Due to water scarcity crisis, many technologies are used to solve these problems, one of these technologies is a single basin solar still, which considers the simplest and cheapest technology. It uses for converting available salt or brackish water into potable water. This paper presents the experimental work conducted on conventional basin type Solar Still to investigate the effect of some design and operating parameters on the performance of the still. In this paper, two single basins are built to study the effect of the glass height from the basin bottom. All conditions of taking the experimental results are taken at the same time. The temperature of ambient, water, vapor and outlet glass are measured from 8.00 to 17.00 of day time every one hour. The productivity of the distilled water and solar intensity are measured as well. The study showed that the productivity increased by 60% per day when the gap distance between water surface and cover reduced from 26.0 cm to 6.0 cm measured from the front (south) wall of the solar still, or (from 37.0 cm to 17 cm measured from the center of glass cover) at the same angle 24° and 2 cm water depth.

Introduction Changes in the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is thought to involve the myocardium as well as extracardiac tissues. The extent and significance of extra-myocardial changes has not been adequately studied. Purpose To describe the structural, molecular, and functional changes in the aorta of HOCM patients. Methods The structural and molecular changes in the aortic wall were studied in a cohort of 102 consecutive patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy undergoing myectomy. The biopsies were examined histologically, immunohistochemically and by Electron microscopy. The findings were compared to 10 normal controls obtained from the homograft bank of the Harefield hospital, following IRB guidelines. Changes in expression were quantified using morphometry and western blotting. For aortic stiffness, pulse wave velocity [PWV] was measured using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR), in the 102 HCM patients as well as age-matched 166 normal controls. Results Specimens from HCM aortas showed a misalignment in collagen and elastin fibres. There was a significant reduction in smooth muscle cells [SMCs] markers; integrin beta1 and smooth muscle actin, and an increase in an apoptosis marker, Caspase3. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the number of lamellae and an increase in the interlamellar distance in HCM aortas. FBLNs 1, 2 and 5 showed a reduction in expression in tunica intima and tunica media of HCM biopsies. PWV was significantly higher in HCM patients compared to healthy controls with the highest levels in patients with LV fibrosis. Conclusion This study illustrates the link between functional abnormalities in the aorta of HCM patients with structural and molecular changes. These findings can have a potential value in risk stratification and identify new therapeutic targets in HCM. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): STDF-EgyptMagdi Yacoub Foundation

Solar desalination has been introduced as it provides several environmental and economical advantages. In which, the desalination process depends mainly on the intensity of solar irradiance and ambient temperature. However, the desalination potential under intensive solar radiation flux of Aswan, Egypt (up to 1100 W m −2 and ≥45 • C in summer) had never been tested. This study was to experimentally evaluate the performance of two single-slope solar stills with air gap distances of 17 and 37 cm, and a fixed water depth of 2 cm in Aswan climate. In addition, an ultrasonic atomizer was implemented to study the effect of the water atomization process on the yield and performance of the solar still. The results showed that reducing the gap distance from 37 to 17 cm increased the yield of the solar still by 70%. Using an ultrasonic atomizer, covered with a funnel, enhanced the yield by about 8.5%. The performance of the tested solar stills was compared to similar solar stills operated in other locations and the results assure the strong influence of Aswan climatic conditions on enhancing the performance and yield of solar still. Such climate is promising for solar water desalination and other sustainable energy applications.