A structuralist approach to the study of the mosque: with reference to Cairo, Egypt.

The mosque plays an important role in nurturing the spiritual, intellectual and social aspects of the Muslim societies. It embraces these aspects not only as a building, but also as an institution considered by this study as a holistic system, which comprises subjective values and objective components. The mosque's responses to the ever evolving pressures facing Muslims have always been expressed through its ability to support the transformation of the social and cultural forces. The main contribution of this research is to introduce a new method of understanding the mosque and its role.The research adopted an approach which extended the General Systems Theory to the Theory of Structuralism, being a holistic epistemology that recognises the element of time in responding to the dynamic nature of the mosque. To implement this approach, a number of structuralism concepts are utilised, e.g. transformation, synchronic /diachronic views, surface structure /deep structure and the laws of composition underlying the concept of genotype /phenotype.Both methods of deduction and induction are used with the aim of building such understanding. The first part sets the theoretical model in two chapters. The first chapter learns from theories of Holism, General Systems Theory and Structuralism while the second introduces Islam as religion and addresses its principles and cultural values. Both chapters build the theoretical approach that is implemented to guide the research towards achieving its aims and objectives.The second part studies the mosque in the light of the theoretical model of part one, with particular reference to Cairo, the case study of the research. This is taking place into two chapters. The first explores into the origins of the mosque, studying its subjective and objective aspects at architectural and urban levels. The second chapter traces the transformation of these aspects within the Cairene Muslim society, through different historical eras.The third part of this research is inductive, and is dedicated to the empirical examination. The main objective of this part is to test people's perception of the role of the Cairene mosque, in the light of the studied theories. A qualitative open -ended questionnaire is designed, distributed, collected and analysed to accomplish this goal.The findings of the research emerge from both its theoretical and empirical aspects. Theoretically the findings are based on the philosophical discourse and Islamic principles. Empirically, the findings come from the open -ended survey. Therefore, the conclusion responded to the aim of the research in finding method of understanding the mosque and its role as an institution in nurturing all aspects of Muslim society; following its social transformation and maintaining its rules of composition. The genotype provides a set of rules controlling the reproduction of the mosque as an institution. The rules that form the genotype of the mosque relate to a hierarchy of three levels of forces underlying its designs. These are the eternal unchangeable principles, symbolic meanings and contextual transformations. These forces contribute to the genotype of the mosque to different degrees. The formulated structuralist model could be applied to other mosques elsewhere

Reinforcement larning in gaming

Mestrado em IPB-ESTGA inteligência artificial em videojogos é uma área de investigação de longa data. É um conceito importante em muitos jogos e estuda como utilizar tecnologias de IA para alcançar o desempenho a nível humano durante o jogo. No entanto, quando se trata de IA e videojogos, a Reinforcement Learning tem de ser mencionada. RL define os agentes que enfrentam os problemas que aprendem a tomar boas decisões apenas através da acção e observação. Este projecto centra-se na integração de um algoritmo de Machine Learning chamado Reinforcement Learning no desenvolvimento de um videojogo do género Tower Defense. O projeto foi desenvolvido pelo motor Unity3D que incorpora um agente que utiliza a técnica RL para simular o comportamento de um jogador humano e continuar a melhorá-lo, com base em experiências de jogo anteriores, até ser totalmente optimizado com uma pontuação imbatível pelo jogador médio. O agente irá imitar o comportamento de um humano, comprando, actualizando e colocando torres enquanto obtém a pontuação mais alta, utilizando o menor número de moedas. Além disso, o relatório irá também rever vários conceitos de Aprendizagem Automática, incluindo o Processo de Decisão de Markov e o Q-Learning.Artificial intelligence in video games is a longstanding research area. It is a major concept in a lot of games and it studies how to use AI technologies to achieve human-level performance when playing games. However, when it comes to AI and video games, Reinforcement Learning has to be mentioned. RL defines the problem-facing agents that learn to make good decisions through action and observation alone. This project focuses on integrating a Machine Learning algorithm called Reinforcement Learning in the development of a video game of the Tower Defense genre developed by the Unity3D engine that incorporates an agent that uses the RL technique to simulate the behavior of a human player and keep on improving it, based on previous game experiences, until it’s fully optimized with a score unbeatable by the average player. The agent will imitate the behavior of a human, buying, upgrading, and placing towers while getting the highest score by using the lowest number of currencies. Moreover, the report will also review several Machine Learning concepts, including Markov-Decision Process and Q-Learning

