CONSERVATION OF THE MURAL PAINTINGS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH DOM E OF SAINT GEORGE, OLD CAIRO-EGYPT

The church of Mary Girgis (Saint George) was built by Athanasius "who also founded the Church of Saints Cyrus and John". The Church was destroyed, and all the rest of the original edifice is a room which covered by huge dome known as the Wedding Hall, dating to the 14th century. The huge dome of the wedding Hall contains several mural paintings represented Coptic arts. The dome mural paintings was darkened and severely damaged as significant detachments of the painted layer and the underneath support lost their cohesion and separated into many pieces, delamination and flaking of the ceiling painting. The most important causes for the monument state of degradation were the environmental condition such as the effects of the groundwater, the presence of salts, the humidity (active in all its forms as infiltration, capillarity and condensation) and the improper previous interventions at the structural level (fillings in the cracks with gypsum mortars). The aim of this study is to characterize the components of the pictorial surface which consists of pigments, the binding media, the plaster layer and its support and introduce the conservation project of the mural painting which was carried out at the dome "between" 2004-20013. Prior to the conservation intervention, the materials were characterized by optical microscopy, polarizing microscope, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The chemical analyses have determined the nature and composition of the materials used in the painting process (mortars, pigments, binders), have identified the causes of physical and chemical altering processes of pigment layers and provided knowledge on the execution technique. The interior painting was executed according to the Byzantine technique, on a fresco plaster (intonaco) consisting of lime mortar, pigments were obtained by mixing pigments with water. After the material characterization, the conservation and restoration of the mural painting, which including cleaning, injection grouting, fixation of the paint layer, filling of the support gaps with mortar, consolidation, restoration and completion of lost parts, were carried out

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND VERSUS STATED PREFERENCES

The geographical imbalance of public sector teachers is one of the main challenges facing policy makers in developing countries. This study sought to analyze public sector teachers’ decision in choosing a remote and/or rural area job with reference to their historical background. Discrete choice experiment modeling approach was adopted to estimate consideration sets. The survey focused on 120 teacher trainees. The effects of certain attributes based on the findings from the study revealed that teachers were will to trade off location for benefits such as granting of study leave with pay, provision of housing, and early promotion (after 3 years of work). Teachers with rural living experience tended to prefer rural assignments. The extent to which teachers were will to trade off their initial preferences for salary was limited

Energy and Momentum densities of cosmological models, with equation of state ρ=μ\rho=\mu, in general relativity and teleparallel gravity

We calculated the energy and momentum densities of stiff fluid solutions, using Einstein, Bergmann-Thomson and Landau-Lifshitz energy-momentum complexes, in both general relativity and teleparallel gravity. In our analysis we get different results comparing the aforementioned complexes with each other when calculated in the same gravitational theory, either this is in general relativity and teleparallel gravity. However, interestingly enough, each complex's value is the same either in general relativity or teleparallel gravity. Our results sustain that (i) general relativity or teleparallel gravity are equivalent theories (ii) different energy-momentum complexes do not provide the same energy and momentum densities neither in general relativity nor in teleparallel gravity. In the context of the theory of teleparallel gravity, the vector and axial-vector parts of the torsion are obtained. We show that the axial-vector torsion vanishes for the space-time under study.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, Minor typos corrected; version to appear in International Journal of Theoretical Physic

Capacity for health economics research and practice in Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territories and Turkey: needs assessment and options for development

Background: Capacity for health economics analysis and research is indispensable for evidence-informed allocations of scarce health resources, however little is known about the experience and capacity strengthening preferences of academics and practitioners in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This study aimed to assess the needs for strengthening health economics capacity in Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territories and Turkey as part of the Research for Health in Conflict in Middle East and North Africa (R4HC-MENA) project. Methods: Bibliometric analysis of health economics outputs combined with an online survey of academic researchers and non-academic practitioners. The bibliometric analysis was based on a literature search conducted across seven databases. Included records were original studies and reviews with an explicit economic outcome related to health, disease or disability; had at least one author in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine or Turkey; and were published between January 2014 and December 2018. Two types of analyses were conducted using VOSviewer software: keyword co-occurrence; and co-publication networks across countries and organizations. The online survey asked academic researchers, analysts and decision-makers – identified through the bibliometric analysis and regional professional networks – about previous exposure to and preference for capacity development in health economics. Results: Of 15,185 records returned by the literature search, 566 were included in the bibliometric analysis. Organizations in Turkey contributed more than 80% of records and had the broadest and most diverse network of collaborators, nationally and internationally. Only 1% (n=7) studies were collaborations between researchers in two or more different jurisdictions. Cost analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and health system economics were the main health economics topics across the included studies. Economic evaluation, measuring the economic burden of disease and health equity were reported by survey respondents (n=80) as the most important areas to develop in. Short courses, learn-by-doing and mentoring from an experienced professional were, in aggregate, the most preferred capacity development modalities. Conclusions: Existing pockets of health economic expertise in the region can constitute the base of future capacity development efforts. Building confidence toward applying specific methods and trust toward stimulating cross-jurisdiction collaborations appear essential components for sustainably developing health economics capacity

