Search results for: Northern Egypt

Authors: T. Garba, Y. Y. Babanyara, K. G. Ilellah, M. A. Modibbo, T. O. Quddus, M. J. Sani

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After the United Nation Convention on Desertification (UNCD) in 1977 which was preceded by extensive, regional, and local studies, and consultations with numerous scientists, decision-makers, and relevant institutions. Global Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD) was formulated, endorsed by member Countries. The role of implementing PACD was vested with Governments of countries affected by desertification. The Federal Government of Nigeria as a signatory and World Bank funded and implement afforestation project aimed at combating desertification between 1988 and 1999. This research, therefore, applied remote sensing techniques to assess the effectiveness of the project. To achieve that a small portion of about 143,609 hectares was curved out from the project area. Normalized Difference of the Vegetative Index (NDVI) and Land Use Land Cover were derived from Landsat TM 1986, Landsat ETM 1999 and Nigeria Sat 1, 2007 of the project area. The findings show that there was an increase in cultivated area due to the project from 1986 through 1999 and 2007. This is further buttressed by the three NDVI imageries due to their high positive pixel value from 0.04 in 1986 to 0.22 in 1999 and to 0.32 in 2007 These signifies the gradual physical development of Afforestation project in the area. In addition, it was also verified by histograms of changes in vegetation which indicated an increased vegetative cover from 60,192 in 1986, to 102,476 in 1999 and then to 88,343 in 2007. The study concluded that Remote Sensing approach has actually confirmed that the project was indeed successful and effective.

Keywords: afforestation, desertification, landsat, vegetative index, remote sensing

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Authors: Benjamin Osae Agyei, Hypolite Bayor

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This present experiment was carried out during the 2012 cropping season, at the Farming for the Future Experimental Field of the University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus in the Northern Region of Ghana. The objective of the experiment was to determine the carrot growth and yield responses to poultry manure and N.P.K (15:15:15). Six treatments (Control (no amendment), 20 t/ha poultry manure (PM), 40 t/ha PM, 70 t/ha PM, 35 t/ha PM + 0.11t/ha N.P.K and 0.23 t/ha N.P.K) with three replications for each were laid in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Data were collected on plant height, number of leaves per plant, canopy spread, root diameter, root weight, and root length. Microsoft Excel and Genstat Statistical Package (9^th edition) were used for the data analysis. The treatment means were compared by using Least Significant Difference at 10%. Generally, the results showed that there were no significant differences (P>0.1) among the treatments with respect to number of leaves per plant, root diameter, root weight, and root length. However, significant differences occurred among plant heights and canopy spreads. Plant height treated with 40 t/ha PM at the fourth week after planting and canopy spread at eight weeks after planting and ten weeks after planting by 70 t/ha PM and 20 t/ha PM respectively showed significant difference (P<0.1). The study recommended that any of the amended treatments can be applied at their recommended rates to plots for carrot production, since there were no significant differences among the treatments.

Keywords: poultry manure, N.P.K., soil amendment, growth, yield, carrot

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Authors: Muhammad Abubakar Alhassan, Diane Pennington

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Social networking sites have become a space for people to discuss public health issues such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). There are thousands of tweets containing self-harm and self-injury hashtags on Twitter. It is difficult to distinguish between different users who participate in self-injury discussions on Twitter and how their opinions change over time. Also, it is challenging to understand the topics surrounding NSSI discussions on Twitter. We retrieved tweets using #selfham and #selfinjury hashtags and investigated those from the United kingdom. We applied inductive coding and grouped tweeters into different categories. This study used the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm to infer the optimum number of topics that describes our corpus. Our findings revealed that many of those participating in NSSI discussions are non-professional users as opposed to medical experts and academics. Support organisations, medical teams, and academics were campaigning positively on rais-ing self-injury awareness and recovery. Using LDAvis visualisation technique, we selected the top 20 most relevant terms from each topic and interpreted the topics as; children and youth well-being, self-harm misjudgement, mental health awareness, school and mental health support and, suicide and mental-health issues. More than 50% of these topics were discussed in England compared to Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our findings highlight the advantages of using the Twitter social network in tackling the problem of self-injury through awareness. There is a need to study the potential risks associated with the use of social networks among self-injurers.

Keywords: self-harm, non-suicidal self-injury, Twitter, social networks

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Authors: Fatima U. Maigari, Musa Halilu, M. Maryam Umar, Rabiu Zainab

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Plants as therapeutic agents are used as drug in many parts of the world. Medicinal plants are mostly used in developing countries due to culture acceptability, belief or due to lack of easy access to primary health care services. Jatropha curcas is a plant from the Euphorbiaceae family which is widely used in Northern Nigeria as an anti-diarrheal agent. This study was conducted to determine the anti-diarrheal effect of the leaf extract on castor oil induced diarrhea in albino rats. The leaves of J. curcas were collected from Balanga Local government in Gombe State, north-eastern Nigeria; due to its bioavailability. The leaves were air-dried at room temperature and ground to powder. Phytochemical screening was done and different concentrations of the extract was prepared and administered to the different categories of experimental animals. From the results, aqueous leaf extract of Jatropha curcas at doses of 200mg/Kg and 400mg/Kg was found to reduce the mean stool score as compared to control rats, however, maximum reduction was achieved with the standard drug of Loperamide (5mg/Kg). Treatment of diarrhea with 200mg/Kg of the extract did not produce any significant decrease in stool fluid content but was found to be significant in those rats that were treated with 400mg/Kg of the extract at 2hours (0.05±0.02) and 4hours (0.01±0.01). A significant reduction of diarrhea in the experimental animals signifies it to possess some anti-diarrheal activity.

