Between Order and Modernity: Resurgence Planning in Revolutionary Egypt

Egypt’s Revolution of 1952 presented a major historical change to its political and economic structure, its society, and its institutions. This paper examines how Nasser’s regime operated through the state apparatus to exhibit features of modernity. Under the pretext of modernization, renovating Cairo’s authentic urban fabric was one of the channels that displayed the new ambitions to unveil a centralized system of governance and ideologies of socialism. The paper particularly looks at the city’s resurgence attempts, promoted by upgrading practices that displayed Western ideals of planning. Eventually, the contradictory planning legislative system introduced by the government raised early alarms at the problems encountered in the planning institution that was not only unable to liberate Cairo’s urban districts from its long-rooted decay, but also struggled to implement the regime’s flagship policy of social justice in a context wherein it was much needed.

Fixed Bed Study of Ammonia Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Natural Zeolite

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of natural Jordanian zeolite tuff to remove ammonia from aqueous solutions using a laboratory batch method and fixed-bed column apparatus. Equilibrium data were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich models.

Design/methodology/approach
– Column experiments were conducted in packed bed column. The used apparatus consisted of a bench-mounted glass column of 2.5 cm inside diameter and 100 cm height (column volume = 490 cm3). The column was packed with a certain amount of zeolite to give the desired bed height. The feeding solution was supplied from a 30 liter plastic container at the beginning of each experiment and fed to the column down-flow through a glass flow meter having a working range of 10-280ml/min.

Findings
– Ammonium ion exchange by natural Jordanian zeolite data were fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Continuous sorption of ammonium ions by natural Jordanian zeolite tuff has proven to be effective in decreasing concentrations ranging from 15-50 mg NH4-N/L down to levels below 1 mg/l. Breakthrough time increased by increasing the bed depth as well as decreasing zeolite particle size, solution flow-rate, initial NH4+ concentration and pH. Sorption of ammonium by the zeolite under the tested conditions gave the sorption capacity of 28 mg NH4-N/L at 20°C, and 32 mg NH4-N/L at 30°C.

Originality/value
– This research investigates the performance of natural Jordanian zeolite tuff to remove ammonia from aqueous solutions using a laboratory batch method and fixed-bed column apparatus. The equilibrium data of the sorption of Ammonia were plotted by using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, then the experimental data were compared to the predictions of the above equilibrium isotherm models. It is clear that the NH4+ ion exchange data fitted better with Langmuir isotherm than with Freundlich model and gave an adequate correlation coefficient value.

Measurement of permeability using a bench-top centrifuge

The commonly used British Standard constant head triaxial permeability test for testing of fine-grained soils is relatively time consuming. A reduction in the required time for soil permeability testing would provide potential cost savings to the construction industry, particularly in the construction quality assurance of landfill clay liners. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an alternative approach of measuring permeability of fine-grained soils benefiting from accelerated time scaling for seepage flow when testing specimens in elevated gravity conditions provided by a centrifuge. As part of the investigation, an apparatus was designed and produced to measure water flow through soil samples under conditions of elevated gravitational acceleration using a small desktop laboratory centrifuge. A membrane was used to hydrostatically confine the test sample. A miniature data acquisition system was designed and incorporated in the apparatus to monitor and record changes in head and flow throughout the tests. Under enhanced gravity in the centrifuge, the flow through the sample was under ‘variable head' conditions as opposed to ‘constant head' conditions as in the classic constant head permeability tests conducted at 1 g . A mathematical model was developed for analysis of Darcy's coefficient of permeability under conditions of elevated gravitational acceleration and verified using the results obtained. The test data compare well with the results on analogous samples obtained using the classical British Standard constant head permeability tests.

Laboratory tests for EPB tunnelling soil conditioning

The screw conveyor system plays a fundamental role during the EPB tunnelling operations for the tunnel face pressure control. On the other hand, the use of additives such chemical foams is even more applied in order to extend the EPB technology to the cohesionless soils. Despite the extensive use of the EPB technique in urban environment, little knowledge exists in the understanding of the behavior of such conditioned soil during the excavation operations. At the Turin University of Technology the Tunnelling and Underground Space Centre, in the mainframe of a wider research on soil conditioning, has developed an experimental apparatus that simulates the extraction phase with screw conveyor from a pressurized tank. In this paper the apparatus is presented and the results of a first series of tests carried out on sand are discussed. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group.

