The Gulf of Aqaba-Dead Sea Transform fault (DSTF), delineating a pivotal plate boundary, extends its influence across multiple countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. This broad geographic reach underscores the importance of evaluating seismic hazard in the region, especially in the context of extensive development initiatives like the Saudi NEOM project, to ensure the resilience of these projects in the face of potential seismic activity. This study provides a reassessment of the probabilistic seismic hazard, focusing on peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration (SA) values. The evaluation considers a 10 and 5% probability of exceedance in a 50-year timeframe for both B/C and C NEHRP site classes. The analysis incorporates seismic activity from Egypt and its surroundings, along with the European seismic source model SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe), encompassing both shallow crustal and intermediate-depth seismicity. The study employs four ground-motion prediction equations, accounting for earthquakes in shallow active crustal tectonic regimes and intermediate-depth events linked to the Cyprian Arc in the Eastern Mediterranean. A logic tree integrates various parameters, including the uncertainty related to the Gutenberg-Richter b-value, maximum possible magnitude, and three alternative ground-motion attenuation models for shallow active seismic sources. Highlighting the most notable findings, we found three focal points along the DSTF exhibiting significantly higher hazard values. These nuclei are specifically situated in the central part of the Gulf of Aqaba, the area between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, and the northeastern extension or termination of the DSTF, where it intersects with the East Anatolian Fault at the Hatay Triple Junction. A distinct pattern emerges, underscoring that Nuweiba (Egypt), Nicosia (Cyprus), Latakia (Syria) and Iskenderun (Turkey), consistently manifest the highest seismic hazard values among all cities analyzed. For these cities, the pairs of maximum spectral acceleration (SA_max) values, corresponding to both 475 and 975 years under B/C site conditions, are as follows: 0.72 and 0.91 g, 0.69 and 0.86 g, 0.58 and 0.77 g, and 0.57 and 0.77 g, respectively. These outcomes underscore the critical importance of considering and addressing the seismic potential of these specific regions for effective risk mitigation and disaster preparedness efforts.

Groundwater is a rare and valuable resource in arid and hyperarid areas. Over the past few decades, population growth, urbanization, and agricultural activities—particularly in developing countries like Egypt—have greatly increased the demand for water supplies. The purpose of this study is to apply a multi-criteria analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in conjunction with remote sensing and geographic information systems methodologies to identify potential zones for groundwater recharge in Wadi Qena, Eastern Desert of Egypt. This valley is considered as one of the most potential valleys for government-led land reclamation and development initiatives. Using several data sources (e.g., Landsat-8 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission), as well as all available geologic and hydrogeological data, thematic maps were prepared and combined based on 15 spatial criteria. Using AHP-based specialized knowledge and expert judgment, the study assigned weights to spatial criteria layers and classified Wadi Qena catchment area into five zones: very high (11.75%), high (29.30%), moderate (8.86%), low (47.55%), and very low (2.50%), with the southwestern part having a very high recharge and storage capacity. The model's accuracy was confirmed by comparing the obtained groundwater potential map with the available borehole data and daily productivity from the groundwater aquifers within the valley (e.g., ROC curve with AUC = 0.94). The results demonstrate that the integration of AHP, remote sensing, and GIS techniques is effective for precise groundwater resource assessment, planning, and monitoring in arid regions like Wadi Qena. These insights can assist decision-makers in water-scarce areas in making informed decisions regarding the conservation and sustainable management of groundwater resources.

Groundwater in Wadi Ranyah, the main water source for local communities, was analyzed using 77 samples to evaluate physicochemical properties, major ions, and heavy metal concentrations. While most parameters met World Health Organization (WHO) standards, levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and nickel exceeded permissible limits. Hydrochemical analyses were conducted using Piper and Durov diagrams, alongside health risk assessments based on statistical ratios established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The analysis identified two dominant water types (SO₄·Cl–Ca·Mg and HCO₃–Ca·Mg), influenced by ion exchange, evaporite dissolution, and silicate weathering. Health risk assessment, based on US EPA models, revealed significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, particularly for children. Oral ingestion accounted for the majority of exposure, with arsenic and lead being the most hazardous. Dermal exposure risks were comparatively lower. The identified health threats include potential dermatological, cardiovascular, and neurological effects, and an increased cancer risk. Based on these findings, groundwater in Wadi Ranyah is unsuitable for drinking without treatment. Mitigation strategies such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange filtration, and continuous monitoring are recommended to reduce heavy metal contamination and protect public health.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant protective effects of the herbal extract of Crepis rueppellii (CR) against paracetamol (PCM)– induced nephrotoxicity in guinea pigs using hematological, biochemical, histological, and immunohistochemical methods. Thirty guinea pigs were divided into six groups: control, PCM (2 g/kg), CR1 group (100 mg/kg), CR2 group (200 mg/kg), CR1 (100 mg/kg) + PCM, and CR2 (200 mg/kg) + PCM. The hematological results showed that the PCM-treated groups experienced significant reductions in Hb, red blood corpuscles, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell, platelets, neutrophils, lymphocyte, and monocyte, in addition to albumin and total protein levels compared with the control group. In contrast, the groups treated with CR showed increases in all the abovementioned parameters. Morphologically, kidney tissues of PCM and CR-treated groups showed focal leukocytic infiltrations and extensive necrosis, while CR1 + PCM- and CR2 + PCM-treated groups revealed more pathological changes than PCM alone. The Bax immunohistochemical reaction showed strong positive reactions in both the PCM and CRtreated groups, while the CR + PCM-treated groups displayed very strong positive compared with the PCM-only group. In conclusion, the results from the hematological and biochemical parameters indicated that CR extract had an ameliorative effect against PCM toxicity.

