Evaluation of Negative Energy and Mineral Balance in Periparturient Holstein-Friesian Cattle

Most cows experience a state of negative energy and mineral balance during the periparturient period. This imbalance is a major problem in the dairy industry and it is more frequently seen in multiparous cattle due to their high milk production. A large amount of fat and protein is mobilized in order to address the energy deficit during the periparturient period. The ability to accurately monitor energetics and electrolytes status using accurate, rapid, and low cost point-of-care instruments will assist in optimizing animal health and productivity. This dissertation contains three studies that evaluated point-of-care instruments for measuring blood and plasma glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate, and potassium concentration. The first study, presented in chapter three, evaluated the accuracy of an electrochemical point-of-care meter for measuring blood and plasma glucose concentration in dairy cattle, and characterized the influence of hematocrit and sample temperature on the clinical performance of the meter. A novel equation was developed that accounted for differences in the intra-erythrocyte to plasma ratio of glucose. This equation demonstrated that the algorithm used by the glucometer is optimized for use in human blood and cannot be accurately applied to bovine blood. Sample temperature impacted the measured plasma glucose concentration when the measured value \u3e 160 mg/dL. The second study, presented in chapter four, evaluated the analytical performance of an electrochemical point-of-care meter for measuring blood and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration in dairy cattle, and characterized the influence of hematocrit and sample temperature on the clinical performance of the meter. The meter showed non-linearity in bovine blood when true plasma [BHB] \u3e 3.0 mmol/L. The meter is calibrated for use in human blood and a correction equation was developed. Sample temperature had a significant effect on the measured value of plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration when the measured value \u3e 3.0 mmol/L. The third study, presented in chapter five, evaluated the analytical performance of two ion selective electrode point-of-care meters for measuring plasma, blood, milk, urine and abomasal fluid potassium ion concentrations in dairy cattle. Both meters measured plasma and fat free milk potassium ion concentration ([K+]) 7.3 and 3.6% lower than the indirect ion selective electrode reference method, respectively, and showed excellent performance for measuring potassium ion concentration in abomasal fluid. The ISE methodology is not suitable for measuring [K+] in bovine urine. The dissertation also contains two more studies. The fourth study, presented in chapter six, characterized the change in plasma calcium concentration around calving. This study identified that plasma calcium concentration is decreased at least 9 hours before calving in multiparous dairy cows fed an acidogenic diet in the late dry period. The final study, presented in chapter seven, characterized the change in skeletal muscle thickness during the first month of lactation as assessed by ultrasonographic measurement and plasma creatinine concentration. Ultrasonographic measurement of longissimus dorsi muscle thickness at the level between 12th and 13th rib provides a promising practical and clinically useful on farm tool for monitoring protein mobilization in periparturient dairy cattle, as well as plasma creatinine concentration. The loss in the BCS during the first month of lactation is about 2/3rds fat (backfat thickness) and 1/3rd muscle (total muscle mass), indicating the ultrasonographic measurement of muscle thickness complements ultrasonographic measurement of backfat thickness as a measure of the rate of fat mobilization. Collectively, the results presented in this dissertation evaluated the clinical performance of the human electrochemical glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate point-of-care meter, and two potassium ion selective electrode meters, in cattle, as well as providing an improved understanding of calcium homeostasis and skeletal muscle mobilization in primiparous and multiparous periparturient Holstein-Friesian cattle

Terfezia Boudieri and Terfezia Claveryi Inhibit the LPS/IFN-γ-Mediated Inflammation in RAW 264.7 Macrophages Through an Nrf2-Independent Mechanism

