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Patterned PCL/PGS Nanofibrous Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Scaffolds Promote Cellular Response and Modulate Gene Expression Profiles
No full textChronic wounds impose a significant burden on individuals and healthcare systems, necessitating the development of advanced wound management strategies. Tissue engineering, with its ability to create scaffolds that mimic native tissue structures and promote cellular responses, offers a promising approach. Electrospinning, a widely used technique, can fabricate nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue regeneration. In this study, we developed patterned nanofibrous scaffolds using a blend of poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS), known for their biocompatibility and biodegradability. By employing a mesh collector, we achieved a unique fiber orientation pattern that emulated the natural tissue architecture. The average fiber diameter of PGS/PCL collected on aluminum foil and on mesh was found to be 665.2 ± 4 and 404.8 ± 16 nm, respectively. To enhance the scaffolds’ bioactivity and surface properties, it was coated with hyaluronic acid (HA), a key component of the extracellular matrix known for its wound-healing properties. The HA coating improved the scaffold hydrophilicity and surface wettability, facilitating cell attachment, spreading, and migration. Furthermore, the HA-coated scaffold exhibited enhanced biocompatibility, promoting cell viability and proliferation. High-throughput RNA sequencing was performed to analyze the influence of the fabricated scaffold on the gene expression levels of endothelial cells. The top-upregulated biological processes and pathways include cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation. The results revealed significant alterations in gene expression profiles, indicating the scaffold’s ability to modulate cellular functions and promote wound healing processes. The developed scaffold holds great promise for advanced wound management and tissue regeneration applications. By harnessing the advantages of aligned nanofibers, biocompatible polymers, and HA coating, this scaffold represents a potential solution for improving wound healing outcomes and improving the quality of life for individuals suffering from chronic wounds
Depression in geriatrics: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and risk factors in Egypt
No full textBackground: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in older adults, even though it is commonly misdiagnosed and undertreated, leading to exacerbations of preexisting medical conditions and even a higher mortality rate. In the present systematic review with meta-analysis, we quantify the magnitude of depression and its associated risk factors among the older adult population in Egypt. Methods: A thorough literature search was performed from 2010 up to October 2023. The results were presented as proportions or risk difference with a 95% confidence interval (CI) calculated using the random effects model. A sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the robustness of the results. Results: Our study included 14 articles with 5857 older adults published between 2011 and 2023. All the included studies assessed depression in geriatrics using the Geriatric Depression Scale. Of the 14 studies, 5 were for community-dwelling older adults, 3 were for older adults attending primary health care (PHC) centers, 2 were for hospitalized older adults, 3 were for residing in geriatric homes, and one for residing in geriatric homes, hospitalized older adults, and community-dwelling older adults. The overall prevalence of depression among Egyptian geriatrics was 64.6%. The pooled prevalence of depression was 59.6%, 67.0%, 67.0%, and 62.0% for community-dwelling older adults, older adults people attending PHC, hospitalized older adults, and older adults residing in geriatric homes, respectively. Older adults with chronic illness, female sex, and low-income elders and elders who were not employed had a higher risk for depression with pooled risk differences of 34.9%, 17.8%, 23.8%, and 15.1% (P \u3c 0.05), respectively. In contrast, there was no significant difference in risk for depression in the older adults residing in urban areas compared to rural areas, the older adults aged + 70 compared to those less than 70, individuals with low levels of education or who are illiterate compared with those with higher levels of education and the older adults who live alone compared with those living with family. Conclusion: More than half of the older adults in Egypt suffer from depressive symptoms. Chronic diseases, female sex, unemployment, and low-income inequality are the most significant factors contributing to depression among Egypt’s older adults
The role of the residential balcony in local context; perception of Cairene women
