Changes in Panicum maximum Jacq. (Mombasa cv) Canopy Cover and its Relation to Forage Productivity under Leucaena Leucocephala Alley Cropping and NPK Fertilization in an Arid Agroforestry Systems in Saudi Arabia

There is an increasing need for intercropping practices in drylands to increase land-use efficiency. Canopy cover is a great tool for assessing agricultural yield, as it is an indicator of plant health and productivity. The smartphone-based application Canopeo was used to measure the canopy cover (CC) of Panicum maximum Jacq. (Mombasa cv) under mixed intercropping with Leucaena and four (4) fertilization levels (control, 200 kg, 300 kg, and 400 kg of NPK). The forage yield and CC were measured for six (6) consecutive cuttings. Forage quality (N, P, K, and protein levels) was also analyzed. The results revealed a highly positive correlation between the CC and crop yield and quality. In addition, the application of fertilizers produced higher CC, which was associated with higher yield and forage quality. The relatively low correlation between CC and yield in intercropping may be due to the high competition of the Leucaena tree.  However, the entire intercropping system was positive (with an LER of 2.7), indicating better land-use efficiency. The results indicate that intercropping in drylands would result in better land use. The application of NPK fertilizers increases crop CC, resulting in higher forage yield and quality.&nbsp

Optimization of an off-grid PV/biogas hybrid energy system for electrification: A case study in a rural area in Egypt

The increasing demand for energy in remote or rural areas, coupled with the environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness of renewable energy sources, has led to a growing interest in off-grid energy systems. This paper proposes an optimized off-grid energy system to supply energy demand for a village and a desalination reverse osmosis water plant (RO) in Shalateen, Egypt, using a combination of photovoltaic (PV) and biomass technologies. To achieve minimizing Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) and Total Net Present Cost (TNPC), two decision variables are optimized using the Harmony Search algorithm implemented in MATLAB. The reliability of a designed system is met by considering the LPSP concept. The proposed system utilizes PV system as the primary energy source to power the electrical loads, with a biomass plant serving as a backup to increase system reliability and cost-effectiveness. The Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy is applied to further enhance the system\u27s cost-effectiveness. Five scenarios are studied to investigate their impact on the optimal design, the obtained results indicate that using PV/biomass generation system with DSM and LPSP is more promising

Analytical Characterization of Rococo Paintings in Egypt: Preliminary Results from El-Gawhara Palace at Cairo

El-Gawhara palace (1813–1814 AD) is situated south of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the Cairo Citadel. This palace is an important example of the best early 19th century rococo decorations in Egypt. The present study reports some of the results obtained from the application of different analytical techniques to characterize some rococo paintings at El-Gawhara palace at Cairo, Egypt. The characterization of the studied paintings was carried out by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT−IR). The obtained results allowed the identification of the chemical composition, structure and the painting technique employed in these paintings. This methodology reveals some useful information on some rococo paintings dating back to the 19th century in Egypt

Do Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Predict Under-Five Mortality in Nigeria?

Nigerian children under 5 years of age are over 15 times more at risk of death than their counterparts in developed regions of the world; the prevalence of miscarriage, an adverse pregnancy outcome (APO), was estimated at 49%. In the present study, the relationship between APO and under-5 mortality (U5M) in Nigeria was examined to determine if APO could be used as a reliable early warning indicator for U5M. We used a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of datasets from three Nigeria demographic and health surveys: 2003, 2008, and 2013. The study population was women of reproductive age (15–49). Cochran–Mantel–Haenzel chi-square statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed to determine the association, based on maternal socioeconomic factors and access to prenatal healthcare. Results indicated a significant inverse association between APO and U5M. The children of women who have experienced any form of APO may be at lower risk of U5M than children of women who have never had any APO. The implication is that history of APO may not be a reliable early warning indicator for determining higher risk of U5M. These findings suggest further studies to explore the pathway of this association

Extensions of Weak PS-Rings

In this paper, we prove that, under mild conditions, if R is a right weak PS-ring, then so does the skew inverse power series ring R[[x−1;α,δ]], the skew generalized power series ring R[[S,ω]], and the differential inverse power series ring R[[x−1;δ]]

