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Objective: The necessity and utility of chest radiographs in the absence of clinical symptoms have been questioned after chest tube removal. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of replacing routine chest radiographs after chest tube removal with clinical observation on outcomes in patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery. Methods: This was a single-center prospective study of adult patients undergoing elective lung resection. Standard chest radiographs after chest tube removal were replaced with a clinical observation protocol for 2 hours after removal. Chest radiographs after chest tube removal were meant to be obtained only for symptomatic patients. The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse events related to this change. Secondary outcomes included changes in clinical management, length of stay, and postoperative complications. Results: A total of 248 patients were included in the study period, and the majority (n = 185, 75%) did not have chest radiographs after chest tube removal. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events or postoperative complications between patients who received chest radiographs and those who did not. Additionally, length of stay was significantly shorter in patients who did not receive chest radiographs (median 2.3 vs 3 days; P

Abstract The possibility of reusing ceramic roller waste to produce cordierite and mullite refractories was investigated. Five batches were designed using wastes representing ceramic roller waste, magnesite, and silica sand, shaped and fired at 1300 °C/2 h, and one batch was selected at 1200 °C. The chemical composition and precipitated phases of the used raw materials and the fired batches were analyzed using XRF and XRD techniques, respectively. Densification parameters, morphology, microstructure and electrical properties were also studied to evaluate the effect of the formed phases on the properties of fired materials. Bulk density increases with an increase in mullite and a decrease in cordierite, and it also increases with increasing temperature, whereas porosity and water absorption show a opposite behavior to density (it decreases with an increase in mullite and temperature). The main phases developed after firing at 1300 °C/2 h were cordierite, mullite, corundum, baddeleyite, and spinel. Bending strength increases with increasing mullite percentage and density, and decreasing grain size and porosity. The microstructure develops and becomes finer with increasing mullite percentage and density. The grain size of the crystals was very fine at 1200 °C/2 h and increased at 1300 °C/2 h. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy was employed to study the electrical and dielectric behavior of the investigated samples. The increase in mullite concentration shows a remarkable increase in ε’, especially at lower frequencies, as it is three times higher than that of M10. At f > 103 Hz ε’, frequency independence is accompanied by an increase in mullite concentrations due to the lag of dynamics fluctuations after the alteration of the electric field. The generation of new free ions leads to the enhancement of conductivity as the mullite concentration increases.

Abstract Background Carotid body tumors are uncommon neuroendocrine growths near the carotid bifurcation. While some advocate preoperative embolization to minimize bleeding, others avoid it due to complications. This study shares the experience of a single center in managing patients with carotid body tumors without practicing preoperative embolization. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of patients with carotid body tumors managed between 2020 and 2024. Data were collected from the hospital’s registry. When necessary, routine blood tests, neck ultrasonography, and computed tomography scans were conducted. The tumors were categorized according to Shamblin’s classification. The average duration of follow-up was 20 months. Results The study involved 25 patients, 22 (88%) females and 3 (12%) males. Their ages ranged from 27 to 85 years old. Twenty (80%) cases presented with neck swelling, and six (24%) had a positive medical history. Tumors were mainly on the right side (52%), with 20 (80%) showing ill-defined neck masses. Tumor sizes ranged from 1.5 to 7 cm, with Shamblin type II tumors being discovered in the majority of cases (72%). Types of tumors were significantly associated with the tumor size (p-value

Abstract Background Liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK. Transplantation is the only successful treatment for end-stage liver disease but is limited by a shortage of suitable donor organs. As a result, up to 20% of patients on liver transplant waiting lists die before receiving a transplant. A third of donated livers are not suitable for transplant, often due to steatosis. Hepatic steatosis, which affects 33% of the UK population, is strongly associated with obesity, an increasing problem in the potential donor pool. We have recently tested defatting interventions during normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) in discarded steatotic human livers that were not transplanted. A combination of therapies including forskolin (NKH477) and L-carnitine to defat liver cells and lipoprotein apheresis filtration were investigated. These interventions resulted in functional improvement during perfusion and reduced the intrahepatocellular triglyceride (IHTG) content. We hypothesise that defatting during NMP will allow more steatotic livers to be transplanted with improved outcomes. Methods In the proposed multi-centre clinical trial, we will randomly assign 60 livers from donors with a high-risk of hepatic steatosis to either NMP alone or NMP with defatting interventions. We aim to test the safety and feasibility of the defatting intervention and will explore efficacy by comparing ex-situ and post-reperfusion liver function between the groups. The primary endpoint will be the proportion of livers that achieve predefined functional criteria during perfusion which indicate potential suitability for transplantation. These criteria reflect hepatic metabolism and injury and include lactate clearance, perfusate pH, glucose metabolism, bile composition, vascular flows and transaminase levels. Clinical secondary endpoints will include proportion of livers transplanted in the two arms, graft function; cell-free DNA (cfDNA) at follow-up visits; patient and graft survival; hospital and ITU stay; evidence of ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI); non-anastomotic biliary strictures and recurrence of steatosis (determined on MRI at 6 months). Discussion This study explores ex-situ pharmacological optimisation of steatotic donor livers during NMP. If the intervention proves effective, it will allow the safe transplantation of livers that are currently very likely to be discarded, thereby reducing waiting list deaths. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN14957538. Registered in October 2022.

