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The use of fat grafting is being widely used for different indications one of which is wound healing. In this study we compare the use of autologous fat grafting (AFG) as a novel indication in acute burn wounds healing and burn scarring to the conventional methods of burn wound management both clinically and histologically. Several small observational studies demonstrated the effect of the AFG in healing of chronic wounds, different vascular ulcers or effect on scars yet no randomized controlled trial is available to compare its role with conventional methods.The study was a prospective, open-label single center, randomized control clinical trial included 100 patients with superficial and deep dermal burns from March 2019 to March 2020 randomized to AFG protocol consisted of a single injection of autologous fat grafting then dressed with nano fat (Group A) or conventional methods of serial dressings with 1% silver sulphadiazine or other topical agents (Group B). Inclusion criteria included newly admitted burn patients with affected total body surface area (TBSA) (10%-25%) while exclusion criteria included burns patients with affected TBSA of 10% or 25%, or loss of subcutaneous fat, fascia, muscles and bones, inhalational burn, and burns in genitalia, perineum and peri-anal areas and co-morbidity(ies) that might affect wound healing or eligibility for anaesthesia and surgery. Also, results were confirmed by histological analysis for samples from both groups by light microscopic examination, and the nano-fat was subjected to flow cytometric analysis of the cluster of differentiation (CD) markers of mesenchymal stem cells markers CD 90, CD44, CD45, CD 73, and CD 34. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03791710) RESULTS: We found a significant reduction in total hospital stay days (p = 0.001), less further skin grafting (p = 0.003), less contracture formation (p = 0.002) while scar texture improved (p = 0.001) in group A compared to group B. Flow cytometric analysis documented that the nano-fat was positive to CD 90, 73, 44, 45 and 34.In a comparison between AFG protocol to the conventional methods in the treatment of acute burn wounds, AFG protocol was associated with significant clinical improvement in the form of lower hospital stay time, lower incidence of scaring or contracture and lower skin grafting use which was confirmed by serial photographic and histological assessment.

Reckless construction and overextraction of resources have placed tremendous stress on the Sultanate of Oman's coastal ecosystems at Al-Batinah. The rate of sea level rise (SLR) intensifies under t...

In this paper, we propose centralized and decentralized privacy-preserving and collusion-resistant charging coordination schemes for Energy Storage Units (ESUs). The centralized charging coordination (CCC) scheme is useful where robust communication infrastructure is available that connects ESUs to a charging coordinator (CC), whereas the decentralized charging coordination (DCC) scheme is useful in remote areas and isolated microgrids. In CCC scheme, ESUs acquire tokens to send charging request anonymously to the CC via local aggregators. So, if the CC and the aggregator collude, they cannot identify requests' senders. To prevent linkability attacks, ESUs sends multiple requests with random Time to complete charge (TCC) and state of charge (SoC). Then, the CC compute schedules to maximize the power delivered to ESUs. In DCC scheme, charging is coordinated using a privacy-preserving data aggregation technique. Each ESU selects some ESUs as proxies, and shares a secret mask with each proxy. Then, each ESU adds a mask to its request and encrypts it so by aggregating requests, all masks are nullified and the total demand is known. DCC scheme is secure against collusion attacks due to the masking technique. The results of extensive experiments confirm that our schemes are efficient and secure, and preserve ESUs privacy.

Enhancing the torsional capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams while maintaining reasonably economic and efficient cross-sections poses a practical challenge in the design of such elements. Thus, developing and testing economically viable reinforcing techniques for enhancing the torsional capacity of RC beams is a significant aspect. Among these techniques is the continuous spiral reinforcement system that has shown promising results in enhancing the torsional capacity of rectangular RC elements. In this study, the role of continuous rectangular spiral stirrups, as a transverse reinforcement with a controllable pitch (P) and inclination angle (θ), in enhancing the torsional behavior of rectangular solid and hollow RC beams has been investigated experimentally. The applied torque was directed to lock the spirals for all specimens. The experimental program of this investigation included testing of ten specimens of normal strength RC beams; two of which were solid with closed and spiral rectangular stirrups. While the rest of specimens were hollow specimens included one beam reinforced by closed stirrups and seven beams reinforced by rectangular spiral stirrups with different reinforcing ratios. Different variables were considered to develop a wide range of the beams’ reinforcing scenarios. This includes stirrups type (conventional closed stirrups and rectangular spiral stirrups), inclined stirrups ratio, pitch, inclination angle and finally the longitudinal reinforcement ratio. In addition, a three-dimensional finite element model using ANSYS-15.0 was developed to examine the capability of the model to capture the observed torsional behavior of the experimentally tested beams. The obtained results showed that using inclined spiral rectangular stirrups in reinforcing RC solid and hollow beams greatly enhanced the torsional capacity by about 16% and 18%, respectively compared to using the conventional closed stirrups. Moreover, the results showed that using that technique leads to higher twist- angles, more ductile failure and increased strain energy by about 27% and 16% for solid and hollow beams, respectively. Lastly, the comparison between the results obtained from numerical model and experimental results showed good agreement and thus the numerical model can be used to extend the experimental work for investigating different reinforcing schemes.

A proper vaccination against avian influenza viruses in chicken can significantly reduce the risk of human infection. Egypt has the highest number of recorded humans highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)-H5N1 infections worldwide despite the widespread use of homologous vaccines in poultry. Enhancing H5N1 vaccine efficacy is ultimately required to better control HPAI-H5N1. The aim of this study is to boost chicken immunity by combined with inactivated HPAI-H5N1 with selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). The chickens groups 1-3 were fed diets supplemented with SeNPs concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg) for 3 weeks and then vaccinated (inactivated HPAI-H5N1). while groups 4,5 and 6 were fed with SeNPs free diets and administered with 0.5ml of the vaccine combined with 0.02, 0.06, and 0.1mg/dose of SeNPs and then all groups were challenged with homologous virus 3 weeks post-vaccination (WPV). Group 7, 8 were used as control positive and negative respectively. At 4, 5, and 6 WPV, antibody titer was considerably higher in the group fed a meal supplemented with 1 mg SeNPs/kg. In contrast, both methods of SeNPs supplementation significantly increased the Interleukin 2 (IL2), Interleukin 6 (IL6), and Interferon γ (IFNγ) expressions in the blood cells in a dose-dependent manner, with a higher expression observed in the group that was vaccinated with 0.1 mg/dose. After the challenge, all groups that received SeNPs via diet or vaccines dose showed significant reduction in viral shedding and milder inflammation in lung, trachea, spleen, and liver in addition to higher expression of IL2, IL6, and IFNγ, with the highest expression observed in the group that was vaccinated with 0.1mg/dose compared the plain vaccinated group. The groups of 1mg SeNPs/kg and combined vaccinated with 0.1mg/dose showed the best vaccine efficacy. However, the group vaccinated with 0.1mg/dose showed the earliest reduction in viral shedding. Overall, SeNPs supplementation in the diet and the administration of the vaccine formula with SeNPs could enhance vaccine efficacy and provide better protection against HPAI-H5N1 in chickens by enhancing cellular immunity and reducing inflammation. We recommend using SeNPs as a vaccine combination or feeding with diet to increase the immunity and vaccine efficacy against H5N1.

