Siting for a Nuclear Power Plant in Saudi Arabia

A site reconnaissance study was conducted in the mid-western coastal area of Saudi Arabia to select the most suitable site for a nuclear power plant. Three potential sites near Yanbu, Rabigh and Jeddah were selected, evaluated and ranked according to their acceptability based on the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Regulatory criteria. Based on this preliminary investigation, it was found that the area south of Yanbu city is the most feasible site. Geotechnical properties of the soil and rock, seismicity and proximity to load center played an important role in Yanbu site selection. More detailed study is recommended for this site. It is equally important to carry a similar reconnaissance study along the Arabian Gulf

On Hermite-Hermite matrix polynomials

summary:In this paper the definition of Hermite-Hermite matrix polynomials is introduced starting from the Hermite matrix polynomials. An explicit representation, a matrix recurrence relation for the Hermite-Hermite matrix polynomials are given and differential equations satisfied by them is presented. A new expansion of the matrix exponential for a wide class of matrices in terms of Hermite-Hermite matrix polynomials is proposed

Taxonomic revision of the genus Scorpiurus L. (Fabaceae)

The morphological and anatomical characteristics of different parts were utilized to reassess the taxonomic status in Scorpiurus L. species naturally growing in Egypt. There were significant differences among the studied species of plants and hence the results clearly showed two distinct species. Based on the studied morphological and anatomical differences S. muricatus L. is differentiated into three different varieties. These are muricatus L., laevigatus (Sibth. & Sm.) Boiss. and subvillosus (L.) Fiori. An artificial key to both species and varieties are provided

Preparation and Characterization of Various Interstitial N-Doped TiO2 Catalysts from Different Nitrogen Dopants for the Treatment of Polluted Water

In this work N-doped TiO2 nano particle photocatalysts were prepared through a sol-gel procedure using three different types of nitrogen dopants urea, diethanolamine (DEA) and triethylamine (TEN). Multiple techniques (XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, BET, Raman and UV-Visible absorption) were commanded to characterize the crystal structure of N-doped TiO2. The catalytic activity of the N-doped TiO2 under ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiation is evidenced by the decomposition of 2-chlorophenol, showing that nitrogen atoms in the N-doped TiO2 are responsible for the visible light catalytic activity. It is suggested that doped nitrogen here is located at the interstitial site of TiO2 lattice. Amongst investigated nitrogen precursors diethanolamine provided the highest visible light absorption ability of interstitial N-doped TiO2 with the smallest energy band gap and the smallest anatase crystal size, resulting in the highest efficiency in 2-cholorophenol degradation. The photocatalytic activity and 2-CP mineralization ability of all N-doped TiO2 can be arranged in the following order:  TiO2/DEA > TiO2/TEN > TiO2/UREA > un-doped TiO2. Keywords: 2-chlorophenol, Photocatalytic degradation, N-doped TiO2, Different Nitrogen Dopants, urea, diethanolamine (DEA), triethylamine (TEN) and Catalytic Activity

On differences between fractional and integer order differential equations for dynamical games

We argue that fractional order (FO) differential equations are more suitable to model complex adaptive systems (CAS). Hence they are applied in replicator equations for non-cooperative game. Rock-Scissors-Paper game is discussed. It is known that its integer order model does not have a stable equilibrium. Its fractional order model is shown to have a locally asymptotically stable internal solution. A FO asymmetric game is shown to have a locally asymptotically stable internal solution. This is not the case for its integer order counterpart.Comment: 4 page

Nile perch fish nuggets: Partial replacement of fish flesh with sesame hulls and sunroot — Quality assessment and storage stability

This study aimed to produce Nile perch fish nuggets by replacing a part of fish flesh with different concentrations of sesame hulls and sunroot to reach the optimal recipe. Chemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of nuggets were evaluated during 3 months of frozen storage at –18 °C. According to the obtained data on the chemical composition of raw materials, Nile perch flesh had the highest content of protein (20.21%), sesame hulls contained the highest amount of fat (13.54%), fiber (17.24%) and ash (16.11%), while sunroot tubers had the highest amount of carbohydrates (15.76%). Based on the sensory score, the acceptable replacement ratio for fish nuggets prepared with sunroot (T1) and sesame hulls (T2) was 10% and 7.5%, respectively. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) analysis at zero time shows that the T1 samples had the minimum value compared to the T2 and control samples. During storage, the TBA levels increased slightly in all samples, but after three months T1 also showed the lowest value. The total plate count (TPC) and psychrophilic bacterial (PSY) count in the samples were affected by the period of frozen storage at –18 °C. The initial TPC and PSY loads were 2.32 and 2.02 log cfu/g for control; 2.24 and 1.72 log cfu/g for T1; 2.30 and 1.47 log cfu/g for T2, respectively. During storage, the values of TPC and Psy slightly decreased. In conclusion, this study succeeded in the replacement of Nile perch fish with sesame hulls and sunroot as new sources to improve the nutritional value and quality characteristics of fish nuggets.This study aimed to produce Nile perch fish nuggets by replacing a part of fish flesh with different concentrations of sesame hulls and sunroot to reach the optimal recipe. Chemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of nuggets were evaluated during 3 months of frozen storage at –18 °C. According to the obtained data on the chemical composition of raw materials, Nile perch flesh had the highest content of protein (20.21%), sesame hulls contained the highest amount of fat (13.54%), fiber (17.24%) and ash (16.11%), while sunroot tubers had the highest amount of carbohydrates (15.76%). Based on the sensory score, the acceptable replacement ratio for fish nuggets prepared with sunroot (T1) and sesame hulls (T2) was 10% and 7.5%, respectively. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) analysis at zero time shows that the T1 samples had the minimum value compared to the T2 and control samples. During storage, the TBA levels increased slightly in all samples, but after three months T1 also showed the lowest value. The total plate count (TPC) and psychrophilic bacterial (PSY) count in the samples were affected by the period of frozen storage at –18 °C. The initial TPC and PSY loads were 2.32 and 2.02 log cfu/g for control; 2.24 and 1.72 log cfu/g for T1; 2.30 and 1.47 log cfu/g for T2, respectively. During storage, the values of TPC and Psy slightly decreased. In conclusion, this study succeeded in the replacement of Nile perch fish with sesame hulls and sunroot as new sources to improve the nutritional value and quality characteristics of fish nuggets