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There have been significant research studies on informal settlements within various disciplines including sociology, economy, politics, governance, and urbanism. However, little is known about the complexity and dynamism of informal settlements. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for understanding the multiplicity of factors influencing the formation and transformation of informal settlements. It examines and validates various intricacies characterising informal settlements in three ways. First, informal settlement characteristics and their relationships are explored. Second, growth and transformation variables are examined. Third, qualities of the informal urban form and those that relate to sustainability are juxtaposed. Utilising two case studies from Greater Cairo, a qualitative approach is adopted including a critical analysis of the literature, interviews with experts and academics, and field observations. Through a comprehensive investigation of informal settlements, two deductions were made: First, the critical physical, social, and economic characteristics that influence their growth were identified. Second, the unique correlations between these characteristics were established and verified by the two case studies. The correlations assist in establishing the logic and dynamics of the informal settlements that can then be applied to develop intervention strategies. In addition, the inferred informal urban form can be considered as a sustainable urban form tailored for further analyses of informal settlements of cities of the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Egyptian banking sector adopts an expansion strategy in the field of digital transformation to face the competition resulting from the entry of ICT companies, the repercussions of the Corona virus and the spread of financial technology companies in the banking services market. This trend offers multiple benefits to banks and customers, including ease of conducting transactions, reducing operating expenses, and meeting the needs of customers who prefer banking transactions via the Internet and smart phones, On the other hand, it introduces wide changes to the size and quality of banking jobs in the future, and threatens the disappearance of some of them, therefore this study analyses empirical evidence of the impact of the digital transformation on staffing strategy in the Egyptian banking sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study depends on the analysis of secondary data obtained from the reports of the Central Bank of Egypt on the indicators of digital transformation and the number and quality of banking staffs during the period from 2016-2021, using the analysis of correlation and regression coefficients. Findings: The results of the study indicate that there is no negative impact of digital transformation on new staffing operations in the short term, because the rate of bank penetration into the banking services market is still low and therefore Egyptian banks are expanding their traditional branch network alongside digital banking services channels. This transformation has also created a new type of job that keeps pace with banking digitalization, while in the long term digital transformation threatens the disappearance of some jobs to be replaced by artificial intelligence, internet banking, mobile banking and electronic wallets. Originality/Value: The novelty of this study is to examine the relationship between digital transformation indictors and the size and quality of staffing in the Egyptian banking sector. Practical Implications: The importance of this study is to provide recommendations to the HR management in Egyptian banks to deal proactively to deal with the potential impacts of digital transformation in the banking sector. Limitations/implications: There are limitations to the results of this study represented in the insufficiency of the study period, and there are many factors affecting the size and quality of employees in the banking sector other than digital transformation. In addition, the study relied on the method of quantitative analysis of the study variables. Hence further studies can be carried out with different methodologies such as surveys, case studies and qualitative analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector has a high level of energy consumption caused mainly by the buildings heating and cooling energy demands to satisfy indoor comfort requirements. Reducing both the amount of energy consumed and the life cycle cost is a main challenge for the construction of buildings. It is evident that sustainable materials have low environmental impacts and need low consumption of energetic resources in addition to their durability and recyclability. Therefore, this research aims to test different sustainable materials available in Egypt for the construction of building envelopes that include local stones "Marble and Limestone" and insulation materials "Polyurethane-expanded and Extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam" in order to achieve savings in energy and total life cycle cost. The simulation tests were conducted through Design Builder software. The results aim to provide solutions for building designers to achieve energy-efficiency and costeffective design. The proposed alternatives showed a significant reduction in energy consumption by up to 62% and the total life cycle costs significantly reduced by up to 45.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Automatic tube compensation (ATC) has been developed to overcome the imposed work of breathing due to artificial airways during spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs). Objectives. This study aimed to assess extubation outcome after an SBT (spontaneous breathing trial) with ATC compared with pressure support ventilation (PSV) and to determine the risk factors for extubation failure. Methods. Patients ready for extubation were randomly assigned to two-hour spontaneous breathing trial with either ATC or pressure support ventilation. Results. In the ATC group (n = 17), 11 (65%) patients passed the SBT with subsequent extubation failure (9%).While in PSV group (n = 19), 10 (53%) patients passed the SBT with subsequent extubation failure (10%). This represented a positive predictive value for ATC of 91% and PSV of 90% (P = 0.52). Five (83%) of the patients who failed the SBT in ATC group were reintubated. This represented a higher negative predictive value for ATC of 83% than for PSV which was 56%. None of the assessed risk factors were independently associated with extubation failure including failed trial. Conclusion. ATC was equivalent to PSV in predicting patients with successful extubation. A trial failure in ATC group is associated with but does not definitely predict extubation failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on the fourth Symposium on Computers and Communications 1999 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in Egypt. Major shifts that take place in the computer and communications industries; Implication of the program presented in the conference.

