Difference between two strong cation-exchange resins, namely sulfonium type and sulfate type regarding both their salt tolerance and hydrophobicity were investigated. There is only tiny variation between sulfate and sulfonic group and at the first glance it seems unlikely that it could be the reason for changed selectivity and salt tolerance that was detected in our preliminary experiments. For that reason salt tolerance and hydrophobicity of both ligands was investigated by using two representative polymethacrylate-based ion exchangers as for the sulfonium type TOYOPEARL GigaCap S-650M and for the sulfate type TOYOPEARL Sulfate-650F. In addition some in-silico calculations were performed for model substances representing the sulfonium and sulfate group, and significant differences were calculated regarding their hydrophobicity. These experiments confirmed the working hypothesis that salt tolerance and higher affinity and selectivity for some human plasma derived vitamin K dependent clotting factors and inhibitors are interrelated and dependent from the presence of the sulfate group. The affinity for these proteins was experimentally verified by separation of clotting factor IX from the prothrombin complex concentrate. Presented results show that a simple and fast separation between clotting factor IX and other vitamin K dependent clotting factors II, VII and X is possible, only if the resin with the sulfate, and not with sulfonic acid ligand was applied. Consequently, an immediate application of undiluted feedstock or the eluate from previous isolation step to sulfate resin is possible, and a significant optimization of downstream process can be achieved.

A new theory for the social development of man is proposed based on the skeletal similarity between Ardi (Ardipithecus ramidus). It has been the standard theory to model the earliest social development of human ancestors on the chimpanzee because this species, along with the bonobo, is closest to man genetically. However, the chimpanzee, bonobo an gorilla are all knuckle walkers with "hunched over, constricted" skeletons.  Both Ardi and the orangutan have extended skeletons. This suggests that the two species had similar forms of locomotion and that Ardi spent virtually its entire life in the forest canopy as the orangutan does,  and there for that Ardi was pre-evolved for bipedal locomotion. It also suggests that Ardi might have exhibited social behavior similar to what the orangutan exhibits both in nature and when raised in rescue centers.

Primary omental torsion is a rare cause of acute abdomen with no definite consensus for the best management. We report a young male who was successfully managed using a conservative approach. Conservative management should be the first line of management. Laparoscopic resection is indicated after failure of conservative management.

Rabson-Mendenhall Syndrome (RMS) is a rare condition caused by mutations in the insulin receptor gene. The affected patients have severe insulin resistance and the treatment is challenging due to difficulties in reaching satisfactory glycemic control. We report a case where iSGT2 was used as an adjunct therapy to insulin.

Background: Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Immunotherapy (19CAR-T) has achieved impressive clinical achievements in both adult and pediatric relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, the application and effect of CAR-T therapy in B-ALL patients with extramedullary relapse are rarely issued even disqualified in some clinical trials. Here, we examined the efficacy of 19CAR-T in patients with both bone marrow and extramedullary involvement. Methods: CAR-T cells were generated by a lentiviral vector transfection into primary human T lymphocytes to express anti-CD19 and anti-CD22 single chain antibody fragments (scFvs) with the cytoplasmic domains of 4-1BB and CD3ζ. Patients diagnosed as r/r B-ALL with extramedullary origination were infused with anti-CD19 CAR-T cells. The clinical responses were evaluated by bone marrow aspiration, imaging, and flow cytometry examination. Results: A total of 8 patients received 19CAR-T infusion and all of them acquired complete remission (CR), in which only 1 patient was bridged to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Even though there were 3 patients relapsed after infusion, they received 19/22CAR-T infusion sequentially and acquired the second remission. To date, 5 patients are continuous CR, and all patients are still alive. The mean follow-up time was 21.9 months while the 24-month estimated event-free survival (EFS) is 51.4%. Conclusions: Anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy can lead to clinical remission for extramedullary relapsed pediatric B-ALL patients. However, the problem of CD19+ relapses after CAR-T remained to be solved. For patients relapsing after CAR-T, the second CAR-T therapy suggests creating another opportunity of remission for subsequent HSCT.