Humanin is the first identified mitochondrial-derived peptide. Humanin-G (HNG) is a variant of Humanin that has significantly higher cytoprotective properties. Here, we describe the stability features of HNG in different conditions and characterize HNG degradation, oxidation, and dimerization patterns over short-term and long-term periods. HNG solutions were prepared in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) water or MO formulation and stored at either 4 °C or 37 °C. Stored HNG samples were analyzed using HPLC and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Using HPLC, full-length HNG peptides in HPLC water decreased significantly with time and higher temperature, while HNG in MO formulation remained stable up to 95% at 4 °C on day 28. HNG peptides in HPLC water, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and MO formulation were incubated at 37 °C and analyzed at day 1, day 7 and day 14 using HRMS. Concentrations of full-length HNG peptide in HPLC water and PBS declined over time with a corresponding appearance of new peaks that increased over time. These new peaks were identified to be singly oxidized HNG, doubly oxidized HNG, homodimerized HNG, singly oxidized homodimerized HNG, and doubly oxidized homodimerized HNG. Our results may help researchers improve the experimental design to further understand the critical role of HNG in human diseases.

The convergence of smart technologies and predictive modelling in prisons presents an exciting opportunity to revolutionize the monitoring of inmate behaviour, allowing for the early detection of signs of distress and the effective mitigation of suicide risks. While machine learning algorithms have been extensively employed in predicting suicidal behaviour, a critical aspect that has often been overlooked is the interoperability of these models. Most of the work done on model interpretations for suicide predictions often limits itself to feature reduction and highlighting important contributing features only. To address this research gap, we used Anchor explanations for creating human-readable statements based on simple rules, which, to our knowledge, have never been used before for suicide prediction models. We also overcome the limitation of anchor explanations, which create weak rules on high-dimensionality datasets, by first reducing data features with the help of SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). We further reduce data features through anchor interpretations for the final ensemble model of XGBoost and random forest. Our results indicate significant improvement when compared with state-of-the-art models, having an accuracy and precision of 98.6% and 98.9%, respectively. The F1-score for the best suicide ideation model appeared to be 96.7%.

Advancements in online learning have created new opportunities for students to enhance academic progression and broaden educational accessibility. However, notable concerns have arisen regarding the reliability of Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) in e-Learning. The variability in facial expressions, such as micro-expressions and rapid transitions between emotions, poses a challenge for consistent emotion classification from single-frame images, with state-of-the-art models recording accuracy scores between 64% and 80% on the FER-2013 dataset. To mitigate these concerns, we curated a foundational Base dataset comprised of the emotions encountered in e-Learning contexts (Bored, Confused, Engaged, Frustrated, and Neutral). The Base dataset was then supplemented with video data recorded from 100 students, 50 from the United Kingdom (UK) and 50 from Saudi Arabia, participating in 10 e-Learning sessions. The sessions were segmented into single-frame images and annotated by class. We then partitioned the supplemented Base dataset into two datasets, representing the UK and Saudi Arabia, respectively. To address the inherent limitations observed in single-frame FER, this study proposes a Multi-Frame Transfer Learning (MFTL) framework aimed at improving emotion classification in e-Learning contexts. The proposed framework combines an augmented MobileNet-V1 architecture with a custom temporal algorithm to classify the Dominant Emotion (DE) from a fixed-length sequence of frames. Experimental results on single-frame images from datasets 1 and 2 recorded accuracy, $f_{1}$ -score, and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) scores of 0.8724, 0.8726, 0.8407, and 0.8998, 0.8991, 0.8752, respectively. We then conducted 15 experiments using representative subsets of sequential video excerpts, with a total duration of 30 minutes. The proposed framework’s multi-frame approach recorded an average accuracy calculated across both datasets of 0.8778, with datasets 1 and 2 achieving 0.8646 and 0.8929, respectively. These findings validate our approach, evidenced by high classification scores and the framework’s efficacy in handling micro-expressions and emotional outliers. In conclusion, the proposed framework represents a substantial advancement in FER, offering a robust and refined approach tailored for online education. As e-Learning becomes increasingly integral to education, the insights and methodologies presented here propose to enhance student engagement, learning outcomes, and the overall online educational experience.INDEX TERMS Facial emotion recognition, deep learning, e-learning, transfer learning.

