MONITORING AND FORECASTING LAND USE CHANGES AND URBAN GROWTH USING MARKOVIAN CELLULAR AUTOMATA SPATIAL MODEL – CASE STUDY: MARSA MATROUH CITY, EGYPT

The objective of this paper is to establish a framework that quantifies land use changes and forecasts urban growth trends. Satellite imageries with moderate resolution (Landsat TM 5 and 7) are used to study the changes in land cover and land uses over a 15 years period (1987 to 2002). Two land use/land cover maps are produced for the two dates, then processed using a two steps Markovian Cellular Automata model. To enhance the projected land use of 2006, socioeconomic preferences and anthropogenic factors are collected and mapped using a raster/vector hybrid geographic information system. The anthropogenic factors are identified and weighted by a selected group of stakeholders. Finally, these factors are mapped and presented in raster form. The final projection of land use and urban growth is assessed both spatially and quantitatively. The spatial assessment is achieved by comparing the projection land use for 2006 against a spatial high resolution image (IKONOS MS) of the same area and date. Quantitative assessment of the model is achieved by creating an error matrix that compares the results of the projected land use to the actual land use depicted in the high resolution image. The accuracy assessment demonstrated an accuracy of 69.5%, which is considered acceptable in the modeling of land use changes using Landsat imageries

A Survey of Satellite Biological Sensor Application for Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

The state of the ecosystems can be inferred in two ways, known as bioinference. One way (ground-based) is the use of some organisms to determine the environmental conditions within an ecosystem. The other is the use of multiband airborne or satellite imagery to identify the vegetation cover status, and also to track the biological diversity in marine ecosystems such as coral reef status, resources variation, and pollution. The standard example for the first state is the plankton as they represent a primary tool for ecologists to assess the health state of the marine environment. Their fast responses to the variability of the ecosystem, their nonexploitation as commercial organisms, and their favoring of subtle environmental conditions have suggested them to be bioindicators of climate variability. These organisms can be used to identify many environmental problems including water acidification, eutrophication, and pollution. Remote sensing technique is being widely used today to solve many environmental problems due to the broad view and accuracy of the results and its participation in determining the environmental conditions of different ecosystems. For example, remote sensing applications are used in vegetation and mangrove ecosystem management. Moreover, it is used to assess eutrophication problems by multiband spectrum remote sensing

Analyzing Black Cloud Dynamics over Cairo, Nile Delta Region and Alexandria using Aerosols and Water Vapor Data

Cairo is the largest city of Africa and one of the world’s megacities, with a population of more than 20 million people and containing more than one third of the national industry. It is a rapidly expanding city which leads to many associated environmental problems. As a result, it is also one of the most air polluted megacities in the world (Molina and Molina, 2004). It suffers from high ambient concentrations of atmospheric pollutants including particulates (PM), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and sulfur dioxide (Abu-Allaban et al., 2007, Abu-Allaban et al., 2002, El-Metwally et al., 2008). The pollution phenomenon locally known as “Black cloud” over Cairo has been attributed to many reasons among which are biomass burning, local emission and long range transport during the fall season.Several studies have been conducted to address and discuss the forth mentioned reasons for the increased pollution levels over Cairo and the greater Delta region using ground-based and satellite air quality data as compared to other megacities.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/sees_books/1000/thumbnail.jp

Environmental Impact of Sustainability Dispersion of Chlorine Releases in Coastal Zone of Alexandra: Spatial-Ecological Modeling

The spatial-ecological modeling is relating sustainable dispersions with social development. Sustainability with spatial-ecological model gives attention to urban environments in the design review management to comply with Earth’s system. Naturally exchanged patterns of ecosystems have consistent and periodic cycles to preserve energy flows and materials in Earth’s system. The Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) technique is utilized to assess the safety of an industrial complex. The other analytical approach is the Failure-Safe Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for critical components. The plant safety parameters are identified for engineering topology as employed in assessment safety of industrial ecology. In particular, the most severe accidental release of hazardous gaseous is postulated, analyzed and assessment in industrial region. The IAEA-safety assessment procedure is used to account the duration and rate of discharge of liquid chlorine. The ecological model of plume dispersion width and concentration of chlorine gas in the downwind direction is determined using Gaussian Plume Model in urban and rural areas and presented with SURFER®. The prediction of accident consequences is traced in risk contour concentration lines. The local greenhouse effect is predicted with relevant conclusions. The spatial-ecological model is predicted for multiple factors distribution schemes of multi-criteria analysis. The input–output analysis is explored from the spillover effect, and we conducted Monte Carlo simulations for sensitivity analysis. Their unique structure is balanced within “equilibrium patterns”, such as the composite index for biosphere with collective structure of many distributed feedback flows. These dynamic structures are related to have their physical and chemical properties and enable a gradual and prolonged incremental pattern. While this spatial model structure argues from ecology, resource savings, static load design, financial and other pragmatic reasons, the outcomes are not decisive in an artistic/architectural perspective. The hypothesis is deployed to unify analytic and analogical spatial structure in development urban environments using optimization loads as an example of integrated industrial structure where the process is based on engineering topology of systems ecology

