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Estimating gross primary productivity (GPP) over space and time is fundamental for understanding the response of the terrestrial biosphere to climate change. Eddy covariance flux towers provide in situ estimates of GPP at the ecosystem scale, but their sparse geographical distribution limits larger-scale inference. Machine learning (ML) techniques have been used to address this problem by extrapolating local GPP measurements over space using satellite remote sensing data. However, the accuracy of the regression model can be affected by uncertainties introduced by model selection, parameterization, and choice of explanatory features, among others. Recent advances in automated ML (AutoML) provide a novel automated way to select and synthesize different ML models. In this work, we explore the potential of AutoML by training three major AutoML frameworks on eddy covariance measurements of GPP at 243 globally distributed sites. We compared their ability to predict GPP and its spatial and temporal variability based on different sets of remote sensing explanatory variables. Explanatory variables from only Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance data and photosynthetically active radiation explained over 70 % of the monthly variability in GPP, while satellite-derived proxies for canopy structure, photosynthetic activity, environmental stressors, and meteorological variables from reanalysis (ERA5-Land) further improved the frameworks’ predictive ability. We found that the AutoML framework Auto-sklearn consistently outperformed other AutoML frameworks as well as a classical random forest regressor in predicting GPP but with small performance differences, reaching an r2 of up to 0.75. We deployed the best-performing framework to generate global wall-to-wall maps highlighting GPP patterns in good agreement with satellite-derived reference data. This research benchmarks the application of AutoML in GPP estimation and assesses its potential and limitations in quantifying global photosynthetic activity.

Older compatible living donor kidney transplant (CLDKT) recipients have higher mortality and death-censored graft failure (DCGF) compared to younger recipients. These risks may be amplified in older incompatible living donor kidney transplant (ILDKT) recipients who undergo desensitization and intense immunosuppression. In a 25-center cohort of ILDKT recipients transplanted between September 24, 1997, and December 15, 2016, we compared mortality, DCGF, delayed graft function (DGF), acute rejection (AR), and length of stay (LOS) between 234 older (age ≥60 years) and 1172 younger (age 18-59 years) recipients. To investigate whether the impact of age was different for ILDKT recipients compared to 17 542 CLDKT recipients, we used an interaction term to determine whether the relationship between posttransplant outcomes and transplant type (ILDKT vs CLDKT) was modified by age. Overall, older recipients had higher mortality (hazard ratio: 1.632.072.65, P < .001), lower DCGF (hazard ratio: 0.360.530.77, P = .001), and AR (odds ratio: 0.390.540.74, P < .001), and similar DGF (odds ratio: 0.461.032.33, P = .9) and LOS (incidence rate ratio: 0.880.981.10, P = 0.8) compared to younger recipients. The impact of age on mortality (interaction P = .052), DCGF (interaction P = .7), AR interaction P = .2), DGF (interaction P = .9), and LOS (interaction P = .5) were similar in ILDKT and CLDKT recipients. Age alone should not preclude eligibility for ILDKT.

In this work, we present a comprehensive analysis of the spatio-temporal $ \mathrm{SEIR} $ epidemic model of fractional order. The infection dynamics in the proposed fractional order model (FOM) are described by a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) within a time-fractional order and diffusion operator in one-dimensional space, considering that the total population is split into four compartments: Susceptible, exposed, infected, and recovered individuals denoted as $ \mathrm{S} $, $ \mathrm{E} $, $ \mathrm{I} $ and $ \mathrm{R} $, respectively. Our contributions commence by establishing the existence and uniqueness of positively bounded solutions for the proposed FOM. Moreover, we determined all equilibrium points (EPs) and investigated their local stability based on the basic reproduction number (BRN) $ \mathcal{R}_{0} $, which is calculated by the next-generation matrix (NGM) method. Additionally, we demonstrated global stability using an appropriate Lyapunov function with fractional LaSalle's invariance principle (LIP). Sensitivity analysis of the FOM parameters was discussed to identify the most critical parameters by which the volume of disease propagation can be measured. The theoretical findings were corroborated by numerical simulations of solutions that are displayed in 3D and 2D graphs. Graphical simulations highlight the effect of vaccination on infection severity. Changing the fractional order $ \alpha $ in the proposed FOM has an influence on the speed of convergence to the steady state as a result of the memory effect. Furthermore, vaccination emerges as an effective strategy for disease control.

