Designing The National Spatial Data Infrastructure For Jordan

Pembangunan pengumpulan data ruang (spatial) dan penggunaanya memainkan peranan penting dalam perjalanan aktiviti pembangunan infrastruktur data ruang (SDIs). SDI terdiri daripada teknologi, piawaian dan polisi (i.e. kerangka kerja berinstitusi), sumber manusia (i.e. orang) dan prosedur organisasi untuk memperoleh, menyimpan, memproses, mengagihkan dan mempertingkatkan penggunaan maklumat geo-ruang. Dalam memperkuatkan pembangunan dan liabiliti maklumat data ruang, status pembangunan SDI negara lain amat perlu diketahui. Terdapat banyak agensi awam dan swasta di Jordan yang memberi tumpuan kepada pengeluaran, penggunaan dan perkongsian data ruang bagi memenuhi keperluan komuniti geo-maklumat. Jordan tidak mempunyai kerangka kerja organisasi, dan terdapat lowong institusi terhadap tanggungjawab kepimpinan berkenaan GIS. Kebanyakan organisasi lebih gemar menubuhkan jawatankuasa GIS nasional yang bebas dengan memberikan kuasa, akauntabiliti, dan mandat sah kepada jawatankuasa tersebut dalam pengurusan kerja GIS seluruh negara. Namun demikian, akan terdapat beberapa cabaran untuk NSDI di Jordan seperti isu saling kendali, kurang dana, dokumentasi data, pembangunan polisi ke atas perkongsian data dan strategi nasional. Oleh kerana NSDI tidak serupa di seluruh dunia (Cetl, Roić, et al., 2009) maka adalah penting untuk Jordan membangunkan strategi nasional secara tersendiri. Sebaliknya, terdapat banyak kebaikan seperti menghalang duplikasi data ruang, menghapus keterulangan data ruang, meningkatkan kolaborasi di kalangan organisasi dan memperbaiki pembangunan ekonomi jabatan peringkat yang berlainan. Dalam menghasilkan strategi infrastruktur data ruang (NSDI), langkah pertama ialah kesedaran bahawa persekitaran kerja merangkumi pelbagai jenis pengguna yang memerlukan taraf kefungsian dan capaian data ruang yang berbeza. Langkah kedua ditumpukan kepada kerjasama dan koordinasi yang akan memainkan peranan yang berkesan dalam setiap organisasi. Tidak ada organisasi yang boleh memperbaiki atau menyediakan NSDI sendiri kecuali ia saling berkerjasama diantara pelbagai institusi, organisasi kerajaan, sektor awam dan swasta dalam menjayakan perlaksanaan sistem NSDI yang berjaya. Jordan menggunakan dua sistem koordinat iaitu datum ‘Palestin 1923’ dengan unjuran Cassini-Soldner (CASS), dan unjuran terkini iaitu ‘Jordan Transverse Mercator’ (JTM). Sistem unjuran JTM adalah berdasarkan kepada datum ‘International Hayford 1927’. Jabatan Tanah dan Ukur (DLS) bertanggungjawab menguruskan peta kadastral Jordan. Peta unjuran Cassini-Soldner merangkumi 17% Jordan dan peta unjuran JTM merangkumi kawasan-kawasan lain dalam negara Jordan. Sebahagian daripada kajian ini membuat perbandingan sistem unjuran CASS dengan JTM dalam usaha mencari kerangka rujukan yang boleh menyokong pembangunan infrastruktur data ruang (SDI) di Jordan. Dalam proses pelarasan transformasi afin menggunakan perisian ArcGIS, yang menukar unjuran CASS kepada kepada JTM, hasil yang diperolehi adalah pada ketepatan 10cm. Keputusan tersebut telah memberi dorongan kepada potensi peralihan kesemua peta dari unjuran CASS ke JTM. Menurut kajian ini juga, perselisihan di antara organisasi boleh dihapuskan apabila unjuran JTM digunakan sebagai sistem rujukan standard di Jordan. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Developments in spatial data collection and usage play a pivotal role in developmental activities that perform Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). SDI consist of the technologies, standards, policies (i.e. institutional frameworks), human resources (i.e. people) and organizational procedures to obtain store, process, distribute, and enhance the utilization of geospatial information. Knowing the SDI development status of other countries is essential to intensify the development and liability of spatial data information. In Jordan, there are many agencies, both public and private, that are concerned with spatial data production, use and sharing to meet the needs of the geo-information community. Jordan has no organizational framework, and there is an institutional void in leadership responsibility with regard to GIS. Most organizations prefer to create an independent national GIS committee and provide the committee authority, accountability, and legal mandate to manage all GIS works throughout the country. However, there are several challenges that NSDI might face in Jordan, such as interoperability issues, lack of funding, documentation of data, development of policies on data sharing, and national strategy. Since NSDIs are not identical worldwide (Cetl, Roić, et al., 2009), therefore it is important for Jordan to develops its own national strategy. On the other hand, there are many advantages like barring the duplication of spatial data, eliminating the redundancy of spatial data, raising the collaboration among organizations and different departments, improving the economic development at different levels. In creating the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) strategy, the first step is the awareness on the fact that most environments have various kinds of users who require different levels of functionality and access to spatial data. The second step is focus on the cooperation and coordination that play significant roles in each organization. No organization is able to improve or establish NSDI by itself unless it cooperates between various institutions, governmental organizations, public and private sectors that will lead to successful establishment of NSDI system. Jordan uses two coordinate systems namely the Palestine 1923 Datum, Cassini-Soldner projection (CASS), and the recent “Jordan Transverse Mercator” (JTM). The JTM Projection System is based on the “International Hayford 1927” Datum. The Department of Land and Survey (DLS) is responsible for managing the cadastral maps of Jordan. Maps in the Cassini-Soldner projection cover 17% of Jordan and maps in the JTM projection cover the rest of the country. Part of the study compares CASS with JTM projection system in Jordan in the effort to adopt suitable reference frame that supports the development of SDI in Jordan. In the affine adjustment process that transformed CASS projection to JTM in ArcGIS software, the result produces an accuracy of approximately 10cm. The result inspires the potentiality to transfer of all maps from CASS to JTM. Likewise, the study has shown that the discrepancies between organizations can be eliminated using the JTM projection as the standard reference system in Jordan