Aerosol Climatology Over Nile Delta Based on MODIS, MISR and OMI Satellite Data

Since 1999 Cairo and the Nile delta region have suffered from air pollution episodes called the “black cloud” during the fall season. These have been attributed to either burning of agriculture waste or long-range transport of desert dust. Here we present a detailed analysis of the optical and microphysical aerosol properties, based on satellite data. Monthly mean values of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm were examined for the 10 yr period from 2000–2009. Significant monthly variability is observed in the AOD with maxima in April or May (_0.5) and October (_0.45), and a minimum in December and January (_0.2). Monthly mean values of UV Aerosol Index (UVAI) retrieved by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) for 4 yr (2005–2008) exhibit the same AOD pattern. The carbonaceous aerosols during the black cloud periods are confined to the planetary boundary layer (PBL), while dust aerosols exist over a wider range of altitudes, as shown by Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) aerosol profiles. The monthly climatology of Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR) data show that the aerosols during the black cloud periods are spherical with a higher percentage of small and medium size particles, whereas the spring aerosols are mostly large non-spherical particles. All of the results show that the air quality in Cairo and the Nile delta region is subject to a complex mixture of air pollution types, especially in the fall season, when biomass burning contributes to a background of urban pollution and desert dust

An Intelligent Information System for Groundwater Resources Categorization and Assessment

Abstract: This paper aims to present an intelligent information system developed for groundwater categorization and classification. The developed system integrates more than one research field and tools, including Decision Support Systems (DSS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), knowledge base and modeling and visualization enhancement. Visual Basic (VB) environment is used as an inference engine for this system and the code is written using VBA. The system aims to categorize water resources according to the international water quality criteria (FAO, USSL, Gupta and Roades) and to reclassify water resources according to a developed decision matrix from the application of the expert system. A user friendly interface (GUI) is developed to help the user to manage the system and to link different system environments. The system is linked through the GUI with a GIS to display the water resources layers and to provide functions to query and display the spatial locations and associated attributes. The system is used to make a decision about the suitability of water resources to a specific crop and vice versa. The developed system is tested on groundwater recourses in Siwa Oasis, Egypt

CHEMICAL PROFILE OF TWO JASMINUM SAMBAC L. (AIT) CULTIVARS CULTIVATED IN EGYPT–THEIR MEDIATED SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIS AND SELECTIVE CYTOTOXICITY

Objective: Evaluation of two Jasminum sambac L. (Ait) cultivars; Arabian Nights (JSA) and Grand Duke of Tuscany (JSG) ethanolic leaves extracts as reducing agents for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and evaluation of their cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer and 5637 bladder cancer cell lines and chemical profiling of the two cultivars. Methods: The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by the two cultivars and characterization of AgNPs by ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, the use of The high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array-mass-mass-spectroscopy (HPLC-PDA-MS/MS) for chemical profiling of both cultivars and evaluation of total leaves extracts and corresponding nanoparticles towards MCF-7 and 5637 cell lines compared to aneuploidy immortal keratinocyte (Ha Cat) normal cells by neutral cell assay. Results: The green synthesized AgNPs (of an average size range of 8.83 and 11.24 nm for JSA and JSG, respectively) exhibited cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and 5637 cell lines. The IC50 was determined for each total extract JSA (15.29±2.16 μg/ml) and JSG (20.28±1.20 μg/ml) and corresponding AgNPs 17.32±2.22 μg/ml and 6.32±1.01μg/ml for JSA and JSG, respectively. The IC50 of JSA and JSG against 5637 bladder cancer cell line were 13.76±1.11 μg/ml and 50.69±3.75 μg/ml, while the corresponding AgNPs showed IC50 of 5.54±0.88 μg/ml and 27.89±2.84 μg/ml, respectively. The HPLC-PDA-MS/MS allowed the identification of 59 compounds; 10 simple phenols, 17 flavonoids; quercetin and kaempferol glycosides, 2 lignans, and 30 secoiridoids; oleuropein, molihauside, and sambacoside. Conclusion: This study proved that JSA is an excellent source for the synthesis of AgNPs with optimum characters and enhanced activities toward MCF-7 and 5637 cell lines in correlation to identified compounds

