A Polymorphism in the FGF21 Gene is a Novel Risk Variant for Metabolic-Associated Steatohepatitis

Background: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) afflicts about a quarter of the global population. A proportion of these patients develop chronic inflammation which can progress to cirrhosis and cancer. Sugar consumption is a major risk factor of MAFLD progression and a human FGF21 variant (rs838133) was recently found to be a risk variant for increased sugar consumption. Whether this variant is a novel risk factor for MAFLD is unknown. Methods: We studied the association of FGF21 rs838133 with liver disease severity and the metabolic profile of patients with MAFLD. Functional investigations were undertaken using allele-specific expression of FGF21 in liver, by measurement of serum FGF21 by ELIZA, bioinformatics analysis and by complementary mouse studies. Results: FGF21 rs838133 was associated with an increased risk of metabolic associated steatohepatitis (MASH), but not simple steatosis. The variant did not affect hepatic FGF21 expression or splicing, but likely affects FGF21 mRNA structure. Compared to healthy controls, patients with MAFLD have higher serum FGF21 levels (p < 0.05). This difference was more profound in patients with MASH (162 ± 47.26, p < 0.01) compared to those with simple steatosis (155.2 ± 51.98, p < 0.01). Similarly, FGF21 levels increased with progression of the NAS score and with fibrosis (p <0.05, for both). Consistently, there was a positive correlation between FGF21 levels and blood glucose, HOMA-IR, AST, GGT, triglycerides, total bile acids and primary bile acids (p < 0.05, for all). In mouse models of liver injury, Fgf21 expression was increased by a high sucrose diet, and in two liver injury models, namely bile duct ligation (p < 0.05, for both) and a methionine and choline deficient diet (p < 0.0001). There was no correlation between serum levels of FGF21 and other FGF family proteins (FGF19, FGF23). Conclusion: FGF21 rs838133 is a novel risk variant for MASH, likely via a change in mRNA folding and subsequently, stability. FGF21 serum levels are likely increased in MASH due to hepatic resistance and correlates with markers of glycaemic profile and bile acids in these patients. Different members of the FGF family of proteins are likely regulated by different mechanisms

RESILIENCE

(Pictured: My grandmother's signature stamp) My research is dedicated to my first students, my grandmothers, whose resilience to try to learn to read and write at age eighty has been a continuous source of inspiration for me as a student with multiple minority identities (disability, sexual orientation, homelessness, etc.) and my research on the factors that lead to building academic resilience for students with multiple minority identities who achieved outstanding academic success in spite of extreme trauma and challenges. My goal is to turn this research into a book, a courageous look beneath the veil of outstanding academic achievements among students with multiple minority identities. The book will focus on intersecting identities development and negotiation, unlearning limiting beliefs, and the development of resilience for reclamation of one's potential. My research will be dedicated to my grandmothers who never had the opportunity to step a foot in a school but made sure all their children and 40 grandchildren are all literate and educated. I carry my grandmother's stamp with me everyday and it is a constant humility reminder of all the marvelous women who paved the way for me to be a first generation college and doctoral student.Ope

Comprehensive Review MEREC weighting method for Smart Building Selection for New Capital using neutrosophic theory

Population growth has become a serious problem in many countries, especially Egypt. Which leads to an increase in the population area and an increase in buildings, which then leads to several problems, including large energy consumption, increased pollution, traffic congestion, and others. Therefore, many governments have resorted to using technology and applying it to build smart buildings to help save energy by using renewable energy to improve its impact on the environment, improve the quality of life of citizens, provide security and safety, and so on. The selection of smart buildings depends on many criteria. Since this problem is described as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, MCDM methods will be used in this paper. A hybrid method is presented to evaluate smart buildings. The first method, MEREC, was used to calculate the weights of criteria, and the VIKOR model was used for ranking alternatives. Then applying those weights to the CoCoSo, COPRAS, and TOPSIS methods for making comparisons using Spearman`s correlation coefficients for ranking these four methods. All methods used are applied in the T2NN environment

Development and Evaluation of Elisa Kits Based on Proteomics Technology for Detection and Semi-Quantification of Meat Species Adulteration

