Spectral Clustering for Optical Confirmation and Redshift Estimation of X-ray Selected Galaxy Cluster Candidates in the SDSS Stripe 82

We develop a galaxy cluster finding algorithm based on spectral clustering technique to identify optical counterparts and estimate optical redshifts for X-ray selected cluster candidates. As an application, we run our algorithm on a sample of X-ray cluster candidates selected from the third XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalog (3XMM-DR5) that are located in the Stripe 82 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our method works on galaxies described in the color-magnitude feature space. We begin by examining 45 galaxy clusters with published spectroscopic redshifts in the range of 0.1 to 0.8 with a median of 0.36. As a result, we are able to identify their optical counterparts and estimate their photometric redshifts, which have a typical accuracy of 0.025 and agree with the published ones. Then, we investigate another 40 X-ray cluster candidates (from the same cluster survey) with no redshift information in the literature and found that 12 candidates are considered as galaxy clusters in the redshift range from 0.29 to 0.76 with a median of 0.57. These systems are newly discovered clusters in X-rays and optical data. Among them 7 clusters have spectroscopic redshifts for at least one member galaxy.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, 1 appendix, Accepted by Journal of "Astronomy and Computing

The 3XMM/SDSS Stripe 82 Galaxy Cluster Survey: Cluster catalogue and discovery of two merging cluster candidates

We present a galaxy cluster survey based on XMM-Newton observations that are located in Stripe 82 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The survey covers an area of 11.25 deg$^2$. The X-ray cluster candidates were selected as serendipitously extended detected sources from the third XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue (3XMM-DR5). A cross-correlation of the candidate list that comprises 94 objects with recently published X-ray and optically selected cluster catalogues provided optical confirmations and redshift estimates for about half of the candidate sample. We present a catalogue of X-ray cluster candidates previously known in X-ray and/or optical bands from the matched catalogues or NED. The catalogue consists of 54 systems with redshift measurements in the range of 0.05-1.19 with a median of 0.36. Of these, 45 clusters have spectroscopic confirmations as stated in the matched catalogues. We spectroscopically confirmed another 6 clusters from the available spectroscopic redshifts in the SDSS-DR12. The cluster catalogue includes 17 newly X-ray discovered clusters, while the remainder were detected in previous XMM-Newton and/or ROSAT cluster surveys. Based on the available redshifts and fluxes given in the 3XMM-DR5 catalogue, we estimated the X-ray luminosities and masses for the cluster sample. We also present the list of the remaining X-ray cluster candidates (40 objects) that have no redshift information yet in the literature. Of these candidates, 25 sources are considered as distant cluster candidates beyond a redshift of 0.6. We also searched for galaxy cluster mergers in our cluster sample and found two strong candidates for newly discovered cluster mergers at redshifts of 0.11 and 0.26. The X-ray and optical properties of these systems are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&A, revised version after language editin

Removal of Heavy Metals from Water and Wastewater Using <em>Moringa oleifera</em>

One of the contaminants in wastewater is the heavy metals. Treatment of heavy metals is of great importance because they can be harmful and dangerous for human being health. Conventional removal methods used include: ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, solvent extraction, sedimentation, and chemical precipitation, and each method has some disadvantages besides high costs. In this chapter, Moringa oleifera cake residue, Moringa oleifera press cake, and Moringa oleifera leaves are introduced as a proposed alternative to replace conventional methods for heavy metal ions’ removal. The results of using Moringa oleifera cake residue showed that iron (Fe) was fully removed; copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) were successfully removed up to 98% and reduction of lead (Pb) of 82.17%. The heavy metals were successfully reduced using Moringa oleifera press cake. The removal percentage of iron, copper, and chromium reached 69.99%, 88.86%, and 93.73%, respectively. Moringa oleifera leaves were used to remove Cd (II) from synthetic water; the optimization was performed and each parameter was affecting the Cd (II) removal with different percentages, but pH was insignificant. As a conclusion, the Moringa oleifera seeds and leaves can be considered as a promising alternative in water treatment for heavy metal ions removal

Solar-Powered Bike Lanes

The problem of lack of bike paths in urban areas is a common problem with the increase in the number of riders. Riding the bikes in the main roads due to the lack of cycling tracks affects negatively on the urban area, its residents, visitors, and in many other aspects. To solve this problem, this study examines the design of a solar-powered cycling path in one of the areas of Umm Al Quwain city that located in the northern region of the United Arab Emirates. The research included secondary data sources derived from best practices research for solar-powered cycling paths outside the UAE. The result of this study includes the effectiveness of the use of solar-powered cycling paths/lanes. The project identifies a suitable area in Umm Al Quwain city to implement the mobility systems and make this idea the beginning of the launch of Umm Al Quwain city towards the concept of smart cities

