Determination of aerodynamic sensitivity coefficients for wings in transonic flow

The quasianalytical approach is applied to the 3-D full potential equation to compute wing aerodynamic sensitivity coefficients in the transonic regime. Symbolic manipulation is used to reduce the effort associated with obtaining the sensitivity equations, and the large sensitivity system is solved using 'state of the art' routines. The quasianalytical approach is believed to be reasonably accurate and computationally efficient for 3-D problems

Assessing English Language Instructors’ Knowledge and Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) In Taif University Campuses (TUCs)

The success of the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into the teaching and learning of English language depends largely on the level of knowledge of ICT possessed by the instructors and actual utilization of these in the classroom. The study therefore assessed Taif University (TU) English Language instructors’ knowledge and use of ICT in English Language classrooms. Attempt was made to provide answers to these four research questions using survey research design: (1) What is the level of knowledge of English language instructor about ICT? (2) Are ICT facilities available in Taif University Campuses (TUCs) for the teaching and learning of English? (3) Do English language instructors use ICT in English? (4) Is there any significant difference in the knowledge of ICT between male and female English language instructors? The participants were 94 English Language instructors from 4 university campuses in and around Taif City. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect pertinent data which were analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentage and t-test. Findings revealed that the level of knowledge of ICT possessed by English Language instructors was poor and as such, they rarely use ICT in English Language instruction. It was also found that there was significant difference in the male and female instructors’ knowledge of ICT with the males demonstrating a higher level of knowledge than their female counterparts. Based on these findings, it is recommended, among others, that English language instructors must attend periodic seminars, workshops and in-service trainings to equip them with knowledge of ICT and its utilization in classroom instruction while instructor education programs in tertiary establishments must be reviewed to incorporate ICT-assisted instruction. Keywords: language assessment, English language teaching, information technology, and language communication

The Development of a Predictive Theory of Science Education Based Upon Information Processing Theory

This thesis describes the establishment of a new predictive theory for science education which can give direction to the improvement and transformation of science teaching at all levels. It is based upon Information Processing Theory. It has the ability to predict performance in science on the basis of independent psychological tests and to provide a framework for understanding how scientific learning takes place. The development of the theory has resulted from empirical work on 529 school pupils at "0" Grade (age 16) and on 440 Glasgow University students, through two series of experiments in addition to two confirmatory studies in the U.S.A. and Egypt. The first series related to students performance in individual questions, and the second related to students over-all performance in conventional examinations. Throughout this empirical work, a constant pattern has emerged showing that the students' holding-thinking space limited their ability to solve problems of different complexity. As soon as there was an overload on students' holding-thinking space, their performance fell away. In addition, the students' holding-thinking space is considered to be a good predictor for success in the conventional "0" Grade examinations, as well as the university examinations not only in chemistry, but also in physics, biology and mathematics. Where the theory and the empirical measurements have not agreed exactly, further investigation has been done to examine the disparities. In some cases new understanding has occurred which has allowed the theory to be modified. This thesis illustrates the importance of the teaching of learning strategies. In fact, it raises the teaching of strategies on to a par with the teaching of content. Three ways of successfully reducing the load on the students' holding-thinking space have been described and tested. The effect of the limitation of students' perceptual fields and of holding-thinking space on learning and problem solving tasks is also explored. The theory, which has been established in this thesis, answered some of the questions that educators have concerning students' limitations in learning and in problem solving. The outworking of this theory in terms of instructional methods, design of computer programs, books and laboratory experiences, is forming the basis of several follow-up studies

Genotoxic and Anatomical Deteriorations Associated with Potentially Toxic Elements Accumulation in Water Hyacinth Grown in Drainage Water Resources

