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As a result of new discoveries, there is a greater opportunity for development and investment in the Al-Arraba EL-Madfuna region of Abydos, Sohag Governorate, Egypt, which benefits tourism and increases the national economy. The Coptic monastery, which was originally established by Apa Moses, the patriarch of the Coptic Church during the ancient Roman Empire, has vanished inside the current market on this site, along with numerous tombs. As a result, the primary goal of this work is to prospect on this site for these potential archaeological features. Ground magnetic and ground-penetration radar (GPR) surveys were employed for discovering these archaeological issues. This work was done in coordination with the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Ground magnetic and GPR surveys were implemented using the G-857 proton-precession magnetometer and GSSI SIR 4000 with a 200 MHz antenna. The data were processed and interpreted using Geosoft Oasis Montaj and REFLEXW v.5.8 software packages. The magnetic data were filtered to separate the shallower anomalies representing the archaeological remains from those of the deeper ones. Butterworth high pass filter, first vertical derivatives, analytical signal, and tilt derivative were employed to carry out the processing stages. The results were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to describe these anomalies and determine their locations, geometrical shapes, and depths. The source parameter imaging technique and 3D Euler deconvolution were used to calculate the depths. The analysis of magnetic maps shows that the study site is characterized by a number of anomalies that occur and have geometric squares and rectangle shapes with depths ranging from 0.7 m to ≈4 m. Some of these anomalies are related to potential archaeological objects. GPR findings reveal considerably scattered hyperbolas along several profiles, which may indicate the presence of potential buried objects. The integration of magnetic and GPR results showed that there is some consistency in the identification of the locations of the likely buried archaeological objects and their depths (0.7 to 3 m) for the majority of the discovered targets. The findings of this study suggest excavating at this location and relocating the market in order to protect the buried antiquities from being lost to be safeguarded as a tourist destination target.

A pioneer geophysical investigation utilizing magnetic gradiometry, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography was conducted in the eastern area of Senusret I pyramid, El-Lisht area, Giza, Egypt, to identify all possible archaeological features and/or ancient historical remains. A high-resolution magnetic gradient survey was conducted at two selected areas (A & B) east of the pyramid using the FM256 instrument to measure the vertical magnetic gradient and identify any possible extension of a few traces of the mudbrick features observed at some places of the study area. Subsequently, 60 GPR and 3 ERT lines were conducted in area A to confirm the resulting magnetic anomalies. Further, 14 GPR lines were carried out in area C to investigate any possible near-surface features between areas A and B. The magnetic data in areas A and B revealed several high magnetic anomalies that are very likely indicative of buried mud bricks structures and scattered granitic blocks. GPR data in areas A and C showed numerous hyperbolic features varying in size and amplitude, which have been interpreted as possible limestone structures and/or mud bricks walls. ERT results in area A depicted high resistivities that were interpreted by the magnetic gradiometry data as mud bricks walls. Integrating the findings from magnetic, GPR, and ERT surveys indicates the presence of ruins of a part of an ancient temple, potentially constructed from mud bricks in the 12th Dynasty. The integrated results emphasize the importance of applying more than one geophysical method at the same location to highlight the promising monuments that certainly require further excavation and restoration efforts to develop the area for future tourism programs.

A pioneer geophysical investigation utilizing magnetic gradiometry, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography was conducted in the eastern area of Senusret I pyramid, El-Lisht area, Giza, Egypt, to identify all possible archaeological features and/or ancient historical remains. A high-resolution magnetic gradient survey was conducted at two selected areas (A & B) east of the pyramid using the FM256 instrument to measure the vertical magnetic gradient and identify any possible extension of a few traces of the mudbrick features observed at some places of the study area. Subsequently, 60 GPR and 3 ERT lines were conducted in area A to confirm the resulting magnetic anomalies. Further, 14 GPR lines were carried out in area C to investigate any possible near-surface features between areas A and B. The magnetic data in areas A and B revealed several high magnetic anomalies that are very likely indicative of buried mud bricks structures and scattered granitic blocks. GPR data in areas A and C showed numerous hyperbolic features varying in size and amplitude, which have been interpreted as possible limestone structures and/or mud bricks walls. ERT results in area A depicted high resistivities that were interpreted by the magnetic gradiometry data as mud bricks walls. Integrating the findings from magnetic, GPR, and ERT surveys indicates the presence of ruins of a part of an ancient temple, potentially constructed from mud bricks in the 12th Dynasty. The integrated results emphasize the importance of applying more than one geophysical method at the same location to highlight the promising monuments that certainly require further excavation and restoration efforts to develop the area for future tourism programs.

