Revitalizing Alexandria through its symbolic significance of heritage, urban form, and the distinctive spirit of place

Cities have an ever-changing nature according to its citizens needs, but not always for the best. During the past half century, Alexandria’s heritage city center (historic district) has been facing an on-going decay. A struggle between its symbolic significance of Euro-Medi-terranean heritage, urban form, and the distinctive spirit of place and the many economic and political agendas are diminishing its heritage sites and sense of place. There are few attempts being done today to revitalize the identity and spirit of Alexandria’s historic districts that will be discussed in this paper. The paper endeavours to answer the question of what other initiatives should be taken to revitalize/regenerate the Euro-Mediterranean heritage of Alexandria, with a focus of Fouad street that lies in the heart of Alexandria’s historic district, and developing the city center and therefore changing the image and perception of the city as a whole. The paper identifies key performance indicators (KPI’s) of Alexandria’s heritage town center, measuring their current status, to form the basis of setting a list of recom-mendations to develop each criterion affecting the town’s center performance. The paper concludes that a full strategic urban regeneration and revitalization of Alexandria’s historic district is much needed to conserve and preserve what can be rescued in the area. Fouad Street can be central in conveying tomorrow’s economic benefits and welfare of Alexandria’s historic districts, and a holistic regeneration of that street can act as a catalyst of change and regeneration in the area

Cite This Article: Sumailah Ahmed Sabbagh

Abstract The objective of the current study was to investigate childhood students' Mathematics creativity from their teachers' perspectives and observations. It intended to answer two main research questions. First: Is there a significant difference at level (0.05 ≥ α) in early childhood teachers' perspectives of student mathematical creativity with respect to school type, gender and grade level? Second: Is there agreement ration between the teacher mathematical creativity scale rating and observing rating on the same scale for the same child? A group of (31) mathematics teachers randomly selected completed a Childhood Mathematical Creativity Scale on some of their students who were also observed during mathematics classes by the researcher and rated using the same scale. Results indicated that mathematical creativity is not a common aspect for childhood students' on Jordan. Kindergarten teachers rated their student the highest on creativity while third grade were rated the lowest. Also the results revealed that there is no significant difference in children creativity means with respect to school type, gender and grade level form their teachers' perspectives. Also the ratio of agreement between the teacher mathematical creativity scale rating and observing rating on the same scale for the same child was moderate

Improving saddle stitching line using affordable embedded system

In most printing factories, the stitching machine is considered as a significant tool in accomplishing the printing process cycle, such as in the Printing House of the University of Kufa (PHUK), complete their jobs using a cheap manual machine, and thus this leads to an increase in the number of employees and work hours. That is because the automated stitching machine of production is very costly. A decent printing house design maximizes production with a minimum investment in new equipment parts. However, a decent PHUK layout alone cannot reach the intended aims unless firmly linked with a developed production line of an automated stitching machine for the purpose of reducing cost, time, and efforts. This article focused on designing and developing automatic saddle stitching machines for folded paper sheet products such as newspapers, magazines, catalogs, exam sheets, etc. using accommodate devices such as Arduino and infrared sensors. Furthermore, the proposed design is applied in PHUK successfully and it showed that the cost of the stitching machine and the manpower is reduced by 60 percent, also the time is reduced by 70 percent. Finally, one of the significant implications of this work is using IT in management of resources

Land use and sexual harassment: A geospatial analysis based on the volunteer HarassMap-Egypt

Sexual harassment and gang rape in Egypt have garnered attention from both traditional and digital media. This study employed a volunteer HarassMap to analyse sexual harassment crimes (SHCs) across Egypt from a spatial perspective. The specific aims were to apply the Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm to locate clusters of reported SHCs, and to assess their spatial dependence on land use types. To accomplish this task, ring buffers of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 metres were established around each crime scene to determine which land use was mostly associated with the incidence of these SHCs. Local bivariate relationships were used to explore the associations between SHC and each land-use category. Results from the HDBSCAN algorithm revealed four crime clusters within the study domain, mainly located in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Behaira. Notably, commercial establishments and transit stations showed a significantly positive correlation with SHC. The study shows how land uses shape SHC and showed that it is possible to identify environmental risk factors for harassment. These risk factors can help policymakers, urban planners, and community stakeholders prevent and reduce sexual harassment and gender inequality, and promote just and inclusive societies.Peer reviewe

Modeling early haematologic adverse events in conformal and intensity-modulated pelvic radiotherapy in anal cancer