Purpose: This study aimed to develop ELISA kits for the detection of meat species adulteration in raw and processed meat and evaluate its specificity and sensitivity. Method: We identify the unique peptide markers based on the proteomics approach. Subsequently, we prepared specific antisera for beef, pork, horse, sheep, chicken and developed ELISA kits. Results: Evaluation of the developed kits in testing crooked reference sample mixtures revealed that the developed  ELISA kits showed 100% specificity with no cross-reactivity detected for the non-target species. In terms of sensitivity, the developed ELISA kits were able to consistently detect pork in the sample mixtures and horses at levels down to 5% w/w. Although sheep and chicken were detected at levels as low as 1% w/w. The beef-specific ELISA test showed greater sensitivity.   Conclusions: It is concluded that the developed ELISA kits are a promising tool but further studies are still required for validation of the developed kits and comparing its results with the commercially used kits before entry into the production phase

Foot Progression Angle in Relation to Spatiotemporal Parameters of Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the difference in the foot progression angle and measure spatiotemporal parameters of gait of children with diplegic cerebral palsy and to examine the relation among foot progression angle of right and left lower limb and spatiotemporal parameters of gait. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and Correlation study. SUBJECTS: Sixty children with spastic diplegia, aged 5 to 8 years. The participants were categorized into 3 age groups of equivalent number: group A (5 to 6 years), group B (6 to 7 years), as well as group C (7 to 8 years). METHODS: Foot progression angle and spatiotemporal parameters of the gait for both feet were evaluated utilizing a dynamic footprint. RESULTS: a moderate negative significant correlation was noted among left FPA and right step length, and right stride length. There was moderate positive significant correlation among left FPA and cadence . A weak non-significant correlation was observed among right and left FPA and gait parameters among three groups. CONCLUSION: foot progression angle assessment and spatiotemporal measurements and the correlation among them can give objective and quantitative data that could be utilized in rehabilitation and clinical evaluations to identify functional deficiencies

Statistical Analysis of Alpha-Power Exponential Distribution Using Unified Hybrid Censored Data and Its Applications

A new extended exponential distribution called the alpha-power exponential (APE) distribution is widely used for modeling various data compared to three well-known models, namely Weibull, gamma, and generalized-exponential distributions. This paper provides several approaches for estimating the APE parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions using both classical and Bayesian methods when dealing with unified hybrid censored data. In the classical setup, we considered two methods called the maximum likelihood and maximum product of spacings. Moreover, using the delta method with observed Fisher information, asymptotic confidence intervals for the APE parameters or any function related to them are estimated. In the Bayes framework, using the squared-error loss with independent gamma density priors, we suggest two frequentist functions to develop the Bayes and highest posterior density credible interval estimators for all parameters. The Bayes estimation is performed by the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling technique. Through extensive Monte Carlo simulations, based on various options of the effective sample sizes and threshold levels, the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies is compared. To show the applicability of the suggested estimators, two real-life datasets from the engineering domain are analyzed; the first consists of the yarn failure cycle and the other represents the failure times of the electronic components. The numerical analysis demonstrated that the APE model is suitable for analyzing the specified censored data. Furthermore, it is noted that the Bayesian method via the product of the spacing function yields more accurate results when a dataset under consideration is gathered from the proposed censoring

Enhancing lepton flavour violation in the supersymmetric inverse seesaw beyond the dipole contribution

In minimal supersymmetric models the $Z$-penguin usually provides sub-dominant contributions to charged lepton flavour violating observables. In this study, we consider the supersymmetric inverse seesaw in which the non-minimal particle content allows for dominant contributions of the $Z$-penguin to several lepton flavour violating observables. In particular, and due to the low-scale (TeV) seesaw, the penguin contribution to, for instance, \Br(\mu \to 3e) and $\mu-e$ conversion in nuclei, allows to render some of these observables within future sensitivity reach. Moreover, we show that in this framework, the $Z$-penguin exhibits the same non-decoupling behaviour which had previously been identified in flavour violating Higgs decays in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables; v2: minor corrections, version to appear in JHE

Screening Spring Wheat Genotypes for TaDreb-B1 and Fehw3 Genes under Severe Drought Stress at the Germination Stage Using KASP Technology