Using recycled materials towards sustainable, eco-friendly building in hot regions – A Review

Due to population growth and increased urban activity, there is a rise in waste production, which poses health and environmental risks. Additionally, the extraction and transportation of natural resources to places of employment require significant energy consumption, and the world has therefore moved to seek new alternatives away from traditional construction methods by recycling building materials such as concrete, brick, glass, wood, etc., or using new building materials such as rice straw, plastics, corks, etc., taking into account architectural design. The research is aimed at demonstrating that recycled materials have the potential to perform a better environmental performance by preserving the environment and the natural resources used to produce construction materials and providing energy of all kinds, as well as reducing costs

Functional Assessment of the Dural Lymphatic Vessels Using Dynamic Contrast MRI in Multiple Sclerosis

Background and purpose The discovery of glymphatic function in the human brain has generated interest in waste clearance mechanisms in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, noninvasive in vivo functional assessment is currently lacking. This work studies the feasibility of a novel intravenous dynamic contrast MRI method to assess the dural lymphatics, a purported pathway contributing to glymphatic clearance. Methods This prospective study included 20 patients with MS (17 women; age = 46.4 [27, 65] years; disease duration = 13.6 [2.1, 38.0] years, expanded disability status score (EDSS) = 2.0 [0, 6.5]). Patients were scanned on a 3.0T MRI system using intravenous contrast‐enhanced fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery MRI. Signal in the dural lymphatic vessel along the superior sagittal sinus was measured to calculate peak enhancement, time to maximum enhancement, wash‐in and washout slopes, and the area under the time‐intensity curve (AUC). Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the lymphatic dynamic parameters and the demographic and clinical characteristics, including the lesion load and the brain parenchymal fraction (BPF). Results Contrast enhancement was detected in the dural lymphatics in most patients 2–3 min after contrast administration. BPF had a significant correlation with AUC (p \u3c .03), peak enhancement (p \u3c .01), and wash‐in slope (p = .01). Lymphatic dynamic parameters did not correlate with age, BMI, disease duration, EDSS, or lesion load. Moderate trends were observed for correlation between patient age and AUC (p = .062), BMI and peak enhancement (p = .059), and BMI and AUC (p = .093). Conclusion Intravenous dynamic contrast MRI of the dural lymphatics is feasible and may be useful in characterizing its hydrodynamics in neurological diseases

Functional Assessment of the Dural Lymphatic Vessels Using Dynamic Contrast MRI in Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The discovery of glymphatic function in the human brain has generated interest in waste clearance mechanisms in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, noninvasive in vivo functional assessment is currently lacking. This work studies the feasibility of a novel intravenous dynamic contrast MRI method to assess the dural lymphatics, a purported pathway contributing to glymphatic clearance. METHODS: This prospective study included 20 patients with MS (17 women; age = 46.4 [27, 65] years; disease duration = 13.6 [2.1, 38.0] years, expanded disability status score (EDSS) = 2.0 [0, 6.5]). Patients were scanned on a 3.0T MRI system using intravenous contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MRI. Signal in the dural lymphatic vessel along the superior sagittal sinus was measured to calculate peak enhancement, time to maximum enhancement, wash-in and washout slopes, and the area under the time-intensity curve (AUC). Correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between the lymphatic dynamic parameters and the demographic and clinical characteristics, including the lesion load and the brain parenchymal fraction (BPF). RESULTS: Contrast enhancement was detected in the dural lymphatics in most patients 2-3 min after contrast administration. BPF had a significant correlation with AUC (p \u3c .03), peak enhancement (p \u3c .01), and wash-in slope (p = .01). Lymphatic dynamic parameters did not correlate with age, BMI, disease duration, EDSS, or lesion load. Moderate trends were observed for correlation between patient age and AUC (p = .062), BMI and peak enhancement (p = .059), and BMI and AUC (p = .093). CONCLUSION: Intravenous dynamic contrast MRI of the dural lymphatics is feasible and may be useful in characterizing its hydrodynamics in neurological diseases