Desert truffles have been used as traditional treatments for a variety of inflammatory disorders. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7 macrophages have remained to be fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the anti-inflammatory activities of two main desert truffles, Terfezia boudieri and Terfezia claveryi and the underlying mechanisms associated with their anti-inflammatory activities in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide/interferon-gamma (LPS/IFN-γ) in order to develop innovative therapeutics for the treatment of inflammation. To address this objective, RAW 264.7 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of T. boudieri and T. claveryi extracts in the presence or absence of LPS/IFN-γ to determine the non-cytotoxic concentrations to be used in the study using MTT assay. RAW 264.7 cells were then stimulated with 100 ng/mL of LPS plus 10 U/mL of IFN-γ and co-incubated with T. boudieri and T. claveryi extracts at concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 µg/mL. Thereafter, the nitric oxide (NO) was measured using Griess assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor-1 (OSGIN1), and the microRNA expression levels of miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-155. On the protein level, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the concentration of TNF-α and IL-6 proteins secreted into the cell culture supernatant, while western blotting was used to determine the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2. Our results demonstrated that LPS/IFN-γ significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6. The production of NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 was remarkably increased in the medium of LPS/IFN-γ-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, the expression levels of miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-155 was induced in response to LPS/IFN-γ stimulation. The protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2 were also increased in LPS/IFN-γ-activated RAW 264.7 cells. However, treatment with T. boudieri and T. claveryi extracts suppressed NO production in a concentration-dependent manner that coincided with downregulation of iNOS expression at the mRNA and protein levels in LPS/IFN-γ-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Both extracts also downregulated the mRNA expression of COX-2, but only T. boudieri which reduced the expression of COX-2 protein. On the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, T. boudieri extract downregulated the expression of TNF-α and IL-6, as evidenced by dose-dependent reductions in their mRNA and protein levels. On the other hand, T. claveryi exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 as well as the inhibition of TNF-α protein secretion. However, this effect failed to extend to the protein level of IL-6. Moreover, both studied extracts significantly downregulated the miRNA expression levels of miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-155, which implies that T. boudieri and T. claveryi suppress the inflammatory response in LPS/IFN-γ-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells through an epigenetic mechanism. To determine whether the anti-inflammatory effects of both Terfezia extracts in LPS/IFN-γ-induced RAW 264.7 cells were related to modulation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway, we examined the potential effect of T. boudieri and T. claveryi on the Nrf2 target genes, HO-1 and OSGIN1. Our findings revealed that both extracts did not activate the Nrf2 target genes, suggesting that Terfezia-mediated anti-inflammatory properties are independent of Nrf2 pathway. Therefore, these results indicate that T. boudieri and T. claveryi exhibit anti-inflammatory activities through suppressing multiple inflammatory mediators and cytokines and may be potential anti-inflammatory agents

SESRI Experience in Managing Field Laptops Deployment

In this technical presentation, I presented the way SESRI configure field laptops and prepare them to the field with maximum security aspects taken into consideration to safeguard against response data lost, Also how SESRI used free tools such as Power Scripting and Inno Scripting to create local accounts and deply surveys to laptops and assign cases to them

Ultras Ahlawy and the Spectacle: Subjects, Resistance and Organized Football Fandom in Egypt

This thesis focuses on organized football fandom groups in Egypt (namely the Ultras Ahlawy- UA07) and how the individual fan is constructed and disciplined in this collective, particularly in the urban settings of Cairo. I examine the Ultras through various lenses. Firstly, the research discusses how the Ultras fans perceive nationalism, how they relate their love to the club to their love of the country and the role of nationalism in creating an imagined community of al-Ahly supporters. Second, I engage in this male exclusive group by tracing how the game is socialized as a masculine game, how the young boys are introduced to the game, the gender dynamics in the group and the fraternity between the group’s individuals. Third, I portray the different performances, graffiti, and ritual practices among the football fans. The making of the political subject and his agency by focusing on the Ultras involvement with the revolution is the fourth lens through which I explore the Ultras. Finally, the thesis discusses how through the Ultras, these organized fans reset their relation to the city through their space making practices in their neighborhoods, in the stadium, in the club, and in different sites where they congregate

The Use of Spectroscopic Techniques in the Characterization of Mycobacterial Metabolites

The mycobacterial cell wall metabolites have always imposed great challenges to researchers due to their unusual complexity and structural diversity. A lot of research efforts have been directed towards the evaluation of these metabolites and the role they play in the pathogenesis and virulence of different serious human pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). In the genomic era, it is crucial to develop new methodologies to analyze these components from a global perspective in a comprehensive and well-validated manner. Towards this end, we developed a rapid NMR-based approach to produce metabolic profiles in the form of 2D1H-13C HSQC maps. Due to NMR low sensitivity, we used 13C-isotope enrichment strategy to improve the detection threshold of NMR. We developed and investigated the use of three NMR-based profiles. The first is for the cell wall associated lipids, the second is for covalently bound mycolic acids and the third deals with the complex cell wall polysaccharides. Key structural features and major lipid species were readily identifiable using this technique. This approach can be used for observing changes in the cell wall due to drug treatment, gene mutation and changes in the physiological environment, species characterization and screening for virulence factor expression. It also allows for rapid comparative analysis of several cell wall metabolites within the same sample. We have used this approach to evaluate the structural diversity displayed in the cell wall metabolites among different Mycobacteria from different clades. We have successfully used the same technique to monitor changes in the carbohydrate and lipid pools from Mycobacteria grown under laboratory conditions that simulate latency and resuscitation from latency. Moreover, we were also able to use such technique to screen for virulence factor in severalM. tuberculosis clinical isolates. Although we have successfully developed and used an NMR approach for metabolite analysis, NMR however remains less sensitive than other spectroscopic techniques like mass spectroscopy (MS). The high sensitivity of MS makes it one of the best candidates for metabolomic studies. However in case of cellular lipids, the low polarity and the variable ionization potential deter its routine use for lipid analysis. Certain metabolites that have low cellular abundance and good ionizability are better analyzed through an MS-based approach. Mycolactones of M. ulcerans and other closely related species are good examples for such metabolites and in this work we have demonstrated the utility of MS as a tool for screening for mycolactones from both bacterial culture and tissue samples. Metabolomics is currently a rapidly growing field and many researchers have directed their attention in developing the right research tools to explore it. Spectroscopic methods along with chromatographic methods have been in the front of this vigorous research effort. The work presented here represents an innovative attempt to utilize such techniques to investigate the metabolome of some of the most serious human pathogens and discusses the potential area where the application of these techniques can be the most useful

