Evaluation of Applying Urban Features Design Guides Concerning their Environmental Impact Inside Residential Complexes

Urban population growth has affected the spread of residential buildings in many countries. The Kurdistan region of Iraq has been witnessing rapid progress in residential complex projects. The energy consumption in buildings, especially residential buildings, is immensely affected by the design of urban open spaces around these buildings. Accordingly, this has contributed to the massive increase in energy consumption. In this paper, through analyzing previous studies, the impacts of each of the urban features of open spaces (aspect ratio, orientation of street pattern, density, and spacing ratio) on both energy consumption and outdoor thermal comfort are introduced. Also, the study is to focus on the criteria of urban features of open spaces in three existing residential projects in Sulaimani city- Iraq, by considering that there is a remarkable unawareness of the influence of urban design on microclimate and energy use. Furthermore, a direct comparison between the ratios and the optimal settings of urban features of open spaces that reduce energy consumption in buildings and achieve outdoor thermal comfort for the hot-dry climate in the context of urban open spaces in residential complexes is made. The comparison shows that the aspect ratio for two selected residential projects is below the ideal urban features ratio, and at the same time, the density and spacing ratio for all the chosen residential cities is higher than the optimal urban features ratio of open spaces in hot arid climate zone and as a result, the total loads of energy increased

Peristiwa Bukit Kepong dalam Novel Bukit Kepong dan Filem Bukit Kepong Berdasarkan Pendekatan Historisme Baru

Kajian ini bertitik tolak daripada pertikaian Ismail Johari terhadap apa yang didakwa oleh beliau sebagai ketidaktepatan fakta tentang peristiwa Bukit Kepong dalam filem “Bukit Kepong”. Pertikaian ini yang mendorong Ismail Johari menulis novel Bukit Kepong yang didasarkan kepada matlamat-matlamat penulisannya. Matlamat ini berlegar sekitar hasratnya untuk memperbetulkan fakta-fakta tentang peristiwa Bukit Kepong dalam filem tersebut. Ini menimbulkan persoalan tentang sejauh manakah Ismail Johari berhasil merealisasikan matlamat-matlamat penulisan yang digariskannya itu. Dengan latar belakang dan persoalan ini, kajian ini disasarkan untuk mencapai 3 objektif, iaitu menganalisis fakta-fakta tentang peristiwa Bukit Kepong dalam novel Bukit Kepong karya Ismail Johari, membandingkan fakta-fakta tentang peristiwa Bukit Kepong dalam novel Bukit Kepong, filem “Bukit Kepong” dan sumber-sumber sejarah, dan seterusnya, menilai ketepatan penghasilan novel Bukit Kepong berdasarkan matlamat penulisan Ismail Johari. Dalam usaha mencapai objektif-objektif ini, kajian ini memanfaatkan Historisisme Baru sebagai pendekatan kajian. Untuk itu, prinsip penting Historisisme Baru digunapakai, iaitu prinsip “sejarah terdedah kepada pentafsiran semula”. Dengan memanfaatkan prinsip ini, kajian ini berhasil memperolehi beberapa penemuan penting. Pertama, novel didapati menonjolkan peranan dan sumbangan semua anggota polis yang terlibat dalam peristiwa serangan terhadap Balai Polis Bukit Kepong, tanpa memperagakan watak-watak tertentu sebagai wira tunggal. Kedua, novel didapati meletakkan watak SJN 3493 Jamil b. Mohd. Shah sebagai seorang ketua balai polis yang berkaliber, bijak mengatur strategi serta pandai memanfaatkan kelebihan yang ada pada pasukannya untuk mempertahankan Balai Polis Bukit Kepong, dan maruah pasukan polis secara keseluruhannya. Ketiga, novel didapati mengiktiraf sumbangan anggota polis bantuan (AP) serta penduduk kampung di bawah pimpinan Penghulu Ali, yang membantu anggota polis untuk menafikan kemenangan mudah pihak komunis. Dan keempat, novel didapati menonjolkan keberanian dan pengorbanan kaum keluarga anggota polis yang terlibat dalam peristiwa serangan itu. Berdasarkan penemuan-penemuan di atas juga, kajian ini mendapati bahawa Ismail Johari dapat merealisasikan matlamat-matlamat penulisan yang digariskannya dalam penulisan novel Bukit Kepong