Keywords: anti-diarrhea, diarrhea, Jatropha curcas, loperamide

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Authors: Amira Abdelhafez, Rufus Brunt

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Geothermal energy in Egypt represents a significant untapped renewable resource that can reduce reliance on conventional power generation. Exploiting these geothermal resources depends on depth, temperature range, and geological characteristics. The intracontinental rift setting of the Gulf of Suez (GoS)-Red Sea rift is a favourable tectonic setting for convection-dominated geothermal plays. The geothermal gradient across the GoS ranges from 24.9 to 86.66 °C/km, with a heat flow of 31-127.2 mW/m². Surface expressions of convective heat loss emerge along the gulf flanks as hot springs (e.g., Hammam Faraun) accompanying deeper geothermal resources. These thermal anomalies are driven mainly by the local tectonic configuration. Characterizing the structural framework of major faults and their control on reservoir properties and subsurface hydrothermal fluid circulation is vital for geothermal applications in the gulf. The geothermal play systems of the GoS depend on structural and lithological properties that contribute to heat storage and vertical transport. Potential geothermal reservoirs include the Nubia sandstones, which, due to their thickness, continuity, and contact with hot basement rocks at a mean depth of 3 km, create an extensive reservoir for geothermal fluids. To develop these geothermal resources for energy production, defining the permeability anisotropy of the reservoir due to faults and facies variation is a crucial step in our study, particularly the evaluation of influence on thermal breakthrough and production rates.

Keywords: geothermal, October field, site specific study, reservoir modelling

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Authors: Daniel Gidey, Kunwar Siddarth Dadhwal, Tagel Wondimu

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There are numerous ways for ending conflict; hitherto, most conflicts are resolved either through negotiated or victor's peace, this article is about the former. Negotiations entail concessions, consensus-building, and mutual trust in order to transform a belligerent situation into a settlement. In such a context, regional and sub-regional organizations play a critical role in mediating conflicting parties so as to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts between and among conflicting parties. This article is about the AU-led negotiated peace deal on the bloody conflict between the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) by undertaking the Pretoria Peace Accord as a case study. In terms of research method, the article is based on a critical evaluation of the literature and content analysis on the very research topic. Findings of the study revealed that the AU, through Olusegun Obasanjo and other dignitaries, played a critical role in nurturing compromise and mutual trust between the TPLF and the Ethiopian federal government so as to take along the Pretoria peace deal. Through critical literature review and content analysis of the Peace deal, the article has concluded that negotiated peace is likely, at least, to achieve negative peace.

Keywords: regional organizations, peace promotion, African Union, negotiating conflicts, Northern Ethiopia, conflict resolution

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Authors: Liang Zhang

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Chinese traditional architecture has developed a school of its own in the world. It has a different structure and construction technology from western architecture. Tenon and mortise structure and construction technology, as the key to the construction of traditional Chinese architecture, have been inherited for thousands of years by traditional craftsmen in various regions of China. However, the traditional architecture varies greatly in different times and regional cultures in China. It is still a lack of research whether this difference extends to mortise and tenon technology. In this study, we measured the mortise and tenon of traditional buildings in Fujian province, Yunnan province, and Northern China; Interviewed some old craftsmen about their traditional construction methods, And compared the today's traditional mortise and tenon technology with that of Song and Qing Dynasties. The results showed that although Chinese traditional architecture has the same origin, the mortise and tenon construction technology systems have been developed at different times, regions, and cultures. For example, tenon and mortise technology in Yunnan Province needs to ensure the ability of buildings to resist earthquakes, while that in Fujian Province needs to ensure the ability of buildings to withstand typhoons. People in different regions, cultures, and times have a different understanding of architectural aesthetics, and the evolution of tools also has different effects on mortise and tenon technology. This study explains the manifestations and causes of these differences. At the same time, due to the impact of modern architectural technology, mortise, and tenon, traditional technology is also rapidly disappearing. As a sorting and collection of mortise and tenon techniques of traditional Chinese architecture, this paper puts forward the corresponding traditional technology protection strategy, to guide the protection and maintenance of local traditional buildings.

Keywords: tenon and mortise, traditional Chinese architecture, traditional craftsmen, construction technology

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Authors: Moataz M. Hamed, Khalid S. M. Al Hagla, Zeyad El Sayad

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Thinking in design energy-efficiency and high-performance green buildings require a different design mechanism and design approach than conventional buildings to achieve more sustainable result. By reasoning about specific issues at the correct time in the design process, the design team can minimize negative impacts, maximize building performance and keep both first and operation costs low. This paper attempts to investigate and exploit the sustainable dimension of building information modeling (BIM) in designing high-performance green buildings that require less energy for operation, emit less carbon dioxide and provide a conducive indoor environment for occupants through early phases of the design process. This objective was attained by a critical and extensive literature review that covers the following issues: the value of considering green strategies in the early design stage, green design workflow, and BIM-based performance analysis. Then the research proceeds with a case study that provides an in-depth comparative analysis of building performance evaluation between an office building in Alexandria, Egypt that was designed by the conventional design process with the same building if taking into account sustainability consideration and BIM-based sustainable analysis integration early through the design process. Results prove that using sustainable capabilities of building information modeling (BIM) in early stages of the design process side by side with green design workflow promote buildings performance and sustainability outcome.

