlusion are at increased risk of poor outcomes. Intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase might improve outcomes in this population. We aimed to test the superiority of intravenous tenecteplase over non-thrombolytic standard of care in patients with minor ischaemic stroke and intracranial occlusion or focal perfusion abnormality.

Feature selection (FS) is vital in improving the performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms. Despite its importance, identifying the most important features remains challenging, highlighting the need for advanced optimization techniques. In this study, we propose a novel hybrid feature ranking technique called the Hybrid Feature Ranking Weighted Majority Model (HFRWM2). HFRWM2combines ML models with the Harris Hawks Optimizer (HHO) metaheuristic. HHO is known for its versatility in addressing various optimization challenges, thanks to its ability to handle continuous, discrete, and combinatorial optimization problems. It achieves a balance between exploration and exploitation by mimicking the cooperative hunting behavior of Harris’s hawks, thus thoroughly exploring the search space and converging toward optimal solutions. Our approach operates in two phases. First, an odd number of ML models, in conjunction with HHO, generate feature encodings along with performance metrics. These encodings are then weighted based on their metrics and vertically aggregated. This process produces feature rankings, facilitating the extraction of the top-Kfeatures. The motivation behind our research is 2-fold: to enhance the precision of ML algorithms through optimized FS and to improve the overall efficiency of predictive models. To evaluate the effectiveness of HFRWM2, we conducted rigorous tests on two datasets: “Australian” and “Fertility.” Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of HFRWM2in navigating the search space and identifying optimal solutions. We compared HFRWM2with 12 other feature ranking techniques and found it to outperform them. This superiority was particularly evident in the graphical comparison of the “Australian” dataset, where HFRWM2showed significant advancements in feature ranking.Graphical Abstract

•Hydroxyurea adherence increased by 19.8% with a tailored mHealth intervention in people with SCD and adherence <80%.•mHealth boosts hydroxyurea adherence and is associated with reduction in self-reported pain and pain admissions rate in SCD.

Purpose:The aims of this research are to investigate the reasons for adopting big data (BD) and big data analytics (BDA), determine their extent of usage, and identify potential obstacles to their adoption in a developing country, Egypt.Motivation:Prior literature criticized the audit profession for the slow adoption of BDA, and little is known about the adoption of BD and BDA in developing countries. The reluctance to incorporate BD and BDA into auditing can be attributed to their potential obstacles. In addition, prior studies focused on the Big-4 audit firms in developed countries with little known about adopting BD and BDA in local audit firms and developing countries.Design/methodology/approach:To achieve the objectives of this study, 16 audit practitioners with various positions, specializations, and experience levels were interviewed. The 16 participants belong to audit firms of different sizes: international audit firms, local audit firms, and a governmental auditing agency. Thematic analysis was employed through using the MAXQDA software package to analyze the data.Main findings:The findings revealed that the reasons for using BD and BDA go beyond improving audit efficiency and effectiveness and satisfying clients. All audit firms collect and analyze large volumes of traditional accounting data. However, the Big-4 firms manage and analyze non-financial data and new data items as complementary audit evidence. Also, it was found that the type of audit firm affects the use of these technologies, with international firms being superior to other firms. The Accountability State Authority lags behind other audit firms in adopting BD and BDA. Furthermore, it was found that some obstacles to adopting BD and BDA arise due to the specific characteristics of the Egyptian context, while others are universal.Practical implications/Managerial impact:Determining the reasons for and obstacles to adopting BD BDA is useful for audit firms and regulators to remove these obstacles and encourage using such new audit technologies. The findings might help developers of BDA software packages to enhance their packages to meet auditor requirements. Moreover, academic scholars can benefit from the findings of this study by gaining an understanding of the main differences between developed and developing countries in relation to adopting BD and BDA.Novelty/Contribution:This study was conducted in Egypt, a developing country with a an underdeveloped audit environment. Therefore, this study enriches the relevant literature by providing information about BD and BDA in an unexplored developing environment. Besides, it delves deeper into the reasons and obstacles to using BD and BDA in external financial auditing in a developing country. Also, it adds to the literature by identifying the most common BDA software packages and techniques that auditors use in a developing country. Moreover, it considers audit practitioners’ viewpoints on audit firms of various sizes.