An aeromagnetic reconnaissance study is presented to delineate the subsurface structure and tectonic setting at the Fayoum-Cairo district, which experienced a damaging earthquake on October 12, 1992 of magnitude (M = 5.7). Analysis of aeromagnetic and seismicity data demonstrate three significant tectonic faults with trending to the NE-SW, NW-SE and E-W. The basement is uplifted in the northern and central parts with a depth of 1.3 km, and deepening in the southern part with a depth of 2.5 km. This is a seismically active zone and historically has experienced damaging earthquakes. In 1847, a damaging earthquake with maximum epicentral intensity (Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) = VII) was located there. On the eastern side, earthquake sources are well recognized at different locations. These sources created events of moderate size magnitude M < 5. The focal mechanisms of the major events from these sources are generally strike-slip with normal component. The focal mechanism of the earthquake on October 12, 1992 is normal fault type with strike trends in the NW-SE direction. These fault plane solutions are consistent with the tectonic trends derived from the aeromagnetic data mentioned above and suggest that the new tectonics of northeast Africa is predominant.   Resumen Este estudio presenta una exploración aeromagnética para delimitar la estructura subsuperficial y el marco tectónico del distrito de Fayoum-Cairo, que sufrió un terremoto el 12 de octubre de 1992 de magnitud M=5.7. Los análisis de datos sismicidad y aeromagnéticos señalan tres fallas tectónicas significativas con tendencias NE-SO, NO-SE y E-O. El subsuelo se elevó en el norte y en el centro a una profundidad de 1,3 kilómetros, y se hundió en el sur con una profundidad de 2,5 kilómetros. Esta es una zona sísmicamente activa que en su historia ha tenido terremotos dañinos. En 1847 tuvo lugar un terremoto con intensidad epicentral máxima (escala sismológica de Mercalli) de VII. En el lado este se estudiaron las fuentes de terremotos en diferentes partes. Estas fuentes crearon eventos de magnitud moderada M<5. Los mecanismos focales de los eventos principales en estas fuentes son generalmente fallas de desgarre con componente normal. El mecanismo focal del terremoto del 12 de octubre de 1992 es una falla tipo normal con fuertes movimientos NO-SE. Las soluciones de estas fallas son consistentes con las tendencias tectónicas de los datos aeromagnéticos antes mencionados y sugieren que la nueva tectónica del noreste de África es predominante.

An integrated geophysical survey using land magnetic and ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods was conducted to investigate the archaeological findings and ancient cultural relics at an undiscovered 100 m × 60 m in Tal-Baltus in El-Sadat city, Menofia Governorate, Egypt. The study area at Tal-Baltus was chosen among several archaeological hills in the Menofia governorate due to its archaeological significance in the Greco-Roman history of Egypt. The total area was first surveyed using the magnetic method, and then two small promising sites within this area were selected for the GPR survey. The obtained magnetic results showed the presence of remarkably high anomalies with different shapes of irregular geometry. Therefore, they are interpreted as ruins of old storage rooms related to an ancient harbor-shaped structure. Besides, numerous scattered pillars and column heads were also delineated and matched with remains of granite blocks in abundance in the study area, taking the same trend as the delineated magnetic anomalies. In addition, the GPR results highlighted several hyperbolas with variable amplitudes and sizes, which have been interpreted as the shallow foundation of a potential ancient harbor made of limestone. The comprehensive interpretation of the integrated magnetic and GPR surveys strongly suggests that the study area may be a part of an ancient harbor in addition to some other ancillary room-shaped structures used for cargo storage purposes and scattered portions of walls and pillars dating back to the Greco-Roman era.

