Architecture of the Early Mosques and Shrines of Java: Influences of the Arab Merchants in the 15... more Architecture of the Early Mosques and Shrines of Java: Influences of the Arab Merchants in the 15th and 16th Centuries? In spite of the Malay Archipelago’s location at the crossroads of the maritime spice route which allowed reception of ideas and influences from China, the Middle East and Europe, Javanese mosques and shrines are widely believed, by local Indonesian and international scholars, as originating from earlier local Hindu-Buddhist predecessors. Variations of local buildings such as temples, cock-fight arenas, communal buildings, and vernacular houses have been suggested as the prototype on which the masjid was modeled. The mausoleums were linked to earlier mountain sites and Hindu-Buddhist practices of veneration of the dead. Two scholars however, Graaf and Slametmuljana, contested the dominant perception and suggested a foreign origin for the Javanese mosque; the former, on basis of similarities in the use of timber as the construction medium, suggested the western Coast...
The ornamented domes of Cairo’s Mamluk architecture are unique and have never been equaled since ... more The ornamented domes of Cairo’s Mamluk architecture are unique and have never been equaled since in the Muslim world. They represent a challenge not only in terms of their structural boldness but for their distinctive decoration programs. From the mid 14th to the early 16th c. A.D. there was increasing sophistication in the development of carved decoration on Mamluk stone domes which reached a climax by the use of elaborate arabesque motifs and geometrical patterns; the most distinguishing of which are the interlacing stars. Despite the fact that there was a paradigm shift in dome architecture during the Mamluk era in terms of construction materials and decoration programs, historical information is scarce—if not totally silent—regarding the design and implementation process of these unique themes of decoration. This paper is concerned with the design principles and techniques employed in the creation of the carved decorative geometric star patterns on Cairene Mamluk domes in an att...
This paper focuses on the performance optimization process for standalone virtual reality headset... more This paper focuses on the performance optimization process for standalone virtual reality headsets. With the release of the Oculus Quest on May 2019, and its wide adoption, developing a VR application is not as simple as it used to be on regular PCVR headsets, which run on VR ready desktops powered by dedicated processors and graphics cards. The mobile processor of standalone headsets is much weaker than the ones on a dedicated VR computer. Therefore, heavy performance optimization is needed in order to run full scale applications on the Oculus Quest without facing application slow downs and performance drops. PlayBricks; A VR application running on the Oculus Quest using Unreal Engine 4 and C++, is developed to simulate real life LEGOs for architectural design and educational applications. The hardest problem faced in development is the performance problem, where the number of blocks the user places before the application starts slowing down is not enough to build anything meaningful. Through the optimization of the CPU, GPU and draw call threads, the paper reveals how the number of building blocks can be increased from 100 blocks to reach 12,000 blocks.
The avidity to the corresponding antigens is often higher than to the cross-reactive antigens. Th... more The avidity to the corresponding antigens is often higher than to the cross-reactive antigens. This was demonstrated with the highly cross-reactive elapid Egyptian snake venoms Naja haje (Nh), Naja nigricollis (Nn) and Walterinnesia aegyptia (Wa), and used for the differentiation among the three species in a simple ELISA-based assay. A three-step immuno-affinity protocol was followed and the titer and avidity of the different antibody (Ab) preparations were assessed and evaluated. The advantages offered by the avidity power of the venom specific antibodies (VS-Abs) obtained after one step purification, outweigh the specificity of the species-specific antibodies (SS-Abs) obtained after further purification. The efficiency of the VS-Abs as special immunodiagnostics was validated using 16 venom samples collected from individual snakes of different size and age at different time intervals. The avidities of the VS-Abs to the homologous venoms were 2.53 ± 0.4, 2.66 ± 0.31 and 2.8 ± 0.06 for Nh, Nn and Wa venoms respectively; whereas the avidity of the same Abs to the heterologous venoms could hardly exceed 1. Venom concentrations in the range between 10-1250 ng/well were detected with almost the same efficiency, an extra advantage that could be added to the assay to assure equal sensitivity allover the mentioned venom concentration range.
The horse antibodies to Naja haje (Nh) elicited in a low dose multi-site immunization protocol we... more The horse antibodies to Naja haje (Nh) elicited in a low dose multi-site immunization protocol were investigated from binding perspective in the context of antivenom maturation. We found that, this protocol evoked the production of lethality neutralizing avid antibodies in the first round of immunization which increases over the successive immunization rounds. The changes and the relative changes in the
A combined cell culture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CCC-ELISA) was developed for measuring... more A combined cell culture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CCC-ELISA) was developed for measuring the neutralizing antipoliovirus antibodies in human sera. The binding of different concentrations of each of the three poliovirus types to BGM cells in the presence and absence of a constant dilution from each test and reference serum was measured in the CCC-ELISA. The titers of the viruses neutralized by each serum were measured with the titration curves and used for interpretation of neutralizing titers to the three poliovirus types. Analysis of human sera revealed that the sensitivity and specificity of the CCC-ELISA and the microneutralization assay were comparable. The CCC-ELISA is nonsubjective, rapid, and highly reproducible. Furthermore, the CCC-ELISA could potentially be used as a seroepidemiologic tool for assessment of the humoral response to the cell culture infectious viruses.
