The armament of the Almoravid army

El estado almorávide se sustentaba en elementos bélicos y militares. El ejército era la base fundamental de su existencia. Yusuf Ibn Tašufin, el fundador del gran estado almorávide, procuró organizar el ejército almorávide y proveerlo del equipamiento y el armamento necesario, hasta que se convirtió en uno de los ejércitos más poderosso del momento, al sustituir el armamento sencillo propio de los combates de la vida beduina por un tipo de armamento que le permitió superar a sus enemigos en el Magreb, al-Andalus y los reinos cristianos. Este tipo de armamento incluía armas ligeras, pesadas, económicas, personales y defensivas (fortificaciones). El presente estudio detalla algunas de esas armas, incluyendo armamento de tipo químico, que se utilizaba dependiendo del tipo de combate o batalla al que se enfrentaban.The Almoravid state was based on war and military elements. In fact, the army was considered a crucial element. Yusuf Ibn Tashufin, the founder of the great Almoravid state, sought to organize the Almoravid army and provide the necessary equipment and weapons so it became one of the most powerful armies of the time, by menas of replacing the simple type of weapons used in Bedouin life style by new types of weapons that allowed them to overcome their enemies in the Maghrib, Al-andalus and the Christian kingdoms. These weapons include light, heavy, economic, personal and defensive weapons (fortifications). This paper provide further details about some of these weapons, including weapons of chemical nautre, which were used in some batles they faced

Using optimal control to adjust the production rate of a deteriorating inventory system

AbstractThis work represents is another contribution to the application of optimal control theory to production inventory systems. We consider a firm that produces some product at a certain rate and aims at improving this rate. We successfully formulated the model as an optimal control problem and obtained an explicit solution using the maximum principle. An illustrative example is provided and the sensitivity of the model to some of the system parameters was addressed

Pre-harvest fruit drop, bunch weight and fruit quality of ‘Rothana’ and ‘Ghur’ date palm cultivars as affected by some plant growth regulators

Pre-harvest fruit drop is a serious problem of some date palm cultivars. During 2010 and 2011 seasons, the effect of plant growth regulators 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (50 and 100 ppm), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (100 and 150 ppm), gibberellic acid (GA3) (100 and 150 ppm) and benzyladenine (BA) (100 and 150 ppm) applications, at 40 and 70 days after pollination, on pre-harvest fruit drop and quality of ‘Rothana’ and ‘Ghur’ dates were studied. In both cultivars, the application of growth regulators at both rates significantly decreased fruit drop. In this respect, 2,4-D and GA3 were the most effective treatments followed by BA, while NAA was the least effective. The reduction in fruit drop resulted in a higher bunch weight in the treated fruit than the control. The high rate of BA was more effective than the low rate in decreasing fruit drop of ‘Ghur’ cultivar. In ‘Rothana’ cultivar, bunch weight was higher than the control with both 2,4-D rates; whereas, with GA3 and BA, only the high rate was effective; while in ‘Ghur’ cultivar, bunch weight of all growth regulators treatments was higher than the control. The rutab percentage was lower in NAA treatments than for all the other treatments, except for control in ‘Ghur’ cultivar. Fruit and flesh weight of ‘Rothana’ cultivar were higher at the high rate of 2,4-D, the low rate of GA3 and BA treatments than in the control. There were no consistent effects for growth regulators on the physical and chemical quality characteristics of fruit, possibly due to the large variations of the fruit load among the treatments. It was concluded that under hot arid conditions, the application of growth regulators of especially 2,4-D (50 ppm) and GA3 (150 ppm) at both 40 and 70 days from pollination is recommended to reduce pre-harvest drop, and improve fruit quality of both ‘Rothana’ and ‘Ghur’ date palm cultivars.Keywords: Date palm, plant growth regulators, yield, quality, fruit drop, Phoenix dactylifera

Study of the Efficiency of Tuff and Modified JordanianNatural Zeolite to Remove the Iron Ions (Fe+2)offAqueous Solutions

The possibility of using tuff and modified Jordanian naturalzeolite to remove the iron ions, a model component of heavy metals in underground water, off aqueous solution were studied. Bench-scale process was used to remove the iron ions off standard solutions and real under ground water. Different parameters affected the ion exchange  have been investigated, such as concentration, modifier type and PH. Zeolite characterizations weredetermined as XRD, XRF, BET, TGA, andFTIRmethods.We found that the modified zeolite with sodium chloride had more effect than other salts and the iron ions exchange efficiency depends on concentration.Zeolite efficiency was affected by PH value. Time of sorption equilibrium achieved within 250 min. The results agree with Langmuir model. درست امكانية استخدام الزيولايت الطبيعي الأردني الخام والمعدل لإزالة ايونات الحديد من المحاليل المائية والذي يمثل احد المعادن الثقيلةالموجودة احيانا في المياه العذبة الجوفيه. حيث تم استخدام الفلتره الثابتة لأجراء تجارب ازالة ايونات الحديد المحضر في محاليل معياريه وكذلك الموجود في مياه جوفيه حقيقتيه. درس تأثير بعض المتحولات على عملية التبادل الأيوني مثل: التركيز , الماده المستخدمه في التعديل ودرجة حموضة المياه  (PH)   وقد تم استخدام الزيولايت الصناعي (A 4ِ)للمقارنة . حددت مواصفات الزيولايتألمستخدمتحديد المساحه السطحييه النوعيه وفق طريقةBET, وبواسطة بعض الطرائق الأخرى مثل : .XRD , XRF, TGA ,FTIR وجد ان الزيولايت المعدل بكلوريد الصوديوم هو الأكثر فعاليه مقارنه بالأملاح الأخرىوان كفاءة التبادل الأيوني لأيون ألحديد تعتمد على التركيز, كما وجد ان قيمة PHتؤثر بشكل واضح على فعالية الزيولايت.لقد كان زمن الاتزان الكيميائي بعد 250 دقيقه ووجد ان النتائج تتطابق مع نموذج لانغمير (Langmuir). الكلمات المفتاحيه: التف الزيولاتي الأردني(الفلبسايت), المعادن الثقيله, التبادل الأيوني, نموذج لانغمير, توصيف الزيولايت.

