bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Priorities of Less Developed Countries Sustainable Housing (Case of Sudan)
Authors: Abdelgadir Ayman K. , Abu Elzein Omer A. , Hameed Faris
Published: March 2019

Sustainable development and sustainable housing indicators are a response to the trend of adopting sustainable development objectives, adopted by most countries, especially developed and less developed countries. It is difficult to implement indicators developed for a developing country context in other contexts with different social, economic and environmental conditions. Social sustainability is the most important priority regarding evaluating the housing development projects in the developed and less developed countries. Economic conditions is linked in many aspects to the social sustainability indicators. Environmental indicators are important, but the less developed countries in general has a very low environmental foot prints, this is because the industry sector is usually week comparing to the developed countries. This paper reviews the sustainable housing indicators, with a focus on United Nations reports and indicators developed for contexts similar to study area, without ignoring the most reputable indicators developed for developing countries context. The research came with a set of indicators reflects the social priorities of the new housing development in Sudan. A questionnaire participants decided the relative important of each indicator and also the importance of the parameters of each indicator. Developing a set of social priorities for Sudan will give extra efficiency in promoting and assessing sustainability in the study area. Description of the questionnaire results which reflects the national social sustainable housing development priorities are discussed. The researches came with a set of recommendations to enhance the social aspects for new housing development projects in Sudan. Using this set of priorities and recommendations will give extra efficiency in promoting and assessing sustainability in the study area.
Rebuilding Libya a Bird’s Eye View
Authors: Ben Ali Hailana
Published: March 2019

There are numerous important human activity factors which cause drastic reduction of the population of migratory birds as well as resident birds in the Libyan coastal areas and inner land too. Resulting into the deterioration of the ecosystems which support life, urban health, and simultaneously causes loss of urban heritage and place identity. The urban sprawl has increased significantly over the past few decades as a result of population growth and economic activity. This rapid urbanization seriously invaded agricultural land and natural environment to the extent of endangering rural and urban landscape. In the absence of legislative regulations; this uncontrolled spatial development is threatening wildlife habitat. Therefore, we see how urban expansion has gone out of control in many Libyan cities to an alarming rate surmounting the increase rate of population caused by extensive economic policies. These policies lack an ecological vision of preservation of cultural and natural heritage which would have ensured the realization of healthy ecosystem and a sustained vision towards the future of rebuilding Libya. This paper aims to identify the relationship between built environment and natural habitat for migratory and resident birds. The paper is using archival research methods by drawing together mortality causes from various sources so that human related factors can be placed in perspective with one another and perhaps, eventually, with other mortality factors in future studies. The paper attempts to shed light on the dangers faced by these birds including those inflicted by human activities. Finally, the paper tries to formalise general outlines for presenting safer urban environment for birds in the city. A strategy for green buildings and sustained urban design in order to preserve the fragile natural landscape and the endangered biological diversity in our Libyan cities.
Towards Zero-Energy Housing in Egypt
Authors: Mohamed Hala Abdelmoez
Published: March 2019

As the Egyptian population is increasing at a huge rate, the yearly housing demand is increasing in an equivalent rate. In addition, the whole world is suffering from an energy crises caused by the rapidly increasing consumption of world’s traditional energy resources, so the obvious solution is to go green, and depend much more on renewable energy resources. According to the statistical data available in Egyptian governmental authorities, the accumulated housing demand till 2014 was about 2,400,000 units. On the other hand, the yearly housing supply from private and public sectors is about 150,000 to 200,000 unit, Egyptian authorities declared that at summer 2010 air-conditioning devices increased to reach 3.000.000 ( three million) devices all over Egypt, mostly working from early mornings till 2 am next day to adjust temperatures that reach up to (45C) and more outside buildings to reach (25 C) or less inside. This behavior increased electricity consumption rapidly. Consequently, the electricity consumption rate in Egypt had increased by 13% more than 2009, which exceeds the maximum capacity power of the high dam by 7% to 8%, ministry of electricity announcements declared that to fill that gab we need 3000 megawatts at peak hours which costs the electricity sector up to 16.000.000.000 l.E. Accordingly, a new architectural design concept is proposed (Zero-Energy Housing Unit) to rely on the surrounding environmental conditions and new Green Architecture Techniques in order to provide human comfort based on renewable energy sources, provided that the common current governmental energy sources will be a backup system for the meanwhile.
Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in the Urban Design Process: Towards a Multi-disciplinary Approach
Authors: Asaad Moureen , Khalifa Marwa , Abd Elrahman Ahmed S.
Published: March 2019