The principles of water sustainability are not exclusive to one civilization without the other this make led the research problem to emerge as a question: "What is the methodology of water sustainability in Islamic architecture and how it can be used as a guide-line for achieving water sustainability in contemporary architecture?”. To answer this question the research in its theoretical study demonstrated three points, begun with presenting the functions of water in Islamic architecture, then it explained how Islamic architecture depended on water as a design tool in the process of place making, and it ended with determining the principles and criteria of water sustainability in Islamic architecture. The research determined the methodology of achieving water sustainability in Islamic architecture. Depending on this methodology the research analyzed two case study projects: Alhambra palace in Spain and Al-Ghuri Sabil in Egypt, and then the research applied this methodology in one of contemporary housing projects in Egypt, and this led the research to emphasize its main hypothesis which state “the principles and criteria of water sustainability which preexists in Islamic architecture can be used as a guide-line for achieving water sustainability in contemporary architecture”.

Objectives: The phytochemicals in the aerial parts of Euphorbia paralias (also known as Sea Spurge) and their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities were investigated.Methods: The methanolic extract was characterized using GC-MS and HPLC techniques. The anti-inflammatory feature was estimated through a Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization technique, while the antimicrobial feature was evaluated by the disc diffusion agar technique, minimum bactericidal concentration, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) via micro-broth dilution method.Results: The GC/MS results demonstrated the existence of various phytochemicals, such as n-hexadecenoic acid, cis-11-eicosenoic acid, and methyl stearate, recognized for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial features. The similarity of the phytochemical composition with other Euphorbia species emphasizes the genus-wide similarity. The antiinflammatory activity exhibited a noteworthy inhibitory effect comparable to the reference drug indomethacin. The extract’s antimicrobial potential was tested against a range of microorganisms, demonstrating significant action against Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans . The quantification of total phenolics and flavonoids further supported the therapeutic potential of the extract.Conclusion: The methanolic extract from E. paralias emerges as a successful natural source of important active constituents with potential applications as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents. This research provides a first step to valorize Euphorbia paralias insights as a source of worthwhile phytochemicals that have potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) can assess tumour vascularity, which depends on the process of angiogenesis and affects tumour response to treatment. Our study explored the associations between DCE-MRI parameters and the expression of plasma angiogenic factors in human papilloma virus (HPV)-negative oropharyngeal cancer, as well as their predictive value for response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT).

Abstract Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD) are group of diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by progressive neurodegenerations and cognitive impairment. Findings from different studies highlighted the beneficial and detrimental effects of serum uric acid on the development and progression of NDs. Therefore, this mini‐review aims to discuss the beneficial and detrimental effects of uric on NDs. The neuroprotective effect of uric acid is mainly related to the antioxidant effect of uric acid which alleviates oxidative stress‐induced neurodegeneration in AD and PD. However, long‐term effect of hyperuricemia prompts for the development and progression of cognitive impairment. Hyperuricemia is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia, and gout increases dementia risk. In addition, hyperuricemia can cause cerebral vascular injury which is a risk factor for vascular dementia and cognitive impairment. Taken together, the relationship between uric acid and NDs risk remains conflicting. Hence, preclinical and clinical studies are indicated in this regard.

