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Assessment of the neutralizing antibody response to the attenuated strain of peste des petits ruminants Nigerian strain (75/1) in 5 pregnant ewes revealed a geometric mean titre of 194, four weeks post Vaccination. Such an appreciably high titre was found to be dropped to 73.5, throughout 48 hours post parturn. Suckling kids born to these dams passively acquired a titre of 84.5 throughout their first month of life that dropped to 48.5 at the age of 2 months. At their 5th month of age their immune titre was found to be only 4. Data generated from this study might be of value in launching vaccination campaigns against peste des petits ruminants disease.

Abstract Objective In epilepsy, early diagnosis, accurate determination of epilepsy type, proper selection of antiseizure medication, and monitoring are all essential. However, despite recent therapeutic advances and conceptual reconsiderations in the classification and management of epilepsy, serious gaps are still encountered in day‐to‐day practice in Egypt as well as several other resource‐limited countries. Premature mortality, poor quality of life, socio‐economic burden, cognitive problems, poor treatment outcomes, and comorbidities are major challenges that require urgent actions to be implemented at all levels. In recognition of this, a group of Egyptian epilepsy experts met through a series of consecutive meetings to specify the main concepts concerning the diagnosis and management of epilepsy, with the ultimate goal of establishing a nationwide Egyptian consensus. Methods The consensus was developed through a modified Delphi methodology. A thorough review of the most recent relevant literature and international guidelines was performed to evaluate their applicability to the Egyptian situation. Afterward, several remote and live rounds were scheduled to reach a final agreement for all listed statements. Results Of 278 statements reviewed in the first round, 256 achieved ≥80% agreement. Live discussion and refinement of the 22 statements that did not reach consensus during the first round took place, followed by final live voting then consensus was achieved for all remaining statements. Significance With the implementation of these unified recommendations, we believe this will bring about substantial improvements in both the quality of care and treatment outcomes for persons with epilepsy in Egypt. Plain Language Summary This work represents the efforts of a group of medical experts to reach an agreement on the best medical practice related to people with epilepsy based on previously published recommendations while taking into consideration applicable options in resource‐limited countries. The publication of this document is expected to minimize many malpractice issues and pave the way for better healthcare services on both individual and governmental levels.

Shallow foundations are often the most economical option for building support, as they distribute structural weight to soil layers, require minimal earthwork, and do not necessitate specialized machinery. The most common type of soil in the city of Karbala is sandy soil. It is granular and loose by nature which has a relatively low bearing capacity. According to previous studies, the soil weakness is one of the problems with shallow foundation construction. Thus, the aim of this study is to improve the properties of the soil using geogrid reinforcement. Three critical parameters are examined, including depth, size, and number of geogrid layers in the soil reinforcement process to increase bearing capacity and decrease soil settling. The effect of geogrid depth (u) was studied by considering four depth ratios (u/B = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) in order to determine the ideal depth of the geogrid layer, where (B) refers to the width of the footings. The results indicated that a decrease in depth ratio significantly increased the bearing capacity of footings built on reinforced soil layers compared to those built on natural soil, and the settlement reduction ratio (SRR) also increased. The size of the geogrid layer (i.e., width of the geogrid layer (b) was evaluated by evaluating four size ratios (b/B = 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0). With an increasing size ratio of the geogrid layer, the bearing capacity ratio (BRC) was significantly improved. Additionally, the study examined the optimal number of geogrid layers, focusing on single and multiple layers with N = 1, 2, 3, and 4. The results showed a higher BRC for footings on reinforced soil layers, as well as a significant rise in SRR with an increase in the number of geogrid layers. Finally, it was concluded that the optimal depth ratio was u/B = 0.5, the size ratio was b/B = 4.5, and reinforced with three geogrid layers, which provided the highest bearing capacity and SRR. The experimental test results were verified by comparing them with those calculated using theoretically developed models. The variation between the experimental and theoretical results is reasonable, confirming that the experimental testing results exhibit a high degree of accuracy.

In this article, the modified extended direct algebraic method is implemented to investigate the strain wave model that governs the wave propagation in micro-structured solids. The proposed method provides many new exact traveling wave solutions with certain free parameters. Exact solutions are extremely important in interpreting the inner structures of the natural phenomena. Solitary and other wave solutions are provided for this model, such as bright solitary solutions, dark solitary solutions, singular solitary solutions, singular-dark combo solitary solutions. Also, periodic solutions and Jacobi elliptic function solutions are presented. To show the physical characteristics of the raised solutions, the graphical illustration of some solutions is presented.