Keywords: BIM, building performance analysis, BIM-based sustainable analysis, green building design

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Authors: Sogo Angel Olofinbiyi

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There have been widespread assumptions across the globe that the root cause of Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria is religious rather than socio-economic. An investigation into this dichotomy allowed this study to fully demonstrate that the root cause of Boko Haram’s terrorist actions emanates from the non-fulfillment of socio-economic goals that are prompted by the violation of fundamental human rights, corruption, poverty, unconstitutional and undemocratic practices in the northern part of the Nigerian state. To achieve its aim of establishing the root cause of the terrorism crisis in the latter country, the study critically appraised the socio-economic context of the insurgency by adopting one-on-one in-depth interviews involving forty (40) participants to interrogate the phenomenon. Empirical evidence from the study demonstrated that the evolution of Boko Haram terrorism was a response to socio-economic phlebotomy, political and moral putrescence, and the dehumanization of people that stem from a combination of decades of mismanagement and pervasive corruption by various Nigerian leaders. The study concludes that, as long as the endemic socio-economic problems caused by global capitalism vis-a-vis unequal hegemonic power exchange as expressed in socio-political, ethno-religious and cultural forms persist in the Nigerian society, the terrorism insurgency will recur and remain an inevitable enterprise and indeed a normal social reaction to every undesirable state of affairs. Based on the findings, the study urges the need for the amelioration of the conditions of the vast majority of the Nigerian populace by making socio-economic facilities available to them through the political state.

Keywords: Boko Haram Terrorism, insurgency, socio-economic, religious injunctions

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Authors: C. S. Seema, P. R. Prince

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The characterization of spatio-temporal inhomogeneities occurring in the ionospheric F₂ layer is remarkable since these variations are direct consequences of electrodynamical coupling between magnetosphere and solar events. The temporal and spatial variations of the F₂ layer, which occur with a period of several days or even years, mainly owe to geomagnetic and meteorological activities. The hourly F₂ layer critical frequency (foF2) over 23rd solar cycle (1996-2008) of three ionosonde stations (Wakkanai, Kokunbunji, and Okinawa) in northern hemisphere, which falls within same longitudinal span, is analyzed using continuous wavelet techniques. Morlet wavelet is used to transform continuous time series data of foF2 to a two dimensional time-frequency space, quantifying the time evolution of the oscillatory modes. The presence of significant time patterns (periodicities) at a particular time period and the time location of each periodicity are detected from the two-dimensional representation of the wavelet power, in the plane of scale and period of the time series. The mean strength of each periodicity over the entire period of analysis is studied using global wavelet spectrum. The quasi biennial, annual, semiannual, 27 day, diurnal and 12 hour variations of foF2 are clearly evident in the wavelet power spectra in all the three stations. Critical frequency oscillations with multi-day periods (2-3 days and 9 days in the low latitude station, 6-7 days in all stations and 15 days in mid-high latitude station) are also superimposed over large time scaled variations.

Keywords: continuous wavelet analysis, critical frequency, ionosphere, solar cycle

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Authors: Amr Hamdy

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Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Many methods have been developed to decrease its rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of a new non-pharmacologic maneuver in decreasing its rate. Methods: This case series study was conducted in one centre in Cairo, Egypt, from January-2010 to June-2013. 400 pregnant–women aged 18 years or more and candidate for normal labour; were enrolled to this study. High-risk subjects for PPH were excluded. After placental delivery, the new maneuver was done by sustained traction of the anterior and posterior lips of the cervix by two ovum forceps for duration of 90 seconds. The amount of blood loss was estimated by standardized visual estimation after removal of the forceps. All subjects were followed up for 6 hours. Results: The rate of PPH, defined as more than 500 ml, was 8 cases (2%) with 95% CI (0.63-3.37%). The rate of PPH was not affected by parity, gestational age, episiotomy or the presence of tears. PPH is more in cases with anemia (p 0.032). It occurred in all cases with uterine atony (p <0.001). The range of estimated blood loss was 550-600ml in cases with PPH and 150-450ml in cases without PPH. Severe PPH more than 1000 ml, did not occur. Conclusion: This pilot study introduced a novel maneuver that can be helpful in decreasing the rate of PPH and reducing the amount of post partum blood loss.Despite the low rate of PPH showed in this study, the need for conducting a randomized controlled study is at its highest level before further inclusion of such manoeuvre to be a part of the current medical practice and before considering it as an evident tool to decrease the burden of PPH.

Keywords: maternal mortality, new manoeuvre, post-partum haemorrhage, uterine atony

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Authors: Fofie Kokea Ariane Darolle, Gouet Daniel Hervé, Koumetio Fidèle, Yemele David

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The electrical resistivity method is successfully used in this paper in order to have a clearer picture of the subsurface of the North-East ofFiguil in northern Cameroon. It is worth noting that this method is most often used when the objective of the study is to image the shallow subsoils by considering them as a set of stratified ground layers. The problem to be solved is very often environmental, and in this case, it is necessary to perform an inversion of the data in order to have a complete and accurate picture of the parameters of the said layers. In the case of this work, thirty-three (33) Schlumberger VES have been carried out on an irregular grid to investigate the subsurface of the study area. The 1D inversion applied as a preliminary modeling tool and in correlation with the mechanical drillings results indicates a complex subsurface lithology distribution mainly consisting of marbles and schists. Moreover, the quasi-3D inversion with lateral constraint shows that the misfit between the observed field data and the model response is quite good and acceptable with a value low than 10%. The method also reveals existence of two water bearing in the considered area. The first is the schist or weathering aquifer (unsuitable), and the other is the marble or the fracturing aquifer (suitable). The final quasi 3D inversion results and geological models indicate proper sites for groundwaters prospecting and for mining exploitation, thus allowing the economic development of the study area.