Background Pegaspargase (PEG), can cause anti-asparaginase (ASP) antibody formation, which can decrease its effectiveness without causing any clinically-apparent reaction (CAR) (silent inactivation [SI]). When a patient has SI, a switch to Erwinia ASP is warranted, but there is currently a global shortage of Erwinia. Up to 30% of patients receiving PEG will experience a CAR, while only 8% of patients will experience SI; the only way to distinguish between these is by measuring an ASP level. However, routine ASP monitoring is not currently standard of care at all Canadian centres. This study aims to identify variations in practice regarding ASP monitoring and Erwinia use. Procedure A 21-item survey was developed using OPINIO software and distributed to all Pediatric Hematology-Oncologists in Canada from Feb-Oct 2020. Results Respondents represented 15 hospitals across each region of Canada (response rate=52%). Only 39.2% of respondents reported routinely measuring ASP levels, yet 53% of respondents have modified therapy from PEG to Erwinia in up to half of their patients. The most common reason for not measuring ASP levels was not knowing how to use levels clinically (25.5%). There was variation in the timing of levels and their target. Conclusions We identified substantial variation in ASP activity monitoring practices across Canada. Therefore, future research should aim to develop a national practice guideline on ASP activity monitoring.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are standardly implanted via full sternotomy. Non-sternotomy approaches are gaining popularity, but potential benefits of this approach have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that LVAD implantation by bi-thoracotomy (BT) would demonstrate smaller and more consistent inflow cannula angles leading to improved postoperative outcomes compared to sternotomy. Methods: Charts of patients who underwent LVAD implantation between June 2018 and June 2020 at a single academic institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, surgical approach (sternotomy vs. BT), laboratory values, and postoperative course were compared. The inflow cannula angle was measured on the first chest radiograph available postoperatively. Results: Of 40 patients studied, BT approach was used in 17 (42.5%). Mean inflow cannula angles were smaller in BT patients (23.0 vs. 37.1 degrees, p=0.018) and had a smaller standard deviation (13.8 vs. 20.3). Excluding patients who went on to receive heart transplant or died in the same hospitalization, there was no difference in median length of hospital stay after surgery (16.0 vs. 17.5 days, p=0.768). However, BT patients required fewer days of postoperative inotrope support (4.0 vs. 7.0 days, p=0.012). Conclusions: Our data suggest inflow cannula angles are smaller and more consistent with the BT approach, which leads to shorter duration of postoperative inotropic support. This finding may suggest improved right heart function following LVAD implant via BT approach. Further study is warranted to determine additional benefits of the BT approach.

Snow microbial communities (algae, bacteria, and fungi) play major roles in snow ecosystem processes and are linked to snowmelt dynamics, but patterns and mechanisms underpinning their spatial distributions, community assembly, and maintenance dynamics are poorly understood. Here we examine nival microbial communities and physicochemical measures across a semi-continental scale and across categorical snow algae bloom zones to elucidate interrelation between communities and their environment. Evidence suggests that trophic partitioning may be a major driver of snow community sub-networks. Samples from snows from the Cascade Mountains (USA) and the Rocky Mountains (USA) were collected from active red snow algae blooms from the center of the bloom (medial), from the edge of the bloom (peripheral), and in adjacent ‘white’ snow. Medial sections of snow algae blooms show increased levels of anemophilous bisaccate pollen, lower oxidation-reduction potential, decreased algal and increased bacterial richness, and increased levels of potassium. Fungal communities between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains are distinct but bacterial and algal communities show little intracontinental differentiation. Ecological modules were identified using a weighted gene co-expression analysis (WGCNA), which shows that dominant microbial consortia correlate differentially to environmental parameters, suggesting complex subcommunities drive observed ecological patterns. Individual OTU networks (fungi and bacteria) show high levels of network connectivity compared to networks based on the snow algae Sanguina nivaloides, which underscores associative differences between algal dominated networks and other OTU networks, indicative of trophic partitioning.

Importance: The practice of dermoscopy in dental and oral examination is low due to less popularity and not well established of the diagnostic tool in dental practice. The dermoscopy examination provides a specific dermoscopes details for pigmented papillary fungiform of tongue (PFTT) as cobblestone appearance and rose-petal appearance. With this dermoscopes details serves as a non-invasive diagnostic tool and prevents biopsy procedure. Objective: We performed a systematic review to evaluate the published papers related to pigmented papillary fungiform on the tongue, aiming to understand the diagnostic role of dermoscopy examination in pigmented papillary fungiform. Evidence review: A PubMed, Google scholar and Embase databases were searched for the PFTT studies and case reports published during the period 1974-2020. Initial result was 136 studies. Final exclusion of 27 articles was made based on the following factors: reports with no clinical images, studies that did not confirm the diagnosis of PPFT and studies that did not use the dermoscopes details. Finally, seventeen studies with nineteen cases, reported of pigmented papillary fungiform of the tongue. Finding: The diagnosis of tongue papillary fungiform can be determined by dermoscopy examination. Six studies (consist six cases) reported the dermoscopy and histopathology diagnosis of pigmented papillary fungiform, eleven studies (consist thirteen cases) reported only the dermoscopy. The dermoscopy examination presented cobblestone appearance is 47.37% and rose petal appearance is 52.63%. The comparation study by histopathology diagnosis was done, revealed no specific appearances. Conclusions and relevance: The clinical appearance and dermoscopy is the key for diagnosis of the papillary fungiform on the tongue. Further research is needed for determining the etiology and predisposing factor in papillary fungiform so that the possibility of developing this condition can be predicted and proper treatment could be performed.

