Fitting new building forms into historical urban contexts through urban design : lessons from the United Kingdom experience for the case of Damascus

Urban design emerged in the 1980s linked to the trends of urban marketing in which architecture and its outcomes, i.e. new forms of buildings, have become a physical expression of an economic-political process. However, the quality of these forms has varied from the excellent to the awful and many questions have been raised about the merit of such products, particularly in cities with historic urban contexts. Urban design has provided toolkits that have been applied at different stages of the design control process in order to improve the production of contemporary designs in historic urban contexts, focusing on how all buildings, old and new, work with each other to create spaces and a sense of place, which is seen as influencing the quality of life for communities. This thesis investigates the role of the urban design approach in fitting new proposed forms into their historic contexts, by reviewing its application in a selected number of real-life projects in Edinburgh and York, both of which have substantial and sensitive historic urban contexts. This is done through an examination of documentary evidence of the application of urban design tools and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in the design control process (regulators, developers, designers and a wider range of actors involved in the process). Ultimately, the research proposes, based on the two cities’ experience, some lessons for the city of Damascus in relation to how local planning authorities can improve design quality of proposed new forms into historical urban contexts through applying urban design tools

Overall value assessment of luxury accessories brands: Antecedents and consequences from the perspectives of Gulf Arab tourists

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London.Marketing research indicates a robust industry for luxury brands with ever-increasing consumer demand. However, studies indicate no correlation between the booming luxury industry and the value of luxury as perceived by the consumers. Against the backdrop of growth in this industry and its contributions towards the economy of a nation, it is imperative to understand why consumers buy luxury accessories brands from an academic and managerial perspective. It is equally important to understand the reasons as to why consumers hold certain brands dear and how their perception of luxury affects their buying decisions. Previous market research done in this regard highlighted the need for luxury brand managers to adopt a focused approach when selling luxury goods. Consumers should be able to perceive certain value in the luxury accessories brand that justifies its high cost, especially during periods of economic recession. To obtain a quantifiable and sustainable competitive advantage, it is prudent for the luxury industry to investigate and analyse the consumer value of their products. Therefore, it is crucial to study the types of value required and their impact on consumer behaviour. To bridge this gap, the present study proposes generating an in-depth explanation of how consumers’ luxury value dimensions determine their overall luxury brand value in an accessories context. Subsequently, these influence their repurchase intention through direct and indirect routes, by establishing and testing an integrated model of the determinants and consequences of luxury accessories value from the perspective of Gulf Arab tourist. To meet the requirements of this research, a mixed methodology was deployed. This combined all quantitative and qualitative data, in a sequential manner, to deduce the results. An explorative qualitative phase was used at the preliminary level of research. This required various focus groups to set out the scope of the model and devise topics for the questionnaire. This was followed by a quantitative research phase that compiled and evaluated all data generated from the self-administered questionnaires. Hypothesis testing was estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) v.3) on 397 Gulf Arab tourists who have an experience in luxury accessories. The results confirm that Gulf Arab tourists consider emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial value when developing their overall value of luxury accessories. Effectively, this shapes their repurchase intention only indirectly through brand trust and preferences. The uniqueness of this research is elicited from being the first to use the theory of consumption values to construct a model that uncovers overall value for luxury accessories brands and tests its influence on repurchase intentions. This model develops the narrow view of consumption-value theory in terms of the value components that affect only consumption choice decisions. The research model cultivates this view by integrating a set of value components as a basis on which to explain consumer preferences and purchase decisions for luxury accessory brands. Thus, the theory of consumption values may go beyond choice decisions to include behavioural outcomes. In addition, this study reiterates the experimental view of consumption, as proposed by Holbrook and his colleagues. The study states that cognitive and affective components work in collaboration to determine the overall value of luxury accessories brands. The research provides supplementary data to the assumptions of the traditional rationality models. Combined with such models, this research intends to enhance the prediction of the value of consumer luxury accessories. Methodologically, the existing empirical research relies on small student samples, used conventionally in similar studies. Consequently, a significant number of respondents lacked the necessary purchase experience, essential for this research. However, the present research contributes by using actual consumers of luxury accessories brands; thereby, enhancing the validity of the empirical findings. Another significant contribution of this research is the use of a mixed-methods approach to understanding consumer behaviour. This allowed the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the Consumer Value theory within the context of luxury accessories, branding and endorsements. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of such consumer values have never been explored before. Therefore, this research anticipates providing a benchmark for all future research under the same topic. Pragmatically, regarding emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial dimensions, marketers will be able to base their selling strategies based on this model. Furthermore, it facilitates the improvement of purchase value for their luxury accessories and help them target consumers in different market segments. Consumers may differ with respect to their perceived values for luxury commodities, but prefer a prticular luxury brand to satisfy their emotional and cognitive needs. This model is also useful from a market position, while enhancing the overall Marketing efficiency for luxury accessories. Alternatively, luxury accessories brand managers will be required to build strong brand value and a continual relationship with their consumers to prevent them from searching for and investing in alternate brands and substitutes; thereby encouraging cross-shopping

Microsatellite-based genotyping of MHC class II DRB1 gene in Iberian and Alpine ibex