Contact tracing is a very effective way to control the COVID-19-like pandemics. It aims to identify individuals who closely contacted an infected person during the incubation period of the virus and notify them to quarantine. However, the existing systems suffer from privacy, security, and efficiency issues. To address these limitations, in this paper, we propose an efficient and privacy-preserving Blockchain-based infection control system. Instead of depending on a single authority to run the system, a group of health authorities, that form a consortium Blockchain, run our system. Using Blockchain technology not only secures our system against single point of failure and denial of service attacks, but also brings transparency because all transactions can be validated by different parties. Although contact tracing is important, it is not enough to effectively control an infection. Thus, unlike most of the existing systems that focus only on contact tracing, our system consists of three integrated subsystems, including contact tracing, public places access control, and safe-places recommendation. The access control subsystem prevents infected people from visiting public places to prevent spreading the virus, and the recommendation subsystem categorizes zones based on the infection level so that people can avoid visiting contaminated zones. Our analysis demonstrates that our system is secure and preserves the privacy of the users against identification, social graph disclosure, and tracking attacks, while thwarting false reporting (or panic) attacks. Moreover, our extensive performance evaluations demonstrate the scalability of our system (which is desirable in pandemics) due to its low communication, computation, and storage overheads. IEEE

The prevalence of homologous recombination–DNA damage response (HR-DDR) genetic alterations is of therapeutic interest in gastroesophageal cancers. This study is a comprehensive assessment of HR-DDR mutation prevalence across gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. Here we investigate the association of HR-DDR mutations with known predictors for immune-checkpoint inhibition [deficiency in mismatch-repair (dMMRP), tumor mutational burden (TMB), and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)]. We confirmed HR-DDR mutations are present in a subset of gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (23%) and gastroesophageal squamous cell carcinomas (20%). Biomarker expression of dMMRP (18% vs. 1%) and TMB-high with a cutoff of ≥10 mt/MB (27% vs. 9%) was significantly more prevalent in the DDR-mutated cohort compared with the non-DDR-mutated cohort. Mean combined positive score for PD-L1 in the total adenocarcinoma cohort was significantly higher in the DDR-mutated cohort compared with the non–DDR-mutated cohort (10.1 vs. 5.8). We demonstrated that alterations in ARID1A, BRCA2, PTEN, and ATM are correlated with dMMRP, TMB-high, and increased PD-L1 expression in gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. Our findings show that a subset of gastroesophageal tumors harbor HR-DDR mutations correlated with established immune biomarkers. By better understanding the relationship between HR-DDR mutations and immune biomarkers, we may be able to develop better immunotherapy combination strategies to target these tumors.

In this paper, we propose a Sybil attack detection scheme using proofs of work and location in VANETS. Each roadside unit issues signed time-stamped tag as a proof for the vehicle's anonymous location. Proofs sent from multiple consecutive RSUs are used to create a trajectory to be used as vehicle anonymous identity. Also, contributions from one RSU are not enough to create trajectories, rather contributions of several RSUs are needed. By this way, attackers need to compromise an infeasible number of RSUs to create fake trajectories. Moreover, upon receiving a proof of location from an RSU, the vehicle should solve a computational puzzle by running proof of work (PoW) algorithm. Then, it should provide a valid solution (proof of work) to the next RSU before it can obtain a proof of location. Using PoW can prevent vehicles from creating multiple trajectories in case of low-dense RSUs. Then, an event manager uses a matching technique to identify trajectories sent from Sybil vehicles. The scheme depends on the fact that Sybil trajectories are bounded physically to one vehicle, and therefore, their trajectories overlap. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our scheme achieves high detection rate of Sybil attacks and acceptable communication and computation overhead.

In advanced metering infrastructure, smart meters (SMs) send fine-grained power consumption readings periodically to the utility for load monitoring and energy management. Change and transmit (CAT) is an efficient approach to collect these readings, where the readings are not transmitted when there is no enough change in consumption. However, this approach causes a privacy problem, that is, by analyzing the transmission pattern of an SM, sensitive information on the house dwellers can be inferred. For instance, since the transmission pattern is distinguishable when dwellers are on travel, attackers may analyze the pattern to launch a presence-privacy attack (PPA) to infer whether the dwellers are absent from home. In this article, we propose a scheme, called “STDL,” for efficient collection of power consumption readings in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) networks while preserving the consumers’ privacy by sending spoofing transmissions using a deep-learning approach. We first use a clustering technique and real power consumption readings to create a data set for transmission patterns using the CAT approach. Then, we train a deep-learning-based attacker model, and our evaluations indicate that the attacker’s success rate is about 91%. Finally, we train a deep-learning-based defense model to send spoofing transmissions efficiently to thwart the PPA. Extensive evaluations are conducted, and the results indicate that our scheme can reduce the attacker’s success rate to 3.15%, while still achieving high efficiency in terms of the number of readings that should be transmitted. Our measurements indicate that the proposed scheme can increase efficiency by about 41% compared to continuously transmitting readings.

Globally, there is increasing demand for safe poultry food products free from antibiotic residues. There is thus a need to develop alternatives to antibiotics with safe nutritional feed derivatives that maximize performance, promote the intestinal immune status, enrich beneficial microbiota, promote health, and reduce the adverse effects of pathogenic infectious microorganisms. With the move away from including antibiotics in poultry diets, botanicals are among the most important alternatives to antibiotics. Some botanicals such as fennel, garlic, oregano, mint, and rosemary have been reported to increase the poultry's growth rate and/or feed to gain ratio. Botanicals' role is assumed to be mediated by improved immune responses and/or shifts in the microbial population in the intestine, with the elimination of pathogenic species. In addition, modulation of the gut microbiota resulted in various physiological and immunological responses and promoted beneficial bacterial strains that led to a healthy gut. There is thus a need to understand the relationship between poultry diets supplemented with botanicals and good health of the entire gastrointestinal tract if we intend to use these natural products to promote general health status and production. This current review provides an overview of current knowledge about certain botanicals that improve poultry productivity by modulating intestinal health and reducing the negative impacts of numerous pathogenic bacteria. This review also describes the efficacy, negative effects, and modes of action of some common herbal plants applied in poultry as alternatives to reduce the use of antibiotics.

Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency and must be managed promptly, and reaching a diagnosis is imperative to prevent recurrence. Herein, we present a case of a young female patient that presented with progressive shortness of breath and abdominal distension and was found to have cardiac tamponade with the finding of elevation of a blood tumor marker, CA-125, in the setting of nonadherence to thyroid replacement therapy. She was managed by surgical pericardial window and abdominal paracentesis, with replacement of thyroid hormones leading to resolution of the tamponade and ascites. CA-125 elevation associated with cardiac tamponade and myxedema ascites due to hypothyroidism is very rare, and we aim to shed light on the importance of having a broad differential when approaching cardiac tamponade and understand the association between CA-125 and hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND: The risk of obesity among autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children is high which could be related to a disorder in their metabolism. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in metabolic control, language behavior, and intellectual development. Serotonin has a role in satiety and energy expenditure. AIM: Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure the serum levels of BDNF and serotonin in obese compared to non-obese ASD children. The influence of obesity on ASD severity, intellectual, and language development was also investigated. METHODS: The study included 60 autistic children (Group I: 30 ASD children with obesity and Group II: 30 ASD children without obesity). The serum BDNF and serotonin levels were estimated by ELISA and by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: All participants manifested delayed language development. Almost all of them had intellectual disability. The difference between groups regarding ASD severity, language, and intellectual development was non-significant. However, BDNF level in obese group was less than that in the other group while serotonin was higher in the obese group with significant statistical difference. CONCLUSION: The difference between the groups regarding the levels of BDNF and serotonin, which are involved in the brain development, could be related to obesity. The influence of obesity on ASD severity, intellectual, and language development of ASD children was not distinctive in the participants. The influence of such markers on ASD severity and cognitive performance needs further investigations.

Background Both non-invasive ventilation and high flow oxygen therapy are preferred over low flow oxygen therapy in many conditions. Nebulizers, for aerosol delivery, can be used within them without interrupting the circuit. The present study aimed to compare the efficiency of drug delivery within high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and biphasic positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilation mode using two different inspiratory positive airway pressures. The aerosol delivery was examined in HFNC system at low flow, 5 L min−1, and BiPAP non-invasive ventilation under 2 different pressures [high pressure; inspiratory positive airway pressure/expiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP/EPAP) of 20/5 cm water, and low pressure; IPAP/EPAP of 10/5 cm water]. The total inhalable dose (TID) was measured by inserting an Aerogen Solo nebulizer installed with 1 mL salbutamol respiratory solution (5000 μg mL−1) within the circuit, and the salbutamol was collected on an inhalation filter placed in a filter holder connected to a breathing simulator. The breathing simulator was adjusted at a tidal volume of 500 mL, respiratory rate of 15 breaths min−1, and inhalation to exhalation (I:E) ratio of 1:1 for the adult setting. In each technique of the three (HFNC, and low, and high-pressures BiPAP), TID was determined 5 times (n = 5). For particle size characterization, cooled Anderson Cascade Impactor (ACI) was inserted instead of the inhalation filter and the breathing simulator with the same scheme. In each technique of the three, particle size characterization was determined 3 times (n = 3). Results The BiPAP mode at low inspiratory pressure had the highest TID, followed by HFNC at flow 5 L min−1, then BiPAP mode at high inspiratory pressure. There was a significant difference only between low and high inspiratory pressure modes of BiPAP mode. Low-inspiratory pressure BiPAP delivered the highest mean ± SD fine particle dose (FPD). It was significantly higher than that delivered in high inspiratory pressure BiPAP, and HFNC. Also, FPD in HFNC was significantly higher than that in high inspiratory pressure BiPAP. HFNC system had the smallest mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) and the highest FPF followed by low then high inspiratory pressure BiPAP. Conclusions Increasing the inspiratory positive airway pressure in BiPAP, from 10 to 20 cm water, decreased the total inhalable dose and FPF nearly by half. Low inspiratory pressure BiPAP delivered the highest TID and FPD. The HFNC system at low oxygen flow resulted in the least MMAD, and the highest FPF. Using HFNC delivered a TID that was non-significant from that delivered by low inspiratory pressure BiPAP. Graphical Abstract

Ezzat Eltaher, Nihal Nasr, Mohamed E Abuelnaga, Yassmin Elgawish Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, EgyptCorrespondence: Mohamed E AbuelnagaDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, The Ring Road, P.O. Box 41522, Ismailia, EgyptTel +2001004150671Fax +20643208543Email Mohamed_abuelnga@med.suez.edu.egBackground: Thoracolumbar interfascial plane (TLIP) block was recently described as a regional anesthetic technique to achieve analgesia for lumbar spine surgery by blocking the dorsal rami of spinal nerves. The study aims to test the hypothesis that TLIP block can offer pain control and reduce the perioperative analgesic requirement in patients undergoing spinal surgery.Methods: There were 60 patients scheduled for lumbar spine surgery who were randomly assigned into two equal groups, TLIP and control groups. Patients in the TLIP group received general anesthesia and TLIP block while patients in the control group received general anesthesia alone. The primary outcome was the analgesic consumption in the first postoperative 24 hours, while intraoperative additional analgesic needs, time to the first request of postoperative analgesia, and pain scores were the secondary outcomes.Results: At 24 hours postoperatively, morphine consumption was lower in the TLIP group (5.13± 1.55) versus the control group (14.33± 2.58) mg. The intraoperative fentanyl consumption was lower in the TLIP group (15± 35.11 mcgs) versus the control group (105± 62.08 mcgs). Postoperative first request for analgesia was delayed in the TLIP group (7.30± 2.69 h) compared to the control group (0.92± 1.23 h). Postoperative Pain scores at rest were 2.53 ± 0.97 and 3.43 ± 0.50 at 24 hours in the TLIP group and the control group, respectively. Postoperative Pain scores at passive flexion of spine were 2.73 ± 0.87 and 3.93 ± 0.78 at 24 hours in the TLIP group and the control group, respectively. Patients in the TLIP group had lower perioperative hemodynamic responses to surgical stimulation in comparison to the control group.Conclusion: Combined TLIP block with general anesthesia in patients undergoing spinal surgery reduced both postoperative and intraoperative analgesic needs, reduced intra-operative hemodynamic response to surgery, and achieved good postoperative pain control.Keywords: TLIP block, postoperative pain, spine surgery

