An integrated approach for solving urban water and wastewater crises in the Arabian Gulf States.

Various environmental and economic aspects of urban water and wastewater crises in a number of the Arabian Gulf States are discussed. An integrated approach, which considers simultaneously the problems of urban waters (shortage of water supply and problems associated with urban drainage) and those in connection with wastewater (i.e. environmental impact) is proposed. The feasible link between the main factors affecting these problems and the anticipated results encourage the implementation of the proposed approach. The conclusions suggest immediate municipal legislation.     

Successful electroconvulsive therapy of Cotard syndrome with bitemporal hypoperfusion

A case study is presented to illustrate a rare condition described by Cotard as "délire de négation". The central symptom is a nihilistic delusion with denial of one's own existence of oneself and that of the external world. In the present case, the syndrome became manifest as an escalation of a recurrent depressive disorder late in life. After initial resistance to therapy, the syndrome was successfully treated with electroconvulsive therapy. For the first time, we report the regional cerebral blood flow measured by 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT before and after therapy. Before treatment, significant bitemporal hypoperfusion relative to the cerebellum was found, which was no longer demonstrable on remission.     

Recognition of Arabic (Indian) bank check digits using log-gabor filters

In this paper we present a technique for the automatic recognition of Arabic (Indian) bank check digits based on features extracted by using the Log Gabor filters. The digits are classified by using the K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN), Hidden Markov Models (HMM) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifiers. An extensive experimentation is conducted on the CENPARMI data, a database consisting of 7390 samples of Arabic (Indian) digits for training and 3035 samples for testing extracted from real bank checks. The data is normalized to a height of 64 pixels, maintaining the aspect ratio. Log Gabor filters with several scales and orientations are used. In addition, the filtered images are segmented into different region sizes for feature extraction. Recognition rates of 98.95%, 98.75%, 98.62%, 97.21% and 94.43% are achieved with SVM, 1-NN, 3-NN, HMM and NM classifiers, respectively. These results significantly outperform published work using the same database. The misclassified digits are evaluated subjectively and results indicate that human subjects misclassified 1/3 of these digits. The experimental results, including the subjective evaluation of misclassified digits, indicate the effectiveness of the selected Log Gabor filters parameters, the implemented image segmentation technique, and extracted features for practical recognition of Arabic (Indian) digits.     

A multimedia interactive conferencing application for personalworkstations

The multimedia interactive conferencing application (MICA), a personal-workstation application for multipoint visual teleconferencing, is described. MICA allows people at two or more locations to share visual material such as documents, photographs, and computer screens in a highly interactive way. It supports the distribution, storage, retrieval, and high-quality display of visuals, real-time interaction by pointing and annotation, and meeting services facilities. The context of multimedia teleconferencing and computer-supported cooperative work is established, relating earlier research to the design of MICA. The services MICA offers are outlined. The handling, compression, and display of multiple media, and the design of a suitable user interface for MICA are discussed     

IgG from Adult Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Patients Induces Thymic IL-22 Production and CLA Expression on CD4+ T Cells: Possible Epigenetic Implications Mediated by miRNA

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common relapsing inflammatory skin disorder characterized by immune-mediated inflammation and epidermal barrier dysfunction. The pathogenesis of AD is multifactorial and has not been fully elucidated to date. This study aimed to evaluate whether serum IgG from adult AD patients could modulate the thymic maturation of IL-22-producing T cells and CLA+ T cells of non-atopic infants. Given that miRNAs regulate immune response genes, we evaluated whether miRNA expression is also altered in cultured thymocytes. Thymocytes were cultured with purified IgG from AD patients or control conditions (mock, Intravenous-IgG (IVIg), non-atopic IgG, or atopic non-AD IgG). Using flow cytometry analysis, we assessed the expression of CLA and intracellular levels of IL-4, IFN-γ, and IL-22 on double-positive T cells (DP T), CD4 T cells, or CD8 T cells. We also investigated the frequency of IgG isotypes and their direct interaction with the thymic T cells membrane. The miRNA profiles were evaluated by the Illumina small RNA-seq approach. MiRNA target gene prediction and enrichment analyses were performed using bioinformatics. Increased frequencies of IL-22 and CLA+ producing CD4+ T cells cultured with IgG of AD patients was seen in non-atopic infant thymocytes compared to all control conditions. No alterations were observed in the frequency of IgG isotypes among evaluated IgG pools. Evidence for a direct interaction between IgG and thymic DP T, CD4 T, and CD8 T cells is presented. The small RNA-seq analysis identified ten mature miRNAs that were modulated by AD IgG compared to mock condition (miR-181b-5p, hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-4497, has-miR-146a, hsa-let-7i-5p, hsa-miR-342-3p, has-miR-148a-3p, has-miR-92a and has-miR-4492). The prediction of the targetome of the seven dysregulated miRNAs between AD and mock control revealed 122 putative targets, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed. Our results enhance our understanding of the mechanism by which IgG can collaborate in thymic T cells in the setting of infant AD.     