The city is a complex living organism mostly affected by decisions taken whether they are political, organizational, or design decisions. Such decisions vary in scale starting with planning, urban design, and architectural scales. Urban design has been commonly agreed to occupy a hypothetical intersection between planning and architecture. It emerged to bridge the disciplinary gap between architecture and planning. Since 1960s urban design literature attempted to define what good urban design and good city form is, and the process to achieve it; yet in practice the end product doesn’t always achieve high quality in terms of urban design initial objectives. Over the last decades, the gap between disciplinary dreams in theory and real outcomes translated as urban design product of different practices has been growing in the field of urban planning and urban design. Since the urban design product does not meet its expected objectives in theory then something must be wrong with it, and a thorough investigation must come in order to perceive such gap. The Research aims to answer two main questions regarding urban design through examining the Urban Design Process; the first is whether the urban design process is capable to bridge the multidisciplinary gap? And the second question is with the little knowledge and lack of success criteria for the urban design process; how can the success of urban design be measured?
Sustainable Energy in the Middle East
Authors: Ahmed Eslam
Published: March 2019

The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate and show the differences and capabilities if renewable energy sources in the Middle East region and how using renewable energy will affect the future of the community.
Study the Control of Nutrients Removal from Wastewater by Using Local Plants in Constructed Wetlands as Tertiary Treatment
Authors: Bilal Ghada
Published: March 2019

This paper presents the results of using a pilot-scale-constructed wetland as a tertiary treatment to the domestic wastewater by using local plants in Syria, aiming to achieve the Syrian legal standards of phosphorus and nitrogen emissions. This pilot plant consisted of tow types of wetlands.The emerged plants are placed in 3 tanks and followed by 3 tanks of free-floating plant, daily estimating the treatment of24.m3/day of effluents. The effluents were circulated in a vertical subsurface flow through a porous matrix of thick sand and gravel, in which the roots of the Arundo donax and Cattail (Typha sp.) and Bottomos (locally species Reed) were fixed. Monitoring of the pilot plant was performed through biological analyses. The flow bypassing through free-floating plant tanks will support removing the nutrients. The system offer a good degree of pollutant efficiency removal, especially for phosphorus (45% medium), TKN (80% medium), and NH4–N (60% medium).
A Simplified Model for the Estimation of Solar Cell Efficiency Based on the Air Mass Effect
Authors: Al-Taani Hussein , Al-Addous Mohammad , Dalalah Zakariya , Albatayneh Aiman , Ayoub Nabil
Published: March 2019

In this manuscript, a model for approximating the electrical power efficiency of the solar cells in relation with the air mass effect has been presented based on simple physical assumptions and in accordance with the solar radiation distribution. The model has been developed in correspondence with the air mass effect on the radiation intensity and wavelength and taking into account the energy gap effect of the silicon material.
تحسين كفاءة الأداء البيئى فى المدارس الحكومية وتطبيق عناصر الإستدامة فى المبانى التعليمية
Authors: على أحمد حمدى فؤاد
Published: March 2019

في هذا البحث تم تناول التصميم البيئي للمدارس الحكومية من حيث الأسس و المحددات التصميمية
A Review to Innovative Ventilation Techniques Used in Historical Hospitals in Middle East and Europe
Authors: Maraqa Shadi , Al-Dweik Ghassan , Moeseke G. Van , Herde A. de
Published: March 2019

Historically, natural ventilation has been an important factor to achieve thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption in healthcare buildings. Since the recent century, there has been an increasing change and scientific advancement that led to the reliance of mechanical ventilation systems in commercial buildings and especially in hospitals and healthcare settings. However, the fully mechanical system approaches have changed gradually after global warming and the lack of energy sources. In this context, this study investigated systematically, passive ventilation techniques used in medieval near eastern hospitals ”Bimaristans” and historical hospitals in Europe. The study traced the roots of natural ventilation in a sample of historical healthcare buildings. It also investigated ventilation techniques used in historical hospitals in Middle East and Europe.
This study is looking forward to discover the architectural design parameters’ effects of historical hospitals on ventilation, to make a better environment for patients’ health by learning from past lessons in traditional architecture, and how could we adapt these techniques in our nowadays healthcare buildings. This step will allow further research on the adaption and integration of passive techniques inherited from the past in our contemporary hospital design.
Modeling System to Support the Determination of the Return on Investment (ROI) for PPP projects in Egypt
Authors: Nosair Ibrahim Abdel Rashid , Hosny Ayman Hussien , El-Mikawi Mohamed Ahmed , Bahaa Hossam El-Din Mohamed
Published: March 2019