The Derivation of Triconsonantal Weak Verbal Nouns in Modern Standard Arabic: A Nonlinear Phonological Analysis

The present study analyzes the phonological processes that verbal nouns VNs undergo in the course of their derivation from triconsonantal weak verbal stems in Modern Standard Arabic MSA The VNs that are targeted in the study comprise all the instances of VNs which are listed under triconsonantal weak verbs in the corpus-based dictionary mu c d am allu ah al c arabijjah almu c a sirah Dictionary of Modern Arabic Language The 1222 targeted VNs are arranged into tables in accordance with their 35 morphological patterns and the X-slot and the feature geometry models of nonlinear phonology are utilized for analyzing their derivation from their verbal stems One of the main findings of the study is that forming VNs from triconsonantal weak verbs follow a regular derivational pattern which involves applying the ablaut and metathesis rules to their verbal stems and the addition of specific affixes to them This finding enables refuting the general hypothesis that deriving VNs from triconsonantal weak verbs is irregular in the sense that various morphological patterns and no specific rules are employed for their derivatio

Semiorthogonal B-spline Wavelet for Solving 2D- Nonlinear Fredholm-Hammerstein Integral Equations

This work is concerned with the study of the second order (linear) semiorthogonal B-spline wavelet method to solve one-dimensional nonlinear Fredholm-Hammerstein integral equations of the second kind. Proof of the existence and uniqueness solution for the two-dimensional Fredholm-Hammerstein nonlinear integral equations of the second kind was introduced. Moreover, generalization the second order (linear) semiorthogonal B-spline wavelet method was achieved and then using it to solve two-dimensional nonlinear Fredholm-Hammerstein integral equations of the second kind. This method transform the one-dimensional and two-dimensional nonlinear Fredholm-Hammerstein integral equations of the second kind to a system of algebraic equations by expanding the unknown function as second order (linear) semiorthogonal B-spline wavelet with unknown coefficients. The properties of these&nbsp;wavelets functions are then utilized to evaluate the unknown coefficients. Also some of illustrative examples which show that the second order (linear) semiorthogonalB-spline wavelet method give good agreement with the exact solutions

Block by Block and Finite Difference Hybrid Method to Solve Linear and Nonlinear Volterra Integro-Partial Differential Equations

In this paper a hybrid consistency of  Block by Block method and finite difference method was proposed to solve two-dimensional linear and nonlinear Volterra integro-partial differential equations. This hybridization  is based on using both finite difference forward formal method for derivatives required for the formulation and then applying Block by Block method. The numerical solution of  examples and the comparison  with  the corresponding exact solution are performed and the results  revealed that the method gives  good accuracy and an efficiency of this hybridization

Supporting Ambulance Crews Electronically through the Provision of ‘On-Demand’ Patient Health Information

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) does not have direct access to any information regarding patient health history, current medication, allergies, etc. that might assist an ambulance crew when they are dispatched to an emergency incident. Therefore, an ambulance crew responding to a call-out usually travels to the incident ‘information blind’ regarding the patient’s general health status. What makes the ambulance service in general, and the ambulance crew in particular, unique from other healthcare organizations is the spectrum of exposure to a diversity of health organizations (care homes, GPs, hospitals, etc.), and none-health organizations (police, social services, fire forces,etc.). This thesis describes an investigation into the feasibility of implementing a software Information Broker (IB) prototype, that has the ability to provide ‘on-demand’ electronic health information to ambulance crews while on scene, by accessing a set of autonomous databases containing patient records. This is to support the ambulance crew with reliable patient information in order to assist their decision-making process, therefore, reduce unnecessary patients’ conveyance to the Emergency Department (ED). The thesis also examines the sociotechnical issues surrounding health information transfer between and within the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) for patients with epilepsy (PWE), specifically in the North East region of England. A case study approach was employed as an overarching framework for the feasibility study of the IB prototype. This case study was centred upon studying the needs of people with epilepsy (PWE), as this group has been identified by NEAS as frequent users of the ambulance service. In many cases, if the ambulance crew are given adequate information to support their decision-making, they do not need to convey patients to a hospital ED unless necessary. Within the case study, a phenomenological approach was employed for the set of perspectives used for investigating the sociotechnical issues surrounding the IB. The three perspectives were the perceptions of NEAS operational and management staff, those of the JCUH staff and PWE/carers, and finally, the perceptions of the ambulance crew. The prototype IB technology has demonstrated the feasibility of using an information transfer broker to transfer information from autonomous organizations to the ambulance crew on scene. Overcoming technical challenges alone is not sufficient for this success. Stakeholders’ requirements, organization collaboration, compliance with national standards and targets, social and technical aspects, and so forth, are other issues that have been considered. Involvement of potential stakeholders in stages of any Health and Information Technology (HIT) development is an essential element to be included, as much as possible, to satisfy those requirements and needs of end-users. Improving the data availability to the ambulance crews on scene via an IB, means that they can perform better decision-making while on scene with a patient. The demonstration of the IB prototype has shown its potential for transferring patient health information from an autonomous database to ambulance crews. To increase opportunities of success, shared incentives and aims of the intra- and inter-organizational communication and collaboration should facilitate the implementation of HIT. Facilitating incremental improvements of systems and technologies may have an effect on the organization as a whole in terms of robustness of systems and technologies