No full textPurpose: Since public and private spaces are generally considered to be the fundamental building blocks for residential settings, this study draws attention to the need to consider and detail threshold spaces as one of the key aspects for accomplishing sociocultural needs, restoration and well-being in the residential environment. Understanding the function and uses of these spaces allows us to appreciate their benefits which are often neglected. This research particularly focuses on the social dimension of one fundamental threshold pattern; the Cairene balcony. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative anthropological approach was adopted in this research where in-depth interviews with female residents (n = 46) were conducted in three local contexts in Cairo, Egypt in parallel with non-participatory observation. The present piece focuses on the results elicited from the female residents’ interviews. Findings: Irrespective of the income group, sociocultural background and context, dominating factors influencing women’s perception of the role of the Cairene balcony were commonly present. These included issues of; well-being and restoration, the phenomenon of personalization and identity, functional and communicative purposes, safety and security and privacy and control. Overall, the majority of interviewees stressed the significance of the balcony as a prominent source of prospect and an impermissible part of the residential environment. Originality/value: The fact that little research has been conducted to examine the everyday use of the balcony and the role it plays in Cairene homes makes this “dedicated” research piece a valuable addition
A VR-Based Safety Training Program for General and Enabling Works in Construction Projects
No full textPast research has proved that the provision of effective safety training is a primary course of action that minimizes construction accidents. Similarly, the incorporation of VR technology in safety training has gained a wide momentum to overcome the limitations of traditional safety training. In fact, VR has proved to significantly contribute to the learning outcomes of trainees in construction training. However, existing safety VR-based training programs are incomprehensive with a limited number of hazards; thus, there still exists a gap when it comes to the transition from confined to thorough and all-inclusive VR-based training programs that conclusively address a specific topic. Against this backdrop, this research develops a full VR-based safety training program that addresses the hazards in general and enabling works of construction projects. This is done to verify the feasibility and viability of VR technology when implemented and used on a larger scale. The module consists of five chapters that are taught in 10 main consecutive VR scenarios addressing a wide range of relevant hazards. The results revealed that the development of the module is feasible and viable
Electrochemical catalysis for the production of green cement: towards decarbonizing the cement industry
No full textAmong the most significant sources of CO2 emissions, cement manufacturing contributes 8% of such emissions worldwide. The CO2 emissions are generated from a few key sources: around 60% comes from the decomposition of limestone into calcium oxide, 30% from the combustion of fossil fuels (mainly coal), and roughly 10% from power consumption. To reduce CO2 emissions during cement manufacturing, alternative fuels, binders, and renewable energy sources could be utilized to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the reduction of CO2 released from the conversion process of limestone into calcium oxide still presents a significant challenge. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of different electrochemical production approaches of green cement. One of these promising approaches is the decarbonization of CaCO3 into Ca(OH)2, while generating pure H2 at the cathode and O2/CO2 gas mixtures at the anode, using several pathways. Ca(OH)2 is a precursor to cement clinker, whose primary use is to manufacture Portland cement. The produced concentrated gas streams of H2 and/or O2 can be used to produce electricity with extremely little pollution through fuel cells or combustion engines. Although hydrogen is the basic fuel for fuel cells, fuel cells require oxygen too. Large portions of hydrogen and oxygen combine to form a harmless by-product, which is water. From an economic point of view, this produced electrical current can be directed to the green cement manufacturing process and can be used to power any electric motor or device
Is It Who You Are or What You Get? Comparing the Impacts of Loans and Grants for Microenterprise Development
No full textIs the type of financial support provided to businesses more important than which businesses receive it? Loans and grants can lead to differences in optimal investments and in scope for moral hazard. We randomize 3,293 business loan applicants into receiving a loan, cash grant, in-kind grant, or nothing. All treatments equally increase income, yet there are large differences within a treatment group with impacts concentrated at the top of the distribution. Those who succeed with loans are observationally equivalent to those who succeed with grants, showcasing that owner heterogeneity is more important than the type of support received in microenterprise development
Outdoor learning environment as a teaching tool for integrating education for sustainable development in kindergarten, Egypt