Purpose: To compare ab interno and ab externo scleral fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PC IOLs) using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) to determine the centration of IOL optic and the position of the haptics in relation to the sulcus. Setting: Kasr Eleini Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Methods: Consecutive patients with aphakia had ab externo or ab interno scleral fixation of a PC IOL. Ultrasound biomicroscopy was used preoperatively to determine whether the eyes were unsuitable for capsule fixation and 3 and 6 months postoperatively, determine the position of the haptics in relation to the ciliary sulcus, and evaluate centration of the optic. Results: Fifteen eyes of 14 patients were studied. Eight patients had ab externo fixation, and 7 had ab interno fixation. The haptics were located in the sulcus in 31% of cases with ab externo fixation and 29% with ab interno fixation. The difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Ab interno and ab externo scleral fixation, which are both blind procedures, resulted in comparable low rates of sulcus fixation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Martin-Gruber Anastomosis (MGA) in healthy Egyptian subjects, and to discuss the available literature regarding MGA subtypes and their clinical implications. Methods: An electrophysiological study was conducted in both forearms of 140 healthy subjects. This included the ulnar and median nerves. Compound muscle action potentials were recorded from abductor pollicis brevis, abductor digiti minimi, and first dorsal interosseous muscles. Other measurements included the compound motor action potential amplitude and its innervation ratio. Results: MGA was found in 56 of the 280 forearms. This included 20 men and 36 women. Type II MGA subtype was the most frequent in both genders. The MGA was bilateral in 6 subjects and more frequent on the right side. The highest mean amplitude and innervation ratio were recorded at first dorsal interosseus muscle. Conclusions: The prevalence of MGA in the studied sample of the Egyptian population is 20%. It is important for Hand, Orthopaedic and Neurosurgeons to be aware of this anatomic variation in order to explain paradoxical motor and sensory loss in patients.

This work aims to estimate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori ureA gene and evaluate cagA gene-positive strains in both patients of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and those with benign laryngeal polyps. This study included 49 patients confirmed pathologically to have LSCC and 15 patients with benign laryngeal polyps over a period from June 2013 to March 2015. Samples of laryngeal tissue were collected during direct laryngoscope under general anesthesia to be pathologically evaluated followed by analysis for H. pylori detection. Each laryngeal tissue sample was divided into three parts; one for bacteriological examination, the second for pathological examination and the third for PCR to detect both ureA and cagA genes. Out of 49 LSCC samples, 31 (64.6 %) was positive for ureA by PCR. Out of them, 29 samples (93.5 %) were cagA positive. Only three cases (20 %) of the benign laryngeal polyp were ureA positive by PCR and one of them was cagA positive by PCR. By the bacteriological culture, only eight samples (25.8 %) gave growth. All of them were ureA positive and only seven of them were cagA positive. There was a significant association between presence of H. pylori and LSCC as compared to benign laryngeal polyp which may contribute in the pathogenesis of laryngeal carcinoma. These results should be confirmed by further studies over larger number of cases.

The purpose of this study was to present our experience with definitive surgical management of patients with Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma with intracranial extension. The study included 23 male adolescents with histologically proven juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. The mean age was 14.7 years (12-20 years). CT, MRI+/-angiographies were for taken for the patients. Preoperative embolization was done with gel foam before the operation. Two surgical procedures were used; anterior subcranial transfacial transmaxillary approach (21 patients), while craniofacial resection was used in two patients. Middle cranial fossa was affected in 22 patients while anterior cranial fossa was affected in only one patient. Complete resection of the tumor was achieved in 19 patients with residual or recurrence in four patients. Complications of the surgical approaches were reported in 14 patients. The subcranial transfacial transmaxillary approach avoids the complications of craniotomy and provides adequate access for excision of Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma with intracranial extradural extension., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)