When Rankine or Coulomb theories are used to design a retaining wall, it is accepted that the retaining wall will experience a lateral displacement. By allowing the wall to move laterally, the earth pressure decreases on the active side of the wall and wall and earth pressure increases on the passive side, and therefore, more economical walls can be obtained when the lateral displacement is allowed. This lateral displacement is usually not calculated when designing a retaining wall. An experimental investigation is carried out to study the lateral displacement of a retaining wall subjected to dynamic loads with different load amplitude vibration, absolute frequencies, backfill sand relative densities, and different distances between the retaining wall and the loading source. The objectives of this study are to trace the lateral displacement of retaining wall under dynamic loads other than earthquakes such as the traffic load caused by trucks or railroads by direct measurement of displacements. The model footing used in this study is square. On a cohesionless soil, the tests were carried out using a dynamic load. The studied variables were as follows: three load amplitudes (0.25, 0.5, and 1 ton), three vibration frequencies (0.5, 1, and 2 Hz), two relative densities of sandy soil (30% loose sand and 70% dense sand), and three different distances between the foundation and the retaining wall. Observations show that the lateral displacement increased by increasing the load amplitude and decreased by increasing the distance between the foundation and the retaining wall. There is insignificant consequence of frequency on the cumulative lateral displacement. The lateral displacement decreased by increasing the density of sandy soil.

This paper describes how the contemporary technology innovation ecology is hostile to community-driven design. These hostilities are important to understand if we want to intervene in the policy landscape of technology innovation to support viable alternatives to big tech consolidation and more democratic ways of developing and maintaining technology. We contribute a thick description of the hostile ecologies faced by transportation workers, community organizers, and allied technology researchers as they work toward building a cooperatively-owned taxi business with a digital dispatching technology. Our findings show that the hostile innovation ecology manifests as constrained access to resources, an inequitable regulatory framework, diminished agency in the software design process, and limits to the will of our community partners. We discuss the paths toward innovation for United Taxi Workers San Diego as compared with transportation network companies (e.g. Lyft, Uber) in terms of access to funding, regulation, labor, expertise, and market. We argue that a critical examination of institutions and policies in the innovation ecology is a necessary step toward charting fair, equitable, and community-strengthening pathways for technology innovation in the future.

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has emerged as a promising approach for optimizing control policies in various fields. In this article, we explore the use of DRL for controlling vibrations in building structures. Specifically, we focus on the problem of reducing vibrations induced by external sources such as wind or earthquakes. We propose a DRL-based control framework that learns to adjust the control signal of a classical adaptive linear quadratic regulator (LQR)-based model to mitigate the vibration of building structures in real-time. The framework combines the proximal policy optimization method and a deep neural network that is trained using a simulation environment. The network takes input sensor readings from the building and outputs signals that work as a corrector to the signals from the LQR model. It demonstrates the approach’s effectiveness by simulating a 3-story building structure. The results show that our DRL-based control approach outperforms the classical LQR model in reducing building vibrations. Moreover, we show that the approach is robust for learning the system’s dynamics. Overall, the work highlights the potential of DRL for improving the performance of building structures in the face of external disturbances. The framework can be easily integrated into existing building control systems and extended to other control problems in structural engineering.

Abstract: This study aims to test a concrete specimen with replacement partially of 15 % of the coarse aggregate by pieces of tires and volcanic aggregates and reduce 5% of the water/cement ratio by substituting with 4% percentages of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and 1% of superplasticizer. The main concrete components (cement: sand: gravel) were used in weight ratios (1:1.5:3) and a water to cement 0.45 was used and it was considered as a reference sample (Mix1). A water to cement ratio 0.40 was depended for the modified mixtures. Samples were cast for testing the compression strength with sizes 150 ×150 ×150 mm for ages 7 and 28 days. the absorption rate, with a size of 100 ×100 ×100 mm at age 28 days. Moreover, 150 ×150×150 mm for depth of penetration test at the age of 28 days. Briefly, the observed results were exhibited that the partial replacement of normal aggregate in concrete with volcanic aggregate affects negatively on the workability, so 4% of the polymer SBR and 1% of the superplasticizer have improved the workability. The improvement in the workability of concrete contributed to reducing the ratio of water to cement required for mixing compared to ordinary concrete, and this in turn led to an improvement in performance of hardened concrete. In addition, the reduction of the permeability level. The results also illustrated that the replacement of the gravel in the modified mixtures (Mix 3 and Mix 2) reduces the weight of hardened concrete by (10-12%) and (7-9%) compared with conventional concrete, respectively, which makes it suitable for use in mediumweight concrete applications. Moreover, it can be concluded that the strength properties of the modified mix with volcanic aggregate improved by 19-20% compared to that of the unmodified concrete. While the modified concrete by cutting tires showed significant deterioration in the concrete's resistance 21% despite the reduction of concrete permeability.

Localized calcium deficiency at the tomato flower end causes a physiological disorder called blossom end rot, resulting in yield losses of up to 50 percent. Fruit cracking is another physiological disorder of tomatoes that most often occurs when the movement of water and solutes to the tomato is protracted or rapid, but the underlying cause of fruit cracking is, again, calcium deficiency. Therefore, the present field experiment was conducted with the aim of increasing yield and reducing physiological disorders in tomatoes with a foliar application of calcium and micronutrients (zinc and boron). Four levels of calcium (0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9%), three levels of boron (0, 0.25, and 0.5%), and three levels of Zinc (0, 0.25, and 0.5%) were applied foliarly three times (starting at flowering, the 2nd application was repeated when the fruits set, and the 3rd after a period of 15 days from the fruits set). An addition of 0.6% calcium increased yield and associated traits with a decreased flower drop. Likewise, a 0.9% calcium addition increased fruit Ca content and decreased blossom end rot, fruit cracking, and Zn content. Foliar spraying with 0.25% boron (compound B) improved flowering and production while reducing flower drop and tomato fruit cracking. Similarly, an application of 0.5% B significantly increased Ca and B content with minimal blossom end rot and Zn content. Likewise, a 0.5% Zn application resulted in yield and yield-related traits with increased fruit B and Zn contents while blossom end rot, fruit cracking, and fruit Ca content were lower when 0.5% of foliar Zn was applied. Therefore, it is concluded that a foliar application of Ca, B, and Zn can be used alone or in combination to minimize the physiological disorders, increase production, and improve tomato fruit quality.

BackgroundFunctional impairment of interferon, a natural antiviral component of the immune system, is associated with the pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19. We aimed to compare the efficacy of interferon beta-1a in combination with remdesivir compared with remdesivir alone in hospitalised patients with COVID-19.MethodsWe did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 63 hospitals across five countries (Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and the USA). Eligible patients were hospitalised adults (aged ≥18 years) with SARS-CoV-2 infection, as confirmed by a positive RT-PCR test, and who met one of the following criteria suggestive of lower respiratory tract infection: the presence of radiographic infiltrates on imaging, a peripheral oxygen saturation on room air of 94% or less, or requiring supplemental oxygen. Patients were excluded if they had either an alanine aminotransferase or an aspartate aminotransferase concentration more than five times the upper limit of normal; had impaired renal function; were allergic to the study product; were pregnant or breast feeding; were already on mechanical ventilation; or were anticipating discharge from the hospital or transfer to another hospital within 72 h of enrolment. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous remdesivir as a 200 mg loading dose on day 1 followed by a 100 mg maintenance dose administered daily for up to 9 days and up to four doses of either 44 μg interferon beta-1a (interferon beta-1a group plus remdesivir group) or placebo (placebo plus remdesivir group) administered subcutaneously every other day. Randomisation was stratified by study site and disease severity at enrolment. Patients, investigators, and site staff were masked to interferon beta-1a and placebo treatment; remdesivir treatment was given to all patients without masking. The primary outcome was time to recovery, defined as the first day that a patient attained a category 1, 2, or 3 score on the eight-category ordinal scale within 28 days, assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population, defined as all randomised patients who were classified according to actual clinical severity. Safety was assessed in the as-treated population, defined as all patients who received at least one dose of the assigned treatment. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04492475.FindingsBetween Aug 5, 2020, and Nov 11, 2020, 969 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group (n=487) or to the placebo plus remdesivir group (n=482). The mean duration of symptoms before enrolment was 8·7 days (SD 4·4) in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group and 8·5 days (SD 4·3) days in the placebo plus remdesivir group. Patients in both groups had a time to recovery of 5 days (95% CI not estimable) (rate ratio of interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group vs placebo plus remdesivir 0·99 [95% CI 0·87-1·13]; p=0·88). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of mortality at 28 days was 5% (95% CI 3-7%) in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group and 3% (2-6%) in the placebo plus remdesivir group (hazard ratio 1·33 [95% CI 0·69-2·55]; p=0·39). Patients who did not require high-flow oxygen at baseline were more likely to have at least one related adverse event in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group (33 [7%] of 442 patients) than in the placebo plus remdesivir group (15 [3%] of 435). In patients who required high-flow oxygen at baseline, 24 (69%) of 35 had an adverse event and 21 (60%) had a serious adverse event in the interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir group compared with 13 (39%) of 33 who had an adverse event and eight (24%) who had a serious adverse event in the placebo plus remdesivir group.InterpretationInterferon beta-1a plus remdesivir was not superior to remdesivir alone in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients who required high-flow oxygen at baseline had worse outcomes after treatment with interferon beta-1a compared with those given placebo.FundingThe National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (USA).