Horse Archetype and Its Relationship with Hero Patterns on Luster Pottery in the Seljuk

Horse with the hero archetype are the most common mythological motif. In Jung’s opinion, archetypes are collective unconscious contents which potentially exist in the human’s mind; therefore, myth is not limited to the time and space. The pattern of horse and horseman was used on pottery and in wall paintings, paintings and drawings throughout the history. This kind of pattern is observed frequently on different artworks of the Seljuk Period (Eleventh and twelfth centuries AD). During the 10th century, due to various events, the Oghuz had come into close contact with Muslim cities. Seljuk Turks had a strong interaction with the nature. They fought with their neighbors to find suitable permanent pastures; so, war and hunting were their favorite works and subjects. One of the artworks on which these patterns were frequently used was golden shades and enamel pottery in the Seljuk Period. Pottery in this period is important in terms of its qualitative and quantitative value. In this article, first we address Jung’s opinions about the hero and horse pattern as an archetype; then, by introducing some samples of golden shades pottery with the pattern of horse and horseman, we will discuss the concept which the Seljuk society had understood

Fuzzy Expert System for Decision Making in Myocardial Infarction

Decision support system has been introduced in many domains and currently the computering world is focusing on decision support system with knowledge-bused. Knowledge system is one of the branches in artificial intellengence (AI), which incorporates human knowledge into the system us a result of knowledge acquistion process. Hybrid AI system, which is composed of multiple AI methods, has shown quite remarkable results in diagnosis and so far only a few of such approach has been done in known us FEMInS. This system integrates fuzzy logic technology with expert system, which helps the general medical practitioner to predict as well as diagnosing heart attack based on early symptons. Since fuzzy logic can be used for prediction and expert system can provide explanations and reasoning the combination of both fields is suitable for medical domain system, which generally needs to cater the problems of uncertainty and provide the explanation of the results to the user. FEMInS development has demonstrated that fuzzy logic can handle uncertainty better than expert system. This is due to the fact that fuzzy logic uses multi label and multi confidence value to reach the conclusion

Merger of Companies and its Impact on Partners and Shareholders

The present study deals with the reasons and importance of merger of companies in Palestine. The study approaches the issue in two sections: the first defines the concept of merger, focusing on its definition, forms, and scope of application. The second section examines potential impacts on partners and shareholders. It is divided into four subsections: partners’rights during merger; shareholders’ right to manage the merging or the new company; partners’ right to object to the merger proposal; and right to appealagainst merger decisions. The researcher concludes that, because company merger has not been sufficiently regulated by the Palestinian law, the applicable Jordanian Company Law No. 22 of 1997 is applied in Palestine. Regarding the issue of determining the shares of partners and shareholders, it isargued that more than one criterion should be considered, and that the exchange rate should not be restricted or determined by the shareholders

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS, OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AMONG SCHOOL GOING ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH LIFESTYLE HABITS

Background: Despite well documented and widely acknowledged health benefits of physical activity (PA), no study has examined the PA levels among the Jammu & Kashmir youth. The decreasing levels of PA and increasing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents is a major public health concern. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess the activity levels, prevalence rates of overweight and obesity and to investigate the association between leisure-time activities and dietary habits among adolescents.Methods: A school- based cross-sectional study was conducted among 405 adolescents (14-18 years) from 16 randomly selected schools of Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. Height, weight, physical activity and other lifestyle habits were determined from self-report. Gender- specific prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were calculated based on Indian Paediatrics Association (IAP) standards. Logistic regression was used to identify association between lifestyle habits and measures of overweight and obesity.Results: Of the total adolescents, 28.1% met the recommended levels of PA of 60 minutes daily, with boys meeting more than girls (41.5% vs 19.5%, p < 0.001). Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity was 11.4% and 2.7%, respectively. Logistic regression unadjusted for gender, age and location of participants shows that the odds of being overweight/obese was more among adolescents who are more involved in sedentary pursuits and consumes higher amounts of junk food and carbonated soft drinks.Conclusion: Low PA levels and substantial prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among the participants were observed. The results also suggest that sedentary behaviours, physical inactivity and erratic food habits are strongly associated with the obesity epidemic.  Article visualizations