The intra-abdominal injury and traumatic brain injury prediction rules derived by the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) were designed to reduce inappropriate use of CT in children with abdominal and head trauma, respectively. We aimed to validate these prediction rules for children presenting to emergency departments with blunt abdominal or minor head trauma.

Understanding the interactions within and between endophytes and their hosts is still obscure. Investigating endophytic bacterial plant growth–promoting (PGP) traits and co-inoculation effects on legumes’ performance is a candidate. Endophytic bacteria were isolated from Vicia sativaroot nodules. Such endophytes were screened for their PGP traits, hydrolytic enzymes, and antifungal activities. Sterilized Vicia faba and Pisum sativumseedlings were co-inoculated separately with seven different endophytic bacterial combinations before being planted under sterilized conditions. Later on, several growth-related traits were measured. Eleven endophytes (six rhizobia, two non-rhizobia, and three actinomycetes) could be isolated, and all of them were indole-acetic-acid (IAA) producers, while seven isolates could solubilize phosphorus, whereas three, five, five, and four isolates could produce protease, cellulase, amylase, and chitinase, respectively. Besides, some of these isolates possessed powerful antifungal abilities against six soil-borne pathogenic fungi. Co-inoculation of tested plants with endophytic bacterial mixes (Rhizobiamix+Actinomix+non-Rhizobiamix), (Rhizobiamix+Actinomix), or (Rhizobiamix+non-Rhizobiamix) significantly improved the studied growth parameters (shoot, root fresh and dry weights, length and yield traits) compared to controls, whereas co-inoculated plants with (Rhizobiaalone), (non-Rhizobiamix), or (Actinomix) significantly recorded lower growth parameters. Five efficient endophytes were identified: Rhizobium leguminosarumbv. Viciae, Rhizobium pusense, Brevibacterium frigoritolerans, Streptomyces variabilis, and Streptomyces tendae. Such results suggested that these isolates could be utilized as biocontrols and biofertilizers to improve legumes productivity. Also, co-inoculation with different endophytic mixes is better than single inoculation, a strategy that should be commercially exploited.

ABSTRACT Experimental and numerical investigations have been performed on twenty short square and rectangular hollow sections (SHS and RHS) steel columns. The confinement action provided by the CFRP wrapping effectively [...]

ABSTRACTResilient modulus is a fundamental material property used for pavement materials characterization. A new methodology for predicting the resilient modulus of unbound/stabilized pavement materials and subgrade soils is developed based [...]

Rigid pavements are recently gaining vast interest for their durability and large traffic volume endurance. This raises the need for a robust method to predict their long-term performance to support decisions on their future maintenance and rehabilitation requirements. One of the most descriptive parameters of pavement ride quality is the International Roughness Index (IRI). IRI can be used as a performance indicator for the level of serviceability of rigid pavement. This study presents the evaluation of 21 variables covering climate, traffic, and structural parameters in predicting IRI for jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) sections using 1,414 data points acquired from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database. It was found that only 10 variables are significant in the IRI prediction for JPCP. Moreover, four modeling techniques were applied, namely, linear regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines, Gaussian process regression, and artificial neural network. It was found that a deep ANN model with a structure of one input layer, three hidden layers, and one output layer [10-36-18-9-1] gives the highest IRI prediction accuracy with root mean square error and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.117 and 0.92, respectively. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of each input variable on the accuracy of IRI prediction for JPCP sections, and it was found that the most influential variables are initial IRI, pavement age, mean and standard deviation of humidity, standard deviation of evaporation, mean and standard deviation of freezing index, pavement compressive strength, ratio between pavement and base layers thickness, and finally an estimated parameter called site factor which is a function of (age, freezing index and soil percentage passing sieve no. 200).