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs)-induced genotoxicity on aquatic plants is still an open question. Herein, a single clone from a population of water hyacinth covering a large distribution area of Nile River (freshwater) was transplanted in two drainage water resources to explore the hazardous effect of PTEs on molecular, biochemical and anatomical characters of plants compared to those grown in freshwater. Inductivity Coupled Plasma (ICP) analysis indicated that PTEs concentrations in water resources were relatively low in most cases. However, the high tendency of water hyacinth to bio-accumulate and bio-magnify PTEs maximized their concentrations in plant samples (roots in particular). A Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay showed the genotoxic effects of PTEs on plants grown in drainage water. PTEs accumulation caused substantial alterations in DNA profiles including the presence or absence of certain bands and even the appearance of new bands. Plants grown in drainage water exhibited several mutations on the electrophoretic profiles and banding pattern of total protein, especially proteins isolated from roots. Several anatomical deteriorations were observed on PTEs-stressed plants including reductions in the thickness of epidermis, cortex and endodermis as well as vascular cylinder diameter. The research findings of this investigation may provide some new insights regarding molecular, biochemical and anatomical responses of water hyacinth grown in drainage water resources.</jats:p

Emergence of Multidrug-resistant Carbapenemases and MCR-1 Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Egypt

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an expedient Gram-negative bacterium, which is characterized by its ability to acquire antimicrobial resistance. In this study, 56 unrepeatable carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates were gathered from various clinical sources from hospitals in Cairo and Mansoura universities. The isolates exhibited diminished susceptibility towards carbapenems, quinolones, aminoglycosides and chloramphenicol by using disc diffusion method. Carbapenemase production was confirmed among the isolates, where all the 56 P. aeruginosa isolates harboured carbapenemase genes including blaVIM (43 isolates), blaKPC (38 isolates), blaNDM-1 (17 isolates), blaIMP (16 isolates) and blaOXA-48 (15 isolates). Among the isolates, 13 carried only one carbapenemase gene, while 43 isolates carried multiple carbapenemase genes. MCR-1 production was confirmed in 10 of the tested isolates by detecting the mcr-1 gene encoding for the colistin resistance. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR (ERIC-PCR) evaluation showed that the tested isolates were unrelated to each other. Therefore, this study rises the danger of emergence of MDR P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems coupled with other antimicrobials including colistin, which is regarded as the last reservoir for the management of infections caused by MDR Gram-negative pathogens. Early inspection of resistance patterns in MDR organisms is an important tool to control and prevent infections via limiting the spread of these pathogens

An approach based on Landsat images for shoreline monitoring to support integrated coastal management - a case study, Ezbet Elborg, Nile Delta, Egypt

Monitoring the dynamic behavior of shorelines is an essential factor for integrated coastal management (ICM). In this study, satellite-derived shorelines and corresponding eroded and accreted areas of coastal zones have been calculated and assessed for 15 km along the coasts of Ezbet Elborg, Nile Delta, Egypt. A developed approach is designed based on Landsat satellite images combined with GIS to estimate an accurate shoreline changes and study the effect of seawalls on it. Landsat images for the period from 1985 to 2018 are rectified and classified using Supported Vector Machines (SVMs) and then processed using ArcGIS to estimate the effectiveness of the seawall that was constructed in year 2000. Accuracy assessment results show that the SVMs improve images accuracy up to 92.62% and the detected shoreline by the proposed method is highly correlated (0.87) with RTK-GPS measurements. In addition, the shoreline change analysis presents that a dramatic erosion of 2.1 km2 east of Ezbet Elborg seawall has occurred. Also, the total accretion areas are equal to 4.40 km2 and 10.50 km2 in between 1985-and-2000 and 2000-and-2018, respectively, along the southeast side of the study area

Secondary metabolites, hormonal homeostasis, and antioxidant enzymes of Moringa oleifera in response to white or violet Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) combined with cytokinins under tissue culture conditions

