United Arab Emirates University
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THE COST OF CONNECTIVITY - ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SUPERBLOCK ROAD DESIGN COSTS ON THE DISTANCE, DIRECTNESS, AND DIVERSITY OF PEDESTRIAN ROUTES
Get PDFSuperblocks have been massively constructed and cover a remarkable amount of Abu Dhabi’s urban landscape. Recent research has shown that Abu Dhabi’s superblocks promote car dependency, which dominates approximately all local transportation, and results in increases in fossil fuel consumption, increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and negative impacts on air quality. This thesis, along with multiple recent studies, addressed this issue, looking at the different designs of internal road networks of residential superblocks in order to better understand their connectivity. The evaluation of different network designs used in the city’s superblocks has provided valuable insights by which to support and better plan for non-motorized mobility. However, a question that remains is related to how different street network designs can be evaluated and eventually selected by planning officials when new neighborhoods need to be built. This thesis brings forward considerations regarding investment and connectivity. Its objective is to analyze variations in street investment and connectivity of different superblock street network designs. This evaluation was performed using a sample of ten different superblock designs, typical examples of the designs used in planning Abu Dhabi’s neighborhoods. These designs are studied based on road investment that was measured in terms of the ratio of the total street length of each superblock to the number of plots in each superblock. Connectivity was studied in terms of the distance, directness, and diversity of routes connecting origins and destinations inside each superblock, using state-of-the-art network analysis tools.The findings show few similarities across the studied designs, with travel distance as the only measure that shows a certain level of consistency across the sample. Route directness, route diversity, and road investment values were found to vary quite substantially. Most importantly, the study found that variations in road investment do not proportionally affect street connectivity. In view of this, simple modifications to the road networks were tested and highlighted the value of retrofitting the superblocks street networks using pedestrian paths. The analysis revealed that these additions to the street network, which affect the total length of the street system, can increase the directness and diversity of the routes inside the superblocks while keeping road investment values under control. These positive impacts allow retrofitting opportunities for superblocks in Abu Dhabi. The thesis concludes with a discussion about how these findings can develop into a method by which to enhance the selection criteria for superblock design in Abu Dhabi based on road investment and connectivity performance
IDENTIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO NOVEL RING-TYPE E3 LIGASES FROM SESUVIUM VERRUCOSUM
Get PDFDrought and salinity pose significant environmental challenges that impact the growth and productivity of plants. Sesuvium verrucosum is a succulent halophyte species of the Aizoaceae family. Halophytes have evolved specialized mechanisms to thrive in saline environments. Studying these adaptations can provide valuable insights into how plants cope with stress, thereby improving the resilience of crops and other plant species to combat salinity stress. In plants, the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) is crucial in maintaining cellular homeostasis and regulating protein levels, particularly in stress responses. E3 ubiquitin ligases play a major role in identifying targets and transferring ubiquitin to those targets. Among them, RING-type E3 ligases are widely studied and essential in plants responses to environmental stresses. In the present study, identification and classification of various types of E3 ligases were performed via transcriptome profiling of S. verrucosum under salinity stress. The transcriptome study identified 433 E3 ligases expressed under salt stress in the roots. Single RING-type E3 ligases are the most abundant E3 ligases in S. verrucosum. Among the 13 differentially upregulated RING-type E3 ligases, the functional roles of two novel E3 ligases, SvRNF170 and SvRNF185, were characterized. These E3 ligases were expressed in all tissues of S. verrucosum and were induced under salt stress. These two E3 ligases are evolutionarily conserved in plants as their orthologs are present in numerous plant families; however, no functional study of these ligases has been reported. In addition, these two novel RING-type E3 ligases showed similarities to their human counterparts, which are involved in Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Degradation (ERAD). Our ubiquitination experiments confirm that both SvRNF170 and SvRNF185 possess ligase activity, underscoring the importance of their RING domain. Subcellular localization studies revealed that both proteins are associated with the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) membrane. Moreover, when overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, SvRNF170 and SvRNF185 enhanced tolerance to salt, osmotic, and ER stresses. The expression analysis of several ER stress-responsive genes in SvRNF185 and SvRNF170 overexpression lines reveals the possible involvement of these E3 ligases in the ERAD system. The interaction of SvRNF185 and SvRNF170 with UBC32, an ER localized E2 enzyme signifies the role of these two E3 ligase in ERAD system. Mass Spectrometry (MS) analysis of the co-immunoprecipitation of interacting proteins revealed the association of SvRNF185 proteins with numerous ER stress-responsive proteins. Taken together, these data indicate the potential of these E3 ligases in ERAD responses. This research marks the first functional exploration of these evolutionarily conserved E3 ligases and advances our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms during stressed conditions