Drought stress is a major yield-limiting factor throughout the world in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), causing losses of up to 80% of the total yield. The identification of factors affecting drought stress tolerance in the seedling stage is especially important to increase adaptation and accelerate the grain yield potential. In the current study, 41 spring wheat genotypes were tested for their tolerance to drought at the germination stage under two different polyethylene glycol concentrations (PEG) of 25% and 30%. For this purpose, twenty seedlings from each genotype were evaluated in triplicate with a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a controlled growth chamber. The following nine parameters were recorded: germination pace (GP), germination percentage (G%), number of roots (NR), shoot length (SL), root length (RL), shoot–root length ratio (SRR), fresh biomass weight (FBW), dry biomass weight (DBW), and water content (WC). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed highly significant differences (p \u3c 0.01) among the genotypes, treatments (PEG25%, PEG30%) and genotypes × treatment interaction, for all traits. The broad-sense heritability (H2) estimates were very high in both concentrations. They ranged from 89.4 to 98.9% under PEG25% and from 70.8 to 98.7% under PEG30%. Citr15314 (Afghanistan) was among the best performing genotypes under both concentrations for most of the germination traits. Two KASP markers for TaDreb-B1 and Fehw3 genes were used to screen all genotypes and to study the effect of these on drought tolerance at the germination stage. All genotypes with Fehw3 (only) showed a better performance for most traits under both concentrations compared to other genotypes having TaDreb-B1 or having both genes. To our knowledge, this work is the first report showing the effect of the two genes on germination traits under severe drought stress conditions

" Employing recent scientific developments as an input to enrich the field of woodworks"

The research revolves around modern scientific developments and their impact on contemporary wooden crafts. Relying on modern sciences in art enables the artist to reveal the secrets of the world, through a new art that differs from the previous arts, from which the researcher divided the role of science and its impact on art into two sections. The first section is represented in the various forms of art that cooperate with modern technology as a medium to produce artworks, which are multi-form arts that include the use of computers to produce artworks. The second section deals with the use of science in art and includes practices that have used the study of science as art, such as bio art, the use of genetic engineering in art, the use of modern raw materials technology in art, and the use of photography in art, as it helps open methods for a creative vision because of its philosophies, as well as helps develop the visions of the wooden crafts.The aim of the research is to shed light on the importance of modern scientific developments in influencing art in general and the field of woodwork in particular, and to identify new forms of art that were based on modern science, and to propose new approaches based on modern scientific developments to enrich contemporary woodwork.The research reached a set of results and recommendations Such as the possibility of taking advantage of the characteristics of the materials, The possibility of relying on the results of science to create unconventional artifacts, by relying on original intellectual sources, and the research was able to clarify the impact of scientific developments in the presentation of many creative ideas

Impact of Educational Building Design on Users’ Psychological and Physical Well-Being – Case Study High School in Egypt

The design of educational buildings can significantly impact the well-being of their users, both psychologically and physically. Hence, psychological and physical factors are key concepts in evaluating educational buildings' performance as they affect the occupants' well-being, comfort, productivity, and satisfaction. These factors are interrelated and influence each other in complex ways. Therefore, it is essential to design and maintain educational buildings that balance both psychological and physical factors to create optimal learning environments for students and teachers. This paper aims to execute an analytical study of the relationship between the design of educational buildings and users' physical and psychological well-being. It focuses on the case of schools designed by the General Authority for Educational Buildings in Egypt, which are often characterized by typicality and lack of diversity. It examines the quality of educational institution design, which includes aspects such as Functional, behavioral, and aesthetic. It also highlights the importance of creating educational environments that are conducive to learning, health, and comfort for students and teachers. Educational building design is a multidisciplinary and complex topic that requires a holistic and user-centered approach to optimize the users' well-being and performance. The methodology adopted for this study includes an analytical study of the relationship between architectural design and users’ physical and psychological well-being. Certain methods for data collection will be adopted for this purpose: observations, surveys, and questionnaires. Through this study, a conceptual framework model is developed that can guide the design and evaluation of educational buildings in Egypt. The model is based on a literature review of significant criteria and considerations that affect the quality and performance of educational environments. The criteria and considerations include aspects such as spatial organization, functional efficiency, environmental comfort, social interaction, and aesthetics. The model is then applied to a sample of high schools in Egypt to test its validity and usefulness. A questionnaire survey is also conducted to collect data on the user experience and satisfaction of students and teachers in these schools. The results of the study are expected to provide insights and recommendations for improving the design and assessment of educational buildings in Egypt