In-situ Monitoring of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

High temperature co-electrolysis of steam and carbon dioxide using a solid oxide cell (SOC) has been shown to be an efficient route to produce syngas (CO + H-2), which can then be converted to synthetic fuel. Optimization of co-electrolysis requires detailed understanding of the complex reactions, transport processes and degradation mechanisms occurring in the SOC during operation. Thermal imaging, Raman spectroscopy and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy are being developed to probe in-situ both the reactions occurring during operation and any associated changes within the structure of the electrodes and electrolyte. Here we discuss the challenges in designing experimental apparatus suitable for high temperature operation with optical spectroscopic access to the areas of the SOC that are of interest. In particular, issues with sealing, temperature gradients, signal strength and cell configuration are discussed and final designs are presented. Preliminary results obtained during co-electrolysis operation are also presented.

Geographies of Communality, Colonialism, and Capitalism: Ecology and the World-System

Drawing upon recent reworkings of world systems theory and Marx’s concept of metabolic rift, this paper attempts to ground early nineteenth-century Ireland more clearly within these metanarratives, which take the historical-ecological dynamics of the development of capitalism as their point of departure. In order to unravel the socio-spatial complexities of Irish agricultural production throughout this time, attention must be given to the prevalence of customary legal tenure, institutions of communal governance, and their interaction with the colonial apparatus, as an essential feature of Ireland’s historical geography often neglected by famine scholars. This spatially differentiated legacy of communality, embedded within a country-wide system of colonial rent, and burgeoning capitalist system of global trade, gave rise to profound regional differentiations and ecological contradictions, which became central to the distribution of distress during the Great Famine (1845-1852). Contrary to accounts which depict it as a case of discrete transition from feudalism to capitalism, Ireland’s pre-famine ecology must be understood through an analysis which emphasises these socio-spatial complexities. Consequently, this structure must be conceptualised as one in which communality, colonialism, and capitalism interact dynamically, and in varying stages of development and devolution, according to space and time.

Oxygen solubility in ionic liquids based on 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations

This work presents the results of oxygen solubility in ionic liquids based on 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cations. Solubility measurements have been carried out in gasometric apparatus at 22, 50 and 90 degrees C under atmospheric pressure. We report the Henry's constants. In general the occurrence of carbon-fluorine bonds and carbon-hydrogen bonds in ionic liquids (ILs) which can create hydrogen bonds with dissolved oxygen, significantly affects the growth of value of solubility constant K-H. Additionally, the stability of ILs towards molecular oxygen was tested. All ILs used in this study were stable in the presence of oxygen and free-radical initiator.

A device to investigate the axial strain dependence of the critical current density in superconductors

We have developed an instrument to study the behavior of the critical current density (J(c)) in superconducting wires and tapes as a function of field (mu(0)H), temperature (T), and axial applied strain (epsilon(a)). The apparatus is an improvement of similar devices that have been successfully used in our institute for over a decade. It encompasses specific advantages such as a simple sample layout, a well defined and homogeneous strain application, the possibility of investigating large compressive strains and the option of simple temperature variation, while improving the main drawback in our previous systems by increasing the investigated sample length by approximately a factor of 10. The increase in length is achieved via a design change from a straight beam section to an initially curved beam, placed perpendicular to the applied field axis in the limited diameter of a high field magnet bore. This article describes in detail the mechanical design of the device and its calibrations. Additionally initial J(c)(epsilon(a)) data, measured at liquid helium temperature, are presented for a bronze processed and for a powder-in-tube Nb3Sn superconducting wire. Comparisons are made with earlier characterizations, indicating consistent behavior of the instrument. The improved voltage resolution, resulting from the increased sample length, enables J(c) determinations at an electric field criterion E-c=10 muV/m, which is substantially lower than a criterion of E-c=100 muV/m which was possible in our previous systems. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

A '3-body' abrasion wear study of bioceramics for total hip joint replacements

The current study focuses on the effect of the material type and the lubricant on the abrasive wear behaviour of two important commercially available ceramic on ceramic prosthetic systems, namely, Biolox(R) forte and Bioloxl(R) delta (CeramTec AG, Germany). A standard microabrasion wear apparatus was used to produce '3-body' abrasive wear scars with three different lubricants: ultrapure water, 25 vol% new-born calf serum solution and 1 wt% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC-Na) solution. 1 mu m alumina particles were used as the abrasive. The morphology of the wear scar was examined in detail using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Subsurface damage accumulation was investigated by Focused Ion Beam (FIB) cross-sectional milling and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The effect of the lubricant on the '3-body' abrasive wear mechanisms is discussed and the effect of material properties compared. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Split in Stalin's Secretariat, 1939-1948

The question of the relationship between the Party and the State is crucial for understanding Soviet political system. Jonathan Harris goes to the heart of the matter by examining two principal views about the Communist Party’s role in Soviet society during the late 1930s and 1940s. Drawing on a meticulous analysis of the main party publications during this period, the author reconstructs the main battle lines between Georgii Malenkov and Andrei Zhdanov, the two antagonists of the book.
The book provides a very detailed and extensive analysis of the debates about Party's role in Soviet system as it appeared in the official press. However, without a much needed discussion of the 1948 reform of the Party apparatus and use of archival sources, there are few arguments which were not already present in the original article by Jonathan Harris published in 1976.

