Sudanese women in civil society and their roles in post-conflict reconstruction

This paper tries to explore Sudanese women’s involvement in civil society. It looks at their roles as actors in public life with emphases on their roles in conflict resolution and peace reconstruction. The paper argues that Sudanese women are active members in civil society, yet they face many obstacles which could hinder their full involvement in development and peace reconstruction. These obstacles include lack of gender awareness or political well that perpetuates patriarchy and old/negative traditions. However, despite these constrains women were able to find a place for themselves in a male dominated sphere and to create and develop their own civil society organizations. Moreover, and through their civil society organizations, women were able to develop national and regional networks and to lobby and negotiate for political, economic and financial constructions of their country

The maq\u27ad of Amir Mamay al-Sayfi: The history and context of a mamluk jewel

Walking down Al-Mi‘uzz Street, one is bombarded by the spirit of historical buildings from every side. The street is usually buzzing with tourists and local residents going in and out of monuments, buying and selling or taking photos. It is rare that they venture out to side streets such as the wide Bayt al-Qadi Street, that extends next to the complex of Sultan Qalawun. Upon entering the street, the scene significantly changes and the noise levels drop. Within less than a hundred meters, one arrives at Bayt al-Qadi Square, a humble space that once belonged to the grandest of palaces. Today, the palace is forgotten but its mighty loggia stands tall, dominating the entire square with its superb proportions and elaborate decoration. Like most Mamluk residences, the palace of Mamay al-Sayfi has vanished leaving minimal traces and one impressive maq\u27ad. The maq\u27ad itself survives in good condition with its architecture and decoration still very much intact (Fig. 1). Only parts of royal and princely palaces dating from the Mamluk period survive. It is very common that we come across a portal and a qa\u27a with mostly ruins or new constructions surrounding them, such as at the grand palace of Yashbak or Qawsun. Religious institutes have had better chances of survival because of the waqf system, which provides funding for the upkeep of its premises in perpetuity (at least in theory). That is not always a case with residential structures, where chances of survival are usually poor due to the lack of upkeep guaranteed by a waqf or similar document. The maq\u27ad of Mamay al-Sayfi survives in such a good condition due to the fact that it was almost continuously used since its original occupation. The concept of the maq\u27ad was introduced in the 9th/15th century in Cairo and was adopted by the Ottomans in the residences of the ruling elite. The word stems from the Arabic word qa\u27ada, to sit. Yet, the development of the architecture leading to it was not unforeseen. Despite it being hard to trace the roots of the development of the maq\u27ad, experts are certain that this element couldn\u27t just suddenly appear without prior trials. Excavations from Fustat revealed houses from the 3rd/9th and 4th/10th centuries with courtyards opening up to halls, mostly on the northern side, connected only with three arches. The middle arch was the widest and it opened up to an iwan with two connecting side rooms. The arcaded iwan is perhaps the strongest connection we have to the fully developed Mamluk maq\u27ad. The maq\u27ad of Mamay (monument number 51) dates to 901/1496 and is located in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods of Cairo at the time of its foundation, Bayn al-Qasrayn. The maq\u27ad was dedicated to the reception of the elite and the courtyard housed a vast garden with surrounding quarters possibly of the salamlik and haramlik. The vanished palace of Mamay and the maq\u27ad, their history and footprint will be investigated in this thesis, along with the events that led to the once very grand palace to be only known as the Bayt al-Qadi. What is known now as Maydan Bayt al-Qadi was once part of the Eastern Fatimid palace and it is possible that the maydan had been one of the Fatimid palaces\u27 courtyards. Historians suggest that these quarters were dotted with mashrabiyyas with arcades surrounding the courtyard on the ground floor

Factors that influence the company performance: a study at distribution department of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Bera / Nur Alia Amira Osman Ali