Purpose The present study aims to review the outcomes of coblation supraglottoplasty performed for children with different types of laryngomalacia, and we discuss the factors affecting these outcomes. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of laryngomalacia patients admitted to the Otorhinolaryngology Department, Mansoura University, from 2010 to 2020. We examined the patient's demography, symptoms, comorbidities, type of laryngomalacia, oxygen saturation, and final outcomes. Results Our study included 235 patients; 122 patients responded to medical therapy, while 113 underwent surgical management. There is a significant relation between the types and therapy they underwent (p ≤ 0.001). Larger percentage within type I underwent medical therapy. There is a statistically significant difference between the studied groups regarding age at surgery. On pairwise comparison, patients with type II had the lowest age significantly at the surgery when compared with each other individual group (p ≤ 0.001). On multivariate regression analysis, the presence of comorbid congenital heart disease, neurological comorbidities significantly increased the risk of failure of surgical intervention by 17.32 and 5.803 folds, respectively. Conclusions Coblation supraglottoplasty is effective and safe to treat severe laryngomalacia. Different morphological types of laryngomalacia require slight surgical variations of coblation supraglottoplasty. The presence of comorbid congenital heart disease, neurological comorbidities significantly increased the risk of failure of surgical intervention.

Background Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCCA) is an uncommon malignancy with limited therapeutic options. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab show promising results in patients with SCCA. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative tumors are frequently TP53-mutated (TP53-MT) and often resistant to therapy. Methods We present a large molecularly-profiled cohort of SCCA, exploring the underlying biology of SCCA, differences between TP53-wild type (TP53-WT) and TP53-MT tumors, and differences between local and metastatic tumors. SCCA specimens (n=311) underwent multiplatform testing with immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridization (ISH) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was calculated using only somatic nonsynonymous missense mutations. Chi-square testing was used for comparative analyses. Results The most frequently mutated genes included PIK3CA (28.1%), KMT2D (19.5%), FBXW7 (12%), TP53 (12%) and PTEN (10.8%). The expression of PD-1 was seen in 68.8% and PD-L1 in 40.5% of tumors. High TMB was present in 6.7% of specimens. HER2 IHC was positive in 0.9%, amplification by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) was seen 1.3%, and mutations in ERBB2 were present in 1.8% of tumors. The latter mutation has not been previously described in SCCA. When compared with TP53-WT tumors, TP53-MT tumors had higher rates of CDKN2A, EWSR1, JAK1, FGFR1 and BRAF mutations. PD-1 and PD-L1 expression were similar, and high TMB did not correlate with PD-1 (P=0.50) or PD-L1 (P=0.52) expression. Conclusions Molecular profiling differences between TP53-MT and TP53-WT SCCA indicate different carcinogenic pathways which may influence response to therapy. Low frequency mutations in several druggable genes may provide therapeutic opportunities for patients with SCCA.

Introduction New training devices have been introduced to help in inhaler counseling by addressing the inspiratory flow through the metered-dose inhaler (MDI), which is the most important problem of the MDI inhalation technique. This study aims to compare the effects of MDI traditional verbal counseling and advanced counseling using training devices with a smartphone application in pediatric asthmatic patients. Methods A total of 201 pediatric asthmatic subjects (8–18 years) were divided into two groups: a verbal counseling group, who received only MDI verbal counseling training (n = 101), and an advanced counseling group who received counseling using a training device (Flo-Tone with Trainhaler smartphone application) in addition to the traditional MDI verbal counseling (n = 100). Every patient in the two groups attended three counseling visits, 1 month apart. At each visit, pulmonary functions [peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) as % of predicted] were measured. Also, patients were asked to perform their normal inhalation technique using their MDI, and mistakes were detected and recorded by the investigator. Then, patients were trained on the correct steps of the MDI inhalation technique using either verbal counseling or advanced counseling depending on their study group. In the advanced group, the Flo-Tone was connected to the mouthpiece of the MDI to blow a whistle while the patient inhaled from the MDI. That whistle was detected by the Trainhaler smartphone application and the duration of inhalation determined by the application was recorded. Results Both groups showed a gradual significant decrease (p

Recent developments in GPS positioning show that a user with a standalone GPS receiver can obtain positioning accuracy comparable to that of carrier-phase-based differential positioning. Such a technique is commonly known as precise point positioning (PPP). A significant challenge of PPP, however, is that it typically requires a minimum of 30 minutes to achieve centimeter- to decimeter-level accuracy. This relatively long convergence time is the result of un-modeled GPS residual errors. This thesis addresses error mitigation techniques to achieve near real-time PPP. To explore the full advantage of the modernized GPS L2C signal, it is essential to determine its stochastic characteristics and code bias. GPS measurements were collected in order to study the stochastic characteristics of the modernized GPS L2C signal. As a byproduct, the stochastic characteristics of the legacy GPS signals, namely C/A and P2 codes, were also determined and then used to verify the developed stochastic model of the modernized signal. The differential code biases between P2 and C2, DCB P2-C2, were also estimated using the Bernese GPS software. A major residual error component, which affects the convergence of PPP solution, is the higherorder ionospheric delay. We rigorously modeled the second-order ionospheric delay, which represents the bulk of higher-order ionospheric delay, for our PPP model. First, we investigated the effect of second-order ionospheric delay on GPS satellite orbit and clock corrections. Second, we used the estimated satellite orbit and clock corrections to process the GPS data from several IGS stations after correcting the data for the effect of second-order ionospheric delay. The results demonstrated an improvement of up to 25% in the precision of the estimated coordinates with the second-order ionospheric delay, as well as reduction of the convergence time of the estimated parameters by about 15%, depending on the geographic location and ionospheric and geomagnetic conditions. Between-satellite single-difference PPP algorithms were developed to cancel out the receiver clock error, receiver initial phase bias, and receiver hardware delay. The decoupled clock corrections, provided by NRCan, were also applied to account for the satellite hardware delay and satellite initial phase bias. GPS data collected from several IGS stations were processed using the un-differenced model, un-differenced decoupled clock model, between-satellite singledifference (BSSD) model, and between-satellite single-difference using the decoupled clock (BSSD-DC) model. The results showed that the proposed BSSD model significantly improved the PPP convergence time by 50% and improved the solution precision by more than 60% over the traditional un-differenced PPP model.