AbstractBackground and purposeTo determine if there are differences between dose to pelvic bone marrow (PBM) using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) under UK guidance versus conformal radiotherapy (CRT) per ACT II protocol and if differences translate to rates of early haematological adverse events grade 3 or greater (HT3+).Methods and materialsTwo groups of 20+ patients, treated under IMRT and CRT regimes respectively, were identified. All patients underwent weekly blood cell count: haemoglobin (HgB), white cell count (WCC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and platelets (plats).Percent volume of PBM and sub structures receiving 5–25Gy were tested for statistical significance. Regression models were used to test for correlation to blood counts. NTCP modeling was also performed.ResultsPMB dose metrics showed a significant increase in the IMRT group. Regression analysis showed iliac and lumbosacral PBM dose metrics to associate with reduced nadir ANC and WCC. NTCP at HT3+ was 0.13 using IMRT relative to 0.07 using CRT (p<0.05).ConclusionWhilst this is a relatively small retrospective study and lacks information on the distribution of active PBM, IMRT treatment has been shown to significantly increase PMB irradiation. PBM dose metrics have been shown to be predictive of WCC and ANC suppression. NTCP modeling predicts much high risk of HT3+. Paradoxically, actual rates of HT3+ were comparable suggesting that differences in the distributions of dose metrics maybe a significant factor and/or that there are insufficiency in the NTCP modeling

Passive smoking in the etiology of non-syndromic orofacial clefts:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Studies have found a consistent positive association between maternal smoking and nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFC). However, no comprehensive assessment of the association between NSOFC and passive smoking has been undertaken. This systematic review and meta-analysis explores the relationship between maternal passive smoking and NSOFC, and compares the associations between passive and active smoking. Methods and Findings Search strategy, inclusion / exclusion criteria, and data extraction from studies reporting maternal passive smoking and NSOFC was implemented without language restrictions. Risks of bias in the identified studies were assessed and this information was used in sensitivity analyses to explain heterogeneity. Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the extracted data were performed. Egger's test was used to test for small study effects. Fourteen eligible articles were identified. Maternal passive smoking exposure was associated with a twofold increase in risk of NSOFC (odds ratio: 2.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.54-2.89); this was apparent for both cleft lip with and without palate (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.27-3.3) and cleft palate (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.23-3.62). There was substantial heterogeneity between studies. In the studies that provided data enabling crude and adjusted odd ratios to be compared, adjustment for potential confounders attenuated the magnitude of association to about a 1.5-fold increase in risk. Conclusion Overall, maternal passive smoking exposure results in a 1.5 fold increase in risk of NSOFC, similar to the magnitude of risk reported for active smoking, but there is marked heterogeneity between studies. This heterogeneity is not explained by differences in the distribution of cleft types, adjustment for covariates, broad geographic region, or study bias/quality. This thorough meta-analysis provides further evidence to minimize exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in policy making fora and in health promotion initiatives.</p

Evaluation and Classification Risks of Implementing Blockchain in the Drug Supply Chain with a New Hybrid Sorting Method

In blockchain technology, all registered information, from the place of production of the product to its point of sale, is recorded as permanent and unchangeable, and no intermediary has the ability to change the data of other members and even the data registered by them without public consensus. In this way, users can trust the accuracy of the data. Blockchain systems have a wide range of applications in the medical and health sectors, from creating an integrated system for recording and tracking patients' medical records to creating transparency in the drug supply chain and medical supplies. However, implementing blockchain technology in the supply chain has limitations and sometimes has risks. In this study, BWM methods and VIKORSort have been used to classify the risks of implementing blockchain in the drug supply chain. The results show that cyberattacks, double spending, and immutability are very dangerous risks for implementation of blockchain technology in the drug supply chain. Therefore, the risks of blockchain technology implementation in the drug supply chain have been classified based on a literature review and opinions of the experts. The risks of blockchain technology implementation in the supply chain were determined from the literature review

Molecular Screening of <i>VAX1</i> Gene Polymorphisms Uncovered the Genetic Heterogeneity of Non-Syndromic Orofacial Cleft in Saudi Arabian Patients

Objective: Nonsyndromic orofacial cleft (NSOFC) including cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL±P) and cleft palate (CP) are multifactorial developmental disorders with both genetic and environmental etiological factors. In this study we investigated the association between CL±P and CP, and two polymorphisms previously determined using genome-wide association studies, as well as the association between consanguinity and CL±P and CP. Methods: DNA was extracted from saliva specimens from 171 triads consisting of affected individuals and their parents, as well as 189 control triads (matched for age, gender, and location) that were recruited from 11 referral hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Two polymorphisms, rs4752028 and rs7078160, located in the VAX1 gene were genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction. A transmission disequilibrium test was carried out using the Family-Based Association Test and PLINK (genetic tool-set) to measure the parent-of-origin effect. Results: Significant differences were found between affected individuals and the control group. In the case of the rs4752028 risk allele in cleft, the phenotypes were: CL±P (fathers: odds ratio [OR] 2.16 [95% CI 1.38–3.4]; mothers: OR 2.39 [95% CI 1.53–3.71]; and infants: OR 2.77 [95% CI 1.77–4.34]) and CP (fathers: OR 2.24 [95% CI 1.15–4.36] and infants: OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.25–4.7]). For CL±P and the rs7078160 risk allele, the phenotypes were: (fathers: OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.05–2.86]; mothers: OR 2.43 [95% CI 1.49–3.97]; and infants: OR 2.34 [95% CI 1.44–3.81]). In terms of consanguinity, we found significant association between consanguinity and the rs4752028 polymorphism minor allele among CL±P compared with controls (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This is the first study to find a relationship between these two loci on 10q25 (rs4752028 and rs7078160) and NSOFC in a population with high levels of consanguinity