أثر استخدام تقنیة الاتصال عن بعد في المحاكمات الجزائیة على ضمانتي العلنیة والشفویة: دراسة مقارنة
Get PDFRemote litigation is an application of modern technology that countries have established and added to the judicial system. Remote attendance appeared more at the time of the Corona pandemic, as the countries that had not previously used modern means in their judicial system have begun to advance it, and this is in contrast to the countries that used this system before the emergence of this pandemic. Among the pioneering countries in using remote communication technology is the UAE, where it started using this technology in 2017, that is three years before the pandemic, when the legislator enacted a special law. The same applies to the Jordanian legislator, who launched a system for using modern technology in criminal procedures in 2018. In addition to the topic of remote litigation, this study also dealt with the issue of publicity, which means that the doors of the court are open to the public without discrimination to attend and follow the discussions and pleadings in the trial sessions. It also dealt with oral, which means the oral discussion conducted by the court in the face of the accused. This study also showed the impact of modern means of communication in remote litigation in criminal procedures on these two guarantees, through the view of the UAE and Jordanian legislation, and the extent to which these guarantees are respected in light of attendance and remote litigation. It also showed the impact of modern technology on the right of defense and also on the formation of the emotional conviction of the criminal judge, through the body language, which may form the conviction of the criminal judge, and which may be affected by attending sessions remotely. This study aims to identify remote litigation and its impact on fair trial guarantees, and getting acquainted with the equipment prepared by the court to ensure that my public and oral guarantees are respected in light of the remote attendance, as well as a statement of the effects of these two guarantees, in addition to showing the extent of the accused\u27s ability to present his defense before the court, which is broadcasted remotely, and the extent of the formation of the criminal judge\u27s emotional conviction without the presence of any obstacles that could negatively affect his conviction. This study ended up with some results and recommendations one of the most important of these results the guarantee of publicity was not significantly affected the problem is that the court does not provide the necessary facilities for the public to attend sessions remotely, especially in times of pandemics, at the present time, the doors of the courts are open to all, and publicity is not affected in this respect, one of the most important recommendations is that the accused appear before the judge in his live form in cases that carry a penalty of death or life imprisonment
Securing Rights to movable Assets in light of Federal Law No. (4) of 2020
Get PDFIn this research, we investigated the guarantee rights of movable properties, in terms of explaining the nature of these rights which are regulated by the UAE legislator “Law No. 4, 2020”, and determining the funds that can be included in such guarantee system. Furthermore, we studied the method that could be implemented to ensure the rights of all included parties. Therefore, we recommended that it is necessary to stipulate the possibility of separating the movable from the real estate without causing damage to either of them, so that the real estate can be fixed by privatization to be a guarantee, and that the UAE legislator sets controls for the meaning of control over the guarantee by the guaranteed person as a way to enforce the right of guarantee against third parties. We concluded that, we recommended issuing regulations that force the guarantor to get insurance against loss or damage which would be an additional mean to ensure his rights in cases of warranty loss
المواجھة الجنائیة للشائعات في التشریع الإماراتي – دراسة مقارنة
Get PDFSpreading and propagating rumors is a dangerous weapon that causes the disintegration of nations and creates anxious societies plagued by psychological wars and internal strife, these acts have caused legal problems, especially with the advent of social media, which has paved the way for their commission. Penal provisions guaranteeing adequate criminal protection against the perpetrators of such acts, The United Arab Emirates\u27 legislation is one of these penal legislations, which pays attention to the legal regulation of this crime by punishing the perpetrator by the Criminal and Penal Code, the Military Penal Code and the Law on Combating Rumours and Cybercrime.