Keywords: electrical resistivity method, 1D inversion, quasi 3D inversion, groundwaters, mining

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Authors: J. Bahrawi, M. Elhag

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Estimation of evapotranspiration is always a major component in water resources management. Traditional techniques of calculating daily evapotranspiration based on field measurements are valid only for local scales. Earth observation satellite sensors are thus used to overcome difficulties in obtaining daily evapotranspiration measurements on regional scale. The Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model was adopted to estimate daily evapotranspiration and relative evaporation along with other land surface energy fluxes. The model requires agro-climatic data that improve the model outputs. Advance Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) and Medium Spectral Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imageries were used to estimate the daily evapotranspiration and relative evaporation over the entire Nile Delta region in Egypt supported by meteorological data collected from six different weather stations located within the study area. Daily evapotranspiration maps derived from SEBS model show a strong agreement with actual ground-truth data taken from 92 points uniformly distributed all over the study area. Moreover, daily evapotranspiration and relative evaporation are strongly correlated. The reliable estimation of daily evapotranspiration supports the decision makers to review the current land use practices in terms of water management, while enabling them to propose proper land use changes.

Keywords: daily evapotranspiration, relative evaporation, SEBS, AATSR, MERIS, Nile Delta

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Authors: Kiranmay Sarma

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Recent decades have witnessed rapid increase in urbanization, for which, rural-urban migration is stated to be the principal reason. Urban growth throughout the world has already outstripped the capacities of most of the cities to provide basic amenities to the citizens, including clean drinking water and consequently, they are struggling to get fresh and clean water to meet water demands. Delhi, the capital of India, is one of the rapid fast growing metropolitan cities of the country. As a result, there has been large influx of population during the last few decades and pressure exerted to the limited available water resources, mainly on groundwater. Considering this important aspect, the present research has been designed to study the effects of urbanization on the green cover and groundwater and their relationships of Delhi. For the purpose, four different land uses of the study area have been considered, viz., protected forest area, trees outside forest, maintained park and settlement area. Samples for groundwater and vegetation were collected seasonally in post-monsoon (October), winter (February) and summer (June) at each study site for two years during 2012 and 2014. The results were integrated into GIS platform. The spatial distribution of groundwater showed that the concentration of most of the ions is decreasing from northern to southern parts of Delhi, thus groundwater shows an improving trend from north to south. The depth was found to be improving from south to north Delhi, i.e., opposite to the water quality. The study concludes the groundwater properties in Delhi vary spatially with depending on the types of land cover.

Keywords: groundwater, urbanization, GIS, green cover, Delhi

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Authors: H. M. El-Askary, S. A. Abd El-Mawla, M. Allali, M. M. El-Hattab, M. El-Raey, A. M. Farahat, M. Kafatos, S. Nickovic, S. K. Park, A. K. Prasad, C. Rakovski, W. Sprigg, D. Struppa, A. Vukovic

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A clear distinction between weather and climate is a necessity because while they are closely related, there are still important differences. Climate change is identified when we compute the statistics of the observed changes in weather over space and time. In this work we will show how the changing climate contribute to the frequency, magnitude and extent of different extreme events using a multi sensor approach with some synergistic modeling activities. We are exploring satellite observations of dust over North Africa, Gulf Region and the Indo Gangetic basin as well as dust versus anthropogenic pollution events over the Delta region in Egypt and Seoul through remote sensing and utilize the behavior of the dust and haze on the aerosol optical properties. Dust impact on the retreat of the glaciers in the Himalayas is also presented. In this study we also focus on the identification and monitoring of a massive dust plume that blew off the western coast of Africa towards the Atlantic on October 8th, 2012 right before the development of Hurricane Sandy. There is evidence that dust aerosols played a non-trivial role in the cyclogenesis process of Sandy. Moreover, a special dust event "An American Haboob" in Arizona is discussed as it was predicted hours in advance because of the great improvement we have in numerical, land–atmosphere modeling, computing power and remote sensing of dust events. Therefore we performed a full numerical simulation to that event using the coupled atmospheric-dust model NMME–DREAM after generating a mask of the potentially dust productive regions using land cover and vegetation data obtained from satellites. Climate change also contributes to the deterioration of different marine habitats. In that regard we are also presenting some work dealing with change detection analysis of Marine Habitats over the city of Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt. The motivation for this work came from the fact that coral reefs at Hurghada have undergone significant decline. They are damaged, displaced, polluted, stepped on, and blasted off, in addition to the effects of climate change on the reefs. One of the most pressing issues affecting reef health is mass coral bleaching that result from an interaction between human activities and climatic changes. Over another location, namely California, we have observed that it exhibits highly-variable amounts of precipitation across many timescales, from the hourly to the climate timescale. Frequently, heavy precipitation occurs, causing damage to property and life (floods, landslides, etc.). These extreme events, variability, and the lack of good, medium to long-range predictability of precipitation are already a challenge to those who manage wetlands, coastal infrastructure, agriculture and fresh water supply. Adding on to the current challenges for long-range planning is climate change issue. It is known that La Niña and El Niño affect precipitation patterns, which in turn are entwined with global climate patterns. We have studied ENSO impact on precipitation variability over different climate divisions in California. On the other hand the Nile Delta has experienced lately an increase in the underground water table as well as water logging, bogging and soil salinization. Those impacts would pose a major threat to the Delta region inheritance and existing communities. There has been an undergoing effort to address those vulnerabilities by looking into many adaptation strategies.

