Integrated land capability for ecological sustainability of on-site sewage treatment systems

The research project was formulated to solve serious environmental and possible public health problems in rural and regional areas caused by the common failure of soil disposal systems used for application of effluent from on-site domestic sewage treatment systems. On-site sewage treatment systems adopt a treatment train approach with the associated soil disposal area playing a crucial role. The most common on-site sewage treatment system that is used is the conventional septic tank and subsurface effluent disposal system. The subsurface effluent disposal area is given high priority by regulatory authorities due to the significant environmental and public health impacts that can result from their failure. There is generally very poor householder maintenance of the treatment system and this is compounded by the failure of the effluent disposal area resulting in unacceptable surface and groundwater contamination. This underlies the vital importance of employing reliable science-based site suitability assessment techniques for effluent disposal. The research undertaken investigated the role of soil physico-chemical characteristics influencing the behaviour of effluent disposal areas. The study was conducted within the Logan City Council area, Queensland State, Australia. About 50% of the Logan region is unsewered and the common type of on-site sewage treatment used is a septic tank with subsurface effluent disposal area. The work undertaken consisted of extensive field investigations, soil sampling and testing, laboratory studies and extensive data analysis. In the field study, forty-eight sites were investigated for their effluent application suitability. The sites were evaluated based on the soil physico-chemical characteristics. The field investigation indicated that there were nine soil orders in the study area. These soil orders were Dermosols, Chromosols, Kandosols, Kurosols, Vertosols, Sodosols, Tenosols, Rudosols and Anthrosols. The soils in all the investigated sites were acidic soils in the pH range between 5 and 6.5. The complexity of the large data matrix obtained from the analysis was overcome by multivariate analytical methods to assist in evaluating the soils' ability to treat effluent and to understand the importance of various parameters. The analytical methods selected to serve this purpose were PROMETHEE and GAIA. The analysis indicated that the most suitable soils for effluent renovation are the Kandosols whilst the most unsatisfactory soil order was found to be Podosol. The GAIA analysis was in agreement with quantitative analysis conducted earlier. An extensive laboratory column study lasting almost one year was undertaken to validate the results of the data analysis from the field investigation. The main objectives of this experiment were to examine the soil behaviour under practical effluent application and to investigate the long-term acceptance rate for these soils. Twelve representative soils were selected for the column experiment from the previously investigated sites and undisturbed soil cores were collected for this purpose. The results from the column study matched closely with the evaluation conducted at the earlier stages of the research. Soil physico-chemical analysis before and after effluent application indicated that the soils' acidity was improved toward neutrality after effluent application. The results indicated that soils have a greater ability to handle phosphorus than nitrogen. The most favorable cation exchange capacity for soils to treat and transmit effluent was between 15 and 40 meq/100g. Based on the results of the column study, the long-term acceptance rate (LTAR) was determined for the investigated twelve soil types. Eleven out of twelve soils reported specific LTAR values between 0.18-0.22 cm/day. For the duration of the laboratory study, the Podosol order did not reach its LTAR value due to the extremely sandy nature of the soil. The time required to achieve LTAR varied between different soils from 40 to 330 days. The outcomes of this research was integrated into a soil suitability map for on-site sewage treatment systems for Logan City Council. This will assist the authorities in providing sustainable solutions for on-site systems failure

مستوى تبنّي مدخل إدارة المعرفة في الإشراف على الرسائل العلمية (دراسة على عينة من أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية في كلية التربية بجامعة تشرين)

هدف البحث إلى تعرّف مستوى تبني مدخل إدارة المعرفة في الإشراف على الرسائل العلمية من قبل المشرفين عليها، ولتحقيق هذا الهدف اعتمد المنهج الوصفي، فصممت استبانة هدفت إلى تعرّف مستوى تبني المشرفين لعمليات إدارة المعرفة الخمس في الإشراف على الرسائل العلمية (تحديد المعرفة وتشخيصها، وتوليد المعرفة، وتخزين المعرفة، ونشر المعرفة، وتطبيق المعرفة واستخدامها)، وبلغ عدد عبارتها (75)، وتم تطبيقها على (26) مشرفاً أكاديمياً من كلية التربية في جامعة تشرين، واشتملت المتغيرات المدروسة على (الجنس، اتباع الدورات التدريبيّة، عدد سنوات الخبرة في الإشراف العلمي على رسائل الماجسيتر).   وقد أظهرت نتائج البحث أن مستوى تبني المشرفين لعمليات إدارة المعرفة في الإشراف على الرسائل العلمية جاء بمستوى متوسط وبأهمبة نسبية قدرها (64.75%)، كما تبيّن عدم وجود تأثير لمتغيريّ الجنس واتباع الدورات التدريبيّة على إجابات المشرفين، بينما ظهر تأثير لمتغير سنوات الخبرة في الإشراف العلمي وكان لصالح (6 سنوات فأكثر)

The Influence of the Celebrities of Social Media Platforms on University Students