Purpose - Increasing number of the debt rate among the consumers lead to a serious loss against Tenaga Nasional Berhad and effects on the company performance; thus, this study was conducted to identify what are the factors that may influence the company performance. Design/methodology/approach – sixty respondents were assigned to answer the designated questionnaire based on the relevant independents variables consisted of employees’ motivation, sufficient training and effective information system. Findings – Result showed that the sufficient training is the most influential factor in this study based on the multiple regression analysis carried. Therefore, it can be concluded that there are many other factors that may truly explain the dependent variable which is the company performanc

Appraisal of Community’s Sense of Social Support and Social Distancing Measures in Combating COVID-19 Pandemic in Residential Neighbourhoods of Akure, Nigeria

This study used the Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2) designed by McMillan & Chavis (1986). However, the SOC indices were slightly modified to account for issues relating to the current pandemic, which was not captured in the McMillian & Chavis study. This paper reports on the relationship between preventive measures to reduce the spread of the pandemic and residents' sense of community in poor neighbourhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaires were administered to household heads of selected poor residential neighbourhoods in Akure, Nigeria, and subjected to frequency distribution and the Pearson moment coefficient analysis to determine the relationship between social distancing and sense of community during the pandemic. The majority of the respondents (99.6%) were aware of the pandemic, and 92.3% adhered to one or more safety measures (personal hygiene, mask, curfew, isolation, and lockdown). The findings also revealed a significant (p=0.05) correlation between a sense of belonging and adherence to pandemic prevention measures in the study area. Therefore, it is essential that decision-makers take into account not only the socioeconomic characteristics of people but also the social concept of their daily existence when determining social policy and service delivery. &nbsp

Space, place and meaning in northern riverain Sudan

The main problem is the construction of an interpretative framework, intended to be a foundation for future research on the architecture of the Sudanese northern riverain region and for architectural education in Sudan. The research evolved out of issues pertinent to the area. Scant information exists on architecture of the area and there is no adequate theoretical base for research. The initial observations of the context led the author assume that there must be some reason for the frugality evident in the physical manifestations of the culture. Phenomenological interpretative research is attempted within an ecosystemic epistemology. The study pertains to postmodernist approaches in the use of language and blurring of boundaries between disciplines. An eco-systemic construct of the context is articulated to identify the milieu within which the artefact exists and how it developed within a framework of people's beliefs and social interaction systems. The term artefact is defined as any cultural agent and is not restricted to a physical object but includes ritual, social practice and linguistic agents. These are explored within their contextual settings. Space and place making are better understood by broadening conventional definitions of architecture. People, activities and networks are the basic canons of architectural place making. As pieces of a puzzle, the tangible and the intangible all address the theme of models of habitation. Traditional building practice and space use has been elevated and studied with respect to the knowledge embodied in it. Interdisciplinary interpretation is used to address the issue of how people interact with the environment and how they shape their spaces at the micro and macro levels. It has become evident that social structure, which greatly influences the configuration of built form, reflects the character of the natural environment to a large extent. Architectural expression takes on different forms through time, especially when comparing different eras with drastically different climates. Place making activities are guided by peoples’ ability to come to terms with their environment. This dissertation also studies the setting of one African interaction with Islam. Lived experience is prior to abstract reflection. Whenever we reflect intellectually on experience, we have to go back to the lived world of our experience prior to that reflection. On submitting that experience to reflection, we make it cognisant. It is acknowledged that on embarking with the study, it was not clear as to what would be achieved: An ecology as the one studied transcends a total understanding. Also, many aspects and relationships may remain concealed due to the limitations of any one analytical perspective or intellectual structuring device. This dissertation has been an attempt to partially expose what is concealed and to put it in a usable format for future researchers.Thesis (PhD (Architecture))--University of Pretoria, 2005.Architectureunrestricte

In vitro propagation and organogenesis of Lilium ‘Prato’