A high gain antenna system with improved isolation for 5G applications is proposed and investigated. The radiating structure consists of a combination of multiple strips to make the proposed design resonate within the desired frequency band of 28 GHz being of major interest for 5G applications. The antenna element provides 684 MHz operating bandwidth and a peak gain of 5.85 dB with a radiation efficiency of 70.9%. Using four antenna elements in an antenna array, connected with a T-shaped feeding network, provides a 12.5 dB peak gain and radiation efficiency of 91.5%. The efficiency improvement of almost 20% is achieved by the reducing transmission co-efficient in feed network elements. This also leads to a low side lobe level (SLL) and an improvement in the bandwidth to 1.53 GHz. Furthermore, the four-port multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) configuration is obtained using the proposed array configuration which gives an optimum gain, uncorrelated fields, reasonable bandwidth, and isolation of more than 30 dB with a satisfactory MIMO performance metrics. Due to the abovementioned promising features of presented design, it can be very useful for important 5G services.

In urban traffic, a Dynamic Traffic Light System (DTLS) is an important aspect of automatic driving. DTLS estimates the time of the light signal from images of dynamically changing road traffic. In conventional traffic light systems, light signals are enabled at predefined or fixed time intervals without having information on the current traffic density on the road. This static behavior of the traffic light system increases unnecessary waiting time on the road, eventually creating traffic jams, environmental pollution, and other health emergencies. The smart traffic light system addresses these issues with self-learning algorithms and dynamically allows traffic to pass by learning current traffic density. In this paper, a vision-based DTLS is proposed using the YOLO (You Only Look Once) object detection algorithm that detects and counts the total number of vehicles on the roads of a traffic signal junction. The traffic signals are tuned based on the computed traffic to minimize the overall delay at that junction. Moreover, the traffic junctions are facilitated to communicate with the adjacent junctions to transmit the cumulative traffic delay observed. This delay is used to prioritize traffic passing through salient blocks like schools, offices, hospitals, etc. The paper aims to minimize the overhead incurred in both computations of traffic (using approximate computing) and in communication networks (using low-power technologies of IEEE 802.15.4 standard, specifically DSME MAC and/or LoRaWAN). The proposed system accomplishes its objective of smart city infrastructure by optimizing the traffic flow. Further, the paper provides a mechanism for green traffic corridors for emergency vehicles.

Sandy soil is poor in organic matter and nutrients. Animal production shortage due to the animal feed shortage needs an increased production of fodder crops. This experiment aims to study the effect of single and/or combined treatments of inorganic mineral, organic and bio-fertilization on the growth and macronutrients content of successive four cuts of sudan grass (sorghum vulgare var. sudanense) plants grown on sandy soil as well as the macronutrients’ availability in soil. A pot experiment was carried-out under greenhouse conditions at the experimental farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University (summer season of 2019) in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. The organic fertilization (Org.) was four types of manures 1. chicken manure (CM), 2. farmyard manure (FYM), 3. quail manure (QM), and 4. rabbit manure (RM). Individual and combined treatments of 0.5 and/or 1% organic manures (CM, FYM, QM, and RM) with/without the mineral fertilizers (N-P-K, 50 and/or 100% RD recommended dose) with/without the bio-fertilizer Microbein (Mic) were mixed with the soil before planting. A control CL (without addition) was used. The results has showed that adding any organic sources at the rate of 0.5% with 50% N-P-K RD plus inoculation by Mic gave the highest significant values of four cuts and accumulative fresh and dry weight as well as N, P and K content (%) of Sudan grass compared with the CL treatment. The N and P of soil (mg kg−1) after harvesting were improved using 50% N-P-K with any organic wastes plus Mic inoculation. Organic and bio-fertilizer used with 50% N-P-K improved the Sudan grass cultivation in the sandy soil and can reduce the pollution of underground water.