Measuring Empathy Levels among Kurdish Medical Students in Erbil City, Iraq : Cross-sectional study

Objectives: Empathy is a crucial attribute within the physician-patient relationship. This study aimed to evaluate the empathy levels of students in the College of Medicine at Hawler Medical University (HMU) in Erbil city, Iraq. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between January and May 2015 and included all medical undergraduates enrolled at HMU (n = 989). The validated self-administered English language version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student Version (JSPE-SV) was used to measure empathy levels. Students reported their conformity to each statement of the 20-item questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale. Levels of empathy were considered directly relative to their final score. Results: A total of 927 students completed the questionnaire (response rate: 93.7%). The male-to-female ratio was 0.72:1 and the mean age was 21.3 ± 1.4 years. The mean empathy score was 101.9 ± 19.2. Female students had significantly higher empathy (P = 0.023) and more frequently chose people-oriented specialties (P = 0.001) than males. First-year students reported the highest mean score (112.9 ± 20.1) while fourth-year students had the lowest (92.7 ± 16.0). There was a significant decline in mean scores between first- and second-year male students (P = 0.020) and first- and fourth-year male students (P = 0.050). Students who chose people-oriented specialties had significantly higher scores than those who chose technology-oriented specialties (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The studied cohort of HMU students demonstrated low empathy levels. As such, the inclusion of empathy instruction in medical school curricula is recommended to promote professionalism and patient welfare

Facies and Reservoir Characteristics of Cross-Bedded and Plane-Bedded Sandstone

Analysis of sedimentary and petrophysic properties for outcrops at Nyalau Formation were carried out to establish its geological and reservoir qualities. This was done with respect to the fact that most onshore geological formations nearby substantial hydrocarbon sources are studied for better delineation of the basin (Joanna M. Ajdukiewicz, 2010). Consequently cross-bedded structure has always represented a large fraction of sandstone reservoirs (M.E. Lord, 1989). At the geological site, various sedimentary properties are inferred individually for each beds. Such properties are then associated with facies model to define its depositional environment. Identification of these features requires skilled observations and measurements to be carried out at the outcrop; example includes dip-angle, lamina thickness, colour, mineralogy, and preliminary grain sorting. Besides these properties, sandstone distribution and lithology must also be recognized for bedforms fair sample size (D. Mikes, 2003). Moving on, samples are tested at lab facilities for sedimentary properties and petrophysic (Franz, 1985). Among the relevant test to be made are grain size / sorting test, porosity test (digital helium porosimeter), permeability test (multi-phase flow permeametry) Due to lack of time and resources, bed and boundary effects as well as heterogeneities effect are neglected, only focusing on the clean, most homogeneous sandstone sample available. The result for petrology was however inconclusive due to erroneous sample, allowing only facies model analysed linked with permeability qualities from mathematical correlation. Finally, the outcome was made in terms of reservoir qualities established as Good for both site studied. Conclusively the Samling outcrop offers a very good facies for sandstone reservoir formation due to clean HCS bed as well as wavy laminated sandstone. Its boundaries are often shale-mudstone or heterolithic which will become the no-flow trap. As for Kg Sg Plan, the outcrop has thicker clean sandstone layer. Another sandstone layer has mud clast heterogeneities thus will definitely hamper flow properties. It is therefore important to distinguish the heterogeneities and the continuity of the clean sandstone bed with respect to other potential no-flow zones

An investigation on the impacts of density currents on the sedimentation in dam reservoirs using TCM model; case study: Maroon dam

Sedimentation in dams\u27 reservoirs is one of the most pressing concerns facing dams today. Maroon reservoir dam, located in Khuzestan Province, is one of the most important dams in this region. Since it is a new constructed dam, numerical simulation of sedimentation trend in its reservoirs could significantly help on a better utilization. To this end, TCM model which is capable to simulate density currents was used. The obtained results show that the dam loses about 91 million m3 of its reservoirs during a 50-year exploitation period

UiTM, USM sekat staf, pelajar ke luar negara

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) dan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) melarang semua kakitangan dan pelajarnya ke luar negara bagi mengelak risiko jangkitan influenza A (H1N1)