This study reported the purification and characterization of a cytotoxic, neurotoxin-like protein... more This study reported the purification and characterization of a cytotoxic, neurotoxin-like protein derived from the venom of the Egyptian cobra Naja haje haje, Elapidae family, and explored their mechanistic role in the cell death. The protein purification was performed through ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography and was characterized by SDS–PAGE, amino acid sequencing, and mass spectrum analysis. The antitumor activity
Adsorption-journal of The International Adsorption Society, 2011
The textural characterization of a series of activated carbons prepared from olive stones, by car... more The textural characterization of a series of activated carbons prepared from olive stones, by carbonization at different temperatures (400, 550, 700 and 850 °C) and thermal activation with CO2, has been investigated using N2 adsorption at −196 °C and CO2 adsorption at 0 °C. The effect of pre-oxidation of the carbonized precursor has also been studied, using temperature-programmed decomposition (TPD), to evaluate the
Four combinations of Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) antigens were supplemented with extra pe... more Four combinations of Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) antigens were supplemented with extra pertactin (PRN) and evaluated for specific immune response in mice. The immunogens were prepared by fractionation of the concentrated broth of the vaccine strain 134 on a Sephacryl$300 column. The Sephacryl fractions with a nd without extra PRN supplement were inactivated using glutaraldehyde. The anti$pertussis toxin (anti$PT), anti$f ilamentous hemagglutinin (anti$FHA) and anti$PRN ELISA titers were determined in sera from mice immunized with each of the immunogens. A significant increase in the anti$FHA and anti$PT ELISA titers was recognized in the PRN fortified immunogens except the whole cell vaccine. The data revealed adjuvanicity of PRN in addition to its role in induction of the corresponding antibodies, PRN enhances the humoral response to specific protection relevant components of the acellular vaccines (ACVs)
Architecture of the Early Mosques and Shrines of Java: Influences of the Arab Merchants in the 15... more Architecture of the Early Mosques and Shrines of Java: Influences of the Arab Merchants in the 15th and 16th Centuries? In spite of the Malay Archipelago’s location at the crossroads of the maritime spice route which allowed reception of ideas and influences from China, the Middle East and Europe, Javanese mosques and shrines are widely believed, by local Indonesian and international scholars, as originating from earlier local Hindu-Buddhist predecessors. Variations of local buildings such as temples, cock-fight arenas, communal buildings, and vernacular houses have been suggested as the prototype on which the masjid was modeled. The mausoleums were linked to earlier mountain sites and Hindu-Buddhist practices of veneration of the dead. Two scholars however, Graaf and Slametmuljana, contested the dominant perception and suggested a foreign origin for the Javanese mosque; the former, on basis of similarities in the use of timber as the construction medium, suggested the western Coast...
The ornamented domes of Cairo’s Mamluk architecture are unique and have never been equaled since ... more The ornamented domes of Cairo’s Mamluk architecture are unique and have never been equaled since in the Muslim world. They represent a challenge not only in terms of their structural boldness but for their distinctive decoration programs. From the mid 14th to the early 16th c. A.D. there was increasing sophistication in the development of carved decoration on Mamluk stone domes which reached a climax by the use of elaborate arabesque motifs and geometrical patterns; the most distinguishing of which are the interlacing stars. Despite the fact that there was a paradigm shift in dome architecture during the Mamluk era in terms of construction materials and decoration programs, historical information is scarce—if not totally silent—regarding the design and implementation process of these unique themes of decoration. This paper is concerned with the design principles and techniques employed in the creation of the carved decorative geometric star patterns on Cairene Mamluk domes in an att...
This paper focuses on the performance optimization process for standalone virtual reality headset... more This paper focuses on the performance optimization process for standalone virtual reality headsets. With the release of the Oculus Quest on May 2019, and its wide adoption, developing a VR application is not as simple as it used to be on regular PCVR headsets, which run on VR ready desktops powered by dedicated processors and graphics cards. The mobile processor of standalone headsets is much weaker than the ones on a dedicated VR computer. Therefore, heavy performance optimization is needed in order to run full scale applications on the Oculus Quest without facing application slow downs and performance drops. PlayBricks; A VR application running on the Oculus Quest using Unreal Engine 4 and C++, is developed to simulate real life LEGOs for architectural design and educational applications. The hardest problem faced in development is the performance problem, where the number of blocks the user places before the application starts slowing down is not enough to build anything meaningful. Through the optimization of the CPU, GPU and draw call threads, the paper reveals how the number of building blocks can be increased from 100 blocks to reach 12,000 blocks.
