THE DISCOVERY OF THE SARCOPHAGUS OF DJOSER AND THE RESTORATION OF THE STEP PYRAMID

Abstract اكتشاف تابوت الملك زوسر وترميم الهرم المدرج يعد هرم الملك نتري خت المدرج والمعروف أيضًا باسم زوسر، أقدم بناء حجري ضخم في مصر. ولكن تعرضت واجهات الهرم للكثير من الأضرار الجسيمة. علاوة على ذلك، أدت أعمال الترميم السابقة للواجهة الجنوبية إلى تدمير بعض جوانب التصميم الأصلي للهرم. وقد تم تشكيل فريق ترميم برئاسة زاهي حواس بداية من عام ٢٠٠٦ للعمل على ترميم الهرم وإزالة الأتربة والرمل المتراكم الذي يغطي الكتل، حيث تمكن الفريق من جمع كل الكتل التي كانت مفكوكة تحت الرمال ومعالجتها على الفور واختيار أفضلها لإعادتها إلى الهرم بعد ملء الفراغات بالملاط. بالإضافة إلى ترميم الهرم، قام المشروع بدراسة مراحل البناء المختلفة للهرم المدرج مثل الأنفاق الموجودة أسفل الهرم، المدخل الجنوبي للهرم، حجرة الفاينس والمستوى الخامس للهرم. بالإضافة إلى اكتشاف تابوت الملك نتري خت وبعض الاكتشافات الهامة داخل الهرم. كما يناقش البحث قضية البحث عن مقبرة إيمحوتب المهندس العظيم، والتي تعتبر أمل جميع علماء الآثار الذين عملوا أو مازالوا يعملون في سقارة في العثور عليها، بينما اختار حواس المنطقة الواقعة غرب الهرم المدرج كمنطقة محتملة للبحث عن مقبرة إيمحوتب. [EN] The Step Pyramid of Netjerikhet (also known as Djoser) is the oldest monumental stone structure in Egypt. Much of the pyramid’s façade has suffered significant damage. Moreover, previous restoration work on the south façade destroyed some of the pyramid’s original design. The restoration team Led by Zahi Hawass has worked since 2006 to remove the accumulated dust and sand that covered the blocks. The team was able to collected the loose blocks from under the sand, treat them immediately, and chose the best place for them in within the pyramid after filling the gaps with mortar. In addition to the restoration of the pyramid, the project studied and confirmed the different construction phases of the Step Pyramid such as the tunnels under the pyramid, the south entrance of the pyramid, the room of the faience tiles and the wall stela, and the fifth level of the pyramid. In addition, the team discovered the sarcophagus of Netjerikhet and made some other important discoveries inside the pyramid. The paper will also discuss the issue of the search for the discovery of the tomb of Imhotep, such a discovery is the hope of all archaeologists who have worked or are working at Saqqara. Indeed, Hawass chose the area west of the Step Pyramid as a likely area to search for the tomb of Imhotep

Comparative reliability and diagnostic performance of conventional 3T magnetic resonance imaging and 1.5T magnetic resonance arthrography for the evaluation of internal derangement of the hip

Objective; To compare the diagnostic accuracy of conventional 3T MRI against 1.5T MR arthrography (MRA) in patients with clinical femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Methods; Sixty-eight consecutive patients with clinical FAI underwent both 1.5T MRA and 3T MRI. Imaging was prospectively analysed by two musculoskeletal radiologists, blinded to patient outcomes and scored for internal derangement including labral and cartilage abnormality. Interobserver variation was assessed by kappa analysis. Thirty-nine patients subsequently underwent hip arthroscopy and surgical results and radiology findings were analysed. Results; Both readers had higher sensitivities for detecting labral tears with 3T MRI compared to 1.5T MRA (not statistically significant p=0.07). For acetabular cartilage defect both readers had higher statistically significant sensitivities using 3T MRI compared to 1.5T MRA (p=0.02). Both readers had a slightly higher sensitivity for detecting delamination with 1.5T MRA compared to 3T MRI, but these differences were not statistically significant (p=0.66). Interobserver agreement was substantial to perfect agreement for all parameters except the identification of delamination (3T MRI showed moderate agreement and 1.5T MRA substantial agreement). Conclusion; Conventional 3T MRI may be at least equivalent to 1.5T MRA in detecting acetabular labrum and possibly superior to 1.5T MRA in detecting cartilage defects in patients with suspected FAI

