Impact of Pumping on Saltwater Intrusion in the Gaza Coastal Aquifer, Palestine

The Gaza Coastal Aquifer (GCA) is the major source of water in the Gaza Strip. The GCA is a transboundary aquifer, shared by approximately 600 Israeli wells and more than 3000 Palestinian wells. Recent studies show noticeable deterioration in aquifer water quality: chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and fluoride concentrations exceed the maximum contaminant levels in most of the wells in the Gaza Strip. Many agricultural wells are no longer used due to high salinity. This high salinity is an indication of saltwater intrusion, which appears mainly in coastal aquifers due to excessive pumping. This study is an attempt to determine the impact of pumping on the hydraulic head at the coastline of the Gaza Strip

WiFi network for long distances applications

The needs for bridging of digital divide in the rural communities and the economics of currently available broadband access technologies have motivated us for innovation and deployment of the new system designs and applications. The widely available and flexible WiFi technique meets the cost and suitability targets for the rural broadband applications. To cope with the special requirements of rural communication. amendments of 802.11 standards at the MAC protocol level has been introduced. These amendments are important due to the shortcomings of WiFi over long distances under the power constraints. This chapter proposes a new 802.11 point-to-multipoint (PMP) technique based on TDD/TDMA technique by using one of the access points in the system as centralized/gateway point to the other APs. The discussion includes the TDMA design and, architecture on top of the conventional 802.11 MAC. The protocol convergence at the gateway between the access network and the backhaul is also presented. The simulation results present the performance analysis and validate the efficiency of the proposed schem

Interference in femtocell network

Femtocell network is a new technology that uses the advantage of an Internet backbone to enhance the cellular coverage in residential or small business areas. However, due to the expected random deployment of the femtocell access point (FAPs), there is a strong probability of interference among the femtocell nodes and between the femtocells and the macrocell nodes. In this chapter, an interference enhancement for multi-femtocells is developed and designed for two tiers macro-femtocell networks. An adaptive power control is calculated based on selecting the minimum interference channel with the optimized channel gain. In the simulation a number of the FAPs, the distance between the macrocell and the femtocell and the path loss between the macrocell node and the FAPs are used as design parameters. The results show a performance enhancement in the interference degradation rati

Esophageal Obstruction in Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Resulting from the Ingestion of Potato Tubers

Total 32 emergency cases of buffaloes with esophageal obstruction resulting from the ingestion of potato tubers during their grazing are described. Treatment comprised immediate rumen trocarisation by a 14g syringe, premedication with IM xylazine (0.05 mg/kg), and passing a designed stout flexible tube to dislodge the obstruction to the rumen. The results were 100% successful recovery without any complications

Value of Information in Design of Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network under Uncertainty

The increasing need for groundwater as a source for fresh water and the continuous deterioration in many places around the world of that precious source as a result of anthropogenic sources of pollution highlights the need for efficient groundwater resources management. To be efficient, groundwater resources management requires efficient access to reliable information that can be acquired through monitoring. Due to the limited resources to implement a monitoring program, a groundwater quality monitoring network design should identify what is an optimal network from the point of view of cost, the value of information collected, and the amount of uncertainty that will exist about the quality of groundwater. When considering the potential social impact of monitoring, the design of a network should involve all stakeholders including people who are consuming the groundwater. This research introduces a methodology for groundwater quality monitoring network design that utilizes state-of-the-art learning machines that have been developed from the general area of statistical learning theory. The methodology takes into account uncertainties in aquifer properties, pollution transport processes, and climate. To check the feasibility of the network design, the research introduces a methodology to estimate the value of information (VOI) provided by the network using a decision tree model. Finally, the research presents the results of a survey administered in the study area to determine whether the implementation of the monitoring network design could be supported. Applying these methodologies on the Eocene Aquifer, Palestine indicates that statistical learning machines can be most effectively used to design a groundwater quality monitoring network in real-life aquifers. On the other hand, VOI analysis indicates that for the value of monitoring to exceed the cost of monitoring, more work is needed to improve the accuracy of the network and to increase people’s awareness of the pollution problem and the available alternatives

Use of Low-Cost Ambient Particulate Sensors in Nablus, Palestine with Application to the Assessment of Regional Dust Storms

