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Development of user-friendly protocols for single-cell arachidonic acid production in developing countries
No full textPolicies for expanding family planning coverage: lessons from five successful countries
No full textBackground: Enhancing the design of family planning interventions is crucial for promoting gender equality and improving maternal and child health outcomes. We identified, critically appraised, and synthesized policies and strategies from five selected countries that successfully increased family planning coverage. Methods: We conducted a policy analysis through a scoping review and document search, focusing on documents published from 1950 to 2023 that examined or assessed policies aimed at enhancing family planning coverage in Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. A search was conducted through PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Government documents and conference proceedings were also critically analyzed. National health surveys were analyzed to estimate time trends in demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) at the national level and by wealth. Changes in the method mix were also assessed. The findings of the studies were presented in a narrative synthesis. Findings: We selected 231 studies, in which 196 policies were identified. All countries started to endorse family planning in the 1960s, with the number of identified policies ranging between 21 in Ecuador and 52 in Ethiopia. Most of the policies exclusively targeted women and were related to supplying contraceptives and enhancing the quality of the services. Little focus was found on monitoring and evaluation of the policies implemented. Conclusion: Among the five selected countries, a multitude of actions were happening simultaneously, each with its own vigor and enthusiasm. Our findings highlight that these five countries were successful in increasing family planning coverage by implementing broader multi-sectoral policies and considering the diverse needs of the population, as well as the specific contextual factors at play. Successful policies require a nuanced consideration of how these policies align with each culture’s framework, recognizing that both sociocultural norms and the impact of past public policies shape the current state of family planning
Just as Usual
Get PDFStudents in JRMC 4460 Audio Production at The American University in Cairo (AUC) in Cairo, Egypt, produced audio diaries for the AUC Diaries Project to document their life on and off campus in Fall 2024
Investigating the Behaviour and Strength of Unbonded Pre-tensioned RC Slabs Subject to Flexural Loads
No full textUnbonded pre-tensioned systems, in which tendons are greased and wrapped in plastic sheathing, have several benefits in comparison to bonded systems. However, analytical evaluation of their capacity is taxing due to the iterative compatibility conditions necessary to determine the system’s behavior using the empirical equations available in the literature. To investigate the behaviour and strength of unbonded pre-tensioned RC slabs subject to flexural loads, four simply supported post-tensioned slabs with unbonded tendons were tested in flexure. Experimental failure loads and tendon strains were compared to the ACI 318-19 provisions. While the provisions for unbonded specimens were found to be accurate, the strain in the unbonded tendons exceeded the yield stress in all specimens, suggesting that ACI 318-19’s stress limitations on unbonded post-tensioned concrete are unwarranted. The unbonded system also showed better crack control at the failure stage when non-prestressing steel reinforcement is used when compared to system with no non-prestressing steel
Reliable UAV Navigation Using Cellular Networks: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach
No full textThe reliability of UAV trajectory planning solutions is crucial for mission critical applications. Our objective is to propose a reliable trajectory planning solution independent of transmissible detectable signals and GPS. The inherently noisy GPS measurements are unable to provide a reliable trajectory planning solution especially in dense urban and suburban environments. We propose to utilize broadcast signals from existing cellular networks to reliably navigate the UAV from a given source to a destination in outdoor environments. We therefore derive a UAV trajectory reliability model as pertains to UAV motion uncertainty along the trajectory to ensure successful mission completion. We formulate the UAV navigation problem as a constrained optimization problem to maximize the probability of minimum motion error along the path of the UAV with collision avoidance and shortest path length constraints. We determine the optimal bound of the solution utilizing optimization-based techniques for benchmarking. To navigate the UAV reliably and autonomously in real time, we propose a machine learning based technique. Specifically, we propose double deep Q-Learning (DDQN) as a framework to solve the formulated reliable UAV navigation problem. We provide an in-depth evaluation to assess the performance of our proposed Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-based solution as compared to the optimal bound
Optimization of Resource-Constrained Project Using Genetic Algorithm