Aims: The progression of prediabetes to T2DM can be delayed through diet modification and weight management. This retrospective review examines the impact on blood sugar, blood pressure, and fasting lipids of a self-pay weight management program utilizing protein-enriched meal replacements and partial meal replacement diets providing 2.2 grams/kg/day of protein in overweight and obese patients with impaired fasting glucose and excess body fat (average %body fat ca. 40%). Methods: The medical records of 4634 obese patient who participated in the self-pay UCLA Weight Management Program were reviewed to identify 2572 eligible patients for this retrospective study of the impact of weight loss over 3 months on patients with normal fasting glucose (NFG) (n=1396) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (n=1176). Results: Patients with IFG lost comparable amounts of weight (ca. 10 kg) at three months as did the subjects with NFG. Fasting blood glucose in the IFG group decreased from 108.49 ± 6.4 mg/dl to 101.8 ±9.41 mg/dl (p<0.0001) after three months. There were also significant reductions in triglycerides, and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both groups in association with weight loss. Conclusion: Our medically supervised self-pay multidisciplinary weight management program utilizing protein-enriched diets and meal replacements reduced fasting blood glucose levels in patients with IFG while reducing triglycerides and blood pressure in all patients over three months.

Objectives: During the pandemic, anxiety, stress, and depression may occur increasingly in the whole society. To evaluate the possible cause, incidence and levels of anxiety and depression in the relatives of the patients in the ICU in accordance with the patients’ SARS-CoV-2 PCR result. Materials and Method: The study was prospectively conducted on relatives of patients admitted to tertiary ICU during COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic characteristics of the patients and their relatives were recorded. “The Turkish version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale” questionnaire was applied twice to the relatives of 120 patients to determine the symptoms of anxiety and depression in accordance with the PCR results of the patients (PCR positive n=60, PCR negative n=60). Results: The ratios above cut-off values for anxiety and depression among relatives of the patients were 45,8% and 67,5% for the first test and 46,7% and 62,5% for the second test respectively. The anxiety and depression in the relatives of PCR positive patients was more frequent than the PCR negative (p< 0,001 for HADS-A and p=0,034 for HADS-D). The prevalence of anxiety and depression was significantly higher in female participants (p=0,046 for HADS-A and p=0,009 for HADS-A). There was no significant correlation between HADS and age of the patient or education of the participants. The fact that the patients were hospitalized in the ICU during the pandemic was an independent risk factor for anxiety (AUC = 0.746) while restriction of patient visiting in the ICU was found to be an independent risk factor for depression (AUC= 0.703). Conclusion: While patient with positive PCR and participant with female gender is responsible for both anxiety and depression, hospitalization in the ICU due to COVID-19 is an independent risk factor for anxiety and restriction of patient visiting in the ICU is an independent risk factor for depression.

Background Thalidomide has been reported as a promising treatment for reducing transfusion volume in adults with β-thalassemia. However, the evidence about the safety and efficacy of thalidomide on children with transfusion dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) is scarce. Methods Seventy-seven children with TDT treated with thalidomide at least for 6 months were included and retrospectively analyzed. Oral dose was started at 2.5 mg•kg-1•d-1 Blood volume for maintenance of hemoglobin above 90 g•L-1 compared with pre-treatment volume is the evaluation index for response. Results After the sixth month treatment, 51/77 (66.2%) maintained Hb over 90 g•L-1 without transfusion. Adverse events were reported in 48 (63.2%) patients.Age, sex, genotype category, dosage and transfusion interval before thalidomide treatment were not correlated to treatment response. The AUC was 0.806 for the HbFat the third month of treatment in predicting probability of major responders at the sixth month treatment. Based on Youden’s index algorithm in the ROC curve, 47.298 g•L-1 was the optimal cut-off value of the HbFat the third month of treatment in predicting major responders at the sixth month treatment, with sensitivity of 67.5%, specificity of 93.3%. Conclusions The dose of thalidomide between 2.5 mg•kg-1•d-1to 3.6 mg•kg-1•d-1 is effective in TDT children. Severe side effects are uncommon. HbF concentration of 47.298 g•L-1 at the third month is recommended as the predictor for further major responders.