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are highly susceptible to infections owing to their compromised immune system, which also promotes cancer progression through inflammation. Thus, this study aimed to develop novel chemotherapeutic agents with both anticancer and antimicrobial properties. A series of diarylurea derivatives based on pyridazinone scaffolds were designed, synthesized, and characterized as surrogates for sorafenib. The synthesized compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity and screened against 60 cancer cell lines at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Compound 10hexhibited potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus(MIC = 16 μg mL−1), whereas compound 8gshowed significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans(MIC = 16 μg mL−1). Additionally, ten compounds were further evaluated for VEGFR-2 inhibition, with compound 17ashowing the best inhibitory activity. Compounds 8f, 10l, and 17ademonstrated significant anticancer activity against melanoma, NSCLC, prostate cancer, and colon cancer, with growth inhibition percentages (GI%) ranging from 62.21% to 100.14%. Compounds 10land 17awere selected for five-dose screening, displaying GI50values of 1.66–100 μM. Compound 10linduced G0–G1 phase cell cycle arrest in the A549/ATCC cell line, increasing the cell population from 85.41% to 90.86%. Gene expression analysis showed that compound 10lupregulated pro-apoptotic genes p53 and Bax and downregulated the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. Molecular docking studies provided insights into the binding modes of the compounds to the VEGFR-2 enzyme. In conclusion, the pyridazinone-based diarylurea derivatives developed in this study show promise as dual-function antimicrobial and anticancer agents, warranting further investigation.

Chemical investigation of the methanolic extract of Cornulaca monacantha(Amaranthaceae), an annual wild herb collected from North Sinai, Egypt, yielded a new isoflavone cornulacin 1and five known compounds: N-trans-feruloyltyramine 2, N-trans-feruloyl-3′-methoxytyramine 3, N-trans-caffeoyl tyramine 4, Cannabisin F 5and (2aS, 3aS) lyciumamide D 6. Using MTT assay, the isolated compounds were evaluated for their in vitrocytotoxicity against pancreatic (Panc1) and ovarian (A2780) cancer cell lines. Compounds 1, 2, 3, and 4exhibited promising cytotoxic activity against the tested cells, among which compound 1(IC50of 2.1 ± 0.21 μM) was the most active one against A2780 cells, whereas compound 2(IC50of 3.4 ± 0.11 μM) was the most effective compound against Panc1 cells. Accordingly, compound 1was further investigated for its apoptotic induction in A2780 cancer cells using Annexin V/PI staining. Compound 1significantly stimulated apoptotic ovarian A2780 cancer cells by 45.9-fold and arrested cell proliferation in the S-phase. Such activity was mediated through the upregulation of proapoptotic genes Bax; P53; and caspase 3, 8, and 9 besides the downregulation of the Bcl-2 gene, the anti-apoptotic one. Furthermore, molecular docking investigation demonstrated the strong binding affinity of compound 1with EGFR active sites, which validated its experimental EGFR enzyme inhibition activity.

This research compares and analyses the different innovation strategies employed by SMEs in both developing and developed countries to reveal their impact on firm performance and sustainable development during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test and a multivariate regression model were employed on two subsamples extracted from Saudi Arabia and France representing developing and developed countries, respectively. The results show that SMEs in France outperformed SMEs in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic period. French SMEs also have showed higher capacity to implement marketing, process, product, and organisational innovative strategies during the lockdown period. In addition, the results reveal that, during that period, marketing innovation practices have improved sustainability and financial performance of SMEs. Finally, the product innovation strategy was not well valued by customers during the pandemic period, which led to a decrease in the financial performance of SMEs in both developing and developed countries.

Owners need clear information about the cost at the early stage, while information about drawings and designs are limited in this stage. The purpose of this research is to propose a hybrid model using artificial neural networks and the regression analysis to estimate the cost of residential buildings in Egypt. Real data were collected from 174 real residential projects in Egypt. The Delphi technique was used to reach a consensus on the key factors affecting early stage cost estimation. Artificial neural network models were developed with various numbers of hidden layers and types of activation functions. The sensitivity analysis showed that the most effective factors in the cost estimate at the early stage are the number of floors and the area of the floors. The multiple linear regression, polynomial regression, gamma regression, and Poisson regression were used. The proposed hybrid model was extracted from the ANN model and the regression models using multiple linear regression. The mean absolute percentage error of the hybrid model was 10.64% which is less than the absolute percentage error of the ANN model and the regression models. The results of the hybrid model indicate that the model was successful in estimating the cost of residential projects and would be useful for decision-makers in the construction industry.

