Talking Titler: Evolutionary and Self-Adaptive Land Tenure Information System Development

Conventional land registration systems often do not produce the desired results in uncertain land tenure situations such as peri-urban areas in developing world cities, post-conflict situations, land restitution claims and aboriginal land systems. In the Talking Titler system, flexibility in creating relationships between people and between people and their interests in land has been the primary design feature. It is a tool for prototyping different designs and for developing land tenure information systems usung evolutionary strategies. The methodology was originally conceived in urban informal settlement upgrade projects and land reform and land restitution projects in South Africa in the 1990’s. In recent years, the concepts have been tested through interviews with aboriginal peoples groups in Canada, field trials and an initial implementation in land regularization in Nigeria, and a land administration study in Somaliland. The paper overviews the conceptual design of the system, how the design was formulated, testing of the system, and current development. The paper concludes by overviewing an initial design and testing with  evolutionary database development and self-adapting software using an extensible markup language (XML) database to reduce the human input into system changes as it evolves

Study the effect of adding vulcanized rubber powder on the mechanical properties and fire retardant of polyurethane Sealant.

The polyurethane Sealant (TRITOSIL H10 PU) mechanical and combustion characteristics were examined in this study as a function of the weight ratio of tire rubber powder (waste), with a particle volume of (150 μm). Elongation, tensile strength, Young's modulus, compressive strength, and rate of burning time were a few of the characteristics examined. The results showed that adding filler decreases the spaces between the chains of polymer, reflecting the polymer's high ability to withstand the stress imposed on it, that the degree of homogeneity between each of the fillers and polymers is high, and that increasing the percentage of fillers gives the prepared models a slight increase in hardness at a percentage increase (25%). Based on research into combustion resistance, The results of the experiments showed that increasing the amount of used filler has a positive impact on heat diffusion through the polymeric matrix and flame resistance. The use of filler as a filler has an impact on the properties of the polyurethane polymer, which has high mechanical properties. This increases tensile strength, which makes it appropriate to cover the flooring of indoor playgrounds, kids' playrooms, and other spaces. &nbsp

Experimental performance of R134a filled thermosyphon heat pipe heat exchanger using plain and rifled tubes

Heat pipe technology becomes popular in waste heat recovery applications and in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in recent years, especially in increasing the dehumidification efficiency and cooling capacity of the cooling coil especially in warm-climate countries. An experimental study was carried out on air-to-air thermosyphon heat pipe heat exchanger (THPHE) filled with R134a as the working fluid and a fill ratio of 60% of the evaporator volume. Two configurations were tested; plain and grooved (rifled) inner surface THPHE. For each THPHE module, the lengths of the evaporator and condenser sections were 300 mm and the central adiabatic section was 100 mm. There were 6 rows of 48 copper tubes with 12 mm outside diameter. Aluminum wavy plate fins were fixed between the tubes to increase the heat transfer area. A test rig was set up to study the thermal performance of the THPHE, different sets of experiments were carried out by varying the heat load as well as the mass flow rate inlet to evaporator section of the heat exchanger; the two THPHEs were examined under low temperature (30-60ᴼC) operating conditions. Four evaporator section air face velocities namely, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 m/s were tested while ambient air flowed through condenser section with air face velocity controlled at 1.5 m/s. The results shows that the THPHE effectiveness values are shown to vary with the evaporator inlet temperature and mass flow rates. Also, the inner grooved THPHE showed a significant effect on increasing the thermal performance of the heat exchanger as compared with the plain inner surface THPHE.This work was funded by the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHER) and Brunel University. The heat pipe heat exchanger was manufactured by S & P Coils Limited

Theoretical Study of the Electronic Properties of The Curcumin Molecule: Using Density Functional Theory