Use of a Reflectance Spectroscopy Accessory for Optical Characterization of ZnO-Bi(2)O(3)-TiO(2) Ceramics

The optical band-gap energy (E(g)) is an important feature of semiconductors which determines their applications in optoelectronics. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the electronic states of ceramic ZnO and the effect of doped impurities under different processing conditions. E(g) of the ceramic ZnO + xBi(2)O(3) + xTiO(2), where x = 0.5 mol%, was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer attached to a Reflectance Spectroscopy Accessory for powdered samples. The samples was prepared using the solid-state route and sintered at temperatures from 1140 to 1260 °C for 45 and 90 minutes. E(g) was observed to decrease with an increase of sintering temperature. XRD analysis indicated hexagonal ZnO and few small peaks of intergranular layers of secondary phases. The relative density of the sintered ceramics decreased and the average grain size increased with the increase of sintering temperature.     

Dynamic modeling of gas phase propylene homopolymerization in fluidized bed reactors

A new model with comprehensive kinetics for propylene homopolymerization in fluidized bed reactors was developed to investigate the effect of mixing, operating conditions, kinetic and hydrodynamic parameters on the reactor performance as well as polymer properties. Presence of the particles in the bubbles and the excess gas in the emulsion phase was considered to improve the two-phase model, thus, considering the polymerization reaction to take place in both the bubble and emulsion phases. It was shown that in the practical range of superficial gas velocity and catalyst feed rate, the ratio of produced polymer in the bubble phase to the total production rate is roughly between 10% and 13%, which is a substantial amount and cannot be ignored. Simulation studies were carried out to compare the results of the improved two-phase, conventional well-mixed and constant bubble size models. The improved two-phase and well mixed models predicted a narrower and safer window at the same running conditions compared with the constant bubble size model. The improved two-phase model showed close dynamic behavior to the conventional models at the beginning of polymerization, but starts to diverge with the evolution of time.     

Influence of laser irradiation on the optical and the mechanical properties of Makrofol‐DE polycarbonate

The effect of IR laser irradiation on the optical and the mechanical properties of Makrofol‐DE 1‐1 CC polycarbonate films were investigated. Three hundred microns‐thick films of Makrofol‐DE 1‐1 CC polycarbonate were irradiated with 0.00–10.40 J/cm² of Ga‐As laser pulses, 904 nm, 5 W, and 200‐ns pulse duration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements showed that (C?O) groups degrade under laser irradiation at the studied fluence range. The aliphatic and aromatic (C? H) groups exhibited the same behavior, which can be attributed to nature of laser interaction with matter. The Makrofol samples exhibited degradation under the effect of laser irradiation up to 0.94 J/cm², where crosslinking mechanism started and continued until 7.07 J/cm². The refractive index had a minimum value at 0.94 J/cm² and maximum value at 7.07 J/cm² due to the degradation and crosslinking formation inside the sample, respectively. The decrease in elastic modulus, E, of Makrofol irradiated with 0.47–0.94 and 7.07–10.40 J/cm² indicates that the sample becomes more flexible, which results from the decrease in interatomic force constants. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Thermal,structural, and optical properties of γ‐irradiated poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(ethylene glycol) thin film

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PVA/PEG) copolymer was prepared using casting technique. The obtained PVA/PEG thin films have been irradiated with gamma rays with doses ranging from 1.5 to 20 Gy. The resultant effect of gamma irradiation on the thermal properties of PVA/PEG has been investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The onset temperature of decomposition T_o and activation energy of thermal decomposition E_a were calculated, results indicating that the PVA/PEG thin film decomposes in one main weight loss stage. Also, the gamma irradiation in dose range 4–12 Gy led to a more compact structure of PVA/PEG copolymer, which resulted in an improvement in its thermal stability with an increase in the activation energy of thermal decomposition. The variation of transition temperatures with gamma dose has been determined using DTA. The PVA/PEG thermograms were characterized by the appearance of an endothermic peak due to melting of crystalline phase. In addition, structural property studies using X‐ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy were performed on both nonirradiated and irradiated samples. Furthermore, the transmission of the PVA/PEG samples and any color changes were studied. The color intensity (E was greatly increased with increasing the gamma dose and was accompanied by a significant increase in the blue and green color components. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Leaching kinetics of colemanite in ammonium hydrogen sulphate solutions

The aim of the study was to investigate the dissolution kinetics of colemanite in ammonium hydrogen sulphate solutions in a mechanical agitation system and to declare an alternative reactant to produce boric acid. Reaction temperature, concentration of ammonium hydrogen sulphate, stirring speed, solid/liquid ratio and particle size were selected as parameters on the dissolution rate of colemanite. The experimental results were successfully correlated by linear regression using Statistica Package Program. Dissolution curves were evaluated in order to test shrinking core models for solid–fluid systems. It was observed that increase in the reaction temperature and decrease in the solid/liquid ratio causes an increase the dissolution rate of colemanite. The dissolution extent is highly increased with increase the stirring speed rate between 100 and 500 rpm and the dissolution extent is slowly increased with increase the stirring speed between 500 and 700 rpm in experimental conditions. The activation energy was found to be 32.66 kJ/mol. The leaching of colemanite was controlled by diffusion through the ash or product layer. The rate expression associated with the dissolution rate of colemanite depending on the parameters chosen may be summarized as follows: 1 ? 3(1 ? X)^2/3 + 2(1 ? X) = 8.99 × C^1.08 × W^1.39 × D^?1.27 × (S/L)^?0.54 × e^(?32.66/RT)t.