Keywords: remote sensing, modeling, long range transport, dust storms, North Africa, Gulf Region, India, California, climate extremes, sea level rise, coral reefs

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Authors: Ngoc Minh Quynh Pham, Quan V. Vuong, Michael C. Bowyer, Christopher J. Scarlett

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Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) is an Australian native plant and is grown in the coastal regions in New South Wales, Queensland and Northern Australia. Its fruits have been eaten by birds; however there is no information on phytochemical and antioxidant capacity of these fruits. This study aimed to determine the phenolic compounds (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), proanthocyanidins (TPro) and antioxidant capacity in the whole or different parts of tuckeroo fruit including skin, flesh and seed. Whole and partly tuckeroo fruits were collected and immediately freeze dried to constant weight and then ground to small particle sizes (<1mm mesh). Samples were extracted in 50% methanol using an ultrasonic bath set at temperature 40 °C for 30 minutes. TPC, TFC, TPro and antioxidant capacity were measured by spectrophotometric analysis. The results showed that the whole fruits contained 106.23 mg GAE/g of TPC, 67.67 mg CAE/g of TFC and 56.74 mg CAE/g of TPro. These fruits also possessed high antioxidant capacity (DPPH: 263.78 mg TroE/g, ABTS: 346.98 mg TroE/g, CUPRAC: 370.12 mg TroE/g and FRAP: 176.30 mg TroE/g), revealing that these fruits are rich source of antioxidants. The results also showed that distribution of the antioxidants was varied in different parts of the fruits. Skin had the highest levels of TPC, TFC, and TPro as well as antioxidant properties, followed by the seed and flesh had the lowest levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. Of note, levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of the skin were significantly higher than those of the whole fruits. Therefore, the skin of tuckeroo fruits is recommended as a starting material for extraction and purification of phenolic compounds as potential antioxidants for further utilisation in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: antioxidant capacity, Cupaniopsis anacardioides, phenolic compounds, tuckeroo fruit

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Authors: Christiana Wulty Diku

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This research mapped and documented archaeological heritage resources with associated indigenous knowledge in Lawra, an understudied Municipality in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Since the inception of Archaeology as a discipline in the 1930s at the University of Ghana, the Lawra Municipality has rarely been investigated archaeologically. Consequently, the unconsciousness and ignorance of indigenes on the relevance of these resources to national development has destroyed many significant archaeological sites, with agriculture and infrastructural developmental activities endangering countless of them. Drawing from a community archaeological approach, a collaborative archaeological investigation between local groups, communities and professionals (archaeologists) was conducted to recover these lost histories of settlements in the municipality, salvage and protect endangered archaeological heritage resources and sites from agricultural, exploitative and developmental activities. This was geared towards expanding on the limited research on northern Ghana and deepening our understanding on the existing symbiotic relationship between people and their heritage resources in past and present times. The study deploying ethnographic, archaeological and physical survey techniques as methods in six field seasons beginning from August 2013 to April 2023. This resulted in the reconstruction of the settlement history of Lawra with chronological dates, compilation of inventory on significant archaeological heritage resources with associated indigenous knowledge, mitigation of endangered archaeological sites and heritage resources through surface collections and the development of a photographic record, with associated metadata for purposes of preservation and future research.

Keywords: archaeological heritage resources, indigenous knowledge, lawra municipality, community archaeology

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Authors: Sharmin Sultana, Palash Chandra Banik, Shirin Jahan Mumu, Liaquat Ali

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Santals are one of the oldest indigenous groups of South Asia who, according to anthropological evidence, are thought to be the origins of the Bengali race. The aim of the study was to explore, according to our best knowledge for the first time, the prevalence and determinants of hypertension in this relatively isolated and marginalized indigenous group who still live mostly in a traditional style. Under a cross-sectional analytical design, the study was conducted on the adult (age≥18 years) Santals (n=389, M/F 184/205, age in years, 38±15.3) of a village located in a remote rural area of northern Bangladesh. Subjects were selected by purposive sampling, and data were collected by interviewer-administered pretested questionnaire. Blood pressure was measured by following the WHO guideline of JNC-7 has been used to classify the blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension was 4.9% among the respondents. Females had a much higher prevalence (5.4%) of hypertension compared to males (4.3%). Among the risk indicators of hypertension, more than half (50.9%) of the study population took extra salt in their meals, whereas 10.5% of respondents used extra salt occasionally, which is an important risk factor for high blood pressure. High waist circumference was found in 19% of the study subjects in terms of central obesity. Older age group (p=0.003, OR=1.1, 95%CI-1.02-1.10), respondents who completed more than primary school (p=0.038, OR=7.1, CI-1.11, 44.6), overweight and obesity (p=0.004, OR=17.1, CI-2.5, 118.1), were the major determinant for hypertension as found from the binary logistic model. None of the respondents received any medication, neither they visit any doctor ever for their hypertension control. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be low but not ignorable. Pre-hypertension in the case of systolic blood pressure needs attention among Santal indigenous population.

Keywords: hypertension, indigenous group, Santals, Bangladesh

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Authors: S. Rostampour Yasouri, M. Ghane, M. Doudi

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Leptospirosis is one of the most significant infectious and zoonotic diseases along with global spreading. This disease is causative agent of economoic losses and human fatalities in various countries, including Northern provinces of Iran. The aim of this research is to identify and compare the rapid diagnostic techniques of pathogenic leptospiras, considering the multifacetedness of the disease from a clinical manifestation and premature death of patients. In the spring and summer of 2020-2022, 25 fecal samples were collected from suspected leptospirosis patients and 25 Fecal samples from mice residing in the rice fields and factories in Tonekabon city. Samples were prepared by centrifugation and passing through membrane filters. Culture technique was used in liquid and solid EMJH media during one month of incubation at 30°C. Then, the media were examined microscopically. DNA extraction was conducted by extraction Kit. Diagnosis of leptospiras was enforced by PCR and Real time PCR (SYBR Green) techniques using lipL32 specific primer. Out of the patients, 11 samples (44%) and 8 samples (32%) were determined to be pathogenic Leptospira by Real time PCR and PCR technique, respectively. Out of the mice, 9 Samples (36%) and 3 samples (12%) were determined to be pathogenic Leptospira by the mentioned techniques, respectively. Although the culture technique is considered to be the gold standard technique, but due to the slow growth of pathogenic Leptospira and lack of colony formation of some species, it is not a fast technique. Real time PCR allowed rapid diagnosis with much higher accuracy compared to PCR because PCR could not completely identify samples with lower microbial load.

