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Since the detection of antigenically atypical very virulent Infectious bursal disease viruses (vvIBDV) in Egypt in 1999, the country has been experiencing recurrent outbreaks with high mortality rates and typical gross lesions associated with typical vvIBDV. However, a significant change occurred in 2023, marked by a notable increase in reported subclinical IBDV cases. To evaluate the field situation, samples from 21 farms in 2023 and 18 farms from 2021 and 2022, all of which had experienced IBD outbreaks based on clinical diagnosis, were collected, and subjected to VP2-HVR sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all samples collected in 2021 and 2022 clustered with classical virulent strains and vvIBDV. In 2023, one sample clustered with the Egyptian vvIBDV, another with classical virulent IBDV, and the rest with the novel variant IBDV (nVarIBDV) circulating in China. The alignment of deduced amino acid sequences for VP2 showed that all Egyptian classic virulent strains were identical to the Winterfield or Lukert strains, while vvIBDV strains exhibited two out of the three typical residues found in Egyptian vvIBDV, namely Y220F and G254S, but not A321T. Meanwhile, all Egyptian variant strains exhibited typical residues found in nVarIBDV. However, all Egyptian variants showed a mutation at position 321 (321V), which represents the most exposed part of the capsid and is known to have a massive impact on IBDV antigenicity, except for one sample that had 318G instead. This report highlights the emergence of a new variant IBDV in Egypt, clustered with the Chinese new variants, spreading subclinically in broiler farms across a wide geographic area. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS New variant IBDV which emerged in Egypt clustered with Chinese nVarIBDV. nVarIBDV spread subclinically across a wide geographic area. Mutation at 321 represents capsid's most exposed part, a defining feature. Antigenically modified vvIBDV still circulating in Egypt with typical lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an innovative methodology for Highway Route Selection (HRS), specifically tailored for mountainous terrains. The approach focuses on selecting the most suitable route for road alignment while prioritizing road safety and hydrological and geological considerations. Through systematic analysis, the methodology evaluates alternative road alignments by examining various risk factors related to geometric design, hydrological, and geological impacts. Utilizing Fault-Tree Analysis (FTA), 14 key design factors related to geometric design and environmental factors are identified. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology in selecting road alignments that enhance safety and mitigate environmental risks. A case study is presented where a 90-km segment of a road in Egypt's Golden Triangle Project, characterized by challenging terrain and diverse geological features, is examined. Through detailed analysis, the study identifies critical design factors to enhance road safety and minimize environmental impact. The methodology's comprehensive approach offers insights into road design, providing a quantitative framework for decision-making and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, reliable electrochemical sensor is fabricated for direct and sensitive determination of norepinephrine (NE) based on gold nanoparticles, ionic liquid crystal, and [beta]-cyclodextrin modified carbon paste electrode, namely AuILCCDCPE. The ionic liquid crystal (ILC) played a key role in improving the current response of electro-oxidation of NE compared with other ionic liquids modified electrodes. The ILC increased the ionic conductivity of the paste and formed noncovalent interactions with both host (CD) and guest (NE) compounds. The solid state structure of the ILC helped in the formation of ordered films in the paste. Furthermore, CD and Au nanoparticles raised the stability and the electrocatalytic ability of the proposed sensor. Under optimized conditions, the fabricated electrochemical sensor showed a good electrochemical response towards NE in human urine in the linear dynamic ranges of 0.05-10 [micro]mol/L and 20-300 [micro]mol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 and detection limit of 3.12 x [10.sup.-9] mol/L in the low concentration range. The practical analytical performance of the sensor was attained for determination of NE in real samples with satisfied recovery results. This sensor has great ability to be extended for electrochemical applications in assays of other drugs. Key words: norepinephrine, carbon paste electrode, ionic liquid crystal, cyclodextrin, gold nanoparticles. Nous avons fabrique un nouveau capteur electrochimique fiable pour le dosage direct et sensible de la noradrenaline (NA). Le capteur consiste en une electrode a pate de carbone modifiee par des nanoparticules d'or, un cristal liquide ionique et la [beta]-cyclodextrine. Le cristal liquide ionique (CLI) a joue un role de premier plan dans l'amelioration de la reponse de courant associee a l'electro-oxydation de la NA comparativement a des electrodes modifiees par d'autres liquides ioniques. Le CLI a augmente la conductivite ionique de la pate et a donne lieu a la formation d'interactions non covalentes avec les composes hote, la [beta]-cyclodextrine (CD), et invite, la NA. La structure a l'etat solide du cristal liquide ionique a favorise la formation de couches ordonnees dans la pate. De plus, la CD et les nanoparticules d'or (Au) ont accru la stabilite et le pouvoir electrocatalytique du capteur a l'etude. Apres optimisation des conditions, le capteur electrochimique que nous avons fabrique a montre une bonne reponse electrochimique a l'egard de la NA dans des echantillons d'urine humains dans les intervalles dynamiques lineaires de 0,05 a 10 [micro]mol/L et de 20 a 300 [micro]mol/L, le coefficient de correlation etant de 0,999 et la limite de detection, de 3,12 x [10.sup.-9] mol/L dans l'intervalle de faibles concentrations. Le rendement analytique du capteur s'est revele suffisamment pratique pour le dosage de la NAA dans des echantillons reels, et les resultats de recuperation ont ete satisfaisants. Ce capteur presente un grand potentiel d'applications electrochimiques pour le dosage d'autres medicaments. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: noradrenaline, electrode a pate de carbone, cristal liquide ionique, cyclodextrine, nanoparticules d'or., 1. Introduction Norepinephrine (NE) is a naturally occurring catecholamine hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the sympathetic nervous system. NE is secreted in the adrenal medulla, directly stimulates adrenergic [...]

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that worldwide road traffic crashes account for 1.35 million annual deaths in 2018. Most studies in road safety field have focused on studying road features effect on crash frequency and injury severity. However, limited studies use automatic road features detection methods to evaluate road safety. This research applies deep learning object detection to automatically identify roads features and Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) to rank the effect of road features on safety. A deep artificial network object detector is trained to efficiently detect road objects in a front-facing camera image, then FUCOM is applied to determine safety weights for ten Key Safety Indicators (KSIs). After determining final weights, the proposed approach is applied on a case study in Greater Cairo, in which 354 km of multi-class roads are divided to 1-km sections and assigned a road safety score (RSS). The resulting RSS identifies areas that exhibit low safety scores, enabling decision makers to focus their efforts on features that can attain highest improvement. This research contributes to supporting governments and roadway asset management agencies in prioritizing their efforts (and funding) in addressing roadway safety – especially where structured historical data collection programs are largely missing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]