Study of the Efficiency of Tuff and Modified JordanianNatural Zeolite to Remove the Iron Ions (Fe+2)offAqueous Solutions

The possibility of using tuff and modified Jordanian naturalzeolite to remove the iron ions, a model component of heavy metals in underground water, off aqueous solution were studied. Bench-scale process was used to remove the iron ions off standard solutions and real under ground water. Different parameters affected the ion exchange  have been investigated, such as concentration, modifier type and PH. Zeolite characterizations weredetermined as XRD, XRF, BET, TGA, andFTIRmethods.We found that the modified zeolite with sodium chloride had more effect than other salts and the iron ions exchange efficiency depends on concentration.Zeolite efficiency was affected by PH value. Time of sorption equilibrium achieved within 250 min. The results agree with Langmuir model. درست امكانية استخدام الزيولايت الطبيعي الأردني الخام والمعدل لإزالة ايونات الحديد من المحاليل المائية والذي يمثل احد المعادن الثقيلةالموجودة احيانا في المياه العذبة الجوفيه. حيث تم استخدام الفلتره الثابتة لأجراء تجارب ازالة ايونات الحديد المحضر في محاليل معياريه وكذلك الموجود في مياه جوفيه حقيقتيه. درس تأثير بعض المتحولات على عملية التبادل الأيوني مثل: التركيز , الماده المستخدمه في التعديل ودرجة حموضة المياه  (PH)   وقد تم استخدام الزيولايت الصناعي (A 4ِ)للمقارنة . حددت مواصفات الزيولايتألمستخدمتحديد المساحه السطحييه النوعيه وفق طريقةBET, وبواسطة بعض الطرائق الأخرى مثل : .XRD , XRF, TGA ,FTIR وجد ان الزيولايت المعدل بكلوريد الصوديوم هو الأكثر فعاليه مقارنه بالأملاح الأخرىوان كفاءة التبادل الأيوني لأيون ألحديد تعتمد على التركيز, كما وجد ان قيمة PHتؤثر بشكل واضح على فعالية الزيولايت.لقد كان زمن الاتزان الكيميائي بعد 250 دقيقه ووجد ان النتائج تتطابق مع نموذج لانغمير (Langmuir). الكلمات المفتاحيه: التف الزيولاتي الأردني(الفلبسايت), المعادن الثقيله, التبادل الأيوني, نموذج لانغمير, توصيف الزيولايت.

Genetic and Morphological Diversity Assessment of Five Kalanchoe Genotypes by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR Markers

Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize the genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant genotypes. Several methods are used to identify genotypes with desirable phenotypic features for breeding experiments. In this study, five kalanchoe genotypes were morphologically characterized by assessing plant height, number of inflorescences, number of flowers, flower length, flower diameter and number of petals. The analysis showed the distinction of yellow kalanchoe in the plant height trait, while the orange kalanchoe was distinguished in the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers and flower length traits, whereas the violet kalanchoe possessed the largest flower diameter and the highest number of petals. The molecular profiling was performed by random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tools. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and the PCR reactions were performed using ten primers for each SCoT, ISSR and RAPD marker. Only four out of ten primers showed amplicon profiles in all PCR markers. A total of 70 bands were generated by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR with 35 polymorphic bands and 35 monomorphic bands. The total number of bands of RAPD, ISSR and SCoT was 15, 17 and 38, respectively. The polymorphism percentages achieved by RAPD, ISSR and SCoT were 60.25%, 15% and 57%, respectively. The cluster analysis based on morphological data revealed two clusters. Cluster I consisted of violet and orange kalanchoe, and cluster II comprised red, yellow and purple kalanchoe. Whereas the cluster analysis based on molecular data revealed three clusters. Cluster I included only yellow kalanchoe, cluster II comprised orange and violet kalanchoe while cluster III comprised red, and purple kalanchoe. The study concluded that orange, violet and yellow kalanchoe are distinguished parents for breeding economically valued traits in kalanchoe. Also, the study concluded that SCoT and RAPD markers reproduced reliable banding patterns to assess the genetic polymorphism among kalanchoe genotypes that consider the basis stone for genetic improvements in ornamental plants

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London