Self-assemblyofbenzene-1,4-dicarboxylatewithCu(II)usingultrasonicassistedapproacheswith2-aminothia zole assecondaryligandproduceacoordinationpolymeroftheformula{[Cu(BDC)(AZ)(H2O)].H2O}n.The structurewasinvestigatedusingelementalanalysis, IR spectroscopy,X-raydiffraction(XRD)andTransmission electron microscopy (TEM).Acrystalline coordinationpolymerwasobtainedvia theultrasonic irradiation. Coppercompoundsexhibitedpromisinginhibitoryactionagainstsixhumanpathogenicbacteria(Bacillussubtilis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiellapneumoniae,Micrococcus luteus, andSerratiamarcescens). The most effective antibacterial treatments were after sonicationfor70minespeciallyat100µg/mlgives total counts 32.96×107±0.56,32.68×107±0.84,28.32×107±1.2,9.16×107±0.52,20.92×107±0.2,and30.36 ×107±0.28,forB.subtilis,B.cereus,E.coli,K.pneumoniae,M. luteus,andS.marcescenscomparingwithcontrol samples82.84×107±5.96,94.04×107±3,65.24×107±1.08,32.92×107±0.6,36.92×107±0.2,and 59.52×107±0.4,respectively.

Tunning localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in transparent conducting oxides (TCO) has a great impact
on various LSPR-based technologies. In addition to the commonly reported mechanisms used for tunning LSPR in TCOs (e.g., size, shape, carrier density modifications via intrinsic and extrinsic doping), integrating them in coreshell structures provides an additional degree of freedom to expand its tunability, enhance its functionality, and widen its versatility through application-oriented core-shell geometrical optimization. In this work, we explore
the tuneability and functionality of two TCO nanostructures; indium doped tin oxide (ITO) and gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO) encapsulated with silver shell within the extended theoretical Mie theory formalism. The effect of core and shell sizes on LSPR peak position and line width as well as absorption and scattering coefficients is numerically investigated. Simulations showed that LSPRs of ITO-Ag and GZO-Ag core-shell nanostructures have great tunning capabilities, spanning from VIS to IR spectral range including therapeutic window of human tissue
and essential solar energy spectrum. Potential functionality as refractive index sensor (RIS) and solar energy
absorber (SEA) are examined using appropriate figure of merits (FoM). Simulations indicate that a geometrically
optimized core-shell architecture with exceptional FoMs for RIS and SEA can be realized. Contrary to carrier
density manipulation, integrating TCO cores to metallic shells proves to be an effective approach to enhance
tunability and optimize functionality for high performance TCO-based plasmonic devices, with minimum impact
on the inherited physical and chemical properties of the used TCO-core materials.

Binary glasses of Ge25Se75 are prepared by melt quench technique. Two layers of thin film have been done by the conventional thermal evaporation technique on glass substrate. Ge25Se75 with 340±5 nm thickness is prepared as first layer, then thin silver layer is evaporated on top of the Ge25Se75 film. The Ge25Se75 with Ag on top of the film were annealed at different time of 30, 60, 90, and 180 and 210 min at temperature of 573 K. Subsequently, we have analyzed these films using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm the successful diffusion of Ag on Ge25Se75 films. XRD measurements show that as prepared Ag/Ge25Se75 have amorphous natures. Optical transmission and reflection spectra of the studied thin films are measured in the wavelength range of 200–2500 nm at room temperature. The optical properties of the new films were studied before and after annealing at different annealing times due to gradually thermal diffusing of Silver on Ge25Se75. The absorption coefficient (α) as an optical constant is determined as a function of annealing times. Moreover, the values of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility increased with an increase of annealing temperatures due to gradually thermal diffusing of Silver. The gradual thermal diffussion of Ag on amorphous GeSe thin film causes a change in the nonlinear refractive index and third order type nonlinear optical susceptibility. The results indicate that Ag/Ge25Se75 has great potential for various applications including optical sensors and optoelectronics.

