Modular eco-class: an approach towards a sustainable innovative learning environment in Egypt

Today, Egypt suffers from deterioration of education quality as a result of deficient learning spaces, insufficient governmental expenditure and funding, and lack of proper research in education developmental strategies. Additionally, 21st century learning requires innovative spaces that connect school, home, and community. Therefore, new learning spaces should increase flexibility, support hands-on and outside-class learning activities in order to motivate learners. Furthermore, they intend to encourage extra-curricular activities beyond conventional learning times. Undoubtedly, comfortable, safe and creative learning spaces can inspire and motivate users, while ugly/unsafe spaces can depress. Therefore, welldesigned learning spaces are able to support creative, productive and efficient learning processes on one hand. On the other hand, ecological design measures became an increasingly major keystone for modern sustainable learning-spaces. Thus, learning-spaces’ design process, form, components, materials, features, and energy-saving technologies can yield well-educated, environmentally-literate, energy-conscious, and innovative future-generations. This paper represents a preliminary phase of an ongoing research project that aims to create a framework for an Innovative Sustainable Learning Environment (ISLE) in developing countries, the Middle East region, and Egypt in particular. This project aims at encouraging constructive relationships between users, buildings, ecosystems and to improve quality of learning through intelligent and ecologically well designed learning-spaces. The paper proposes the concept of modular Eco-Class as a framework of learning spaces and a stepforward in the direction of ISLE. Moreover, this Eco-Class aims to educate and provide balance between building’s environmental sensitivity, high performance, initial cost, and lifecycle costs without harming the surrounding ecology. The Eco-Class not only intends to promote a positive environmental impact to improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency, it also provides on its own an environment that educates learners and elevates environmentalawareness between future generations. Finally, the study and the ongoing research project of Eco-Class aim to provide validated design-guidelines for sustainable educational buildings, and to achieve the optimum innovative and sustainable learning environment in Egypt for effective and creative future-generation learners, parents, staff, and communities

UK corporate governance effects on investor behaviour and firm performance before and during crisis

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in FinanceThe recent financial crisis has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of corporate governance (CG) in monitoring management and protecting investors’ interests. There is concern that ‘poor’ CG was, to a certain extent, a major cause of the current financial crisis. This thesis, therefore, investigates the crucial policy question of whether the quality of CG has any effect on financial performance, information asymmetry and on block shareholders’ investment decisions. This is achieved and presented in the form of three essays on CG practices in UK with a particular focus on the periods before and during the 2007/2008 financial crisis. The first essay aims to investigate the impact of firm-level CG on block shareholders’ investment decisions for a large sample of UK non-financial firms over the period 2005 to 2009. Using a panel data analysis, the results revealed the importance of CG for block shareholders’ investment decisions. Furthermore, the study results indicated that only institutional block shareholders consider CG to be important criteria for their investment decisions. Moreover, when the effect of CG on block shareholdings in both periods before and during crisis was examined, a significant difference in results appeared: an insignificant positive relationship in the pre-crisis period turned out to be significant during crisis. The result thus indicates that block shareholders viewed CG as particularly important during the crisis period. The second essay aims to examine the effect of CG on firm performance before and during the financial crisis. It also investigates the mediating effect of agency costs on the association between CG and firm performance. The results revealed that CG affects firm performance only in the period before the crisis, but no significant effect was found during the crisis period. Moreover, agency cost was proved to fully mediate the relationship between CG and performance in the pre-crisis period. The results point to an important issue, which is the need to re-evaluate CG not only in stable periods but also during turbulent times, and to evaluate its ability to perform effectively in such different conditions. The third essay investigates the effect of both CG and block ownership on information asymmetry. Further, the effects of CG in lessening the positive association between block ownership and information asymmetry is considered. The results revealed that CG affects information asymmetry only in the pre-crisis. In addition, block ownership was shown to have a significant and positive effect on information asymmetry during crisis periods suggesting that block shareholders benefit from their information advantage during crisis period which in turn worsens the information asymmetry problem. This suggests that block shareholders engage more in their private benefits rather than in efficient monitoring. The results also proved that CG is insignificant during turbulent period in lessening the negative effect of block ownership

A decision support system for the re-equilibrium of PPP contracts

Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts tend to have longer contract durations compared to other conventional procurement methods. Due to their prolonged nature, PPP contracts are extremely prone to contract renegotiation along their lifecycles in comparison to other forms of contracts with shorter durations. The common outcomes of the renegotiation process may include: increasing the service charges, increasing the concession period, or paying a lump sum amount to the party of concern in order to maintain a fixed rate of return and keep the return on equity constant. In this research, a framework is developed in order to calculate the renegotiation process outcomes and facilitate the decision making process of choosing the optimum scenario that preserves the rights and the interests of all the stakeholders. This is done using a weighted sum model to calculate the weights and ranks of a number of factors influencing the stakeholders\u27 decisions. A Decision Support System (DSS) is developed with the aid of Microsoft Excel 2013, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language, and the Precision Tree 5.5 for Excel add-in. The data for the model is obtained from a case study of a wastewater treatment plant in Egypt. The results obtained from the model are close to the ones obtained from the Independent Financial Expert (IFE) of the wastewater treatment plant