يهدف البحث الى دراسة الخواص الالكترونية لجزيئة الكركمين والتي توجد في صيغتين أيزوميريتين صيغة الكيتون والأينول وتأثير أستخدام دوال أساس مختلفة من خلال الاعتماد على نظرية دالية الكثافة عند المستوي B3LYP. أنتقال ذرة الهيدروجين من مجموعة الميثيلين المركزية(CH2)  لترتبط بذرة الأوكسجين حتى تشكل أصرة هيدروجينية(O H)  يسبب تغيرات هندسية في شكل الأيزوميرين, حيث شكل الأينول هي تركيب خطي   تقريبا ولكن شكل الكيتون ليس خطي تماما. الدالة 6-311G+(d,p) أعطت نتائج مقنعة للحسابات. كذلك حسابات كل من الطاقة الكلية و طاقة أعلى مدار جزيئي ممتلئ وفجوة الطاقة أكدت أن الكيتون هو الأكثر أستقرارا من الأينول. وأيضا الكيتون لديه قابلية عالية لقبول الألكترونات كما ثبت من خلال قيم كل من طاقة أوطأ مدار جزيئي غير ممتلئ وجهد التأين والألفة الألكترونية و الكهروسالبية.This search aims to study electronic properties of the curcumin moleculewhich exist in two isomers, ketone and enol forms, and the effect of usingdifferent basis setsby relying on density functions theory (DFT) at B3LYP level. The hydrogen atom transfer from the central methylene (CH2) group to an oxygen atom to form strong intra-molecular hydrogen (O H) bond causes geometrical changes in two isomers; where the enol form is structure approximately planar but not completely planar for the ketone form.The results showed that the 6-311G+(d,p) basis set gave sat- isfactory results for calculations. As well as the findings of each of the total energy, the energy of the high occupied molecular orbital and energy gap confirm that the isomer ketone is more stable than isomer enol. Also the ketone has a high electron-accepting, as was proven by the values of the energy of lower unoccupied molecular orbital,ionization potential, electron affinity and electronegativity

The association between conditioned pain modulation and manipulation induced analgesia in people with lateral epicondylalgia

Objectives: Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) and Manipulation Induced Analgesia (MIA) may activate similar neurophysiological mechanisms to mediate their analgesic effects. This study assessed the association between CPM and MIA responses in people with lateral epicondylalgia (LE). Methods: Seventy participants with LE were assessed for CPM followed by MIA. A single assessor measured pressure pain thresholds (PPT) before, during, and after cold water immersion (10°C) of the asymptomatic hand and contralateral lateral glide (CLG) mobilization of the neck. For analyses, linear mixed models evaluated differences in CPM and MIA responses. Pearson partial correlations and regression analyses evaluated the association between CPM and MIA PPT. Results: There was a significant increase (CPM and MIA p<0.001) in PPT from baseline during the interventions (CPM mean 195.84 kPa elbow and 201.87 kPa wrist. MIA mean 123.01 kPa elbow 126.06 kPa wrist) and post the interventions (CPM mean 126.06 kPa elbow, 114.24 kPa wrist, MIA mean 123.50 kPa elbow, 122.16 kPa wrist). There were also significant moderate and positive partial linear correlations (r: 0.40–0.54, p<0.001) between CPM and MIA measures, controlling for baseline measures. Regression analyses showed that CPM PPT was a significant predictor of MIA PPT (p<0.001) and the models explained between 73% and 85% of the variance in MIA PPT. Discussion: This study showed that CPM and MIA responses were significantly correlated and that the CPM response was a significant predictor of MIA response