The use of solid waste such as ceramic sludge, ceramic rollers, and magnesite was studied to obtain cheap refractory ceramics at temperatures of 1300 °C based on XRF, XRD SEM, EDX, bending strength, and dielectric properties. The prepared samples were examined. The results showed that the significant crystalline phases formed were mullite, spinel, and corundum. They also showed that mullite hindered the formation of cordierite and enhanced spinel formation. With increased cordierite content, the microstructure varied from fine grained to coarse grained. Bending strength increased with increasing mullite content and bulk density, ranging from 10.80 to 13.50 MPa. Bulk density increased with the increase in mullite content and sintering temperature and ranged from 1.99 to 1.94 g/cm3, while the percentage of porosity and water absorption decreased and ranged from 29.40 to 38.83, respectively. To examine the effect of the produced phases on the dielectric characteristics, the permittivity (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), and AC conductivity (σac) were measured in the frequency range of 10−1 Hz to 106 Hz. As the concentration of cordierite increased, there was a noticeable drop in ε′ from 35.6 to 8.2 and σac from 10−8 s/cm to around 10−11 s/cm and high values of resistivity from 108 cm/s to about 1010 cm/s, suggesting that this material might be an excellent insulator.

MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) antenna systems are promising for fifth-generation (5G) networks, offering lower latency and higher data rates. These systems utilize millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands for efficient transmission and reception of multiple data simultaneously, enhancing overall efficiency and performance. This article presents a compact size, wide band tri-circular ring mmWave MIMO antenna with suitable performance characteristics for next-generation communication systems. The MIMO system consists of a tri-circular ring patch with slots on a ground plane. The four elements of the antenna are arranged together in the polarization diversity configuration with overall dimensions of 23×18×0.254 mm3, and designed on a 0.254 mm thin, flexible RO5880 substrate with a relative permittivity of 2.3 using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) 2022. The proposed antenna design shows the impedance bandwidth of 14 GHz with isolation >18 dB throughout the 26-40 GHz resonance band. The obtained gain is 6.6 dBi at 28 GHz with radiation efficiency > 90%. Several MIMO parameters are also investigated, such as Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC), Mean Effective Gain (MEG), Diversity Gain (DG), Total Active Reflection Co-efficient (TARC), and Channel Capacity Loss (CCL), and are found to be within the accepted limits for a practical MIMO system. Furthermore, the fabricated MIMO antenna was tested, and the measured results aligned favorably with the simulated results, confirming the suitability of the proposed design. Through the obtained results, the mmWave MIMO antenna is suitable for practical 5G as well as mmWave applications due to its lightweight, simple design, and wideband characteristics, which cover the 5G frequency bands of 26, 28, 32, and 38 GHz.

Vehicular Adhoc Networks (VANETs) enable vehicle-infrastructure communication, enhancing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Vehicles interconnect wirelessly to share information. Still, this communication is vulnerable to various attacks, particularly in Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) scenarios. This study proposes an Artificial Intelligence-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in an edge-envisioned environment, combining edge computing and deep learning. The approach uses the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for edge node selection to perform packet forwarding and employs a Bidirectional Generative Adversarial Network (BiGAN) for intrusion detection. This poses a challenge since regular traffic samples are typically more prevalent than anomalous traffic, and the dataset is unstructured and highly imbalanced. Our BiGAN-based model overcomes synchronization challenges between generator and discriminator networks. Training iterations increase independently until cross-entropy loss conditions are met. The trained encoder-discriminator network is a single-class classifier, distinguishing normal and abnormal data. Experimental results demonstrate superior performance on the NSL-KDD dataset compared to similar methods.

This article proposes a tri–band Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna operating at 5.2 – 5.7 GHz (5G Wi–Fi), 11.8 GHz – 17.3 GHz (Ku–band), and 23.4 GHz – 37.3 GHz (5G millimeter–Wave) frequency bands. The proposed MIMO antenna consists of a 2 × 2 configuration with a defective ground structure on Rogers–5880 substrate. An innovative passive decoupling structure, featuring thin microstrip lines positioned between the radiating elements, has been meticulously engineered to ensure a high level of isolation, achieving values of less than −20 dB. The peak gain of the MIMO antenna is found to be 3.05 dB, 5.27 dB, and 6.97 dB at 5.5 GHz, 17 GHz, and 35.5 GHz frequency bands, respectively. Measured ECC is less than 0.007, and DG is greater than 9.96. The radiation efficiency is above 90 %, TARC is less than –10 dB and channel capacity loss is below 0.4 Bits/s/Hz in all the bands of operation. The simulated and measured results are found to be in good agreement and the proposed MIMO antenna offers numerous advantages, including extensive frequency coverage, broad bandwidth, exceptional isolation, high gain, and efficiency. Consequently, it emerges as a promising choice for devices operating in Sub-6 GHz, Ku-band, and millimeter-wave applications.