The mitochondrial genome is now widely used in the study of the phylogenetics and molecular evolution due to its maternal inheritance, fast evolutionary rate and highly conserved gene content. To explore the phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Aeromachini within the subfamily Hesperiinae at the mitochondrial genomics level, we sequenced and annotated the complete mitogenomes of 3 skippers: Amipittia virgata, Halpe nephele and Onryza maga. All of these mitogenomes are double-stranded and have circular molecules with a total length of 15,333 bp, 15,291 bp and 15,381 bp, respectively. The mitogenomes all contain 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and a non-coding AT-rich region, and are consistent with other lepidopterans in gene order and type. In addition, we reconstruted the phylogenetic trees of Hesperiinae using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods based on mitogenomic data. Results show that the 3 Aeromachini species in this study robustly constitute a monophyletic group in the subfamily Hesperiinae, with the relationships Coeliadinae + (Euschemoninae + ((Pyrginae + (Eudaminae + Tagiadinae)) + (Heteropterinae + (Barcinae + Hesperiinae)))). Moreover, our study supports the view that Apostictopterus fuliginosus and Barca bicolor should be placed out of the subfamily Hesperiinae.

Abstract poster

In vitro gut model systems permit the growth of gut microbes outside their natural habitat and are essential to the study of gut microbiota. Systems available today are limited by lack of scalability and flexibility in mode of operation. Here we describe the development of a versatile bioreactor module capable of sensing and controlling of environmental parameters such as pH control of culture medium, rate of influx and efflux of the culture medium, and aerobic/anaerobic atmosphere. Modules can be linked in series to construct a model of a digestive tract to allow the growth of microbiota in vitro. We tested the growth of a model bacterial community in a simulated mammalian gut model. The model attained and maintained a stable bacterial community that metabolized bile acids. The findings illustrate the utility of the model to grow to culture a mixed bacterial community and recapitulate biological activities such as bile acid metabolism in vitro.

This paper deals with the global existence and decay estimates of solutions to the three-dimensional magneto-micropolar fluid equations with only velocity dissipation and magnetic diffusion in the whole space with various Sobolev and Besov spaces. Specifically, we first investigate the global existence and optimal decay estimates of weak solutions. Then we prove the global existence of solutions with small initial data in $H^s$, $B_{2, \infty}^s$ and critical Besov spaces, respectively. Furthermore, the optimal decay rates of these global solutions are correspondingly established in $\dot{H}^m$ and $\dot{B}_{2, \infty}^m$ spaces with $0\leq m\leq s$ and in $\dot{B}_{2, 1}^{m}$ with $0\leq m\leq \frac 12$, when the initial data belongs to $\dot{B}_{2, \infty}^{-l}$ ($0< l\leq\frac32$). The main difficulties lie in the presence of linear terms and the lack of micro-rotation velocity dissipation. To overcome them, we make full use of the special structure of the system and employ various techniques involved with the energy methods, the improved Fourier splitting, Fourier analysis and the regularity interpolation methods.

Aims: In order to better predict the pharmacokinetics (PK) of antibodies in children, and to facilitate dose optimization of antibodies in pediatric patients, there is a need to develop systems PK models that integrate ontogeny related changes in human physiological parameters. Methods: A population-based physiological-based PK (PBPK) model to characterize antibody PK in pediatrics has been developed, by incorporating age-related changes in body weight, organ weight, organ blood flow rate, and interstitial volumes in a previously published platform model. The model was further used to perform Monte Carlo simulations to investigate clearance vs. age and dose-exposure relationship for infliximab. Results: By estimating only one parameter and associated interindividual variability, the model was able to characterize clinical PK of infliximab from two pediatric cohorts (n=141, 4-19 years) reasonably well. Model simulations demonstrated that only 50% of children reached desired trough concentrations when receiving FDA-labelled dosing regimen for infliximab, suggesting that higher doses and/or more frequent dosing are needed to achieve target trough concentrations of this antibody. Conclusion: The pediatric PBPK model presented here can serve as a framework to characterize the PK of antibodies in pediatric patients. The model can also be applied to other protein therapeutics to advance precision medicine paradigm and optimize antibody dosing regimens in children.

