Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms in a Population Sample in The Initial Stage of The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Outbreak

Context: Changes in everyday life have been rapid and drastic, with the virus surge outbreaks, the death rate escalating, and stringent steps to control the disease spread increasing across regions of the world. While significant attention has been paid to efforts to diagnose people with the coronavirus infection, recognizing the mental health needs of people affected by this pandemic has been ignored relatively. The psychological impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and lockdown measures on the Egyptian population are unknown. Aim: This study assesses levels of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in a population sample in the initial stage of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) outbreak and explores its related potential risk factors.Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to conduct the study on a convenience sample of 1010 subjects residing at Benha City, Qalyubiyah Governorate, Egypt. The tool utilized in this study consists of two parts: Self-administered questionnaire, which was designed to assess people's socio-demographic and family data, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) that measures the symptoms of the emotional state of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The result reveals a mean of total stress scale as 15.44±3.62, mean of total anxiety scale as 13.56±3.74, and mean of total depression scale as 12.41±3.86. There was a high statistically significant positive correlation between anxiety, stress, and depression at p-value <0.01.Conclusion: This study concluded that more than two-thirds of the studied population suffered from a moderate level of stress, less than two-thirds of the studied population suffered from moderate anxiety, while around one-tenth of them were normal, and more than one-third of the studied population suffered from a moderate level of depression, while one-fifth of them were normal. The current result revealed that age (year), marital status, having children, educational level, income, and occupation were predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression. The study suggested the need for additional research on predictive factors affecting people's stress in the era of the COVID-19 outbreak and carried out psychological intervention activities through various mediums to help people become more resilient during the COVID-19 epidemic

Enhancement of Biohydrogen and Biomethane Production from Wastes Using Ultrasonication

This thesis demonstrated the feasibility of using ultrasonication to solubilize the particulate matter, suppress the growth of methanogens, and enrich the biohydrogen producers, thus overcoming the main challenge of biohydrogen systems i.e. long-term stability and contamination with methanogens. Furthermore, this work emphasized the benefits of applying ultrasonication inside a bioreactor over using it as a pretreatment for biohydrogen and biomethane production from wastes. The results of this work showed that sonicating hog manure at specific energy (SE) of 500 kJ/kg TS resulted in a 20% increase in methane production and 36% increase in VSS destruction. The viability of using ultrasonication as a pretreatment method for elimination of methane producers and enrichment of hydrogen producers has been confirmed at SE of 79 kJ/g TSS. Moreover, hydrogen production in a novel sonicated biological hydrogen reactor (SBHR), which comprised a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) connected with an ultrasonic probe at the bottom of the reactor, was about 85% higher than that in a conventional CSTR. On the other hand, an extensive comparative study of five different mesophilic systems (single and two-stage with and without sonicated feed, and two-stage; SBHR followed by methane reactor) was undertaken using food waste. The results showed that sonication inside the reactor in the first stage showed superior results compared to all other systems with respect to hydrogen production, methane production, and VSS destruction. The study also confirmed the advantages of two-stage mesophilic digestion of food wastes over single-stage systems, as reflected by VSS destruction efficiencies in the range of 51% - 59% versus 36% - 44% at a short SRT of 7 days

Analysis of a centreline failure of a lead alloy anode used in the copper electro-winning process

Thousands of lead anodes are currently used in the electro-winning of copper across the globe. The corrosion and the electrochemical performance of these anodes significantly affect the economy of the process. Premature failure of anodes is often a problem for the commercial operators of tank houses. Recently, the authors were asked to advise on an unusual case where a lead alloy anode split at almost the centreline of the cross section. Different characterization techniques were employed to detect the cause of failure. The fractured samples were metallographically examined with an optical microscope and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Different phase at the fracture surface were also identified by X-Ray Diffraction technique.The failure mechanism of this anode appears to be manganese contaminated electrolyte attacking the anode perimeter, leading to initial corrosion sites and compounded by subsequent exfoliation corrosion through inter-granular attack and further formation of manganese dioxide. The established practice of producing lead alloy anodes via rolling confers beneficial properties to the finished anodes. However, the resulting elongated grains can in some cases, where the electrolyte is contaminated with elements that are prejudicial to stable oxide layer formation, cause susceptibility to exfoliation corrosion