Al-Tabari’s Choices in Syntax Construction on Exegetical Meaning

أبرز هذا البحث اختيارات الطبري في بناء الإعراب على المعنى التفسيري للآية، وقد اتضح ذلك في ثلاثة عشر موضعًا من سورة (الأنبياء) إلى سورة (ص) اختار فيها الطبري رأيًا نحويًا مخالفًا لآراء من قبله من علماء اللغة. منها اثنان في تحديد نوع الحرف، وأربعة في تحديد الموقع الإعرابي للكلمة، وسبعة في اختيار قراءة سبعية دون أخرى، وعمد البحث إلى تفسير الآيات المختارة، وذكر آراء النحاة حولها، ثم ذكر اختيار الطبري، وحجته وتفسيره للآية بحسب اختياره النحوي. وخلص إلى عمق التفكير النحوي لدى الطبري، واستقلاليته من خلال تحديد نوع الحرف، والموقع الإعرابي للكلمة وبنائه ذلك على تفسير الآية، كما خلصت إلى أن الكليات التي وضعها الطبري في تفسير كتاب الله أصبحت أساسا لكل مفسر.This study highlighted Al-Tabari's choices in syntax construction on the exegetical meaning of the Qur’anic verse. This was made clear in thirteen places from Surah (al anbia’) to Surah (SAD), in which Al-Tabari chose a grammatical view that contradicted the views of other linguists senior to him, two of them in determining the type of letter, four in defining the syntactic position of the word, and seven in choosing a septenary reading rather than another. The study proceeded to the interpretation of the selected verses, and mentioned the views of the grammarians about it. It also mentioned the choice of al-Tabari, his argument and the interpretation of the verse according to his grammatic choice. The study concluded by indicating the depth of Al-Tabari’s grammatical thinking and independence by determining the type of letter, the syntactic location of the word and its construction on the interpretation of the verse

Placental Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection: Operational accuracy of HRP2 rapid diagnostic tests in a malaria endemic setting

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria has a negative effect on the outcome of pregnancy. Pregnant women are at high risk of severe malaria and severe haemolytic anaemia, which contribute 60-70% of foetal and perinatal losses. Peripheral blood smear microscopy under-estimates sequestered placental infections, therefore malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) detecting histidine rich protein-2 antigen (HRP-2) in peripheral blood are a potential alternative.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>HRP-2 RDTs accuracy in detecting malaria in pregnancy (MIP >28 weeks gestation) and placental <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>malaria (after childbirth) were conducted using Giemsa microscopy and placental histopathology respectively as the reference standard. The study was conducted in Mbale Hospital, using the midwives to perform and interpret the RDT results. Discordant results samples were spot checked using PCR techniques.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 433 febrile women tested, RDTs had a sensitivity of 96.8% (95% CI 92-98.8), specificity of 73.5% (95% CI 67.8-78.6), a positive predictive value (PPV) of 68.0% (95% CI 61.4-73.9), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 97.5% (95% CI 94.0-99.0) in detecting peripheral <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria during pregnancy. At delivery, in non-symptomatic women, RDTs had a 80.9% sensitivity (95% CI 57.4-93.7) and a 87.5% specificity (95%CI 80.9-92.1), PPV of 47.2% (95% CI 30.7-64.2) and NPV of 97.1% (95% CI 92.2-99.1) in detecting placental <it>P. falciparum </it>infections among 173 samples. At delivery, 41% of peripheral infections were detected by microscopy without concurrent placental infection. The combination of RDTs and microscopy improved the sensitivity to 90.5% and the specificity to 98.4% for detecting placental malaria infection (McNemar's <it>X </it>²> 3.84). RDTs were not superior to microscopy in detecting placental infection (McNemar's <it>X </it>²< 3.84). Presence of malaria in pregnancy and active placental malaria infection were 38% and 12% respectively. Placental infections were associated with poor pregnancy outcome [pre-term, still birth and low birth weight] (aOR = 37.9) and late pregnancy malaria infection (aOR = 20.9). Mosquito net use (aOR 2.1) and increasing parity (aOR 2.7) were associated with lower risk for malaria in pregnancy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Use of HRP-2 RDTs to detect malaria in pregnancy in symptomatic women was accurate when performed by midwives. A combination of RDTs and microscopy provided the best means of detecting placental malaria. RDTs were not superior to microscopy in detecting placental infection. With a high sensitivity and specificity, RDTs could be a useful tool for assessing malaria in pregnancy, with further (cost-) effectiveness studies.</p