THE DEITY BꝪPEF (Y) IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIGION

المعبود بابف(ى) فى الديانة المصرية القديمة [Ar] تهدف هذه الورقة البحثية إلى جمع المعلومات المتاحة الخاصة بالإله بابف(ى) لتحديد الشخصية الحقيقية لهذا الإله الذى كان واحدًا من الآلهة الثانوية وكان نادر الظهور سواء فى النصوص أو المناظر على الرغم من وجود كاهنات له، مما يشير إلى وجود تأثير له فى المجال الديني. هذه الورقة هى ايضًا محاولة لتحليل الأشكال المختلفة لاسمه ودلالتها، وايضًا تحليل دوره فى الديانة المصرية القديمة من خلال إشارات فى نصوص الأهرام، نصوص التوابيت، الكتب الدينية ومختلف النصوص التى ذُكر فيها الإله، بالإضافة إلى الكاهنات اللاتى ارتبطن بخدمته. [En] The present paper aims to collect the available information concerning the deity Bapef (y) to determine the real character of this minor deity who was rarely attested in texts and scenes although his clergy has been documented which means that he had an impact on the religious sphere. This paper also attempts to collect and analyze the various forms of his name and its significance, and to analyze the role of Bapef (y) in Ancient Egyptian religion through indications in the Pyramid texts, Coffin texts and the individuals\u27 monuments, religious books and various texts where the deity is mentioned

Advanced Atmospheric Water Vapor Dial Detection System

Measurement of atmospheric water vapor is very important for understanding the Earth\u27s climate and water cycle. The remote sensing Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technique is a powerful method to perform such measurement from aircraft and space. This thesis describes a new advanced detection system, which incorporates major improvements regarding sensitivity and size. These improvements include a low noise advanced avalanche photodiode detector, a custom analog circuit, a 14-bit digitizer, a microcontroller for on board averaging and finally a fast computer interface. This thesis describes the design and validation of this new water vapor DIAL detection system which was integrated onto a small Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with minimal weight and power consumption. Comparing its measurements to an existing DIAL system for aerosol and water vapor profiling validated the detection system

Corporate social responsibility in Egypt: A study on the current practice, challenges, and potentials

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained momentum in Egypt throughout the past decade, yet very little empirical research was conducted on CSR practice in Egypt. This study provides an in-depth understanding of why and how is CSR practiced in Egypt, the challenges faced, and how CSR practice can improve in general. The study presents a series of contextualized and tailor made recommendations for using CSR as an agent of good development. To serve the purpose of this study a series of qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with thirteen members of the CSR community in Egypt. Data collected from interviews exposed a different reality of CSR practice than the one offered by literature. There is a substantive gap between Western CSR theory and practice, and what is actually happening on the ground in Egypt. For instance, members of the CSR community believe that the philanthropic side of CSR was practiced in Egypt centuries ago by both individuals and businessmen mainly for religious purposes. CSR in Egypt is perceived as a long-standing charitable, informal, paternalistic, voluntary practice, associated with religious beliefs. On the other hand, the modern, secular, and corporate concept of CSR emerged in Egypt in the early 2000, thanks to Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) who introduced the concept in Egypt. Interviews also revealed several flaws in the current practice such as CSR being used primarily as a Public Relations (PR) and marketing tool, the lack of a CSR partnership model, and the lack of a CSR vision. The study ends with a series of recommendations. Recommendations suggested by interviewees include greater cooperation between different stakeholders, more research on CSR practice, and finally, investing less in charitable activities, and more in development programs. Recommendations suggested by the researcher include the establishment of a CSR National Council with the mandate of creating a CSR framework and lobbying for CSR policies in Egypt

Toll-like receptors and mechanism of human parturition

The process of parturition whether physiological at term or pathological in preterm labour is a complex one driven by fetal, placental and maternal signals. There is compelling evidence to suggest that inflammatory mediators, driven by endogenous factors or pathologically by infection, play a crucial role in stimulating the common parturition pathway leading into cervical ripening, uterine contractions and, finally, expulsion of the foetus and placenta. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a relatively recently discovered family of pattern recognition molecules which have been shown to play a pivotal role in innate immune responses and inflammation. Products of micro-organisms, e.g. bacteria, viruses or fungi, can be considered to be primary ligands of Toll-like receptors. In addition, they are also activated by other endogenous ligands such as heat shock protein 60 and 70, extra domain A of fibronectin and surfactant protein A (SPA). Therefore, local activation of Toll-like receptors may be responsible for initiation of inflammatory cascade, in presence or absence of infection, leading to initiation of labouring mechanisms within the myometrium. In this study, we hypothesized that Toll-like receptors (TLR 2 & 4) are expressed in labouring myometrium, and are involved in physiologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms of parturition. In order to test this hypothesis, we compared the pattern of expression of Toll-like receptors in myometrial samples obtained from consenting women before and after onset of term and preterm labour. We also aimed to investigate the activation, regulation of and the functional significance of TLR expression with respect to cytokine production in human myometrium at term, and to determine if progestogens could antagonise the effect of TLR ligands such as Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We identified the synthesis and presence of TLR2 & 4 in human myometrium as shown by expression of their mRNA and protein signals which appear to be increasing by gestation and 11 possibly by labour status. We also demonstrated a possible role for TLR2 as indicated by upregulation of its protein expression in labour compared with non-labouring myometrium. Although there was also a trend to an increase in TLR4 with labour, this did not reach statistical significance. In our short-term tissue culture model, we demonstrated that Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) significantly suppressed baseline and LPS induced production of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 in pregnant human myometrium. Although LPS stimulated IL-10 production, there was no significant inhibitory effect with MPA. In contrast, we failed to demonstrate significant upregulation of either TNF-α or IFN-γ in response to LPS, and there was no effect of MPA. We also showed that the specific inhibitor for double stranded-RNA dependent protein kinase (PKR) 2-Aminopurine significantly inhibited both baseline and LPS stimulated myometrial cytokine production. In conclusion, findings of this work have demonstrated a potential role for Toll-like receptors 2 & 4 in initiation of term and preterm labour and an anti-inflammatory role for the progestogen Medroxyprogestrone acetate in lipopolysaccahride stimulated myometrial tissue culture model in vitro. These findings highlight the need for further studies to examine the role of other progestogens / progesterone, benefits and risks to mothers and to their babies, in prevention of preterm labour