Measurement of residual stresses induced by sequential weld buttering and cladding operations involving a 2.25Cr-1Mo substrate material

Dissimilar metal welds are necessary in high-pressure subsea systems and in cases where forged components must be welded to pipelines. F22 (2.25Cr-1Mo) steel is often used in such forged steel components and, since this steel cannot enter service without undergoing post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), the components are usually prepared for field welds through the application of a buttering layer. Furthermore, a weld overlay is deposited for the purpose of mitigating corrosion. This combination of multiple welding tasks and dissimilar materials leads to the possibility of developing substantial residual stresses. This study aims to provide insights to the evolution of residual stresses at each stage of the welding operation. The assessment has been undertaken on laboratory-scale weld mock-ups using the contour method for residual stress measurement, and incremental centre hole drilling. It was found that both buttering and cladding introduce near-yield levels of tensile residual stresses, but that these stresses are successfully relieved upon PWHT

Gallium-assisted diffusion bonding of stainless steel to titanium; microstructural evolution and bond strength

Strong joints between stainless steel 304L and pure titanium (grade-2) were made using the novel method of “gallium-assisted diffusion bonding”. The microstructural evolution and interfacial reactions were investigated in detail. The possible mechanisms of phase changes at the joint interface when bonding with and without a nickel interlayer were identified. Layers of FeTi and (Fe,Cr)2Ti intermetallic compounds were found at the reaction zone in the case of direct bonding, whereas (Fe,Ni)Ti and Fe2Ti phases were identified in the reaction zone of the samples bonded using nickel interlayers. A layer of αFe was observed on the steel side of the reaction zone in both the cases, probably due to the enrichment of Cr at the interface. The diffusion of gallium led to formation of a layer of αTi, while the diffusion of Fe and Ni assisted in the formation of a duplex (α+β)Ti phase in the inter-diffusion zone. The joints fractured along the intermetallic layers at the interface, during tensile testing, with limited ductility. The maximum tensile strengths of the bonded samples were 280 and 313 MPa with and without nickel interlayer, respectively. The latter equals 92% of the tensile strength of the pure grade-2 titanium used in this work (i.e. 340 MPa)

HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer: a review on burden of the disease and opportunities for prevention and early detection

The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) related to infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is rising, making it now the most common HPV-related malignancy in the United States. These tumors present differently than traditional mucosal head and neck cancers, and those affected often lack classic risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use. Currently, there are no approved approaches for prevention and early detection of disease, thus leading many patients to present with advanced cancers requiring intense surgical or nonsurgical therapies resulting in significant side effects and cost to the health-care system. In this review, we outline the evolving epidemiology of HPV-related OPC. We also summarize the available evidence corresponding to HPV-related OPC prevention, including efficacy and safety of the HPV vaccine in preventing oral HPV infections. Finally, we describe emerging techniques for identifying and screening those who may be at high risk for developing these tumors

Microstructure and interfacial reactions during active metal brazing of stainless steel to titanium

Microstructural evolution and interfacial reactions during active metal vacuum brazing of Ti (grade-2) and stainless steel (SS 304L) using a Ag-based alloy containing Cu, Ti, and Al was investigated. A Ni-depleted solid solution layer and a discontinuous layer of (Ni,Fe)2TiAl intermetallic compound formed on the SS surface and adjacent to the SS-braze alloy interface, respectively. Three parallel contiguous layers of intermetallic compounds, CuTi, AgTi, and (Ag,Cu)Ti2, formed at the Ti-braze alloy interface. The diffusion path for the reaction at this interface was established. Transmission electron microscopy revealed formation of nanocrystals of Ag-Cu alloy of size ranging between 20 and 30 nm in the unreacted braze alloy layer. The interdiffusion zone of β-Ti(Ag,Cu) solid solution, formed on the Ti side of the joint, showed eutectoid decomposition to lamellar colonies of α-Ti and internally twinned (Cu,Ag)Ti2 inter- metallic phase, with an orientation relationship between the two. Bend tests indicated that the failure in the joints occurred by formation and propagation of the crack mostly along the Ti- braze alloy interface, through the (Ag,Cu)Ti2 phase layer