DIVERSITY OF ETHNICITY AND STATE INVOLVEMENT ON URBAN INFORMALITY IN BEIRUT

Urban informality has become the dominant feature of urban growth on Beirut City and its periphery. Beirut context, as the rest of Lebanese cities, sheds light on a new era of controversy on urban informality. The appearance of urban informality in Beirut is due to the ways that the state being involved on such areas and its affect on shaping the urban fabric, the ways that the influence of various sociopolitical circumstances the country being passed through by which informal areas being established, and the complexity of ethnicity structure within Lebanese society. Understanding the diversity of the state power and ethnicity structure of the society during various periods of the establishment of informal housing areas would enable the state and housing professionals to provide a clear policy strategy to tackle urban informality. Each marginal area needs special treatment according to its religion and ethnicity structure‚ to be remolded within the society.informality; urbanization; state; ethnicity; Lebanon.

New Current-Mode Bandpass Filters Using Three Single-Output ICCIIs

New current-mode bandpass filters using three single outputs inverting second generation current conveyors (ICCII) are introduced. The first circuit uses two ICCII+ and one ICCII−, and realizes an inverting bandpass response. This circuit has one floating resistor and no independent gain control. The second circuit uses three ICCII− and realizes a noninverting bandpass response. The third circuit uses three ICCII+ and realizes also a noninverting bandpass response. The second and third circuits employ four grounded resistors and two grounded capacitors and have independent control on Q and on the center frequency gain by varying a single grounded resistor. Spice simulation results using 0.5 um CMOS transistors are included to support the theoretical analysis

HEPATO-RENAL EFFECTS OF CEFOTAXIME IN ALBINO RATS

Objective: The present study was carried out to evaluate the adverse effects of cefotaxime at two different doses on some biochemical parameters in albino rats. Histopathological changes in liver and kidney induced by cefotaxime were also investigated.Methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups; the first group was received distilled water and kept as a control. The second group was received cefotaxime (90 mg/kg b. wt), while the third group was received cefotaxime (180 mg/kg b. wt). Cefotaxime at different doses were injected intramuscularly (IM) twice daily at 12 h intervals for 7 consecutive days.Results: The obtained results showed that, cefotaxime produced significant elevation in creatinine, urea, sodium, potassium, calcium concentrations and decrease concentrations of both glucose and total protein in the serum of treated rats. Also, cefotaxime caused an elevation in some biochemical parameters as (Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin, Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-chol) and decrease in albumin, High density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-chol) concentrations in serum of treated rats. Histopathological alterations were observed in liver and kidney.Conclusions: It could be concluded that administration of cefotaxime induced some adverse effects on biochemical parameters as well as histopathological changes in liver and kidney.Â

Semiclassical Hartree-Fock theory of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensation

In this paper, we investigate the thermodynamic behavior of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensation with non-zero interatomic interactions theoretically. The analysis relies on a semiclassical Hartree-Fock approximation where an integral is performed over the phase space and function of the grand canonical ensemble is derived. Subsequently, we use this result to derive several thermodynamic quantities including the condensate fraction, critical temperature, entropy and heat capacity. Thereby, we investigate the effect of the rotation rate and interactions parameter on the thermodynamic behavior. The role of finite size is discussed. Our approach can be extended to consider the rotating condensate in optical potential

PHARMACOKINETICS, BIO-EQUIVALENCE AND TISSUE RESIDUES OF TWO ORAL COLISTIN FORMULATIONS IN BROILER CHICKENS

Objective: The present study was carried out to investigate and provide an overview of the pharmacokinetics, bio-equivalence and tissue residues of colistin in two oral tested products, BAC-Liquido® (Interchemi Co.) and Coline-L® (Medmac Co.) in healthy broiler chickens.Methods: The comparative pharmacokinetics, bio-equivalence, blood and tissue residues of BAC-Liquido® and Coline-L® in broiler chickens was studied after oral administration of both products in a dose of 100.000 IU colistin base/kg. b. wt once daily for 5 consecutive days.Results: Colistin in both products obeyed a two compartments open model following I. V administration. The disposition kinetics of BAC-Liquido® and Coline-L® following oral administration of 100.000 IU colistin base/kg. b. wt revealed that the maximum blood concentration [Cmax.] were 5.10 and 4.95 µg/ml and attained at [tmax.] of 5.90 and 6.40 h, respectively. Colistin in BAC-Liquido® and Coline-L® was eliminated with half-lives [t1/2β] equal to 3.15 and 2.89 h, respectively. The mean systemic bioavailability of colistin in BAC-Liquido® and Coline-L® following oral administration in healthy chickens was 3.75 and 4.05%, respectively. The blood (µg/ml) and tissue (µg/g) residues of Coline-L® and BAC-Liquido® following repeated oral administrations showed that liver, kidney; lung, breast, and thigh muscles contained the limited colistin residues. Colistin in both preparations was completely disappeared from all tissues at 24 h following the last oral dose (except liver 48 h).Conclusion: It was concluded that Coline-L® is bioequivalent to BAC-Liquido® since Cmax test/Cmax reference and AUCtest/AUCreference ratios were 0.97 and 1.06, respectively. Chickens should not be slaughtered for human consumption within treatment and could be consumed after the discontinuation of the treatment (except liver, withdrawal time 48 h) of either BAC-Liquido® or Coline-L®.Keywords: Pharmacokinetics, Colistin, Broiler chickens, Bioavailability, Tissue residue

New 1.5V CMOS current feedback operational amplifier

Abstract-a novel CMOS low-voltage current feedback operational amplifier (CFOA) is presented. The proposed CFOA based on a new positive second-generation current conveyor (CCII+). The new circuit allows almost a rail-to-rail input and output operation; also, it reduces the offset voltage and provides high driving current capabilities. The CFOA is operating at supply voltages of ±0.75 V with a total standby current of 338 µA. The circuit exhibits better than 10 MHz bandwidth and ±1mA current drive capability. PSpice simulation results are given using 0.35µm technology for the proposed CFOA

Adenosine A2A Receptor Blockade Prevents Rotenone-Induced Motor Impairment in a Rat Model of Parkinsonism

Pharmacological studies implicate the blockade of adenosine receptorsas an effective strategy for reducing Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms. The objective of this study is to elucidate the possible protective effects of ZM241385 and 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine, two selective A2A and A1 receptor antagonists, on a rotenone rat model of PD. Rats were split into four groups: vehicle control (1 ml/kg/48 h), rotenone (1.5 mg/kg/48 h, s.c.), ZM241385 (3.3 mg/kg/day, i.p) and 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine (5 mg/kg/day, i.p). After that, animals were subjected to behavioral (stride length and grid walking) and biochemical (measuring concentration of dopamine levels using high performance liquid chromatography, HPLC). In the rotenone group, rats displayed a reduced motor activity and disturbed movement coordination in the behavioral tests and a decreased dopamine concentration as foundby HPLC. The effect of rotenone was partially prevented in the ZM241385 group, but not with 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine administration. The administration of ZM241385 improved motor function and movement coordination (partial increase of stride length and partial decrease in the number of foot slips) and an increase in dopamine concentration in the rotenone-injected rats. However, the 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine and rotenone groups were not significantly different. These results indicate that selective A2A receptor blockade by ZM241385, but not A1 receptor blockadeby 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, may treat PD motor symptoms. This reinforces the potential use of A2A receptor antagonists as a treatment strategy for PD patients