PURPOSE: Down Syndrome (DS) is characterized by intellectual disability, hypotonia, and joint laxity. Physical disability can be an additional problem and manifests as reduced lower limb muscle strength and impaired balance. The objectives of this study were to characterize DS dynamic foot-ground contact area and to study its relationship with balance impairment among adolescents with DS. METHODS: Twenty-eight children and adolescents with DS and 28 non-DS adolescents/children were matched for age and sex. The Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire (parents’ version) was used to measure disability related to ankle/foot problems in all subjects. A pressure-sensitive mat was used to assess the contact area and arch index. Also, a Biodex balance system was used for measuring postural stability. RESULTS: There were significant differences between both groups in all domains of the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire, overall contact area, and arch index (p 0.05). CONCLUSION: Adolescents with DS exhibited larger mid-foot and forefoot contact areas with respect to non-DS matched children. Impairment of balance in adolescents with DS is a multifactorial problem not related to changes in the foot contact area.

OBJECTIVE To compare the difference in outcomes in a subset population of infants "eligible but not enrolled; ENE" vs those who were "eligible and enrolled, EE" in The Australian Placental Transfusion Study (APTS). STUDY DESIGN Population-based multicentre retrospective cohort study. RESULTS A total of 535 (17.7%) infants were categorized as EE and 2489 (82.3%) ENE. ENE infants were significantly more premature (mean gestation 27.0 vs 28.0 weeks) but otherwise of similar anthropometric measures compared to EE infants. ENE infants had significantly higher incidences of low Apgar scores

Imidacloprid (IM) is a neonicotinoid insecticide being used extensively for crop protection and pet flea control programmes. However, IM is also a strong environmental toxicant for both animals and humans. As a result, the present study aimed to assess the ameliorative efficacy of Spirulina platensis (SP) aganist IM-induced oxidative stress and immune damage in broiler chickens. Chicks divided randomly into six equal groups (17 each). Group I administered filtered water orally for 4 weeks. Group II administered IM 10 mg/kg b.wt orally daily for 4 weeks. Group III given Spirulina 5 g/kg of diet for 4 weeks. Group IV received IM plus Spirulina for 4 weeks. Group V received IM for 2 weeks, followed by Spirulina for another 2 weeks. Group VI received spirulina for 2 weeks, followed by IM for another 2 weeks. Results revealed that IM significantly decreased body weight while increased feed conversion rate (FCR), total leukocytic count (TLC) and lymphocyte percent. Serum showed a decrease in haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titer against newcastle disease (ND) vaccine. Antioxidant enzymes such as reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) significantly decreased; while malondialdehyde (MDA) increased in bursa of Fabricius tissue accompanied with histological changes. Administration of Spirulina in combination, before and after treatment with IM significantly ameliorated the IM-induced oxidative stress and immune damage due to its antioxidant properties.

Objective : To describe the surgical management and postoperative outcomes in infants with metopic synostosis.Methods : We conducted a 5 years retrospective chart review of patients who underwent surgical correction of metopic synostosis at two university hospitals in Egypt during the period between June 2014 and June 2019. The study is conducted to 18 children. The type of surgical procedures and postoperative outcomes were assessed in all patients.Results : Five cases (27.8%) underwent endoscopic-assisted suturectomy, 10 cases (55.6%) underwent craniofacial reconstruction, and three cases (16.6%) underwent open burring of the metopic ridge. Fifteen patients underwent one surgery and three patients (16.6%) who need second operation. Ten patients (55.6%) had class I Whitaker classification.Conclusion : Regardless of type of surgery, the outcomes of surgical correction of metopic synostosis are excellent with only a few patients require revision or develop major complications.

Background: Double j (jj) routinely inserted cystoscopically in retrograde manner in managing various causes of ureteric obstruction. sometimes we face situations at which the jj failed to be inserted in such conventional route or carrying high degree of difficulty. antegrade jj can be successful alternative modality in managing such failures/ difficulties.Aim of the work: Evaluate the antegrade ureteric stenting as an alternative to the retrograde ureteric stenting in the difficult cases of ureteric obstruction and to evaluate the predictors of success/failure of this procedurePatients & Methods: Prospective non-blinded interventional study that is conducted from the department of urology faculty of medicine Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, between 2016 till 2020. included 78 patients with different causes of ureteric obstruction in two groups; group(I) included 28 patients with ureteric obstruction who had failed retrograde ureteric stenting; for them antegrade jj stenting were tried & group (II) included 50 cases of ureteric obstruction with high probability of difficulty or failure of retrograde stenting for them retrograde jj stenting tried first in 34 cases & if failed retrograde stenting were tried, while antegrade stenting tried directly in 16 patients due to high patients vulnerability.Results: In patients of group(I) antegrade stenting succeeded in 26 (92.86) patients & failed in 2 (7.14) patients.in group (II) retrograde trial succeeded in (7) cases & antegrade tried in (43) cases (27 cases after retrograde trial failure & 16 cases tried from the start), antegrade stenting succeeded in 39 (90.7%) cases & failed in 4(9.3%) cases. dye study e.g flow of dye to bladder showed statistically significant predictor of success/failure in both groups. most prevalent complications were hematuria in group(I) in (57 %) of the studied cases(hemoglobin drop didn’t exceed 1 gm /dl & hematuria subsided with genera measures) while in group (II) no complications occurred in (44%) of cases. nephrostomy tube needed in(21%) of cases in group (I) & needed in (38%) of cases in group(II)Conclusion: Antegrade ureteric stenting is successful alternative in cases of failure of conventional retrograde stenting & show high success rate in cases of high probability of difficulties.

An energy trading system is essential for the successful integration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) into the smart grid. In this paper, leveraging blockchain technology, we first propose a privacy-preserving charging-station-to-vehicle (CS2V) energy trading scheme. The CS2V scheme is useful in crowded cities where there is a need for a charging infrastructure that can charge many EVs daily. We also propose a privacy-preserving vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) energy trading scheme. The V2V scheme is useful when charging stations are not available or far and cheaper prices can be offered from EVs, e.g., if they charge from renewable energy sources. In the V2V scheme, the privacy of both charging and discharging EVs including location, time, and amount of power are preserved. To preserve privacy in both schemes, EVs are anonymous, however, a malicious EV may abuse the anonymity to launch Sybil attacks by pretending as multiple non-exiting EVs to launch powerful attacks such as Denial of Service (DoS) by submitting multiple reservations/offers without committing to them, to prevent other EVs from charging and make the trading system unreliable. To thwart the Sybil attacks, we use a common prefix linkable anonymous authentication scheme, so that if an EV submits multiple reservations/offers at the same timeslot, the blockchain can identify such submissions. To further protect the privacy of EV drivers, we introduce an anonymous and efficient blockchain-based payment system that cannot link individual drivers to specific charging locations. Our experimental results indicate that our schemes are secure and privacy-preserving with low communication and computation overheads.