Poly(Ester Amide) and Poly(Ethyl Glyoxylate) Nanoparticles for Controlled Drug Release

The objective of this research was to develop polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) having improved drug release properties for drug delivery. Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) are promising biodegradable polymers. PEA NPs were prepared via emulsification-evaporation and salting-out methods and optimized through by varying different processing parameters. Polymer-model drug conjugates based on PEAs containing L-aspartic acid and rhodamine B were synthesized and used for NP preparation. Release behavior was studied and compared to a control system with physically encapsulated rhodamine B. It was shown that the release of rhodamine B from the covalent system did not show the burst effect and exhibited a slower and more sustained profile. A novel PEA-floxuridine conjugate was also prepared and used to synthesize NPs. These NPs exhibited a small burst effect followed by slow drug release. To provide a new stimulus-responsive release mechanism, NPs based on a UV triggerable self-immolative poly(ethyl glyoxylate) PEtG were prepared. PEtG/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blend NPs were prepared for site-specific and time-controlled drug delivery. PLA NPs were first synthesized by the emulsion-evaporation method and optimized through different experimental conditions. PEtG/PLA NPs were then prepared using the optimized conditions. In this study, letrazole was used as a model drug. These letrazole loaded NPs had a low Z-average diameter of less than 100 nm and high encapsulation efficiency. Increasing burst release was observed with increasing PLA content. Thermal characterization of PEtG/PLA NPs showed phase separation of the two polymers in the NPs. Although the UV irradiated PEtG NPs showed depolymerization upon UV irradiation, letrazole release was not accelerated. The reasons for this lack of triggered release require more investigation and optimization

The implementation of building information modeling (BIM) towards sustainable construction industry in Egypt The pre-construction phase

Global environmental changes, energy consumption, and the scarcity of water have all imposed the need to implement sustainable development strategies worldwide. The construction industry and its healthy practices are not exception, as it should take more strides to alleviate harmful impacts of unsustainable construction practices on the built environment. Sustainable construction has many aspects such as passive design, selection of the appropriate materials and construction techniques, energy efficient systems, and water conservation. In Egypt, current situation regarding energy consumption, accelerated urbanization, and high pollution rates are urging the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals to convert current conventional construction approaches into more sustainable ones. One of the useful in this regard is to capitalize on technological innovative means to narrow the gap and advance the sustainable green construction mission. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a relatively recent technology within the construction industry that, when properly introduced, can help in providing adequate project quality, accurate time and quantity take-offs schedules, and project costs reduction. For instance, this tool can result in more efficient design practices, which contribute to reducing waste generation, energy consumption and promote passive design strategies. This study aims at analyzing the impact of BIM implementation on the sustainable construction practices and assessing current BIM implementation trends during the design process phase in the AEC industry. In principle, the study tackles BIM adoption situation factors of influencing and the barriers, and opportunities confronting its implementation within the Egyptian consultancy firms. Building on the literature review, this study discusses the sustainable design and constructability concepts in the construction industry and the manner by which BIM can be effectively utilized the pre-construction phase. Furthermore, the study describes the BIM implementation obstacles, success factors, and the role of government and other stakeholders in adopting BIM for achieving sustainable construction industry. To meet this objective, interviews were conducted with BIM users and experts to investigate the BIM implementation situation in the Egyptian consultancy firms and needed actions for successful BIM adoption in the Egyptian construction market. The academic knowledge with the interviews provide the researcher with the base to articulate the ideas and develops the discussion to figure out the critical issues regarding BIM adoption in Egypt. In this manner, the research provides some recommendations for successful BIM adoption in the Egyptian construction industry. In addition, the study recommended adopting BIM as the technological pillar towards sustainable construction industry in the country\u27s 2030 sustainable development strategy. The research also encourages the collaboration between the construction industry stakeholders to set a roadmap for adopting BIM in the Egyptian construction industry. Finally, build on the literature and the experts\u27 opinions, the research recommended practical actions for the industry players to ensure a successful transition towards BIM implementation