Public authorities and governments in many nations ensure to assign the operations management of existing PPP projects and for financing new projects to the private sector. This approach adds a lot of benefits for all parties. These benefits included risks’ mitigation, cost savings regarding governmental expenditures, service enhancement, employment opportunities, and improvement in economic indices. This approach called public-private partnership (PPP) (Yescombe, 2007).
Due to their complexity, nature and their long duration, PPP projects are usually more difficult to implement than other procurement models. Previous research studies on several PPP projects indicated that a number of problems exist in the calculations of the project’ returns. Additionally, it is explicit that there is a need for an objective, reliable and practical returns’ assessment model for PPP projects with regards to the different factors that might affect theses estimated returns. The required model will help decision makers and investors to assess the revenues of PPP projects at their early stages. To apply PPP projects in Egypt successfully, one of the fundamental requirements is to perform and implement a comprehensive analysis of Return on Investment (ROI), to do such analysis; it should include the factors affecting the ROI relating the projects’ influences such as; financial, legal, political, social . . . etc.
According to the World Bank report, the private financial participation in Egypt has accounted $219,229.82 Million in the period from 1990 to 2000. This figure has increased to $998,667.36 Million in 2015 (World Bank ,2016).
Prevailing Value System Based Context, Adaptive Reuse
Authors: Moosa Hanaa Moosa Issa
Published: March 2019

The local problem in Egypt concerns the absence of balance between benefiting the community throughout the buildings’ new uses and conserving them. As in many cases, either the concept of museamizing buildings within the absence of visiting museums culture, or reusing the building in a vital function to the community such as schools. Within the second case a lot of destruction is caused due to absence of reuse codes, lack of awareness of cultural value for both users, and the administrative practices and vision.
The research conducted a number of analytical stages. Through the analysis, it is concluded that there is a more comprehensive context than the known ones representing the generally prevailing value system in the community and its continual changing of the other contexts and their direction of change.
An Adaptive Reuse Classification of 6 types will be reached after the analysis of a number of cases, in which every type is identified and ways of how to achieve the purposed balance is concluded. A methodology is formulated in order to reach a balance between getting the benefit of the heritage building and conserving it. Finally, a case study will take place.
Towards a Stylistic Characterization of the French Colonial Architecture Produced in Southern Algeria. Case Study of Public Buildings
Authors: Benghida Nassiba , Sriti Leila
Published: March 2019

Algeria, like the other Maghreb countries, had a long period of colonization. At independence, most Algerian cities inherited an important architectural legacy, which appears mainly at the level of public buildings and more clearly in institutional buildings to symbolize the presence, power and domination of France on the colonized Algerian territory. This architecture was expressed in a particular stylistic register based on the re-employment of architectural elements used in the local architecture and on the import of western exogenous models, whether historical or modern.
Most studies which were interested in colonial architecture in Algeria have focused on northern cities. According to these studies, the colonial architectural legacy has been identified with a set of formal characteristics concerned with the so-called neo-Moorish style (or arabisance). However, the question of the stylistic identification of the colonial architecture produced in the south of the country remains posed. Have a unique style been adopted for all Algerian territory, in this fact a Moorish one? Or was each region characterized by its own style (a local style)? Does the institutional colonial architecture produced in the south of the country admit a specific style compared to the north of the country? Can we speak about a Saharan colonial architecture?
To answer these questions, a comparative study was carried out on a corpus of some public buildings facades dating from the colonial era. The facades were selected in various regions of Algeria. The objective of the study is to identify the formal characteristics of the colonial public Saharan buildings readable in the facades and, then, comparing them with the dominant styles adopted in the institutional architecture of northern cities.
The preliminary results obtained from the morpho-stylistic analysis of the facades indicate that the neo-Moorish style that predominated in the treatment of public buildings in the north of the country differs from the style adopted in the south of the country. The analysis also identified architectural constants and variations among the major Saharan regions.
English Influences in Urban Fabric Patterns of Baghdad City
Authors: Alamiri Shatha A. , Abdul Jalil Mustafa , Alzubaidy Doaa M.
Published: March 2019

Appeared in the thirties of the last century and because of the presence of the English and the expansion of the city of Baghdad residential neighborhoods such as (Salhiya,Waziriya, Ayawadiyah, Batawi) in the suburbs of Baghdad carried a modern style that is different from the traditional pattern in the distribution of space .
The presence of the English has a clear impact on the appearance and changing patterns of the traditional urban fabric in the city of Baghdad, especially those that were established during their presence in the region. Therefore, the research aims to identify the characteristics that characterized the modern style in the urban fabric of the modern Baghdad revival, which was established after the entry of the English, especially the Salhia region. It is also aimed to know the relationship of this pattern to the traditional style of the old neighborhoods revolving, the reasons for this transformation in the pattern, whether cultural, social or economic, etc. and the impact of these modern patterns in the identity of the city and the latest method of preservation and investment . The hypothesis of the research is that there is a gradual shift in the pattern of urban fabric from the traditional to the modern which appeared in some neighborhoods in Baghdad, and that the presence of the English in the region has a clear effect of this transformation. In order to address the research problem of the lack of clarity of knowledge studied and dealt with the transformation in the pattern of urban fabric of some neighborhoods in the city of Baghdad, the effects of the English occupation, the research developed his plan by an analytical study of the chronological sequence of the emergence of the study area and morphological analysis of the factors behind this change, how to diagnose transitions in the schematic pattern of their traditional tissue through their holistic calendar, and the appearance of the architectural style of the Salhia in this architectural form.
Assessment Heliopolis Heritage Suburb Against Sustainable Conservation
Authors: Farid Mohamed , Abdelhady Osama
Published: March 2019