Use of CAPI in surveys data collection SESRI experience

In this presentation, we explained the technical challenges and how SESRI solved them to conduct successful CAPI surveys; also, we showed how SESRI dealt with the Qatari society in particular to make the interviewing experience more welcomed to the Qatari families and expatriates

On-chip adaptive power management for WPT-Enabled IoT

Internet of Things (IoT), as broadband network connecting every physical objects, is becoming more widely available in various industrial, medical, home and automotive applications. In such network, the physical devices, vehicles, medical assistance, and home appliances among others are supposed to be embedded by sensors, actuators, radio frequency (RF) antennas, memory, and microprocessors, such that these devices are able to exchange data and connect with other devices in the network. Among other IoT’s pillars, wireless sensor network (WSN) is one of the main parts comprising massive clusters of spatially distributed sensor nodes dedicated for sensing and monitoring environmental conditions. The lifetime of a WSN is greatly dependent on the lifetime of the small sensor nodes, which, in turn, is primarily dependent on energy availability within every sensor node. Predominantly, the main energy source for a sensor node is supplied by a small battery attached to it. In a large WSN with massive number of deployed sensor nodes, it becomes a challenge to replace the batteries of every single sensor node especially for sensor nodes deployed in harsh environments. Consequently, powering the sensor nodes becomes a key limiting issue, which poses important challenges for their practicality and cost. Therefore, in this thesis we propose enabling WSN, as the main pillar of IoT, by means of resonant inductive coupling (RIC) wireless power transfer (WPT). In order to enable efficient energy delivery at higher range, high quality factor RIC-WPT system is required in order to boost the magnetic flux generated at the transmitting coil. However, an adaptive front-end is essential for self-tuning the resonant tank against any mismatch in the components values, distance variation, and interference from close metallic objects. Consequently, the purpose of the thesis is to develop and design an adaptive efficient switch-mode front-end for self-tuning in WPT receivers in multiple receiver system. The thesis start by giving background about the IoT system and the technical bottleneck followed by the problem statement and thesis scope. Then, Chapter 2 provides detailed backgrounds about the RIC-WPT system. Specifically, Chapter 2 analyzes the characteristics of different compensation topologies in RIC-WPT followed by the implications of mistuning on efficiency and power transfer capability. Chapter 3 discusses the concept of switch-mode gyrators as a potential candidate for generic variable reactive element synthesis while different potential applications and design cases are provided. Chapter 4 proposes two different self-tuning control for WPT receivers that utilize switch-mode gyrators as variable reactive element synthesis. The performance aspects of control approaches are discussed and evaluated as well in Chapter 4. The development and exploration of more compact front-end for self-tuned WPT receiver is investigated in Chapter 5 by proposing a phase-controlled switched inductor converter. The operation and design details of different switch-mode phase-controlled topologies are given and evaluated in the same chapter. Finally, Chapter 6 provides the conclusions and highlight the contribution of the thesis, in addition to suggesting the related future research topics.Internet de las cosas (IoT), como red de banda ancha que interconecta cualquier cosa, se está estableciendo como una tecnología valiosa en varias aplicaciones industriales, médicas, domóticas y en el sector del automóvil. En dicha red, los dispositivos físicos, los vehículos, los sistemas de asistencia médica y los electrodomésticos, entre otros, incluyen sensores, actuadores, subsistemas de comunicación, memoria y microprocesadores, de modo que son capaces de intercambiar datos e interconectarse con otros elementos de la red. Entre otros pilares que posibilitan IoT, la red de sensores inalámbricos (WSN), que es una de las partes cruciales del sistema, está formada por un conjunto masivo de nodos de sensado distribuidos espacialmente, y dedicados a sensar y monitorizar las condiciones del contexto de las cosas interconectadas. El tiempo de vida útil de una red WSN depende estrechamente del tiempo de vida de los pequeños nodos sensores, los cuales, a su vez, dependen primordialmente de la disponibilidad de energía en cada nodo sensor. La fuente principal de energía para un nodo sensor suele ser una pequeña batería integrada en él. En una red WSN con muchos nodos y con una alta densidad, es un desafío el reemplazar las baterías de cada nodo sensor, especialmente en entornos hostiles, como puedan ser en escenarios de Industria 4.0. En consecuencia, la alimentación de los nodos sensores constituye uno de los cuellos de botella que limitan un despliegue masivo práctico y de bajo coste. A tenor de estas circunstancias, en esta tesis doctoral se propone habilitar las redes WSN, como pilar principal de sistemas IoT, mediante sistemas de transferencia inalámbrica de energía (WPT) basados en acoplamiento inductivo resonante (RIC). Con objeto de posibilitar el suministro eficiente de energía a mayores distancias, deben aumentarse los factores de calidad de los elementos inductivos resonantes del sistema RIC-WPT, especialmente con el propósito de aumentar el flujo magnético generado por el inductor transmisor de energía y su acoplamiento resonante en recepción. Sin embargo, dotar al cabezal electrónico que gestiona y condicionada el flujo de energía de capacidad adaptativa es esencial para conseguir la autosintonía automática del sistema acoplado y resonante RIC-WPT, que es muy propenso a la desintonía ante desajustes en los parámetros nominales de los componentes, variaciones de distancia entre transmisor y receptores, así como debido a la interferencia de objetos metálicos. Es por tanto el objetivo central de esta tesis doctoral el concebir, proponer, diseñar y validar un sistema de WPT para múltiples receptores que incluya funciones adaptativas de autosintonía mediante circuitos conmutados de alto rendimiento energético, y susceptible de ser integrado en un chip para el condicionamiento de energía en cada receptor de forma miniaturizada y desplegable de forma masiva. La tesis empieza proporcionando una revisión del estado del arte en sistemas de IoT destacando el reto tecnológico de la alimentación energética de los nodos sensores distribuidos y planteando así el foco de la tesis doctoral. El capítulo 2 sigue con una revisión crítica del statu quo de los sistemas de transferencia inalámbrica de energía RIC-WPT. Específicamente, el capítulo 2 analiza las características de diferentes estructuras circuitales de compensación en RIC-WPT seguido de una descripción crítica de las implicaciones de la desintonía en la eficiencia y la capacidad de transferencia energética del sistema. El capítulo 3 propone y explora el concepto de utilizar circuitos conmutados con función de girador como potenciales candidatos para la síntesis de propósito general de elementos reactivos variables sintonizables electrónicamente, incluyendo varias aplicaciones y casos de uso. El capítulo 4 propone dos alternativas para métodos y circuitos de control para la autosintonía de receptores de energíaPostprint (published version