Background: The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) (Education) Committee of the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons (CATS) has established a goal of describing the essential knowledge of thoracic surgery. We aimed to develop a national standardized set of undergraduate learning objectives for thoracic surgery. Methods: We obtained these learning objectives from 4 medical schools in Canada. These 4 institutions were selected to provide a broad geographical representation of medical schools of varying sizes and of both official languages. The resulting list of learning objectives underwent critical review by the CPD (Education) Committee, made up of 5 Canadian community and academic thoracic surgeons, 1 thoracic surgery fellow and 2 general surgery residents. A national survey was developed and circulated to all CATS members (n = 209). Respondents were asked to indicate on a 5-point Likert scale whether each objective should be a priority for all medical students. Results: Among 209 CATS members, 56 responded (response rate 27%). The mean length of experience in clinical practice among survey respondents was 10.6 (standard deviation 10.0) years. Respondents most commonly reported teaching or supervising medical students monthly (37.0%), followed by daily (29.6%). Eight of the 10 proposed objectives received a mean Likert score of 4/5 or higher and were selected for inclusion in the final list. A finalized list of 8 learning objectives was created, following a final review from the CATS Executive Committee. Conclusion: We developed a standardized set of learning objectives for medical students that was reflective of the core concepts within thoracic surgery. Contexte: Le comité de développement professionnel continu (DPC) (Formation) de l'Association canadienne de chirurgie thoracique (ACCT) a fixé l'objectif de décrire les connaissances essentielles à l'exercice de la chirurgie thoracique. Nous avions pour but d'établir un ensemble d'objectifs d'apprentissage normalisé à l'échelle nationale en chirurgie thoracique destiné aux étudiants de premier cycle. Méthodes: Quatre écoles de médecine canadiennes nous ont fourni ces objectifs d'apprentissage. Nous avons sélectionné les 4 établissements afin d'obtenir une large représentation géographique des écoles de médecine, de tailles différentes et ancrées dans les 2 langues officielles. La liste d'objectifs d'apprentissage que nous avons obtenue a fait l'objet d'une évaluation critique du comité de DPC (Formation), composé de 5 chirurgiens thoraciques canadiens provenant des milieux communautaires et universitaires, 1 stagiaire postdoctoral et 2 résidents en chirurgie générale. Nous avons élaboré une enquête nationale et l'avons soumise à l'ensemble des membres de l'ACCT (n = 209). Les personnes répondantes devaient indiquer sur une échelle de Likert en 5 points si chacun des objectifs devait constituer une priorité pour toutes les personnes étudiant en médecine. Résultats: Parmi les 209 membres de l'ACCT, 56 ont répondu (taux de réponse de 27%). L'étendue moyenne de l'expérience en pratique clinique des personnes ayant répondu à l'enquête était de 10,6 ans (écart-type de 10,0 ans). Les personnes répondantes ont plus souvent mentionné enseigner ou superviser des personnes étudiant en médecine sur une base mensuelle (37,0%), suivi d'une base quotidienne (29,6%). Huit des 10 objectifs proposés ont obtenu un score de Likert moyen d'au moins 4/5; nous les avons sélectionnés pour les intégrer à la liste finale. Nous avons créé une liste finale composée de 8 objectifs d'apprentissage à la suite d'une dernière révision par le comité de direction de l'ACCT. Conclusion: Nous avons élaboré un ensemble normalisé d'objectifs d'apprentissage destiné aux personnes étudiant en médecine qui se veut le reflet des concepts fondamentaux de la chirurgie thoracique., Medical students often have limited exposure to subspecialty surgery (including thoracic surgery) over the course of their education. At best, select students may have the opportunity to rotate through this [...]