Permeability and Water Flow in Soils and Sediments

SECTION I Permeability and its measurements. (1) Permeability is defined as the property of a soil which allows the seepage of fluids through its interconnected void spaces. (2) The flow of water through soils is assumed to follow Darcy's law: Q/t = kA H/L where, k = the coefficient of permeability Q = the quantity of water flowing through the soil in time t L = the height of the soil sample A = the area of the cross-section through which the water flows H = the constant head of water (hydraulic head) operating over the height of the soil. (3) Laboratory measurements. The two most common laboratory methods for determining the coefficient of permeability of soils are the following: i) Constant head permeameter. In the constant head test the level of the water is kept constant by addition of water, ii) Variable head permeameter. In this test the level of the water does not remain constant because no water is added to the cylinder containing the sediment. (4) Field measurements. Soil permeability in the field can be measured when the water table is present and when its absent. 4.1 Water table present. Several methods are presently available for the determination of the coefficient of permeability in the field when the water table is present. In my thesis I discussed some of these methods, which are as follows: 4.1.1 Auger hole methods. 4.1.2 Well and pumping method. The determination of the coefficient of permeability is made when water flows through a surface area of 2nrH and when it flows through 2nd. 4.3.1 Multi-layer method. 4.2 Water table absent. Several methods are also available for the determination of the coefficient of permeability in the field when the water table is absent. Some of these methods are as follows: 4.2.1 Particle size method. 4.2.2 Shallow water pumping test. 4.2.4 Pond-Infiltration test. This test, which is an infiltration test over a large area, has been recommended and put into practice to avoid the problem of soil compression which is inherent in core samples. SECTION II Sediment properties influencing permeability. Permeability depends on the characteristics of the soil which are as follows: 1 Particle size. An increase in grain size results an increase in permeability. Two methods for determining the particle size parameters are outlined (I) Graphical analysis. (II) Algebraic analysis. 2 Particle shape. The coefficient of permeability decreases with increasing uniformity of the pore spaces. The effect of particle shape on porosity is discussed using Fraser's experiment. 3 Packing. Permeability is dependent on the packing arrangement, because the tighter the packing density of particles in the soil or sediment the lower its effective porosity and hence the lower its permeability. 4 Void ratio. The void ratio of soils and sediments has an important effect on permeability. When the volume of voids decreases, the permeability also decreases. 5 Composition. Soil composition is of limited importance in the permeability of some soil types such as silts, sands and gravels, but it is of major importance in clays. 6 Fabric. Fabric is one of the most important sediment properties influencing permeability, especially in finegrained soils. Soil samples which are in a flocculated state will have a higher permeability, while the ones in a more dispersed state will have a lower permeability. 7 Degree of saturation. The higher the degree of saturation, the higher the permeability. The relationship between degree of saturation, void ratio and water content have been algebraically solved and illustrated. 8 Biological effects. I have quoted some examples of these effects, such as the effects of intertidal burrowing invertebrates and micro-organisms. SECTION III Soil physics. 1 Water potential. Water is held in the soil against gravitational forces draining water out, or against evaporation of water from the surface of the soil. The energy with which water is held in a soil at any water content is called the water potential. Water flows from where the potential energy is high to where it is low. It moves constantly in the direction of decreasing potential energy. Water potential consists of pressure potential, solute potential and matric potential. The sum of the gravitational potential and the water potential gives the total water potential. 2 Steady state flow in horizontal and vertical direction. In steady state flow, flow characteristics do not change with time, although they may change with location. The rate of flow will depend on the rate of decrease of potential energy in a horizontal and vertical direction. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)