The Effect of Religious Monuments in the Plan of the ArabianIslamic city Samarra City – Case Study

Religious monument is considered as one of the most distinguished elements which form one of the components of architectural structure, religious monument’s importance stands out from the religious affiliationof the city’s people (Spiritual affiliation). Also considered one of the distinguished architectural elements and recognized architectural identity, which have drawn the mental image for the formation of religious cities in people’s memory. The research depends on studying the plans of the religious cities specifically the Arabian Islamic cities; for its religious importance and the clearness of the religious factor’s impact in its creation and planning, and from reviewing the previous studies those dealt with analyzing the Arabian Islamic city the research problem had been determined in “There is a knowledge gap about the role of religious monuments in planning of the Arabic Islamic cities”,the research hypothesis have been formulated as The religious monument has a regulatory role in planning the Arabian Islamic city, in its impact on axial connection on both local stage and global level. The research has defined the religious monuments as landmarks or architectural elements of the city’s plan which differentiate in attendant appearance in people’s memory, which is generally showing in worship places, from all that the research’s target has been determined as: Clarifying religious monuments' role in Planning of Arab Islamic cities according to the impact that it have played as a regulatory element for the urban fabric. Samarra have been chosen for the required practical study, considering it’s one of the most important Arab Islamic cities, for what it has of religious monuments, which perform as regulatory power for the local and global connection, research confirms from experience research’s letter using (GIS: ArcView 3.3) computer software for the chosen urban formation that: the impact of the religious factor reflects on the components of the urban fabric of the Arabian Islamic city from both of the form and the space in its planning and regulation, which shows on the group of planning elements for the city, also the religious monuments have an effect on the orientation of spatial connection, and creating public areas in the city, and preparingcomplete spaces which have a high permeability around its locations, As well asits effect on the most complete distribution type in other parts of the syste

Isolation and characterization of phenol degrading bacterium strain Bacillus thuringiensis J20 from olive waste in Palestine

This study aimed at isolation of phenol degrading bacteria from olive mill wastes in Palestine. The efficiency of phenol removal and factors affecting phenol degradation were investigated. A bacterial strain (J20) was isolated from solid olive mill waste and identified as Bacillus thuringiensis based on standard morphological, biochemical characteristics and 16SrRNA sequence analysis. The strain was able to grow in a phenol concentration of 700 mg/L as the sole carbon and energy source. The culture conditions showed a significant impact on the ability of these cells to remove phenol. This strain exhibited optimum phenol degradation performance at pH 6.57 and 30 C . Under the optimized conditions, this strain could degrade 88.6% of phenol (700 mg/L) within 96 h when the initial cell density was OD600 0.2. However, the degradation efficiency could be improved from about 88% to nearly 99% by increasing the cell density. Immobilization of J20 was carried out using 4% sodium alginate. Phenol degradation efficiency of the immobilized cells of J20 was higher than that of the free cells, 100% versus 88.6% of 700 mg/L of phenol in 120 h, indicating the improved tolerance of the immobilized cells toward phenol toxicity. The J20 was used in detoxifying crude OMWW, phenolic compounds levels were reduced by 61% compared to untreated OMWW after five days of treatment. Hence, B. thuringiensis-J20 can be effectively used for bioremediation of phenol-contaminated sites in Palestine. These findings may lead to new biotechnological applications for the degradation of phenol, related to olive oil production.The authors thank Prof. Charles Greenblatt from Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Hebrew University – Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel for his help. Suheir I. Ereqat and Ahmad A. Abdelkader contributed equally to this manuscript

Update on the presence of Ixodes ricinus at the western limit of its range and the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

peer-reviewedIt is often suggested that due to climate and environmental policy changes, the risk from tick-borne disease is increasing, particularly at the geographical limits of the vector distribution. Our project aimed to determine whether this was true for the risk of Lyme borreliosis in Ireland which is the western-most limit of Ixodes ricinus, the European vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The availability of a historical data set of tick infection rates compiled in the 1990s represented a unique opportunity as it provided a baseline against which current data could be compared. Following construction of a spatial predictive model for the presence and absence of I. ricinus based on data from 491 GPS locations visited between 2016 and 2019, 1404 questing nymphs from 27 sites were screened for the presence of Borrelia spp. using a TaqMan PCR aimed at the 23S rRNA gene sequence. All positive ticks were further analysed by nested PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the 5 S–23 S intergenic spacer. The model indicated that areas with the highest probability of tick presence were mostly located along the western seaboard and the Shannon and Erne river catchments, coinciding with historical high incidence areas of bovine babesiosis, while the infection rate of questing nymphs with B. burgdorferi s.l. and the prevalence of the various genospecies have remained surprisingly stable over the last 3 decades. Clear communication of the potential disease risk arising from a tick bite is essential in order to allay undue concerns over tick-borne diseases among the general public.Teagas

AI-based investigation and mitigation of rain effect on channel performance with aid of a novel 3D slot array antenna design for high throughput satellite system

