Ultrasonographic & biochemical analysis of thyroid bio-architecture for further pharmacological intervention in adult Arabian stallions & mares.

Based on the growing attention to the Arabian horses with a lack of records regarding their normal physiological parameters, which are critically vital for disease diagnosis &convenient drug administration, we give great attention to their thyroid gland normalcy. The thyroid gland is one of the key players in regulating many physiological processes. Therefore, we tackled thyroid biology & morphology in 14 Arabian stallions & 18 Arabian mares from the beginning of March to the middle of April on animals from 4 to 19 years old. First, the blood samples taken from their jugular vein were used for hematological profile, lipid profile, glucose-coagulation axis & thyroid profile. Moreover, thyroid gland dimensions & volume were estimated using ultrasonography. Noteworthy, Arabian mares have significantly higher MCH & relative eosinophils than Arabian stallions, while Arabian stallions have significantly higher glucose levels than Arabian Mares. Interestingly, this study found that Arabian horses have a high level of Total T4 & low level of platelets count compared to other horses. These results pointed to the deiodinase inhibitors as a possible target therapy for hyperthyroidism & thyroid cancer in Arabian horses, making surgery a second option. Also, these results refer to the caution required before giving Arabian horses high plasma protein bounded drugs, especially anticoagulants. Also, sonographic results showed that the left lobe is larger than the right lobe in both genders, & the lobes volume is larger in Arabian horses compared to others. These results would guide the veterinarian during diagnosis & thyroidectomy.

Development of calibration techniques for ultrasonic hydrophone probes in the frequency range from 1 to 100 MHz.

The primary objective of this work was to develop and optimize the calibration techniques for ultrasonic hydrophone probes used in acoustic field measurements up to 100 MHz. A dependable, 100 MHz calibration method was necessary to examine the behavior of a sub-millimeter spatial resolution fiber optic (FO) sensor and assess the need for such a sensor as an alternative tool for high frequency characterization of ultrasound fields. Also, it was of interest to investigate the feasibility of using FO probes in high intensity fields such as those employed in HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) applications. In addition to the development and validation of a novel, 100 MHz calibration technique the innovative elements of this research include implementation and testing of a prototype FO sensor with an active diameter of about 10 microm that exhibits uniform sensitivity over the considered frequency range and does not require any spatial averaging corrections up to about 75 MHz. The results of the calibration measurements are presented and it is shown that the optimized calibration technique allows the sensitivity of the hydrophone probes to be determined as a virtually continuous function of frequency and is also well suited to verify the uniformity of the FO sensor frequency response. As anticipated, the overall uncertainty of the calibration was dependent on frequency and determined to be about +/-12% (+/-1 dB) up to 40 MHz, +/-20% (+/-1.5 dB) from 40 to 60 MHz and +/-25% (+/-2dB) from 60 to 100 MHz. The outcome of this research indicates that once fully developed and calibrated, the combined acousto-optic system will constitute a universal reference tool in the wide, 100 MHz bandwidth.

Acousto-optic, point receiver hydrophone probe for operation up to 100 MHz.

This work describes the results of initial evaluation of a wideband acousto-optic hydrophone probe designed to operate as point receiver in the frequency range up to 100 MHz. The hydrophone was implemented as a tapered fiber optic (FO) probe sensor with a tip diameter of approximately 7 microm. Such small physical dimensions of the sensor eliminate the need for spatial averaging corrections so that true pressure-time (p-t) waveforms can be faithfully recorded. The theoretical considerations that predicted the FO probe sensitivity to be equal to 4.3 mV/MPa are presented along with a brief description of the manufacturing process. The calibration results that verified the theoretically predicted sensitivity are also presented along with a brief description of the improvements being currently implemented to increase this sensitivity level by approximately 20 dB. The results of preliminary measurements indicate that the fiber optic probes will exhibit a uniform frequency response and a zero phase shift in the frequency range considered. These features might be very useful in rapid complex calibration i.e. determining both magnitude and phase response of other hydrophones by the substitution method. Also, because of their robust design and linearity, these fiber optic hydrophones could also meet the challenges posed by high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and other therapeutic applications. Overall, the outcome of this work shows that when fully developed, the FO probes will be well suited for high frequency measurements of ultrasound fields and will be able to complement the data collected by the current finite aperture piezoelectric PVDF hydrophones.

Changes in some blood constituents of Barki ewes during pregnancy and lactation under semi arid conditions.

A study based on 12 pregnant and six dry Barki ewes was carried out to examine the changes in blood constituents during pregnancy and lactation periods. The blood parameters were blood hemoglobin, packed cell volume percent (PCV%), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), glucose, aspartate aminotransaminase (AST or GOT), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT or GPT), total plasma protein, albumin, globulin, albumin to globulin ratio (A/G), urea and creatinine. During pregnancy all these parameters started to increase significantly, but in different stages, reaching maximum values at parturition. In contrast, dry ewes showed almost stable values during the experimental period. From 10th week to parturition, PCV% and MCHC increased (P<0.01) in pregnant ewes, which resulted in increased (P<0.01) blood hemoglobin. Blood glucose increased from the 4th week of pregnancy to reach its maximum at parturition (60.15-90.08mg/dl). The two transaminases increased significantly from the 2nd week (52.23-65.02IU for AST and 8.02-15.12IU for ALT). Plasma protein with its two components, albumin and globulin, increased significantly at the 6th week, but dropped throughout the 16-18th week of pregnancy. Urea and creatinine began to increase significantly after 10-12 weeks of pregnancy (from 54.73 to 72.11mg/dl for urea and from 0.882 to 2.475mg/dl for creatinine). During the first month of lactation, PCV decreased sharply in lactating ewes and was significantly lower than in dry ewes at the 3rd week of lactation (24.25 versus 27.17%), which resulted in a drop in blood hemoglobin at the 4th week (68.42 versus 74.00g/l). However, lactating ewes maintained significantly higher values of MCHC (30.01-31.19% for lactating versus 29.87-27.48% for dry). In lactating ewes, levels of glucose, ALT, urea and creatinine returned to levels comparable to those in dry ewes. The same occurred with total plasma proteins, mainly due to a sharp decrease in globulin, while albumin remained higher than in dry ewes with a slow decline, which resulted in higher values of A/G ratio during lactation. Aspartate aminotransferase remained higher than in dry ewes.

