The duality of art and science through neurotransmitters An applied study in the field of visual art

Throughout the history of art there are many examples of the duality of art and science, but these few examples that have been highlighted illustrate how important art is in helping us understand many scientific issues, and the potential that art offers to science by applying an artistic lens to these scientific topics. Art and science together help us interpret, study and explore the world around us. In this applied research study, the effect of hormones on the psychological state of human beings was addressed. Hormones have always manipulated human feelings, both men and women, and this manipulation reached its peak during the period of the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Some became more vulnerable to mental illness. During that period, we became closer to dolls moved by hormones, exposing them to the harshest fears and darkest perceptions. The hormones formed masks that made us see reality not throughout the eye of truth, but we saw it throughout the eye of fear. Hence, the researcher produced a group of artworks regarding with how hormones manipulate our feelings and bodies, and presented them in an art exhibition called neurotransmitters. Where the hexagonal shapes, which are hormones in their chemical form, were used in plastic solutions with the characters of the artwork. The human body is an arena in which hormones struggle to color our daily lives with different feelings: happiness, confusion, sadness, anxiety, nervous pressure, and others, transforming life into a human drama, Few of us are aware of its meaning and understand it, but the majority wear the hormonal mask and are ignorant of the fact that this struggle exists daily after day, hour after hour, moment after moment. The colors used add another dimension to the artwork, as the color does not carry the conventional meaning, the white is a symbol of purity, another meaning is hidden behind it, and the black does not necessarily mean sadness, the symbolic intake is different, varied and proportional to the effect of each hormone

Structural behavior of damaged reinforced concrete beams under static cyclic loading

Bridges are regarded as one of the most important components of transportation infrastructure. More and more repairs, inspections, alterations, and construction processes are required to maintain safe usage due to increasing travel demands in addition to bridge infrastructure aging. In this paper, we will discuss the experimental investigation using five reinforced concrete beams to evaluate the effect of making damage to experimental beams under static cyclic loading to investigate their ductility and energy dissipation. The defective parameters taken into consideration in the experimental program were the gap in the concrete mold and mild steel at the middle bottom reinforcement. All tested specimens had the same cross-sectional dimensions. The concrete dimensions of the beams were 200 mm in width and 300 mm in height, and the beam's length was selected to be 2200 mm, having a clear span of 2000 mm between the supports, they were tested in positive bending using a 3-point bending load system. According to the results, when (RC) beams were subjected to any of the mentioned types of damage, they showed a significant decrease in ultimate capacities ranging from 3.03% to 19.31%. The ANSYS model shows an average difference with the experimental program within 4 % as an acceptable agreement

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIRADICAL ACTIVITY OF GREEN TEA (Camellia sinensis) AQUEOUS EXTRACT AND ITS CAPABILITY TO RETARDATION OF RATS LIVER CIRRHOSIS

he aim of the present study was to optimize the extraction conditions of green tea aqueous extract [green tea concentration (G) and extraction temperature (T)]. Response surface methodology was applied to determine the highest radical scavenging activity (RSA), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and reducing power (RP) of the prepared green tea extract. Effect of green tea aqueous extract prepared using the optimal conditions on the liver cirrhosis retardation in rats was also investigated. Two-factors central composite design was established to determine the effects of G or T and radical scavenging holding time as independent variables on RSA, FRAP and RP as dependent variables. The optimum G, T and holding time with maximum RSA were 1.0 %, 88.7 °C for 25 min, with a predicted RSA of 81.3 % (r2=0.9115) compared to the BHT, which had a scavenging value of 87.4 % at concentration 150 ppm and holding time 30 min The same predicted concentration and temperature obtained with the highest FRAP and RP were 2.566 and 1.687 with r2 0.9780 and 0.9550, respectively. The phenolic and flavonoid contents were 81.2 mg gallic acid equivalent and 33.5 mg quercetin equivalent per 100 ml green tea extract. The extract prepared at optimal conditions was used for treatment of cirrhotic rats by CCl4. Insignificant (P≥0.05) differences were observed between the green tea group and control group in obtained total protein or albumin values. Total protein and albumin were dramatically decreased in the group treated by CCL4.  The same trend was observed with studying the transaminase enzymes. Histopathological sections appeared the effect of green tea extract on the retardation of liver cirrhosis in rats

Structural behavior of damaged reinforced concrete beams under static cyclic loading

Bridges are regarded as one of the most important components of transportation infrastructure. More and more repairs, inspections, alterations, and construction processes are required to maintain safe usage due to increasing travel demands in addition to bridge infrastructure aging. In this paper, we will discuss the experimental investigation using five reinforced concrete beams to evaluate the effect of making damage to experimental beams under static cyclic loading to investigate their ductility and energy dissipation. The defective parameters taken into consideration in the experimental program were the gap in the concrete mold and mild steel at the middle bottom reinforcement. All tested specimens had the same cross-sectional dimensions. The concrete dimensions of the beams were 200 mm in width and 300 mm in height, and the beam's length was selected to be 2200 mm, having a clear span of 2000 mm between the supports, they were tested in positive bending using a 3-point bending load system. According to the results, when (RC) beams were subjected to any of the mentioned types of damage, they showed a significant decrease in ultimate capacities ranging from 3.03% to 19.31%. The ANSYS model shows an average difference with the experimental program within 4 % as acceptable agreement

Effective practices of international volunteering for health : perspectives from partner organizations

Abstract: The demand for international volunteer experiences to promote global health and nutrition is increasing and numerous studies have documented the experiences of the international volunteers who travel abroad; however, little is known about effective practices from the perspective of partner organizations. This study aims to understand how variables such as the skill-level of volunteers, the duration of service, cultural and language training, and other key variables affect partner organizations’ perceptions of volunteer effectiveness at promoting healthcare and nutrition..

Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Althaea officinalis Flower Extract Coated with Chitosan for Potential Healing Effects on Diabetic Wounds by Inhibiting TNF-α and IL-6/IL-1β Signaling Pathways

Sammar Fathy Elhabal,1 Nashwa Abdelaal,2 Saeed Abdul Kareem Saeed Al-Zuhairy,3 Mohamed Fathi Mohamed Elrefai,4,5 Ahmed Mohsen Elsaid Hamdan,6 Mohamed Mansour Khalifa,7 Sandra Hababeh,8 Mohammad Ahmad Khasawneh,9 Gehad M Khamis,10 Jakline Nelson,11 Passant M Mohie,10 Rania A Gad,12 Amira Rizk,13 Soad L Kabil,14 Mohamed Kandeel El-Ashery,15,16 Bhaskara R Jasti,17 Nahla A Elzohairy,18,19 Tayseer Elnawawy,20 Fatma E Hassan,21,22 Mohamed A El- Nabarawi23 1Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI), Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt; 2Department of Integrative Physiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 3Department of Pharmacy, Kut University College, Kut, Wasit, Iraq; 4Department of Anatomy, Histology, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 5Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 6Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 8Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Chemistry, College of Science U.A.E. University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates; 10Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt; 11Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef, Egypt; 12Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef, Egypt; 13Food Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Agricultural, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt; 14Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt; 15Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 16Medicinal Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Salman International University, Ras-Sedr, South Sinai, Egypt; 17Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA; 18Air Force Specialized Hospital, Cairo, Egypt; 19Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI), Mokattam, Cairo, Egypt; 20Department of Pharmaceutics, Egyptian Drug Authority, Cairo, Egypt; 21Medical Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; 22General Medicine Practice Program, Department of Physiology, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 23Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Sammar Fathy Elhabal, Email [email protected]; [email protected]; Mohamed A El- Nabarawi, Email [email protected]: Diabetes Mellitus is a multisystem chronic pandemic, wound inflammation, and healing are still major issues for diabetic patients who may suffer from ulcers, gangrene, and other wounds from uncontrolled chronic hyperglycemia. Marshmallows or Althaea officinalis (A.O.) contain bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and phenolics that support wound healing via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Our study aimed to develop a combination of eco-friendly formulations of green synthesis of ZnO-NPs by Althaea officinalis extract and further incorporate them into 2% chitosan (CS) gel.Method and Results: First, develop eco-friendly green Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and incorporate them into a 2% chitosan (CS) gel. In-vitro study performed by UV-visible spectrum analysis showed a sharp peak at 390 nm, and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry showed a peak of zinc and oxygen. Besides, Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) was used to qualitatively validate biosynthesized ZnO-NPs, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed spherical nanoparticles with mean sizes of 76 nm and Zeta potential +30mV. The antibacterial potential of A.O.-ZnO-NPs-Cs was examined by the diffusion agar method against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Based on the zone of inhibition and minimal inhibitory indices (MIC). In addition, an in-silico study investigated the binding affinity of A.O. major components to the expected biological targets that may aid wound healing. Althaea Officinalis, A.O-ZnO-NPs group showed reduced downregulation of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α and increased IL-10 levels compared to the control group signaling pathway expression levels confirming the improved anti-inflammatory effect of the self-assembly method. In-vivo study and histopathological analysis revealed the superiority of the nanoparticles in reducing signs of inflammation and wound incision in rat models.Conclusion: These biocompatible green zinc oxide nanoparticles, by using Althaea Officinalis chitosan gel ensure an excellent new therapeutic approach for quickening diabetic wound healing. Keywords: wound healing, antimicrobial, antioxidant, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, chitosan, wound concentration, wound incisio

Pros and cons of drawing e-learning

The quality of e-learning depends on the ability to convert the educational materials to its electronic form, forming the educational materials in an enjoyable way for most of the learners, the existence of immediate and direct interaction between the teacher and the learner. It is clear from what was stated in the research that e-learning is witnessing continuous development thanks to the emergence of many technical innovations in the fields of communication and information and that the world of e-learning will continue to evolve until it meets all the learners’ needs. Art for a long period of time was the invisible hero responsible for reaching the psychological psyche. Learning to draw and it's like from arts-related subjects will become increasingly important as science reveal its therapeutic and creativity abilities. As for drawing e-learning and practical subjects, although it represents a major challenge at the present time, the need for it will lead to a revolutionary development in it in the future. There is no alternative solution for direct contact in drawing between teachers and students; it will always remain a must. The teacher of drawing is not only entrusted with teaching skills and techniques, but he is also instructed to instruct the learner to form his own artistic identity. With the introduction of the third generation of the Internet represented by the semantic web, learning and teaching art will be transformed from the urge of challenges to the stage of enjoyment and innovation. The electronic libraries will also witness a noticeable development, taking advantage of the research capabilities of the semantic web, where the ease and accuracy of the research process must lead to satisfying the needs of students and faculty members, which will enrich the educational process, from which community services will grow and be more effectiv