Anti-nemic capability of nine agrochemicals that included fertilizers, commercial plant growth supplements and chemicides applied singly and combined as foliar spray (f) or soil drench (Sd) was investigated in pot experiments for the management of the reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformison cowpea plants. The accomplished findings showed that the lab prepared formulation “Combo” twice applied mastered the rest of the treatments in reducing the nematode’s soil population/pot (80.47%) besides lessening counts of the developmental stages, mature females, egg masses and eggs/egg mass per root with percentages 79.30, 80.37, 92.66 and 63.08, respectively. Ranked next was the Acadian seaweed incorporated with Vydate half dose soil drench treatment but was only inefficacious against the eggs number/egg mass where it caused insignificant reduction (26.63%). The number of egg masses/root was the most significantly affected nematodes’ developmental parameter by all the applied treatments followed by the number of soil population/pot. On the other hand, the least respondent parameter to the treatments applied was the number developmental stages/root followed by the number of eggs/egg mass then the number of females/root. The measured vegetative growth indices verified the role of the treatments applied in the endurance of plant health to the infestation, with an exception to the impaired number and weight of pods. This experimental work aimed at paving the way for the gradual displacement of synthesized nematicides and the shift towards less hazardous nematodes combating strategies through the merge of nematode specific with non-nematode specific compounds.

Recently, many researchers have paid attention to wireless sensor networks (WSNs) due to their ability to encourage the innovation of the IT industry. Although WSN provides dynamically scalable solutions with various smart applications, the growing need to maximize the area coverage with decreasing the percentage of deployed sensor nodes is still required. Random deployment is preferable for large areas that require a maximal number of nodes but result in coverage holes. As a result, mobile nodes are used to reduce coverage holes and maximize area coverage. The main objective of this study is to present an Improved Dynamic Deployment Technique based-on Genetic Algorithm (IDDT-GA) to maximize the area coverage with the lowest number of nodes as well as minimizing overlapping area between neighboring nodes. A two-point crossover novel is introduced to demonstrate the notation of variable-length encoding. Simulation results reveal that the superiority of the proposed IDDT-GA compared with other state-of-the-art techniques. IDDT-GA has better coverage rates with 9.69% and a minimum overlapping ratio with 35.43% compared to deployment based on Harmony Search (HS). Also, IDDT-GA has minimized the network cost by 13% and 7.44% than Immune Algorithm (IA) and Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) respectively. Besides, it confirms its stability with 83.04% compared to maximizing coverage with WOA.

Recently, Sesbania grandiflora(L.) Poir. trees gained great attention due to their potent concentration of antioxidants and active compounds, which can be employed in many fields. Employing natural antioxidants to enhance crop growth and production is an important topic owing to their beneficial effects on public health, particularly in the production of medicinal and aromatic plants under stressful conditions. However, there are no studies that have examined the effect of Sesbania grandifloraleaf extract (SLE) as a stimulator on medicinal plant production. Hence, this investigation aims to shed more light on this gap. This study was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of SLE on the plant performance, calyx yield, and therapeutic values of Hibiscus sabdariffaL. grown under saline conditions. Roselle plants were foliarly sprayed with SLE at SLE1 (10%), SLE2 (20%), SLE3 (30%), and SLE4 (40%). Control plants were foliar sprayed with water. The obtained results revealed that plant height, fruit traits, and sepal yield were significantly improved following SLE supplementation as compared to untreated plants. Secondary metabolite levels were also enhanced by SLE. In addition, the leaf pigments, total phenolics, ascorbic acid, carbohydrates, protein, ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP assay), radical scavenging DPPH assay, antioxidant activity (IC50), and nutrients of roselle leaves were improved due to SLE foliar spray. Among the SLE doses applied, SLE 30% was the most effective dose, as it increased the sepal yield ha− 1by 63 and 45.1% over the control for the first and second seasons, respectively, and decreased the antioxidant activity (IC50) of roselle leaves by 22.8 and 21.2% lower than the control plants for the first and second seasons, respectively. Conclusively, the results obtained indicated that roselle plants growing in saline soil could benefit from SLE as a natural growth stimulator.

