Integrating Building Functions into Massive External Walls

Well into the twentieth century, brick and stone were the materials used. Bricklaying and stonemasonry were the construction technologies employed for the exterior walls of virtually all major structures. However, with the rise in quality of life, the massive walls alone became incapable of fulfilling all the developed needs. Adjacent systems and layers had then to be attached to the massive layer. Nowadays, the external wall is usually composed of a layered construction. Each external wall function is usually represented by a separate layer or system. The massive layer of the wall is usually responsible for the load-bearing function. Traditional massive external walls vary in terms of their external appearance, their composition and attached layers. However, their design and construction process is usually a repeated process. It is a linear process where each discipline is concerned with a separate layer or system. These disciplines usually take their tasks away and bring them back to be re-integrated in a layered manner. New massive technologies with additional function have recently become available. Such technologies can provide the external wall with other functions in addition to its load-bearing function. The purpose of this research is to map the changes required to the traditional design and construction process when massive technologies with additional function are applied in external walls. Moreover, the research aims at assessing the performance of massive solutions with additional function when compared to traditional solutions in two different contexts, the Netherlands and Egypt. Through the analysis of different additional function technologies in external walls, a guidance scheme for different stakeholders is generated. It shows the expected process changes as related to the product level and customization level. Moreover, the research concludes that the performance of additional insulating technologies, and specifically Autoclaved Aerated Concrete can provide a better construction compared to the traditional external wall construction of the Netherlands and Egypt

Towards a child-centered juvenile justice system in Egypt: A situation analysis of law and practice

The past few decades have witnessed a growing global interest in formulating juvenile justice systems that can prevent juvenile delinquency as well as rehabilitate and reintegrate juvenile offenders. This research studies the Egyptian juvenile justice system, both in terms of its regulating law as well as its application, in light of global instruments and international requirements for the establishment of a comprehensive and rehabilitative juvenile justice system. The research is qualitative, uses observation and interviews with stakeholders involved in the administration of the juvenile justice system in Egypt. It offers a conceptual framework that builds on the internationally pronounced United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child’s 2007 core elements of a comprehensive policy of juvenile justice as well as a set of parameters informed by the 2006 UNICEF and UNODC measurement of the juvenile justice and the 2008 Violence Against Children in Conflict with the Law indicators. The research argues that while the Egyptian Child Law (2008) that regulates the juvenile justice system largely complies with the core elements of a sound and just juvenile justice system, its application does not necessarily reflect the same level of compliance. Indeed, while different official documents promote the establishment of a rehabilitative system, the current system is largely punitive, prioritizing public safety and youth offender accountability to human rights and youth development. The research calls for policy reform that promotes a more child centered juvenile justice system in the country

Molecular Modeling and in Silico Characterization of a Pathogenesis-Related Protein-10 (PR10) and its Coding Genes in some Oryza Species

يعد الأرز أحد الأطعمة الأساسية لأكثر من ثلثى سكان العالم مما يسترعى الإهتمام بالتحسينات الوراثية التى تزيد الكفأءة الحقلية لهذا المحصول الهام. و نظرا لقلة التباينات الوراثية فى الانواع المزروعة مقارنة بتلك الموجودة فى الأنواع الأخرى لجنس Oryza توجب الاهتمام بدراسة المحتوى الجينى لتلك الانواع الاخرى. تهدف هذه الدراسة الى وصف و توضيح أحد البروتينات المرتبطة بالآفات من المجموعة العاشرة (PR10) - لما لتلك المجموعة من أهمية فى مكافحة الإجهادات الحيوية و الغير الحيوية -  و كذلك الجينات الخاصة بها فى عدد من أنواع جنس Oryza (O. sativa, O.  barthii, O. glaberrima, O. glumipatula, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. rufipogon and  O. punctata.) بٍإستعمال التقنيات الحاسوبية. و قد كشفت الدراسة تنوععاً محدوداً لهذا البروتين و الجين الخاص به فى كافة الأنواع عدا O. glumipatula الذى أظهرت الدراسة إختلافاً تركيبياً فى البروتين موضوع الدراسة به مقارنةً بالبروتين ذاته فى الأنواع Oryza الأخرى. و تستوجب هذه النتائج الإهتمام بالمحتوى الجينى لهذا النوع لما قد يحمله من فائدة فى مواجهة الأنواع المختلفة من الإجهادات و التى تتطلب مزيداً من الدراسة للإستفادة منها فى برامج تربية الأرز.Rice is a major staple food for more than two thirds of the world population. Pathogenesis-related proteins-10 (PR10) have a range of 154 to 163 amino acid with molecular weight ~ 17 kDa.  They are acidic and generally intracellular and cytosolic proteins accumulate in plants in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, a PR10 gene and its corresponding protein were characterized in O. sativa, O.  barthii, O. glaberrima, O. glumipatula, O. meridionalis, O. nivara, O. rufipogon and  O. punctata. The results revealed a narrow range of variation at both DNA and protein levels in all examined species except O. glumipatula. The latter showed a relatively obvious structural variation at protein level. Such variation may be beneficial against different types of stress that requires further elucidation to exploit in rice breeding programs

