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Scour around bridge piers is local phenomenon may cause complete failure for the hydraulic structure. This study explored experimentally using splitter plates at specific angles installed upstream single circular bridge pier to improve the nearby flow field and minimize the local scour. Ninety runs were carried out considering 9 splitter models. Four splitter lengths and 3 vertex angles were used. The splitter lengths were between 0 and 1.5 times of pier diameter, each was tested for 3 vertex angles ranged between 0° and 30°. The tests were done under 9 different hydraulic conditions including 3 discharges of 75, 100, and 125 l/s and 3 tailwater depths of 12.5, 15, and 17.5 cm. The turbulent flow conditions were investigated by plotting velocity profiles at different sections. The bed configurations under clear water conditions were presented. The results of pier without splitter were used as reference. The study outcome that the local scour depth was decreased by the increase of splitter length and vertex angle. The near-bed flow velocity and the corresponding Froude No. downstream of the pier was minimized for 1.5D splitter length at 30° vertex angle and the minimum scour geometry was located. The effectiveness of splitters were remarkable by the decrease of flow discharge and increase of tailwater depth provided that the discontinuity of scour hole length in case of multi-circular piers. Regression analysis was employed to develop empirical formula for the estimation of maximum scour depth around circular pier with splitter.

In this study, the authors investigated the environmental impact of discharging hot water from a thermal power plant into a water source for cooling. Three hundred forty-three runs using two-dimensional numerical ANSYS Fluent simulation model with (k- ε) turbulence model and open channel flow characteristics was applied in this research. The single port submerged discharge inclination angle was studied with different scenarios for the hot-water outlet (velocity and temperature) to determine the optimum inclination angle to increase cooling system efficiency and reduce hot water's environmental impact. It was discovered that by increasing the inclination angle and velocity of the hot-water outlet, the efficiency of cooling system is increased, as it increased the dilution of the hot water and reduced its environmental impact. Specifically, inclination angle of 15° increased the dilution by 80% and 86% in x and y directions, respectively compared to angle 90°. Additionally, the temperature variation in water body induced by hot-water outlet was reduced by counter flow at angle −15°. The velocity profile showed a recirculation region at the right side of the hot-water outlet, which was reduced at higher inclinations. A mathematical equation was developed to estimate the temperature value in the open channel water body based on the study parameters. Overall, the study found that increasing the inclination angle of the hot-water outlet can significantly improve the cooling system's efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of the hot water discharge. Counter flow conditions were unsuitable because they have less dilution than the normal flow conditions.

Doum fruit and pomegranate peels are riches healthy nutrients such as fiber, minerals and antioxidant potentially protect from diet related diseases. This research was conducted to study the influence of ice cream enriched with pomegranate peels powder (PPP) and Doum fruit syrup (DFS) alone or in a combination at different ratios on its physicochemical, rheological, microbiological, and organoleptic properties. Ice cream enriched with PPP and DFS have high contents of total solids, protein, fat, ash, fiber, antioxidants activity, minerals and gross energy which are raised up with increasing the addition level. However the contents of moisture, pH, carbohydrate and Cu were decreased. Furthermore, addition of PPP and DFS alone or in a combination caused increases in acidity, specific gravity, weight per gallon, first dripping time, melting rate, melting resistance, and viscosity. While, a decrease in overrun values was observed compared to the control sample. Treatment of ice cream with PPP and DFS alone or in a combination showed decrease in total bacterial and psychrophilic count. In addition coliform bacteria, yeasts and mould counts were not detectable in all ice cream samples. The sensory evaluation showed that ice cream enriched with 0. 25% PPP and 2.5% DFS was the most acceptable treatment. While higher addition levels of PPP and DFS alone or in a combination contributed to progressive loss of sensory quality.

Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Bu-Eg6 showed a potential probiotic role in vivo and in vitro in a preliminary unpublished work. This study demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Bu-Eg6 mediated modifications of the physicochemical properties of fermented skimmed cow’s milk. Skim milk was inoculated with 1% (w/v) of Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 (T1), 1% (w/v) of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Bu-Eg6 (T2) and 1% (w/v) of 1:1 Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Bu-Eg6 (T3). After that, fresh skimmed milk control (C), T1, T2, and T3 were freeze-dried (Zirbus Technology model: VaCo 5-D, S/N: COM98754, Germany). The resulting freeze-dried fresh and fermented milks powders were evaluated for their solubility index, bulk density and water holding capacity (WHC). The amino acids compositions of the freeze-dried treatments were analyzed using High Performance Amino Acid Analyzer (Biochrom 30). The microbiological quality of freeze-dried fresh and fermented milks powders was measured by enumerating lactic acid bacteria, yeast & mould and coliform bacteria. The total protein content of fresh freeze-dried skimmed milk (38.69%) was higher than that of fermented freeze-dried skimmed milk powders. The bulk density was 16.67 g/mL for all treatments. The solubility of fresh freeze-dried skimmed milk was the highest (100%), followed by the other treatments (78.95%). The WHC of fresh freeze-dried skimmed milks (11.16%) was lower than the other samples. The highest total essential amino acids were observed in fresh freeze-dried skimmed milk sample (17.26%) followed by the freeze-dried skimmed milk fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 (16.22%) while the lowest recorded in the freeze-dried skimmed milk sample fermented with 1:1 Lactobacillus plantarum Bu-Eg5 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Bu-Eg6 (12.87%), there was a very low bacterial count in the control treatment (1.09 log CFU/ml). Yeast & mould and coliforms were not detected in all samples.

