CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TRICHODERMA REESEI DEGRADED DATE PITS AND ITS EFFECT ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND INTESTINAL BACTERIAL POPULATION AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS - A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH MANNOSE AND MANNAN -OLIGOSACCHARIDE ON BROILER

With the increasing apprehension over food safety nowadays, there have been relentless efforts aiming for subrogating antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feeds. Thus, this research study aims at investigating the potential effects of using degraded date pits (DDP) as feedstuff and as a natural alternative for antibiotics in poultry feeding. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the minimum time of feeding a diet containing 10% DDP is required to induce growth-promoting effects on broiler performance. In experiment 2, the influence of feeding 10% DDP was examined as feedstuff at 10% in broilers diets and a growth-promoting agent compared with corn-soybean meal diets supplemented with antibiotic 50 g of 20% oxytetracycline, 0.2% of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS), and either 0.2 or 0.1% of mannose on growth performance, microbial growth, antioxidant and biochemical effects, intestine development and antibacterial gene expression in broiler chickens. Date pits (DP) were degraded with the fungus Trichoderma reesei using solid-state degradation (SSD) and included in broiler’s diets at 10%. Results showed that biological degradation with T. reesei significantly improved the nutritional effect of DP by increasing the proximate composition, monosaccharide composition, mineral content and in vitro antioxidant activities. The results of experiment 1, showed that a prolonged feeding period of 10% DDP to 5 weeks for broiler resulted in better growth than three or four weeks of feeding periods. The results of experiment 2 indicated that there were no significant differences in body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the different dietary treatments. Total bacterial count, E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Shigella, and salmonella count, were significantly decreased in 10% DDP diet fed-broilers, 0.2% MOS and antibiotic diet fed-broilers, showing that DDP and MOS have a similar mode of action. The results of the antioxidant and biochemical effects of DDP showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes in serum, liver, and intestine of broilers fed diets with 10% DDP and 0.2% MOS were increased significantly compared with other treatments, but malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly decreased. Among the different dietary treatments, 10% DDP and 0.2% MOS diet enhanced the pancreatic digestive enzymes, histomorphology of intestine, and weight and length of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Immunoglobulin levels in serum and intestinal contents, the expression pattern of mucin-2, cathelicidins, beta-defensins, and LEAP-2 in jejunum were up-regulated in 10% DDP and 0.2% MOS diet fed-broilers. In conclusion, a 10% DDP diet can be fed to broiler chickens during 1-42 days of age and also as a growth-promoting agent to replace antibiotics while showing a similar mode of action to MOS. The results suggested that DDP can be used as a feedstuff and growth promoter for chicken feeding in the Arabian Peninsula, whereas the DDP is produced abundantly and available at a large amount, this will result in decreasing environmental pollution of unutilized agriculture by-products

Community Design Parameters and the Performance of Residential Cogeneration Systems

The integration of cogeneration systems in residential and mixed-use communities has the potential of reducing their energy demand and harmful emissions and can thus play asignificant role in increasing their environmental sustainability. This study investigated the impact of selected planning and architectural design parameters on the environmental and economic performances of centralized cogeneration systems integrated into residential communities in U.S.cold climates. Parameters investigated include: 1) density, 2) use mix, 3) street configuration, 4) housing typology, 5) envelope and building systems' efficiencies, and 6) passive solar energyutilization. The study integrated several simulation tools into a procedure to assess the impact of each design parameter on the cogeneration system performance. This assessment procedure included: developing a base-line model representing typical design characteristics of U.S. residential communities; assessing the cogeneration system's performance within this model using three performance indicators: percentage of reduction in primary energy use, percentage of reduction in CO2 emissions; and internal rate of return; assessing the impact of each parameter on the system performance through developing 46 design variations of the base-line model representing potential changes in each parameter and calculating the three indicators for each variation; and finally, using a multi-attribute decision analysis methodology to evaluate the relative impact of each parameter on the cogeneration system performance. The study results show that planning parameters had a higher impact on the cogeneration system performance than architectural ones. Also, a significant correlation was found between design characteristics identified as favorable for the cogeneration system performance and those of sustainable residential communities. These include high densities, high use mix, interconnected street networks, and mixing of housing typologies. This indicates a higher potential for integrating cogeneration systems in sustainable communities.Keywords: cogeneration; residential & mixed use communities; energy efficiency; district heatin

