Measurement of Heat Transfer Rates of Polypropylene and Cotton Nonwoven Fabrics via Thermal Conduction

Industrial textiles are widely being used for different simple and complex applications. Two samples of nonwoven fabrics were used in this study to assess their ability to transfer heat. They were made of polypropylene and carded cotton web. A simple model consisting of three 1×1 m2 brick rooms was used having two of them being coated from inside by the samples using a polymeric adhesive. The third room was left blank. The outdoors and the conjugated indoors temperature degrees, at different periods of time during the day, were measured and recorded. A mathematical correlation was carried out. The samples showed delayed heat transfer rates compared to the untreated room, which indicates better insulation properties. On the other hand the cotton carded web fabric was even better than the polypropylene fabric

Distribution of heavy metals around the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates

© 2017, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy was used to measure the concentrations of heavy metals in 58 samples collected from the Barakah nuclear power plant (BNPP) area, UAE. The grain size distribution was symmetric, but the samples ranged from fine to coarse sand. The inverse relationship between grain size and heavy metal contaminations was validated. The pre-operational average heavy metal contaminations around the BNPP were 0.03, 0.40, 1.2, 2.05, 1.66, 1.6, 5.9, 7.3, 7, 8.8, 60, and 2521 ppm for Cd, Mo, Co, Cu, Pb, As, Zn, Ni, V, Cr, Mn, and Fe, respectively. The spatial distribution was more compact in the south compared to the north, with less severe contaminations in the east and west. The negative geoaccumulation indices suggest an uncontaminated area, and the BNPP has minor enrichments. All concentrations were significantly below the safe limits set by the Dutch guidelines. The levels of heavy metals reported in the UAE were lower than levels reported in countries around the world

Effect of vitamin D replacement on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a randomised controlled trial in pregnant women with hypovitaminosis D. A protocol

Introduction: The vitamin D recommended doses during pregnancy differ between societies. The WHO guidelines do not recommend routine prenatal supplementation, but they underscore the fact that women with the lowest levels may benefit most. The effects of routine supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal clinical outcomes have not been investigated in the Middle East, where hypovitaminosis D is prevalent. Our hypothesis is that in Middle Eastern pregnant women, a vitamin D dose of 3000?IU/day is required to reach a desirable maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level, and to positively impact infant bone mineral content (BMC).Methods and analysis: This is a multicentre blinded randomised controlled trial. Pregnant women presenting to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology clinics will be approached. Eligible women will be randomised to daily equivalent doses of cholecalciferol, 600?IU or 3000?IU, from 15 to 18?weeks gestation until delivery. Maternal 25(OH)D and chemistries will be assessed at study entry, during the third trimester and at delivery. Neonatal anthropometric variables and 25(OH)D level will be measured at birth, and bone and fat mass assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan at 1?month. A sample size of 280 pregnant women is needed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the proportion of women reaching a 25(OH)D level ?50?nmol/L at delivery, and a difference in infant BMC of 6 (10)g, for a 90% power and a 2.5% level of significance. The proportions of women achieving a target 25(OH)D level will be compared between the two arms, using ?2. An independent t test will be used to compare mean infant BMC between the two arms. The primary analysis is an intention-to-treat analysis of unadjusted results.Ethics and dissemination: The protocol has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at the American University of Beirut-Lebanon (IM.GEHF.22). The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed medical journals and presented at scientific conferences.Trial registration number: NCT02434380.<br/

Criminal Violence in Libya: A Descriptive, Autopsy-Based Study of Deaths by Firearms in Tripoli

Abstract The uprisings in some Arab states during the past several years developed into armed conflicts. Therefore, the incidence of violent crimes has become more common with no reliable data on their patterns. The present study aimed to estimate the magnitude of that problem by studying the frequency and pattern of firearm deaths in Tripoli, Libya. A retrospective descriptive study of autopsy cases of firearm deaths was conducted. The data was retrieved from medico-legal reports of cases that were referred to the Forensic Medicine Department of the Judicial Expertise and Research Center, Ministry of justice, Tripoli, Libya during two years from the 1st of January 2014 to the end of December 2015. Structured data sheets were produced. Out of 4,342 unnatural deaths that were autopsied, 774 cases (17.82 %) were due to firearms. Males were commonly targeted. The mean age of victims was 31.7 ± 11 years with significant predominance in the middle age group. Incidence of firearm deaths in non-Libyans increased in 2015 to 8.5%. Homicidal cases represented 92.12% of cases. There was a significant relationship between manner of firing and sex (p ≤ 0.001). In 95.9% of cases, the firing was from a far range. Rifled weapons were used in 98.32% of cases. Head and neck were targeted in 30.8% of cases. There is a high incidence of illegal firearm use and firearm related deaths in Libya. Societal and international efforts are needed to decrease the illicit use and trafficking of such weapons

