Hair histology as a tool for forensic identification of some domestic animal species

Animal hair examination at a criminal scene may provide valuable information in forensic investigations. However, local reference databases for animal hair identification are rare. In the present study, we provide differential histological analysis of hair of some domestic animals in Upper Egypt. For this purpose, guard hair of large ruminants (buffalo, camel and cow), small ruminants (sheep and goat), equine (horse and donkey) and canine (dog and cat) were collected and comparative analysis was performed by light microscopy. Based on the hair cuticle scale pattern, type and diameter of the medulla, and the pigmentation, characteristic differential features of each animal species were identified. The cuticle scale pattern was imbricate in all tested animals except in donkey, in which coronal scales were identified. The cuticle scale margin type, shape and the distance in between were characteristic for each animal species. The hair medulla was continuous in most of the tested animal species with the exception of sheep, in which fragmental medulla was detected. The diameter of the hair medulla and the margins differ according to the animal species. Hair shaft pigmentation were not detected in all tested animals with the exception of camel and buffalo, in which granules and streak-like pigmentation were detected. In conclusion, the present study provides a first-step towards preparation of a complete local reference database for animal hair identification that can be used in forensic investigations.Comment: 8 pages, 3 Figure

Folate Nanoparticle Conjugates

The folate receptor is overexpressed on the surface of numerous cancer cell types including those of the breast, lung, kidney, ovary, and brain. Recent interest has exploded in the use of folate to deliver payloads and imaging agents to folate receptor positive cancer cells based on several positive clinical trials including phase III trials of EC-145, which is poised to become the first folate targeted, FDA approved drug. Given the success of EC-145 and numerous other agents in the pharmaceutical pipeline, there remains a great interest in the exploitation of this technology in the delivery of nanoscale agents to folate receptor positive cancer cells. In this review I will examine the current status and role of folate targeted nanoconjugates for both diagnostic imaging and therapy

A Combined Trip Generation, Trip Distribution, Modal Split and Traffic Assignment Model

Revised and submitted to Transportation Science February 1985.We introduce a transportation equilibrium model that simultaneously predicts trip generation, trip distribution, modal split, and traffic assignment by algorithms that are guaranteed to converge to an equilibrium and are computationally efficient for large-scale systems. The model is formulated as an equivalent optimization problem, yet it allows realistic, flexible and behaviorally acceptable demand models

Sensors data collection framework using mobile identification with secure data sharing model

Sensors are the modules or electronic devices that are used to measure and get environmental events and send the captured data to other devices, usually computer processors allocated on the cloud. One of the most recent challenges is to protect and save the privacy issues of those sensors data on the cloud sharing. In this paper, sensors data collection framework is proposed using mobile identification and proxy re-encryption model for data sharing. The proposed framework includes: identity broker server, sensors managing and monitoring applications, messages queuing sever and data repository server. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed proxy re-encryption model can work in real time

Assessment of irradiated TiO2 nanoparticles on the growth and nutritional components of broccoli

Broccoli is highly tremendously as it is enriched with healthy promoting phytochemicals. This research was undertaken to study the feedback of broccoli to different concentrations of un-irradiated and irradiated (50 kGy of gamma rays) titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs). Un-irradiated and irradiated titanium dioxide characterization was accomplished by FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM and TEM. Foliar spray of titanium dioxide was applied to the broccoli in regards to the results of the characterizations. The growth traits; plant height, leaves No. per plant as well as stem diameter of plants and physical quality of heads were measured. Also, nutritional components of heads were determined. The results detailed that vegetative growth and physical quality of heads positively responded to foliar application of titanium dioxide compared to those obtained from control and 50 ppm from irradiated titanium dioxide (ITiO2NPs) gave the highest values of all traits. Regarding to nutritional components of heads, the efficiency of photosynthesis increased by using TiO2 (un-irradiated and irradiated) specially, 50 ppm ITiO2NPs. Application of Ti significantly increased the osmolytes concentrations such as proline, total free amino acids and soluble sugars as well as the extracts of heads sprayed with TiO2NPs concentrations displayed a prospective DPPH free radical scavenging action. Likewise, absorption of other nutrient elements and amino acids pool increased by spraying TiO2NPs. It was found that there are several phytochemical constituents identified by GC-MS that contribute to the biological activity of the methanol extract of broccoli heads that were affected by the use of TiO2NPs. It is clear that from above results, the using of ITiO2NPs specially; 50 ppm stimulated growth, resulting in improved quality of broccoli heads which is ultimately reflected in productivity

