150 research outputs found
Scenario planning & its manifestation in plans
No full textUrban planning deals with shaping communities, cities and regions with the aim of making them sustainable for future generations. One of the ways to plan for an unexpected future is by using scenario planning technique. This planning method produces a set of structurally different, but plausible futures that highlight outcomes of relevant policies / regulations and helps a community to prepare for the future. While scenario planning efforts are common, the extent to which it affects plans is not well understood.
In this project, I study regional and city-wide plans of Austin and Denver with a view to analyze whether results of scenario planning process (preferred scenarios and ensuing policies and regulations) are incorporated into various planning documents of cities/regions or not? I started the process by reviewing scenario planning exercise of respective cities and regions, followed by review of regional and city plans with an aim to find connections between planning documents and scenario planning effort. It is a narrative account of how scenario planning exercises have helped in making informed decisions to address future concerns through respective plans.
It is found that scenario planning helps in making informed decisions as to how regions and cities want to address and shape an unpredictable future. However, its usage lacks consistency as it is not used uniformly by local governments and organizations within a region. Austin benefits more from scenario exercise as complete process involves interaction between members of the community and representatives from local governing bodies, whereas Denver region predominantly uses it for policy making. Scenario planning is also recommended to be used with consistency within an entire region in developing and updating relevant plans so that there is a uniformity in the complete region as to how it wants to plan for and address the future both at local and regional level. The variation in the employment of this technique among cities / regions may be attributed to several factors including financial constraints, staff resources and non-availability of relevant data for creation of meaningful scenarios.
The limitation of the study is that scenario planning results are hard to assess since they warrant time and implementation of all the prescribed policies / regulations elucidated in local and regional plans. Therefore, evaluation of the results should be carried out after due course of time in consultation with relevant authorities who can comment on implementation on policies.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2021-08-01The student, Muhammad Usman, accepted the attached license on 2019-07-15 at 17:54.The student, Muhammad Usman, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2019-07-15 at 17:56.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2019-07-16 at 15:21.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #14329 on 2019-11-26 at 13:05:58Made available in DSpace on 2019-11-26T20:49:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2019-07-16Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 112970
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Berberine nanoparticles with enhanced in vitro bioavailability: characterization and antimicrobial activity
No full textMuhammad Umar Khayam Sahibzada,1,2 Abdul Sadiq,2 Hani S Faidah,3 Muhammad Khurram,4 Muhammad Usman Amin,4 Abdul Haseeb,5,6 Maria Kakar4 1Department of Pharmacy, Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan; 2Department of Pharmacy, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Pakistan; 3Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan; 5Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Peneng, Malaysia; 6Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Background: Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid widely used in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine to treat illnesses such as hypertension and inflammatory conditions, and as an anticancer and hepato-protective agent. Berberine has low oral bioavailability due to poor aqueous solubility and insufficient dissolution rate, which can reduce the efficacy of drugs taken orally. In this study, evaporative precipitation of nanosuspension (EPN) and anti-solvent precipitation with a syringe pump (APSP) were used to address the problems of solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of berberine. Methods: Semi-crystalline nanoparticles (NPs) of 90–110 nm diameter for APSP and 65–75 nm diameter for EPN were prepared and then characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD). Thereafter, drug content solubility and dissolution studies were undertaken. Berberine and its NPs were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. Results: The results indicate that the NPs have significantly increased solubility and dissolution rate due to conversion of the crystalline structure to a semi-crystalline form. Conclusion: Berberine NPs produced by both APSP and EPN methods have shown promising activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and yeasts, with NPs prepared through the EPN method showing superior results compared to those made with the APSP method and the unprocessed drug. Keywords: berberine, EPN, APSP, bioavailability, dissolution, antibacterial activity, precipitation metho
Modelling Value of Time for Trip Chains in Daily Schedules