Background A significant limitation of mucosal healing as a treatment target in Crohn’s disease is that Ileocolonoscopy remains the gold-standard for assessing disease activity. Identifying optimal biomarkers and their cut-off values is an unmet need in the context of tight monitoring strategy. Aim To study the performance of Fecal lactoferrin (FL) in patients with Crohn’s disease in comparison to endoscopic assessment, clinical indices and fecal calprotectin (FC) to address whether it correlates with endoscopic severity of inflammation and whether it could be used as a surrogate marker of mucosal healing after therapy. Methods In this prospective study, 35 patients with active Crohn’s disease were recruited. All patients provided stool samples for FL and FC at baseline and underwent colonsocopy. 26 of these patients were followed up after 6-9 months of therapy initiation or upgrade. FL was compared with the simple endoscopic score of Crohn’s disease (SES-CD) ,Harvey-Bradshaw index (HBI) and FC. Data was analyzed to identify cut-off levels for endoscopic response/remission. Results Lactoferrin showed excellent performance in detecting remission (AUC 0.93) with a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 88.9% at a cut-off of 21.5µg/g. A drop of >26.2% from baseline values is 100% sensitive and specific in detecting endoscopic response (≥50% reduction from baseline SES-CD). Lactoferrin showed strong correlation with SES-CD (r=0.74) and calprotectin (r=0.91) Conclusion FL is a reliable marker of response to therapy and mucosal healing, making endoscopic monitoring of treatment success less necessary. Whether Lactoferrin is superior to Calprotectin or not would require further investigation.

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.

This paper aims to review the various surgical techniques for gastrocnemius–soleus recession and Achilles tendon lengthening, with a special focus on the treatment of clubfoot and cerebral palsy (CP) equinus contracture. This descriptive review article comprehensively explores different techniques for gastrocnemius recession, including the Hoke percutaneous triple hemisection, Baker’s method (Tongue-in-Groove Gastrocnemius–Soleus Recession), the Vulpius method, the Baumann procedure, and the Strayer procedure (Gastrocnemius Recession). The objective is to present a detailed analysis of these methods, covering their indications, procedural nuances, relevance in clinical practice, and outcomes.

By converting physical forces into electrical signals or triggering intracellular cascades, stretch-activated ion channels allow the cell to respond to osmotic and mechanical stress. Knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying associations of stretch-activated ion channels with human disease is limited. Here, we describe 17 unrelated individuals with severe early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), intellectual disability, and severe motor and cortical visual impairment associated with progressive neurodegenerative brain changes carrying ten distinct heterozygous variants of TMEM63B, encoding for a highly conserved stretch-activated ion channel. The variants occurred de novo in 16/17 individuals for whom parental DNA was available and either missense, including the recurrent p.Val44Met in 7/17 individuals, or in-frame, all affecting conserved residues located in transmembrane regions of the protein. In 12 individuals, hematological abnormalities co-occurred, such as macrocytosis and hemolysis, requiring blood transfusions in some. We modeled six variants (p.Val44Met, p.Arg433His, p.Thr481Asn, p.Gly580Ser, p.Arg660Thr, and p.Phe697Leu), each affecting a distinct transmembrane domain of the channel, in transfected Neuro2a cells and demonstrated inward leak cation currents across the mutated channel even in isotonic conditions, while the response to hypo-osmotic challenge was impaired, as were the Ca2+ transients generated under hypo-osmotic stimulation. Ectopic expression of the p.Val44Met and p.Gly580Cys variants in Drosophila resulted in early death. TMEM63B-associated DEE represents a recognizable clinicopathological entity in which altered cation conductivity results in a severe neurological phenotype with progressive brain damage and early-onset epilepsy associated with hematological abnormalities in most individuals.

Objective: The present article presents Sheikh al-Qaraḍāwī’s innovative legal interpretations and choices on issues of Islamic criminal jurisprudence. It also examines al-Qaraḍāwī’s independent legal rulings across various branches of criminal jurisprudence, analysing and evaluating them according to the principles he set for contemporary ijtihād (independent legal reasoning). Methodology: This study employs an inductive, descriptive, and analytical approach. First, it traces al-Qaraḍāwī’s ijtihād in criminal jurisprudence topics. Second, it examines his legal reasoning in light of his stated principles of ijtihād and his objective of adapting Islamic law to fit within the framework of the modern state. Third, it analyses his independent rulings (ijtihādāt) in relation to contemporary writings on criminal law. Results: Islamic criminal jurisprudence was a central focus for Sheikh al-Qaraḍāwī as he worked to develop an approach to Islamic law that fits within the framework of the modern state while upholding the principles of the Sharia. He consistently maintained that any effort to implement criminal punishments prescribed in Islam must be grounded in a contemporary understanding of the Sharia’s foundational sources. Sheikh al-Qaraḍāwī views Islamic criminal jurisprudence as fundamentally concerned with safeguarding religion, life, progeny, intellect, and property for all people. He believes that Islamic punitive measures primarily aim at promoting values and upholding human rights principles without discrimination based on religion, race, colour, or gender. Al-Qaraḍāwī’s views covered a range of complex criminal issues, including his stance on abolishing the death penalty, gender equality in matters of blood money, retribution between Muslims and non-Muslims, the changing jurisprudential concept of guardianship in retribution cases, the minimum threshold for amputation on theft, criticism of the modern prison system, punishment by stoning, the crime of apostasy, and his critique of the prevailing European narrative on corporal punishments in Islam. Originality: The originality of this study lies in its focus on the overlooked distinction between public and private matters in modern and pre-modern Islamic criminal jurisprudence.

