An integrated participatory approach in managing built heritage

The research treats one of the obstacles related to the management of heritage buildings in the city of Al Salt, Jordan. Many buildings are vacant due to a situation involving co-ownership which prevents achieving a consensus on decisions related to the rehabilitation of the heritage context, and thus impedes the development operations in the city. In parallel, authorities in Al Salt are not used to effectively engaging stakeholders in problem-solving and planning for development initiatives, due to the lack of knowledge of authorities about community participation, and the awareness level of the local community. The approach of the research relies on community participation through engaging different categories, including authorities, buildings’ co-owners, non-governmental organizations, donors, and professionals. The theoretical background investigates literature related to the management of built heritage, community participation, and management of co-ownership, in addition to national and international practices that enrich the research’s approach. Techniques of a high level of participation were used to explore the attitudes of coowners and authorities toward the obstacle of co-ownership, arrive at a consensus on a solution, and then develop a management plan for a pilot building. The management plan considers international guidelines issued by reputable organizations, and the research uses techniques of interviews, mini-focus groups, a consensus meeting, and a participatory planning workshop. Management of co-ownership has been inducted and found applicable through using cooperative associations and transferring shares of ownership into shares in the association’s capital. Multi-purpose cooperatives were proposed to co-owners of the pilot building, and then approved for their appropriateness in solving the co-ownership obstacle. For the purpose of supporting the proposed association, six representatives of more than one hundred co-owners of the pilot building participated in developing a management plan with other stakeholders. The plan included consensus on the problem’s definition, and proposed functions inside the building. It also proposed partners that might be interested in providing necessary fund. Accordingly, the research has evaluated the participation process and developed a community participation toolkit. The toolkit can be used by authorities and other parties interested in handling participation activities with the local community in general, and co-owners of heritage buildings in specific

Convertisseur d'équations LATEX2Ink

International audienceDans cet article nous présentons un outil de génération de formules mathématiques manuscrites en ligne à partir d'une chaîne LATEX. Ce générateur permettra facilement de fabriquer à partir d'un corpus de référence d'expressions mathématiques une base de données qui sera annotée automatiquement au niveau symbole. Ainsi, à partir d'une base de symboles isolés, nous pouvons produire de façon pseudo-synthétique une formule mathématique quelconque par un placement et un dimensionnement stochastiques 2D de ces éléments. Nous montrons l'intérêt de cet outil dans le cadre d'un projet visant à la conception d'une méthode adaptée à la reconnaissance et à l'interprétation d'expressions mathématiques en-ligne

Analgesic efficacy and safety of peri-operative pregabalin following radical cystectomy: A dose grading study

AbstractPurposeAdding novel drugs like pregabalin to analgesic regimens might reduce postoperative pain, total opioid consumption and side effects, this study compares multiple doses of pregabalin for postoperative analgesia following radical cystectomy.MethodsThis study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov at no.: NCT02724293. Sixty patients were randomized into 4 groups: Group I: control (placebo) group, Group II: received pregabalin 300mg 2h preoperatively, Group III: received pregabalin 300mg 2h preoperatively and 12h thereafter, Group IV: received pregabalin 600mg 2h preoperatively. Postoperative pain, time to first request of analgesia, and total morphine consumption were recorded.ResultsVAS was significantly reduced in groups II, III, IV in comparison with group I immediately postoperative, and after 2h (P<0.05). Sedation score was significantly higher in groups II, III, IV compared to group I immediately postoperative (P<0.05). First request of analgesia was significantly delayed in groups II, III, IV compared to control group (P=0.000). Total analgesic consumption was significantly reduced in groups II, III, IV compared to group I (P=0.000). Group IV showed a significantly higher incidence of dizziness compared to group I.ConclusionPeri-operative pregabalin at doses of 300mg and 600mg reduced postoperative opioid consumption and prolonged time to first request of analgesia in patients who underwent radical cystectomy, and a single preoperative dose of 600mg is superior in analgesia to others, without serious side effects

Control of tomato early blight and wilt using aqueous extract of neem leaves

The effect of neem (Azadiracta indica) leaf extract against Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agents of early blight and wilt of tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) respectively, was studied. Concentrations (5, 10 and 20%) of aqueous neem extract suppressed mycelial growth of both pathogenic fungi and the degree of suppression gradually increased with increasing concentration. A concentration of 20% aqueous neem leaf extract sprayed on tomato plants lowered the incidence of Alternaria early blight from 53.2 to 42.5% after two weeks and from 100 to 79.2% after 4 weeks. Spraying plus irrigation with the same extract lowered the severity of Alternaria early blight from 26.8 to 11.4% after 2 weeks and from 61.7 to 17.9% after 4 weeks (control ratio of 43.71% after 4 weeks). For F. oxysporum wilt, germination of tomato seeds was highest in pots containing the negative control (soil free of pathogen) and in pots irrigated with the aqueous neem extract. The lowest disease incidence (19.04%) was obtained in pots treated with the pathogen and irrigated with aqueous neem extract, where an 81% control of Fusarium wilt was achieved. Growth parameters of tomato (shoot and root length, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots) were studied 4, 6 and 8 weeks after sowing in the presence of the pathogens. There was a significant gradual increase in growth parameters when the plants were sprayed and irrigated with aqueous neem extract with the greatest improvement recorded 8 weeks after sowing