Background and Objectives: Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth. While the epidemiology of postpartum depression has been extensively studied in African countries, there is little published data on the topic in Sudan. In addition, no studies have been conducted in Eastern Sudan. This study aims to evaluate the factors associated with postpartum depression among Sudanese women in Gadarif in Eastern Sudan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study (using the systematic random sampling technique) of women presenting to Gadarif Maternity Hospital for postnatal follow-up within six weeks of childbirth was conducted. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information, and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess postpartum depression. Results: Three hundred women were enrolled in the study. The median (interquartile) age and parity were 30.0 (25.0–34.0) years and 2 (1–4). Thirty-one (10.3%) of the women had postpartum depression. A univariate analysis showed that a past history of depression was the only factor associated with postpartum depression (OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 1.03–8.97). Other investigated factors (age, parity, educational level, occupation, history of previous miscarriage or intrauterine fetal death, a family history of depression, financial support, medical insurance, whether the pregnancy was planned or not, and if the gender of the newborn was known before delivery) were not associated with postpartum depression. Conclusions: The current study showed that 1 out of 10 women had postpartum depression that was associated with a past history of depression. Factors that have been reported to be associated with postpartum depression in African countries (age, parity, education, and occupation) were not found to be associated in this study. Mental health assessment needs to be employed for women in their antenatal and postpartum periods.

Abstract To mitigate COVID-19-related shortage of treatment capacity, the hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) unit of the Royal Free Hospital London (RFHL) transferred its practice to independent hospitals in Central London through the North Central London Cancer Alliance. The aim of this study was to critically assess this strategy and evaluate perioperative outcomes. Prospectively collected data were reviewed on all patients who were treated under the RFHL HPB unit in six hospitals between November 2020 and October 2021. A total of 1541 patients were included, as follows: 1246 (81%) at the RFHL, 41 (3%) at the Chase Farm Hospital, 23 (2%) at the Whittington Hospital, 207 (13%) at the Princess Grace Hospital, 12 (1%) at the Wellington Hospital and 12 (1%) at the Lister Hospital, Chelsea. Across all institutions, overall complication rate were 40%, major complication (Clavien–Dindo grade ≥ 3a) rate were 11% and mortality rates were 1.4%, respectively. In COVID-19-positive patients (n = 28), compared with negative patients, complication rate and mortality rates were increased tenfold. Outsourcing HPB patients, including their specialist care, to surrounding institutions was safe and ensured ongoing treatment with comparable outcomes among the institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the lack of direct comparison with a non-pandemic cohort, these results can strictly only be applied within a pandemic setting.

The hydraulic jump downstream gates leads to increase the length of stilling basin for protection hydraulic structures from failures. In this paper a new technique to increase energy dissipation between upstream and downstream through vertical gate with submerged hydraulic jump using a cylinder putting in pool is locating on stilling basin. This cylinder has different openings in solid and hollow cylinder with constant diameter and different heights. The results showed that in case of solid cylinder, the relative total energy dissipation is directly proportional to the initial Froude number and inversely proportional to the upstream and sequent Froude number. And vice versa in case of hollow cylinder, i.e. the relative total energy dissipation is inversely proportional to the initial Froude number and directly proportional to the upstream and sequent Froude number. Also, the maximum values of relative total energy dissipation occur when all the openings are open but the minimum values of it occurs when all the openings are close. Regardless of whether the cylinder is solid or hollow. And finally, in case of hollow cylinder, the relative height 2.4 gives the maximum values of relative total energy dissipation but the value of 1.0 gives the minimum ones. The main output of this paper that presence of openings in the cylinder has a clear effect on the energy dissipation.

Consumers have been more concerned about maintaining a healthy diet. This behavior has affected the dairy products processing industries. Therefore, this study was conducted in the laboratories of the Dairy Departments, Faculty of Agriculture of New Valley University and Assuit University. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical properties, chemical composition, microbiological parameters, and organoleptic indices of branded yogurt samples (produced from large industrial companies) and unbranded yogurt samples (produced from homemade or small industrial units) offered on the market.The obtained results indicated significant differences in physical properties, chemical composition, microbiological properties and organoleptic indices of physiochemical properties, microbiological parameters, and organoleptic indices of branded unfortified natural yogurt samples and unbranded yogurt samples offered on the market in New Valley Governorate. The microbiological quality of some homemade yogurt being sold and consumed in New Valley Governorate; Egypt is poor. There is a need for the Government to sponsor educational programs for producers so that they can be sensitized on the different branded and unbranded yogurt types found in the market so that there can be uniformity in the end products.