Lilium consists of more than 80 species native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is widely used as cut flowers, flowering potted and garden plants. Since Lilium in vitro production, as an alternative to the conventional vegetative propagation methods is becoming an important way to increase shoot proliferation rates; therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish a protocol for in vitro production of Lilium Asiatic hybrid ‘Prato’ and to compare between two explants for shoot proliferation and organogenesis. Bulb scales and leaf segments as explants of Lilium ‘Prato’ were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with benzyl adenine (BA) at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/l and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l. Callus was formed over the bulb scales before shoot organogenesis occurred, while shoot organogenesis occurred directly from the leaf segments without callus formation. It was found that the bulb scales gave higher percent of shoot regeneration than leaf segments when used as explants and was 96.67 and 64.67%, respectively. BA at 0.5 mg/l gave the highest percentage of shoot formation, shoot height and the lowest number of days to proliferation, while BA at 2.0 mg/l caused a delay in shoot organogenesis and reduced shoot height in both explants.Key words: Lilium hybrid, benzyl adenine, naphthalene acetic acid

BDNF/TrkB axis activation promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Neurotrophins (NT) belongs to a family of growth factors which promotes neurons survival and differentiation. Increasing evidence show that NT and their receptor are expressed in lung tissues suggesting a possible role in lung health and disease. Here we investigated the expression and functional role of the TrkB/BDNF axis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrotic lung (myo)fibroblasts. Methods: Lung fibroblast were isolated from IPF patients and characterized for the expression of mesenchymal markers in comparison to normal lung fibroblasts isolated from non-IPF controls. Results: BDNF treatment promoted mesenchymal differentiation and this effect was counteracted by the TrkB inhibitor K252a. In this regard, we showed that K252a treatment was able to control the expression of transcription factors involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Accordingly, K252a treatment reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 enzyme activity and E-cadherin expression while increased cytoplasmic β-catenin expression. Conclusions: Our results suggest that BDNF/TrkB axis plays a role in EMT promoting the acquisition of (myo)fibroblast cell phenotype in IPF. Targeting BDNF/TrkB seems to represent a viable approach in order to prevent EMT dependent lung fibrosis

Cities, Space and Power

The scholarly purpose of this manuscript is to provide a resource for academics and researchers looking into cities, space and power in emerging economies. It also takes into consideration the relationship between emerging economies and developing contexts, as well as the lessons that may be shared between them. This book presents a unique perspective and aims to highlight issues not addressed much in writing on the built environment. Based on substantiation and references to numerous other sources and authors, alternative theoretical frameworks for the study of the built environment are developed. This is a very relevant contribution at this time, especially as cities will most probably go through transformations in the post-COVID-19 era. Our first line of defense against this public health crisis will be in areas of poverty, with people who have generally been excluded and urban practices that have been undocumented or labelled as informal. The main thesis of the manuscript is that space and power are strongly linked in cities. The research results prevalent in the book are original, and while the authors consult widely across disciplines, the themes are firmly rooted in the built environment fields – with a focus on the architectural discipline

Interfacial reaction between SAC3807 lead-free solders and different copper substrate via reflow soldering process

The different composition material of copper substrate significantly affects the intermetallic compound (IMC) formation and the solder joints durability. This study was conducted on the interfacial reaction between lead-free solder and the different copper substrates via reflow soldering. The selected substrate is copper (Cu) and copper-beryllium (Cu-Be). The lead-free solder involved is Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu (SAC3807) solder ball with a diameter of 700 µm. All the samples were subjected to the isothermal aging process. The material characterization and analysis on the IMC formation were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscope (OM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). After the reflow process, the result revealed that Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn IMC layer formed at SAC3870/Cu and SAC3870/Cu-Be interface. The changes to a rod-like shape Cu6Sn5 and needle-shaped Cu3Sn4 occur after the aging treatment on SAC3870/ Cu. Meanwhile, the IMC layer for SAC3870/Cu-Be shows a rod-like shape transformed into a blocky�like shape Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn4 rod-shape. This result indicates that Ag3Sn nano-sized was formed on the intermetallic surface during the aging process for both SAC3807/Cu and SAC3807/Cu-Be. The Ag3Sn nano-sized element at SAC3807/Cu-Be is many compared to SAC3807/Cu. In addition, IMC thickness for SAC3807/Cu-Be shows a thicker layer than SAC3807/Cu. In addition, the element of Be in SAC3807/Cu-Be cannot be defined because the beryllium element is not easily detected as the percentage was very low