The growing concern over climate change and the need to address its effects has prompted industries and companies to prioritize reducing carbon emissions. This study proposes an effective Carbon Management Accounting System (CMAS) model that can lead to sustainable Energy Efficiency (ENEFF) and enhance Corporate Environmental Performance (CEP) through sustainable operations. The study extensively reviewed previous research and developed a conceptual framework for the relationship between CMAS, ENEFF, and CEP in the Malaysian Oil and Gas industry. The study also developed two research models extracted from the conceptual framework developed, which are: 1) a carbon management accounting model and 2) a corporate environmental performance model. By using these models, the study directly explores the relationship between CMAS and ENEFF and indirectly explores the relationship between CMAS and CEP through the mediating role of ENEFF. This study provides a foundation for future research to examine both models as an integrated approach to enhance ENEFF and overall CEP in the Oil and Gas industry.

Wheat is the most consumed crop worldwide. Zeolite application combined with good tillage practices are good combinations that provide better soil conditions for wheat crops. Zeolite also provides a good layer for carbon to be absorbed into the soil and can retain carbon for hundreds of years. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of tillage practices and zeolite treatments on soil carbon retention and wheat crop productivity. Arranging the treatments implemented according to a factorial randomized block design which includes three replications. Tillage treatments include three levels vis: T1= 6 tillage practices with the help of cultivator (farmer practice/control), T2 (minimum tillage), and T3 (2 cultivation with cultivator + Mold-board plough). The zeolite applications consist of four levels: Z1 = 0, Z2 = 5, Z3 = 10 and Z4 = 15 t ha−1. The effect of the interaction between zeolite treatments and tillage practices on various factors related to soil and crops such as emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), dissolved organic carbon, soil organic carbon, and the productivity and components of wheat productivity. Zeolite applied at 10 t ha−1 in combination with minimum tillage gave significant differences in terms of CO2 emission, dissolved organic carbon, and on soil organic carbon. The experimental results showed that minimum CO2 emission (25.43 and 31.12 (kg CO2-C ha−1 h−1), dissolved organic carbon (4.80 and 4.90 g C kg−1), soil organic carbon (7.88 and 7.97 g C kg−1), plant height (92.14 and 92.97 cm), spike length (11.88 ad 12.11 cm), number of spikelets (20.11 and 20.98), number of tillers (278.65 and 283.93) per unit area, 1000 grain weight (50.74 and 51.54 g), biological yield (8134.87 and 8187.38 kg ha−1) and grain yield (2984.28 and 3028.96 kg ha−1) and harvest index (36.69 and 37.04%) of wheat was observed in zeolite applied at 10 t ha−1 with minimum tillage practice (T2 × Z3) compared to control and other treatments for both the years, respectively. It is therefore concluded that minimum tillage should be practiced in wheat crops with the application of zeolite at 10 t ha−1 to obtain better yield and soil carbon retention under rain-fed conditions.

As claimed in many papers, the equivalence between the Caputo-type fractional differential problem and the corresponding integral forms may fail outside the spaces of absolutely continuous functions, even in Hölder spaces. To avoid such an equivalence problem, we define a “new” appropriate fractional integral operator, which is the right inverse of the Caputo derivative on some Hölder spaces of critical orders less than 1. A series of illustrative examples and counter-examples substantiate the necessity of our research. As an application, we use our method to discuss the BVP for the Langevin fractional differential equation dψβ,μdtβdψα,μdtα+λx(t)=f(t,x(t)),t∈[a,b],λ∈R, for f∈C[a,b]×R and some critical orders β,α∈(0,1), combined with appropriate initial or boundary conditions, and with general classes of ψ-tempered Hilfer problems with ψ-tempered fractional derivatives. The BVP for fractional differential problems of the Bagley–Torvik type was also studied.