3D Seismic Structural Analysis and Basin Modeling of the Matruh Basin, Western Desert, Egypt

In order to evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the Matruh Basin, North Western Desert of Egypt, the tectonic history, basin analysis, and maturity modeling of the Albian-Cenomanian Formations of the Matruh Basin were investigated using well logs and 3D seismic data. Structural analysis of the tops of the Bahariya, Kharita, and Alamein Dolomite Formations reveals them to dip to the southeast. Burial history and subsidence curves show that the basin experienced a tectonic subsidence through the Middle-Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous times. Thermal maturity models indicated that Cenomanian clastics of the Bahariya Formation are in the early mature stage in the east portions of the area, increasing to the mid maturity level in the southwestern parts. On the other hand, the Albian Kharita Formation exhibits a mid maturation level in the most parts of the area. The petroleum system of the Matruh Basin includes a generative (charge) subsystem with Middle Jurassic and Cenomanian sources (for oil/gas) and Turonian sources (for oil), with peak generation from Turonian to Eocene, and a migration-entrapment subsystem including expulsion and migration during Early Tertiary to Miocene into structures formed from Late Cretaceous to Eocene

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and microbiome profile of patients in a referral gastrointestinal diseases centre in the Sudan

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne’s disease in animals with zoonotic potential; it has been linked to many chronic diseases in humans, especially gastrointestinal diseases (GID). MAP has been extensively studied in Europe and America, but little reports were published from Africa. Sudan is a unique country with close contact between humans and livestock. Despite such interaction, the one health concept is neglected in dealing with cases of humans with GID. In this study, patients admitted to the reference GID hospital in the Sudan over a period of 8 months were screened for presence of MAP in their faeces or colonic biopsies. A total of 86 patients were recruited for this study, but only 67 were screened for MAP, as 19 did not provide the necessary samples for analysis. Both real-time PCR and culture were used to detect MAP in the collected samples and the microbial diversity in patients´ faecal samples was investigated using 16S rDNA nanopore sequencing. In total, 27 (40.3%) patients were MAP positive: they were 15 males and 12 females, of ages between 21 and 80 years. Logistic regression analysis revealed no statistical significance for all tested variables in MAP positive patients (occupation, gender, contact with animal, milk consumption, chronic disease, etc.). A unique microbiome profile of MAP-positive patients in comparison to MAP-negative was found. These findings suggest that a considerable proportion of the population could be MAP infected or carriers. Therefore, increase awareness at community level is urgently needed to decrease the risk of MAP at human/animal interface. This study represents the first report of MAP in humans in the Sudan; nevertheless, a better view of the situation of MAP in humans in the country requires a larger study including patients with other conditions.Additional co-authors: Ahmad Amanzada, Kamal H. Eltom , ElSagad Eltaye

Kinematic and thermal evolution of the Moroccan rifted continental margin: Doukkala-High Atlas Transect

The Atlantic passive margin of Morocco developed during Mesozoic times in association with the opening of the Central Atlantic and the Alpine Tethys. Extensional basins formed along the future continental margin and in the Atlas rift system. In Alpine times, this system was inverted to form the High and Middle Atlas fold-and-thrust belts. To provide a quantitative kinematic analysis of the evolution of the rifted margin, we present a crustal section crossing the Atlantic margin in the region of the Doukkala Basin, the Meseta and the Atlas system. We construct a post-rift upper crustal section compensating for Tertiary to present vertical movements and horizontal deformations, and we conduct numerical modeling to test quantitative relations between amounts and distribution of thinning and related vertical movements. Rifting along the transect began in the Late Triassic and ended with the appearance of oceanic crust at 175 Ma. Subsidence, possibly related to crustal thinning, continued in the Atlas rift in the Middle Jurassic. The numerical models confirm that the margin experienced a polyphase rifting history. The lithosphere along the transect preserved some strength throughout rifting with the Effective Elastic Thickness corresponding to an isotherm of 450°C. A mid-crustal level of necking of 15 km characterized the pre-rift lithosphere. © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union