Impact of a Designed Nursing Intervention protocol on Myocardial Infarction Patient's Outcome at a selected University Hospital in Egypt

Background: Myocardial infarction is a life threatening disease that influences the physical, psychological and social dimensions of the individual. Improper lifestyle is one of the causes of this disease.  The  designing and implementing  of  nursing  intervention protocol for MI patients could  be  one  of  the  important  and fundamental steps in improving MI patients outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a designed nursing intervention protocol on myocardial infarction patient’s outcomes as indicated by higher post total mean knowledge scores, higher post total mean practices scores and high level of compliance to lifelong instruction. Research hypotheses: H1. Patients who will be exposed to a designed nursing intervention protocol will have a higher post total mean knowledge scores; H2. Patients who will be exposed to a designed nursing intervention protocol will have a higher post total mean practices scores; H3. Patients who will be exposed to a designed nursing intervention protocol will have a high level of compliance to lifelong instruction. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study Sample: A convenience sample of 40 adult male and female MI patients. Setting: The cardiac care units at a selected Cairo University Hospital were recruited to fulfill the aim of this study. Tools: Four tools were formulated& tested to collect data pertinent to the study; Socio-demographic and medical data sheet, Pre/Post knowledge questionnaire sheet, an Observational checklist and Compliance assessment sheet. Structured interview, reviewing medical records and direct observation were utilized for data collection. Results: The study results revealed that the post total mean knowledge scores of the studied subjects is increased significantly with value of t= 20.6 at p=0.000, higher post total practice scores among the studied subjects with t& p values (t=5.6 at p= 0.000 ) also, studied subjects had mild to high compliance level regarding the lifelong instructions. Conclusion: It can be concluded that, enrichment of patients' knowledge and practices in relation to their condition and utilization of the effective nursing intervention protocol as an approach of care could have a positive impact upon improvement of patients' outcome. Recommendations: The study recommended Conduction of further studies in order to assess the effectiveness of the designed protocol on patients' outcome regarding different cardiac disorders with replication of this study on a larger probability sample from different geographical locations at the Arab Republic of Egypt, in addition to establishment of cardiac rehabilitation center in the different heath care organizations. Keywards: Nursing intervention protocol, Myocardial Infarction, Outcomes, Cardiac care units