In the last few years, ALOS/PALSAR (L-band) (HH, HV, VH, and VV) images have been widely used due to their ability to penetrate the surface in certain conditions, such as low moisture or dry friable sandy soil. Images from the ALOS sensor were used to delineate subsurface structures and optical images such as Landsat-7 ETM + data were used to discriminate between scatterings from the Earth’s surface and subsurface materials. Thus, the Farafra Desert is an optimal geological environment for L-band microwave penetration, as its geology is characterized by friable sand sheets covering limestone (Tarawan Formation). Speckle noise is found in radar images for many reasons, such as when an object strongly reflected between itself and the spacecraft causes noise. Refined LEE filter (RLF) is applied for speckle noise reduction; moreover, full polarimetric ALOS/PALSAR images (PLR) are transformed into circular polarization by changing both angles into orientation angle ψ = 0° and elliptical angle χ = 45°. The validation of ALOS/PALSAR outputs was carried out using ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. Three GPR long profiles using a 200 MHz antenna were scanned along with areas that were annotated according to ALOS/PALSAR results (high backscattering coefficient). The GPR system operated by a low-frequency antenna with a frequency of 200 MHz was capable of detecting the annotated geological structures beneath the sand sheets. Furthermore, statistical comparison of L-band SAR and GPR data illustrated a correlation that can reveal identical regions to delineate subsurface structures. These results prove that the integration of synthetic aperture radar SAR (L-band) and on-site low-frequency radar systems can be vital to detect soil structures down to several meters, ultimately innovating Earth observation systems for geological and hydrogeological mapping in arid regions.

Water is becoming one of the most critical strategic challenges for any country. Egypt has numerous water resources, the most notable being the Nile River. Egypt must seek alternative resources because the development of an Ethiopian dam has reduced the Nile's water flow. Underground water is a source of available water. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the variables governing the flow of subsurface water in Egypt. The primary objective of this study is to examine the hydrological water flow along the Nile Valley between southern Cairo and Beni Suef, Egypt. Applying integrated geophysical and geodetic methods can improve our understanding of the hydrological regime. Fault and stress regimes have a direct effect on underground water flow. Aeromagnetic data were used to determine the main faults in the study area, and four geoelectrical long profiles were measured crossing the Nile Valley. Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements observed along geodetic points covered the study area. The magnetic results show that two faults hit the area, both of which have a pronounced magnetic pattern in the ENE–WSW direction, and two faults in the NW–SE direction. For the geoelectrical results, we observed that the second geoelectrical unit represents the main groundwater aquifer in this region, and it is regulated in the NW–SE direction. The obtained GNSS results demonstrate that compression forces in the south and north influence the hydrological system in the Nile Valley. Faults detected from geological maps and magnetic observations are also influenced by compression forces from the north and south, while the middle section displays tension forces. This geodynamic regime causes the water to flow toward the Nile Valley in the Southwestern of the study regions, whereas water flows outside the Nile Valley in the northeastern part.

Abstract Many air-conditioning (AC) systems are designed to operate at maximum cooling capacity regardless of the variation in the daily cooling load. At low loads, the conditions can be uncomfortably cold and the overcooling is an unnecessary waste of energy. To address these two issues, a multiple refrigeration circuit concept is proposed and applied to a roof-top bus AC system. A two-circuit model is proposed for a standard bus size in which each circuit has two evaporators of equal sizes arranged in parallel and installed on each passenger row, respectively. This means that each passenger row is served by two different evaporators sharing a common heat exchanger box. Depending on the cooling load, this concept allows one or both circuits (compressor motors) to be switched on and during either modes, it also allows one or more sets of evaporator blowers to be switched on. A steady-state computer model has been developed to simulate the performance of the proposed two-circuit AC system. A two-circuit air conditioner is also designed to form a roof-top bus AC system, fabricated, and installed on to an experimental rig. The experimental data are used to validate the computer model. The validation is on the system thermal performance and on the evaporator air outlet conditions (dry bulb temperature and relative humidity) at different modes of system operation, either at full or partial cooling loads. The simulated results gave satisfactory agreement with those obtained from the experimental work. Maximum absolute deviations are within the range of 19.3 per cent, although most of the simulated results are less than a 10 per cent range from the experimental ones, which validates the computer program. The paper describes the modelling work carried out and the results obtained are presented in comparison with the experimental data.