Keywords: culture, pathogenic leptospiras, PCR, real time PCR

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Authors: Rachida Houssa, Hassan Rhinane, Fadoumo Ali Malouw, Amina Oulmaalem

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Since the early 70s, the Moroccan Atlantic sea was subjected to the pressure of the bottom trawling, one of the most destructive techniques seabed that cause havoc on fishing catch, nonselective, and responsible for more than half of all releases of fish around the world. The present paper aims to map and assess the impact of the activity of the bottom trawling of the Moroccan Atlantic coast. For this purpose, a dataset of thirty years, between 1962 and 1999, from foreign fishing vessels using bottom trawling, has been used and integrated in a GIS. To estimate the extent and the importance of the geographical distribution of the trawling effort, the Moroccan Atlantic area was divided into a grid of cells of 25 km2 (5x5 km). This grid was joined to the effort trawling data, creating a new entity with a table containing spatial overlay grid with the polygon of swept surfaces. This mapping model allowed to quantify the used fishing effort versus time and to generate the trace indicative of trawling efforts on the seabed. Indeed, for a given year, a grid cell may have a swept area equal to 0 (never been touched by the trawl) or 25 km2 (the trawled area is similar to the cell size) or may be 100 km2 indicating that for this year, the scanned surface is four times the cell area. The results show that the total cumulative sum of trawled area is approximately 28,738,326 km2, scattered throughout the Atlantic coast. 95% of the overall trawling effort is located in the southern zone, between 29°N and 20°30'N. Nearly 5% of the trawling effort is located in the northern coastal region, north of 33°N. The center area between 33°N and 29°N is the least swept by Russian commercial vessels because in this region the majority of the area is rocky, and non trawlable.

Keywords: GIS, Moroccan Atlantic Ocean, seabed, trawling

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Authors: Aya Effat, Ossama A. Hosny, Elkhayam M. Dorra

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Estimating costs is a crucial step in construction management and should be completed at the beginning of every project to establish the project's budget. The precision of the cost estimate plays a significant role in the success of construction projects as it allows project managers to effectively manage the project's costs. Site overhead costs constitute a significant portion of construction project budgets, necessitating accurate prediction and management. These costs are influenced by a multitude of factors, requiring a thorough examination and analysis to understand their relative importance and impact. Thus, the main aim of this research is to enhance the contractor’s ability to predict and manage site overheads by identifying and analyzing the main factors influencing the site overheads costs in the Egyptian construction industry. Through a comprehensive literature review, key factors were first identified and subsequently validated using a thorough comparative analysis of data from 55 real-life construction projects. Through this comparative analysis, the relationship between each factor and site overheads percentage as well as each site overheads subcategory and each project construction phase was identified and examined. Furthermore, correlation analysis was done to check for multicollinearity and identify factors with the highest impact. The findings of this research offer valuable insights into the key drivers of site overhead costs in the Egyptian construction industry. By understanding these factors, construction professionals can make informed decisions regarding the estimation and management of site overhead costs.

Keywords: comparative analysis, cost estimation, construction management, site overheads

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Authors: Reza Mehrafarin, Nafiseh Mirshekari

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The Sistan plain has always been a site for the settlement of various human societies, thanks to its favorable environmental conditions, such as abundant water from the Hirmand River and fertile sedimentary soil. Consequently, there was a need for a systematic archaeological investigation in the area. The survey had multiple objectives, with the most significant ones being the creation of an archaeological map and the identification and documentation of all ancient sites to establish their records and chronology. The survey was carried out in two phases, with each phase covering half of the area. The research method involved fieldwork, with two teams of professional archaeologists conducting a comprehensive survey of each of the 22 areas in Sistan. Once an area was identified, various recording, scientific, and field operations were executed to study the site. In the first phase (2007), an intensive field survey focused on the residential area of Sistan, including its northern and eastern regions. This phase resulted in the identification of 808 sites in eleven selected areas. In the second phase (2009), the desert area of Sistan, or its southern half, was surveyed, leading to the identification of approximately 853 sites. Overall, these surveys resulted in the identification of 1661 sites in Sistan. Among these sites, approximately 899 belong to the Bronze Age (late 4th millennium BCE to early 2nd millennium BCE). Of these sites, around 501 date back to the historical period, while nearly 590 sites pertain to the Islamic period. The archaeological investigations of both phases revealed that Sistan has consistently possessed fertile soil, abundant water, and a skilled workforce, making it capable of becoming Iran's granary and the center of the East once again if these conditions are restored.

Keywords: sistan, field surveys, archaeology, archaeological map

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Authors: Solomon Gebremariam, Mulugeta Naizigi, Aregawi Haileselassie

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Background: Knowledge of the pattern of bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility is crucial for guiding empirical treatment and infection prevention and control measures. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the pattern of bacterial isolates and their susceptibility patterns from various specimens. Methods: Retrospectively, a total of 1067 microbiological culture results that were isolated, characterized, and identified by standard microbiological methods and whose antibiotic susceptibility was determined using CLSI guidelines between 2017 and 2019 were retrieved and analyzed. Data were entered and analyzed using the Stata release 10.1 statistical package. Result: The positivity rate of culture was 26.04% (419/1609). The most common bacteria isolated were S. aureus 23.8% (94), E. coli 15.1% (60), Klebsiella pneumonia 14.1% (56), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8.5% (34), and CONS 7.3% (29). S. aureus and CONS showed a high (58.1% - 96.2%) rate of resistance to most antibiotics tested. They were less resistant to Vancomycin which is 18.6% (13/70) and 11.8% (2/17), respectively. Similarly, the resistance of E. coli, Klebsella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was high (69.4% - 100%) to most antibiotics. They were less resistant to Ciprofloxacilin, which is 41.1% (23/56), 19.2% (10/52), and 16.1% (5/31), respectively. Conclusion: This study has shown that there is a high rate of antibiotic resistance among bacterial isolates in this hospital. A combination of Vancomycin and Ciprofloxacin should be considered in the choice of antibiotics for empirical treatment of suspected infections due to S. aureus, CONS, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas such as in infections within hospital setup.