An association between Helicobacter pylori infection and cognitive function in children at early school age: a community-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>H. pylori </it>infection has been linked to iron deficiency anemia, a risk factor of diminished cognitive development. The hypothesis on an association between <it>H. pylori </it>infection and cognitive function was examined in healthy children, independently of socioeconomic and nutritional factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A community-based study was conducted among 200 children aged 6-9 years, from different socioeconomic background. <it>H. pylori </it>infection was examined by an ELISA kit for detection of <it>H. pylori </it>antigen in stool samples. Cognitive function of the children was blindly assessed using Stanford-Benit test 5^thedition, yielding IQ scores. Data on socioeconomic factors and nutritional covariates were collected through maternal interviews and from medical records. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to obtain adjusted beta coefficients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>H. pylori </it>infection was associated with lower IQ scores only in children from a relatively higher socioeconomic community; adjusted beta coefficient -6.1 (95% CI -11.4, -0.8) (P = 0.02) for full-scale IQ score, -6.0 (95% CI -11.1, -0.2) (P = 0.04) for non-verbal IQ score and -5.7 (95% CI -10.8, -0.6) (P = 0.02) for verbal IQ score, after controlling for potential confounders.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>H. pylori </it>infection might be negatively involved in cognitive development at early school age. Further studies in other populations with larger samples are needed to confirm this novel finding.</p

Structural and biochemical evaluation of bisubstrate inhibitors of protein arginine N-methyltransferases PRMT1 and CARM1 (PRMT4)

Attenuating the function of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) is an objective for the investigation and treatment of several diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Bisubstrate inhibitors that simultaneously target binding sites for arginine substrate and the co-factor (S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)) have potential utility, but structural information on their binding is required for their development. Evaluation of bisubstrate inhibitors featuring an isosteric guanidine replacement with two prominent enzymes PRMT1 and CARM1 (PRMT4) by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), activity assays and crystallography are reported. Key findings are that 2-aminopyridine is a viable replacement for guanidine, providing an inhibitor that binds more strongly to CARM1 than PRMT1. Moreover, a residue around the active site that differs between CARM1 (Asn-265) and PRMT1 (Tyr-160) is identified that affects the side chain conformation of the catalytically important neighbouring glutamate in the crystal structures. Mutagenesis data supports its contribution to the difference in binding observed for this inhibitor. Structures of CARM1 in complex with a range of seven inhibitors reveal the binding modes and show that inhibitors with an amino acid terminus adopt a single conformation whereas the electron density for equivalent amine-bearing inhibitors is consistent with preferential binding in two conformations. These findings inform the molecular basis of CARM1 ligand binding and identify differences between CARM1 and PRMT1 that can inform drug discovery efforts

Application of Vertical Electrical Sounding for Delineation of Sea Water Intrusion into the Freshwater Aquifer of Southern Governorates of Gaza Strip, Palestine

Abstract Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) proved to be an important tool for mapping the freshwater-saltwater interface. Seawater intrusion is serious problem especially in coastal areas. 14 Vertical electrical soundings with Schlumberger array were carried out (perpendicular to the coast) in southern part of the coastal aquifer in Gaza Strip (Khan Younis and Rafah Governorates) to study the subsurface geologic formation and delineation of seawater intrusion into freshwater aquifer. Lithology and hydrochemistry data from 12 bore holes were used to integrate the results. The results reveals that 50% of the total sounding are interpreted of 3 layer modes, while the other 50% are of 4 layers model. Interpreted 2D geoelectrical models (in two cross sections parallel to the coast line) showed that seawater intrusion with electrical resistivity less than 2Ωm is dominant along the section parallel to coast line at 400m east of it and for shallow depths (3-10m depth), while in the other section (1000m) east of the coast line seawater intrusion is detected in some places while the other parts still have brackish/fresh groundwater with resistivity more than 10Ωm at different depths (26-50m). ملخص: اثبتت طريقة المقاومة الكهربائية العمودية (VES) &nbsp;فعاليتها فى تحديد الحدود الفاصلة بين المياه العذبة و المالحة . تعتبر مشكلة تداخل المياه المالحة فى مياه الخزان الجوفى العذب مشكلة ذات اهمية و خاصة فى المناطق الشاطئية. لقد تم تنفيذ 14 مجسة كهربائية عمودية بأستخدام تشكيل شلمبرجير بشكل قطاعات عمودية على على الساحل الجنوبى لقطاع غزة (محافظات خانيونس و رفح) و ذلك بهدف دراسة التركيب الجيولوجى للخزان الجوفى و تحديد مدى تداخل مياه البحر فيه . كما تم الاستعانة بالمعلومات الليثولوجية و الهيدروكيميائية من 12 بئرمياه فى مناطق الدراسة. اظهرت النتائج ان 50% من منحنيات المقاومة الكهربائية المقاسة تمثل نموذج لثلاث طبقات جيولوجية بينما 50% تمثل اربع طبقات. تم اختيار قطاعين متوازيين و موازين لشاطىْ البحر, يبعد الاول 400 م عن الشاطىْ بينما الاخر يبعد 1000م عنه لدراسة تغيرات المقاومة فى بعدين. أظهرت النتائج ان مياه الحر ذات المقاومة الكهربائية أقل من 2 أوم.متر تسود على طول القطاع القريب من الشاطىْ و لاعماق ضحلة (3-10 م), بينما فى القطاع الثانى و الذى يبعد 1000م شرقا تم تحديد أمكن تداخل مياه البحر المالحة فى بعض الاماكن و لم يتم تحديدها فى أماكن أخرى مما يفسر على انه لا زال تلك المناطق تحتوى على مياه عذبة/ مالحة ذات مقاومة كهربائية اكبر من 10 أوم.متر و على أعماق تتراوح بين 26-50 متر

