Emulsion Polymerization Mechanism

Emulsion polymerization is a polymerization process with different applications on the industrial and academic scale. It involves application of emulsifier to emulsify hydrophobic polymers through aqueous phase by amphipathic emulsifier, then generation of free radicals with either a water or oil soluble initiators. It characterized by reduction of bimolecular termination of free radicals due to segregation of free radicals among the discrete monomer-swollen polymer particles. The latex particles size ranged from 10 nm to 1000 nm in a diameter and are generally spherical. A typical of particle consist of 1–10,000 macromolecules, where macromolecule contains about 100–106 monomer units

Application of ZnO nanoparticles modified with bacterial proteins for the removal of trypan blue effluent

In this study, a bacterial protein-coated nanoparticle system is modified as a new biosorbent. Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacterial proteins are collected, and successfully coated onto zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs). The new biosorbents are combined between the attractive surface properties of the nanoparticles and the adsorbed protein corona. ZnONPs, ZnONPs/E. coli, and ZnONPs/S. aureus were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies analysis. The Bradford method was used to ensure the presence of protein corona on the modified surface. The addition of bacterial proteins to the surface of the ZnONPs alters its activity through modifications of its size, shape, surface charge, and other characteristics. The improvement of the functional groups and surface charge of the modified biosorbents makes it more efficient for the removal of dyes. ZnONPs, ZnONPs/E. coli, and ZnONPs/S. aureus were used for the removal of trypan blue (TB) dye from contaminated wastewater. The TB dye was completely removed (98%–100%) using ZnONPs/E. coli, and ZnONPs/S. aureus within 25–30 min, whether in the dark or light conditions, over a wide pH range (5–9). The negative values of ∆G showed the spontaneous nature of the removal process. The ∆H values confirmed an endothermic removal in the dark and an exothermic removal in the light. ZnONPs/E. coli, and ZnONPs/S. aureus were applied for the removal of TB dye from real wastewater samples, and their efficiencies were proven. The average removal rate of TB dye using ZnONPs E. coli, and ZnONPs/S. aureus was 92 % which is more efficient than that of ZnONPs (87 %), and the average value of RSD% was 1.7 % (n = 5)

Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Thermal Performance in Egypt’s Social Housing: Climate-Responsive Design and Material Impact in Hot Desert Environments

As Egypt\u27s urban areas expand rapidly, the demand for energy-efficient, affordable housing in extreme hot desert climates has become increasingly urgent. This study investigates the energy efficiency and thermal performance of Egypt’s Social Housing Project, with a focus on residential building in New Aswan City, where summer temperatures frequently exceed 45°C. Employing a validated energy model, this research simulates annual energy consumption for the building, which comprises 24 residential units, each approximately 86 m². The model integrates realistic occupancy schedules, region-specific weather data, and common household behavior patterns to closely reflect actual energy usage. Findings indicate a high alignment between simulated and observed data, with an annual energy consumption (AEC) of 5,770 kWh, achieving an accuracy within 0.36% of real measurements. Analysis highlights that construction materials, such as reinforced concrete walls with U-values of 2.663 W/m²-K, along with design features like a 10% window-to-wall ratio, play a pivotal role in moderating thermal loads. The study underscores the significance of climate-responsive design strategies—particularly in optimizing HVAC operations during peak cooling periods—and provides essential insights for improving energy efficiency in social housing developments. These findings offer practical guidelines for policymakers and designers in Egypt and similar hot climates, supporting sustainable development in affordable housing initiatives

Detection of olive tree viruses in Egypt by one-step RT-PCR

Olive (Olea Europaea L.) is a major and economically important crop for the new reclamation land in Egypt. The estimated acreage of cultivated olive trees in Egypt is above one hundred and thirty five thousand Feddens of which total production is five hundred thousand tons per year (Ministry of Agriculture statistics, 2007). Olive trees are affected by several viruses and virus-like diseases. To date, 15 viruses in eight genera have been isolated from olive trees. In a preliminary study for the assessment of the sanitary status of olive trees in five locations in Egypt, shoots from 300 trees of 9 cultivars were collected. Using virus-specific primers, a one-step RT-PCR assay was used to detect and identify each of the eight viruses most commonly found in olives. Namely, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Olive latent ringspot virus (OLRSV), Olive latent virus-1 (OLV-1), Olive latent virus-2 (OLV-2), Olive leaf yellowingassociated virus (OLYaV), Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV), Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), and Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV). Among the eight viruses assayed, OLRSV (6.7 %), OLV-1 (5.7 %), CLRV (4.7 %), OLV-2 (2.7 %), SLRSV (2.3 %), OLYaV (1.3 %) and ArMV (0.7%) were detected. The most common virus detected was CMV which prevailed with a high incidence of 24.7 % in olive orchards. The use of one step RT-PCR was efficient and reliable to detect the eight olive viruses found in Egypt. Surprisingly, the infection rate found is lower than expected, if we take into consideration previous surveys conducted in the Mediterranean area. This technique is useful for detection of olive viruses for production of certified plant propagative material in certification programs.Keywords: Olive cultivars, olive virus detection, olive viruses in Egypt, one step RT-PC

Influence of microclimatic ammonia levels on productive performance of different broilers' breeds estimated with univariate and multivariate approaches

