Evaluation of Testicular Blood Flow and Ultrasonographic Measurements in Rams with Emphasis on Laterality

The current study aimed to measure the testicular ultrasonographic dimensions (length, width, thickness and volume) as well as spectral Doppler indices (resistive index and pulsatility index) of testicular artery, and to investigate the possible differences between the paired testes based on testicular dimensions and blood flow Doppler indices. Five Awassi rams of normal fertility, with a body weight 50-65 kg and aged 3-5 years were subjected to testicular ultrasound examination for testicular dimensions and pulsed-wave Doppler, twice monthly for five consecutive months. The testicular volume of the left testis (69.34±6.66 mm3) was higher than the right testis (66.85±5.46 mm3). Testicular thickness was significantly affected by the laterality of the testes (P<0.05). Doppler measures for RI (resistive index) as well as pulsatility index (PI) were slightly higher (P>0.05) in the right testicular artery rather than the left one. In conclusion, the testicular ultrasound measures and Doppler flow indices varied between the paired right and left testes in mature rams. In addition, the blood flow indices are highly correlated in the testicular artery of rams

Psychological and Psychosocial Consequences of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis among Women in Tunisia: Preliminary Findings from an Exploratory Study

Background The incidence of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) makes it the most widespread parasitic disease in Tunisia and the Arab world. Yet, few studies have addressed its psychological and psychosocial effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial impact of ZCL scars among Tunisian women. Methods We conducted an exploratory study, we administered Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), World Health Organization Quality Of Life-26 (WHOQOL-26) and Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (PLSI) to a group of girls and women with ZCL scar in the region of Sidi Bouzid. This group was randomly selected from volunteers who came to primary health care facilities to seek for treatment for any pathology. Results Descriptive statistics showed that the collected scores from the three scales exhibit heterogeneous distributions: IPQ-R (M = 63.6, SD = 15.6), PSLI (M = 9.5, SD = 6.7), WHOQOL-Physical (M = 63, SD = 12.9), WHOQOL-Psychological (M = 52.6, SD = 11.1), WHOQOL-Social (M = 61.8, SD = 17.5), and WHOQOL-Environmental (M = 47.8, SD = 13.3). The correlation analyses performed on Inter and intra-subscales showed that the emotional representations associated with ZCL were correlated with the loss of self-esteem and feelings of inferiority (r = 0.77, p<0.05). In addition, high education level and the knowledge about ZCL are positively correlated with cognitive and emotional representation in the IPQ-R (r = 0.33, p<0.05). "Rejection experiences" and the "anticipation and avoidance of stress" were respectively negatively correlated with age (r = -0.33, p<0.05 and r = -0.31, p<0.05). Correlations between the scores on IPQ-R domains and PLSI factors were significant. The results showed that anticipation of rejection and avoidance of stress are strongly correlated with a negative perception of ZCL. Quality of life scores were not correlated with either age, education level, time of illness, or the number of facial or body scars. However, the correlations between quality of life scores and the multiple IPQ-R domains were all insignificant. Finally, there was a negative correlation between the scores on the perceived quality of social life and the knowledge about ZCL (r = -0.34, p<0.05). Conclusions This makes it vital to strengthen preventive health education. Conducting studies on ways to establish a holistic support system for managing ZCL, a system that covers the psychological challenges and the barriers it causes to women’s social and professional integration, is a vital first step

