Institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector

This report presents the findings of a mission to critically review the institutional, policy and regulatory framework for sustainable development of the Egyptian aquaculture sector. The study was undertaken by an International Expert on Aquaculture Policy, and a National Expert on Institutions, on behalf of the Project “Improving Employment and Income through the Development of Egypt’s Aquaculture Sector“, implemented by WorldFish and CARE, and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(SDC). The objective of the mission was to assess the current status of the Egyptian aquaculture sector, in terms of the policy, legal and institutional environment, with a view to suggesting the major issues to be addressed within a future policy dialogue

Notched graphite polymimide composites at room and notched graphite polymide composites at room and elevated temperatures

The fracture behavior in graphite/polyimide (Gr/PI) Celion 6000/PMR-15 composites was characterized. Emphasis was placed on the correlation between the observed failure modes and the deformation characteristics of center-notched Gr/Pl laminates. Crack tip damage growth, fracture strength and notch sensitivity, and the associated characterization methods were also examined. Special attention was given to nondestructive evaluation of internal damage and damage growth, techniques such as acoustic emission, X-ray radiography, and ultrasonic C-scan. Microstructural studies using scanning electron microscopy, photomicrography, and the pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance technique were employed as well. All experimental procedures and techniques are described and a summary of representative results for Gr/Pl laminates is given

Heatline and Energy-Flux-Vector Visualization of Natural Convection in a Porous Cavity Occupied by a Fluid with Temperature-Dependent Viscosity

Temperature-dependent viscosity effects in buoyancy driven flow in a porous-saturated enclosure is studied numerically, based on the general model of momentum transfer in a porous medium. The exponential form of the viscosity-temperature relation is applied. Both cases of viscosity increase and decrease versus temperature are considered. Application of the effective Rayleigh number concept and the reference temperature approach are investigated. Use of heatlines and the energy flux vectors are illustrated for a more comprehensive analysis of the problem

Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water with Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles Coated with Nano-Titanium Dioxide

Water disinfection processes in the presence of titanium dioxide as a photo-catalyst material provide an interesting route to destroy contaminants, being operational in the UV-A domain with a potential use of solar radiation. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been developed to meet the increasing need of an effective wastewater treatment. AOP generates powerful oxidizing agent hydroxyl radicals which completely destroy the pollutants in waste water. Solar disinfection of drinking water with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles coated with photo-catalyst TiO2 has been shown to be very effective. The study is based on comparison between three systems for treating contaminated water samples using PET bottles. First system was a PET untreated bottle, the second system was a PET bottle coated with black paint on its outer surface. Finally the third system was a PET bottle coated also with a black coat on its outer surface and its inner part was treated with citric acid solution to enable np-TiO2 to cover the surface later on, then 0.2 g of np-TiO2 powder (of particle size <25 nm, Sigma-Aldrich) was added. The total bacterial accounts were determined to monitor the effect in the three systems. The experimental results have shown that disinfecting water with merely UV was less effective than combining the bottle with heat effect, and adding TiO2 film was further more benefited. This work can be applied in rural areas, with no technical support or need for expensive/dangerous chemicals for drinking safe water even if is stored for two days