This study aims to identify the impact of famous people on social media platforms on university students. The qualitative methodology and inductive approach were used in the research by conducting in-depth interviews with 21 students from various Jordanian universities, and a focus group of 7 university students was selected, with 12 female influencers and 21 male influencers among them. The study showed that there are seven main reasons that motivate students to pursue and follow-up those influencers, which are: admiration and love, living in another world with different influences, career path, and the release of students’ stress, gaining information that facilitates life, saying what others do not say; while the reasons that make them influenced by the influences of social media platforms are: imitation, loss of self-confidence, easing psychological pressure, searching for something beautiful and having a better life, entertainment. The respondents enumerated eight ways to reach the influencer

Spatial domain modeling of microcellular systems operating in multipath Nakagami channels

In conventional channel models, the AoA's at the BS, are assumed to be uniformly distributed. However, measurements in urban areas have shown non-uniform AoA distributions. In this paper, the spatial characterization of wideband urban mobile radio channels is investigated and the resulting and spatial correlations at the BS receiver are computed. A geometrically based modeling is used to spatially characterize both TU and BU environments. The clustered scatterers are assumed to have bivariate Gaussian densities. The AoA pdf's are derived. The spatial correlations are computed for tooth environments and the effects of the channel parameters such as the scatterer's variance, the BS-MS distance, the mean angle of arrival on these correlations are investigated

The role of radio and television programmes in providing drug information from the perspectives of the Jordanian public and pharmaceutical sector employees

This study aimed to identify the role of radio and television programmes in providing drug information to the Jordanian society. The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach, and two special questionnaires were developed for the study. The study sample consisted of (287) employees from the pharmaceutical sector (pharmacists, doctors), and (389) members of the Jordanian public who visited Hamzah and Al-Bashir Hospitals in Amman, Jordan. The results of the study concluded that the role of radio and television programmes in providing drug information to the Jordanian society from the viewpoint of the public came to a medium degree, and that the role of radio and television programs in providing drug information to the Jordanian society from the point of view of sector employees medication was average. The results also indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the average responses due to each of the variables of gender, age, and educational qualification. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between the average of responses. On the other hand, it was found that there were significant differences according to the age group variable in favor of the category (42-49 years). The results further showed that the role of radio and television programs in refuting misleading information to the Jordanian society through radio and television programmes from the point of view of the pharmaceutical sector employees came to a moderate degree. Nevertheless, the role that radio and television programmes should follow in the future to provide drug information was seen as highly essential from the viewpoint of workers in the pharmaceutical sector. Finally, the study recommended the need for allocating specialized Jordanian television and radio programmes that provide drug information to the Jordanian public

Tapping uncultured microorganisms through metagenomics for drug discovery

Natural products have been an important historical source of therapeutic agents. Microorganisms are major source of bioactive natural products, and several microbial products including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, immunosuppressants and others are currently used as therapeutic agents for human and  domestic animals. Most of these products were obtained from cultured environmental microorganisms. However, it is widely accepted that a very large majority of the microorganisms present in natural  environments are not readily cultured under laboratory conditions, and therefore are not accessible for drug  discovery. Metagenomics is a recent culture-independent approach that has been developed to access the  collective genomes of natural bacterial populations. It enables discovery of the diverse biosynthetic pathways encoded by diverse microbial assemblages that are known to be present in the environment but not-yet  cultured. Recently, several new bioactive molecules and proteins have been discovered using a metagenomic approach. This review highlights the recent methodologies, limitations, and applications of metagenomics for the discovery of new drugs. Moreover, it shows how a multidisciplinary approach combining metagenomics with other technologies can expedite and revolutionize drug discovery from diverse environmental microorganisms.Key words: Microbial diversity, metagenomics, natural products, drug discovery, microbial ecology

Recent developments in chemical reactivity of N,N-dimethylenamino ketones as synthons for various heterocycles

The current review presents recent progress in the utility of N,N-dimethyl enaminones as building blocks for a diverse range of acyclic, carbocyclic, five- and six-membered heterocyclic a broad range of heterocyclic and fused heterocyclic derivatives. Most importantly, these N,N-dimethyl analogues have proven to be of biological interest and provide an access to new class of biologically active heterocyclic compounds for biomedical applications. All of these topics are drawn from the recent literature till 2016