Su(3) Symmetry in a Bootstrap Model

Transmission of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) depends on the presence, density and distribution of Leishmania major rodent reservoir and the development of these rodents is known to have a significant dependence on environmental and climate factors. ZCL in Tunisia is one of the most common forms of leishmaniasis. The aim of this paper was to build a regression model of ZCL cases to identify the relationship between ZCL occurrence and possible risk factors, and to develop a predicting model for ZCL's control and prevention purposes. Monthly reported ZCL cases, environmental and bioclimatic data were collected over 6 years (2009-2015). Three rural areas in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid were selected as the study area. Cross-correlation analysis was used to identify the relevant lagged effects of possible risk factors, associated with ZCL cases. Non-parametric modeling techniques known as generalized additive model (GAM) and generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) were applied in this work. These techniques have the ability to approximate the relationship between the predictors (inputs) and the response variable (output), and express the relationship mathematically. The goodness-of-fit of the constructed model was determined by Generalized cross-validation (GCV) score and residual test. There were a total of 1019 notified ZCL cases from July 2009 to June 2015. The results showed seasonal distribution of reported ZCL cases from August to January. The model highlighted that rodent density, average temperature, cumulative rainfall and average relative humidity, with different time lags, all play role in sustaining and increasing the ZCL incidence. The GAMM model could be applied to predict the occurrence of ZCL in central Tunisia and could help for the establishment of an early warning system to control and prevent ZCL in central Tunisia

Comparative analysis of traditional and modern apricot breeding programs: A case of study with Spanish and Tunisian apricot breeding germplasm

Traditional plant breeding is based on the observation of variation and the selection of the best phenotypes, whereas modern breeding is characterised by the use of controlled mating and the selection of descendants using molecular markers. In this work, a comparative analysis of genetic diversity in a traditional (Tunisian) and a modern (Spanish) apricot breeding programme was performed at the phenotypic and molecular level using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Seven phenotypic traits were evaluated in 42 Tunisian apricot accessions and 30 genotypes from the Spanish apricot programme. In addition, 20 SSR markers previously described as linked to specific phenotypic traits were assayed. Results showed that modern breeding using controlled crosses increases the size of the fruit. The fruit weight average observed in the Tunisian cultivars was of 20.15 g. In the case of traditional Spanish cultivars the average weight was 47.12 g, whereas the average weight of the other progenitors from France, USA and South Africa was 72.85 g. Finally, in the new releases from the CEBAS-CSIC breeding programme, the average weight was 72.82 g. In addition, modern bred cultivars incorporate desirable traits such as self-compatibility and firmness. Cluster and structural analysis based on SSR data clearly differentiates the genotypes according to their geographic origin and pedigree. Finally, results showed an association between some alleles of PaCITA7 and UDP96003 SSR markers with apricot fruit weight, one allele of UDAp407 marker with fruit firmness and one allele of UDP98406 marker with fruit ripening

Oxidative stress in donor mares for ovum pick-up delays embryonic development

The in vitro production of equine embryos via ovum pick-up (OPU) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has increased rapidly. There is a marked effect of the individual mare on the outcome of OPU-ICSI, but little is known about the influence of the mare's health condition. This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between the concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) in serum of oocytes' donor mares and the subsequent embryonic development. Just before OPU, a blood sample was collected from 28 Warmblood donor mares, that were subjected to a routine OPU-ICSI program. The serum concentrations of IL-6, d-ROMs, and BAP were assayed photometrically. The maturation, cleavage and blastocyst rate as well as the kinetics of blastocyst development were recorded. The average blastocyst rate was 24.68 ± 5.16% and the average concentrations of IL-6, d-ROMs, and BAP were 519.59 ± 157.08 pg/mL, 171.30 ± 4.55 carratelli units (UCARR), and 2711.30 ± 4.55 μmol/L, respectively. Serum concentrations of IL-6, d-ROMs, and BAP were not significantly different between mares yielding at least one blastocyst (552.68 ± 235.18 pg/mL, 168.36 ± 5.56 UCARR, and 2524.80 ± 159.55 μmol/L) and mares yielding no blastocysts (468.47 ± 179.99 pg/mL, 175.85 ± 7.89 UCARR, and 2999.50 ± 300.13 μmol/L, respectively). Serum concentrations of d-ROMs were significantly lower in mares with fast growing (at day 7–8 post ICSI; 148.10 ± 8.13 UCARR) compared to those with slow growing blastocysts (≥ day 9 post ICSI; 179.41 ± 4.89 UCARR; P = 0.003). Taken together, the serum concentration of IL-6, d-ROMs, and BAP do not determine the mare's ability to produce blastocysts in vitro. Although it may be questioned whether a single sample is representative of the mare's health status, changes in serum metabolites related to oxidative stress at the time of oocyte retrieval were linked to a delayed blastocyst development in a clinical OPU-ICSI outcome

The effectiveness of communicative language approach in enhancing English speaking skills of EFL adult learners in Egypt

This research aims at investigating the effectiveness of using communicative activities in developing the English speaking ability of Egyptian college students. The study adopted the quasi-experimental pretest- posttest control group design. A group of 40 first year college students were selected from a private university in Cairo in the Academic year 2016- 2017 (20 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group). Students of the experimental group were taught by means of the proposed program of the current study; while students in the control group received regular instruction. The equipment and materials consisted of a pre-posttest administered to both groups before and after the treatment and an analytic speaking rubric for assessment. Quantitative data collected were statistically analyzed to validate the research hypotheses. Results of data analysis revealed that the experimental group students outperformed their control group counterparts in overall speaking proficiency. There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of the experimental group on the pre-posttest in favor of the post- test scores.  </p

Exploring the attitudes of undergraduate college students in Egypt towards English

This paper attempts to identify the attitudes of undergraduate university students in Egypt towards the emergence of English as a global language and as an international language in scientific domains. A total of 54 Engineering and Business students from an English-medium university participated in the study during the academic year 2018-2019. In order to answer the research questions, the study employed two main tools: questionnaires and interviews. SPSS package was used to statistically analyze quantitative data while qualitative data obtained from students' responses in interviews was investigated using content analysis. Results show that most students hold positive attitudes towards English and view it as a unifying tool that facilitates communication across the world. The paper concludes with a call for the application of critical pedagogy (CP) in the practice of ESP and EAP in order to address questions of linguistic and cultural identity. The researcher hopes to encourage curriculum developers and educators to raise students’ awareness towards the complex ideological and social choices they face in learning and using English.</p

A kinetic model for a two phases flow simulation

This work deals with the modelling and simulation of the air bubble injection effect in a water reservoir. The water phase is modelled by a Navier-Stokes quation in which we integrate the air bubble effect by a source term. This one depends on probability density function described by a kinetic model. For the numerical aspects we used particular method for kinetic equation and mixed finite elements method for Navier-Stokes equations. Finally, we present some numercial results to illustrate the used method.Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons à la modélisation et la simulation de l'effet d'injection des bulles d'air dans un réservoir d'eau. La phase eau est modélisée par les équations de Navier-Stokes dans lesquelles on intègre l'effet des bulles d'air par un terme source. Ce dernier dépend d'une fonction densité de probabilité qui est décrite par une équation cinétique de type Vlasov. Pour les aspects numériques, on utilise la méthode particulaire pour l'équation cinétique et la méthode des éléments finis mixte pour les équations de Navier-Stokes. Enfin, nous présentons quelques résultats numériques pour illuster les méthodes utilisées

A comparative study of stretch-and-flow voice therapy versus Smith accent method in rehabilitation of hyperfunctional dysphonia: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background This work aims to compare between stretch-and-flow voice therapy and Smith accent method of voice therapy in treatment of hyperfunctional dysphonia in order to assess the benefit of using this new technique in its management. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Unit of Phoniatrics, Otorhinolaryngology Department, in the period from November 2020 to February 2023. A sample of 60 patients with hyperfunctional dysphonia was randomly divided into two groups; each group consisted of 30 patients: “group A” who received stretch-and-flow voice therapy (SnF) and “group B” who received Smith accent (SA) method of voice therapy. Assessment included auditory perceptual assessment (APA) using modified GRBAS scale and Arabic-voice handicap index (Arabic-VHI). Results The study revealed significant improvement in grade of dysphonia, voice quality, and Arabic-VHI post-therapy for both groups. There was a significant improvement regarding voice pitch in SnF group only and in loudness of voice in SA group only. Conclusion SnF can be considered as an alternative approach for treating hyperfunctional dysphonia, offering a shorter duration, and potentially being a simpler alternative for patients who struggle with the more intricate rhythms of the Smith Aaccent voice therapy method