Abstract Reduced-fat labneh, while offering health benefits, often presents a challenge due to its diminished nutritional profile compared to full-fat varieties. Microalgae, such as Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris, are increasingly explored for their potential to fortify foods with essential nutrients. This study innovatively investigates the use of these microalgae to enhance the quality of reduced-fat labneh. The effect of incorporating different concentrations of both microalgae was investigated at different concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 1%) on nutritional profile (including total solids, fat, protein, carbohydrates, essential amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, pigments, and phenolic compounds), antioxidant activity, texture, sensory attributes, and viability of the starter culture. The findings revealed that 0.25 and 0.5% concentrations of both microalgae positively influenced the sensory characteristics of the labneh and significantly enhanced its nutritional profile. However, a 1% concentration negatively impacted sensory qualities. Chlorella vulgaris enrichment resulted in higher pH values but compromised texture attributes. Importantly, both microalgae varieties enhanced the viability of the starter culture during 21 days of refrigerated storage. The scanning electron microscope images provide visual evidence of the microstructural changes in labneh with varying concentrations of microalgae and over different storage periods. This research establishes the optimal concentrations for individual microalgae enrichment in reduced-fat labneh, offering valuable insights into their potential to improve both nutritional and sensory aspects. However, it’s important to mention that while both microalgae have similar effects, they might differ in their specific impacts due to their unique nutritional profiles and physical properties. Therefore, further investigations could explore optimizing a microalgae mixture and its potential application in functional food development.

Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum L.) are probably the most ancient oil seed crops used in functional Labneh preperation. The goal of the present study was to explore the quality of Labneh made from skim milk fortified with 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% sesame seeds powder (SSP) as alternative to fat. Control Labneh made from whole milk and their treatments with SSP were stored for 21 days at 5 ± 1 °C. The physiochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic properties were determined in fresh and stored Labneh (for 7, 14, and 21 days) as well as amino acids and microstructures were measured in fresh Labneh. The results showed that sesame seed contains up to 58.9% oil, 15.81% protein, 6.83% fiber, 11.03% carbohydrates, 14.84% antioxidant activity and 32.71 mg/100 g sesamol. The data presented that total solid, fat and acidity were increased while protein and ash contents were decreased in control Labneh compared with Labneh treatments. These all values increased with increasing the amount of SSP, except the acidity value decreased with increasing the amount of SSP. In various fresh Labneh samples, the major essential amino acid was Leucine and non-essential amino acid was Glutamic than the other amino acids. Microbiological examination of Labneh revealed that the total bacterial counts increased throughout the storage period. However moulds and yeasts were not detected at the first week then slightly detected and increased at the end of storage period. Coliform bacteria and spore-forming bacteria didn't observe in all Labneh treatments as storage progressed. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the control Labneh samples had more compact structure and fusion into big aggregates without voids. Labneh made from skim milk had numerous open, loose and less dense protein networks with spaces. No major differences were observed in the Labneh made from skim milk using 2% and 4% sesame seeds . Labneh made from skim milk using 6% sesame seeds was more intensive and thicker casein matrix than the other Labneh treatments. Organoleptic scores revealed that Labneh fortified with 4% sesame seeds powder have the highest acceptability properties.

Schimke immune-osseous dysplasia (SIOD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia (SED), progressive renal insufficiency beginning as steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) and defective cellular immunity. This article reports a case from Egypt with a mild form of SIOD. A 14.5-year-old male patient presented with disproportionate short stature, SRNS (focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis), laboratory evidence of cellular immune deficiency and radiologic characteristics of SED. He died at the age of 16.5 years with bone marrow failure and severe pneumonia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of SIOD to be reported from Egypt.

This study retrospectively investigates the indications and results of renal biopsy in children to determine the patterns of childhood kidney disease in a single tertiary children′s hospital in Egypt. We included all the patients who underwent ultrasound-guided renal biopsy from 1998 to 2012. All the kidney biopsies were studied under light microscopy, while immunofluorescence and electron microscopy were performed when indicated. A total of 1246 renal biopsies were performed over 15 years, on 1096 patients. The mean age of the patients at the time of biopsy was 9.2 ± 3.7 years. The main indication for a biopsy was the steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (n = 354, 28.4%), followed by the atypical nephrotic syndrome (n = 250, 20.1%), and renal abnormalities in the systemic diseases (n = 228, 18.3 %). In the 1226 pathologically diagnosed specimens, primary glomerulonephritis was the most common finding (n = 826, 67.4%), followed by secondary glomerulonephritis (n = 238, 19.4%). The most common causes of primary glomerulonephritis were Minimal Change Disease (MCD) (n = 267, 21.8%), diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 188, 15. 3%), and focal proliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 164, 13.3%). Lupus nephritis (n = 209, 17%) was the most common cause of secondary glomerulonephritis. We conclude that the steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome was the most frequent indication for biopsy and minimal change disease was the most common histopathological finding in our population.