ADAPTING MERITED AND AWARD-WINNING BUILDINGDSPERMITTED LEVELS AND NON-NEGOTIABLE VALUES: THE CASE OF THE LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA, ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT

The practice of launching international architectural design competitions to key and important buildings in Egypt is not a new trend. Once built, those award-winning buildings usually undergo a modification process either by their owners or occupants. Owners or occupants always modify these buildings so that their performance would be adapted to certain local parameters. These modifications, however, may touch upon some of the original qualities that had donated those designs merits and recognitions at the time of their selection as prize winners. Many of these significant award-winning buildings might be considered as modern heritage resources, thus developing another layer of significance that might also influence the appropriateness of any modifications undertaken to them. This paper presents an overview on how some buildings have been altered. The aim was to infer the architectural qualities which were affected by the modification processes, and attempt to define some non-negotiable parameters that should be preserved in such buildings in order to keep their architectural merits. The research tried to answer the following questions: - Is it ethical, professional or legal to modify an award winning architectural project? - Are there regulations or codes of practice that control and/or prohibit modifications of certain architectural qualities in award-winning buildings? The paper also tried to examine the various heritage values that might be satisfied by the case study, which is the Library of Alexandria, and to examine the influences of these values on the adaptability of the modern alterations to the Library. The findings of the study, in relation to the new addition to the Library of Alexandria as a modern heritage resource, indicated that the addition was found to contribute positively towards some heritage values, such as the use value, and was also found to contribute negatively towards other values, such as the townscape value. The study recommends that the regulations of the international and local architectural competitions should explicitly involve guidelines that help in guiding architects while designing modern additions to such award-winning buildings, so as to guarantee the survival of the qualities that allowed these buildings the chance to win these awards

USING MOBILE AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

Effective applied research is based on close collaboration between research and industry. The teaching and learning methods used for decades in Architectural learning process should be reviewed taking into account habits of learning and the existing challenges provided by contemporary information technologies for a new generation of students. This paper introduces a pilot study based on using Augmented Reality (AR) as a new tool in architectural learning process. AR is an emerging technology which enables participants to interact with digital information embedded within the physical environment. Egyptian educational architectural institutions today are largely unaware of new concepts such as Augmented Reality opportunities for architectural practice, and the prototypes that are being developed by researchers worldwide. The paper goal is to present how it is very helpful to use such new advanced technology in architectural learning process. Testing its possibilities for graphical and spatial capabilities and recognition improvements for the first year architectural students in the Building Construction course, at the Department of Architecture, Menoufia University, Egypt. The case study was applied at the first semester of the academic year of 2015-2016

Prospective study for commercial and low-cost hyperspectral imaging systems to evaluate thermal tissue effect on bovine liver samples

Thermal ablation modalities, for example radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation, are intended to prompt controlled tumour removal by raising tissue temperature. However, monitoring the size of the resulting tissue damage during the thermal removal procedures is a challenging task. The objective of this study was to evaluate the observation of RFA on an ex vivo liver sample with both a commercial and a low-cost system to distinguish between the normal and the ablated regions as well as the thermally affected regions. RFA trials were conducted on five different ex vivo normal bovine samples and monitored initially by a custom hyperspectral (HS) camera to measure the diffuse reflectance (Rd) utilising a polychromatic light source (tungsten halogen lamp) within the spectral range 348–950 nm. Next, the light source was replaced with monochromatic LEDs (415, 565 and 660 nm) and a commercial charge-coupled device (CCD) camera was used instead of the HS camera. The system algorithm comprises image enhancement (normalisation and moving average filter) and image segmentation with K-means clustering, combining spectral and spatial information to assess the variable responses to polychromatic light and monochromatic LEDs to highlight the differences in the Rd properties of thermally affected/normal tissue regions. The measured spectral signatures of the various regions, besides the calculation of the standard deviations (δ) between the generated six groups, guided us to select three optimal wavelengths (420, 540 and 660 nm) to discriminate between these various regions. Next, we selected six spectral images to apply the image processing to (at 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 and 700 nm). We noticed that the optimum image is the superimposed spectral images at 550, 600, 650 and 700 nm, which are capable of discriminating between the various regions. Later, we measured Rd with the CCD camera and commercially available monochromatic LED light sources at 415, 565 and 660 nm. Compared to the HS camera results, this system was more capable of identifying the ablated and the thermally affected regions of surface RFA than the side-penetration RFA of the investigated ex vivo liver samples. However, we succeeded in developing a low-cost system that provides satisfactory information to highlight the ablated and thermally affected region to improve the outcome of surgical tumour ablation with much shorter time for image capture and processing compared to the HS system

