Rwanda, Burundi, and Their Ethnic Conflicts

This paper demonstrably dispels the assumption that ethnic conflict in Rwanda and Burundi is a chronic endemic phenomenon. It emphasizes the consolidation of the caste system during the colonial era, intra regional disparities within the two communities, high population densities, very weak economic bases, poverty, and international interference as some of the cardinal dynamics behind the current deadly contentions within the two states. An analysis behind the genocidal tendencies in the two countries is well illustrated, with special emphasis on the Rwandese tragedy of 1994 as well as its parallels and divergences with the Nazi Holocaust

Effect of sports vision exercise on visual perception and reading performance in 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic children

The presented study was aimed at identifying for the first time the influence of sports vision exercises on fundamental motor skills and cognitive skills of 7- to 10-year-old developmental dyslexic Persian children. A pretest - posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted. The statistical population of this study was 7- to 10-year-old dyslexic children referring to two centres of learning disorder in the city of Isfahan. Twenty two of these children were selected using available and purposive sampling from the statistical population and were randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control. The former (experimental group) participated in sports vision exercise courses for 12 weeks (3 one hr sessions per week) and the latter (control group) continued their routine daily activities during the exercise. Before the beginning and at the end of the exercise, Gardner’s test of visual perception test - revised and Dehkhoda’s reading skills test was administered to both groups. The results showed that the sports vision exercises increases motor skills, visual perceptual skills and reading skills in developmental dyslexic children. Based on the results of the presented study it was concluded that sports vision exercises can be used for fundamental and cognitive skills of developmental dyslexic children

HARNESSING DAYLIGHTING AND SOLAR GAINS AS SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNMETHODSIN MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA.

Thebuilt environment contributes around 40% of the world’s total carbon footprint,resulting in high building energy costs and pollution, as well as detrimental effects on the environment through the use of engines. Energy consumption can be very high in buildings, especially in mixed-us facilities. This paper seeks to analyse and contribute to the existing knowledge on daylighting and solar gain measures, resulting to a sustainable method of achieving energy efficiency in buildings. The methodology adopted for this study involves the use of case studies of two nationalandone international buildings of mixed-use typology which were appraised by evaluatingand criticizing. Criticalanalyses of physical and daylighting measures of existing developments were evaluated, pointing out merits and demerits of existing strategies as adopted in the cases.Findings from this study evince thattheneed for office and residentialspaces despite the unavailability of land in Lagosresulted in the concept of mixed-use developments. Also, some daylighting and solar gainsstrategies have been adopted but not fully maximized in Nigeria, especially the use of light shelves to enhance day lighting. Thispaper recommends that the techniques to be used to enhancedaylightingand solar gains, materials and designs;theplacements and orientations,should be determinedright from conceptualization,through to the architecture process (design and construction)

A novel multi-reactor system for thermochemical heat storage through detailed modeling of K₂CO₃ particles

Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is becoming increasingly important in the energy transition, as it can effectively bridge the gap between renewable energy supply and demand. In this study, the reaction kinetics of K2CO3 were characterized and validated. Based on this kinetic model, a numerical model of a packed bed of particles was developed using a coupled CFD-DEM approach. The results of the model were validated against experimental data of a particle bed, showing good agreement. The reaction rate of the system was found to be limited by the diffusion of water vapor into the material, which led to unsatisfactory performance on the bed scale due to significant temperature drop-offs. Although reducing particle size was found to be an effective way to improve system performance, practical concerns such as agglomeration and bed permeability limited its effectiveness. As an alternative, a multi-reactor system with adaptive flow rates was proposed, which improved system performance without the limitations of reducing particle size. The proposed modular system is capable of delivering 10 kW power at the temperature of 45 degrees for a duration of 19.5 h

The role of dietary nucleotide on energy sources and growth function of common carp, Cyprinus carpio

Considering the effects of dietary nucleotides on growth and metabolism, this study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of this nutrient on the sources of the body needed energy, and growth performance of common carp. Fish with average (±SD) weight of 7.5±0.2g were fed to five levels of dietary nucleotides containing 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 percent for 8 weeks. Fish were fed 5 times daily according the satiation. After 56 days, the results showed that the level 0.2% nucleotide had the highest growth rate in terms of weight and length, but other parameters such as body weight, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio, differences were not significantly changed. Biochemical analysis of serum parameters and proximate analysis showed that the physiological function of fish affected by different levels of nucleotides whereas in the energy supply sources, including glucose, triacyleglycerol, total protein and albumin there were no significant difference in cholesterol and lipid content of carcass. This study conveys a positive effect on the biosynthesis of dietary nucleotides on energy sources and growth functions, while the common carp has ability to synthesize this substance into the body, the level of 0.2% in the diet can affection *Corresponding author sufficient effect on growth and some biochemical indices