No full textAbstractThe decision about spending time on an activity, switching to the next activity and transport mode used to travel to the next activity location depends on money value of time; opportunity cost of time at activity. Optimal condition of transition between two activities occurs when their marginal utility of time is equal. The presented framework in this paper models the marginal utility of activity to express the money benefit earned by spending each unit of time at the given activity. The proposed model is generalized for the schedule with any number of activities as contrast to previous studies, where such models were used for schedules with fixed number of activities. This framework can be used to calculate the loss in value of time due decreased activity participation resulting from travel delays
China\u27s Strategic Manoeuvring in the Palestine-Israel Conflict: A Power Transition Theory
No full textIn a transitional global landscape, this paper investigates the China’s involvement in Middle Eastern political events pertaining to Israel and Palestine conflict. It is to evaluate China’s regional power using the Power Transition Theory to determine the degree of China’s influence, its goals and drawbacks with major global powers comparatively. By employing historiography approach and comparative analysis using qualitative research methods. The research delves into mixed method approach of primary and secondary sources. The hostile global political systems, regional alliances, and internal political difficulties in the Israel-Palestine conflict have damaged its power despite China’s diplomatic efforts and economic investments. These insights pave the research contends that China\u27s Middle Eastern engagement is a complicated interaction between its capabilities and constraints shaped by the power dynamics and worldwide linkages
A coordinated Framework for Optimized Charging of EV Fleet in Smart Grid
No full textAbstractElectric vehicles can be sustainable alternative in contrast to conventional fossil fuel powered vehicles only if the green energy is used to power them. Without coordination among electric vehicles and grid operator, it can imbalance the power production and demand. This paper presents an automated coordinated mechanism among EV fleet and the grid operator that plans a charging strategy for electric vehicles while sustaining the grid capacity constraints. The intelligent planner plans the charging strategy at the cheaper moments and keep the vehicle charged enough to complete its scheduled trips It suggests a charging pattern for the electric vehicle by using the time dependent electric prices and available power at the given time slots. It also ensures the cheapest charging cost and fulfills the constraints of battery state of the charge. A central power tracker is also introduced which keeps track of the available and required power at each time slot. According to the current market share of the electric vehicles, a fraction of the daily agendas, created by an operational activity-based model, is used to test the framework. Moreover, an experiment has been set up, it makes use of wind and solar renewable energy to power the vehicles
China's Interest in Central Asia: Economic Cooperation, Energy Security and the Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative
No full textThe breakdown of the Soviet Union provided an opportunity for some major powers to conduct political and economic development in Central Asia. For example, abundant natural resources and raw material provided a powerful boost to the economic development of Central Asia. This thesis's research purpose is based on the questions: what is the interest that associates Central Asia with China? -Especially in the political and economic fields. Why do China and Central Asian countries desperately need each other's resources? How will China gain these benefits within the framework of multilateral and bilateral interactions? How will the increasing interaction between China and Central Asian countries affect the "One Belt One Road" (OBOR) project? This thesis will also clarify the impact of the project on the economies of underdeveloped and developing countries in Central and South Asia.
The current association between Central Asia and China depends on geographic, political, economic, and security factors. Central Asia and China are geographically neighbours. For the nations of Central Asia, China is an estuary. Central Asian countries can help Beijing establish inland exchanges with Western Asia and Europe. Politically, China and the nations of Central Asia have a long history. Central Asia and China hold similar views on many national and global matters and have formed favourable political relations; economically, China and Central Asian countries have complementary advantages and provide the possibility for extensive cooperation: For China, Central Asian energy, metal, leather products, and other commodities and raw materials' markets are essential. Simultaneously, Chinese industrial, consumer, and agricultural product markets are highly attractive to Central Asian countries. In terms of security, China and Central Asian countries have common interests: combating the threats of racist, religious extremists, transnational crime, terrorism, and regional conflicts is a common goal, and maintaining stability in the border areas of Central Asia and western China will benefit as well. Although there have been thousands of years of cultural exchanges and business between Central Asia and China, it was not until the Central Asian countries became independent that they finally established an equal and mutually beneficial relationship. The past ten years of exchanges and trade have laid a good foundation for China and Central Asia to successfully establish strategic cooperative relations in the twentieth century. In addition, the establishment of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) has built favourable conditions and new openings for the development of China-Central Asia relations.