Integrating Environmental Performance Criteria in Architectural Design Studios

In recent years, the need to increase the environmental sustainability of the builtenvironment has been clearly established, and an increasing number of built environmentprofessionals are now aiming to design high-performance buildings. However, numerous studies have clearly indicated that achieving high-performance buildings, not to mention zero-energy or carbon-neutral ones, necessitates the integration of environmental performance criteria in the early stages of the design process, where they can be most effective. While a couple of decades ago such integrationwas difficult to achieve beyond the general design guidelines or rules-of-thumb level, both of which areinadequate to address the specific circumstances of each project, recent advances in buildingperformance simulation tools now allow architects to effectively include building performance criteria inthe early stages of their form-making processes. In the case of architectural education, an even moreurgent need exists to introduce new generations of architects to the principle of integratingenvironmental performance criteria in the design process, and to train them to utilize the latestavailable tools to achieve this. This, however, requires a change from the traditional studio format inwhich projects are evaluated solely or primarily based on their form/image into one in which projectsare evaluated comprehensively based on multiple criteria that include environmental performance aswell as other relevant design objectives. The time limitations and wide range of issues typically coveredin studios, however, make it difficult to also teach students the skills needed to effectively utilizeperformance simulation tools. This paper aims to provide a review of previous efforts to integrateenvironmental performance criteria in the design process in general and in design studios in particular,and presents a proposed collaborative seminar/studio model, which utilizes a seminar to introducestudents to the different topics and building performance simulation tools necessary to understand andintegrate issues of environmental performance in their designs. These performance considerations arethen integrated into design projects in a studio, which runs concurrently with the seminar. In addition todescribing the proposed model, the paper will also present results and conclusions from its first year ofimplementation in the University of Texas at San Antonio

Unwrapping MRI Phase by Using Multi-Echo Technique

Phase unwrapping is a classic signal processing problem and an unavoidable procedure that can be faced with in a variety of applications which are interested in the phase, such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), field mapping in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), wavefront distortion measurement of adaptive optics, interferometry, and surface shape measurement. Although phase unwrapping is one of the most challenging tasks in signal processing because of the presence of residues, noise in the data, discontinuities or other phase particularities, there are many successful phase unwrapping techniques and algorithms that have been developed in the last decades. In this thesis, we present a modified algorithm based on the Andris‟s method which is dependent on the difference in two echo times (TE). The proposed algorithm is confirmed by using simulated phase MR data which are highly distorted by large magnetic field inhomogeneity (∆B) or long echo time (TE). The approach is evaluated by comparison to other unwrapping algorithms and results show that the proposed algorithm has better accuracy

The effectiveness of using blog innovation on 6th Grade EFL students' learning students' vocabulary and motivation to explain English text in Jordan

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using blog innovation on 6th Grade EFL students' learning vocabulary and motivation to explain English text in Jordan. The study sample consisted of 50 students from the sixth grade students in basic schools in the District of north-eastern desert In Jordan. Research experimental method was used for the appropriateness of the nature and objectives of the study which was divided into two groups. Whereas the results of the study emphasize that blog innovation help the students increase their level of vocabulary learning and also proves that implementing blog innovation materials in EFL speaking class improved the students’ attitudes towards language learning. The study revealed that using blog Innovation is very important in learning English language because it can help students to be more fluent. The study was able to project various recommendations for teacher, students as well as staff of Ministry of Education. Keywords: Blog innovation, EFL, learning vocabulary, EFL learners, English text

A study of employment outcomes among technical and vocational secondary education graduates in Egypt [Arabic]

In Egypt, some 450,000 students graduate from technical and vocational schools each year. Yet just over 50 percent are employed immediately following their graduation. This brief explores the kinds of jobs that are available to these graduates, and the factors that affect the remaining 50 percent who do not join the work force. The report aims to understand the types of training that best prepare students for the available jobs, differences in opportunities for male and female graduates, and connections between work and the home and/or community circumstances that may hinder employment. The report offers recommendations for improving the education system and developing policies to ensure better employment opportunities for these students

MODIFIED TITANI DERIVED FROM TI – OXO CLUSTERS: SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, AND PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY

Titanium dioxide (TiO2), an important semiconductor, has been used in various applications ranging from sunblock additives to self-cleaning window coatings, antibacterial agents, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis. Due to its photostability, TiO2 is an extensively used semiconductor photocatalyst in many industries. This thesis represents the synthesis, structure, and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 (Anatase) photocatalyst, which was prepared using hexanuclear titanium-oxo cluster precursor via temperature-controlled calcination. The optical property of the prepared photocatalyst was investigated using UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) for phase determination, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphology and structural analysis, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) for the specific surface area and porosity determination, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for elemental chemical identification. Photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared TiO2 were evaluated using cycloaddition reaction of different epoxides to CO2. As prepared, TiO2 (anatase) quantitatively achieved cyclic carbonates formation over a range of epoxides used for CO2 cycloaddition reaction

