GEO-SPATIAL MODELING OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION ASSESSMENT IN DATE PALM, ABU DHABI: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF FIELDWORK, REMOTE SENSING, AND GIS

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undertaken huge efforts to green the desert and afforestation projects (planted mainly with date palms) hence, reducing its carbon footprint, which have never been accounted for, because of lack of implemented mechanisms and tools to assess the amount of biomass and carbon stock (CS) sequestered by plants in the country. The purpose of this dissertation is to implement a new approach towards assessing the carbon sequestered by date palm (DP) plantations in Abu Dhabi, in both their biomass compartment as well as the soils under beneath, using geospatial technologies (RS and GIS) assessed by field measurements. The methodology proposed in this dissertation relied on both fieldwork and labwork, besides the intensive use of geospatial technology including, digital image processing of multi-scale, multi-resolution satellite imagery as well as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) modelling. For detecting and mapping the DP, the research proposes a framework based on using multi-source/ multi-sensor data in a hierarchical integrated approach (HIA) to map DP plantations at different age stages: young, medium, and mature. The outcomes of the implemented approach were the creation of detailed and accurate maps of DP at three age stages. The overall accuracies for mixed-ages DP the value reached up to 94.5%, with an overall Kappa statistic estimated at 0.888 with total area of DP equal to 7,588.04 ha and the total number of DP planted in the study area counted an estimated number of 8,966,826 palms.The study showed that the correlation of mature DP class alone (\u3e10 years) with single bands was significant with shorwave infrared 1 (SWIR1) and shortwave infrared 2 (SWIR2), while the correlation was significant with all tested vegetation indices (VI) except for tasseled cap transformation index for brightness (TCB) and for greenness (TCG). By using different types of regression equations, tasseled cap transformation index for wetness (TCW) showed the strongest correlation using a second-order polynomial equation to estimate the biomass of mature DP with R² equal to 0.7643 and P value equal to 0.007. The exponential regression equation that uses renormalized difference vegetation index (RDVI) as RS predictor was the best single VI and had the strongest correlation among all RS variables of Landsat 8 OLI for AGB of non-mature DP, with an R2 value of 0.4987 and P value equal 0.00002. The findings of the dissertation work are promising and can be used to estimate the amount of biomass and carbon stock in DP plantations in the country as well as in arid land in general. Therefore, it can be applied to enhance the decision-making process on sustainable monitoring and management of carbon sequestration by date palms in other similar ecosystems. The research’s approach has never been developed elsewhere for date palms in arid areas

Mathematical analysis of HIV/HTLV-I co-infection model with saturated incidence rate

Direct contact with specific contaminated body fluids is how both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) are transmitted from one person to another. Therefore, the two viruses can co-infect same person. In the literature all the HIV/HTLV-I co-infection models assume that the infection rate is given by bilinear incidence. However, for high concentration of pathogens, the bilinear incidence is not suitable. Therefore, this study will focus on the dynamical behavior of an HIV/HTLV-I co-infection model with saturated incidence. The model includes the effect of Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) immune response. Through the non-negativity and boundedness of the solutions, we demonstrated that our proposed model is biologically acceptable. We calculate the threshold parameters which determine when the equibrium point exists and when it is globally asymptotically stable. Utilizing the Lyapunov function and Lyapunov-LaSalle asymptotic stability, we demonstrate the global asymptotic stability of all equilibrium. We performed numerical simulations to confirm the analytical solutions. The effect of saturation on The dynamics of HIV/HTLV-I co-infection are discussed

Bio-Modules:Mycelium-Based Composites Forming a Modular Interlocking System through a Computational Design towards Sustainable Architecture

In a resource-constrained world, raising awareness about the development of eco-friendly alternative materials is critical for ensuring a more sustainable future. Mycelium-based composites (MBC) and their diverse applications are gaining popularity as regenerative, biodegradable, and lightweight alternatives. This research aims to broaden the design potentials of MBC in order to construct advanced systems towards a novel material culture in architecture. The proposed design method intends to explore the design and fabrication of small-scale components of MBC to be applied in modular systems. Mycelium-based modular components are being developed to fulfill the geometrical requirements that allow for the creation of a lightweight system without additional reinforcement. The modules are linked together using an interlocking system. Through computational design and form-finding methods, various arrangements of the modules are achieved. An initial prototype of five modules is created to demonstrate the ability of the system to form various geometrical configurations as a result of the used workflow. The proposed application aims to expand the scope of the use of mycelium-based composites in modular systems and to promote architectural applications using bio-based composite materials

Ud af klasseværelset i Jordan – projekter på arabiskstudiet på Københavns Universitet

Denne artikel vil se nærmere på projektet som arbejdsmetode og dets betydning for sproglig og kulturel læring i forbindelse med studie- ophold i udlandet. (...