Influence of micro and macro cracks due to sustained loading on chloride-induced corrosion of reinforced concrete beams

Chloride-induced corrosion of steel is one of the most commonly found problems affecting the durability of reinforced concrete structures in both marine environment and where de-icing salt is used in winter. As the significance of micro-cracks on chloride induced corrosion is not well documented, 24 reinforced concrete beams (4 different mixes - one containing Portland cement and another containing 35% ground granulated blastfurnace slag at 0.45 and 0.65 water-binder ratios) were subjected to three levels of sustained lateral loading (0%, 50% and 100% of the load that can induce 0.1 mm wide cracks on the tension surface of beam - F_0.1) in this work. The beams were then subjected to weekly cycles of wetting with 10% NaCl solution for 1 day followed by 6 days of drying at 20 (±1) °C up to an exposure period of 60 weeks. The progress of corrosion of steel was monitored using half-cell potential apparatus and linear polarisation resistance (LPR) test. These results have shown that macro-cracks (at load F_0.1) and micro-cracks (at 50% of F_0.1) greatly accelerated both the initiation and propagation stages of the corrosion of steel in the concrete beams. Lager crack widths for the F_0.1 load cases caused higher corrosion rates initially, but after about 38 weeks of exposure, there was a decrease in the rate of corrosion. However, such trends could not be found in 50% F _0.1 group of beams. The extent of chloride ingress also was influenced by the load level. These findings suggest that the effect of micro-cracking at lower loads are very important for deciding the service life of reinforced concrete structures in chloride exposure environments. © 2014 4th International Conference on the Durability of Concrete Structures.

Effect of Impeller Design on Homogeneity, Size and Strength of Pharmaceutical Granules produced by High Shear Wet Granulation

Small mixer impeller design is not tailored for granulation because impellers are intended for a wide range of processes. The aim of this research was to evaluate the performances of several impellers to provide guidance on the selection and design for the purposes of granulation. Lactose granules were produced using wet granulation with water as a binder. A Kenwood KM070 mixer was used as a standard apparatus and five impeller designs with different shapes and surface areas were used. The efficacy of granulate formation was measured by adding an optically sensitive tracer to determine variations in active ingredient content across random samples of granules from the same size classes. It was found that impeller design influenced the homogeneity of the granules and therefore can affect final product performance. The variation in active ingredient content across granules of differing size was also investigated. The results show that small granules were more potent than larger granules.

Presentation of lacrimo-auriculodento- digital (LADD) syndrome in a young female patient

BACKGROUND: Lacrimo-auriculo-dento-digital (LADD) syndrome (OMIM #149730) is an autosomal-dominant congenital disorder that can be caused by heterozygous mutations in the tyrosine kinase domains of the genes encoding fibroblast growth factor receptors 2 (FGFR2) and 3 (FGFR3), and has been found in association with a mutation in the FGF10 gene, which encodes an Fgfr ligand. Clinical signs vary, but the condition is characterised by involvement of the lacrimal and salivary systems, cup-shaped ears, hearing loss and dental abnormalities. Additional features may include involvement of the hands and feet with other body systems particularly the kidneys.

CASE REPORT: Previous literature on the subject has been reviewed and this case is the first presentation of LADD syndrome in the Republic of Ireland, as a sporadic case in a 12-year-old girl who exhibited a range of dental and digital anomalies.

TREATMENT: Her general medical practitioner managed her medical care whilst her oral care necessitated a multidisciplinary approach involving restorative and orthodontic elements.

FOLLOW-UP: The initial restorative phase of treatment has successfully improved the appearance of the patient's anterior teeth using direct resin composite build-ups.

Cavity-aided quantum parameter estimation in a bosonic double-well Josephson junction

We describe an apparatus designed to make non-demolition measurements on a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a double-well optical cavity. This apparatus contains, as well as the bosonic gas and the trap, an optical cavity. We show how the interaction between the light and the atoms, under appropriate conditions, can allow for a weakly disturbing yet highly precise measurement of the population imbalance between the two wells and its variance. We show that the setting is well suited for the implementation of quantum-limited estimation strategies for the inference of the key parameters defining the evolution of the atomic system and based on measurements performed on the cavity field. This would enable {\it de facto} Hamiltonian diagnosis via a highly controllable quantum probe.