Abstract The current paper presents a methodology of a design optimization technique that can be useful in assessing the best configuration of a finned-tube condenser, using a thermal and economical optimization approach. The assessment has been carried out on an air-cooled finned-tube condenser of a vapour compression cycle for a roof-top bus air-conditioning system at a specified cooling capacity. The methodology has been conducted by studying the effect of some operational and geometrical design parameters for the condenser on the entire cycle exergy destruction or irreversibility, air-conditioning system coefficient of performance (COP), and total annual cost. The heat exchangers for the bus air-conditioning system are featured by a very compact frontal area due to the stringent space limitations and structure standard for the system installation. Therefore, the current study also takes in its account the effect of the varying design parameters on the condenser frontal area. The irreversibility due to heat transfer across the stream-to-stream temperature-difference and due to frictional pressure-drops is calculated as a function of the design parameters. A cost function is introduced, defined as the sum of two contributions, the investment expense of the condenser material and the system compressor, and the operational expense of air-conditioning system, which is usually driven by an auxiliary engine or coupled with the main bus engine. The optimal trade-off between investment and operating cost is therefore investigated. A numerical example is discussed, in which, a comparison between the commercial condenser design and optimal design configuration has been presented in terms of the system COP and condenser material cost. The results show that a significant improvement can be obtained for the optimal condenser design compared to that of the commercial finned-tube condenser, which is designed based on the conventional values of the design parameters.

The medicinal application of pomegranate peel extract enriched with polyphenols (PPE) as a therapeutic strategy for managing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is still limited. Integrating pomegranate peel extract (PPE) into an effective nanocarrier system could enhance its mechanistic actions, potentially aiding in the remission of colitis. Therefore, this approach aimed to enhance PPE’s stability and bioavailability and investigate mitigating impact of pomegranate peel extract-loaded nanoparticles (PPE-NPs) in a colitis model. Colonic injury was induced by 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and efficacy of disease progression after oral administration of PPE-NPs for 14 days was assessed by evaluating clinical signs severity, antioxidant and inflammatory markers, expressions of endoplasmic reticulum associated genes and histopathological and immunostaining analysis in colonic tissues. Clinical signs and disease activity index were effectively reduced, and the levels of fecal calprotectin were decreased in groups treated with PPE-NPs compared to DSS group. The colitic group showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in C-reactive protein (CRP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and nitric oxide (NO) (35.60, 163.30 and 280 nmol/g tissue respectively) and higher expression (P < 0.05) IL-17 , TNF-α , and IL-1β (increased up to 2.99, 4.36 and 4.90 respectively unlike PPE-NPsIII that recorded reduced levels of CRP, MPO and NO (8,96, 78.30 and 123 nmol/g tissue respectively) and much lower (P < 0.05) levels of IL-17, TNF-α, and IL-1β expression (decreased to 1.23, 1.69 and 1.64, respectively). The most improvement of colon damage PPE-NPsIII group was also associated with the reduction MDA level (P < 0.05) (decreased to 21.60 vs 90.65 in DSS non treated group). The highest glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were noted in PPE-NPsIII received group (42.60, 50.30 and 62.70 U/mg). Notably, prominent free radical scavenging activities were noticed in group received 150 mg/kg of PPE-NPs as supported by higher scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (9.85 mg/g) and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid tested radicals (19.98 mg/g). Balancing between endoplasmic reticulum stressors (ERS), inflammation and autophagy was prominently noted in group treated with 150 mg/kg of PPE-NPs. These findings were supported by subsiding the excessive expression of ERS related genes ( CHOP , JUNK , ATF6 , BIP , and Elf -2) and immunostaining expression regulation of key markers regulating autophagy (Beclin-2) in this group. The histopathological changes in the colon were less severe in the PPE-NPs received groups (especially at the level of 150 mg/kg) compared to DSS group. Collectively, these findings suggest that the nanoencapsulation of PPE enhances its effectiveness in promoting recovery of colonic tissue damage and achieving remission of colitis.