In an analysis of a microsatellite locus (OLADRB1) linked to the MHC DRB1 gene of Iberian and Alpine ibex (Capra pyrenaica and Capra ibex), we detected strong linkage disequilibrium between both loci. The allele length polymorphism at OLADRB1 was unambiguously linked to a particular DRB1 allele. This allowed us to develop a DRB-STR matching method for both ibex species. Validation of the DRB-STR matching method was performed in 160 Iberian ibex from Spain and 98 Alpine ibex from Switzerland and Italy. This simple and relatively inexpensive protocol may find wide applications in a variety of research areas (e.g., mate choice, pathogen-driven selection) and in the biological conservation and management of the Western European ibex population

Quantitative sexing (Q-sexing) technique for animal sex-determination based on X chromosome-linked loci: Empirical evidence from the Siberian tiger

Here we report a mammal sexing procedure based on the detection of quantitative differences between females and males in the X-linked loci (quantitative sexing, Q-sexing). This novel technique was validated using samples from Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) whose sexes were known. The Q-sexing technique relies on the fact that amplifications proceeding exclusively from the two X chromosomes in a female mammal should reach the threshold cycle (CT) in a real-time quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay sooner than amplifications from the single male X chromosome. Nevertheless, given that the amplification efficiency may vary between samples, results have to be calibrated to a marker that does not vary in copy number between the sexes (for example, an autosomal-linked locus). For this purpose we used quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT qPCR) assays to quantify the amount of three specific Siberian tiger microsatellite markers (X-/Y- and autosomal-linked loci) in individual samples in order to determine the sex of an animal. A difference of one CT between the X and the autosome-linked loci was detected in males, but no such difference was present in female samples. The Q-sexing technique unambiguously separates female from male Siberian tigers. The future of RT qPCR is bright as technology is becoming ever more rapid, cost-effective, easier to use and capable of processing higher throughputs. Thus, we expect that our novel technique for animal sexing will have a wide applicability, although further studies are still needed to adapt it to other animal species using specific primers.Key words: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), quantitative sexing, Siberian tiger

Festschrift für Hans Hisch zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern. Wien: Selbstverl. des Instituts für Orientalistik 1996

BACKGROUND: One of the main aims of forensic investigation is the detection and location of people and substances of interest, such as missing people and illegal drugs. Dogs (Canis lupus var. familiaris) have had an important role in legal and forensic investigations for decades; nonetheless canines’ keen sense of smell has never been utilized in either the surveillance or control of wildlife diseases. The rapid removal and treatment of infected carcasses and/or sick animals is a key task in the management of infectious diseases, but it is usually difficult or impractical to carry out in the wild. RESULTS: In this paper we report on a study running over a period of 15 years, in which - for the first time to our knowledge - two disease-detector dogs were trained to follow the scent of Sarcoptes-infected animals and to find carcasses, even under the snow, and apparently no false positives were detected in fieldwork. Sarcoptic mange-detector dogs were used to collect the carcasses of 292 mangy wild animals and to identify, separate from their herd, and capture 63 mange-infected wild animals in the Italian Alps. CONCLUSIONS: Properly trained disease-detector dogs are an efficient and straightforward tool for surveillance and control of sarcoptic mange in affected wild animal populations

The threatening but unpredictable Sarcoptes scabiei: first deadly outbreak in the Himalayan lynx, Lynx lynx isabellinus, from Pakistan

Although neglected, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei is an unpredictable emerging parasite, threatening human and animal health globally. In this paper we report the first fatal outbreak of sarcoptic mange in the endangered Himalayan lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus) from Pakistan. A 10-year-old male Himalayan lynx was found in a miserable condition with severe crusted lesions in Chitral District, and immediately died. Post-mortem examination determined high S. scabiei density (1309 mites/cm2 skin). It is most probably a genuine emergence, resulting from a new incidence due to the host-taxon derived or prey-to-predator cross-infestation hypotheses, and less probable to be apparent emergence resulting from increased infection in the Himalayan lynx population. This is an alarming situation for the conservation of this already threatened population, which demands surveillance for early detection and eventually rescue and treatment of the affected Himalayan lynxPeer reviewe

State-of-the-Art Antenna Technology for Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RANs)

The cloud radio access network (C-RAN) is one of the most efficient, low-cost, and energy-efficient radio access techniques proposed as a potential candidate for the implementation of next-generation (NGN) mobile base stations (BSs). A high-performance C-RAN requires an exceptional broadband radio frequency (RF) front end that cannot be guaranteed without remarkable antenna elements. In response, we present state-of-the-art antenna elements that are potential candidates for the implementation of the C-RAN’s RF front end. We present an overview of C-RAN technology and different types of planar antennas operating at the future proposed fifth-generation (5G) bands that may include the following: (i) ultra-wide band (UWB) (3–12 GHz), (ii) 28/38 GHz, and (iii) 60-GHz radio. Further, we propose different planar antennas suitable for the implementation of C-RAN systems. We design, simulate, and optimize the proposed antennas according to the desired specifications covering the required frequency bands. The key design parameters are calculated, analyzed, and discussed. In our research work, the proposed antennas are lightweight, low-cost, and easy to integrate with other microwave and millimeter-wave (MMW) circuits. We also consider different implementation strategies that can be helpful in the execution of large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) networks