Thresholds Optimization for One-Bit Feedback Multi-User Scheduling

We propose a new one-bit feedback scheme with scheduling decision based on the maximum expected weighted rate. We show the concavity of the $2$-user case and provide the optimal solution which achieves the maximum weighted rate of the users. For the general asymmetric M-user case, we provide a heuristic method to achieve the maximum expected weighted rate. We show that the sum rate of our proposed scheme is very close to the sum rate of the full channel state information case, which is the upper bound performance

An investigation into the current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in Libya

With the increase in energy demand and the international drive to reduce carbon emission from fossil fuel, there has been a drive in many oil-rich countries to diversify their energy portfolio and resources. Libya is currently interested in utilising its renewable energy resources in order to reduce the financial and energy dependency on oil reserves. This paper investigates the current utilisation and the future of renewable energy in Libya. Interviews have been conducted with managers, consultants and decision makers from different government organisations including energy policy makers, energy generation companies and major energy consumers. The results indicate that Libya is rich in renewable energy resources but in urgent need of a more comprehensive energy strategy and detailed implementation including reasonable financial and educational investment in the renewable energy sector

Comparison of serum cystatin C and creatinine based methods in detection of early renal dysfunction in critically ill patients

Early detection of renal dysfunction is of importance inthe care of critically ill patients. Cystatin C was proposedto be superior to serum creatinine in estimation of renal function. This work aimed to compare serum cystatin Cto serum creatinine and creatinine based formulae indetection of early decline in renal function at a singlepoint in critically ill patients. Fifty critically ill patientsadmitted to Cairo University Hospitals ICUs - Egypt wereincluded. Patients with chronic renal disease,thyroid disease, malignancy, patients receivingcorticosteroid therapy, with serum creatinine > 1.4 mg/dland patients receiving diuretics or large volumes of IVfluids were excluded. Serum creatinine, serum cystatinC, adjusted creatinine clearance (Adj Ccr), estimatedGFR (eGFR) by modification of diet in renal disease(MDRD), abbreviated MDRD (abb MDRD) andCockcroft-Gault (CG) formulae were measured. Patientswith renal dysfunction (adj Ccr < 80 ml/min/1.73m2)were 26 (52%) in number. Patients with renaldysfunction and high serum creatinine were 12/26(46.2%) while those with high cystatin C were 23/26(88.5%). Cystatin C was found to be significantlycorrelated with serum creatinine, adj Ccr and eGFR by all studied formulae. Using receiver operatingcharacteristic (ROC) analysis; AUC for Cystatin C(0.976) was more than that for eGFR by abb MDRD(AUC=0.839), MDRD (AUC=0.822), CG formulae(AUC=0.808) and serum creatinine (AUC=0.710)respectively. In conclusion; cystatin C was found to bebetter than serum creatinine, eGFR by abb MDRD,MDRD and CG formulae in detection of early renaldysfunction at a single point in critically ill patients