Geophysical investigations of a geothermal anomaly at Wadi Ghadir, eastern Egypt

During regional heat flow studies a geothermal anomaly was discovered approximately 2 km from the Red Sea coast at Wadi Ghadir, in the Red Sea Hills of Eastern Egypt. A temperature gradient of 55 C/km was measured in a 150 m drillhole at this location, indicating a heat flow of approximately 175 mw/sqm, approximately four times the regional background heat flow for Egypt. Gravity and magnetic data were collected along Wadi Ghadir, and combined with offshore gravity data, to investigate the source of the thermal anomaly. Magnetic anomalies in the profile do not coincide with the thermal anomaly, but were observed to correlate with outcrops of basic rocks. Other regional heat flow and gravity data indicate that the transition from continental to oceanic type lithosphere occurs close to the Red Sea margin, and that the regional thermal anomaly is possibly related to the formation of the Red Sea

New Path Equations in Absolute Parallelism Geometry

The Bazanski approach, for deriving the geodesic equations in Riemannian geometry, is generalized in the absolute parallelism geometry. As a consequence of this generalization three path equations are obtained. A striking feature in the derived equations is the appearance of a torsion term with a numerical coefficients that jumps by a step of one half from equation to another. This is tempting to speculate that the paths in absolute parallelism geometry might admit a quantum feature.Comment: 4 pages Latex file Journal Reference: Astrophysics and space science 228, 273, (1995

Strengthening of short splices in RC beams using Post-Tensioned Metal Straps

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a novel and cost-effective strengthening technique using Post-Tensioned Metal Straps (PTMS) at enhancing the bond behaviour of short lap spliced steel bars in reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Twelve RC beams with a short lap splice length of 10d b (d b = bar diameter) at the midspan zone were tested in flexure to examine the bond splitting failure. The effect of confinement (no confinement, internal steel stirrups or external PTMS), bar diameter and concrete cover were examined. The results show that, whilst unconfined control beams failed prematurely due to cover splitting, the use of PTMS confinement enhanced the bond strength of the spliced bars by up to 58 % and resulted in a less brittle behaviour. Based on the test results, a new analytical model is proposed to predict the additional bond strength provided by PTMS confinement. The model should prove useful in the strengthening design of substandard lap spliced RC elements

An overview and evaluation of first-trimester physiological fetal human anatomy using 3-dimensional ultrasound combined with virtual reality techniques

STUDY QUESTION: What (physiological) first-trimester fetal anatomic structures can be discerned by ultrasound (US) and can these structures be visualized using 3-dimensional (3D) US combined with virtual reality (VR) in a prospective clinical setting? SUMMARY ANSWER: 3D US combined with VR techniques has shown to be applicable for the assessment of fetal anatomy in the first trimester and may serve as a valuable tool for both professional training and patient counseling. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Due to technological developments, new imaging modalities are becoming available and the visualization of fetal anatomic structures continues to improve. Consequently, in recent years, the focus of antenatal US screening has progressively shifted toward the first trimester of pregnancy. To further assess the applicability of new imaging techniques in detecting anomalies it is essential first to demonstrate the visibility of physiological fetal anatomy. Until today, an extended overview of first-trimester physiological fetal structures discernable by US is missing and most knowledge on first-trimester fetal anatomy is still based on imaging modalities other than US evaluating ex vivo human subjects. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A systematic literature search was performed by two independent reviewers in five electronic databases. All studies published between January 1946 and January 2024 in the English language, assessing ultrasonically discernible fetal structures in the first trimester of pregnancy were included. Subsequent, a literature-based checklist of ultrasonically discernible first-trimester fetal structures was developed. According to the constructed checklist, an offline VR assessment of 3D and 4-di-mensional (4D) US datasets for discernable fetal structures was conducted. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: In 55 high-risk pregnancies between a gestational age (GA) of 11þ0–13þ6 weeks 3D and 4D US datasets were collected prospectively and selected based on their quality. The US datasets were offline evaluated for discernable fetal structures as indicated on the predetermined checklist using VR by two trained observers. After offline VR assessment, visibility rates for all ultrasonically discernible structures were calculated as a proportion of the total number of US datasets. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A systematic literature search (N ¼ 15 874 studies retrieved) resulted in the inclusion and quality assessment of 372 studies, from which 81 ultrasonically discernible fetal structures were identified and incorporated into the checklist. An offline VR assessment was performed in 3D and 4D US datasets of 55 pregnancies with a mean GA of 12 þ 6 weeks (SD 0.4 days). The mean visibility rate of all fetal structures incorporated in the checklist was 82.2%. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: A key limitation of this study is the lack of targeted US examination during the acquisition of all 3D and 4D US datasets. A targeted approach could improve dataset quality and visibility rates in the offline evaluation of fetal anatomy using 3D US and VR. Additionally, the selection of high-quality 3D US datasets may introduce selection bias, which could impact the generalizability of the findings. Furthermore, since the study population was recruited from a tertiary referral center where US examinations were performed by experienced sonographers using a high-frequency transvaginal US transducer, there may be limitations in extrapolating these results to the broader general population, where access to such specialized expertise and equipment may be more limited. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first comprehensive literature-based overview of first-trimester physiological fetal structures discernable by US, which has been evaluated in a prospective clinical setting. Moreover, this study underlines the potential added value of the use of 3D US combined with VR, both as educational and reference resource for professionals and counseling in daily clinical practice. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): No specific funding was used for the execution of this study. Departmental funds were utilized to support the authors throughout the study period and during manuscript preparation. These funds were provided by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.</p