There is a complete assessment of approaches regarding conservation in the modern heritage suburbs field. As we know that the modern heritage conservation as cultural heritage to a limited degree has been accepted inside a known structure and discipline, and inside hypothesis, the preservation legislation inconsistency has been critically evaluated. The conservation scope is seen restricted to the old and historical, and hence it renders latest heritage not worth of any such conservation. In many countries like Egypt this is seen valid. Regardless of confined elucidations of current and advanced heritage which is able to foresee the mono typing, the cultural suggestions and “product of the past” state are denied especially of the 20th century.
There is degradation in the expanding and transforming features of cultural heritage which is immovable. In Egypt, as such, the latest or modern heritage undergoes inadequate analysis and is generally featured inside the cultural heritage framework. The buildings and their conservation started from the 20th century inside the predilection of Ministry of Heritage and Culture. As no such criteria are determined for such preference, there is a gradual loss in the buildings which symbolize the modern heritage regardless of their unique style and structure in relation to other infrastructure which is considered for conservation. The conservation of modern heritage is rendered with the threat of being torn down or destroyed due to aging functionally and physically inside the cultural heritage framework. This also includes the legal context updating on the basis of recent and modern parameters, essential and vital. The buildings which are not only the modern heritage products, but also the important and vital sources of the city’s history, as well as architecture needed to be sustained and hence Egyptian history and the process of rapid modernization, is becoming more and more important. It is through an impact of Cairo (the capital city) on urban identity. In short, the aim of this paper is to focus on the Heliopolis heritage suburbs and the related studies on the current sustenance of suburbs of modern heritage. Moreover, the approach to conserve heritage suburbs is assessed in this paper, which was developed at first in Cairo in the nineteenth century and the beginning of 20th century. Heliopolis heritage suburbs are given particular importance here in this paper.
Evaluating Heat Island Effect at University Campus with Reference to LEED v4.
Authors: Farag Alshimaa A. , Doheim R. M. , Badawi Samaa
Published: March 2019

The growing complexity in environmental degradation requires a serious action for adopting sustainable initiatives in the different institutions design and operation. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world that helps institutions to evaluate their current sustainable performance, and provides a concise guidance for identifying and implementing practical and measurable solutions. One of the important challenges to achieve sustainability, especially in hot dry climate region, such as Jeddah city, KSA, is the urban heat island effect that contributes to energy consumption.  Effat University, Jeddah is striving towards convoying the sustainable trends in developing and designing its campus, in the light of Saudi 2030 vision, which targets reducing energy consumption. This research contributes to the knowledge of rating sustainability through measuring the level of sustainability at Effat University Campus with reference to the LEED v4 rating system (Operation and Maintenance). The research focuses on site selection category, Heat Island Reduction Credit, Option 1 Non-roof Surfaces. This was carried on through quantitative methodology that based on surveying the university campus landscape elements and materials, and interviewing maintenance key persons. The results of this research would potentially help Effat University to improve the campus environmental and energy performance through recommending a set of evidence-driven actions that can help in reducing heat island effect and enhance the efficiency of the university landscape sitting and material. This would also  help in moving Effat University one-step forward to develop a green campus and being LEED Certified.
Approach Towards Localization of Public Spaces Development in Muscat
Authors: Elzain Rowa , Al Othmani Rumana
Published: March 2019

With a population that doubled in the past 10 years, in addition to the consumption of land through neighborhoods in the form of leapfrog sprawl, Muscat, the capital of Oman, faces a challenge of the management and provision of services within the existing neighborhoods. With limited infrastructure including street and electricity, these neighbourhoods have lack of public space as a common urban deficiency. Hence the research aims to understand the potential of localizing the urban deficiency solutions through practical means of participatory approach. Accordingly, initial outline of existing public space participatory engagements are considered, followed by analysis of the role and contributions of the community towards development projects, and finally assesment and guideline of lessons learned from the independent public spaces a series of negotiation initiatives are presented. The research builds on an earlier study where two neighborhoods were analyzed in terms of public spaces and communal qualities. From this point, we develop a framework outlining the research project, actions list, and funds. Through an incremental series of actions, progress of the project took a community-oriented line of development. Thus, we found a participatory approach for the localization of public spaces within neighborhoods in Muscat.
Boosting Rural Areas Revitalization in the Mediterranean through Cross-cutting Approach Based on Ecological and Social Resilience
Authors: Echave C. , Palladus A. , Boy-Roura M. , Cacciutolo M. , Niavis S. , Boulanger A. , Papatheochari TH. , Ceh D. , Ponsa S. , Massabo B.
Published: March 2019

Urban areas have been identified as one of the key challenges to tackle in the next decades. Most of the environmental impacts associated to urban contexts are linked to an unsustainable use of resources basically due to urban planning and society’s consumption behaviour. Currently, the paradigm of sustainable cities brought out in the past years situates urban contexts as an opportunity to reduce these impacts. There is a wide range of strategies focused on cities and their transition to a more sustainable urban model: compactness, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency, waste management and greening are some of the most relevant approaches with clear indicators and implementation plans. However, rural areas are still pending for  a precise strategy that highlights their ecological added value avoiding to be defined only as “not urban”. Rural areas should be emphasized from their productivity perspective and their key role in terms of resilience and adaptation to Climate Change. In the framework of the Interreg Med Programme, Thematic Communities are working on the capitalisation of projects from different kind of approaches of application in the Mediterranean Area. Four of these communities - Renewable Energy, Green Growth, Sustainable Tourism and Efficient Buildings - have several projects that present rural areas as one common territory of intervention. The aim of this paper is to expose the standards and goals proposed by the Interreg Med Thematic Communities for Rural Areas Revitalization as a resilience strategy in the Mediterranean Region, using a cross-cutting approach. The cross-cutting approach stresses the relation among the environment, society and economy: rural liveability, increasing RES production with sharing microgrid systems & efficient buildings, as well as green economy based on sectors such as agricultural & tourism activities. These standards and results will provide reference values to shape final policies recommendations. Consequently, the present paper is based on the joint cross-thematic effort and work from four thematic communities of the Interreg MED programme, previously mentioned. It includes some references to existing research studies, but the aim is to open the path to identify new challenges of Mediterranean rural areas and find potential solutions from a holistic approach.
Analyzing the Effect of Fuel Prices Increase on Travel Behavior
Authors: Aljoufie Mohammed
Published: March 2019

Saudi Arabia has increased the prices of fuel in January 2018. The increase was unprecedented and range from 82% to 126 %.Travel behavior patterns and socio-economic characteristics are unique in Saudi Arabia. High car dependency is notable in all main Saudi cities.  This study attempts to analyze the effect of fuel prices increase on travel behavior change in the city of Jeddah, second largest city in Saudi Arbia. A household survey was conducted to collect travel patterns of Jeddah city population, before and after the increase of the fuel prices. Results indicate a significant effect of fuel prices increase on travel behavior in Jeddah. Further studies to explore other effects of fuel prices increase on travel behavior  in Jeddah are important in both short run and long run.
Design of a System Generating Electricity by Means of a Solar Heater for a House
Authors: Javier Aguirre Contreras , Javier Aguirre Muñoz , Miguel Arzate Perez
Published: March 2019

This article discloses a domestic system that allows greater energy efficiency in a home located in Mexico City, which facilitates its contribution to a green urbanism by installing it in the buildings of the City.The system was designed and built using a solar heater (CalGen) that was installed in a house with four people. Aluminum cans were used in the CalGen as vacuum tubes, the water heated in the cans was used in the shower, in addition the CalGen structure were placed photoelectric cells, which were controlled by an Arduino Uno, in order to increase the efficiency of the solar radiation. The water heated by the CalGen helps to reduce the emissions 3.6 kiolograms (kg) of carbon dioxide (CO2) per day, since before installing the system the house used principally liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to heat the water. The water circulating inside the aluminum cans is heated by solar radiation, leaving the water at an average temperature of 37.71°C. The eight photoelectric cells generate 240 watts per day (W/day). The electricity generated by the photoelectric cells is stored in rechargeable batteries. The methodology of the tests and construction of CalGen is shown, as well as the changes that were made from the tests. There is also a cost-benefit study that CalGen had in housing.It should promote the design of cities where the environment of the quality of life of human beings is healthier and more sustainable, given that the space of cities is being increasingly demanded. Green buildings should not be an optional trend, but a fundamental requirement, taking advantage of and adapting existing spaces more effectively.
Community Engagement for Environmental Lighting and Acoustics in the Manila’s University Belt
Authors: Villanueva Cecilia May S.
Published: March 2019

Environmental lighting and acoustics is highly compromised in developing countries such as the Philippines.  In urban centers such as the City of Manila, the night time population which compromises mostly the younger generation experience difficulty in mobility.  Furthermore the exposure to too much noise  may render the population indifferent to their surroundings.España Boulevard is a main thoroughfare connecting the city of Manila’s University Belt to the eastern metropolis. The study focuses on examining the current situation of pedestrian infrastructure in the City of Manila where community and pedestrian wellbeing should be a primordial concern in one of the densest cities in the world.  Universal design is a basic consideration to support the pressing need for safety and mobility of residents and transients travelling to and from the City of Manila.This initiative is in consonance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Number 3 on Good Health and Wellbeing as a part of the third UN’s SDGs of 2015-2030.  This serves as a foundation for programs and projects that concern the general public, specifically pedestrians and communities.A foot-survey was conducted using downloadable apps on lighting and sound intensity to assess whether they are in compliance with prescribed international standards.  Photomontage on urban design proposals are presented as possible imagery of green urbanism solutions in attaining ideal metrics for both environmental lighting and acoustics.
Sophisticated Light Shelf System in South Orientation in Hot Arid Zone
Authors: Fekry Ahmed A. , Eldesoky Reham H. , Saeed Doha M.
Published: March 2019

In the framework of achieving advanced (sophisticated) light shelf system for deep office spaces in south in hot, arid zones, this study is based on the use of the parametric design approach in creating and investigating various combinations of the main design parameters of light shelf systems, in order to determine the design indicators and the key design elements that can help in developing and optimizing the performance of such daylight systems. Therefore a “819” study cases were created and tested in the previous phase of this study, as well as a “16” study cases have been tested in this study that produced from one hypothetical optimized parametric study case which was established by integrate the main design features of the best two case studies in the results of the previous study phase, in term of daylighting and energy consumption performance.  This study has identified several basic designs and considerations for developing and optimizing the light shelf systems, in addition to the invention of two sophisticated design cases for deep office spaces with different ceiling heights (3.30 & 3.80 m.) in south in hot, arid zones (New Cairo area).
Development and characterization of a new dolomite-based catalyst: application to the photocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol
Authors: Belarbi Ilhem , Çoruh Ali , Hamacha Rachida , Marouf-Khelifa Kheira , Khelifa Amine
Published: March 2019

The development of new catalysts from abundant raw materials, generating attractive photocatalytic activity, constitutes a real challenge in the context of sustainable development concerns. In this setting, a dolomite was treated at 800 °C (D800) and then chemically modified by Ca(NO3)2 (CaD800) using a simple procedure. The resulting materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), solid state UV spectroscopy, and used as catalysts of pentachlorophenol (PCP) degradation in aqueous solutions under UV light irradiation. The treatment of dolomite at 800 °C enabled a full decarbonation of CaMg(CO3)2, with formation of CaO, Ca(OH)2, and MgO. Additional CaO was generated after chemical treatment as revealed by EDS analysis; the Ca/Mg ratio increased from 1.29 (D800) to 1.44 for CaD800. This CaO in aqueous medium hydrates by giving Ca(OH)2. CaD800 was found to be the best photocatalyst with a PCP degradation rate of 95% after only 1 h of treatment, for a CaD800/D800 degradation rate constant ratio of 1.58. In this regard, we investigated the Fourier transform infrared spectra of CaD800, PCP, and CaD800 loaded with PCP after degradation. We thus evidenced the involvement of Ca(OH)2 in the PCP degradation process. Catalytic activity was discussed through the contribution of OH radicals and electrodonation.
Genotype Driven Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Resistance, Pan Inhibitors and Immunotherapy
Authors: Singh Sitanshu S. , Dahal Achyut , Shrestha Leeza , Jois Seetharama D.
Published: March 2019

Eighty-five percent of patients with lung cancer present with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
(NSCLC). Targeted therapy approaches are promising treatments for lung cancer. However, despite the
development of targeted therapies using Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) as well as monoclonal antibodies,
the five-year relative survival rate for lung cancer patients is still only 18%, and patients inevitably
become resistant to therapy. Mutations in Kirsten Ras Sarcoma viral homolog (KRAS) and epidermal
growth factor receptor (EGFR) are the two most common genetic events in lung adenocarcinoma;
they account for 25% and 20% of cases, respectively. Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a transmembrane
receptor tyrosine kinase, and ALK rearrangements are responsible for 3-7% of NSCLC, predominantly
of the adenocarcinoma subtype, and occur in a mutually exclusive manner with KRAS and
EGFR mutations. Among drug-resistant NSCLC patients, nearly half exhibit the T790M mutation in
exon 20 of EGFR. This review focuses on some basic aspects of molecules involved in NSCLC, the development
of resistance to treatments in NSCLC, and advances in lung cancer therapy in the past ten
years. Some recent developments such as PD-1-PD-L1 checkpoint-based immunotherapy for NSCLC
are also covered.
Recent Findings on Nanotechnology-based Therapeutic Strategies Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Samie Hany A. Abdel , Saeed Mohd , Faisal Syed Mohd , Kausar Mohd Adnan , Kamal Mohammad A.
Published: March 2019

Background:

Nanotechnology-based therapies are emerging as a promising new anticancer approach. Early clinical studies suggest that nanoparticle-based therapeutics can show enhanced efficacy while reducing side effects minimal, owing to targeted delivery and active intracellular uptake.

Methods:

To overcome the problems of gene and drug delivery, nanotechnology based delivery system gained interest in the last two decades. Encouraging results from Nano formulation based drug delivery systems revealed that these emerging restoratives can efficiently lead to more effective, targeted, selective and efficacious delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the affected target cells.

Results:

Nanotechnology not only inhibits targeted gene products in patients with cancer, but also taught us valuable lessons regarding appropriate dosages and route of administrations. Besides, nanotechnology based therapeutics holds remarkable potential as an effective drug delivery system. We critically highlight the recent findings on nanotechnology mediated therapeutics strategies to combat hepatocellular carcinoma and discuss how nanotechnology platform can have enhanced anticancer effects compared with the parent therapeutic agents they contain.

Conclusion:

In this review, we discussed the key challenges, recent findings and future perspective in the development of effective nanotechnology-based cancer therapeutics. The emphasis here is focused on nanotechnology-based therapies that are likely to affect clinical investigations and their implications for advancing the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Pathological Role of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and their Receptor Axis in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Yamagishi Sho-ichi , Sotokawauchi Ami , Matsui Takanori
Published: March 2019

Accumulating evidence has shown that the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is higher in patients with diabetes, especially those with poor glycemic control or long disease duration. Nonenzymatic glycation of amino acids of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids has progressed under normal aging process and/or diabetic condition, which could lead to the formation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs not only alter the tertiary structure and physiological function of macromolecules, but also evoke inflammatory and fibrotic reactions through the interaction of cell surface receptor for AGEs (RAGE), thereby being involved in aging-related disorders. In this paper, we briefly review the association of chronic hyperglycemia and type 1 diabetes with the risk of AF and then discuss the pathological role of AGE-RAGE axis in AF and its thromboembolic complications.
Negative Correlation Between Serum Levels of Homocysteine and Apolipoprotein M
Authors: Wei J. , Yu Y. , Feng Y. , Zhang J. , Jiang Q. , Zheng L. , Zhang X. , Xu N. , Luo G.
Published: March 2019

Background:

Homocysteine (Hcy) has been suggested as an independent
risk factor for atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a constituent of the HDL
particles. The goal of this study was to examine the serum levels of homocysteine and
apoM and to determine whether homocysteine influences apoM synthesis.

Methods:

Serum levels of apoM and Hcy in 17 hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) patients
and 19 controls were measured and their correlations were analyzed. Different
concentrations of homocysteine (Hcy) and LY294002, a specific phosphoinositide 3-
kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, were used to treat HepG2 cells. The mRNA levels were
determined by RT-PCR and the apoM protein mass was measured by western blot.

Results:

We found that decreased serum apoM levels corresponded with serum HDL
levels in HHcy patients, while the serum apoM levels showed a statistically significant
negative correlation with the serum Hcy levels. Moreover, apoM mRNA and protein
levels were significantly decreased after the administration of Hcy in HepG2 cells, and
this effect could be abolished by addition of LY294002.

Conclusions:

resent study demonstrates that Hcy downregulates the expression of
apoM by mechanisms involving the PI3K signal pathway.
The Mitochondrial tRNAHis G12192A Mutation May Modulate the Clinical Expression of Deafness-Associated tRNAThr G15927A Mutation in a Chinese Pedigree
Authors: Ding Yu , Teng Yao-Shu , Zhuo Guang-Chao , Xia Bo-Hou , Leng Jian-Hang
Published: March 2019

Background:

Mutations in mitochondrial tRNA (mt-tRNA) genes have been found to be associated with both syndromic and non-syndromic hearing impairment. However, the pathophysiology underlying mt-tRNA mutations in clinical expression of hearing loss remains poorly understood.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore the potential association between mttRNA mutations and hearing loss.

Methods and Results:

We reported here the molecular features of a pedigree with maternally transmitted non-syndromic hearing loss. Among 12 matrilineal relatives, five of them suffered variable degree of hearing impairment, but none of them had any medical history of using aminoglycosides antibiotics (AmAn). Genetic screening of the complete mitochondrial genomes from the matrilineal relatives identified the coexistence of mt-tRNAHis G12192A and mt-tRNAThr G15927A mutations, together with a set of polymorphisms belonging to human mitochondrial haplogroup B5b1b. Interestingly, the G12192A mutation occurred 2-bp from the 3’ end of the TψC loop of mt-tRNAHis, which was evolutionarily conserved from various species. In addition, the well-known G15927A mutation, which disrupted the highly conserved C-G base-pairing at the anticodon stem of mt-tRNAThr, may lead to the failure in mt-tRNA metabolism.

:

Furthermore, a significant decreased in ATP production and an increased ROS generation were observed in polymononuclear leukocytes (PMNs) which were isolated from the deaf patients carrying these mt-tRNA mutations, suggested that the G12192A and G15927A mutations may cause mitochondrial dysfunction that was responsible for deafness. However, the absence of any functional mutations/variants in GJB2, GJB3, GJB6 and TRMU genes suggested that the nuclear genes may not play important roles in the clinical expression of non-syndromic hearing loss in this family.

Conclusion:

Our data indicated that mt-tRNAHis G12192A mutation may increase the penetrance and expressivity of deafness-associated m-tRNAThr G15927A mutation in this family.
The Prognostic and Clinicopathologic Characteristics of OCT4 and Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Hui , Wang Liwen , Shi Shupeng , Xu Yadong , Dai Xuejiao , Li Hongru , Wang Jing , Zhang Qiong , Wang Yonggang , Sun Shuming , Li Yanping
Published: March 2019

Objective:

The relationship between OCT4 and clinicopathological features in lung cancer is shown to be controversial in recent publications. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to quantitatively investigate the prognostic and clinicopathological characteristics of OCT4 in lung cancer.

Methods:

A comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, WOS, CNKI and Wanfang databases was performed to identify studies. Correlations between OCT4 expression and survival outcomes or clinicopathological features were analyzed using meta-analysis methods.

Results:

Twenty-one studies with 2523 patients were included. High OCT4 expression showed a poorer overall survival (OS) (univariate: HR= 2.00, 95% CI = (1.68, 2.39), p<0.0001; multivariate: HR= 2.43, 95% CI = (1.67, 3.55), p<0.0001) and median overall survival (MSR = 0.51, 95% CI = (0.44, 0.58), p < 0.0001), disease-free survival (DFS) (HR= 2.18, 95% CI = (1.30, 3.67), p = 0.003) and poorer disease-specific survival (DSS) (HR= 2.23, 95% CI = (1.21, 4.11), p = 0.010). Furthermore, high OCT4 expression was found to be related with lower 5 year disease-specific survival rate (OR= 0.24, 95% CI = (0.14, 0.41), p<0.0001) and 10 year overall survival rate (OR= 0.22, 95% CI = (0.12, 0.40), p=0.0001). Additionally, OCT4-high expression was also strongly associated with higher clinical TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor distant metastasis, higher histopathologic grade, but not related with gender, smoking status, tumor size and histologic type of lung cancer.

Conclusion:

OCT4 over-expression in lung cancer was strongly related to poorer clinicopathological features and worse survival outcomes, which suggests that OCT4 could be a valuable prognostic marker in lung cancer.
Pharmaceutical Inhibition of Neddylation as Promising Treatments for Various Cancers
Authors: Yin Lina , Xue Yuanyuan , Shang Qiannan , Zhu Haichao , Liu Meihua , Liu Yingxiang , Hu Qingzhong
Published: March 2019

Background:

Neddylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins, in
which a NEDD8 (neural-precursor-cell-expressed developmentally down-regulated 8) is covalently
introduced onto the substrate proteins to regulate their functions and homeostasis. As neddylation is
frequently up-regulated in various cancers, its interference was proposed as a promising therapy of
related diseases.

Objective:

The recent advances in developing neddylation interfering agents were summarized to provide
an overview of current achievements and perspectives for future development.

Methods:

Reports on neddylation interfering agents were acquired from Pubmed as well as the EPO
and clinicaltrials.gov websites, which were subsequently analyzed and summarized according to targets,
chemical structures and biological activities.

Results:

Neddylation as a sophisticated procedure comprises proteolytic processing of NEDD8 precursor,
deploying conjugating enzymes E1 (NAE), E2 (UBE2M and UBE2F) and various E3, as well as
translocating NEDD8 along these conjugating enzymes sequentially and finally to substrate proteins.
Among these nodes, NAE, UBE2M and the interaction between UBE2M-DCN1 have been targeted by
small molecules, metal complexes, peptides and RNAi. A NAE inhibitor pevonedistat (MLN4924) is
currently under evaluation in clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers.

Conclusion:

With multiple inhibitory approaches of neddylation being introduced, the development of
neddylation interference as a novel cancer therapy is significantly boosted recently, although its efficacy
and the best way to achieve that are still to be demonstrated in clinical trials.
Synthesis and Antioxidant Evaluation of Dihydropyrimidinone Integrated Pyrazoles
Authors: Padmavathy Krishnaraj , Sutha Peramasivan , Krishnan Kannan G. , Kumar Chandran U. , Iniyaval Shunmugam , Ramalingan Chennan
Published: March 2019

:

A series of novel ethyl 6-[2-(3-aryl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)vinyl]-2-oxo-4-phenyl-
1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylates (9a-9d) has been synthesized by adopting a multistep synthetic
strategy. The structure of the targets was confirmed on the basis of physical and spectral techniques.
The synthetically achieved targets were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by in-vitro
DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Of the chemical entities screened, most of them exhibit good to
better radical scavenging profile and among those, the nitro substituent bearing molecule 9c displayed
the highest activity (82%) with IC50 value 621.6 μM. Further, as a representative molecule, compound
9a has been subjected to density functional theory calculations employing B3LYP method with
6311(++G) basis set to optimize its structure.