The study addresses the significant challenge of rework in the construction industry by leveraging machine learning techniques. Specifically, the aim is to develop models that accurately classify the impact of rework causes on the cost performance of bridge projects using objective data sources. Pertinent rework sources and determinants were identified, and a multivariate dataset of prior projects’ cost performance was assembled. Additionally, a structural equation model was developed to calculate the impact of these factors on cost performance in bridge projects. To create a suitable dataset for machine learning, 272 responses from subject matter experts were utilized. The study explores Ensemble techniques, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Support Vector Machines (SVM). Cross-validation tests were conducted to assess the predictive abilities of the models, and the evaluation results indicated that the SVM model provides superior predictive performance for the dataset examined. SVM achieves 98.53% (89.54%) accuracy in training (testing) with a 1.47% (10.46%) misclassification error. Comparisons were made regarding the impact of rework on cost, with SVM achieving the highest recognition rate across all data divisions, followed by ANN. Conversely, KNN exhibited the lowest recognition rate among the classifiers. With a maximum recognition rate of 97%, SVM emerged as the best classifier. The optimal data separation for testing and training data was determined to be 10% and 90%, respectively. Overall, this study harnesses the power of machine learning to facilitate evidence-based decision-making, enabling proactive prediction of the impact of rework on cost performance in bridge projects.

ABSTRACTThe current study's objectives are to identify the primary source rock's hydrocarbon potential and, using various approaches, examine the Sallum Concession's petroleum system, which lies in the extreme northwestern part of the Western Desert of Egypt. We integrated seismic, geochemical, and well logging data. As a result, the structure analysis indicates that the area is elevated topographic land, representing a high intra-basin about the surrounding Faghour, Matrouh, and Shushan basins. Therefore, the site is a significant concession with various source rocks; Khatatba (Safa member) and Alam El-Buieb (AEB-3A member) are the oil-prone source rocks of the northern and southern parts of the area with high TOC (up to 11.3%) and mid-mature stage (0.7-1.0% Ro) at depth below 8000 ft. On the other hand, the Paleozoic Desouqy, Zeitoun, and Shiffah formations, located below 12000 ft, are gas-prone source rocks with high organic contents (TOC 1.41-4.64%) and fair potential for gas generation and are currently in the mid-mature stage (0.7-1.0% Ro). We concluded that the concession's low oil production might result from a delay in Kerogen maturity and hydrocarbon migration. Finally, the East of Sallum concession is the only potential area because the wells in the west do not show reservoirs characteristics.

•The benefits and risks of gene therapy are currently unclear, so it is key to understand their potential value from the patients’ perspective.•The appeal of gene therapy is evident with most respondents, although those with milder symptoms see other treatment options as viable.

•Age of >60 years and remission status at time of allo-HCT (CR2/primary induction failure/relapse vs CR1) was predictive of inferior OS.•Use of myeloablative conditioning with total body irradiation was predictive for improved DFS and reduced risk of relapse.

•PROs were associated with a proinflammatory gene expression pattern in allogeneic HCT–treated patients.•Social well-being was the most important predictor of the proinflammatory transcriptome.

In Egypt, estimation of subgrade resilient modulus (MR) for the structural pavement design is based on empirical correlation with California Bearing Ratio (CBR) adopted from literature. Thus, this study aims at verifying if this correlation is still valid for different Egyptian subgrade soils, otherwise calibration is warranted. A comprehensive experimental program is conducted on local sixteen subgrade materials. The testing program includes MR, CBR, and index soil properties such as gradation, Atterberg limits, Proctor compaction characteristics, and shear strength parameters. Four simple regression models correlating MR and CBR values are developed for local subgrade materials based on the anticipated field stresses under two different traffic loading conditions pertinent to Egypt. The proposed correlations yield more accurate MRvalues for the local materials and traffic loading conditions. Consequently, this is expected to contribute to a realistic pavement structural design, and hence better pavement performance over the service life.