Newly diagnosed incident dizziness of older patients: a follow-up study in primary care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dizziness is a common complaint of older patients in primary care, yet not much is known about the course of incident dizziness. The aim of the study was to follow-up symptoms, subjective impairments and needs of older patients (≥65) with incident dizziness and to determine predictors of chronic dizziness. Furthermore, we analysed general practitioners' (GPs') initial diagnoses, referrals and revised diagnoses after six months.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An observational study was performed in 21 primary care practices in Germany, including a four-week and six-month follow-up. A questionnaire comprising characteristic matters of dizziness and a series of validated instruments was completed by 66 participants during enrolment and follow-up (after 1 month and 6 months). After six months, chart reviews and face-to-face interviews were also performed with the GPs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean scores of dizziness handicap, depression and quality of life were not or only slightly affected, and did not deteriorate during follow-up; however, 24 patients (34.8%) showed a moderate or severe dizziness handicap, and 43 (62.3%) showed a certain disability in terms of quality of life at the time of enrolment. In multivariate analysis, n = 44 patients suffering from chronic dizziness (dependent variable, i.e. relapsing or persistent at six months) initially had a greater dizziness handicap (OR 1.42, 95%CI 1.05-1.47) than patients with transient dizziness. GPs referred 47.8% of the patients to specialists who detected two additional cases of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>New-onset dizziness relapsed or persisted in a considerable number of patients within six months. This was difficult to predict due to the patients' heterogeneous complaints and characteristics. Symptom persistence does not seem to be associated with deterioration of the psychological status in older primary care patients. Management strategies should routinely consider BPPV as differential diagnosis.</p

Putative Nanobacteria Represent Physiological Remnants and Culture By-Products of Normal Calcium Homeostasis

Putative living entities called nanobacteria (NB) are unusual for their small sizes (50–500 nm), pleomorphic nature, and accumulation of hydroxyapatite (HAP), and have been implicated in numerous diseases involving extraskeletal calcification. By adding precipitating ions to cell culture medium containing serum, mineral nanoparticles are generated that are morphologically and chemically identical to the so-called NB. These nanoparticles are shown here to be formed of amorphous mineral complexes containing calcium as well as other ions like carbonate, which then rapidly acquire phosphate, forming HAP. The main constituent proteins of serum-derived NB are albumin, fetuin-A, and apolipoprotein A1, but their involvement appears circumstantial since so-called NB from different body fluids harbor other proteins. Accordingly, by passage through various culture media, the protein composition of these particles can be modulated. Immunoblotting experiments reveal that antibodies deemed specific for NB react in fact with either albumin, fetuin-A, or both, indicating that previous studies using these reagents may have detected these serum proteins from the same as well as different species, with human tissue nanoparticles presumably absorbing bovine serum antigens from the culture medium. Both fetal bovine serum and human serum, used earlier by other investigators as sources of NB, paradoxically inhibit the formation of these entities, and this inhibition is trypsin-sensitive, indicating a role for proteins in this inhibitory process. Fetuin-A, and to a lesser degree albumin, inhibit nanoparticle formation, an inhibition that is overcome with time, ending with formation of the so-called NB. Together, these data demonstrate that NB are most likely formed by calcium or apatite crystallization inhibitors that are somehow overwhelmed by excess calcium or calcium phosphate found in culture medium or in body fluids, thereby becoming seeds for calcification. The structures described earlier as NB may thus represent remnants and by-products of physiological mechanisms used for calcium homeostasis, a concept which explains the vast body of NB literature as well as explains the true origin of NB as lifeless protein-mineralo entities with questionable role in pathogenesis

Characterization of Granulations of Calcium and Apatite in Serum as Pleomorphic Mineralo-Protein Complexes and as Precursors of Putative Nanobacteria

Calcium and apatite granulations are demonstrated here to form in both human and fetal bovine serum in response to the simple addition of either calcium or phosphate, or a combination of both. These granulations are shown to represent precipitating complexes of protein and hydroxyapatite (HAP) that display marked pleomorphism, appearing as round, laminated particles, spindles, and films. These same complexes can be found in normal untreated serum, albeit at much lower amounts, and appear to result from the progressive binding of serum proteins with apatite until reaching saturation, upon which the mineralo-protein complexes precipitate. Chemically and morphologically, these complexes are virtually identical to the so-called nanobacteria (NB) implicated in numerous diseases and considered unusual for their small size, pleomorphism, and the presence of HAP. Like NB, serum granulations can seed particles upon transfer to serum-free medium, and their main protein constituents include albumin, complement components 3 and 4A, fetuin-A, and apolipoproteins A1 and B100, as well as other calcium and apatite binding proteins found in the serum. However, these serum mineralo-protein complexes are formed from the direct chemical binding of inorganic and organic phases, bypassing the need for any biological processes, including the long cultivation in cell culture conditions deemed necessary for the demonstration of NB. Thus, these serum granulations may result from physiologically inherent processes that become amplified with calcium phosphate loading or when subjected to culturing in medium. They may be viewed as simple mineralo-protein complexes formed from the deployment of calcification-inhibitory pathways used by the body to cope with excess calcium phosphate so as to prevent unwarranted calcification. Rather than representing novel pathophysiological mechanisms or exotic lifeforms, these results indicate that the entities described earlier as NB most likely originate from calcium and apatite binding factors in the serum, presumably calcification inhibitors, that upon saturation, form seeds for HAP deposition and growth. These calcium granulations are similar to those found in organisms throughout nature and may represent the products of more general calcium regulation pathways involved in the control of calcium storage, retrieval, tissue deposition, and disposal