ABSTRACT Background Fascioliasis represents one of the most significant parasitic and foodborne zoonotic diseases in the world. Resistance to currently deployed human and veterinary flukicides is a growing health problem. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO‐NPs) have developed enormous importance in nanomedicine. The current study aims to evaluate the flukicide activity of ZnO‐NPs on the adult stages of Fasciola hepatica, in vitro assay. Methods Mature flukes of F. hepatica were collected from the biliary tracts of cattle liver from the main slaughterhouses in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. The co‐precipitation process was utilized to create ZnO‐NPs. The adult active flukes of F. hepatica (n = 6) were transferred in Petri dishes (triplicates) containing different concentrations of ZnO‐NPs (0.5, 0.10 and 0.12 mg/mL), with simultaneous maintenance of control in only PBS. The treated and control groups of flukes were maintained inside an incubator at 37°C ± 1°C. Mortality and paralysis of the flukes were observed. The adult flukes were picked up for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination from the control medium, and those exposed to the highest effective concentration of ZnO‐NPs. ZnO‐NPs showed dose‐dependent flukicide efficacy against the adult flukes. Results At 0.12 mg/mL concentration of ZnO‐NPs, the mortality of flukes was attained early in 4.05 ± 0.033 h. The photomicrographs obtained by SEM of the flukes revealed that ZnO‐NPs (0.12 mg/mL) had a potent effect on the integument surface and genital system of F. hepatica. Most of the tegument was damaged with complete erosion and loss of the spines and papillae. Furthermore, a severe rupture in the genital system causes the uterus to burst and releases eggs through the genital pore. Conclusions Hence, it could be concluded that ZnO‐NPs performed effective anthelmintic activity against the adult stages of F. hepatica, in vitro. The results of the present study recommend the use of ZnO‐NPs as new preparations with anthelmintic activity.

IntroductionBlood parasitism is a significant clinical disease that silently undermines the livestock industry, particularly affecting camels. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi in Arabian camels (Camelus dromedarius) and its impact on infertility by examining serum protein fractions, lipids, reproductive indices, and the expression of heat shock protein (HSP70) during breeding season.MethodsA total of 107 male post-pubertal camels, aged between 5 and 10 years, were collected randomly from slaughtering house in Assiut Governorate, Egypt.ResultsMicroscopic and serological examinations revealed that 23.4% (25/107) of the camels were infected with T. evansi. Infected camels exhibited a highly significant increase in total serum protein. The assessment of dyslipidemia, measure as binary variables for lipid profiles (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, and LDL), indicated a nonsignificant increase in risk of dyslipidemia in infected camels compared to healthy camels. Proteomic analysis identified four major protein fractions in the infected camels compared to healthy camels with molecular weights of 181.72, 87.59, 30.5, and 19.5 kDa using SDS electrophoresis. Testicular tissue of the infected camels showed degeneration and necrotic changes in seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue, along with edema and congestion. There was a significant reduction in the diameter of seminiferous tubules and germinal epithelium height. A marked reduction in testosterone levels and a high expression of HSP70 in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells were observed.DiscussionConsequently, a combination of physiological and hormonal analyses may serve as a reliable indicator of Trypanosoma infection.