The correlation between increasing Body Mass Index and the incidence of local recurrence and distant metastasis in breast cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: Patients with breast cancer (BC) who are obese or overweight at the time of diagnosis have a low survival rate and a high death rate. We aimed to investigate if having a higher body mass index (BMI) at diagnosis raised the risk of local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were divided into three categories based on their BMI. The patient's BMI was determined by dividing his weight in kilograms by his height in square meters (kg/m2). The WHO defines normal weight as 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2, overweight as 25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2, and obesity as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. RESULTS: The mean BMI was 30.27±6.06 kg/m2. Out of 250 patients, 60 (24.0%), 73 (29.2%) and 117 (46.8%) patients had normal, overweight and obese BMI respectively. No significant difference between BMI and estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) was found, but there was an association between tumor (T) stage and lymph vascular invasion (LVI) (p<0.05). Obese patients had poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) than normal and overweight categories (35.38 ±1.72 vs. 42.38 ± 2.79 and 37.82 ± 2.27 months) (39.65±1.65 vs.45.70 ± 2.53 and 44.31 ± 2.04 months) (p<0.001). LR occurs more prevalent in over-weight and obese patients than normal (p<0.03) but there is no significant difference for distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong negative association between increased BMI and BC prognosis and patient survival; controlling of this phenomenon may improve the response to treatment and survival, therefore health awareness programs should be implemented

Using smart‐messaging to enhance mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for cancer patients: A mixed methods proof of concept evaluation

Objective Depression and anxiety lead to reduced treatment adherence, poorer quality of life, and increased care costs amongst cancer patients. Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment, but dropout reduces potential benefits. Smart‐message reminders can prevent dropout and improve effectiveness. However, smart‐messaging is untested for MBCT in cancer. This study evaluates smart‐messaging to reduce dropout and improve effectiveness in MBCT for cancer patients with depression or anxiety.MethodsFifty‐one cancer patients attending MBCT in a psycho‐oncology service were offered a smart‐messaging intervention, which reminded them of prescribed between‐session activities. Thirty patients accepted smart‐messaging and 21 did not. Assessments of depression and anxiety were taken at baseline, session‐by‐session, and one‐month follow‐up. Logistic regression and multilevel modelling compared the groups on treatment completion and clinical effectiveness. Fifteen post‐treatment patient interviews explored smart‐messaging use.ResultsThe odds of programme completion were eight times greater for patients using smart‐messaging compared with non‐users, controlling for age, gender, baseline depression, and baseline anxiety (OR = 7.79, 95% CI 1.75 to 34.58, p = .007). Smart‐messaging users also reported greater improvement in depression over the programme (B = ‐2.33, SEB = .78, p = .004) when controlling for baseline severity, change over time, age, and number of sessions attended. There was no difference between groups in anxiety improvement (B = ‐1.46, SEB = .86, p = .097). In interviews, smart‐messaging was described as a motivating reminder and source of personal connection. ConclusionsSmart‐messaging may be an easily integrated telehealth intervention to improve MBCT for cancer patients

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

First trimester anomaly scan using virtual reality (VR FETUS study): study protocol for a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: In recent years it has become clear that fetal anomalies can already be detected at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy by two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound. This is why increasingly in developed countries the first trimester anomaly scan is being offered as part of standard care. We have developed a Virtual Reality (VR) approach to improve the diagnostic abilities of 2D ultrasound. Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound datasets are used in VR assessment, enabling real depth perception and unique interaction. The aim of this study is to investigate whether first trimester 3D VR ultrasound is of additional value in terms of diagnostic accuracy for the detection of fetal anomalies. Health-related quality of life, cost-effectiveness and also the perspective of both patient and ultrasonographer on the 3D VR modality will be studied. METHODS: Women in the first trimester of a high risk pregnancy for a fetus with a congenital anomaly are eligible for inclusion. This is a randomized controlled trial with two intervention arms. The control group receives 'care as usual': a second trimester 2D advanced ultrasound examination. The intervention group will undergo an additional first trimester 2D and 3D VR ultrasound examination. Following each examination participants will fill in validated questionnaires evaluating their quality of life and healthcare related expenses. Participants' and ultrasonographers' perspectives on the 3D VR ultrasound will be surveyed. The primary outcom

Toward an integrative socio-cognitive approach in autism spectrum disorder: NEAR method adaptation—study protocol

BackgroundThe cognitive impairments exhibited by people with ASD, threaten the development of social skills that are essential for establishing and maintaining harmonious social relationships. Cognitive remediation and social skills training are now considered as crucial therapeutic approaches in the management of these disorders. Several programs have already been validated and have shown improvements in social skills or cognitive performance. However, the effects of these training methods seem to be difficult to generalize to other everyday life. The aim of our study is to alleviate cognitive and social deficiencies by using a socio-cognitive framework to adapt the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) method for adolescents with ASD.Methods/designAdolescents meeting the DSM-5 criteria for ASD, older than 13 years, and following a regular school curriculum will be recruited from clinical population at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Razi University Hospital-Manouba- Tunisia. Our study is an open and non-randomized controlled trial including 30 patients: NEAR group / control group. The NEAR method combines computerized cognitive exercises and bridging groups inspired from cognitive behavioral therapy. NEAR group will be divided into three groups of five patients each. The duration of the sessions will vary according to the capacities of the participants and the exchanges between them (about 60–120 min). In our study, bridging groups will be amended by adding other tasks including planning role plays and scenarios of problematic social situations in autism, taking into account cultural particularities in order to promote social skills. Computerized exercises will be enriched by adding other tasks aiming to improve the recognition and expression of facial emotions by using digital videos and photographs expressing the six basic emotions. The duration of the program will be about 6 months. All selected patients will have an assessment of cognitive function: social cognition, neurocognition and pragmatic skills, social skills, self-esteem and global functioning at baseline, 1 week after the end of the NEAR program and 6 months later.ConclusionThis adaptive program is a promising socio-cognitive intervention that create new perspectives for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder