Archives-November 2016

In this study the author studied the natural radioactive pollution in the samples water of natural spring in the governorate of Irbid due to leakage of radon gas to natural springs from the source of radon (the soil). The study started from June 20, 2015 to August 30, 2015. After 70 days the collected dosimeters were chemically etched under the conditions (30% solution of KOH at a temperature of 70 C° for 8 h).Samples of groundwater from eight springs in the governorate of Irbid were used, which were respectively from Rahoop spring, Ash Shalalah spring, Wadi Al Ruman spring, Sama Al-Rousan spring, Tabqet Fahel spring, Dhiraj spring, Al-Wadi spring, and Taqat al Ain spring. The radon concentrations were found to be 4.1 Bq/l for Rahoop spring water, 3.7 Bq/l for Ash Shalalah spring water, 3.2 Bq/l for Wadi Al Ruman spring water, 2.1 Bq/l for Sama Al-Rousan spring water, 2.6 Bq/l for Tabqet Fahel spring water, 4.9 Bq/l for Taqat al Ain spring water, 1.8 Bq/l for Al-Wadi spring water and 1.6 Bq/l for Dhiraj spring water. The average concentration of radon in the water for these springs was 3.0 Bq/l. The radon concentration in the water samples in this study was less than the allowable upper value, which is equal to (18 Bq/l), and it does not cause danger to human life

Epivir is an anti HIV agent belonging to the class of nucleosides reverse transcriptase inhibitors. These drugs interrupt the virus to make copy of it. A systematic quantum chemical study and vibrational spectra of Epivir has been reported. Structure and spectral characteristic of Epivir have been studied using vibrational spectroscopy and quantum chemical methods. Density function theory calculations of optimized geometry and vibrational spectra have been carried out by Gaussian03, using 6-311G basis set and B3PW91 functional. Based on these results we have discussed the correlation between these vibrational modes and crystalline structure of Epivir. A complete analysis of experimental IR and Raman spectra has been reported on the basis of wave number of the vibrational bands. The IR and the Raman spectra of the molecule based on DFT calculations shows reasonable agreement with the experimental results. The calculated HOMO, LUMO shows that the charge transfer takes place within the molecule.

A Simple, accurate and precise titrimetric method was developed for the estimation of Esomeprazole magnesium trihydrate in bulk and tablet dosage form by using complexometric titration. In this method, EDTA solution (0.01M) was employed as a titrant, Eriochrome black T as an indicator and methanol as a solvent to solubilize the poorly water soluble drug. The validation of the proposed method was carried out for linearity and range, accuracy, precision, ruggedness and recovery. The method was found linear with correlation coefficients of 0.9996. Concerning accuracy and precision the RSD% values were satisfactory found less than 2. There is no interference from the excepients present in the formulation as confirmed by standard addition method with recovery % 100.4 and RSD% 2.1. The developed method was compared with reported UV spectroscopic method and there is no statistically significant difference.

A surface geophysical investigation involving ground magnetic technique was carried out in Ikogosi warm spring situated in Ekiti South-western Nigeria using a high resolution Proton-precession Geometric Magnetometer model G-856 AX to measure total components of magnetic intensity of the area with the aim of giving details of the subsurface geological structure and evaluating the structural setting beneath the warm spring for probable geothermal energy exploration. Total field magnetic measurements data were acquired along twelve (12) N-S profiles. The Magnetic data interpretation applied was able to depict fractured and faulted areas within fresh massive Quartzite at varying depths beneath all the profiles. Profile 12 has the highest amplitude of 748 nT while profile 3 has the lowest amplitude of 81.1 nT. The magnetic anomaly obtained varied between a minimum negative peak value of -235.9 nT and a maximum positive value of 748 nT. The approximate depth to basement rocks ranges between 8 to 14 m. The magnetic contour, 3-D surface, 1-Grid, Image Maps showed that the magnetic anomalies are as a result of Hot dry rocks present in the study area which contributes to the temperature of the spring. Also the highly mineralized area is between profile 1 and 4. It was deduced that the fractured/faulted quartzite may have acted as channel for the movement of warm groundwater from high depths to the surface.

Bauxite residue (red mud) is mineral slurry left behind after extracting alumina from bauxite ores using the Bayer process. It is estimated that over 248 million tons of this waste is impounded annually in the world. This paper describes the effective utilization of red mud in brick manufacturing. Red mud consists of high pH value in the range of 10.5 -13. Seawater neutralization is preferred to reduce the pH value to an optimum range of 8.5-8.9. After the neutralization process, red mud is used in brick manufacturing by replacing the clay and red soil in various percentages and it is tested. The compressive strength of all the samples were more than 3.5N/mm2. The water absorption value for most of the samples was below 20%. The result of the tests showed that the red mud did not negatively affect the quality of the produced bricks. It is thus concluded that the red mud can be utilized as a raw material in brick manufacturing, thus maintaining sustainability in the construction sector.

The association between fruit and vegetables (FVs) consumption and hypertension risk remains controversial. This study aims to validate a short screener of FVs intake on the Lebanese population. Based on the data collected, FVs consumption was analyzed accordingly to compare the intake between hypertensive and normotensive subjects.Cross-sectional study conducted in the greater area of Beirut. Subjects recruited were Lebanese citizens (N=300) aging 35 years old and above adjusted for age (N=150 participants < 65 years old and N= 150 participants ?65 years old) and gender (equally distributed between men and women). Descriptive Statistics, Chi Square test, Alpha Cronbach test, and Binary Logistic tests were conducted. FV consumption was high in subjects with hypertension compared to normotensive subjects who have low adherence to the 5 servings/day of FV recommendations. Also, there was no difference observed between genders concerning FV intake. The internal consistency test shows that the questions used in this questionnaire were not consistent thus; some modifications should be implemented to adjust this questionnaire appropriately to the population studied.High fruits and vegetables intake was associated with an increased risk of hypertension. While the mechanism of blood pressure variation via fruit and vegetable consumption is not yet clear, selective consumption of healthy foods and nutrients, maintaining a healthy body weight, and staying physically active may lead to prevention and treatment of hypertension. As for the questionnaire’s validity, more culturally adapted options should be added to the screener in a way that satisfies FV consumption of the Arabian world in general, and that of the Lebanese population specifically.

In Lebanon, Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has a major public health impact through high disease prevalence, significant downstream pathophysiologic effects, and enormous financial responsibilities. Diet is an important environmental factor in the development and prevention of T2D. This study aimed to investigate the association between the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the risk of T2DM in Lebanese non-diabetic men and women and to compare the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among non-diabetic versus diabetic as well as to validate the Arabic version of a 14-point Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the greater area of Beirut region. Study subjects were 150 diabetic and 150 non-diabetic aged ?40 years. They were matched by age and gender. The level of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was identified using the MEDAS questionnaire and the risk of diabetes was identified using a short diabetes risk assessment questionnaire. Compared to Non-diabetic men, the majority of women in our population were obese (44%) and 63% of them were inactive (p=0.01).The majority of men had overweight (52%) (p=0.004). No significant differences between genders concerning body weight (p=0.002). Moreover, no significant differences between men and women concerning the family history of diabetes, the occurrence of high blood pressure or the risk of diabetes (p=0.4, p=0.6, p=0.2 respectively). The level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet among non-diabetic subjects shows no statistical differences among MEDAS score categories between genders, age categories, body weight and BMI (p>0.05). Unadjusted binary logistic regression shows that diabetic participants had low adherence to the Mediterranean diet by 0.53 times more than non-diabetic participants (OR=0. 53, 95% CI 0.288-0.994). In addition, regression shows that more than 70% of non-diabetic subjects with low adherence score had a high risk of diabetes (OR=0.35, [95% CI 0.12-1.0]) compared to those with moderate + high score. Concerning the validation of the MEDAS questionnaire, Cronbach’s alpha was not statistically significant in our population.These findings confirm that lifestyle modifications provide potentially useful and relevant information on the relationship between diet and disease prevention among Lebanese adults.

In the present study fourty five years instrumental record (1970-2015) of four meteorological stations (Srinagar, Pahalgam, Qazigund and Gulmarg) located in different physiographic divisions in the valley of Kashmir was analysed.GCM data was also employed to project future temperature and rainfall of the Kashmir valley upto 21st century. It was observed that temperature shows an increasing trend at all the four stations while as precipitation shows a decreasing trend over the coming century.

Artificial neural network technique was used to carry out the downscaling of the GCM predictors. The large scale GCM predictors were related to observed precipitation and temperature. So the future projections of climate were made under A1B and A2 scenario upto 21st century using CGCM3 model. At the end of the 21st century the mean annual temperature of the Jhelum river basin is predicted to increase by 1.43°C under A1B scenario and 1.56°C under A2 scenario using ANN technique whereas the average annual precipitation is predicted to decrease substantially by 30.88% and 35.32% respectively under A1B and A2 Scenario by ANN technique

Hydrological modelling such as rainfall-runoff modeling and climate modelling is one of the most important and challenging task in the modern world. In general, climate, rainfall and runoff are highly non-linear and complicated phenomena, which require advanced computer modeling and simulation for their accurate prediction. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) can be used to predict the behavior of such nonlinear systems. ANN has been successfully used by most of the researchers in this field for the last twenty-five years. This paper provides a survey of available literature of some methodologies employed by different researchers to utilize ANN for rainfall-runoff and climate change prediction. The survey also reports that such hydrological modelling using ANN technique is more suitable than traditional statistical and numerical methods.