After Mubarak, Before Transition : The Challenges for Egypt’s Democratic Opposition

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Identification of candidate genes for traits of relevant breeding value transferred from a wild relative to wheat.

Two valuable genes for durum wheat breeding, i.e. Lr19 (leaf-rust resistance) and Yp (yellow endosperm pigmentation), closely linked on the 7AgL chromosome arm of the perennial wheatgrass species Thinopyrum ponticum, have been transferred to the 7AL durum wheat arm by chromosome engineering. Using a ‘NBS profiling’ assay to target Lr19, and a comparative genomics approach for Yp, candidate genes for both traits have been identified

Prelude to the revolution : Independent civic activists in Mubarak’s Egypt and the quest for hegemony

Peer reviewedPostprin

Large critical current density improvement in Bi-2212 wires through groove-rolling process

Recently the interest about Bi-2212 round wire superconductor for high magnetic field use has been enhancing despite the fact that an increase of the critical current is still needed to boost its successful use in such applications. Recent studies have demonstrated that the main obstacle to current flow, especially in long wires, is the residual porosity inside these Powder-In-Tube processed conductors which develops in bubbles-agglomeration when the Bi-2212 melts. Through this work we tried to overcome this issue acting on the wire densification by changing the deformation process. Here we show the effects of groove-rolling versus drawing process on the critical current density JC and on the microstructure. In particular, groove-rolled multifilamentary wires show a JC increased by a factor of about 3 with respect to drawn wires prepared with the same Bi-2212 powder and architecture. We think that this approach in the deformation process is able to produce the required improvements both because the superconducting properties are enhanced and because it makes the fabrication process faster and cheaper

Ruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysms. retrospective study and multivariate analysis of 105 patients treated by surgical clipping

Objective of the study: We analyze in this study only patients with surgically treated ruptured aneurysms in order to identify statistical significance of each predictive factor in terms of outcome of patients with ruptured MCAAs. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed 105 cases of ruptured MCAAs, admitted from January 2001 to December 2015 at Neurosurgical Department of Umberto I University Hospital of Rome, Italy. Predictive factors evaluated are: Patient’s features (age, sex, co-morbidities), aneurysmal location (proximal, bifurcation or distal) and size of aneurysmal dome (small, large or giant); surgical timing (ultra-early, early, delayed), and Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) volume. For each parameter we calculated mean and standard deviation, covariance and relation coefficient (through the linear regression model). Results: The clinical evaluation of patients assessed through the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFSN) grading scale, that is 5 for 37 patients (35.3%), 4 for 28 patients. In 40% of cases the maximum sac diameter was between 7 mm and 12 mm, while in 67% of the cases the aneurysms concerned the bifurcation of the middle cerebral artery. ICH was associated in 57 cases (54.3%). As far as outcome is concerned, at 3 months, 32 patients (30.47%) had a favourable outcome, while 73 (69.52%) patients had not favourable outcome. To one year, 46 patients (43.8%) had favourable outcomes, while 59 patients (56.19%) had not favourable outcome. The mean outcomes as mean mRS are significantly less favourable in patients with ICH. Conclusion: In MCAAs patients, the presence of ICH strongly affects the outcome with a marked increase in mortality and morbidity. Surgical timing significantly influences the outcomes and ultra-early surgery should always be taken into account

An activity-based approach for complex travel behaviour modelling

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