Efficiency of Personal and Administrative Skills for Managerial Leadership on Administrative Creativity at Najran University

This research aims to identify the level of personal skills and leadership management at the Najran University in Saudi Arabia. And the efficiency of those skills in administrative creativity. Research sample amounted (39) administrative leaders at Najran University. Researchers designed two questionnaires for measuring personal and administrative skills. First one aimed to measure personal skills& administrative skills consist of (30) statements divided into two Axis (personal skills16 statements - administrative skills 14 statements). The second one to measure administrative creativity of leadership consists of 21 statements. The most important results showed a high level of personal and administrative skills and medium level of administrative creativity to Najran University administrative leaders as well as a positive correlation between both personal and administrative variables and the level of administrative creativity. Keywords: skills, administrative creativit

Effect of Abutments Design on Wear of Locator Attachments in Implant Retained Mandibular Overdenture.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the effect of abutments design on wear behavior of Locator attachments in implant-retained mandibular overdenture. Materials and Methods: Two epoxy models representing an edentulous mandible were used, two implants were placed in each model. Twenty-four locator attachments were used (twelve in each study group). Cycles of Insertion and removal were performed using a universal testing machine resembling 3 years of clinical use, then each abutment was scanned by scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after insertion and removal cycles. Data were compared qualitatively using a specialized computer software Results: There was a statistically significant difference in wear between the two studied locator groups P=0000*. Locator F-TX showed 29±1.704 % of surface change. PEEKLOC. Locator showed 21±2.090 %of surface change. Conclusions: PEEKLoc. abutment design showed more wear resistance than the recently introduced Locator F-TX

AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA ON ADVERSE EFFECTS OF LINEZOLID IN MALE ALBINO RATS

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the adverse effects of linezolid (LZD) on biochemical and hematological parameters and some organsincluding bone marrow, brain, and kidneys and to investigate the possibility of methanolic extract of Phoenix dactylifera (MEPD) to counteract theadverse effects of LZD.Methods: Forty-eight adult male albino rats were allocated into four equal groups (each of 12 animals). The first group received Tween 80 orally. Thesecond group received was given 0.5 ml of LZD suspension 4% in Tween 80 (100 mg/kg body weight) orally. The third group received the same doseof LZD suspension followed by 1 ml of MEPD orally. The rats in the last group were given 1 ml of MEPD (1000 mg/kg body weight) orally. Rats weresacrificed and blood samples were collected for hematological and biochemical study. Femur bones, brain, and kidneys were dissected and kept in ajar containing 10% formalin to perform the histopathological investigation.Results: The dose of LZD administered for 14 successive days induced a mild-to-moderate hematological abnormalities including decrease inhemoglobin content (7.88±0.18 g/L) on day-1 post-treatment. Significant increase in serum urea (59.75±0.85) and serum creatinine was observed(1.89±0.04). On day-14 post-treatment, LZD induced mild-to-moderate cellular abnormalities in bone marrow, brain, and kidneys. The concurrentoral administration of MEPD and LZD for the same period corrected the hematological, biochemical, and histopathological alterations induced by LZD. Conclusion: It was concluded that MEPD clearly ameliorated these damaging effects induced by LZD

Comparative Study of the Mobile Learning Architectures

International audienceWith the emergence of mobile devices (Smart Phone, PDA, UMPC, game consoles, etc.), learning is changing from electronic learning (e-Learning) to mobile learning (m-learning). In fact, due to the mobility feature, it seems that the m-learning have to be adapted with the change within the context. Several researches addressed this issue and implemented a mobile learning environment to prove its usefulness and feasibility in various domains. In this article, we conduct a comparative study between a list of mobile learning architectures and methods that are presented in the literature. The performance of these architectures is evaluated based on several criteria, such as the adaptation management, which is an important parameter for the management and customization of the learning resources for the learners, as well as the environment, which is a core part of mobile learning systems