The unique properties of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) have motivated researchers to use them as primary reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In this study, the applicability of using external unbonded SMA bars to retrofit RC beam-column joints (BCJs) is investigated. A three-dimensional finite element model, which simulates the suggested retrofitting technique, is first developed, and validated using ABAQUS software. The model is then further simplified and utilized to conduct a parametric study to investigate the behaviour of SMA retrofitted RC BCJs. Results of the parametric study are used to perform multiple linear regression analysis. Simple equations, which can be used to calculate the length and amount of SMA bars required to retrofit a RC BCJ, are then developed.

The increase of resistant bacteria puts a huge pressure on the antimicrobials in current use. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) results from antibiotic misuse and abuse over many years and is a global financial burden. New polices must be developed for the use of antimicrobials and to continue research efforts to mitigate AMR. It is essential to target the most harmful bacteria and concentrate on their mechanisms of resistance to develop successful antimicrobials. Essential oils (EOs) are occur naturally in plants and have long been used as antimicrobials, but most have not been researched. This review explores EOs as alternative antimicrobials, investigating their ability to decrease or inhibit biofilm formation, and assess their ability to contribute to AMR control. Low concentrations of EOs can inhibit Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. Some EOs have demonstrated strong anti-biofilm activities. If EOs are successful against biofilm formation, particularly in bacteria developing AMR, they could be incorporated into new antimicrobials. Therefore, there is a need to investigate these EOs’ potential, particularly for surface disinfection, and against bacteria from food, clinical and non-clinical environments.

Little data is available surrounding societal recommendations regarding extra-colonic malignancy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As a result, we systematically analyzed these international guidelines to assess their overall quality as well as their adherence to standards for high-quality practice guidelines. A systematic search was performed in multiple databases to identify all guidelines pertaining to extra-colonic malignancy in IBD in April 2020. All guidelines were reviewed for conflicts of interest (COI)/funding, recommendation quality and strength, external document review, use of patient representation, and plans for update—as per Institute of Medicine standards. In addition, recommendations were compared between guidelines/societies. Statistical analysis was conducted using R. A total of 11 recommendations on extra-colonic malignancy in IBD were put forth by 5 guidelines/societies. Zero percent of recommendations were found to be based on high-quality evidence, 36.4% of recommendations on moderate-quality evidence, and 63.6% of recommendations on low-quality evidence. 9.1% were strong recommendations, 0% were weak/conditional recommendations, and 90.9% of recommendations did not provide a strength. No guideline included patient representation or had plans for future update of their recommendations. There is a consistent lack of high-quality recommendations for extra-colonic malignancy in IBD across different societal guidelines. The need for high-quality studies to improve the strength of recommendations is eminent, as this will ultimately lead to high-quality patient care.

Technological revolution in the field of agriculture has tremendously generated huge quantities of waste causing environmental pollution. The agriculture wastes can be categorised into different ca...

Objective To report perioperative, renal functional and oncologic outcomes for patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy for cT2 renal masses. Methods Retrospective review of patients who underwent partial (n = 72) or radical nephrectomy (n = 379) for cT2 renal masses from 2000 to 2016. After propensity adjustment using inverse probability weighting, the following were compared by surgery (partial or radical nephrectomy): complications, renal function measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate as continuous and as Results After propensity adjustment, clinical and radiographic features were well-balanced between groups. Overall and severe complications were more common for partial compared with radical nephrectomy, although not statistically significant (19 vs 13%, P = 0.14 and 4 vs 2%, P = 0.3, respectively). Estimated glomerular filtration rate change at 1 and 3 years was more pronounced in radical compared with partial nephrectomy (median -16 vs -5 and -14 vs -2, respectively, P Conclusions Partial nephrectomy appears to be a relatively safe and a potentially effective treatment for cT2 renal masses, conferring better renal functional preservation compared with radical nephrectomy. These data support continued use of partial nephrectomy for renal masses >7 cm in appropriately selected patients.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in lumbar spondylolisthesis have not been validated in many prospective randomized trials. AIM: We aimed to validate the safety and efficacy of TLIF and PLIF surgery in lumbar spondylolisthesis using the clinical, radiographic, and cost-utility outcomes. METHODS: The data of surgically treated single-level spondylolisthesis patients were randomized prospectively into two groups. The groups were compared regarding demographics, perioperative complications, hospital stay, total expenditure, fusion rate, and clinical outcomes (visual analog scale, Oswestry disability index, Zurich claudication scale, and Odom’s criteria). A review of literature was done to compare the outcomes with the ones from higher-income nations. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients underwent prospective randomization. The improvement in the clinical outcomes at 12-month follow-up showed improvement in the TLIF group more than the PLIF group but with no significant difference. The mean operative time was significantly longer in the PLIF (p < 0.05), also, the blood loss was significantly less in the TLIF (p < 0.001). The complications frequency did not show any statistical significance between both groups and no significant difference in the patient’s post-operative patient satisfaction (p = 0.6). The mean hospital stay was non-significantly longer in the PLIF (p = 0.7). At 12-month follow-up, 93.3% of the TLIF patients were fused versus 86.7% of the PLIF (p = 0.5). The total cost of the TLIF was significantly less (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both PLIF and TLIF could achieve similar fusion rates and clinical satisfaction in the management of lumbar spondylolisthesis. The TLIF group was significantly better in terms of financial burden, operative time, and blood loss.

Background: bronchial asthma is a chronic inflam­matory disorder with bronchial hyper-responsiveness. Environmental exposure in sensitized individuals is a major inducer of Allergy-associated asthma in children and adults, sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) leads to improvement in their pulmonary functions and asthma control. Objectives: To Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Sublingual Immunotherapy in Allergic Asthma among Children and Adolescents. Methods: A 12 months prospective, open, low Interventional, Randomized, Controlled, single-site Study (Egyptian company for production of vaccines, sera and drugs VACSERA, allergy, and immunology clinic) was conducted between March 29, 2016, and December 27, 2018. Four groups including 62 allergic asthmatics patients both children (n = 30), and adults (n = 32), evaluating SLIT for a single-allergen (i.e. house dust mite) for 12 months, Adults received either SLIT with the pharmacotherapy (n = 17), or pharmacotherapy alone (n = 15).Children received either SLIT with the pharmacotherapy (n = 14), or pharmacotherapy alone (n = 16). Physiological parameters (Spirometry), Asthma control Questionnaires, A complete blood picture including peripheral blood Eosinophilic count, and the environmental preventive therapy were done to all patients. Results: After 1-year treatment of patients treated with SLIT and pharmacotherapy, were compared with those who received pharmacotherapy alone. There was a significant improvement in asthma control score, a significant increase in actual FEV1, FVC in SLIT with the pharmacotherapy groups in adults and children when compared with pharmacotherapy alone. There was a significant decrease in the eosinophilic count when compared with patients treated with the pharmacotherapy alone. There is a significant difference between children and adults regarding the occurrence of adverse effects in the form of Local reaction not requiring treatment (mouth, throat, and skin; irritation/swelling/pain) reported in SLIT with the pharmacotherapy groups. Conclusion: patients treated with SLIT demonstrated clinical improvement compared with those who received pharmacotherapy in adult asthmatics and children sensitized to HDM.

