Minia University

About: Minia University is a education organization based out in Minya, Egypt. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 4967 authors who have published 8986 publications receiving 108384 citations.

Evaluation of pumpkin seed products for bread fortification

Abstract: Pumpkin seed products (raw, roasted, autoclaved, germinated, fermented, pumpkin protein concentrate and pumpkin protein isolate) were incorporated into wheat flour to produce blends with protein levels of 15, 17, 19 and 21%. Dough properties were evaluated by a farinograph; loaves of breads were evaluated by a taste panel for crust color, crumb color, crumb texture, flavor, and overall quality. Results indicated that pumpkin seed products can be added to wheat flour up to a 17% protein level for raw, roasted and autoclaved pumpkin meal, 19% level for germinated, fermented and pumpkin protein concentrate and 21% level for pumpkin protein isolate without a detrimental effect on dough or loaf quality. On the other hand, the addition of pumpkin seed proteins resulted in increasing protein, lysine and mineral contents compared to the control. While lysine and tryptophan were the first and second limiting amino acids in the control bread, tryptophan and lysine were the first and second limiting amino acids for raw, roasted, autoclaved, germinated and fermented pumpkin meal; valine and lysine and valine and total sulfur amino acids were the first and second limiting amino acids for pumpkin protein concentrate and isolate, respectively. In vitro protein digestibility improved when the pumpkin seed proteins were added.

Chemical communication in insect communities: a guide to insect pheromones with special emphasis on social insects

Abstract: SUMMARY 1Chemical communication plays an important part in the lives of insects, and particularly in lives of those that live in groups or social organizations. 2Chemicals which are used in communication in the general sense are called semiochemicals, and there are a number of subdivisions recognized under this title. 3Pheromones are a category of semiochemicals which are used for communication between individuals of the same species. 4Pheromones are in turn subdivided into primer and releaser pheromones. The former produce a relatively long-lasting physiological change in the receiver, and the latter stimulate the receiver to some immediate behavioural response. 5Far more is known about releaser pheromones at present because they are easier to study. 6Nine categories of releaser pheromone are recognized here, used by both social and non-social insects. 7Sex pheromones are widely used to bring the sexes together for mating, and they have been extensively studied in Lepidoptera. 8Invitation pheromones, encouraging the species to feed or oviposit at an explored site, are not extensively known. 9Aggregation pheromones are designed to bring individuals together into groups which may be temporary in sub-social insects, or permanent in social insects. 10Dispersal or spacing pheromones are used by other species to reduce intraspecific competition for scarce resources. 11Alarm pheromones are a broad and sometimes unclearly defined group which communicate alarm or attack, chiefly in colonial species. 12Trail pheromones, applied to a surface by an individual, to be followed by another, are confined to Hymenoptera, Isoptera and a few Lepidoptera as far as is known. 13Territorial and home range pheromones may be widely distributed, but as yet few of them have been recognized. 14Surface and funeral pheromones are even less well known. Surface pheromones may play a large part in species or colony recognition. 15We can expect the number and complexity of pheromones to be much greater in social insects, a part of the subject which until now has received relatively less attention. 16As our understanding of the subject grows we may expect other categories to be added to this list.

Composition and total-Pb model ages of monazite from high-grade paragneisses in the Abu Swayel area, southern eastern desert, Egypt

Abstract: Monazites from high-grade metapelitic paragneisses from the southern Eastern Desert of Egypt (Abu Swayel area) were analysed with the electron microprobe mainly in an attempt to broadly constrain the metamorphic ages of the rocks by means of chemical Th(U)-Pb dating. Two samples were investigated, one showed weak signs of a greenschist facies overprint, the other one did not. For each sample, weighted average ages were calculated from long-time analyses of 18 (16) individual grains with a 5 μm beam placed in the grain centres. The average ages were almost the same (636± 10 Ma, 633±10 Ma). The monazites appeared chemically fairly uniform and homogeneous in both samples with ThO2 contents of ca. 3.3-4.5 wt.%, UO2 0.4-1.2 wt.%, La2O3 12–13 wt.%, Nd2O3 11-13 wt.%, Y2O3 1.8-2.6 wt.%. Some larger grains displayed a weak concentric zoning in the BSE image with increasing brightness near the rims. A microprobe traverse was laid across a zoned monazite from the slightly retrogressed sample. It was found that the U and Y contents were somewhat higher in the outer growth shell. The high Y contents at the rims argue for crystal growth under prograde temperature conditions and against a retrograde overgrowth. There appeared to be a tendency that the model ages become slightly younger towards the crystals rim (645±15 Ma in the core section versus 633±16 Ma in the rim section of the profile). However, the observed differences are interpreted as equivocal due to the limited resolution of EMP monazite dating. Clearly, the results do not support previous hypotheses, according to which Abu Swayel gneisses should belong to pre-Panafrican, mid-Proterozoic metamorphic sequences. Instead, the data accord with other 600-650 Ma metamorphic ages recently recognized near the contact of the East Sahara Craton and the Arabian Nubian Shield. The best interpretation is that high-grade metamorphism at that time occurred in connection with collisional crustal thickening, when a Panafrican terrane assembly was attached to the east Sahara Craton from the (present day) east. This event appears to be distinct from an earlier phase of high-grade regional metamorphism between ca. 700 and 750 Ma, which has been documented in other parts of the Arabian Nubian Shield.

Microgrid dynamic security considering high penetration of renewable energy

Abstract: This paper presents a coordination strategy of Load Frequency Control (LFC) and digital frequency protection for an islanded microgrid (MG) considering high penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). In such MGs, the reduction in system inertia due to integration of large amount of RESs causes undesirable influence on MG frequency stability, leading to weakening of the MG. Furthermore, sudden load events, and short circuits caused large frequency fluctuations, which threaten the system security and could lead to complete blackouts as well as damages to the system equipment. Therefore, maintaining the dynamic security in MGs is one of the important challenges, which considered in this paper using a specific design and various data conversion stages of a digital over/under frequency relay (OUFR). The proposed relay will cover both under and over frequency conditions in coordination with LFC operation to protect the MG against high frequency variations. To prove the response of the proposed coordination strategy, a small MG was investigated for the simulation. The proposed coordination method has been tested considering load change, high integration of RESs. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of the presented technique was examined by varying the penetration level of RESs and reducing the system inertia. The results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed coordination to maintain the power system frequency stability and security. In addition, the superiority of the OUFR has been approved in terms of accuracy and speed response during high disturbances.