Analyzing verbal and pictorial Arab’s facebook posts during the Israeli attack on Gaza Strip in 2021

Arab users of social media could express their political views regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict between March and June 2021 amid the repressive policies adopted by social networking sites during that period (see e.g., Rayhan-uddin, 2021; Al-Grtly, 2021). In order to evade such policies, Arab users have used some tricks that are worth analysis from a linguistic perspective. The current study analyzes verbal and pictorial Arab’s posts circulated on Facebook during the Israeli attack on Gaza Strip in 2021, and it investigates the attitudes of Facebook Arab users regarding the Palestinian case. The data of the current study consisted of (55) written posts and (47) visual posts collected from the accounts of selected Arab caricaturists and activists. The model of analysis, which was adopted from Kress and van Leeuwen's social semiotic approach, clarifies different messages in visual posts that are categorized according to Kress and van Leeuwen’s representational process types. This study asserts that visual encoding can carry implicit messages that require analysis to uncover the hidden symbolic meanings as well as the interactions between the various signs in caricatures and their ideological and social impacts. The study highlights an ignored part of visual communication in the Arab world and presents novel implications for the domains of semiotics and discourse analysis. Furthermore, this study pursued to provide the field of semiotics with new insights through examining how signs, (e.g., in verbo-pictorial images), can participate in denoting meaning pertinent to the social and political standards of a specific community

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Naturliche Stadtformen. Mariout, Szenen des Verfalls oder Hoffnung auf Erhaltung

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Alexandrias Stadttausdehnung ist groesstenteils festgelegt worden durch zwei Naturelemente: das Mittelmeer und den Mariout See.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE" style="mso-ansi-language: DE;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Erholung und Tourismus konzentriert sich an Alexandrias Mittelmeerkueste, waehrend Industrie und Abwassergraeben um den Mariout See gelegen sind. Trotz vieler Plaene und Strategien, den See zu erhalten, haben Stadtaussdehnung, industrielle Verschmutzung und Abwasser einem sehr negatives Einfluss auf das Oekosystem des Sees. Auserdem hat sich der See waehrend der letzen Jahrzente wegen der Landanschemmungen aus dieser ueberbevoelkerten Grossstadt dramatisch verkleinert. Das Essay debattiert die sehr schwierige Frage: welches ist die Zukunft des Sees?Und wie kann man ein Gleichgewicht finden zwischen der Erhaltung des Oekosystems und der notwendingen Stadtendwicklung?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span

The effect of political connections on firm performance: evidence from Egypt

Purpose – This paper examines the effect of political connections (PCs) on firms’ profitability and market value in the Egyptian market after the uprising of 2013.Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study is conducted based on 284 firm-year observations for non-financial listed firms on the EGX100 during the period of 2014‒2017. To test our hypothesis, two independent sample t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and OLS regressions are conducted.Findings – The results suggest that PCs are common across all industries in Egypt, the PCs through top officers do not improve firm’s profitability; however, it has a positive effect on firms’ market value. Further, PCs through business owners improve neither profitability nor the market value. Finally, the results suggest that PCs through government ownership have a positive effect on both firms’ profitability and market value.Research limitations/implications – Our finding encourages policymakers and regulators in emerging markets, e.g., Egypt, to develop stricter laws, policies, and regulatory initiatives to restrain the potential conflict of interest in the politically connected firms.Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine the relationship between PCs and both profitability and market value in Egypt. </div

Diuresis and inversion therapy to improve clearance of lower caliceal stones after shock wave lithotripsy: A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical study