Nevertheless, there are still many problems between China and Central Asian countries. The main differences between their opinions are economic issues such as bilateral trade and water use. There are also different opinions on internal and external policies
Fabrication, characterization and in vitro evaluation of silibinin nanoparticles: an attempt to enhance its oral bioavailability
No full textMuhammad Umar Khayam Sahibzada,1,2 Abdul Sadiq,1 Shahzeb Khan,1 Hani S Faidah,3 Naseemullah,1 Muhammad Khurram,4 Muhammad Usman Amin,5 Abdul Haseeb6 1Department of Pharmacy, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Lower Dir, 2Department of Pharmacy, Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 3Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacy, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Upper Dir, 5Department of Pharmacology, KMU Institute of Medical Sciences, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 6Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Background: Silibinin has gained in importance in the past few decades as a hepatoprotector and is used widely as oral therapy for toxic liver damage, liver cirrhosis, and chronic inflammatory liver diseases, as well as for the treatment of different types of cancers. Unfortunately, it has low aqueous solubility and inadequate dissolution, which results in low oral bioavailability.Materials and methods: In this study, nanoparticles (NPs) of silibinin, which is a hydrophobic drug, were manufactured using two cost-effective methods. Antisolvent precipitation with a syringe pump (APSP) and evaporative precipitation of nanosuspension (EPN) were used. The prepared NPs were characterized using different analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) and were sifted for their bioavailability through in vitro dissolution and solubility studies. Moreover, the prepared NPs were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against a battery of bacteria and yeast.Results: DSC and XRD studies indicated that the prepared NPs were amorphous in nature, with more solubility and dissolution compared to the crystalline form of this drug. NPs prepared through the EPN method had better results than those prepared using the APSP method. Antimicrobial activities of the NPs were improved compared to the unprocessed drugs, while having comparable activities to standard antimicrobial drugs.Conclusion: Results indicate that the NPs have significantly increased solubility, dissolution rate, and antimicrobial activities due to the conversion of crystalline structure into amorphous form. Keywords: silibinin, nanoparticles, antimicrobial activity, solubility, dissolutio
Ghargham Hajiya Kaltume Bulama Gana (The biography of Hajiya Kaltume Bulama Gana)
No full textThe entire document is available for download as a single PDF file. Higher-resolution images may be available upon request. For technical assistance, please contact [email protected]. Fieldwork Team: Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi (Principal Investigator), Hauwa Usman (Local Project Manager), Alhaji Abubakar Maikudi Aishat (General Field Facilitator). Technical Team: Prof. Fallou Ngom (Project Director and former Director of the African Studies Center), and Eleni Castrol (Technical Lead, BU Libraries). These collections on Gender in Nigerian Ajami Manuscripts are copied as part of the African Studies Center’s African Ajami Library. Access Condition and Copyright: These materials are subject to copyright. All rights reserved to the author. For use, distribution or reproduction contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]). Required Citation: Kurfi, M. H., Hauwa U., Ngom, F., and Castro, E. (2020). African Ajami Library: Gender in Nigerian Ajami Manuscripts. Boston: Boston University Libraries: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/41953. For Inquiries: Please Contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]).Provenance / Custodial history: This manuscript is owned and authored by Professor Aliyu Muhammad of the Department of Arts, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in Kaduna state, Nigeria. The owner documented and wrote about the life and works of Hajiya Kaltume Bulama Gana. Written in the Mashriqi script, the document is complete and is typed.This document deals with the biography of Hajiya Kaltume Bulama Gana, a Northern Nigerian Muslim woman who is educated in and practicing Islamic arts as a profession. She established a non-profit organization that educates children, including young women and girls affected by the Boko Haram insurgency so that they can become self-reliant and acquire new vocational skills. Written in 2019, this Kanuri Ajami text contains two parts: The first part deals with the life and works of Hajiya Kaltume Bulama Gana, and the second is an interview transcript with her. In the interview, she discusses her non-profit organization, her Herwa Heart of Art Initiative. This part provides details on how she established the organization and her successes and challenges. In the last part of the interview, she discusses how philanthropists and the general public can support her organization in order to use the arts to assist the orphans and children displaced and traumatized by Boko Haram in Borno state and beyond.The contents of this collection were developed with support of the Title VI National Resource Center grant # P015A180164 from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government