Few air pollutant studies within the Palestinian territories have been reported in the literature. In March–April and May–June of 2018, three low-cost, locally calibrated particulate monitors (AirU’s) were deployed at different elevations and source areas throughout the city of Nablus in Northern West Bank, Palestine. During each of the three-week periods, high but site-to-site similar particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and less than 10 µm (PM10) concentrations were observed. The PM2.5 concentrations at the three sampling locations and during both sampling periods averaged 38.2 ± 3.6 µg/m3, well above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 24 h guidelines. Likewise, the PM10 concentrations exceeded or were just below the WHO’s 24 h guidelines, averaging 48.5 ± 4.3 µg/m3. During both periods, short episodes were identified in which the particulate levels at all three sites increased substantially (≈2×) above the regional baseline. Air mass back trajectory analyses using U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model suggested that, during these peak episodes, the arriving air masses spent recent days over desert areas (e.g., the Saharan Desert in North Africa). On days with regionally low PM2.5 concentrations (≈20 µg/m3), back trajectory analysis showed that air masses were directed in from the Mediterranean Sea area. Further, the lower elevation (downtown) site often recorded markedly higher particulate levels than the valley wall sites. This would suggest locally derived particulate sources are significant and may be beneficial in the identification of potential remediation options

On-The-Road Testing of the Effects of Driver’s Experience, Gender, Speed, and Road Grade on Car Emissions

On-road vehicles have become a dominant source of air pollution and energy consumption in many parts of the world. As a result, estimating the amount of pollution from these vehicles and analyzing the factors affecting their emission is necessary to understand and manage ambient air quality. Traditionally, automobile emissions have been measured with dynamometer tests using representative driving cycles. A review of the related literature shows that there is a lack of real life, on-the-road testing of automobile emissions. Moreover, a few previous studies have directly discussed the impact of driver variability on emissions from the vehicles. This research analyzes the impacts of driver experience, gender, speed, and road grade on vehicle emissions through on-the-road testing experiment in Logan, Utah, USA during summer of 2016. The methodology of the research starts by selecting a representative car to perform the tests on. The next step was to choose test drivers representing four groups: young males, young females, experienced males, and experienced females. After that, the drivers were assigned a specified route that has different speed limits and grades. Emissions from the car exhaust (specifically carbon monoxide-CO, hydrocarbons-HC, and nitrogen oxides-NOx) in addition to the engines rotational speed (rpm), car speed, and exhaust temperature, were measured every second while driving on the specified route. Statistical analysis of the results shows that contrary to the common stereotypes, experienced drivers emitted 52% more HC and 49% more NOx than young drivers and female drivers, and male drivers emitted 14% more HC and 44% more NOx than female drivers. It also shows that CO emission is not significantly dependent on age, gender, nor driving conditions. Finally, driving through low-speed segments emits significantly higher HC (79%), while driving through uphill segments emits significantly higher (98%) NOx than driving through downhill segment

Kinematics and timing of the Miocene-Quaternary deformation in Nellis Dunes Recreational Area, Nevada

The kinematics and origin of transfer, accommodation and strike-slip zones is of paramount significance in understanding continental extension. The Las Vegas Valley Shear Zone (LVVSZ) is a NW-striking right-lateral fault system in the central Basin and Range province. Despite its prominence among the structures of the region and its role in the regional tectonic development, little is understood about its eastern portion. The inadequately constrained trace of the LVVSZ along its eastern part contributes largely to the ambiguity of the time activity and role of the LVVSZ. The eastern part of LVVSZ lies in Nellis Dunes Recreational Area (NDRA), north of Frenchman Mountain. The area exposes structures, the red sandstone unit, the Muddy Creek Formation, the Las Vegas Formation and the Quaternary deposits. Previous mapping showed different structural configurations in the NDRA and suggested that the area under the NDRA formed as a pull-apart basin between the LVVSZ in the northern part of the area and the Munitions fault that lies to the south and bounds the northern end of the Frenchman Mountain block. However, some structural geometries are inconsistent with the regional pull-apart basin model of Nellis basin. Folds, Thrust Faults and Normal Faults developed in different areas in NDRA. Each part is dominated by distinct compressional and extensional orientations. In this study, I collected and analyzed more detailed data and suggested a deformation model consistent with the entire fold and fault geometries. Large scale mapping (1:8,000) documented complex structural geometries and kinematics. Structural analysis showed that the area exhibits three different deformations. 1) The NW-striking LVVSZ developed in Miocene-Pliocene in the middle part of the area and stopped moving before the Quaternary. 2) In the Quaternary, a NE- oriented left-lateral accommodation zone developed in the middle part of the area overprinting the LVVSZ deformation. 3) The northern end of the Frenchman Mountain fault curves to the NE forming a left-lateral fault splay in the southern part of NDRA