The avidity to the corresponding antigens is often higher than to the cross-reactive antigens. Th... more The avidity to the corresponding antigens is often higher than to the cross-reactive antigens. This was demonstrated with the highly cross-reactive elapid Egyptian snake venoms Naja haje (Nh), Naja nigricollis (Nn) and Walterinnesia aegyptia (Wa), and used for the differentiation among the three species in a simple ELISA-based assay. A three-step immuno-affinity protocol was followed and the titer and avidity of the different antibody (Ab) preparations were assessed and evaluated. The advantages offered by the avidity power of the venom specific antibodies (VS-Abs) obtained after one step purification, outweigh the specificity of the species-specific antibodies (SS-Abs) obtained after further purification. The efficiency of the VS-Abs as special immunodiagnostics was validated using 16 venom samples collected from individual snakes of different size and age at different time intervals. The avidities of the VS-Abs to the homologous venoms were 2.53 ± 0.4, 2.66 ± 0.31 and 2.8 ± 0.06 for Nh, Nn and Wa venoms respectively; whereas the avidity of the same Abs to the heterologous venoms could hardly exceed 1. Venom concentrations in the range between 10-1250 ng/well were detected with almost the same efficiency, an extra advantage that could be added to the assay to assure equal sensitivity allover the mentioned venom concentration range.
The horse antibodies to Naja haje (Nh) elicited in a low dose multi-site immunization protocol we... more The horse antibodies to Naja haje (Nh) elicited in a low dose multi-site immunization protocol were investigated from binding perspective in the context of antivenom maturation. We found that, this protocol evoked the production of lethality neutralizing avid antibodies in the first round of immunization which increases over the successive immunization rounds. The changes and the relative changes in the
A combined cell culture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CCC-ELISA) was developed for measuring... more A combined cell culture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CCC-ELISA) was developed for measuring the neutralizing antipoliovirus antibodies in human sera. The binding of different concentrations of each of the three poliovirus types to BGM cells in the presence and absence of a constant dilution from each test and reference serum was measured in the CCC-ELISA. The titers of the viruses neutralized by each serum were measured with the titration curves and used for interpretation of neutralizing titers to the three poliovirus types. Analysis of human sera revealed that the sensitivity and specificity of the CCC-ELISA and the microneutralization assay were comparable. The CCC-ELISA is nonsubjective, rapid, and highly reproducible. Furthermore, the CCC-ELISA could potentially be used as a seroepidemiologic tool for assessment of the humoral response to the cell culture infectious viruses.
This study reported the purification and characterization of a cytotoxic, neurotoxin-like protein... more This study reported the purification and characterization of a cytotoxic, neurotoxin-like protein derived from the venom of the Egyptian cobra Naja haje haje, Elapidae family, and explored their mechanistic role in the cell death. The protein purification was performed through ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography and was characterized by SDS–PAGE, amino acid sequencing, and mass spectrum analysis. The antitumor activity
Adsorption-journal of The International Adsorption Society, 2011
The textural characterization of a series of activated carbons prepared from olive stones, by car... more The textural characterization of a series of activated carbons prepared from olive stones, by carbonization at different temperatures (400, 550, 700 and 850 °C) and thermal activation with CO2, has been investigated using N2 adsorption at −196 °C and CO2 adsorption at 0 °C. The effect of pre-oxidation of the carbonized precursor has also been studied, using temperature-programmed decomposition (TPD), to evaluate the
Four combinations of Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) antigens were supplemented with extra pe... more Four combinations of Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) antigens were supplemented with extra pertactin (PRN) and evaluated for specific immune response in mice. The immunogens were prepared by fractionation of the concentrated broth of the vaccine strain 134 on a Sephacryl$300 column. The Sephacryl fractions with a nd without extra PRN supplement were inactivated using glutaraldehyde. The anti$pertussis toxin (anti$PT), anti$f ilamentous hemagglutinin (anti$FHA) and anti$PRN ELISA titers were determined in sera from mice immunized with each of the immunogens. A significant increase in the anti$FHA and anti$PT ELISA titers was recognized in the PRN fortified immunogens except the whole cell vaccine. The data revealed adjuvanicity of PRN in addition to its role in induction of the corresponding antibodies, PRN enhances the humoral response to specific protection relevant components of the acellular vaccines (ACVs)
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Papers by Ahmed Wahby