The solar panels installed on a CubeSat are considered the main energy source of a nanosatellites. The deployment mechanism of a solar panel must be analyzed and tested extensively. Any suggested solar panel design should present a low vibrating free spinning deployment mechanism. This paper examines various types of solar panels to reach a conclusion of the efficient design when deployed on a 1U or 2U unit. However, calculations, analysis, simulations do not always give an extensive picture of how the satellite shall behave during deployment. Thus, testing in a microgravity environment gives a more accurate answer of how the satellite shall behave. In our work, various solar panels mechanisms are developed and eventually tested in microgravity. The first accordion structure for a 1U structure is tested in a microgravity environment through a parabolic flight with the National Research Council Falcon 20 aircraft. The results are recorded and analyzed to optimize the next design. The second design is based on a drag-sail mechanism for a 2U structure. The design is improved upon the first experiment results for the next parabolic flight. The simulated amount of power generated in orbit is also a main factor in our evaluation.

Heba M Reyad,1 Mohamed E EL-Deeb,2 Ahmed M Abbas,1 Dalia Sherief,3 Osama A Elagamy1 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt; 3Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, EgyptCorrespondence: Heba M Reyad Tel +20 1010898038Email h.reyad_00@hotmail.comPurpose: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a frequent cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of FBA is challenging in the absence of a witnessed aspiration event. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of presenting symptoms as well as physical and radiologic findings as predictors of FBA in children. Thus, indications for bronchoscopy could be determined in such cases.Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the ENT department, Kafr-elsheikh University Hospital. The medical records of patients younger than 16 years old who underwent rigid bronchoscopy for suspected FBA were included. Data including age, gender, symptoms, physical examination findings, radiological features, nature and location of foreign body, and outcome of the bronchoscopy were collected.Results: This study included 130 patients, 105 (80.8%) patients were positive for the presence of a foreign body in their airways. Foreign bodies were most frequently (43.8%) lodged in the right main bronchus, and nuts (66.7%), were the most commonly retrieved. Multivariate regression analysis identified the presence of suggestive signs or symptoms as independent predictors of FBA on rigid bronchoscopy.Conclusion: Objective finding of clinical signs eg unilateral wheezes on chest examination in the presence of symptoms such as a sudden cough, dyspnea, and hoarseness could predict FBA and help physicians in deciding bronchoscopy.Keywords: foreign body aspiration, rigid bronchoscopy, diagnosis, children, predictors

Improving poultry production, increasing poultry immunity, and reducing the disease spreading can be achieved by adding various potentially valuable ingredients to the feed or drinking water of poultry flocks. Because of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in animal nutrition were prohibited. Additionally, consumer preferences tend towards purchasing products from livestock raised without antibiotics. Therefore, there is a critical need to find effective growth promoter alternatives and treatment methods for common poultry diseases. Some spice plants play important roles in improving the taste, aroma, and color of human food and their positive effects on human and animal health. The current review aimed to provide a broader perspective on some spice crops which can be effective alternatives to antibiotics in organic poultry production. These spices were including Thymus vulgaris, Cichorium intybus, Coriandrum sativum, Aloe vera, Heracleum persicum, Curcuma longa, and Glycyrrhiza glabra.

Measurement of the population's general knowledge of the coronavirus vaccine is very important to improve public acceptance and decrease vaccine hesitancy in confronting the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the participants towards the coronavirus vaccine. Data were collected using an online survey, in the form of a structured questionnaire, conducted during April–May 2021 in Egypt, and subjects from all over Egypt participated. The questionnaire was divided into three parts to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding coronavirus. The first part was to assess participants’ experience about coronavirus infection (eight items), the second was to assess the health beliefs about coronavirus and vaccine (16 items) and the third was to assess general knowledge, attitude, and practices of the participants towards vaccine (28 items). A total of 871 (465 females) participants participated, 81% of them were still committed to the precautionary measures for protection. Eighty‐eight percent of them accepted to take the vaccine. Eighty‐three percent of the participants answered that they will encourage family, friends, and colleagues to get the vaccine. Ninety‐four percent knew that the coronavirus vaccine provides immunity against infection for a period of 6–12 months. 91.9% believed that the current infection with coronavirus is one of the main contraindications to vaccination. Eighty‐nine percent believed that both pregnant women and chronic disease patients can get vaccinated and also that there is no specific age for a specific type of vaccination. Ninety‐four percent of them knew that subjects taking immunosuppressive drugs should be prescribed Sinopharm, not AstraZeneca vaccine. The median score of this survey was 20/22 regarding knowledge about the coronavirus vaccine. Overall, the study participants had good knowledge about the coronavirus vaccine and accepted to take the vaccine, which indicates the highly commendable efforts to confront the coronavirus., Highlights Measurement of the population's general knowledge of the coronavirus vaccine is very important to improve public acceptance and decrease vaccine hesitancy to confront the disease.Overall, the study participants had good knowledge about the coronavirus vaccine and accepted to take the vaccine which indicates the highly international efforts to confront the coronavirus.

In the current century, the development of medicine and molecular biotechnology led to successful containment and even eradication of some human pathogens, especially in developed countries. However, some pathogens have evolved, resulting in the emergence of other infectious diseases in developed countries. Human socioeconomic activities and the advancement of technology and transportation have led to the quick movement of humans to different parts of the world. There is a significant concern that this movement enhances the distribution of pathogens, making it difficult to contain, as witnessed with the global spread of the 2009 influenza pandemic within only 3 months and the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which spread in various West African countries within 8 months. Natural products obtained from plant sources can be identified as the next-generation antibacterial and antiviral alternatives. In developed countries, 80% of the population depends on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare issues, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Relatedly, India is one of the highest producing countries for medicinal herbs. It is considered an international botanical garden. Therefore, the focus of this current review was on the importance of using plants to treat bacterial and viral diseases due to the many advantages of these plants.