Clinical significance and treatment of striae gravidarum during pregnancy: a review article

Abdominal stretch marks found during pregnancy may be indicative of poor skin elasticity. One who does not have stretch marks may have better skin elasticity and may be less likely to tear perineal and vaginal tissue during vaginal delivery. Striae gravidarum (SG) is a common phenomenon of stretch marks observed during pregnancy that may be an indicator of poor skin elasticity. The type and amount of collagen in connective tissue are considered to determine the individual’s elastic index. The skin surface is made up of a complex network of crossing thin lines. The two-dimensional relationship between primary and secondary lines determines the skin texture and its grade of irregularity. SG is caused by changes in the structural connective tissue due to a hormonal elect on the alignment and reduced elastin and fibrillin in the dermis. Severity scoring of SG was observed using the numerical scoring system of Atwal. This score provides a rank based on observation of four areas in which SG is most commonly observed (abdomen, hips, buttocks, and breast)

Influence of horizontal restraints on the behaviour of concrete slabs

Investigates the influence of horozontal restraints on the behaviour of concrete slabs subjected to central concentrated loads

Guidelines for data collection on energy performance of higher-education buildings in Egypt: a case study

Reliable energy analysis of buildings relies heavily on high-quality data leading to proper indicators. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of data quality in analyzing energy usage in residential and non-residential buildings in order to transform declarations to actions, optimise energy efficiency policies and monitor progress and failures in countries. Collected data must adhere to national and international standards for energy performance in buildings. This study aims to provide practical guidelines for effectively collecting and preparing data suitable for evaluating energy performance in Egyptian higher-education (HE) buildings. The guidelines are developed based on a comprehensive case study, considering data availability in typical educational facilities. Architectural and civil engineering drawings, construction specifications, and occupancy details are accessible. However, actual monthly electrical and natural gas consumption data for individual buildings are lacking. To address this, the study proposes the creation of detailed datasheets for each building, encompassing all energy sources and their electrical and power specifications, such as equipment, machinery, and HVAC systems. These datasheets were utilized to calculate energy consumption and energy usage indicators (EUI). The findings demonstrate that the datasheets enable adequate assessment of energy usage in various spaces within educational buildings, including staff rooms, lecture halls, and laboratories. This facilitates the identification of areas in need of targeted energy efficiency improvements. Notably, the study reveals that electricity consumption in the Faculty of Engineering building is significantly influenced by PCs, laboratories, lighting, and air conditioning

Antiscaling Evaluation and Quantum Chemical Studies of Nitrogen-Free Organophosphorus Compounds for Oilfield Scale Management

Nonpolymeric aminomethylenephosphonates are widely used as powerful scale inhibitors in the petroleum industry. However, most of these inhibitors have certain drawbacks, such as low biodegradability and incompatibilities with high calcium brines. Therefore, there is a great need to explore more biodegradable phosphonated oilfield scale inhibitors affording high calcium-ion tolerance. In this project, known and new nitrogen-free phosphonates have been tested as scale inhibitors against carbonate and sulfate scales according to the Heidrun oilfield, Norway. The considered nitrogen-free scale inhibitors are 1,2,4-phosphonobutanetricarboxylic acid (PBTCA), hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid (HPAA), phosphonoacetic acid (PAA), and 3-phosphonopropanoic acid (PPA). A high-pressure dynamic tube-blocking test, calcium tolerance, thermal aging, and seawater biodegradation were used to assess the antiscaling performance of these inhibitors. A very good to excellent performance of all nitrogen-free phosphonate scale inhibitors has been observed against the calcite scaling. A biodegradable naturally occurring PAA displayed a very good calcite inhibition efficiency and afforded excellent thermal stability at 130 °C for 7 days under anaerobic conditions. PAA also gave outstanding tolerance activity with all concentrations up to 10 000 ppm calcium ions. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations predicted higher affinities of the commercial SIs compared to the nitrogen-free molecules, which is in line with their calcium compatibilities. The high calcium tolerance of nitrogen-free molecules makes them more efficient than commercial inhibitors. Further, DFT solid-state simulations reveal that the affinities of the nitrogen-free molecules for the calcite surface are higher than the barite surface, which agrees well with the experimental fail inhibitor concentration (FIC) data. The sluggish and complicated kinetics of the barite scale formation compared to the calcite scale explain well the high concentrations of the nitrogen-free molecules required for barite inhibition. In summary, our results showed that the nitrogen-free molecules show good potential as scale inhibitors for both calcite and barite. However, for the latter scale, further optimization is needed for optimal performance.publishedVersio