No full textDespite the importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), there is a lack of emphasis on integrating ESD principles into the learning/physical environment, particularly in early childhood education. Underutilized school grounds and limited outdoor learning opportunities, uninvolved school stakeholders and community hinder the realization of the full transformative potential of education and disconnect learners from real-world experiences. Thus, this study explores how to transform the school grounds into outdoor learning that teaches ESD. To achieve this aim, a quasi-experiment method approach was implemented at Gamal Abdel Naser experimental school in Egypt based on a proposed theoretical framework. The framework adopts UNESCO roadmap for ESD, and integrates it with adaptation in the built environment to reach a “Whole-Institution Approach” indicated in Anne Taylor\u27s theory “Learning Environment as a 3D Textbook”. The findings demonstrate the transformation of the existing traditional school from individual decision-making to whole institution stakeholder participation including schoolchildren, from subject matter discipline to integrated SDGs 7, 12, 17 within the existing curriculum utilizing the outdoor learning environment as a teaching tool, where enhancing active learning experience in the real context compared with previous passive learning. It also emphasizes the crucial role of architects beyond design in shaping the learning environment and educating the teachers and schoolchildren. The study contributes practical insights for the collaboration of architects, policymakers, and educators involved in early childhood education. It proposes the revision of the codes and standards of to the General Authority for Educational Buildings to integrate ESD in the existing school buildings
Noncoherent Frequency-Shift Keying for Ambient Backscatter over OFDM Signals
No full textIn this paper, we investigate frequency shift keying (FSK) over ambient orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) signals. By cycling through a sequence of antenna loads providing different phase shifts at the tag, we are able to unidirectionally shift the ambient OFDM spectrum either up or down in frequency to disjoint subsets of the subcarriers allowing the implementation of FSK. We exploit the guard bands and the orthogonality of the OFDM subcarriers to avoid both direct-link and adjacent channel interference. Different from energy detection based techniques that suffer from asymmetric error probabilities and rely on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) dependent detection thresholds, the proposed scheme has symmetric error probabilities and allows simple detection without the need for a threshold. We present both binary and four-ary schemes, and analyze the error performance of the optimal noncoherent detectors. For the binary scheme, we obtain exact expressions for the average probability of error, while for the four-ary scheme, a union bound is used to characterize the error performance. Single and multi-antenna receivers are considered, and their performance is analyzed. Finally, we present simulation results to corroborate our analysis and investigate the effects of multiple system parameters. The results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the baseline energy detection based schemes available in the literature in various scenarios by up to 5 dB
Constructing of FeNi3 nano-necklaces intercalated 3D graphene as an efficient and robust heterogeneous catalyst for photo-Fenton degradation of hazardous organic pollutants
No full textIn this study, an innovative heterogeneous nanocatalyst of three-dimensional reduced graphene (3DGr)-wrapped FeNi3 nano-necklaces (NNs) was successfully fabricated. The effectiveness and stability of FeNi3 @ 3DGr nanocomposite in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton technique for the removal of organic pollutants such as malachite green (MG), methylene blue (MB), diclofenac (DIC), and ibuprofen (IBF) were evaluated. The nanocatalyst degradation efficiency for MG was studied by altering the starting pH value (2.8–7.5), the dosage of H2O2 (25–150 mM), the concentration of MG dye (30–80 mg/l), and the dose of FeNi3 @ 3DGr nanocomposite (0.2–1.0 g/l). Under optimum operating conditions, the FeNi3 @ 3DGr nanocomposite achieved 100% MG removal efficiency with almost 60% total organic carbon (TOC) below 40 min. Moreover, the catalyst revealed significant durability owing to the synergistic effects of the integration of the 3DGr and FeNi3 NNs frameworks, as its removal performance maintained over 80% after seven consecutive degrading cycles with an acceptable degree of leaching iron. The radical scavenger experiment revealed that hydroxyl radical (•OH) species are the essential oxidized radicals participating in the photo-Fenton process. Our findings delivered a stable and effective FeNi3 @ 3DGr heterogeneous nanocatalyst with a high removal capacity for organic contaminants from water through the photo-Fenton technique
Externalising Migration Controls through Development Programs in Egypt
No full textSince the turn of the millennium, development aid has become more and more entangled with border externalization policies by political entities, such as the European Union. Responding to the increased arrival of refugees in 2015, the European Union formed the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), earmarking 3.4 billion Euros to fight “the root causes of irregular migration”on the African Continent. Within the scope of the EUTF, Egypt receives major funds from the program. This paper examines the impact of recently introduced development and livelihood programs, as well as educational and vocational training for migrants and refugees in Egypt under the EUTF. Thereby it shows how the EU aims at transforming Egypt from a so-called transit state to a destination country. The paper further explores how these programs are reshaping the political, humanitarian, as well as migratory landscapes in Egypt, and how EUTF funds are transforming the development, as well the humanitarian sector in the country, beyond its impacts on transit migration stricto sensu