The problem of the study arises in identifying the elements of this crime in all penal texts; public and private behavior, clearly and unequivocally, because of certain forms of criminal behavior that give rise to similarity and symmetry and to certain criminal consequences that lack specificity and clarity, as well as to clarification of whether or not such an offence can be committed by mistake. Through this study, we wanted to present an assessment of the adequacy of the legal regulation of this type of offence in UAE legislation and comparative legislation, in terms of indicating the elements of the offence and the penalties prescribed for it. The study adopts a comparative analysis approach, which deals with the Legislative Texts regulating the crime of spreading rumors in terms of its elements and penalties, evaluating and analyzing these texts, by comparing their applications in the UAE and comparative legislation.
In summary, the penalties for the crime of rumor are similar to article (52) of the Law on Combating Rumors and Cybercrime and article (217) of the Law on Crimes and Penalties. These legal texts do not distinguish between the punishments for intentional or unintentional acts, and therefore the penalty is equal when committed with intent or error in these texts. As I have several recommendations, including; the UAE legislator shall review the content of article 44 of the Code of Offences and Penalties and amend it in conformity with international penal legislation, which determines that all offences are intentional unless the error is expressly stated; Amend the penalty prescribed by article (52) of the Law on Combating Rumors and Cybercrime and make it more severe by adapting the offence to distinguish it from the penalty prescribed by article (217) of the Criminal and Penal Code, or merely article (217) and the abrogation of article (52) above, for the possibility of applying article (217) to the offences of conventional and electronic rumor because of the generality of the punitive text of article (217), and for the possibility of aggravating it in accordance with general rules, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the penalty for the crime of electronic rumors
USING SWITCHABLE SOLVENTS FOR ENHANCED BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
Get PDFThis thesis presents a sustainable approach to biodiesel production using in-situ technology for direct conversion of microalgae-to-biodiesel. The proposed method operates on wet, untreated microalgae, thereby eliminating the cost/energy intensive drying and cell disruption steps. Owing to their favorable properties, the use of enzymes, specifically lipase, as a catalyst for the process was suggested over acid/base catalysts. However, the high cost of the enzyme necessitates its reuse at sustained activity for the process to be economically feasible. The use of non-toxic green solvents, such as switchable solvents, as an alternative to conventional organic solvents was a significant challenge for the process. The use of thermoresponsive switchable solvents (TSS), which allow solvent hydrophobicity manipulation by changing the temperature, has been used to reduce the complexity of simultaneous cell disruption and oil extraction-reaction from wet microalgal biomass. To enhance the stability and activity of the enzyme, the use of zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) was suggested. The successful attachment of the enzyme to ZIF-8 was confirmed via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and the encapsulated lipase@ZIF-8 system demonstrated higher stability than the adsorbed system due to reduced leaching. After five cycles, the encapsulated lipase@ZIF-8 retained 32% of its initial activity compared to 21% for the adsorbed system. An increase in methanol beyond 0.2 mL had a negative impact on enzyme activity, and the FAMEs yield increased significantly up to 3 hours of extraction-duration before reaching equilibrium yield after 5 hours. Increasing the percentages of ionic liquid and polypropylene glycol components in the TSS and reducing the water percentage achieved a higher yield of FAMEs. Further work should be done by using encapsulated Lipase@ZIF-8 and optimization of TSS as this work focused more on the adsorbed Lipase@ZIF-8
Teaching Anxiety and its Relationship with Mind Habits among New Teachers in the Sultanate of Oman
Get PDFThe study aimed at investigating the relationship between teaching anxiety and mind habits among new teachers in The Sultanate of Oman. The random sample of the study consisted of 373 teachers, (198) teachers of humanity sciences and (175) teachers of applied sciences. The study used the descriptive correlational method. To achieve the study’s objectives, the researchers designed teaching anxiety scale and mind habits scale which consisted of 3 domains (persistence, thinking flexible, and thinking interdependently). The results revealed that the level of teaching anxiety among new teachers is low while the level of mind habits is high. They also showed that teachers of applied sciences experience a higher level of teaching anxiety than teachers of humanity sciences. The results also showed statistically significant differences in the level of thinking flexible habit for the favor of teachers of humanity sciences while there were no differences in persistence and thinking interdependently habits. In addition, there were negative statistically significant relationships between teaching anxiety and persistence and thinking flexible habits.