In this study, V2O5, 5ZnO/10V2O5, and ZnO, 10ZnO/ 10V2O5 nanocomposites were synthesized by the sol–gel method. The sol–gel technique is an important process for the fabrication of advanced oxide materials with desirable catalytic, optical, and structural properties. The varieties and flexibilities of sol–gel techniques help in preparing materials with extremely specific properties. For the presented samples, three types of phases were assessed. The average crystalline size of V2O5, 5ZnO/10V2O5 and ZnO, 10ZnO/10V2O5 nanocomposites were found to be 25, 26, 14.5, and 15.5 nm, respectively. SEM images showed three different shapes of semi-tube, semi-spherical, and semi-flower. The pure samples of V2O5 and ZnO showed semi-tube shapes. 5ZnO/10V2O5 shows a spherical shape with average dimeter of 0.6 µm. Strong dependence of the direct optical band gap was observed on different compositions that varied within the range of (2.33–2.73 eV). Conversely, the indirect values varied within the range of 2.119–2.35 eV. On the other hand, 10ZnO/10V2O5 has semi flower shape with different layers. Optical parameters, such as optical band gap, extension coefficient, tails of localized states, and refractive index, were gauged for these nanocomposites. In addition, the mean refractive index of ZnO is lower than that of V2O5, with differences observed between 5ZnO/10V2O5 and 10ZnO/10V2O5 nanocomposites.

We investigate the damping effects of coherent electron oscillations on the bandwidth of a quantized nanoparticle plasmon resonance. The nanoparticle (NP) is treated as a two-level quantum system, and the total relaxation time involves both the population relaxation time associated with radiative processes and the collisional relaxation time associated with nonradiative processes that result in dephasing/ decoherence of electron oscillations. We describe the optical response of NPs to an external electromagnetic field by the optical Bloch equations employing the density matrix formalism to capture the quantum description nature of dipolar plasmon resonance and suggest a generalized criterion for the validity of dipole approximation. Then we explore the competition between the radiative and nonradiative damping in determining the plasmon bandwidth of two typical NP models; metallic nanospheres and dielectric core–metal shell NPs (nanoshells). We show that the frequency of plasmon resonance, in addition to the NP size, plays an important role in the competition between the damping mechanisms. Consequently, the damping processes are significantly influenced by the factors that determine the resonance frequency, such as the core size, the dielectric constant of the medium, and the shell thickness (for nanoshells). For both models of NPs, we identify the optimum parameters that achieve a narrower plasmon bandwidth (minimal damping), which is a prerequisite for advanced sensing and medical applications. We demonstrate excellent agreement of the simulated spectral features of the plasmon resonance with previously reported experimental results for a single NP where the inhomogeneous broadening of the plasmon line is excluded. For NP ensembles where inhomogeneous broadenings and interface chemical effects are significant, our theoretical approach successfully predicts the overall trend of size-dependent damping rates.

Nowadays, plasmonic titanium nitride (TiN) is widely employed as a potential alternative to noble metals in semiconductor–metal hybrid nanoparticles (S–M HNPs) for improving the utilization efficiency of solar energy in photocatalytic and photovoltaic systems. In semiconductor–TiN nanosystems, TiN NPs convert solar energy into highly energetic (hot) electrons that can be transmitted to the attached semiconductor for enhanced applications. In this paper, we propose TiN nanoshells with a nonabsorbing dielectric core as an improved energy conversion component in S–M HNPs, compared to homogenous TiN nanospheres, with higher geometrical optimization flexibility, wider absorption range tuneability, and effective hot electron generation and utilization due to the reduced plasmonic-shell size. For understanding the impact of the core material on the functionality of the nanoshells, we assume three core materials with different refractive indices (air, silica (SiO₂), and magnesium oxide (MgO)). The exact Mie theory is utilized to calculate the absorption coefficient and the plasmon field of the proposed TiN nanoshells. To quantify the absorbance effectiveness on the solar spectrum, we calculate a relevant figure of merit (FoM) that depends on the spectral features of the absorption coefficient. By optimizing the geometrical parameters of nanoshells, it is found that hollow TiN nanoshells with the lowest core refractive index exhibit the highest FoM of solar energy absorption. Also, the plasmon field intensity of hollow TiN nanoshells is higher and more concentrated in a smaller volume of TiN material in comparison to the field intensity of other nanoshells (SiO₂–TiN and MgO–TiN nanoshells) and TiN nanospheres. Factors affecting the utilization of the generated hot electrons, including the radiative damping of plasmons and the spreading of the plasmon field inside the nanoparticles, have been investigated. In view of the temporal dynamics of hot electrons, it is shown that using the hollow TiN nanoshells with thin shells greatly enhances the effectiveness of the generated hot electrons to reach the attached semiconductor. In fact, the reduced plasmonic-shell thickness results in a trade-off between a longer radiative relaxation time and less solar energy absorption with regard to the selected core material.