Keywords: antimicrobial, resistance, bacteria, hospital

Procedia PDF Downloads 75

Authors: Gehan Hussein, Hams Ahmad, Baher Matta, Yasmeen Mansi, Mohamad Fawzi

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Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common problem worldwide with variable incidence in different countries. The exact etiology is unknown, suggested to be multifactorial. We aimed to study the incidence of various CHD in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a tertiary care hospital in Egypt and the possible associations with variable risk factors. Methods: Prospective study was conducted over a period of one year (2013 /2014) at NICU KasrAlAini School of Medicine, Cairo University. Questionnaire about possible maternal and/or paternal risk factors for CHD, clinical examination, bedside echocardiography were done. Cases were classified into groups: group 1 without CHD and group 2 with CHD. Results: from 723 neonates admitted to NICU, 180 cases were proved to have CHD, 58 % of them were males. patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) was the most common CHD (70%), followed by an atrial septal defect (ASD8%), while Fallot tetralogy and single ventricle were the least common (0.45 %) for each. CHD was found in 30 % of consanguineous parents Maternal age ≥ 35 years at the time of conception was associated with increased incidence of PDA (p= 0.45 %). Maternal diabetes and insulin intake were significantly associated with cases of CHD (p=0.02 &0.001 respectively), maternal hypertension and hypothyroidism were both associated with VSD, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.36 &0.44respectively). Maternal passive smoking was significantly associated with PDA (p=0.03). Conclusion: The most frequent CHD in the studied population was PDA, followed by ASD. Maternal conditions as diabetes was associated with VSD occurrence.

Keywords: NICU, risk factors, congenital heart disease, echocardiography

Procedia PDF Downloads 194

Authors: Sujata Upgupta, Prasoon Kumar Singh

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The expansion of large scale coal mining into forest areas is a potential hazard for the local biodiversity and wildlife. The objective of this study is to provide a picture of the threat that coal mining poses to the forests of the East Bokaro landscape. The vulnerable forest areas at risk have been assessed and the priority areas for conservation have been presented. The forested areas at risk in the current scenario have been assessed and compared with the past conditions using classification and buffer based overlay approach. Forest vulnerability has been assessed using an analytical framework based on systematic indicators and composite vulnerability index values. The results indicate that more than 4 km² of forests have been lost from 1973 to 2016. Large patches of forests have been diverted for coal mining projects. Forests in the northern part of the coal field within 1-3 km radius around the coal mines are at immediate risk. The original contiguous forests have been converted into fragmented and degraded forest patches. Most of the collieries are located within or very close to the forests thus threatening the biodiversity and hydrology of the surrounding regions. Based on the vulnerability values estimated, it was concluded that more than 90% of the forested grids in East Bokaro are highly vulnerable to mining. The forests in the sub-districts of Bermo and Chandrapura have been identified as the most vulnerable to coal mining activities. This case study would add to the capacity of the forest managers and mine managers to address the risk and vulnerability of forests at a small landscape level in order to achieve sustainable development.

Keywords: forest, coal mining, indicators, vulnerability

Procedia PDF Downloads 390

Authors: Oum Elkhir Mahmoudi, Nebiha Ben Haj Ali

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Micropaleontological, sedimentological and statistical studies were carried out on the late Paleoceneearly Eocene succession of Sra Ouertaine and Dyr El Kef in Northern open phosphatic Basin of Tunisia. Based on the abundance and stratigraphic distribution of planktic foraminiferal species, five planktic zones have been recognized from the base to the top of the phosphatic layers. The El Acarinina sibaiyaensis Zone, the E2 Pseudohastigerina wilcoxensis Zone, the E3 Morozovella marginodentata Zone, the E4 Morozovella formosa Zones and the E5 Morozovella subbotinae Zone. The placement of Paleocene-Eocene boundary (PETM) is just below the base of the phosphatic interval. The ETM-2 event may be detectable in the analyzed biotic record of Sra Ouertaine. Based on benthic assemblages, abundances, cluster and multivariate statistical analyses, two biofacies were recognized for each section. The recognized ecozones are typical of warm and shallow water inner neritic setting (dominance of epifaunal fauna Anomalinoides, Dentalina and Cibicidoides associated with Frondicularia phosphatica, Trochamminoides globigeriniformis and Eponides elevatus). The paleoenvironment is eutrophic (presence of several bolivinitids and verneuilinids). For the Dyr El Kef section and P5 and E2 of Sra Ouertaine section, our records indicate that paleoenvironment is influenced by coastal upwelling without oxygen-deficiency, the paleodepth is estimated to be around 50 m. The paleoecosystem is diversified and balanced with a general tendency to stressed condition. While the upper part of Sra Ouertaine section is more eutrophic, influenced by coastal upwelling with oxygen-deficiency, the paleodepth is estimated to be less than 50 m and the ecosystem is unsettled.