The Aspergillus nidulans Galf biosynthesis pathway is a promising drug target

Human systemic fungal infections are increasing, and causing high morbidity and mortality. Treatment is challenging because fungi share many metabolic pathways with mammals. Current antifungals are losing effectiveness due to drug resistance. In immunocompromised patients Aspergillus fumigatus causes systemic aspergillosis, the most important airborne fungal disease. Mortality from aspergillosis exceeds 50% even with aggressive treatment. We need novel antifungal drug targets. Fungal cell wall components are promising targets for antifungal therapy as they are essential for fungi and absent from humans. The sugar galactofuranose (Galf) is a 5-memberd ring form of galactose that is found in the cell walls of many fungi, but not in mammals. I used molecular biology and microscopy techniques to characterize Galf biosynthesis enzymes in the model species A. nidulans. I studied three enzymes that catalyze sequential steps in Galf biosynthesis: UgmA, UgtA and UgeA. UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UgmA) creates UDP-galactofuranose (UDP-Galf) from UDP galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) in the cytoplasm. The UDP-Galf transporter (UgtA) moves UDP Galf into membrane bound organelles for incorporation into cell wall compartments. Upstream of UgmA, UDP-glucose/galactose epimerase (UgeA) interconverts UDP-glucose into UDP-Galp, the UgmA substrate. Neither UgmA nor UgtA has a human counterpart; UgeA is in the Leloir galactose metabolism pathway that found in many organisms from bacteria to humans. None of UgeA, UgmA and UgtA is essential for viability of A. nidulans, but deleting any one of them substantially reduces colony growth and sporulation (Figure i). Wild type and Galf defective strains (ugeAΔ, ugmAΔ; and ugtAΔ) were quantified for colony growth, cell morphometry, spore formation and germination, as well as wall architecture. The abundance of these proteins was regulated using the alcA promoter. Galf content was assessed by immunolocalization in the Galf defective strains, showing that those strains lacked immunodetectable Galf. Gene products were localized with fluorescent protein tags; both UgmA and UgeA were cytoplasmic, whereas UgtA was Golgi localized. Wall surfaces were imaged and force-probed using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Overall, Galf deletion strains had aberrant wall maturation, and poorly consolidated surfaces. Our results indicate that Galf is necessary for abundant sporulation, wild type growth and full maturation of Aspergillus cell wall. Galf deletion strains were assessed for sensitivity to antifungal agents in clinical use. They were significantly more sensitive to caspofungin and amphotericin B that target cell wall synthesis and cell membrane chemistry, respectively. Thus, anti-Galf drugs (once created) may be useful in combination with existing antifungal drugs. In summary, Galf biosynthesis pathway appears to be promising as an antifungal drug development target

Synthesization, Characterization and Application of Nano-Particles Ferric Oxide in Sodium Sulfide Oxidation

Sulfides usually found in the wastewater produced by chemical and petrochemical industries such as tanneries, refineries, polymer industries. Removing sulfides from the wastewater is currently a big challenge to the industries because sulfides are soluble in water and various research and technologies have been studied and developed in order to remove sulfides content. In this project, the author is focusing on removing sulfides through oxidation process by using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent with the presence of nano-particles ferric oxide as a catalyst. Nano-materials are increasingly gaining the attention of the scientific community and also public due to their various applications in the industries for example as a catalyst. In this project, author will developed the procedure in preparing ferric oxide nano-particle as a catalyst and the application of it in sodium sulfide oxidation process. Basically three stages are involved, the synthesization, characterization and application. In application stage, the author will study two parameters of the oxidation rate that is catalyst loading and sulfide concentration. The effect of these parameters will be study by varying the variables for these parameters. The results shows that after the more catalyst added, the oxidation process increase by time and removal of sulfide can be achieve faster. The objectives for this project are to successfully produce nano-particle ferric oxide as catalyst and to apply it in the sulfide oxidation process. i

An Investigation of the Association between Levels of Accounting Conservatism and Corporate Cost of Debt

This research aimed at exploring the relationship between accounting conservatism and cost of debt. Debt in this study was corporate bonds. Past researches found continues negative relationship between levels of accounting conservatism and interest rate. The aim of this research was to study if this relationship is also applied in Egypt. Using an empirical research and a sample selected from publicly-traded Egyptian firms that issued bonds, the finding was not in consistent with the literature. The research results indicated that level of accounting conservatism adopted in a firm influence the cost of debt, and that this influence is not constant all the time; different levels of conservatism affect the cost of debt by different ways. For this, accounting conservatism should be used with caution, so that the level adopted within the firm don’t exceed the accepted limit to gain the benefit. However, accounting conservatism is not always good instrument in reducing interest rate, and it should be used with care

Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Egyptian Banking Sector

Due to the increasing pressure on multinational corporations (MNCs) to take responsibility for their business operations, many large corporations have started to address the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Accordingly, corporate social disclosure, that is the communication of an organisation’s social and environmental impact through the annual report or similar medium, is an increasingly important issue. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how multinational banks working in Egypt choose to communicate their CSR activities to different stakeholders, and to compare it with local banks. Content analysis has been used to analyse both the annual reports and web pages of both multinational and local banks. CSR was classified into five themes (environmental related, community related, employee related, customer related and investor related). The results of the empirical work show that there is CSR disclosure in the banking sector in Egypt at both a local and multinational level; all of the banks disclosed some information related to different CSR categories and it was positive information. The results also showed that this social disclosure in the Egyptian banking sector was inadequate and there is still a long way to go. The social information disclosed was far less than leading banks in developed countries. Also, the study indicated that a greater amount of information was provided on the website than in the annual report, especially within multinational banks. These results could be attributed to the voluntary nature of the reporting regime in Egypt