Amman’s Facades Lost between Identity and Veracity; Factors Impacting Facades’ Design

Today`s building façades continuously lose connection to their local identities and contextual surroundings, more attention is required when designing façades in order to come up with designs that synergize with  their unique surroundings. This does not imply that building façades should be approached in a typical traditional manner, but rather that their design should be a result of different factors, interacting and overlapping, and in respect to the physical and non-physical context.  Façades should be designed in respect to high performance, aesthetics and efficient constructability for example, and this in return indicates that variations in façade designs are a positive indication that buildings are responding to their built and natural contexts. Architects and designers should respond to side effects of globalization resulting in the spreading of out of context styles, unresponsive and kitschy, in order to save the visual interest in the city and the beyond  physical meaning of architecture. It is advised here that architects and designers articulate the very meaning of modernity within local architecture and environment. This article tries to discuss various factors impacting façade design generally, relating discussions to the current situation Amman, the metropolis, and its buildings are undergoing. Keywords: Façade design, contemporary façade, local identity, Amman

Regional Planning in Jordan, the Status Quo - Regional Planning in the Jordan Rift Valley

This paper is intended to examine and research a new way of planning on the Jordanian ground, regional planning, a planning approach proven to be highly effective globally on multiple levels but unfortunately not widely practiced in the Arab World. This research paper tries to examine how the area of the Jordan Valley is being administered regionally, and attempts to breakdown and discuss the different elements of this process in a critical manner. Outcomes of the reserch indicate mainly that although this planning approach is implicated to a certain degree; still it is seen as being more sectoral in nature. Keywords: Jordan Rift Valley, Regional Planning, Dead Sea, Master Plan, Sustainability

Efficient and Strategic Resource Allocation for Sustainable Development in Jordan

This research addresses a modern-day major topic; sustainability, and although it is in fact a very vast and wide topic and on every tongue at current times, some aspects of it seem to be left with little exploration in comparison to the other aspects, such as resource allocation. Mainly, this research will go into the importance of resource allocation for sustainable development, with emphasis on infrastructure, financial, human and information resources, and it will address topic related questions, questions like: how much effect has resource allocation on sustainable place promotion? And is it possible to allocate resources on the basis of any priority structure? And most of all, what can we do in Jordan to improve allocation of resources to achieve the desired integrated and long term development. The results basically highlight incorporating the public for achieving equitable resource allocation, and its dependence on concepts of having a priority system not hierarchy for the process of allocation, planning with objectives and introducing new adaptable global concepts to alleviate the current resource allocation condition in Jordan.This research basically recommends that resources should be allocated according to the priorities and objectives concept, objectives that are predetermined and integrated with a holistic vision of how development should be in a certain area, facilitated by a proper national agenda. Also, these priorities and objectives should always be determined according to the locals in the concerned area, and in a way that is environmentally considerate, socially integrated and economically strengthening. Keywords: External and Internal Resources, Decentralization, Community Involvement, Resource Allocation According to Priorities, Accountability, Equally Shared benefits

Estimating the Effect of Urban Trees on Summertime Electricity Use and Air Quality Improvement in Urban Areas –Amman as a Case Study

The importance of trees as an urban microclimatic modifier is well known, but little work has been done on semi-arid climates in general, while no similar studies have been done on a local level in Jordan. Conducting such studies, especially on the local level, will provide useful data on trees as a shading device and their role in mitigating the urban heat island effect and in minimizing the continuous rising temperature in city cores and dense areas. This study aims at providing professionals as well as architects with the impacts of shade trees on air conditioning electricity use for residential buildings in Amman, hence an awareness of this issue is encouraged reflecting on both professionals and city residents. The study suggests a tree planting design guideline based on the computer simulation results for new and existing residential construction. Based on the outcomes, energy savings calculated for 50 typical residential buildings in Al-Hashmi Al-Shamali district, indicate that after planting 100 Pistacia atlantica (Mount Atlad Pistachio) medium size trees based on a specific criteria in respect to the landuse regulations for residential C; planted trees succeeded in lowering the cooling loads where the energy savings in summer were about 43.34%, 42.4% and 28.11%, for east, west and south elevations, respectively. These results indicated that the effect of planting trees around these building succeeded in lowering the total cooling loads by 35.87 %. This could be generalized to East Amman areas where the climatic conditions, building characteristics and lot setbacks are very similar to Al-Hashmi Al-Shamali. Keywords: Amman, energy savings, revit, tree benefits, cooling energym semi-arid climate

Genetic diversity of banana prawns Fenneropenaeus merguiensis in Malaysian waters using microsatellite markers

Aim:To characterize the wild populations of the prawns genetically by using microsatellite markers. Methodology: Prawns from 11 selected populations were sampled from wild and cultured areas of Peninsular and East Malaysia. Out of thirty primers designed for the species including cross amplified primers, only 22 were successfully polymorphic markers. Throughout populations, observed heterozygosity values was lower than the expected which indicates a probability of a deficit in the heterozygosity. Low heterozygosity suggest that mixture and intermingling probably might have occurred among the population of banana prawns in Malaysia. Results: The F values significantly showed genetic differentiation among the populations . The UPGMA dendrogram grouped the populations according to their geographical origins. Endau Rompin and Sedili were clustered together, while Sarawak and Kelantan populations were sub clustered by themselves. As expected, Kuala Selangor, the cultured population, however, was clustered in a group by itself. Interpretation: The results of this study would help the farmers in selecting noninbred and to identify genetically distant or close populations for improvement of brood stock management procedure

Genetic diversity of wild and cultured populations of Penaeus monodon using microsatellite markers