Polarographic and Voltammetric Behavior of Chloropyrifos and Its Determination in Some Water and Plant Samples

Chlorpyrifos is a member of the organophosphorus class of insecticides. This class of insecticides has become one of the most widely under groups of pest control chemicals. Early organophosphorus compounds that were found to be efficacious for insect control and thus brought into widespread use, e.g. Chlorpyrifos, Parathion and Malathion. The broad-spectrum insecticidal properties of Chlorpyrifos indicated that it possessed substantial commercial potential to use against a wide variety of important arthropod pest via a number of commercialized products. Therefore, it is employed in a wide variety of agricultural and specially pest control scenarious and other arthropod pests threatening production of fiber and maintenance of human health. This thesis involves the polarographic and voltammetric behaviour of Chlorpyrifos at the mercury electrode surface. The work was developed for application of the differential pulse-polarography (DPP) and cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DP-CASV) for determination of Chlorpyrifos in some water samples and in tomato plant. Chapter I of the thesis includes the environmental impact, sequences for pesticide residue analysis and a literature survey about the preconcentration and analysis of organochloro and organophosphorous pesticides. Also, the objective of this work is included. The experimental part of the thesis is presented in Chapter II. It includes the chemicals and materials used, the methods of preparation of the various solutions and the methods of preparation of the compound in various water samples. The instruments used for polarographic and voltammetric analysis are included. The general procedures for polarographic and voltammetric analysis as well as, for the extraction of the insecticide from water and plant samples were presented. In Chapter III the differential pulse polarographic (OPP) behaviour of Chlorpyrifos (CP) was investigated over a wide range of pH (pH 1.8-10.1). CP compound displays a well resolved cathodic reduction peak at -1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl (pH 3.2). This peak is probably corresponding to the reduction of the \/ C = N - centre of the pyridyl moiety. The effect of solution and operational parameters on the sensitivity of the OPP peak was carefully examined in order to select the optimum conditions for determination of the CP compound. Under the optimum conditions the reduction response gives a linear calibration curve over a concentration range of 9.70 x 10-7 - 6.92 x 10-6 M and the detection limit was found to be 8.7 x 10-7 M. The effects of some diverse metal ions, anions and other organophosphorus insecticide on the determination of CP compound were studied. The applicability of OPP for determination of the CP insecticide in the commercial sample as well as in some irrigation water (treated waste water and underground water) was detected. The cyclic voltammetric (CY) and the differential pulse – cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric (DP-CASY) behaviour of the CP compound at Hg electrode were presented in Chapter IY. The CV indicates that the oxidized form of the CP compound is strongly adsorbed at the mercury electrode surface, which is the ideal condition to apply the OP-CASY method for trace analysis of the CP compound. Under the optimum conditions (pH 5.01, 10 mV/s scan rate, 50 mV pulse amplitude, -0.4 V adsorption time and 180-240 s adsorption time) the tested compound was detected down to 1 x 10-8 mol/L using DP-CASV method. Also, the method was applied for determination of the CP compound in some water samples (tape water, underground water and treated waste water). The degree of recoveries of the CP prepared in various water samples are in the acceptable range (91-103%) except in case of underground water the degree of recovery of CP is relatively low (76-81 %). A method of analysis was developed for determination of CP in tomato tissue, it was found that 2.66 x 10-7 mol/L CP is the concentration of CP in tomato tissue and it could be determined down to 0.018 mg CP/kg tomato. It can be concluded that the Chlorpyrifos compound could be determined using DPP with a detection limit of 8.7 x 10-7 mol/L. However, the trace analysis of CP could be possible down to 1 x 10-8 mol/ L (0.0034 mg/ L) using DP-CASV technique

Leadership in Architectural Research: Between Academia and the Profession

Recent decades have witnessed a notable expansion of architectural research activities, with respect to both subject and methodology. This expansion can be mostly credited to an increase in government and private funding of primarily academic research initiatives. More recently, however, a noticeable increase in research activities within the architectural profession makes it possible to argue that it is the profession itself that is now taking leadership in the development of contemporary research agendas. This growing significance of architectural research, in both academia and the profession,is ultimately a response to the diverse challenges facing the profession; most notably, the issue of environmental sustainability, but also including the rapid pace of technological change, the increase ddiversity of users, and the growing complexity of architectural projects. Engaging research is an essential factor in facing these challenges as well as taking full advantage of the opportunities they offer. For this research to be most effective, however, a greater perspective and a clearer definition of its role and the goals it can aspire to, in both academia and the profession, are needed; and most importantly, the question becomes, how do we foster a more integrated research culture between academia and the profession