Rain attenuation poses a significant challenge for high-throughput communication systems. In response, this paper introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) model designed for predicting and mitigating rain-induced impairments in high-throughput satellite (HTS) to land channels. The model is based on three AI algorithms developed using 3D antenna design to characterize, analyze, and mitigate rain induced attenuation, optimizing channel quality specifically in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study evaluates various parameters, including rain-specific attenuation, effective slant path through rain, rain induced attenuation, signal carrier-to-noise ratio, and symbol error rate, for five conventional modulation schemes: Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), 8-Phase Shift Keying (8-PSK), 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16-QAM), 32-QAM, and 64-QAM. Additionally, the paper introduces a new database detailing rain-induced attenuation in HTS channels in the UAE at different frequencies using measured rainfall intensities. The paper concludes by proposing a smart antenna design with a frequency diversity technique for fade mitigation. Results indicate that rain-induced attenuation varies significantly based on rainfall rate and frequency. Specifically, at 25 GHz and a rainfall rate of 100 mm/h, the rain-induced attenuation can reach as high as 15 dB, resulting in a significant decline in signal quality and link performance. The proposed AI model demonstrates the ability to intelligently predict rain-induced attenuation and channel quality for various rainfall rates and frequencies. This information can be valuable for optimizing satellite link design and operation, ultimately enhancing the reliability and quality of satellite communications. The proposed two-slot smart antenna design utilizes frequency diversity to effectively mitigate rain attenuation, contributing to the overall improvement of link reliability and quality

Distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu latu genospecies, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia divergens in Irish questing nymphal ticks

Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of various pathogens of medical and veterinary importance in western Europe, including bacteria, protozoa and viruses. In Ireland, there has never been a national survey of ticks or tick-borne diseases. I. ricinus is the only exophilic tick present on the island, and it is the primary vector of borreliosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and Louping ill. This study aimed to optimise molecular assays and employ them to investigate the distribution and prevalence of different Borrelia species, Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in I. ricinus nymphs collected from woodland sites and farms throughout Ireland between 2017 and 2019. Chapter 1 summarised the most important tick species worldwide and in Ireland, their life cycle and the most important tick-borne diseases. It also describes the most recent molecular assays used to investigate tick-borne pathogens and microbiomes and discusses strategies used to control ticks and tick-borne diseases. Chapter 2 investigated the distribution and prevalence of different B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies in Irish I. ricinus nymphs using TaqMan and nested PCRs. In agreement with previous reports from Ireland we found a higher prevalence of Borrelia spp in woodland sites compared to farms which may be due to higher numbers of potential reservoir hosts in the former. Chapter 3 investigated the distribution and prevalence of Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum using optimised molecular assays. The results also showed a higher prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in woodland ticks compared to those collected from farm sites. In contrast the prevalence of B. divergens was higher in ticks collected farms confirming that cattle are the primary hosts for B. divergens. It is suggested for future research to investigate the presence of other pathogens not included in this study and to examine the role of different potential reservoir hosts to get a better understanding of tick-borne pathogens and their enzootic cycles in Ireland

The Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of <i>Babesia divergens</i> in <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> Nymphs Collected from Farm- and Woodland Sites in Ireland

The parasite, Babesia divergens causes redwater fever in cattle and a rare, albeit life-threatening disease in humans. In Ireland, B. divergens has always been considered an important pathogen as the high incidence of redwater fever precluded areas of the country from cattle farming. Moreover a relatively large proportion of human cases were reported here. Red deer (Cervus elaphus), which often harbour babesias that are genetically very similar (if not identical) to B. divergens, are quite widespread. In this study 1369 nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from various habitats were screened for the presence of B. divergens using TaqMan followed by conventional nested PCR. Fragments of the 18S rRNA gene locus (560 bp) were compared against published Irish B. divergens isolates from cattle, humans and red deer. Overall just 1% of I. ricinus nymphs were infected with B. divergens, with similar infection rates in ticks collected from farm- and woodland. Most (90%) 18S rRNA gene fragments derived from woodland ticks were 100% identical to published sequences from cattle and humans. One differed by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) as did two isolates from ticks collected in bogland. Two isolates derived from nymphs collected in farmland differed by 2 and 4 SNPs respectively

Update on the presence of Ixodes ricinus at the western limit of its range and the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

It is often suggested that due to climate and environmental policy changes, the risk from tick-borne disease is increasing, particularly at the geographical limits of the vector distribution. Our project aimed to determine whether this was true for the risk of Lyme borreliosis in Ireland which is the western-most limit of Ixodes ricinus, the European vector of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The availability of a historical data set of tick infection rates compiled in the 1990s represented a unique opportunity as it provided a baseline against which current data could be compared. Following construction of a spatial predictive model for the presence and absence of I. ricinus based on data from 491 GPS locations visited between 2016 and 2019, 1404 questing nymphs from 27 sites were screened for the presence of Borrelia spp. using a TaqMan PCR aimed at the 23S rRNA gene sequence. All positive ticks were further analysed by nested PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the 5 S–23 S intergenic spacer. The model indicated that areas with the highest probability of tick presence were mostly located along the western seaboard and the Shannon and Erne river catchments, coinciding with historical high incidence areas of bovine babesiosis, while the infection rate of questing nymphs with B. burgdorferi s.l. and the prevalence of the various genospecies have remained surprisingly stable over the last 3 decades. Clear communication of the potential disease risk arising from a tick bite is essential in order to allay undue concerns over tick-borne diseases among the general public.TeagascUniversity College DublinMSD Animal Healt