Expression of stem cell markers in meningioma among Sudanese patients

To characterize the RNA (cDNA) of CD 44, CD 73 and CD 105 genes as stem cell markers in meningioma among Sudanese patients and to correlate the PCR findings of CD 44, CD 73 and CD 105 genes with meningioma histological variant

Bioremoval capacity of phenol by some selected endophytic fungi isolated from Hibiscus sabdariffa and batch biodegradation of phenol in paper and pulp effluents

Background and Objectives: The use of endophytic fungi for management of phenol residue in paper and pulp industries has been shown as cost-effective and eco-friendly approach. In this study, isolation of endophytic fungi from roots, stems, and leaves of Hibiscus sabdariffa was conducted. Additionally, the isolated fungi were examined for their ability to degrade phenol and its derivatives in paper and pulp industrial samples, using different growth conditions. Materials and Methods: Out of 35 isolated endophyitc fungi, 31 were examined for their phenol biodegradation capacity using Czapek Dox broth medium containing Catechol and Resorcinol as a sole carbon source at final concentrations of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8%. Results: A total of 35 fungal species belonging to 18 fungal genera were isolated and identified from different parts of H. sabdariffa plants. All strains have the capability for degrading phenol and their derivatives with variable extents. The optimum condition of degrading phenol in paper and pulp effluent samples by Fusarium poae11r7 were at pH 3-5, temperature at 28-35°C, good agitation speed at no agitation and 100 rpm. Conclusion: All endophytic fungal species can utilize phenol and its derivatives as a carbon source and be the potential to degrade phenol in industrial contaminants

Secured tracking and tracing system based on blockchain technology

Tracking and tracing management is a system which require recording of product's related information associated with product movement, shipping, transition between location until the product reach its final destination. In this management, traceability is a critical element to be satisfied by the business processes. Tracking and tracing of product is important for many purposes from the time product start its order process, prepared, shipping, movement from one delivery stakeholder to other delivery stakeholder until the product reach its destination. This is where we found the effectiveness of technology that is called the blockchain that could increase the safety of all tracking management processes. The blockchain technology since it emerges has contributed to many wide ranges of applications from various fields where safety and trust are critical in the field business process. Through this research, we are willing to present the contribution which can be offered by blockchain that obviously can increase the safety such like other tracking technology such as the use of QR-code, RFID, man-to-man delivery and few others

Closed-Loop Control of Postprandial Glycemia Using an Insulin-on-Board Limitation Through Continuous Action on Glucose Target

This is a copy of an article published in the Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics © 2017 [copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.]; Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics is available online at: https://www.liebertpub.com/.[EN] Background: Postprandial (PP) control remains a challenge for closed-loop (CL) systems. Few studies with inconsistent results have systematically investigated the PP period. Objective: To compare a new CL algorithm with current pump therapy (open loop [OL]) in the PP glucose control in type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects. Methods: A crossover randomized study was performed in two centers. Twenty T1D subjects (F/M 13/7, age 40.7 -10.4 years, disease duration 22.6 +/- 9.9 years, and A1c 7.8% +/- 0.7%) underwent an 8-h mixed meal test on four occasions. In two (CL1/CL2), after meal announcement, a bolus was given followed by an algorithmdriven basal infusion based on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Alternatively, in OL1/OL2 conventional pump therapy was used. Main outcome measures were as follows: glucose variability, estimated with the coefficient of variation (CV) of the area under the curve (AUC) of plasma glucose (PG) and CGM values, and from the analysis of the glucose time series; mean, maximum (C-max), and time to C-max glucose concentrations and time in range (180 mg/dL). Results: CVs of the glucose AUCs were low and similar in all studies (around 10%). However, CL achieved greater reproducibility and better PG control in the PP period: CL1 = CL2 0.05) nor the need for oral glucose was significantly different (CL 40.0% vs. OL 22.5% of meals; P = 0.054). Conclusions: This novel CL algorithm effectively and consistently controls PP glucose excursions without increasing hypoglycemia. Study registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: study number NCT02100488.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through Grants DPI2013-46982-C2-1-R and DPI2013-46982-C2-2-R, and the EU through FEDER funds. C.Q. is the recipient of a grant from the Hospital Clinic i Universitari of Barcelona ("Ajut a la recerca Josep Font 2014-2017").Rossetti, P.; Quirós, C.; Moscardo-Garcia, V.; Comas, A.; Giménez, M.; Ampudia-Blasco, F.; León, F.... (2017). Closed-Loop Control of Postprandial Glycemia Using an Insulin-on-Board Limitation Through Continuous Action on Glucose Target. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. 19(6):355-362. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2016.0443S35536219