Invasive species are significant contributors to global changes and constitute a severe threat to biodiversity. Yet invasions offer an incredible framework to understand how small and low-diverse introduced populations adapt to novel environmental conditions and succeed in colonizing large areas. However, due to the insufficient data on the origin of the first introduced propagule and the first stage of invasion, reconstructing a species’ invasion history is challenging. Here, we applied genetic clustering methods and explicit admixture tests combined with ABC models and Machine Learning algorithms to describe the phylogeography of native and invasive populations and infer the most probable demographic invasion scenarios of Pseudorasbora parva, a highly invasive freshwater fish and the healthy carrier of a novel lethal fungi-like pathogen (Sphaerothecum destruens), which is responsible for the decline of several fish species in Europe. We found that the current genetic structuring of the native P. parva range has been shaped by waves of gene flow originating from southern and northern Chinese populations. Furthermore, our results strongly suggest that the invasive genetic diversity is the outcome of past recurrent global invasion pathways of admixed native populations. Our study also illustrates how the combination of admixture tests, ABC, Machine Learning can be used to detect high-resolution demographic signatures and reconstruct an integrative biological invasion history.

Recombinant proteins are generally fused with solubility enhancer tags to improve target protein folding and solubility. However, the fusion protein strategy usually requires the use of expensive proteases to perform in vitro proteolysis and additional chromatography steps to obtain tag-free recombinant proteins. Expression systems based on intracellular processing of solubility tags in Escherichia coli, through co-expression of a site-specific protease, are useful for simplifying the recombinant protein purification process, for screening molecules that fail to remain soluble after tag removal, and to promote higher yields of soluble target protein. Herein, we review controlled intracellular processing (CIP) systems, tailored to produce soluble untagged proteins in E. coli. We discuss the different genetic systems available for intracellular protein processing regarding system design features, significant advantages and limitations of the various strategies.

Background: Haematological markers such as absolute lymphopenia has been associated with severe COVID-19 infection. However, the described cohorts were generally unwell with a large proportion of patients requiring intensive care stay. It is uncertain if these markers apply to a population with less severe illness. We sought to describe the haematological profile of patients with mild disease with COVID-19 that were admitted to a single centre in Singapore. Methods: We examined 554 consecutive PCR positive SARS-COV-2 patients who were admitted to a single tertiary healthcare institution from Feb 2020 to April 2020 2020. We examined patients based on their haematological profile based on full blood count obtained within 24h of presentation. Results: Patients with pneumonia had higher neutrophil percentages (66.5±11.6 vs 55.2±12.6%, p<0.001), lower absolute lymphocyte count (1.5±1.1 vs 1.9±2.1 x109/L, p<0.011) and absolute eosinophil count (0.2±0.9 vs 0.7±1.8 x109/L, p=0.002). Platelet counts (210±56 vs 230±61, p=0.020) were slightly lower in the group with pneumonia. We did not demonstrate significant differences in the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio in patients with or without pneumonia. Sixty-eight patients (12.3%) had peripheral eosinophilia. This was more common in migrant workers living in dormitories. Conclusion: Neutrophilia and lymphopenia were found to be markers associated with severe COVID-19 illness. We did not find that combined haematological parameters: NLR, MLR and PLR, had any association with disease severity in our cohort of patients with mild-moderate disease. Migrant workers living in dormitories had eosinophilia which may reflect concurrent chronic parasitic infection.

Soil organic matter is composed of fractions with different functions and reactivity. Among these, particulate organic matter (POM) is the main educt of new inputs of organic matter in soils and its chemical fate corresponds to the first stages of the SOM decomposition cascade ultimately leading to the association of organic and mineral phases. We aimed at investigating the POM molecular changes during decomposition at a sub-millimetre scale by combining direct measurements of POM elemental and molecular composition with laboratory imaging VNIR spectroscopy. For this, we set up an incubation experiment to compare the molecular composition of straw and composted green manure, materials greatly differing in their C/N ratio, during their decomposition in reconstituted topsoil or subsoil of a Luvisol, and recorded hyperspectral images at high spatial and spectral resolutions of complete soil cores at the start and end of the incubation. Hyperspectral imaging was successfully combined with machine learning ensembles to produce a precise mapping of POM alkyl/O-N alkyl ratio and C/N, revealing the spatial heterogeneity in the composition of both straw and green manure. We found that both types of organic amendment were more degraded in the reconstituted topsoil than in subsoil after the incubation. We also measured consistent trends in molecular changes undergone by straw, with the alkyl/O-N alkyl ratio slightly increasing from 0.06 to 0.07, and C/N dropping by about 40 units. The green manure material was very heterogeneous, with no clear molecular changes detected as a result of incubation. The visualisation approach presented here enables high-resolution mapping of the spatial distribution of the molecular characteristics of organic particles in soil cores, and offers opportunities to disentangle the roles of POM chemistry and morphology during the first steps of the decomposition cascade of organic matter in soils.

