A Water Management Support System for Amman Zarqa Basin in Jordan

A Water Management Support System for Amman Zarqa Basin in Jordan has been developed. The water management support system employs the Water Evaluation and Planning system (WEAP). The water resources and demands in the basin were modeled as a network of supply and demand nodes connected by links. The model was calibrated for the year 2005 data and then validated for the year 2006 data. Validation results showed good agreement between calculated and measured inflows to wastewater treatment plants in the basin. The model was run for the year 2005 data as well as for four scenarios for the year 2025 which are Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWWT) scenario, the Red Sea, Dead Sea Channel (RSDSC) scenario and the optimistic scenario. The BAU scenario assumes that water use trends for the year 2025 follows predictable trends, the implementation of the disi project and the Wehda dam are main components of the BAU scenario. The AWWT scenario assumes that the effluent of As Samra wastewater treatment plant is treated to a level where it can be used for unrestricted irrigation within the basin and in the highlands. The main component of the RSDSC scenario is the implementation of the RSDSC project. The optimistic scenario combines both the AWWT scenario and the RSDSC scenario. The AWWT scenario, the RSDSC scenario, and the optimistic scenario are child scenarios of the BAU scenario. The results showed that neither domestic demand nor agricultural demand is met for the year 2005. The results also showed that domestic and industrial demands can be satisfied for all the considered scenarios by proper management of the available resources. However, agricultural demand can’t be satisfied for the business as usual scenario.     

酸浆花萼色素的提取及理化性质研究

采用不同的试剂提取酸浆花萼的天然色素，并且对色素的理化性质进行研究。结果表明：该色素在丙酮中提取效果最好，其最大吸收峰在406nm处；色素在不同温度下稳定性良好：在不同食品添加剂条件下稳定性良好：在太阳光照条件下对色素有减色作用；色素有较明显的抑菌作用。     

黄花软紫草多糖的提取及清除自由基的研究

研究了黄花软紫草水溶性多糖的提取及对Fenton反应产生·OH自由基的清除效果。结果表明,以水为溶剂提取的紫草多糖的得率为2.53%,且此粗多糖清除自由基的能力与其浓度呈线性关系。     

Correction to: An integrated specification and verification technique for highly concurrent data structures

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-021-00629-9     

Circulating Non-Coding RNAs as a Signature of Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaced neurodevelopmental disorder that becomes apparent during early childhood development. The complexity of ASD makes clinically diagnosing the condition difficult. Consequently, by identifying the biomarkers associated with ASD severity and combining them with clinical diagnosis, one may better factionalize within the spectrum and devise more targeted therapeutic strategies. Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers that can be used for precise ASD diagnosis. Consequently, our pilot experimental cohort was subdivided into three groups: healthy controls, individuals those that express severe symptoms of ASD, and individuals that exhibit mild symptoms of ASD. Using next-generation sequencing, we were able to identify several circulating non-coding RNAs (cir-ncRNAs) in plasma. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to show that miRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNAs, Y-RNAs, tRNAs, and lncRNAs are stably expressed in plasma. Our data identify cir-ncRNAs that are specific to ASD. Furthermore, several of the identified cir-ncRNAs were explicitly associated with either the severe or mild groups. Hence, our findings suggest that cir-ncRNAs have the potential to be utilized as objective diagnostic biomarkers and clinical targets.     

Efficiency enhancement of a commercial natural gas liquid recovery plant: A MINLP optimization analysis

ABSTRACT

This paper aims at modeling and optimizing a Middle East-based commercial natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery and fractionation plant, using a predictive process simulator. NGL units are known to be highly energy-intensive as steam-based heating and refrigeration-based cryogenic cooling are critical requirements for their operation. Indeed, these units govern the degree of profitability of gas plants especially during low natural gas price scenarios. As a result, this study explores the ways of improving the performance of NGL units through a deterministic optimization analysis. A steady state model of the plant is built using gPROMS process builder followed by validation using plant data to ensure the model accuracy. A mixed integer nonlinear programming optimization problem is formulated with the objective of maximizing the net revenue of the plants by means of manipulating various decision variables such as feed gas temperature, column operating pressure, feed stage location, reflux and boil up ratios subject to specific process constraints. Optimization problem is solved using outer approximation equality relaxation augmented penalty algorithm. It is determined that the process optimization yields an additional revenue of 4.1 MM USD annually due to ~22% increase in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) production, ~6% increase in Naphtha production, and ~16% reduction in steam consumption in the reboiler of the columns.     

An integrated specification and verification technique for highly concurrent data structures

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - We present a technique for automatically verifying safety properties of concurrent programs, in particular programs that rely on...     

Particle-size distribution of Iraqi sand and dust storms and theirinfluence on microwave communication systems

Several windblown and dustfall samples were collected in the spring, summer, and autumn of 1984 at 20 m above the ground surface during severe sand and dust storms in the city of Baghdad, Iraq. The particle-size distribution (PSD) of the samples was determined using five different measurement techniques (hydrometer, pipette, sedimentation balance, optical microscope, and Coulter counter). The results showed that the cumulative weight techniques yield almost identical results for all the samples tested. The mode of the number distribution was found to occur at around 2 and 3.5 μm for the blowing and falling dust samples, respectively. A computer program was developed to describe the measured distributions by some analytical functions. It was found that the cumulative distributions can be well described by a third-degree polynomial and log-normal functions for particle diameters ranging from 1 to 100 μm. The attenuation α and phase shift β for a microwave signal were estimated for up to 37 GHz utilizing the measured PSD and for different particle moisture contents. It was concluded that at 37 GHz and for 10 m visibility, the upper bound for α and β were 0.7 dB/km and 26.5 degree/km for 20% particle-moisture content     

Distinction of recrudescences from new infections by PCR-RFLP analysis in a comparative trial of CGP 56 697 and chloroquine in Tanzanian children

OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of a new compound drug (CGP 56697) against acute, uncomplicated falciparum malaria. METHOD: Reappearing parasites were analysed by PCR-RFLP within a randomized controlled trial. 130 patients received chloroquine and 130 patients were treated with CGP 56697. Samples from 96 patients with parasitological failure were tested by PCR-RFLP for MSP2 of Plasmodium falciparum. Seven days after treatment 32 patients of the chloroquine control group with reappearing parasites were tested by PCR and one infection was unequivocally determined as a new infection. After 7 days, in the CGP 56697 group, 6 samples were tested in which one new infection was identified. Similar observations were made one and three weeks later in both groups. RESULTS: Although a high multiplicity of infections on admission was observed, there was no significant correlation between multiplicity and either recrudescence or new infection. Patients in both treatment groups with subsequent recrudescent parasites had higher initial mean parasite densities than patients who cleared. Those of the patients with recrudescent parasites who were treated with CGP 56697 had higher initial parasite densities than those treated with chloroquine. The rate of re-infection increased with time as expected in holoendemic areas and appeared to be higher in chloroquine patients. Generally, CGP 56697 showed a superior clearance rate, successfully cleared higher parasite densities and suppressed new infections over a longer period of time. CONCLUSION: The PCR analysis confirmed that reinfections beyond day 7 are significant in areas highly endemic for malaria and showed the necessity of excluding these when estimating 14 day clearance rates. Provided new infections are excluded, the 28-day clearance rate can also be used to determine the efficacy of antimalarial drugs in highly endemic areas, and adds to our knowledge of drug resistance and dynamics of infections in people living in such areas.