Investigation and ranking antiscalants and biocides in a new monitoring system for reverse osmosis desalination and benchmarking results to the conventional system

Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are growing to be the dominant technology for water purification applications. However, fouling is the primary obstacle affecting the RO technologies, and it forces the operator to apply higher operating pressure and use more cleaning chemicals. Therefore, the membrane research major objective is to develop complementary approaches to control fouling based on the development of effective antiscalants and biocides to control fouling and biofouling. Moreover, useful tools for quantitative online monitoring of fouling at early stages and evaluation of cleaning steps. The three experimental research chapters in this thesis are covering the two approaches. Three antiscalants were assessed in Chapter 7 to investigate the promotion of the RO recovery percentage despite the high saturation indices of feed water. The study was carried out on a model reject brine solution. Two cross-flow RO membrane units were utilised in the test. The scaling experiments were carried by circulating the feed solution through membrane modules for 90 hours in a total recycle mode at a flow rate of 48 L/h, the temperature was kept between 20 to 25 oC, and the operating pressure was controlled at 10 bars. The assessment was based on the normalised permeate flux decline and the normalised pressure drop in the absence of antiscalant dose and (2, 10 and 20 mg/L antiscalant doses). Additionally, at the end of each scaling run, membrane autopsies were carried out on a fouled membrane to provide a quantitative and quantified analysis. Two biocides were evaluated in chapter 8. The study was focusing on simulating biofouling accumulation in the cross-flow RO filtration units by utilising fresh bacterial inoculum and nutrients and exposing the system to biocide dose for cleaning. The feed water was recirculated through the system at flow rate 18 L/h in a total recycle mode for two weeks. The tank temperature was kept at 40 oC to keep the bacteria growing. The operating pressure was controlled at 10 bars. The biocide was added stepwise when the permeate flux dropped by 10-15 % of initial values. The permeate flux and normalised pressure drop were continuously monitored to verify the ability of biocide to control biofouling on RO membrane. At the end of the test, the membrane coupons were examined to determine the effect of biocide on the biofilm accumulation. The research objective of chapter 9 was to develop a prototype for real-time monitoring membrane fouling. The primary aims were to verify the device accuracy for detecting fouling of the spacer grids and membrane surface in the early phase, the device response to chemical addition (Biocide and Antiscalants), and its capability to classify and distinguish between biofouling and fouling

Economic cost associated with democratic transition economic analysis of Egypt

The modern world has passed through waves of democratic transition where citizens of certain countries were not satisfied with their governing models. There was no definite cause why people would rebel against their governments. There were cases of poverty and economic deterioration, suppression of freedom, political inequity, or police and military domination. Egypt has faced all of them simultaneously, resulting in the 2011 revolutionary wave. Since 2011, Egypt has been trembling in the democratic transition period. This study is concerned with shedding the light on Egypt’s economic indicators from 2011 till 2015. It analyzes the results of the wave on the economy, with major sectors having been affected. There will be a closer look on GDP, foreign reserves, income from the Suez Canal, and a balance of trade. The Egyptian economy is clearly affected by the revolutionary wave which has dragged down the foreign reserves to unprecedented decline, and depreciated the L.E. currency to its lowest value. In 2016, the Egyptian economy is struggling to go up to the same point where it was in 2011, to be restored and able to revive

Y-STR Profiling is a Unique and Valuable Tool in Forensic Investigation

Background: Y-STR profiling is an important branch of DNA Fingerprinting that links male individuals from the same paternal lineage. When this technology arose, it increases the types of forensic applications which can be solved via DNA Profiling. Case Presentation: In this report, three cases have been discussed through presenting their scenario, clarifying the circumstances in which DNA samples were analysed, and interpreting the results in which Y-STR profiling plays the main role in solving the clue of those challenging cases creating a unique and valuable tool in forensic investigations. Conclusion: Y-STR Profiling can be employed as an investigative tool presenting solutions for solving several mysterious forensic cases