The influence of a positive empathetic interaction on conditioned pain modulation and manipulation induced analgesia in people with lateral epicondylalgia

Objective: Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and manipulation induced analgesia (MIA) are two forms of endogenous analgesia. Many forms of analgesia can be influenced by the nature of the patient clinician interaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of an empathetic and supportive interaction on CPM and MIA in people with Lateral Epicondylalgia (LE). Methods: In a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial, 68 participants with LE were assigned to two groups: the empathetic and neutral interaction groups. The interactions were carried out by a trained, professional role play actor, playing the part of a research assistant (RA). The RA actor spent 15min prior to CPM and MIA assessment interacting with the participants in an empathetic or neutral manner. Immediately after the interaction, a blinded assessor measured pressure pain threshold (PPT) at the symptomatic elbow and ipsilateral wrist during CPM and MIA testing. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate differences in CPM and MIA responses between the interaction groups. Results: There was a significant difference in CARE scores between the groups (p\u3c0.001), indicating that the intervention group experienced a more empathic interaction. Both groups showed a significant increase in PPT measures, indicative of a CPM and MIA analgesic response (p\u3c0.001), however the analgesic responses were greater in the group that had experienced a supportive, empathetic interaction (post CPM, wrist: p\u3c0.001; elbow: p=0.001), (post MIA wrist: p=\u3c0.001; elbow: p=0.001). Discussion: A single session of empathetic interaction positively influenced both CPM and MIA responses in people with LE

Primary apocrine adenocarcinoma of the orbit with lacrimal sac invasion

Background: Orbital adenocarcinoma usually is metastatic and rarely can be primary disease of the orbit with no clear standard of care. Herein, we report a case of primary apocrine adenocarcinoma in the orbit with invasion into lacrimal sac in a young patient. Case report: A 38-year-old male presented with enlarging lump in the left eye. Ocular imaging studies showed an orbital mass with invasion into the lacrimal sac and surrounding muscles. The lesion was found to be adenocarcinoma with apocrine differentiation in both pathology and immunohistochemistry. Full body imaging studies showed no extra ocular spread and no other tumors to suggest orbital metastasis. The patient was treated with orbital exenteration and was given adjuvant local radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy because of positive margins and high risk pathological features. On serial exams over 5 years follow up, the patient was free of local recurrence or distant metastasis. Conclusion: Orbital adenocarcinoma can present as a primary orbital tumor in young adults originating from apocrine glands, and aggressive surgical resection can be lifesaving management