The present study was carried out between 2021 and 2022 at the tissue culture lab and experimental station of the vegetable and floriculture department, faculty of agriculture, Mansoura University. Using mature seeds, Moringa oleifera is propagated on a large scale and in rapid succession by in vitro culture. Two types of cytokinin: 6-benzylaminopurin (BAP), and thidiauron (TDZ) singly at three different concentrations (0, 1, or 2 mg/L), were used, as well as light-emitting diode systems (LEDs) (white as control and violet; the combination of red and blue; 1:1). After incubation for 30 days, the obtained results showed that the survival percentage increased by the treatments with the maximum value (85%) by MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L TDZ, under violet LEDs illumination. However, the addition of thidiazuron (TDZ) to the medium did not propagate shoot, and this treatment recorded 100% callus formation other than BAP. The maximum number of axillary shoots per explant and the number of leaves recorded in the MS medium contained 2 mg/L BAP under violet LEDs. Compared to the control values, all the used treatments generally caused surprisingly stimulating the determined antioxidant enzymes and compounds (peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase &amp;catalase and phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanin&amp; ascorbic acid). Concerning the phytohormone content of the hormone-free medium (control), IAA, kinetin, and zeatin increased. Meanwhile, GA3 and ABA decreased with the used treatments

Conceptual prediction of harbor sedimentation quantities using AI approaches to support integrated coastal structures management

Sedimentation is one of the most critical environmental issues facing harbors’ authorities that results in significant maintenance and dredging costs. Thus, it is essential to plan and manage the harbors in harmony with both the environmental and economic aspects to support Integrated Coastal Structures Management (ICSM). Harbors' layout and the permeability of protection structures like breakwaters affect the sediment transport within harbors’ basins. Using a multi-step relational research framework, this study aims to design a novel prediction model for estimating the sedimentation quantities in harbors through a comparative approach based on artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. First, one hundred simulations for different harbor layouts and various breakwater characteristics were numerically performed using a coastal modeling system (CMS) for generating the dataset to train and validate the proposed AI-based models. Second, three AI approaches namely: Support Vector Regression (SVR), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were developed to predict sedimentation quantities. Third, a comparison between the developed models was conducted using quality assessment criteria to evaluate their performance and choose the best one. Fourth, a sensitivity analysis was performed to provide insights into the factors affecting sedimentation. Lastly, a decision support tool was developed to predict harbors' sedimentation quantities. Results showed that the ANN model outperforms other models with mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) equals 4%. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the main breakwater inclination angle, porosity, and harbor basin width affect significantly sediment transport. This research makes a significant contribution to the management of coastal structures by developing an AI data-driven framework that is beneficial for harbors' authorities. Ultimately, the developed decision-support AI tool could be used to predict harbors' sedimentation quantities in an easy, cheap, accurate, and practical manner compared to physical modeling which is time-consuming and costly. © 202

Treatment of Sweet Pepper with Stress Tolerance-Inducing Compounds Alleviates Salinity Stress Oxidative Damage by Mediating the Physio-Biochemical Activities and Antioxidant Systems

Salinity stress occurs due to the accumulation of high levels of salts in soil, which ultimately leads to the impairment of plant growth and crop loss. Stress tolerance-inducing compounds have a remarkable ability to improve growth and minimize the effects of salinity stress without negatively affecting the environment by controlling the physiological and molecular activities in plants. Two pot experiments were carried out in 2017 and 2018 to study the influence of salicylic acid (1 mM), yeast extract (6 g L−1), and proline (10 mM) on the physiological and biochemical parameters of sweet pepper plants under saline conditions (2000 and 4000 ppm). The results showed that salt stress led to decreasing the chlorophyll content, relative water content, and fruit yields, whereas electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline concentration, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the activities of antioxidant enzymes increased in salt-stressed plants. The application of salicylic acid (1 mM), yeast extract (6 g L−1), and proline (10 mM) markedly improved the physiological characteristics and fruit yields of salt-stressed plants compared with untreated stressed plants. A significant reduction in electrolyte leakage, MDA, and ROS was also recorded for all treatments. In conclusion, our results reveal the important role of proline, SA, and yeast extracts in enhancing sweet pepper growth and tolerance to salinity stress via modulation of the physiological parameters and antioxidants machinery. Interestingly, proline proved to be the best treatment.</jats:p