Objective: To improve the clearance of lower caliceal stones (LCSs) after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) using a combination of intra-operative forced diuresis and inversion therapy. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven consecutive patients with symptomatic, single LCSs of 5-20 mm size were prospectively randomized into two groups. The first (study group, SG) underwent SWL at the time of the maximum diuresis with the patient in the Trendelenburg position with an angle of 30 degree, while the second group (control group, CG) underwent standard SWL. After the last SWL session, patients were followed-up regularly using plain abdominal X-ray and renal ultrasound. The primary endpoint of the study was the stone-free rate (SFR) at 12 weeks. Results: A total of 141 patients completed the study treatment protocol and follow-up: 69 patients in SG and 72 patients in CG. Both groups were comparable in baseline data. SG showed significantly higher SFR at all follow-up time points. At week 12, 78.3% of SG were rendered stone free, whereas only 61.1% were stone free in CG (P = 0.030). Also, there was a significantly higher SFR for larger stones (>10 mm) and stones with higher attenuation value (>500 Hounsfield units) in SG than CG. Mild non-significant complications were reported in both groups. Conclusion: SWL with intraoperative forced diuresis and inversion seems to be an effective measure with minimal extra cost to improve LCS clearance post-SWL

The value of serum FGF-23 as a cardiovascular marker in HD patients

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) is a recently discovered regulator of phos-phate and mineral metabolism and has been associated with both progression of CKD and mortality in dialysis patients. To evaluate the association between serum FGF-23 levels and echocardiographic measurements in long-term HD (HD) patients without cardiac symptoms, we studied 90 consecutive patients treated in a single HD center (51 males, 39 females; mean age 41.5 ± 14.2 years, mean HD duration 71.2 ± 14.2 months). Comprehensive echocardiography was performed after HD and blood samples were obtained before HD. The serum FGF-23 level in dialysis patients was 95.7 ± 88.4 pg/mL. In univariate analysis, serum calcium levels (r = 0.33, P <0.05), serum creatinine (r = 0.34, P <0.05), serum albumin (r = 0.35, P <0.05) and left ventri-cular mass index (LVMI) (r = 0.33, P <0.001) were correlated weakly with the FGF-23 levels. Neither s. phosphorus nor calcium x phosphorus product correlated with FGF-23. In univariate regression analysis, only LVMI [β = 0.42, P <0.05, confidence interval (CI) 0.3-4.3], serum calcium (β= 0.87, P <0.001, CI 0.8-7.3), serum albumin (β= 0.87, P < 0.001, CI 0.8-7.3) and serum creatinine (β= 0.67, P <0.05, CI 0.5-6.5) significantly correlated with FGF-23. FGF-23 was identified as a factor that is weakly associated with LVMI. Thus, FGF-23 alone may not be a parameter that can be used for evaluation of the cardiac status in HD patients

Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Lightweight Aggregates

Although ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) presents superior mechanical properties and durability compared to conventional concrete; its spalling resistance to elevated temperatures is much lower compared to conventional concrete due to the high compactness and absence of capillary pores. This paper investigated the influence of lightweight aggregate (LWA) on the strength properties and microstructure of UHPC to enhance its resistance to elevated temperatures. UHPC specimens prepared with LWA as a partial replacement of silica sand were produced. The study evaluated the compressive and flexural strengths, failure mode, mass loss, and microstructure of the specimens, using SEM. The results showed that the compressive strength of the UHPC specimen was reduced with increasing the content of LWA at ambient temperature, but the compressive strength of the UHPC specimens prepared with LWA improved when exposed to elevated temperatures. The replacement of 10% of the silica sand with LWA led to an increase in the compressive strength from 100 MPa to 110 MPa after exposure to 200 °C; however, the flexural strength decreased from 23.6 MPa to 18.3 MPa. On the contrary, the flexural strength of UHPC increased with the inclusion of LWA at an ambient temperature but reduced with high-temperature exposure. The failure mode of UHPC was not significantly affected by the variation in LWA content and temperature. In addition, the SEM result confirms that LWA is an effective internal curing material for enhancing the microstructure and compressive strength of UHP