Background and Aim: Birds litter contains unutilized nitrogen in the form of uric acid that is converted into ammonia; a fact that does not only affect poultry performance but also has a negative effect on people's health around the farm and contributes in the environmental degradation. The influence of microclimatic ammonia emissions on Ross and Hubbard broilers reared in different housing systems at two consecutive seasons (fall and winter) was evaluated using a discriminant function analysis to differentiate between Ross and Hubbard breeds. Materials and Methods: A total number of 400 air samples were collected and analyzed for ammonia levels during the experimental period. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. Results: Ammonia levels were significantly higher (p0.05) were found between the two farms in body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and performance index (PI) of broilers. Body weight; weight gain and PI had increased values (p0.05). Test of significance of discriminant function analysis did not show a classification based on the studied traits suggesting that they cannot been used as predictor variables. The percentage of correct classification was 52% and it was improved after deletion of highly correlated traits to 57%. Conclusion: The study revealed that broiler's growth was negatively affected by increased microclimatic ammonia concentrations and recommended the analysis of broilers' growth performance parameters data using multivariate discriminant function analysis

GIZA 11 AND GIZA 12; TWO NEW FLAX DUAL PURPOSE TYPE VARIETIES

Sixteen flax genotypes {13 promising lines and 3 check varieties viz., Giza 8 (oil type), Sakha 1 (dual purpose type) and Sakha 3 (fiber type)} were evaluated for straw, seed, oil yields and their related traits under twelve different environments; four locations (Sakha, Etay El-Baroud, Ismailia and Giza Exp. Stations through three successive seasons (2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14). These materials were evaluated in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at the twelve above-mentioned environments. The analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among genotypes (G), environments (E) and G x E interaction for all studied traits except straw weight per plant, indicating a wide range of variation among genotypes, environments and these genotypes exhibited differential response to environmental conditions. The significant variance due to residual for all characters except both straw weight per plant and oil yield per fad indicated that genotypes differed with respect to their stability suggesting that prediction would be difficult, which means that mean performance alone would not be appropriate. Interaction component of variance (σ2ge) was less than the genotypic variance (σ2g) for all characters, indicating that genotypes differ in their genetic potential for these traits. This was reflected in high heritability and low discrepancy between phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficients of variability values for these traits indicating the possibility of using each of long fiber percentage, plant height and technical stem length as selection indices for improving straw weight per plant, as well as, using 1000-seed weight and capsules number per plant as selection indices for improving seed weight per plant. Yield stability (YSi) statistic indicated that S.541-C/3 and S.541-D/10 gave high mean performance and stability for straw, fiber, seed and oil yields per fad in addition to oil percentage, capsules number per plant and 1000-seed weight. Therefore, the two genotypes well be released under the name Giza 11 and Giza 12, respectively. These newly released varieties are of dual purpose type for straw, fiber, seed and oil yield. They may replace the low yielding cultivars Giza 8, Sakha 1 and Sakha 3

Determinants of sexual health knowledge in adolescent girls in schools of Riyadh-Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: There are many social and cultural factors affecting the sexual knowledge of adolescents. This study measured the sexual health knowledge level of adolescents and identified its association with role of parents, friends and school environment in adolescent girls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Four hundred and nineteen Saudi female students belonging to intermediate and secondary grades were randomly selected from four public and private girl schools. 255 (69.8%) students were ≤15 years and 164 (39.2%) were >15 years. A self-administered structured questionnaire comprising of socio-demographic information, role of parents and teachers, availability of school curriculum on sexual health was used. Sexual health knowledge was assessed through questions on identification of physical changes during puberty for ≤15 years and separate questions on sexually transmitted infections for >15 years. RESULTS: 54% of ≤15years and 70.7% of >15 years had poor sexual health knowledge. Multivariate analysis found determinants for poor sexual health education in ≤15years are: lower education level of both parents (OR 10.87; 95% CI 2.44–48.38), second birth order or more (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.24–4.33) and absence of school curriculum on sexual health (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.33–0.95). Determinants for >15 years of age are : mothers with low literacy (OR 3.08, 95% CI 1.42–6.71), as for sources of poor sexual knowledge : parents (OR 10.10; 95% CI 2.70–37.74), schools (OR 6.95; 95% CI 1.95–24.78) maids (OR 4.57; 95% CI 1.26–16.59) and media (OR 5.12; 95% CI 1.29–20.07) were statistically significant factors. CONCLUSION: Government agencies with collaboration of all stake holders should develop policies and programs for implementing and evaluating integrated and comprehensive sexual educational programs for adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Effect of heating processes on Salvadora persica (Miswak) and its application for removal and determination of aniline blue from wastewater

AbstractEffect of heating processes of Salvadora persica (Miswak) with different temperature (308, 378 and 523K) on the Miswak matrix was studied. Miswak after heating was characterized using different tools such as elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy. The sorption properties of Miswaks behavior for removal of aniline blue from aqueous solution were investigated using a batch processes. The maximum uptake of aniline blue was found to be in pH range 1–2. The kinetic behavior of the sorption of the aniline blue was found to be fast with average values of half-life of sorption (t1/2) of 30s. The equilibrium process is well described by the Freundlich isotherm model, which attributed to the heterogeneous surface structure of the Miswak. The average capacity of the Miswak material was 0.37mmol/g for aniline blue dye. The average values of thermodynamic parameters, ΔH and ΔG are −14.7 and −31.7kJ/mol, respectively. The sorption data indicates that the sorption of aniline blue onto Miswak proceed via both solvent extraction and ion association mechanism. Miswak was verified as a good biosorbent by aniline blue removal from wastewater

Indigenous practices of Saudi girls in Riyadh during their menstrual period

The objective of this study was to identify the indigenous menstrual hygiene practice of Saudi girls in Riyadh. A total of 600 girls aged from 11 years to 18 years were selected from outpatient clinics at three different hospitals in Riyadh. Data were collected using a structured interview. The results revealed that nearly two-thirds of the girls avoided certain foods, drinks and activities, including showering and performing perineal care, and practised several indigenous rituals during the period. Mother, religious books and sisters were the main sources of the girls’ infomation. The study suggests that nurses and health care providers should use all available opportunities to educate young girls about menstruation.</jats:p