Keywords: teaching anxiety, mind habits, new teacher, persistence, flexible thinking, interdependent thinkin
Strategies of Teaching Vocabulary Practiced by Arabic Teachers and their Relationship with the Linguistic Richness Level of Higher-Grade Primary Students
Get PDFThe study aimed to reveal the direction of the correlation and the significance of the differences between the strategies used by Arabic language teachers and the level of linguistic richness of their students, and identify the most related strategies to the level of linguistic richness, based on: (1) note cards and (2) a linguistic richness scale, for each of the higher grades in the primary stage. This was applied to a sample of 15 teachers and all their 494 students in the different higher grades of the primary stage in the academic year 1443 H. The results of the study showed that there was a positive, statistically significant correlation between the strategies practiced by Arabic language teachers and the level of linguistic richness of their students. There were also significant differences in the level of linguistic richness in favor of the students whose teachers got a high level compared to the medium and low levels. Moreover, it was indicated that the most related strategies to the level of linguistic richness were: identification and distinction, aloud pronunciation, modeling, similes, contrasts, classification, pictures, graphic organizers, writing, context, and dictionary use.
Keywords: strategies, language vocabulary, Arabic Teachers, linguistic richness, primary stage
Institute of Public Health Newsletter- Volume5, Issue1
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CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PREPARATION METHODS AND THE PHYSIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MgAl₂O₄ AS A SUPPORT FOR NI CATALYSTS IN PARTIAL OXIDATION OF METHANE
Get PDFDue to different technical challenges associated with direct use of methane, the main component of natural gas, its conversion to higher hydrocarbons has been a subject of great industrial importance. All of the known routes for methane conversion are catalytic processes, where the performance is largely dependent on the physicochemical properties of the catalyst. The catalysts that have shown promising performance in methane reforming are based on expensive metals such as Pt, Pd, and Ru. Ni, on the other hand, is a cost-effective metal and has shown promising catalytic activity. These catalysts are usually in the form of metal nanoparticles supported on an oxide powder such as Al2O3 and MgAl2O4. The support very often plays a role in surface catalytic reactions. For example, MgAl2O4, which is the support investigated in this research, has been found to be a promising support for Ni catalysts where its physicochemical properties play a role in minimizing coke formation that usually leads to catalyst deactivation. Its textural properties as well as its surface basic site density were found to play key roles in enhancing coking resistance. Since solid characteristics very often depend on the preparation method and conditions, the main aim of the research herein is to prepare MgAl2O4 as a support for Ni catalysts by different methods and correlate between the preparation methods and its final properties especially the surface acid-base characteristics and textural properties. The different preparation methods that were investigated include sol-gel, and co-precipitation. Ni/MgAl2O4 is prepared using the differently prepared supports employing wet impregnation. Correlation between preparation methods and physicochemical characteristics of the prepared catalyst as well as their coking resistance during partial oxidation of methane reaction were studied