Persian Gardens: Meanings, Symbolism, and Design

Culture and identity in a society can be represented in the architecture and the meanings intertwined with it. In this sense, the architecture and design are the interface for transferring meaning and identity to the nation and future generations. Persian gardens have been evolved through the history of Persian Empire in regard to the culture and beliefs of the society. This paper aims to investigate the patterns of design and architecture in Persian gardens and the meanings intertwined with their patterns and significant elements such as water and trees. Persian gardens are not only about geometries and shapes; but also manifest different design elements, each representing a specific symbol and its significance among the society. This paper seeks to explore Persian gardens in terms of their geometric structure, irrigation system, network construction and pavilions alongside design qualities such as hierarchy, symmetry, centrality, rhythm and harmony. In the second stage, the paper investigates the fundamental symbols and their philosophy in the creation of Persian gardens and in relation to the architecture and design

Review of Intelligent Control Systems for Natural Ventilation as Passive Cooling Strategy for UK Buildings and Similar Climatic Conditions

Natural ventilation is gaining more attention from architects and engineers as an alternative way of cooling and ventilating indoor spaces. Based on building types, it could save between 13 and 40% of the building cooling energy use. However, this needs to be implemented and operated with a well-designed and integrated control system to avoid triggering discomfort for occupants. This paper seeks to review, discuss, and contribute to existing knowledge on the application of control systems and optimisation theories of naturally ventilated buildings to produce the best performance. The study finally presents an outstanding theoretical context and practical implementation for researchers seeking to explore the use of intelligent controls for optimal output in the pursuit to help solve intricate control problems in the building industry and suggests advanced control systems such as fuzzy logic control as an effective control strategy for an integrated control of ventilation, heating and cooling systems

Epidemiology of nosocomial infections in pediatric patients in an Iranian referral hospital

Nosocomial infections (NI) are important causes of morbid- ity and mortality in pediatric hospitals. Different surveillance methods for detecting hospital-acquired infection have been developed. The selection of which varies according to specific surveillance objectives and the resources are available. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of noso- comial infections in medical wards of a tertiary-levels teaching pediatric hospital in Tehran, Iran. We performed a prospective cross-sectional study and NI was identified by daily review of medical charts of patients hospitalized for at least 48 hours. We evaluated 1497 patients. The overall patient NI rate was 3.34 per 100 patients and the infection rate per 1000 patient-days was 5.27. The most common site of infection was the respira- tory tract (36%) followed by the gastrointestinal tract (32%). S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella species were the most frequent pathogen isolates. The lethality rate associated with NI was 10%. Describing the epidemiology of NI in this hospi- tal enable us to estimate infection occurrence, distribution and expected incidence, as well as recognizing trends and keeping track of possible outbreaks

Prevalence of Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections among patients candidate for orthopedic trauma surgeries

Background: Infectious diseases are major public health problems, among which blood-borne ones are the most important infections. Patients who undergo orthopedic surgery are at higher risk of transmitting infectious diseases from and to others, due to repeated blood examinations and injection, drains secretion and receiving blood products. Accordingly, in this study we determined prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections in patients who underwent surgery in a general training hospital. Methods: In this cross-sectional study the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV infections was determined among 320 patients under orthopedic trauma surgeries in a general training hospital in Tehran, Iran from 2009 to 2011. Associations of these rates with age, gender, marital status, residence location, substance abuse history, hospital admission history, previous surgery, blood transfusion, dentistry procedures, and previous medical history were also assessed. Results: A total of 320 patients (290 male, 30 female) were studied. Ten patients (3.2) had at least one of these three infections. Totally 10 patients (3.2), 2 subjects (0.6), and 8 patients (2.5) had HCV, HIV, and HBV infections, respectively. None of the evaluated variables had significant relationship with HCV, HBV, and HIV infections (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, routine use of diagnostic tests for infectious disease such as HIV and viral hepatitis is recommended and should be considered before orthopedic operations