Comparison between the calculated and measured dose distributions for four beams of 6 MeV linac in a human-equivalent phantom

Radiation dose distributions in various parts of the body are of importance in radiotherapy. Also, the percent depth dose at different body depths is an important parameter in radiation therapy applications. Monte Carlo simulation techniques are the most accurate methods for such purposes. Monte Carlo computer calculations of photon spectra and the dose ratios at surfaces and in some internal organs of a human equivalent phantom were performed. In the present paper, dose distributions in different organs during bladder radiotherapy by 6 MeV X-rays were measured using thermoluminescence dosimetry placed at different points in the human-phantom. The phantom was irradiated in exactly the same manner as in actual bladder radiotherapy. Four treatment fields were considered to maximize the dose at the center of the target and minimize it at non-target healthy organs. All experimental setup information was fed to the MCNP-4b code to calculate dose distributions at selected points inside the proposed phantom. Percent depth dose distribution was performed. Also, the absorbed dose as ratios relative to the original beam in the surrounding organs was calculated by MCNP-4b and measured by thermoluminescence dosimetry. Both measured and calculated data were compared. Results indicate good agreement between calculated and measured data inside the phantom. Comparison between MCNP-4b calculations and measurements of depth dose distribution indicated good agreement between both

Plasmons Enhancing Sub-Bandgap Photoconductivity in TiO<inf>2</inf> Nanoparticles Film

The coupling between sub-bandgap defect states and surface plasmon resonances in Au nanoparticles and its effects on the photoconductivity performance of TiO2 are investigated in both the ultraviolet (UV) and visible spectrum. Incorporating a 2 nm gold nanoparticle layer in the photodetector device architecture creates additional trapping pathways, resulting in a faster current decay under UV illumination and a significant enhancement in the visible photocurrent of TiO2, with an 8-fold enhancement of the defects-related photocurrent. We show that hot electron injection (HEI) and plasmonic resonance energy transfer (PRET) jointly contribute to the observed photoconductivity enhancement. In addition to shedding light on the below-band-edge photoconductivity of TiO2, our work provides insight into new methods to probe and examine the surface defects of metal oxide semiconductors using plasmonic resonances

External quality assessment of the molecular diagnostics and genotyping of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Two multicentre external quality assessments (EQA) for the molecular detection and genotyping of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were arranged. Firstly, 11 samples containing various amounts of inactivated MRSA strains, meticillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), meticillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) or Escherichia coli were distributed to 82 laboratories. Samples containing 102 or 103 MRSA cells were correctly scored in only 16 and 46% of the datasets returned, respectively. Two of the used MSSA strains contained an SCCmec cassette lacking the mecA gene. There was a marked difference in the percentage of correct results for these two MSSA strains (37 and 39%) compared to the MSSA strain lacking the SCCmec cassette (88%). Secondly, a panel for MRSA genotyping, consisting of ten samples (two identical, three genetically related and five unique strains) was distributed to 19 laboratories. Seventy-three percent of the datasets recorded all samples correctly. Most pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) protocols proved to be suboptimal, resulting in inferior resolution in the higher or lower fragment regions. The performance of molecular diagnostics for MRSA shows no significant changes since our first EQA in 2006. The first molecular typing results are encouraging. Both assessments indicate that programme expansion is required and that major performance discrepancies continue to exist