Keywords: Tunisia, early Eocene, foraminifera, chronostratigraphy

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Authors: Mohamed M. A. Rahoma

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A better understanding of the factors that control the resistivity values of Sandstone reservoirs is very important for petroleum exploration and production. This study is an attempt to find out the factors that could be the reason for the decrease in resistivity values of the Lower Akakus Sandstones, which are the main reservoir in the area in an onshore field located in the northern part of Ghadames Basin - Northwest of Libya in the contracted area 47, block 2 The study achieved is based on: 30 core chip samples taken from two wells (A3-47/02 and J1-47/02) and Routine Core Analysis (RCA). The results of petrography analysis (thin section, X-ray diffraction and SEM) demonstrated that the depth sits (intervals) which illustrated low resistivity values have a relatively high content of diagenetic clay and cement minerals, hence we can conclude that diagenetic events have a more significant impact on the resistivity values of studied interval for possibly two following reasons: The first essential reason, the extensive micro pores that mostly exist within clay minerals (Chlorite and Kaolinite where, about 30-50 % of their composition considered micro pores), resistivity log read low as noticed through the study. The highest value of micro pores recorded in core1 of J1-47/02 well due to most likely the kaolinite amount which was a slightly higher than the chlorite amount in this well (the bond water porosity for chlorite clay considered relatively the lowest porosity compared to other clay minerals). The second reason, the presence of diagenetic cement minerals (Siderite and Hematite, which contain an iron element as one of their components) within the studied interval as remarked from my study may cause decreasing in resistivity of the formation of the reservoir.

Keywords: diagenetic cement, diagenetic clay, resistivity, petrography analysis

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Authors: Nasim Hossein Hamzeh, Abbas Ranjbar Saadat Abadi, Maggie Chel Gee Ooi, Steven Soon-Kai Kong, Christian Opp

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Dust storm is one of the most important natural disasters in the world, where the Middle East suffers frequently due to the existence of the dust belt region. As a country in the Middle East, Iran mostly is affected by the dust storms from some internal and also external dust sources, mostly originating from deserts in Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. In this study, some severe Shamal dust storms were investigated in Southwest Iran. The measured 〖PM〗_10 reached up to 834 μg m-3 in some stations in west Iran and Iran-Iraq borders, while the measured 〖PM〗_10 reached up to 4947 μg m-3 SW stations in northern shores of the Persian Gulf. During these severe dust storms, a low-level jet was observed at 930hPa atmospheric level in north Iraq and south Iraq. the jet core and its width were about 16 ms-1 and 100 km, respectively, in the cases where it is located in the NW regions of Iraq and northeastern Syria (at 35°N and 40-41°E), So the jet was stronger at higher latitudes (34°N - 35°N) than at lower latitudes (32°N). Therefore, suitable conditions have been created for lifting of dust sources located in northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria. The topography surrounding the Mesopotamia and north of the Persian Gulf play a major role in the development of the Low-Level Jet through the interaction of meteorological conditions and mountain forcing. Also, the output of CALIPSO satellite images show dust rising to higher than 5 km in these dust cases, that confirming the influence of Shamal wind on the dust storm occurrence.

Keywords: dust storm, shamal wind, the persian gulf, southwest Iran

Procedia PDF Downloads 94

Authors: Shymaa S. Zaher, Hesham M. Abd El-Fatah, Dina M. Ali

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Burullus Lagoon is the second largest lake, along the Mediterranean seashore. It exposed to over nutrient enrichment from fish farming and agricultural drainage wastes. This study assesses the present status phytoplankton response to different flow events, including domestic, agricultural, industrial, and fish farms discharge in the three main sectors of Burullus Lagoon, to focus on the influence of environmental variables on phytoplankton species composition inhabiting the Lagoon. Twelve sites representing the eastern, central, and western basin were selected during winter and summer 2018. Among the most abundant group, Chlorophyceae came in the first rank by 37.9% of the total phytoplankton densities, Bacillariophyceae (29.31%), Cyanophyceae (20.7%), Euglenophyceae (8.63%) and Dinophyceae (3.4%). Cyclotella menenghiana was the most abundant diatoms, while Scenedesmus quadricauda, S. acuminatus, and S. bijuga were highly recorded nearby the drains (in the middle sector). Phytoplankton in Burullus Lagoon attained the lowest values during the winter season and the highest ones during the summer season. The total count of phytoplankton in the middle and western basin of the lake was higher than that of the eastern part. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and washing out of nutrients loaded to the drainage water, leading to a significant pronounced decrease in community composition and standing crop of phytoplankton in Burullus Lake from year to year, hold the danger of shifting the lagoon ecosystem.

Keywords: Burullus Lagoon, environmental variables, phytoplankton, water pollution

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: M. S. M. Prahastomi, Riki Sunaryo, Lorasa Ximanes

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The research takes place in EP Area, in the Northern part of Buton, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. It is one example of karst areas that have good water resources potential. The landscape is in the form of valleys and hills which is good enough for recharge zone and discharge zones of groundwater. However, the geological characteristics of karst dissolution and a complex geological structure are quite influential to the groundwater flow system in the region. The Discharge of groundwater to the surface can be caused by a fracture in the rock, Underground River due to dissolution, and the contact between permeable rocks with impermeable rocks. In the concept of hydrogeology, groundwater is one of the components of the hydrological cycle which is closely linked to the availability of water under the surface, precipitation, infiltration, percolation, evapotranspiration, and surface runoff. Conceptually, the condition of recharge and discharge areas can be identified through a research distribution springs in a region. The understanding of the condition and the nature of the potential catchment area of groundwater flow, mainly from the catchment area to the discharge area, is urgently needed. This research aimed to assess the general geological conditions of the study area, which is expected to provide an overview of groundwater flow events that used by the public as well as industry. Behavioral characteristics of groundwater become an integral part in the search for potential groundwater in the study area. As for the research methods used hydrogeology mapping and laboratory works.

Keywords: Buton Island, groundwater conservation, hydrogeochemistry preliminary, karst

Procedia PDF Downloads 339