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy characterization of the pseudogap and the x = 1/8 anomaly in La2-xSrxCuO4 thin films

Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy we examined the local density of states of thin c-axis La2-xSrxCuO4 films, over wide doping and temperature ranges. We found that the pseudogap exists only at doping levels lower than optimal. For x = 0.12, close to the 'anomalous' x = 1/8 doping level, a zero bias conductance peak was the dominant spectral feature, instead of the excepted V- shaped (c-axis tunneling) gap structure. We have established that this surprising effect cannot be explained by tunneling into (110) facets. Possible origins for this unique behavior are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure

Low Incidence of Androgen Receptor Mutation Among Egyptian Children with Androgen Resistance

Introduction: In Egypt, disorders of sex development (DSD) constitute a significant entity among the birth defect list. Previous studies have reported that end organ androgen unresponsiveness, i.e. Androgen resistance, was the most prevalent underlying mechanism among Egyptian 46,XY DSD cases. Based on cytogenetic and hormonal diagnostic criteria as well as few sporadic case reports, it was proposed that androgen receptor (AR) defects [i.e. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), OMIM#300068] might constitute a major etiology within this category. However, this has never been systematically ascertained through an AR molecular diagnostic approach. Aim of the Work: The current study aimed to assess the role of AR mutations as an underlying etiology among a sample of Egyptian 46,XY DSD pediatric patients presenting with androgen end organ unresponsiveness. Patients and Method: In the current study, 21 children [ag

Energy Distribution of a Stringy Charged Black Hole

The energy distribution associated with a stringy charged black hole is studied using M{\o}ller's energy-momentum complex. Our result is reasonable and it differs from that known in literature using Einstein's energy-momentum complex.Comment: Latex, no figure

ZOLMITRIPTAN BRAIN TARGETING VIA INTRANASAL ROUTE USING SOLID LIPID NANOPARTICLES FOR MIGRAINE THERAPY: FORMULATION, CHARACTERIZATION, IN-VITRO AND IN-VIVO ASSESSMENT

Objective: Zolmitriptan, a class of antidepressant drugs with poor bioavailability due to its first-pass metabolism. The aim of this study was to improve systemic bioavailability and explore the brain targeting impact of nasal Zolmitriptan (Zol) solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) gel for migraine treatment.  Methods: Stearic acid and cholesterol used as solid lipid and lecithin as a surfactant, emulsion solvent evaporation technique was used to produce Zolmitriptan SLNs. (Zol) SLNs were characterized for particle size, percent entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release. Formula S6 showed greater percent entrapment efficiency (PEE), adequate particle size and sustained drug release behavior. Formula S6 was integrated into HPMC gel (3%) to prepare nasal gel. Zol SLN nasal gel was subjected to histopathological study to ensure brain targeting.  Results: It was observed that all prepared Zol SLNs were in the nano-sized range with a polydispersity index of<0.5. In the cholesterol/lecithin combination, higher PEE%, better stability, and less agglomeration inclination were discovered. Results of the release profiles showed that developed Zol-SLNs were able to release Zolmitriptan in a sustained manner. Histopathological study of the brain tissues showed that Zolmitriptan SLN nasal gel can reach brain cells and localized for 24 h although the hydrophobicity of the target drug. Conclusion: Intranasal administration of Solid lipid nanostructure of Zolmitriptan through the olfactory pathway in which it travels from the nasal cavity to brain tissue achieved drug targeting potential of about 90% compared with conventional Zolmitriptan tablets. The small particle size helped them to squeeze themselves through the small opening in the olfactory neurons to the brain via different endo-cystic pathways of neuronal cells in nasal tissue membranes

Nucleotide mutations associated with hepatitis B e antigen negativity

Copyright © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc., A Wiley CompanyArticleJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY. 76(2): 170-175 (2005)journal articl