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of Ni45Mn44Sn11ribbons is simulated, with temperatures ranging from nearly 0 K to 313 K. The MCE of these ribbons exhibits triple peak behavior. Amazingly, three co-occurring peaks of both the inverse and conventional MCEs are found, one for each magnetic transition. Except for temperatures between 251 K and 273 K that correspond to an antiferromagnetic transition that shows an inverse MCE, the type of MCE in Ni45Mn44Sn11ribbons is conventional. Consequently, materials with triple-peak MCE behavior, such as Ni45Mn44Sn11ribbons, may provide a fascinating opportunity to obtain magnetic cooling over a wider temperature range than with conventional refrigerant materials, particularly Ni45Mn44Sn11ribbons, which are inexpensive for use in magnetic refrigeration. Therefore, Ni45Mn44Sn11ribbons are excellent magnetocaloric magnets for wide temperature ranges, including cryogenic and room temperatures.

ABSTRACTConfluences of rivers are important component of river systems. Confluence scour is significant geomorphologically because it is a node in a channel network that controls sediment distribution, thus controlling the formation of channel migration. Nile River confluences take various shapes, such as downstream islands. Due to the construction of Aswan High Dam, major changes in hydrological characteristics downstream of the dam have affected river morphology, including the formation of islands. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hydrodynamic and morphological parameters for the Nile River confluences to provide an appropriate formula to predict confluence scour depth. For the current study, six confluence areas were selected. A numerical model was used to calculate the hydraulic characteristics of the Nile River. Geometric, morphological, and hydrodynamic analyses of selected confluences were performed in different years. Five confluence scour equations were applied to compute scour depths for the selected confluences. The scour depths for the specified confluences were calculated using five confluence scour equations. Field observations were compared to the calculated scour depths. The selected confluence scour equations didn’t have a satisfying performance for estimating the confluence scour depth in the Nile River. A new dimensionless confluence scour equation has been established.

Predicting the choice behavior of individuals is an important step in transportation planning. This study examines the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques using machine learning with 10 different classifiers and deep neural networks (DNNs) to predict the travel mode choices of individuals in the city of Mansoura, Egypt, and compares the results with the traditional multinomial logit technique. The data used in this analysis were divided into two sets, training and testing, with a ratio of 67:33. The training dataset contains 10,173 cases, while the testing dataset represents 5,083 cases. The variables used to model mode choice behavior are: total travel time, total travel cost, gender, car ownership, driving license, occupational status, residency, and monthly personal income. The performance of all models is measured on two levels: the individual level, which predicts the overall percent of correct observations, and the aggregate level, which predicts the market shares for each mode. The results show that the DNN model, which takes mode captivity into account, outperforms all the examined models with a prediction accuracy of 97.81%. Additionally, random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), gradient booster (GB), and XGB showed prediction accuracy of over 95%. In addition, all the models were calibrated with different sample sizes. Prediction accuracy increases with increasing sample size, except for the Adaboost classifiers and linear discriminant analysis. With increase in sample size, the prediction accuracy of the RF, DT, GB, and XGB classifiers increases slightly while the DNN prediction accuracy increases significantly.

