Authorship patterns in agricultural sciences in Egypt

This study examines patterns of authorship in nineteen Egyptian journals of agricultural science. Multiple authorship was found to be the predominant trend in the field and co-authored papers accounted for some 79 percent of the sample. The most common form of multiple authorship involved three people. Considerable variation was found among sub-fields and co-authorship was found to be most common in social-science related agricultural disciplines. The author found no significant differences in patterns of collaboration in the agricultural sciences in Egypt and two the other developing countries for which comparative data was available, India and Pakistan.     

Cavitation Damage of the single-crystal nickel-base superalloy SRR99 during creep at 850°C

Various heat treatments of the single-crystal nickel-base superalloy SRR99 have been carried out to produce a wide range of initial γ′ phase morphology. The cavitation damage has been studied after creep fracture at 850°C and stresses between 400MPa and 650 Mpa. The crep fracture surfaces and longitudinal sections of crept specimens have been examined by image analysing system in order to determine the size distribution and the area fraction of (001)-planes cracks on fracture surface characterise the creep crack damage level. The cracking morphology in fractured material as a function of stress and γ′-phase size has also been investigated. The results show, that crack propagation occurred anisotropically on (001) crystallographic planes perpendicular to the aplied stress along the γ/γ′ interfaces. It was found, that creep cracks dependent on the shape and size of γ′-phases developing at the temperature and stress level.     

Thickness-dependence of stoichiometry and microstructure characteristics in correlation with conductivity type of CdTe films

CdTe films were prepared by physical vapour deposition on a substrate at room temperature (RT) as well as on a cold (LT) one using low deposition rate. The thickness-dependence of stoichiometry revealed an abrupt decrease in the Cd/Te ratio as the thickness increases. Change of thickness did not affect the type of observed (111) crystallographic texture, only the degree of preferred orientation is enhanced as the film grows. The internal strain was negligible while the crystallite size increased rapidly at small thickness (up to 400 nm), and less thickness dependence was observed with further film growth. However, thickness dependence of lattice parameters showed a minimum and a maximum at approximately 300 nm in the case of RT and LT, respectively. The observed change in conductivity from n- to p-type and its vital correlation with the stoichiometry and structural characteristics were presented. Based on thickness dependence of stoichiometry and lattice parameters as well as the conductivity type, formation and annihilation of lattice defects were considered.     

A revised particle swarm optimization based discrete Lagrange multipliers method for nonlinear programming problems

In this paper, a new algorithm for solving constrained nonlinear programming problems is presented. The basis of our proposed algorithm is none other than the necessary and sufficient conditions that one deals within a discrete constrained local optimum in the context of the discrete Lagrange multipliers theory. We adopt a revised particle swarm optimization algorithm and extend it toward solving nonlinear programming problems with continuous decision variables. To measure the merits of our algorithm, we provide numerical experiments for several renowned benchmark problems and compare the outcome against the best results reported in the literature. The empirical assessments demonstrate that our algorithm is efficient and robust.     

Optimal shape design of functionally graded thickness inversion tubes subjected to oblique loading

This paper aims to understand and optimize the crush response of Functionally Graded Thickness (FGT) tubes with various thickness distributions subjected to oblique loading using multi-objective optimization method. Hence, finite element (FE) models are established and their results are validated by experimental tests. Two objective functions (specific energy absorption and peak load) are approximated by four different multi-objective optimization models: the weighted average, multi-design optimization (MDO) technique, constrained single-objective optimization, and geometrical average methods. The optimum design results demonstrate that the selection of appropriate inversion tube parameters such as the die radius, the coefficient of friction between the die and tube, and thickness distribution function have significant roles in the crashworthiness design. The results give new ideas to improve the crashworthiness performance of inversion tubes under oblique loading conditions.     

Evaluation of Al and Some of Its Alloys as Anode Materials vs γ-MnO2 as Cathode Material and Ore Produced γ-MnO2 vs Zn Anode in KOH Solution

In this study electrochemical performance of Al and some of its alloys (Al-Zn, Al-Mg and Al-Mn) anodes vs MnO2 cathode were carried out in alkaline solution. The results show that the Al-Zn alloy anode has the best cell capacity among the other alloys. Cell capacity values go in the order Al-Zn＞Al-Mg＞Al＞Al-Mn. This result is probably related to the nature of passive films formed on the surface of the alloys which examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM morphologies of Al and its alloys showed coarse grains of passive films formed on the surface of these anode materials while Al-Mn morphology shows a needle-like structure.Electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) produced by electrodepositing on platinum anode from liquor resulting from reduction of low grade pyrolusite ore (β-MnO2) by sulfur slag was characterized as cathode in alkaline Zn-MnO2 batteries. Ore produced sample (EMD1) was performed well in comparison with EMD standard (EMD2) (commercial battery grade electrolytic manganese dioxide, TOSOH-Hellas GH-S). SEM morphology of Zn anode after cell reaction was carried out and showed that Zn anode has fine grains of passive film on its surface.     

Study on morphology,thermal, mechanical and Cd(II) adsorption properties of PVC/α-MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-stearic acid nanocomposites: production and application

Alpha manganese dioxide nanorods (α-MnO₂) were successfully functionalized with stearic acid (SA) by solvothermal method to prevent agglomeration. The α-MnO₂-SA nanorods were employed as a filler for the preparation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) nanocomposite (NC) films with different percentages (1, 3 and 5 wt%). The morphology, mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained NCs were investigated. The results showed that α-MnO₂-SA can effectively improve the properties of PVC. The enhancement in properties of the NCs was attributed to the improved interfacial bonding by modification. Also, these NCs were used as adsorbent for removal of cadmium ions. Our finding suggests that the PVC/α-MnO₂-SA NCs are good candidates for efficient Cd(??) removal from the wastewater.     

Nanomaterials for Antiangiogenic Therapies for Cancer: A Promising Tool for Personalized Medicine

Angiogenesis is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Several studies have shown that vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) plays a leading role in angiogenesis progression. Antiangiogenic medication has gained substantial recognition and is commonly administered in many forms of human cancer, leading to a rising interest in cancer therapy. However, this treatment method can lead to a deteriorating outcome of resistance, invasion, distant metastasis, and overall survival relative to its cytotoxicity. Furthermore, there are significant obstacles in tracking the efficacy of antiangiogenic treatments by incorporating positive biomarkers into clinical settings. These shortcomings underline the essential need to identify additional angiogenic inhibitors that target numerous angiogenic factors or to develop a new method for drug delivery of current inhibitors. The great benefits of nanoparticles are their potential, based on their specific properties, to be effective mechanisms that concentrate on the biological system and control various important functions. Among various therapeutic approaches, nanotechnology has emerged as a new strategy for treating different cancer types. This article attempts to demonstrate the huge potential for targeted nanoparticles and their molecular imaging applications. Notably, several nanoparticles have been developed and engineered to demonstrate antiangiogenic features. This nanomedicine could effectively treat a number of cancers using antiangiogenic therapies as an alternative approach. We also discuss the latest antiangiogenic and nanotherapeutic strategies and highlight tumor vessels and their microenvironments.