The influence of diet on the effectiveness of garlic oil and cinnamaldehyde to manipulate in vitro ruminal fermentation and methane production.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing doses [0 (control: CON), 20, 60, 180 and 540 mg/L incubation medium] of garlic oil (GO) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) on in vitro ruminal fermentation of two diets. Batch cultures of mixed ruminal microorganisms were inoculated with ruminal fluid from four sheep fed a medium-concentrate diet (MC; 50 : 50 alfalfa hay : concentrate) or four sheep fed a high-concentrate diet (HC; 15 : 85 barley straw : concentrate). Diets MC and HC were representative of those fed to dairy and fattening ruminants, respectively. Samples of each diet were used as incubation substrates for the corresponding inoculum, and the incubation was repeated on 4 different days (four replicates per experimental treatment). There were GO × diet-type and CIN × diet-type interactions (P 0.05) total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production at any dose. For MC diet, GO at 60, 180 and 540 mg/L decreased (P 0.05) on butyrate proportion were detected. Methane/VFA ratio was reduced (P < 0.05) by GO at 60, 180 and 540 mg/L for MC diet (0.23, 0.16 and 0.10 mol/mol, respectively), and by GO at 20, 60, 180 and 540 mg/L for HC diet (0.19, 0.19, 0.16 and 0.08 mol/mol, respectively), compared with CON (0.26 and 0.21 mol/mol for MC and HC diets, respectively). No effects (P = 0.16–0.85) of GO on final pH and concentrations of NH3-N and lactate were detected. For both diet types, the highest CIN dose decreased (P < 0.05) production of total VFA, gas and methane, which would indicate an inhibition of fermentation. Compared with CON, CIN at 180 mg/L increased (P < 0.05) acetate proportion for the MC (629 and 644 mmol/mol total VFA for CON and CIN, respectively) and HC (525 and 540 mmol/mol total VFA, respectively) diets, without affecting the proportions of any other VFA or total VFA production. Whereas for MC diet CIN at 60 and 180 mg/L decreased (P < 0.05) NH3-N concentrations compared with CON, only a trend (P < 0.10) was observed for CIN at 180 mg/L with the HC diet. Supplementation of CIN up to 180 mg/L did not affect (P = 0.18–0.99) lactate concentrations and production of gas and methane for any diet. The results show that effectiveness of GO and CIN to modify ruminal fermentation may depend on diet type, which would have practical implications if they are confirmed in vivo

Facies and geochemistry of non-marine gypsum, EMISAL, Egypt

Diverse gypsum facies in terms of crystal size and morphology are deposited in a shallow, non-marine, sulfate-enriched, semi-closed, perennial evaporite basin. These gypsum facies were deposited in intimate association with cyanobacterial mats. Facies analyses and geochemistry revealed two distinct primary facies, based on gypsum fabric; massive selenite, and laminated gypsum varieties. The massive selenite facies is composed of clusters of single and twinned crystals along (100), with upward pointing re-entrant angle. The laminated gypsum varies from rhythmically laminated grass-like selenite to gypsum microbialite (stromatolite). The change from massive selenite to laminated gypsum facies implies fluctuation in lateral and vertical salinity profiles, seasonal brine concentrations and wind action. Post-depositional changes in the form of dissolution, slight to moderate crystal deformation and recrystallization to anhydrite are evaluated. We develop a qualitative model for the depositional basin and facies distribution in order to simulate ancient analogues

Interpretation of multispectral and infrared thermal surveys of the Suez Canal Zone, Egypt

Remote sensing airborne surveys were conducted, as part of the plan of rehabilitation, of the Suez Canal Zone using I2S multispectral camera and Bendix LN-3 infrared passive scanner. The multispectral camera gives four separate photographs for the same scene in the blue, green, red, and near infrared bands. The scanner was operated in the microwave bands of 8 to 14 microns and the thermal surveying was carried out both at night and in the day time. The surveys, coupled with intensive ground investigations, were utilized in the construction of new geological, structural lineation and drainage maps for the Suez Canal Zone on a scale of approximately 1:20,000, which are superior to the maps made by normal aerial photography. A considerable number of anomalies belonging to various types were revealed through the interpretation of the executed multispectral and infrared thermal surveys

A view of the health services after COVID-19: an Egyptian perspective

Introduction: Humankind is now facing a global crisis. Perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. However, national and international health systems failed to avoid millions of morbidities and hundred thousands of mortalities. The decisions people and governments take in the next few weeks will probably shape the world for years to come. They will shape not just our healthcare systems but also our economy, politics, and culture. Aim: The overall aim of this report is just to present an outline skeleton of the main elements of a health plan that may be adopted to achieve a high quality medical care services in the near future. Approach: The approach that will be adopted to present the main elements of the health plan will be through a time frame that includes short term (about one year) and long-term measures (five to ten years)

First Results from The GlueX Experiment

The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab ran with its first commissioning beam in late 2014 and the spring of 2015. Data were collected on both plastic and liquid hydrogen targets, and much of the detector has been commissioned. All of the detector systems are now performing at or near design specifications and events are being fully reconstructed, including exclusive production of $\pi^{0}$, $\eta$ and $\omega$ mesons. Linearly-polarized photons were successfully produced through coherent bremsstrahlung and polarization transfer to the $\rho$ has been observed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Invited contribution to the Hadron 2015 Conference, Newport News VA, September 201