Cities' Identity Through Architecture and Art

Intended to be a guide for academics, scholars, and interested leaders, this book was designed to critically assess issues related to architectural identity, the city as a scene, the city as an organism, the city as a subject, and the planning or rather approaching of one. A pressing issue for many researchers in the field, the book discusses the negative repercussions resulting from globalization. Studies have indicated that globalization, despite all the positive effects, has resulted in a loss of identity within a city. As a city develops over time, its identity is evolving as well and may even be lost due to rapid and constant changes it is subjected to. Discussed as well are examples and tendencies in dealing with urban identities as well as the transformation of cities and urban cultures mentioned in terms of form, identity, and art. This book is a combination of innovative research submitted to a conference on Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts (CITAA) whereas scholars from all over the world gather in one venue to discuss cultural, historical, and economic issues of the city. Thus, the book offers a collective and global solution that is applicable on a universal level. The research presented in this book was conducted by authors, or rather participants of the conference from, three different continents of the world and organized by IEREK. It was a distinct opportunity for them to share their thoughts with leading scholars and professionals in the field of Architecture, Arts, and Planning. The research and materials in this book are directed at those who are actively engaged in the decision-making processes and to a heterogeneous audience who has an interest to critically examine all the new literature available in the field. A special word of thanks should be made to the editors of this book and to all the authors and co-authors of the chapters who collectively provided the academic community with unique and increasingly valuable literature

Impact of Sever Plasmodium falciparum infection on Platelets Parameters among Sudanese children Living in Al-Jazira State

Background: Falciparum malaria remains one of the most global infection among children particularly in communities with poor resources. Falciparum malaria associated with several hematological changes that affect the major blood cell lines such as platelets lead to platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) abnormalities. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of falciparum malaria on platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) among Sudanese children. In addition to study relationships and correlation between platelets parameters and malaria parasitemia and parasite count. Materials and Methods: A case control study was conducted in Wad Medani Pediatric Hospital in collaboration with Faculty of Medical laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Sudan among 100 children with severe falciparum malaria (mean age 8.63 ± 3.40 years; 61% males), 100 children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria (mean age 8.83 ± 4.20 years; 45% males) and 100 children with normal healthy children controls (mean age 10.08 ± 3.58 years; 50% males). Parasitemia and parasite count (%) was determined directly from thick and thin blood films respectively. The platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) measured by using Sysmex XP 300 N automated analyzer, and platelets count was confirmed and assessed using stained thin blood film. SPSS software (V 20.0) and Stat disk software (V 13.0) were used for data analysis. Results: 72 % of severe falciparum malaria (SM) have hyperparasitemia, while 18 % among uncomplicated falciparum malaria (UM). The thrombocytopenia account for 43 % (SM: 30.5 %; UM: 12.5 %), low PCT account for 35.5 % (SM: 27 %; UM: 8.5 %) and high PDW account for 46.5 % (SM: 23.5 %; UM: 23 %) in falciparum malaria cases. The mean PLTs count and PDW were statistically significantly differences between falciparum malaria cases and normal healthy control (P value 0.000 and 0.008 respectively). The mean PLTs count and PCT in severe falciparum malaria cases were lower than uncomplicated falciparum malaria cases (P value 0.005 and 0.000 respectively). The PLTs count and PCT had significant negative correlation within malaria parasitemia (P value 0.000; r -0.286; P value 0.004; r -0.205 respectively) and malaria parasite count (P value 0.000; r -0.450; P value 0.000; r -0.270 respectively). Conclusion: The study concluded that thrombocytopenia, low PCT and high PDW were observed as most platelets parameters changes in falciparum malaria. PLTs count along with PCT to be recommended as hematological diagnostic markers and prognostic tool to assess the disease severity and to improve the management of falciparum malaria among patients

Impact of Sever Plasmodium falciparum infection on Platelets Parameters among Sudanese children Living in Al-Jazira State