This study aims at proposing an integrated model based on the technology acceptance model, the information system success model, cognitive load theory, and personal characteristics to predict students' continued intention to reuse Google Classroom in the context of a developing country. To achieve this, we conducted quantitative research, empirically identifying the factors that could affect the continued intention of higher education students to reuse Google Classroom. Overall, 233 higher education students voluntarily participated in this research. Structural equation modelling was adopted as the method of analysis. The results showed that cognitive load significantly influenced perceived ease of use, whereas it had no impact on perceived usefulness or satisfaction. Furthermore, all personal characteristics significantly affected perceived ease of use. The outcomes likewise revealed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and satisfaction had a significant and positive effect on students' continued intention to reuse Google Classroom. However, to enhance the generalisability of the findings, further research with a larger research sample is required. In addition, the predictability power of the proposed model could be improved by considering the role of other factors, such as engagement and learning effectiveness.

The jet grouting method for soil improvement represents an innovative geotechnical alternative for problematic soils when the classic foundations’ designs cannot be appropriate, sustainable solutions for these soils. This study’s methodology was based on producing column models using a low-pressure injection laboratory setup designed and locally manufactured to approximate the field-equipment operation. The setup design was inspired by the works of previous researchers, where its functioning was validated by systematically performing unconfined compression tests (UCTs). Two soil improvement techniques were investigated, one by low-pressure injection of a mixture of water and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with 0.8, 1, and 1.3 W/C ratios. The other type uses silica fume (SF) as a chemical additive with 10% of the cement weight added to the water and cement mix with 1, 1.3, and 1.6 W/C ratios. The study revealed that the UCT results of SF column model samples were higher than those of OPC with an equal W/C ratio. For each binder type, the UCT sample results increase with a decrease in the W/C ratio.

The rising demand for safe plant compounds and herbal products that contribute positively to human health is in line with current market trends. Plants belonging to the Satureja genus, particularly the aromatic medicinal S. montana L. from the Lamiaceae family, are well suited to these trends as they serve as pharmaceutical raw materials. This research aimed to assess the influence of sowing date and fertilization doses, as well as their interaction, on the fresh weight, essential oil content, and composition of S. montana. Experimental cultivation involved varying nitrogen and phosphorus levels. The second cut had the highest fresh weight and oil production compared to the first cut. The highest total plant biomass was achieved with autumn sowing and fertilization at 55 kg N/ha and 37 kg P/ha, whereas Spring sowing exhibited higher essential oil production, with the maximum oil % with 74 kg P/ha and oil yield after applying 55 kg N/ha and 74 kg P/ha. The GC-MS analysis revealed that carvacrol was the predominant compound, with it being recommended to grow S. montana in Spring at doses of 55 kg N/ha and 74 kg P/ha for the superior oil yield. Additionally, S. montana essential oil demonstrated notable biological and antimicrobial activity, positioning it as a potential alternative to chemical food preservatives.

Illicium verum, commonly known as star anise, represents one of the notable botanical species and is recognized for its rich reservoir of diverse bioactive compounds. Beyond its culinary application as a spice, this plant has been extensively utilized in traditional medicine. Given the contemporary emphasis on incorporating natural resources into food production, particularly essential oils, to enhance sensory attributes and extend shelf life, our study seeks to elucidate the chemical composition and evaluate the antibacterial (in vitro, in situ) and insecticidal properties of Illicium verum essential oil (IVEO). Also, microbiological analyses of pumpkin sous vide treated with IVEO after inoculation of Salmonella enterica were evaluated after 1 and 7 days of study. GC/MS analysis revealed a significantly high amount of (E)-anethole (88.4%) in the investigated EO. The disc diffusion method shows that the antibacterial activity of the IVEO ranged from 5.33 (Streptococcus constellatus) to 10.33 mm (Citrobacter freundii). The lowest minimal inhibition concentration was found against E. coli and the minimum biofilm inhibition concertation was found against S. enterica. In the vapor phase, the best antimicrobial activity was found against E. coli in the pears model and against S. sonei in the beetroot model. The application of the sous vide method in combination with IVEO application decreased the number of microbial counts and eliminated the growth of S. enterica. The most isolated microbiota identified from the sous vide pumpkin were Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus, B. licheniformis, and Ralstonia picketii. Modifications to the protein composition of biofilm-forming bacteria S. enterica were suggested by the MALDI TOF MS instigations. The IVEO showed insecticidal potential against Harmonia axyridis. Thanks to the properties of IVEO, our results suggest it can be used in the food industry as a natural supplement to extend the shelf life of foods and as a natural insecticide.