Aerosol scattering of ultraviolet sunlight in the tropical maritime atmosphere

The effects of atmospheric aerosol scattering on the vertical profile of solar ultraviolet radiation are investigated. Measurements of diffuse and total ultraviolet radiation were made using a rocketborne optical sonde in the marine atmosphere of Antigua. During observations, the sun was at zenith. Vertical profiles of directly transmitted solar radiation were calculated by subtraction of the diffuse component from the total radiance. Using these values of direct downward solar UV-flux, the optical thickness of the atmosphere was derived as a function of altitude. Absorption by ozone was also considered. In the troposphere the values of observed optical thickness were in general equal to or lower than those expected theoretically from Rayleigh scattering alone. The measured radiation profiles were compared with those computed for a multiple scattering model atmosphere. Some computations regarding the interaction of UV-sunlight with maritime aerosols are presented

Sources, Dangers and Treatments of Oily Soil Pollutants in Iraq

Oil pollution presents significant risks to living organism and human health because it can alter the ecosystem in rivers, seas, oceans, and pollutes air and soil. Oil, for example, can even reduce the efficiency of drinking water plants. Iraq suffers a lot from oil pollution as a result of wars that not only damage the oil infrastructures but also cause loss of thousand hectare of agriculture lands. In addition, oil pollution become primary factor that contribute to the electricity, fuel shortage and traffic jam problems. Oil pollution can be easily found in many parts of Iraq, even in main streets, houses and gardens due to the residents mismanagement and misuse of oily products. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to focus in detail about the sources and dangers of oil pollution on the environment and soil, as well as to provide some suggestions and measurements that can help in limiting the impact of oil pollution in Iraq

Corporate Governance and Institutional Performance in Jordanian Schools with International Programs

This study aims to examine the effect of corporate governance on improving the institutional performance of Jordanian schools applying international programs. Following the descriptive analytical approach, the study sample included (66) schools applying international programs in Amman. The study used an electronic questionnaire to collect primary data from members of the administrative and teaching staff in the study sample schools, and due to the difficulty of limiting these individuals to a specific number, (500) questionnaires were distributed, to include the largest number of members of the study community. The study found that schools applying international programs in Jordan are interested in applying corporate governance to a high degree and the (strategic vision) dimension is one of the most important corporate governance dimensions. Further, there is a statistically significant effect of corporate governance in terms of its dimensions (rule of law, justice, transparency, accountability, equality, and strategic vision) in improving the institutional performance in terms of its dimensions (institutional effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, and continuity) in schools applying international programs in Jordan. The study recommends the administrations of schools applying international programs in Jordan to prepare written rules and regulations that clarify the rights, responsibilities and work procedures for all its employees at each organizational level in the school, and to apply these rules with complete transparency for everyone without any discrimination

Extraction conditions of polyphenol oxidase from banana peel

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is an enzyme containing copper, presents in various fruits and vegetables. It is responsible for the browning reactions when the cells are damaged during handling. The best conditions for extraction of polyphenol oxidase from banana peel was by using an extraction buffer containing phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 7), 0.01 M ascorbic acid and 0.5% polyethylene glycol, with extraction ratio 1:4 (w:v) for one minute by using blender. The enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically at 425 nm. PPO was studied to prevent the browning of banana peel which results in the loss of their marketability. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum conditions for polyphenol oxidase extraction from banana peel

Quantum Reality Filters

An anhomomorphic logic \ascript ^* is the set of all possible realities for a quantum system. Our main goal is to find the "actual reality" \phi_a\in\ascript ^* for the system. Reality filters are employed to eliminate unwanted potential realities until only $\phi_a$ remains. In this paper, we consider three reality filters that are constructed by means of quantum integrals. A quantum measure $\mu$ can generate or actualize a \phi\in\ascript ^* if $\mu (A)$ is a quantum integral with respect to $\phi$ for a density function $f$ over events $A$. In this sense, $\mu$ is an "average" of the truth values of $\phi$ with weights given by $f$. We mainly discuss relations between these filters and their existence and uniqueness properties. For example, we show that a quadratic reality generated by a quantum measure is unique. In this case we obtain the unique actual quadratic reality.Comment: 25 page

Experimental and theoretical studies on corrosion inhibitory action of Peganum harmala (L.) seeds extract on carbon steel in 1M HCl

The objective of this study is to test the inhibitory efficiency of the methanol extract of P. harmala against the corrosion of carbon steel C38 in 1M hydrochloric acid by gravimetric method and electrochemical measurements. The results indicated that the methanol extract of P. harmala is a good inhibitor of carbon steel. The inhibition efficiency increases with the increase of the concentration of the inhibitor. The nature of adsorption of the extract on carbon steel surface was in conformity with Langmuir isotherm. Both kinetic and thermodynamic parameter of adsorption allows us to suggest chemical adsorption of this inhibitor on the metal. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements show that P. harmala acts as mixed type inhibitor.   The result of EIS was correlating with the result of polarization measurement. A theoretical study was done in solution for major alkaloids isolated from P. harmala seeds, and was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) basis set level through the relationship between their molecular and electronic structure. The quantum chemical parameters such as EHOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital energy), ELUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy), energy gap (ΔE), dipole moment (μ), absolute hardness (η), absolute softness (S), the absolute electronegativity (χ), the fractions of electrons transferred from the inhibitor molecule to the metallic atom (ΔN) and the electrophilicity index (ω) were calculated. The local selectivity and reactivity has been analyzed through the Fukui function indices in order to compare the possible sites for nucleophilic and electrophilic attacks

Use of medicinal plants in rheumatology

Objective: The use of medicinal plants by patients in the treatment of chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypertension) is common in Morocco. Rheumatic diseases do not except from this informal and yet unknown therapeutic way. The objective of this work is to study the prevalence of the use of herbal medicines in rheumatology and the factors associated with this practice in the population of the region of Marrakech. Patients and methods: This is a prospective study, 200 patients attending to two hospitals in Marrakech, for various inflammatory and degenerative rheumatic diseases were included, between August 2010 and March 2011. Hetero-administered questionnaire was used, including demographic data, type of plants used and the terms of their uses. Results: Patients were represented by 163 women and 37 men. The use of medicinal plants was found in 78 patients (39%), including 60 women and 18 men, with a mean age of 50 years. We identified 49 different plants. Most used ones were the Olea Europaea L . Nigella sativa L. Lavandula angustifolia Mill. The information on these plants was given by friends and neighbours in most cases, the main expected effect was analgesic and the efficacy of these products was reported in 47.4% of cases. Plants were prepared by the patients themselves in 73% of cases, without prior instruction or knowledge of the terms of use. Adverse events were noted in 24.4% of cases. The use of plants was significantly higher in elderly patients, with more children out of school and having a major pain in the visual analogue scale (VAS). Conclusion: The use of medicinal plants is quite common in rheumatology. However, we did not find an association between this practice and educational, social or economical levels of patients

Dynamics & Predictions in the Co-Event Interpretation

Sorkin has introduced a new, observer independent, interpretation of quantum mechanics that can give a successful realist account of the 'quantum microworld' as well as explaining how classicality emerges at the level of observable events for a range of systems including single time 'Copenhagen measurements'. This 'co-event interpretation' presents us with a new ontology, in which a single 'co-event' is real. A new ontology necessitates a review of the dynamical & predictive mechanism of a theory, and in this paper we begin the process by exploring means of expressing the dynamical and predictive content of histories theories in terms of co-events.Comment: 35 pages. Revised after refereein