Deletion of the tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) gene induces an anxiolytic-like behaviour in mice and TDO inhibition by allopurinol elicits an antidepressant-like effect in rats exposed to restraint stress. Chronic nicotine administration inhibits TDO activity, enhances brain serotonin synthesis and exerts anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in rodent models. There is a strong association between anxiety, depression and tobacco use, which is stronger in women than in men. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between behavioural measures of anxiety and depression with liver TDO activity, brain tryptophan concentration and serotonin synthesis in rats treated chronically with nicotine. Behavioural measures included the elevated plus maze (EPM), open field (OFT) and forced swim (FST) tests. Biochemical measures included TDO activity, serum corticosterone and brain Trp, 5-HT and 5-HIAA concentrations. Anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects of chronic nicotine were confirmed in association with TDO inhibition and elevation of brain Trp and 5-HT. Sex differences in behaviour were independent of the biochemical changes. At baseline, female rats performed better than males in OFT and FST. Nicotine was less anxiolytic in females in the open arm test. Nicotine treatment did not elicit different responses between sexes in the FST. Our findings support the notion that liver TDO activity exhibits a strong association with behavioural measures of anxiety and depression in experimental models, but provide little evidence for sex differences in behavioural response to nicotine. The TDO-anxiety link may be underpinned by kynurenine metabolites as well as serotonin.

Lack of patient education, and unaffordable or inaccessible medications, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Egypt, leave patients with epilepsy at a higher risk of suffering burn-related injuries, especially with the unpredictable nature of seizures, which leads to accidental burns. We present this study to investigate all epileptic patients whose seizures were involved in the burn injury who presented to the Ain Shams University Burn Unit from January 2019 to July 2022, examining the epidemiology and outcome. A total of 369 burn patients were admitted to out unit during the study period (1st of January 2019 to 31st of July 2022), 5 (1.35%) of which sustained the burn during an epileptic seizure. The parameters assessed were patient demographics, location where burn injury occurred, type and extent of burns, treatment and hospital stay, and morbidity/ mortality rates. The mean age was 24.6 years. A total of 80% lived in low-income areas. Scalding was the most common cause followed by flame. The mean total body surface area and full-thickness burned surface area were 16.2% and 8.6%, respectively. The mean hospital stay was 34.4 days. None of the patients died. However, 1 case had to have an above-elbow amputation.

Purpose: This study’s goal was to evaluate the outcomes of lateral column lengthening by plate fixation without bone graft in the management of symptomatic flexible flatfoot. Methods: A prospective randomized trial study included 30 feet (27 patients) and was performed from March 2017 to December 2019. Functional and radiological evaluations were done pre-operative and at the final post-operative follow-up. The functional assessment was done using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Results: The mean follow-up was 16.5 ± 3.027 months. The mean age of patients was 22.6 ± 6.29 years. All cases showed union ranging from 8 to 12 weeks, with a mean of 10 ± 1.88 weeks. The mean AOFAS score improved from 51.6 ± 6.75 to 92.2 ± 6.21. The mean anteroposterior (AP) talo-first metatarsal angle improved from 25.3° ± 8.31° to 3.4° ± 5.10°. The mean anteroposterior (AP) talo-navicular coverage improved from 22.10° ± 4.28° to 2.3° ± 3.46°. The mean Lateral talo-first metatarsal angle improved from 18.6° ± 4.79° to 3.3° ± 3.16°. The calcaneal pitch angle improved from 9.6° ± 4.14° to 15.1° ± 4.43°. The mean lateral talo-calcaneal angle improved from 45.7° ± 3.77° to 37.5° ± 3.47°. Conclusion: Using an interposition wedge plate for LCL without bone graft leads to a high union rate, maintains the correction, and avoids possible complications of autografts and allografts.

The work presented in this paper addresses trajectory tracking and position control of a six-degrees-of-freedom flapping wing micro aerial vehicle (FWMAV) in the presence of matched and mismatched disturbances. FWMAV is an unstable system which is affected by various disturbances. These disturbances can be classified into matched and mismatched disturbances according to their entrance via the same or different channels from control inputs. In order to handle these disturbances, an integral command-filtered block backstepping controller is applied to a nonlinear high-fidelity time-variant dynamic model. The stability of the proposed controller and the ultimate boundedness of the tracking error is derived based on Lyapunov stability arguments. Finally, the control law is validated by various simulation studies on the high-fidelity model. The proposed controller performance proves its ability to successfully track the arbitrary desired reference trajectories with feasible control effort in the presence of both constant and time-varying matched and mismatched disturbances.