A comparison between neural-network forecasting techniques--case study: river flow forecasting.

Estimating the flows of rivers can have significant economic impact, as this can help in agricultural water management and in protection from water shortages and possible flood damage. The first goal of this paper is to apply neural networks to the problem of forecasting the flow of the River Nile in Egypt. The second goal of the paper is to utilize the time series as a benchmark to compare between several neural-network forecasting methods.We compare between four different methods to preprocess the inputs and outputs, including a novel method proposed here based on the discrete Fourier series. We also compare between three different methods for the multistep ahead forecast problem: the direct method, the recursive method, and the recursive method trained using a backpropagation through time scheme. We also include a theoretical comparison between these three methods. The final comparison is between different methods to perform longer horizon forecast, and that includes ways to partition the problem into the several subproblems of forecasting K steps ahead.

Surgical anatomy of the pudendal nerve and its clinical implications.

A study of the surgical anatomy of the pudendal nerve (PN) was performed in 13 female and 7 male cadavers. The knowledge of the precise anatomy and anomalies of this important nerve would help in better localization of the nerve and its roots and branches for neurostimulation or for pudendal canal decompression in pudendal canal syndrome. Two routes were used in the dissection: gluteal and perineal. The PN was identified and its course was followed from its roots to its termination. The PN was composed of three roots derived from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th anterior sacral rami (S 2,3,4). The roots received a contribution from S 1 in five cadavers and from S 5 in one. The three roots formed two cords. The first root continued as the upper cord while the second and third root fused together producing the lower cord. The PN was formed by union of the two cords a short distance proximal to the sacrospinous ligament, and then crossed the back of the ligament. In no specimen did the nerve cross the ischial spine. The inferior rectal nerve arose from the PN in the pudendal canal in 18 cadavers. In two cases it came out proximal to the canal; this would spare the two subjects the anorectal manifestations of the pudendal canal syndrome. As the PN crossed the back of the sacrospinous ligament, it gave origin to a branch that supplied the levator ani muscle. This branch was only found in male cadavers and we call it "accessory rectal nerve"; the levator ani muscle in such cadavers was doubly innervated on its perineal aspect.

Growth and nutritional status of rural preschool children in El Minia governorate.

PIP: Full histories, clinical examinations, and anthropometric measurements were taken on 392 male and 352 female preschool children 1-71 months of age in Bani Ahmed Village, El-Minia Governorate, to assess their growth, the prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition, and the influence of selected risk factors upon subjects' nutritional status. The children were selected for inclusion in the study through systematic random sampling. They were found to be both lighter and shorter than children of similar ages studied in Assiut, Lower Egypt, some developing countries, and the developed countries. The weight, height, and head circumference of males were not significantly different than those of females. There was a 72.2% prevalence of malnutrition, with the highest prevalence of 83.7% being in the age group 6-23 months. The prevalence of wasting was 31.6%, with the highest prevalence of 62% also being in the age group 6-23 months. The prevalence of stunting was 76.5%, highest among children aged 24-35 months at 87.4%. Low socioeconomic status, increased birth order, recurrent diarrhea, and non-breastfeeding were high risk factors for the prevalence of malnutrition in the sample.^ieng

The effects of alloy surface treatments and resins on the retention of resin-bonded retainers.

This study evaluated the effects on retention of three metal surface textures and four resin luting materials by measuring the magnitude of the force required for the removal of resin-bonded fixed partial denture retainers. The results of the study indicate that a retainer air-abraded with 250 mu aluminum oxide, used with any of the resins tested, should provide sufficient retention for single pontic posterior resin-bonded fixed partial dentures.

The ceramic reverse three-quarter crown for anterior teeth: laboratory procedures.

The laboratory procedures for making a Hi-ceram porcelain anterior reserve three-quarter crown are described. A core of high-fusing aluminum oxide is used as a coping on which tooth contours are restored with a compatible porcelain. Standard dental laboratory equipment is used and the technique can be quickly learned by any experienced ceramics technician.

Embedded fiber-optic sensor utilizing the modal power distribution technique.

The modal power distribution technique is applied to a multimode optical fiber embedded in a three-dimensional composite material for real-time characterization and monitoring of the structure. The measurements on the modal power distribution within these fibers, and the subsequent redistribution induced by external perturbation, indicate that the modal power distribution technique is more sensitive than the intensity-modulation technique for smart-structure characterization.

The ceramic reverse three-quarter crown for anterior teeth: preparation design.

A new preparation design of the ceramic reverse three-quarter crown for anterior teeth offers a way to improve the appearance of anterior teeth with slight to moderate structural damage. Advantages and indications of the new design are discussed.