Revolutionizing heat recovery in shell-and-tube latent heat storage systems: an arc-shaped fin approach

Strengthening the thermal response of Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) is an essential and active field of research with promising potential for advanced applications such as solar energy storage, building energy conservation, and thermal management in electronic devices. This article evaluates the efficacy of a new arc-shaped fin array in shell-and-tube heat storage systems to enhance the PCM response during the discharge mode. Different fin geometric parameters including the fin curvature angle, the fin spacing, and the nonuniform angle between fins in the top and bottom sections of the PCM domain were considered to identify the best-performing layout. The analysis shows that increasing the curvature of arc-shaped fins between 60° and 180° and increasing the fin spacing between 5 and 15 mm can significantly reduce solidifying time and improve heat recovery rates. Moreover, the arc-shaped fins are more efficient than conventional longitudinal (+-shaped) fins, which are commonly employed in thermal energy storage applications. Arc-shaped fins can also save discharge time by more than half and improve the rate of heat recovery by almost four times than that of + -shaped fins. The present findings suggest that arc-shaped fins represent a promising design for enhancing the heat-recovery aspects in PCM-based energy storage systems

Using artificial intelligence to improve body iron quantification: A scoping review

This scoping review explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of disorders related to body iron levels. A systematic search was performed to identify studies that utilize machine learning in iron-related disorders. The search revealed a wide range of machine learning algorithms used by different studies. Notably, most studies used a single data type. The studies varied in terms of sample sizes, participant ages, and geographical locations. AI's role in quantifying iron concentration is still in its early stages, yet its potential is significant. The question is whether AI-based diagnostic biomarkers can offer innovative approaches for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring of iron overload and anemia.Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Evaluation of T-Shaped Fins With a Novel Layout for Improved Melting in a Triple-Tube Heat Storage System

The effects of T-shaped fins on the improvement of phase change materials (PCM) melting are numerically investigated in vertical triple-tube storage containment. The PCM is held in the middle pipe of a triple-pipe heat exchanger while the heat transfer fluid flows through the internal and external pipes. The dimension effects of the T-shaped fins on the melting process of the PCM are investigated to determine the optimum case. Results indicate that while using T-shaped fins improves the melting performance of the PCM, the improvement potential is mainly governed by the fin’s body rather than the head. Hence, the proposed T-shaped fin did not noticeably improve melting at the bottom of the PCM domain; additionally, a flat fin is added to the optimal case (Added-Fin case) and compared to the No-Fin, Uniform-Fin, and Optimum T-shaped Fin cases (no added fin). The analysis shows that the total heat storage rate of the Added-Fin case increased by 141.7%, 58.8%, and 47.6% compared with the No-Fin, Uniform-Fin, and the Optimum T-shaped Fin cases, respectively. Furthermore, the total melting time for the Added-Fin case was 1882 s and decreased by 59.6%, 38.4%, and 33.6% compared with those of the No-Fin, Uniform-Fin, and the Optimum T-shaped Fin (Optimum) cases, respectively

Cten Is Targeted by Kras Signalling to Regulate Cell Motility in the Colon and Pancreas

CTEN/TNS4 is an oncogene in colorectal cancer (CRC) which enhances cell motility although the mechanism of Cten regulation is unknown. We found an association between high Cten expression and KRAS/BRAF mutation in a series of CRC cell lines (p = 0.03) and hypothesised that Kras may regulate Cten. To test this, Kras was knocked-down (using small interfering (si)RNA) in CRC cell lines SW620 and DLD1 (high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In each cell line, Kras knockdown was mirrored by down-regulation of Cten Since Kras signals through Braf, we tested the effect of Kras knockdown in CRC cell line Colo205 (which shows high Cten expression and is mutant for BRAF but wild type for KRAS). Cten levels were unaffected by Kras knockdown whilst Braf knockdown resulted in reduced Cten expression suggesting that Kras signals via Braf to regulate Cten. Quantification of Cten mRNA and protein analysis following proteasome inhibition suggested that regulation was of Cten transcription. Kras knockdown inhibited cell motility. To test whether this could be mediated through Cten, SW620 cells were co-transfected with Kras specific siRNAs and a Cten expression vector. Restoring Cten expression was able to restore cell motility despite Kras knockdown (transwell migration and wounding assay, p<0.001 for both). Since KRAS is mutated in many cancers, we investigated whether this relationship could be demonstrated in other tumour models. The experiments were repeated in the pancreatic cancer cell lines Colo357 & PSN-1(both high Cten expressors and mutant for KRAS). In both cell lines, Kras was shown to regulate Cten and forced expression of Cten was able to rescue loss of cell motility following Kras knockdown in PSN-1 (transwell migration assay, p<0.001). We conclude that, in the colon and pancreas, Cten is a downstream target of Kras and may be a mechanism through which Kras regulates of cell motility