Indian News Media Versus the Belt and Road Initiative: A Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis
No full textThe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a Chinese geopolitical initiative, has attracted global attention. The BRI has a significant impact on international commerce, regional politics, and global dynamics, with India occupying a central position in the initiative’s strategic objectives and economic prospects. This study examines the representation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Indian news media. This image is significant for its reflection of the public and government perception of the initiative, which in turn informs India’s response and policy towards this significant international development. This research employs corpus-based critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine a diverse array of articles from prominent Indian newspapers and digital news outlets. This method is empirical in its study of media language, themes, and narratives, providing numerical results on the frequency or occurrence of specific language as well as pattern variations pertaining to discourse. Additionally, it offers qualitative insights regarding the situation and impact of the language in question. The research findings indicate that the Indian news media plays a significant role in shaping the discourse surrounding the BRI.La Iniciativa de la Franja y la Ruta (BRI), un proyecto geopolítico de China, ha atraído la atención mundial. La BRI tiene un impacto significativo en el comercio internacional, la política regional y la dinámica global, y la India ocupa una posición central en los objetivos estratégicos y las perspectivas económicas de esta. Este estudio examina la representación de la Iniciativa de la Franja y la Ruta (BRI) en los medios de comunicación indios. Esta imagen es importante porque refleja la percepción pública y gubernamental de la iniciativa, que a su vez informa la respuesta y la política de la India hacia este importante proyecto internacional. Esta investigación emplea el análisis crítico del discurso (CDA) basado en corpus para examinar una variedad diversa de artículos destacados de periódicos y medios de comunicación digitales indios. Este método es empírico en su estudio del lenguaje, los temas y las narrativas de los medios, y proporciona resultados numéricos sobre la frecuencia o la aparición de un lenguaje específico, así como variaciones de patrones relacionados con el discurso. Además, ofrece información cualitativa sobre la situación y el impacto del lenguaje en cuestión. Los hallazgos de la investigación indican que los medios de comunicación indios desempeñan un papel importante en la configuración del discurso en torno a la BRI
Sino-Africa relations: Gradual changes in Chinese foreign strategy towards African countries
No full textChina is one of the world\u27s foremost economic powers, affecting many countries\u27 economies and political issues. China standing by the five principles of peaceful coexistence, is ready to cultivate friendly cooperation and ties with all countries that contribute to international peace, security, and mutual prosperity. Africa is an important factor for global stability and prosperity with the highest number of developing countries. Africa is still of considerable significance to the Chinese Government. Therefore, the Chinese government wishes to present China\u27s African strategy and its action to implement them and its plans for cooperation in different areas to facilitate the steady development of China-Africa ties in the long period. However, China\u27s foreign policies are changing and developing recently. This study utilized qualitative analysis to identify the collaboration and relations between African countries and China to know how Chinese foreign strategy changes Africa\u27s strategic ramifications and repercussions. The findings showed that the partnership between China and Africa by win-win strategy, from moral emphasis throughout the colonial phase to tactical considerations and non-intervention to constructive involvement on the continent, are three strands of foreign strategy shifts
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