Information on the genetic diversity of Penaeus monodon throughout its natural range in Malaysia is still Hmited even though it is a highly exploited species, thus this study was undertaken to genetically characterize the prawn populations. The P. monodon samples were randomly collected from Malaysian waters and were characterized using thirty polymorphic primer pairs which showed high level of polymorphism. The total number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 36 with allele size ranging from 100 to 275 base pairs. The mean observed heterozygosity (0.5166) was less than the expected (0.5552), highly significant deficiencies in heterozygotes were detected in total inbreeding (F IS = 0.5500) and pair-wise genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.6308) among the populations. Both the (χ 2) chi-square and (G 2) likelihood ratio tests detected significant differences (p<0.05) which showed a deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, indicating a probable inbreeding might have occurred in the populations. A Cluster analysis based on genetic distance revealed a fair genetic relationship among all the populations and the pattern was in accordance to the populations' geographical origins. The highest genetic distance (0.7588) was observed between Law as and Bulau Sayak populations while the lowest genetic distance (0.1191) was recorded between the Endau Rompin and Sedili populations. Various levels of genetic diversity of the P. monodon reported in this study indicated their genetic status in Malaysian waters and suitability for breeding and culture purposes. This information provides a basis for improvement through selective breeding and in the design of suitable management guidelines for this genetic material

Impact of salinity changes on growth, oxygen consumption and expression pattern of selected candidate genes in the orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea)

Change in environmental salinity level is a major limiting factor for the aquaculture productivity because it imposes severe stress on organisms that in turn retards growth. The orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea) is an important coastal aquaculture species (farming is practised in 10‰–20‰ salinity levels) in Bangladesh. The present study was conducted to investigate the changes in growth, O2 consumption and mRNA expression levels of five selected genes in the orange mud crab (S. olivacea) exposed to three different experimental salinity levels (0‰, 10‰ and 20‰) for three months. Crabs reared at 10‰ and 20‰, showed significantly higher (p < .05) growth performance and expression of growth regulatory genes (Actin and α-amylase). The highest levels (p < .05) of O2 consumption and expression of ion regulatory genes (Na+-K+-ATPase, V-type H+-ATPase and Diuretic Hormone) were obtained at 0‰. Moderate levels of growth and expression of selected candidate genes were observed at 10‰ treatment while the highest levels of growth and gene expression were obtained at 20‰ (control salinity). Strong interactions were observed between growth performance and expression of growth genes (R2 = 0.81–0.91), and rate of O2 consumption and expression of ion regulatory genes (R2 = 0.83–0.93), implying that the selected genes are important candidates for growth and ionic balance in S. olivacea. Growth performance was found to be very low at 0‰ initially, after 30 days crabs showed better growth performance at this salinity level. It is thus inferred that orange mud crab individuals might require 3–5 days for acclimation to salinity stress but it can take at least 30 days for acclimation to regular growth. Results indicate that with proper acclimation, the orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea) can be farmed at low salinity conditions and possibly in freshwater condition

Effects of salinity on physiological, biochemical and gene expression parameters of Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon): potential for farming in low-salinity environments

Salinity is one of the most important abiotic factors affecting growth, metabolism, immunity and survival of aquatic species in farming environments. As a euryhaline species, the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) can tolerate a wide range of salinity levels and is farmed between brackish to marine water conditions. The current study tested the effects of six different salinity levels (0‰, 2.5‰, 5‰, 10‰, 20‰ and 30‰) on the selected physiological, biochemical and genetic markers (individual changes in the expression pattern of selected candidate genes) in the black tiger shrimp. Experimental salinity levels significantly affected growth and survival performance (p < 0.05); the highest levels of growth and survival performance were observed at the control (20‰) salinity. Salinity reductions significantly increased free fatty acid (FFA), but reduced free amino acid (FAA) levels. Lower salinity treatments (0–10‰) significantly reduced hemolymph osmolality levels while 30‰ significantly increased osmolality levels. The five different salinity treatments increased the expression of osmoregulatory and hemolymph regulatory genes by 1.2–8-fold. In contrast, 1.2–1.6-fold lower expression levels were observed at the five salinity treatments for growth (alpha amylase) and immunity (toll-like receptor) genes. O2 consumption, glucose and serotonin levels, and expression of osmoregulatory genes showed rapid increase initially with salinity change, followed by reducing trend and stable patterns from the 5th day to the end. Hemocyte counts, expression of growth and immunity related genes showed initial decreasing trends, followed by an increasing trend and finally stability from 20th day to the end. Results indicate the farming potential of P. monodon at low salinity environments (possibly at freshwater) by proper acclimation prior to stocking with minimal effects on production performance

Improvement of foundation student performance in biology through intensive station based learning approach

A growing revolution is underway in teaching introductory science to foundation studies. Recent educational research explains that traditional teaching approaches in large classes often fail to reach many students. To address this problem, we conducted an intensive station rotation-based workshop called “Bio Made Easy” for a group of students who obtained F grade in the first Biology assessment, N = 120. The workshop was designed to improve students’ understanding of selected Biology topics by providing simple examples, analogy, and explanation of the concept using various active and interactive approaches. The goal was to change the students’ perception of biology and deliver the content within a short period of time. The students were divided into small groups and required to complete all stations conducted by different instructors. For each station, students were directed to perform activities that required them to actively participate, interact, and discuss among the group members. A comparison was made between their performance during the first test and the second test of the semester. From F grade in the first test, about 88.3% of the students accomplished higher performance grades in the test 2 assessment. This reflects an encouraging sign that active-learning practice and direct engagement of students in the station rotation-based learning approach improve student performance in biology subject and serve as one of the strategies to motivate students for better grades

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030