Background: Falciparum malaria remains one of the most global infection among children particularly in communities with poor resources. Falciparum malaria associated with several hematological changes that affect the major blood cell lines such as platelets lead to platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) abnormalities. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of falciparum malaria on platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) among Sudanese children. In addition to study relationships and correlation between platelets parameters and malaria parasitemia and parasite count. Materials and Methods: A case control study was conducted in Wad Medani Pediatric Hospital in collaboration with Faculty of Medical laboratory Sciences, University of Gezira, Sudan among 100 children with severe falciparum malaria (mean age 8.63 ± 3.40 years; 61% males), 100 children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria (mean age 8.83 ± 4.20 years; 45% males) and 100 children with normal healthy children controls (mean age 10.08 ± 3.58 years; 50% males). Parasitemia and parasite count (%) was determined directly from thick and thin blood films respectively. The platelets parameters (platelets count and indices) measured by using Sysmex XP 300 N automated analyzer, and platelets count was confirmed and assessed using stained thin blood film. SPSS software (V 20.0) and Stat disk software (V 13.0) were used for data analysis. Results: 72 % of severe falciparum malaria (SM) have hyperparasitemia, while 18 % among uncomplicated falciparum malaria (UM). The thrombocytopenia account for 43 % (SM: 30.5 %; UM: 12.5 %), low PCT account for 35.5 % (SM: 27 %; UM: 8.5 %) and high PDW account for 46.5 % (SM: 23.5 %; UM: 23 %) in falciparum malaria cases. The mean PLTs count and PDW were statistically significantly differences between falciparum malaria cases and normal healthy control (P value 0.000 and 0.008 respectively). The mean PLTs count and PCT in severe falciparum malaria cases were lower than uncomplicated falciparum malaria cases (P value 0.005 and 0.000 respectively). The PLTs count and PCT had significant negative correlation within malaria parasitemia (P value 0.000; r -0.286; P value 0.004; r -0.205 respectively) and malaria parasite count (P value 0.000; r -0.450; P value 0.000; r -0.270 respectively). Conclusion: The study concluded that thrombocytopenia, low PCT and high PDW were observed as most platelets parameters changes in falciparum malaria. PLTs count along with PCT to be recommended as hematological diagnostic markers and prognostic tool to assess the disease severity and to improve the management of falciparum malaria among patients

An experimental study of algorithms for obtaining a singly connected subgraph

A directed graph G = (V,E) is singly connected if for any two vertices v, u of V, the directed graph G contains at most one simple path from v to u. In this paper, we study different algorithms to find a feasible but necessarily optimal solution to the following problem. Given a directed acyclic graph G = (V, E), find a subset H of E of minimum size such that the subgraph (V, E-H) is singly connected. Moreover, we prove that this problem can be solved in polynomial time for a special kind of directed graphs

First reports of the Sohal surgeonfish, Acanthurus sohal (Forsskål, 1775) (Actinopterygii, Acanthuridae), and the Violet-eyed swimming crab, Carupa tenuipes Dana, 1852 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae), from North African waters

On March 25, 2022, one specimen of the Sohal surgeonfish Acanthurus sohal and one of the Violet-eyed swimming crab Carupa tenuipes were collected for the first time off the north coastline of Egypt and Libya, respectively. The native range of both species includes the Red Sea, and here, they are reported for the first time from the southern Mediterranean Sea. The second record of the Lessepsian migrant Pteragogus trispilus from Libyan waters, also caught on March 25, 2022, is furthermore included.peer-reviewe

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and “Near MIS-C”: A continuum?

IntroductionReports of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, have been increasing worldwide, with an incidence varying significantly across studies based on the definition used for the diagnosis. At our tertiary medical center in Lebanon, we encountered several cases that presented a diagnostic challenge because they mimicked MIS-C but did not meet the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition. We decided to review these cases and describe their features in comparison with cases that met the CDC criteria of MIS-C and those that had an alternative diagnosis.MethodsThis is a retrospective chart review of subjects aged <19 years old admitted to the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021, with suspected or confirmed MIS-C, following documented COVID-19 infection, with sufficient or insufficient criteria for diagnosis. Subjects were classified into 3 groups: “MIS-C”, “Near MIS-C” and “Alternative Diagnosis”.ResultsA total number of 29 subjects were included in our cohort. Fever was present in all subjects. In the MIS-C group, evidence for cardiovascular system involvement was the most common feature followed by the mucocutaneous and gastrointestinal systems. In the “Near MIS-C” and “Alternative Diagnosis” group, gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common with only one patient with cardiac abnormalities and none with coagulopathy. Subjects with typical MIS-C presentation had higher inflammatory markers when compared to subjects in the other groups. Almost all the subjects had positive IgG for SARS-CoV-2. Of the 29 subjects, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) case definition would have identified all suspected cases without an alternative diagnosis as MIS-C, whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC definitions would have excluded 6 and 10 subjects, respectively.ConclusionMIS-C presents a diagnostic challenge due to the nonspecific symptoms, lack of pathognomonic findings, and potentially fatal complications. More research is needed to fully understand its pathogenesis, clinical presentation spectrum, and diagnostic criteria. Based on our experience, we favor the hypothesis that MIS-C has a continuum of severity that necessitates revisiting and unifying the current definitions

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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