BILIARY DISEASE IN PREGNANCY: A DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA

This is a case report of a 37-year-old female who presented with deranged liver function tests, epigastric pain, fevers, vomiting, mild hypertension, and proteinuria in pregnancy. This was on a background of gestational diabetes, dyspepsia, and previous cholecystectomy. This case report highlights the importance of considering various causes of liver pathology during pregnancy besides those specifically associated with pregnancy, as well as the necessity of early specialist input to investigate symptomatic choledocholithiasis in pregnancy

Capability of the Invasive Tree Prosopis glandulosa Torr. to Remediate Soil Treated with Sewage Sludge

Sewage sludge improves agricultural soil and plant growth, but there are hazards associated with its use, including high metal(loid) contents. An experimental study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to examine the effects of sewage sludge on growth of the invasive tree Prosopis glandulosa, as well as to determine its phytoremediation capacity. Plants were established and grown for seven months along a gradient of sewage sludge content. Plant traits, soil properties, and plant and soil concentrations of N, P, K, Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Co, As, and Fe were recorded. The addition of sewage sludge led to a significant decrease in soil pH, and Ni, Co, and As concentrations, as well as an increase in soil organic matter and the concentrations of N, P, Cu, Zn, and Cr. Increasing sewage sludge content in the growth medium raised the total uptake of most metals by P. glandulosa plants due to higher biomass accumulation (taller plants with more leaves) and higher metal concentrations in the plant tissues. P. glandulosa concentrated more Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Fe in its below-ground biomass (BGB) than in its above-ground biomass (AGB). P. glandulosa concentrated Ni, Co, and As in both BGB and AGB. P. glandulosa has potential as a biotool for the phytoremediation of sewage sludges and sewage-amended soils in arid and semi-arid environments, with a potential accumulation capability for As in plant leaves

Reputed authenticated routing for ad hoc networks protocol (reputed-ARAN)

In this paper, we analyze one of the secure mobile ad hoc networks protocols, which is Authenticated routing for ad hoc networks (ARAN). Such protocol is classified as a secure reactive routing protocol, which is based on some type of query-reply dialog. That means ARAN does not attempt to continuously maintain the up-to-date topology of the network, but rather when there is a need, it invokes a function to find a route to the destination. Here, we detail how ARAN works, criticize how an authenticated misbehaving node can abuse the bandwidth and propose different solutions for this flaw in the protocol. 1

Inter-observer agreement of whole-body computed tomography in staging and response assessment in lymphoma : the lugano classification

Background: to assess inter-observer agreement of whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) in staging and response assessment in lymphoma according to the Lugano classification. Material/Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted of 115 consecutive patients with lymphomas (45 females, 70 males; mean age of 46 years). Patients underwent WBCT with a 64 multi-detector CT device for staging and response assessment after a complete course of chemotherapy. Image analysis was performed by 2 reviewers according to the Lugano classification for staging and response assessment. Results: The overall inter-observer agreement of WBCT in staging of lymphoma was excellent (k=0.90, percent agreement=94.9%). There was an excellent inter-observer agreement for stage I (k=0.93, percent agreement=96.4%), stage II (k=0.90, percent agreement=94.8%), stage III (k=0.89, percent agreement=94.6%) and stage IV (k=0.88, percent agreement=94%). The overall inter-observer agreement in response assessment after a completer course of treatment was excellent (k=0.91, percent agreement=95.8%). There was an excellent inter-observer agreement in progressive disease (k=0.94, percent agreement=97.1%), stable disease (k=0.90, percent agreement=95%), partial response (k=0.96, percent agreement=98.1%) and complete response (k=0.87, Percent agreement=93.3%). Conclusions: We concluded that WBCT is a reliable and reproducible imaging modality for staging and treatment assessment in lymphoma according to the Lugano classification