Although chickens are not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, several coronavirus disease outbreaks have been described concerning poultry processing facilities in different countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and the developed strain caused 2nd, 3rd, and recent Indian strain waves of epidemics that have led to unexpected consequences, such as forced reductions in demands for some industries, transportation systems, employment, and businesses due to public confinement. Besides, poultry processing plants' conditions exacerbate the risks due to the proximity on the line, cold, and humidity. Most workers do not have access to paid sick time or adequate health care, and because of the low wages, they have limited reserves to enable them to leave steady employment. In addition, workers in meat and poultry slaughterhouses may be infected through respiratory droplets in the air and/or from touching dirty surfaces or objects such as workstations, break room tables, or tools. Egg prices have increased dramatically during the lockdown as consumers have started to change their behaviors and habits. The COVID pandemic might also substantially impact the international poultry trade over the next several months. This review will focus on the effect of COVID-19 on poultry production, environmental sustainability, and earth systems from different process points of view.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of performing a urinary bladder vascularized composite allograft transplantation for either bladder augmentation or neobladder cre...

Skin diseases are one of the most common health problems in dogs. This study aimed to record the clinical and laboratory findings of dermatophytosis on dogs, with its effect on blood plasma as well as its correlation to oxidative stress.The clinical study was conducted on two groups of dogs. The first group consisted of fourteen dogs that were clinically healthy and used as a control one.The second group consisted of sixteen dogs at different ages affected and suffering from dermatophytosis.All dogs were subjected to clinical examination followed by a special dermatological examination. Skin scrapings were examined under a light microscope for the detection of fungal spores. Blood samples were taken for hematological analysis and plasma samples for biochemical analysis.Dermatophytosis affected dogs showed a highly significant decrease of hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV values, and a significant decrease in RBCs count and MCHC as well as a highly significant increase in total leukocyte counts of diseased dogs when compared to control onesSignificant differences in hematological parameters were observed in dermatophytosis-affected dogs. Furthermore, Oxidative stress markers such as catalase, SOD, GPx, and MDA revealed significant variations in the diseased group when compared to healthy ones. A correlation between analyzed data revealed positive correlation between plasma zinc and copper levels and antioxidant enzymes as SOD, GPx in diseased dogs.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the postoperative pain and periapical healing after single and two visits endodontic treatment using twisted file adaptive “TF Adaptive” Ni-Ti rotary system. Subjects and Methods: Twenty patients requiring endodontic treatment for necrotic single rooted teeth with periapical lesion were enrolled in this study. The selected patients were divided into two groups (10 patients each) according to the number of visits; Group І: single visit endodontic treatment and Group ІІ: two visits endodontic treatment. The root canals were prepared using the TF Adaptive system. In group I the obturation was done by modified single-cone technique in a single visit, while in group II the obturation was done in the second visit. Evaluation of postoperative pain at 24, 48 and 72 hours after obturation and periapical healing after 6 and 12 months was done. Results: There was no statistical significant difference between the two groups either in postoperative pain or in the periapical healing.Conclusion: Single visit and two visits endodontic treatment protocols were comparable regarding the incidence of postoperative pain and periapical healing

Introduction:We aimed to determine criteria of interest to urology residency program directors when selecting applicants for residency interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:An anonymous s...

Sustainability is becoming an indispensable and concerning issue for firms in today's business environment. Especially in the food and restaurant sectors. Sustainability focuses on satisfying the needs of the current period without conceding the capability of future consumers to meet their desires. Yet, an inclusive adoption of Sustainability is lagging in the restaurant and eatery industry in emerging market such as Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Therefore, this study focuses on the current practices of sustainable facilities in restaurants and lodging businesses in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The researchers conducted unstructured interview for the data collection from (10) restaurateurs managing and working in 5 luxurious restaurants and 5 fast-food ones. The restaurants selected were categorized as luxurious restaurants and fast food restaurants, the topics of the interviews were related to energy, waste and water. The data were analyzed by using frequency. The main approach in data gathering was qualitative. The interview queries were taken from related articles and divided into 3 sections: awareness plan, strategic planning, and restaurants' criteria of SAM. A content analysis method was used to identify the trend from previously published literature. The result showed that luxurious restaurants do apply sustainability in their operations, while fast-food restaurants lag behind. Finally, recommendations of this study can be of help to all restaurants in Kurdistan area by introducing a proper practice of sustainability to improve and develop their businesses to meet customers' needs and gain competitive advantages ahead of their competitors)

Introduction It is now evident that the loss of smell and/or taste may be consistent accompanying symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Objective To estimate the social behavior of recent anosmic non-hospitalized patients in the COVID-19 pandemic and to try to obtain the natural pattern in society in a cross-sectional study. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted on 4,860 patients with anosmia complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients who needed a consultation for an anosmia complaint confirmed that they had completed the survey regarding age, gender, history of general diseases, history of nasal disease, associated COVID-19 symptoms, smoking, blood group, and risk factors. Results A total of 4,860 patients with a mean age of 34.26 ± 11.91 years completed the study. There was a predominance of female patients: 3,150 (58.9%). Most patients (4,083 patients; 83%) developed sudden anosmia. In 85% (4131 patients) of the patients, a previous history of contact with anosmic patients was present. The most prevalent blood group was O (39%). In total, 67.4% of the patients underwent medical treatment. A history of unusual influenza attacks in December 2020 was reported by by 27% (1312 patients) of the patients. Conclusion Despite large diversity of behaviors among anosmic patients in the COVID-19 pandemic, we can observe a great similarity in the pattern of anosmia in non-hospitalized patients, especially in the way it spreads, the predisposing factors, and the individual recovery.

New novel biodegradable natural thermal insulation materials are manufactured from agro-waste materials such as date palm tree leaves and wheat straw fibers as a potential use in buildings’ insulat...

In latest years, indoor positioning techniques have gained much attention, because of the absence GPS signal, so this paper shows a low priced mobile mapping system through using the advantages of integrating inertial navigation with smartphone sensors information concerned to a previous training phase with a magnetic map properly computed to more accurate positioning. Thus, areal online data sets were compiled through the use of ultra wide band to furnish an accurate positioning on the whole area of test and compute a trajectory used as a reference. Then, the use of the pedestrian dead reckoning based approach and IMU help to supply external information from the Wi-Fi signal that is used to exploit the received signal strength path loss, which is possibly used to assess the space between the device and access points. Furthermore, these real online data sets have been processed using Matlab to illustrate the different paths of the area of test. Also, using all RSS for every path line, different images were created. Finally, the positioning efficiency that is possible to be realized using information from IMU and UWB accelerated the fingerprinting training phase. So, the graphical analysis is used to summarize the results that match the closest path to the true path using mutual information.