No full textConstruction projects face various challenges that can lead to cost overruns and delays. The timely completion of a project is critical to avoid such circumstances. To address these challenges, contractors adopt a time–cost trade-off approach, which involves increasing resources to speed up the project, leading to an increase in direct costs. This paper proposes a genetic algorithm (GA) model that optimizes the crashing time of the activities while considering resource constraints and minimizing the increase in indirect costs. The GA model suggests three resource allocation alternatives for each activity, resulting in optimized project duration and cost. The proposed GA model is applied to a hypothetical construction project consisting of 19 activities and a duration of 73 days. The first resource allocation alternative is operating under normal circumstances (1 shift), the second is to crash the time by increasing the resources (1 shift), while the third is to operate under 2 shifts. The results show that the proposed GA model effectively optimizes the time–cost trade-off of the construction project by finding the most optimum resource allocation alternative for each activity. The proposed GA model provides a practical tool for contractors to optimize the time–cost trade-off of resource-constrained construction projects. It enables contractors to evaluate multiple resource allocation alternatives and determine the most optimum cost and time for the project. The results of this study can be used to improve the efficiency of construction project management and reduce the risk of cost overruns and delays
Prediction of Rework on a Construction Site Utilizing ANN Integrated into a BIM Environment
No full textRework is a prevailing problem in the construction industry that affects the project’s performance in a negative way whether in terms of time delay or cost overrun. Advances in Building Information Modelling (BIM) have helped in tackling coordination problems that are deemed to be one of the major contributors to the causes of rework. However, most of the research has been directed towards solving coordination problems during the design stage, while coordination problems resulting in rework during the construction stage are minimally addressed. This paper aims to present an interactive framework that predicts potential areas in the project that might experience rework during the construction along with the severity of rework in a BIM environment. In order to achieve the aim of this paper, a two-stage methodology has been adopted. First, extensive review of the literature has been conducted in the areas of rework, BIM, coordination problems and artificial neural networks (ANNs), followed by interviews and surveys to collect historical data for the past projects. Second, a model has been developed utilizing data collected in the first stage through the integration of BIM and ANN. The proposed model has been applied on a case study of an actual project to demonstrate the use of the developed model and test its efficiency. The output of the model application was a user form presenting the severity of rework in terms of probability of occurrence of 28.31%, project delay of 14.51% and expected cost overrun of 0.065%, in addition to a 3D-highlighted BIM model as per the contribution of each project element to rework. The framework proposed should aid decision-makers in taking the necessary actions in either mitigating or avoiding the possible rework and accordingly reducing possible delays and cost overruns
Silicon nitride devices for visible and near-infrared refractive index sensing
No full textRefractive index (RI) sensors based on silicon nitride on insulator (SiNOI) waveguide platform are designed and fabricated. SiNOI offers many advantages among which CMOS compatibility, low propagation losses, tolerance to temperature and fabrication variations as well as wide transparency range. The designed RI sensors include micro-ring resonators (MRRs), Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs) and loop-terminated MZIs (LT-MZIs) operating at both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The sensors include strip and slot based sensing arms for chemical and biological sensing. These different components and the whole spectrum were designed and optimized using finite difference eigenmode (FDE) and finite difference time domain (FDTD) solvers. The sensors were fabricated using electron beam lithography in a SiN multi-project wafer (MPW)
Reflections on the Study of Contentious Politics in the Middle East and North Africa
No full textThe essay reflects on the study of social movements and contentious politics in the Middle East and North Africa region, especially after the wave of uprisings that started in 2011. It argues that these uprisings have been a watershed in contentious politics, yet they have not been adequately scrutinized to develop existing theoretical paradigms in mainstream sociology and political science. Rather, these events were mostly straitjacketed to fit the predominant paradigms of democratic transitions and social movement theory. It concludes by providing preliminary reflections on how the currently dominant methodologies and epistemologies in social sciences might be limiting theoretical development informed by events outside the global North
Exploring school leaders’ and parents’ attitudes toward implementing an organizational system for academic diversity and inclusion in international schools in Egypt
No full textEgypt has recently undergone significant educational reforms, granting children with disabilities the right to inclusive education and well-being as stipulated in the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Constitution and Ministerial Degrees. This qualitative study aimed to capture the current situation of inclusion in Egypt’s educational landscape and gather insights from school leaders (n = 2) and parents (n = 4) regarding the services provided to children with intellectual disabilities (ID) in two international schools in Egypt. Through semi-structured interviews, this study aimed to assess recent changes and efforts made in education reform to support inclusive practices for ID in international schools in Egypt. The study employed ecological systems theory (EST) to incorporate the framework into the thematic analysis of qualitative data, categorizing the school leaders’ and parents’ responses into four societal layers. The results revealed several challenges facing ID in Egypt, including inclusive leadership, teachers’ qualifications, support systems, and a sense of solidarity. The findings suggest that tailored interventions should be implemented to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities in inclusive settings