Climate and underlying surface changes have a profound impact on runoff in the Qinling Mountains. This study attempts to identify the difference in runoff changes of two rivers in the south and north of China’s south-north transitional zone under climate change. The Pettit test and Mann-Kendall test were used to investigate the abrupt change and trend analysis on runoff in the Ba River watershed and Jinqian River watershed from 1960 to 2014. The coupled energy-water balance equation based on the Budyko hypothesis estimated the climate and landscape elasticity of runoff followed by attribution analysis of runoff in these two watersheds. The results showed that annual runoff in the Jinqian River (in the southern Qinling Mountains) and the Ba River (in the northern Qinling Mountains) exhibited a significant decreasing trend at P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively. Abrupt runoff changes occurred in 1989 and 1992 in the Ba River and Jinqian River, respectively. The attribution analysis showed that the change in potential evapotranspiration had little impact on runoff in the southern and northern Qinling Mountains. In contrast, the dominant factors leading to runoff reduction were the change in precipitation and catchment landscape. The contributions of climate change and land surface alteration to runoff changes in the Ba River watershed and Jinqian watershed were 38.08% and 61.92%, and 23.95% and 76.05%, respectively. This study can provide a scientific reference for water resource protection in the south-north transitional zone.

Considerable stretches of barren coastal areas of the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea have been covered by various anthropogenic activities during the past few decades. Several dykes have been erected on the wadi beds constituting the catchment of Wadi Ghuwaiba, which encloses the industrial zone of Ain Al Soukhna on its large alluvial fan. The multitude of optical remote sensing data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and thematic geological data have been integrated into Geographic Information System (GIS) to estimate the hydrological parameters of flash floods, pathways and storage capabilities of the constructed dykes upstream of the industrial zone. Due to the absence of rainfall/runoff data for these ungagged wadis, a semi-distributed hydrological model was developed using the extracted morphometric parameters from the DEM from the analyses of satellite images. Manning equation was used to compute the open channel flow velocities, and the spatial functionalities into GIS were used to estimate the cumulative flow times. Next, the catchments were subdivided into cascading time-area zones using the derivatives of flow direction, accumulation and length from the DEM. Then, the spatially distributed unit hydrograph was computed using a hypothetical rainfall distribution and runoff coefficients, and the obtained time-area zones. The dykes have been visited in the field to measure the distribution of entrapped sediment loads due to the accumulation of torrential flows in these specific areas. The magnitudes of flash floods developed from an effective rainfall of 20 mm will not be fully contained in the storage areas of these dykes and overflows will reach the industrial zone via uncontrolled pathways, thus the area is prone to flash flood vulnerability and additional mitigation measures are still needed. The slack deposits are accumulating with notable rates and have reached 60 cm in some areas. It is strongly recommended to construct a conveying channel downstream of the dykes to collect the surplus overflow and discharge it into the Gulf of Suez via a well-defined channel-pathway

One of the common irrigation systems in the paddy fields is field-to-field irrigation. The management of these irrigation systems is difficult and essential because of the water scarcity. Estimating the parameters affecting the water balance in paddy fields is necessary by considering the irrigation requirements of downstream fields. The objective of this study is to develop a computational model for calculating the water balance components including the irrigation return flows in paddy fields. The irrigation return flow is considered the main factor of water supply in downstream fields. The developed model is able to calculate the crop evapotranspiration, deep percolation, surface water storage, soil moisture, irrigation return flow, and irrigation efficiency. Field data including the outflow discharge and ponding water depth from the paddy fields during the growing season was used to evaluate the model. Five fields were investigated, which the upstream field was being irrigated continuously, and the return flows were transferred into the downstream fields. The model’s water balance error was about 0.5 %. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), and coefficient of determination (R2) for simulation of outflow discharge were 0.124 L/s, 0.827, and 0.893, respectively. These indices were 9.6 mm, 0.884, and 0.909 for simulation of ponding water depth on paddy fields, respectively. The results showed that the model performed well to simulate outflow discharge and ponding water depth. Hence, the management of the water balance components in paddy fields would be much easier through the modelling water flow to increase the irrigation efficiency.