Climatic Drivers of Potential Hazards in Mediterranean Coasts

This paper studies climatic drivers (air and water temperature, precipitation rates, river discharge, sea level and storm patterns) in four Mediterranean regions: the Catalan-Valencia Coast (Spain), the Oran (Algeria) and Gabe`s (Tunisia) Gulfs and the western Nile Delta (Egypt). The paper also considers the potential hazards that these drivers can induce. It first analyses climatic trends in the drivers, taking into account the available time series of recorded and simulated meteo-oceanographic data from different sources. Next, it presents the general framework to assess biogeophysical hazards (flooding, erosion, droughts and water quality), followed by a simple and yet robust evaluation of those hazards for the four studied coastal sites. Assuming climate change projections under different scenarios and considering the observed trends in drivers, the resulting erosion rates due to sea-level rise and wave storm effects have been estimated. The Nile and Ebro Deltas, together with the Oran Gulf, are more vulnerable than the Gulfs of Valencia and Gabe`s. Regarding water quality in terms of (a) precipitation and dissolved oxygen in the water column and (b) sea surface temperature, the results show that the most vulnerable zones for the projected conditions (a) are the Gulfs of Oran, Valencia and Gabe`s, while the Nile Delta is the region where the decrease in water quality will be less pronounced. For the projected conditions (b), the most vulnerable zone is the Ebro Delta, while the impact in the other three cases will be smaller and of comparable magnitude. Finally, the overall future impact of these hazards (associated to climatic change) in the four sites is discussed in comparative terms, deriving some conclusions

Isolation of Myricitrin and 3,5-di-O-Methyl Gossypetin from Syzygium samarangense and Evaluation of their Involvement in Protecting Keratinocytes against Oxidative Stress via Activation of the Nrf-2 Pathway

The wax apple (Syzygium samarangense) is traditionally employed as an antibacterial and immunostimulant drug in traditional medicine. This plant is rich in different flavonoids and tannins. In this study, we isolated two compounds from S. samarangense leaves: myricitrin and 3,5-di-O-methyl gossypetin. Then, we investigated the mechanisms of action of the two compounds against oxidative stress (induced by sodium arsenite) and inflammation (induced by UV light) on human keratinocytes. We could clearly demonstrate that the pre-treatment of cells with both compounds was able to mitigate the negative effects induced by oxidative stress, as no alteration in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, glutathione (GSH) level, or protein oxidation was observed. Additionally, both compounds were able to modulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways to counteract oxidative stress activation. Finally, we showed that 3,5-di-O-methyl gossypetin exerted its antioxidant activity through the nuclear transcription factor-2 (Nrf-2) pathway, stimulating the expression of antioxidant proteins, such as HO-1 and Mn-SOD-3

Periodicities in the coronal rotation and sunspot numbers

The present study is an attempt to investigate the long term variations in coronal rotation by analyzing the time series of the solar radio emission data at 2.8 GHz frequency for the period 1947 - 2009. Here, daily adjusted radio flux (known as Penticton flux) data are used. The autocorrelation analysis shows that the rotation period varies between 19.0 to 29.5 sidereal days (mean sidereal rotation period is 24.3 days). This variation in the coronal rotation period shows evidence of two components in the variation; (1) 22-years component which may be related to the solar magnetic field reversal cycle or Hale's cycle, and (3) a component which is irregular in nature, but dominates over the other components. The crosscorrelation analysis between the annual average sunspots number and the coronal rotation period also shows evidence of its correlation with the 22-years Hale's cycle. The 22-years component is found to be almost in phase with the corresponding periodicities in the variation of the sunspots number.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA