Vol. 27 Issue 1/2
Ahmed M. Al-Abdulkader, A.E. Shanavaskhan, Nasser S. Al-Khalifah and Tajeldin H. Nasroun
Sustainable management of natural resources has become an indispensable process to
combat desertification in arid and semi-arid regions, where lands are dry, natural resources are
scarce, and its fragile ecosystems are easily degradable. Ghada (Haloxylon persicum) and Ertaa
(Calligonum comosum) are very important multipurpose indigenous shrubs in the deserts of Saudi
Arabia, supplying firewood and fodder to local populations, and have environmental benefits in sand
dune fixation and microenvironment improvement. Similar to other desert plants, the population of
these two shrubs are badly degraded due to overexploitation. Thus, there is an urgent need for their
proper management in order to sustain their productive and protective functions. This paper aims at
reviewing and discussing some preliminary findings of investigations carried out in Saudi Arabia on
these two desert multipurpose species, and evaluating the economic feasibility of firewood plantation
enterprises in Saudi Arabia by applying different discounting and non-discounting economic criteria.
Evaluating the economic feasibility for firewood plantation enterprises in Saudi Arabia is made to
identify business opportunities to investors and create an incentive to contribute towards protecting
the vegetation cover from deterioration by growing both species in the desert of Saudi Arabia
commercially, thus, achieving the desired balance to meet high demand for firewood and grazing
and to protect the vegetation cover from deterioration. Preliminary findings showed the promising
nature of firewood plantations enterprises in Saudi Arabia and their potential role in balancing the
high demand for firewood and the conservation of the natural vegetation cover in Saudi Arabia.
J. J. Ghazwan, K. M. Bindayna, A. Qareeballa Yousif , and G. A. Botta
Campylobacter jejuni is a major etiological agent in human diarrheal disease. Differentiating
between C. jejuni and C. coli represents a diagnostic challenge. Optimal culturing procedure for
Campylobacter spp. from live broilers carcass, stool and liver tissue are needed for epidemiological
studies. This study was conducted to assess the performance of different media for culturing and
isolation of Campylobacter spp. from different biological specimen obtained from commercial
broilers. Three media selective for Campylobacter were assessed: campy-cefex (CD), modified
charcoal cefoperazone deoxychocolate agar (mCCD) and Skirrow media. One hundred samples of
skin rinse, liver tissue, and feces from broiler chicken were cultured into three selective media for
Campylobacter. A semi-nested PCR assay was used for confirmation. Fifty five samples and two
samples were positive for C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively. Selectivity of each medium after 48
hr incubation were 55% mCCDA, 45% Campy-cefex, and 24% Skirrow medium. The difference
in performance of both mCCDA and Campy-cefex compared to Skirrow’s medium proved to be
statistically significant (P ≤ 0.01 and P ≤ 0.05, respectively). Performance of the different culture
media was not influenced by the type of biological specimens tested. mCCDA was found in our
hands to be more selective and specific than the other two media.
Abdul Ameer Al-Laith
Fruits of three date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars, namely Berhi, Khalas
and Khawaja were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity, total phenolics and ascorbic acid at
four ripening stages; full-color, just-ripe, half-ripe and full-ripe. The total antioxidant activity was
estimated by the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). FRAP values, ascorbic acid and total
phenolics were all higher at full-color unripe state. Khawaja possessed the highest FRAP values
(expressed as mmol/100 g dwb): (18.9±0.95), followed by Khalas (12.0±0.82) and Berhi (3.4±0.49)
cultivars. Similar ranking was observed for total phenolics (expressed as mg GAE/100 g dwb): 434.3
±20.7, 397.2 ±14.3 and 283.3 ±5.4, respectively. As the ripening proceeded, FRAP values, total
phenolics and ascorbic acid progressively declined. The kinetic studies revealed that the decline of
the FRAP values, total phenolics and ascorbic acid essentially followed a pseudo-first order reaction.
The rate constants and half-life of these parameters are calculated and the probable role of total
phenolics and ascorbic acid is further discussed.
Abdul Quaiyum Ansari
This paper presents an approach to image compression for solid color pictures using
segmentation and solid color image. An approch is presented that targets the solid color regions
in the image as the source of redundancy and attempts to minimize this redundancy. The approch
works by identifying regions in the image having pixels with similar color characteristics
with respect to the specified tolerance level. To identify the solid color regions in the image,
breadth-first traversal algorithm is used. The abbreviated form of these regions with necessary
information is stored in the encoded image using recursive boundary splitting and the image is
decoded using polynomial interpolation. In order to measure the quality of the image we have
incorporated stretch factor. The results procured have been very satisfying and encouraging
as it clearly has a sizeable lead over other conventionally used compression techniques.
A.B.M. Sharif Hosain and A. Nasrulhaq Boyce
Comparison of the optimum conditions for biodiesel production from pure palm
cooking oil (PPCO) and waste palm cooking oil (WPCO) through transesterification process
using alkaline catalysts was studied. Some important variables such as volumetric ratio and types
of reactants, catalytic activities were selected to obtain a high quality biodiesel fuel that comply
with the specification of standard methods (ASTM D 6751 and EN 14214). The highest yield of
approximately 99% was acquired under optimum conditions of 1:6 volumetric oil-to-methanol molar
ratio, 1% KOH catalyst, 40°C reaction temperature, and 320 rpm stirring speed. Results showed that
the production of biodiesel from PPCO and WPCO was exhibited no considerable differences. The
research demonstrated that biodiesel obtained under optimum conditions from PPCO and WPCO
was of good quality and could be used as a diesel fuel. Waste cooking palm oil after frying could be
used as recycled material for waste management to produce renewable energy.
Mohamed Ahmed Hassanen El-Beheiry
This study deals with the recognition and description of the weed communities of Juniperus
procera in the Al-Soudah area in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Species cover matrix of 34 annual and
perennial species recorded in 80 stands were classified using cluster analyses and ordinate using
DCA. Six vegetation groups were generated after the application of cluster technique. Life-form
spectrum was found to be of high percentage of annual and perennial herbs and low percentage of
perennial shrubs. The annual and perennial herbs are characterized by higher species richness and
lower species turnover. The effect of soil variables (soil salinity, organic matter, K, N and Mg) on
species diversity and abundance of these communities were assessed.
Mohammad A. Mikki
Many localization techniques and protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor
networks. However, few of these techniques consider the mobility of the networked sensors.
When sensors are mobile, localization must be invoked periodically to enable sensors to track
their location. Localizing should be made frequently to allow the sensors to track their location
accurately. However, localizing frequently is expensive in terms of energy consumption and
program time. This research proposes an efficient Hybrid Localization Protocol (HLP) for
mobile sensor networks that dynamically invokes adaptive and predictive protocols based on
some heuristics. The proposed HLP determines the optimal localization frequency based on the
sensor’s speed and mobility pattern predictability. Optimal localization frequency reduces the
energy consumption of localization while increasing the localization accuracy. Experimental
simulation results and analysis show that the proposed protocol is more efficient in terms
of energy consumption and localization accuracy than the existing counterpart protocols.
Cheryl le Roux and Tayeb Bouazid
This study focuses on the relationship between land degradation and human activities in
a semi-desert region, the area of Sefiane in Algeria, whose inhabitants are typically rural farmers
and agro-pastoralists depending almost exclusively on their natural environment for subsistence.
The study aimed at determining Sefiane community’s perceptions of the impact of desertification
and land degradation on their community and to identify how this affects their way of life and
means of survival. The study has shown that the population have a strong desire to be assisted in
the development of guidelines for environmental education initiatives that would enable them as a
community to deal with desertification and land degradation in an attempt to relieve poverty and
develop a more sustainable lifestyle. The proposed environmental education program should not be
limited to the development of biophysical resources, but must include also the support of societal
and personal resources and capacities that are inherent to the community.
Bachar Ibrahim and Abdalla Yacoub
Sustainability of cotton production depends on the development of irrigation methods that
guarantee yield and meet best water management practices. This study aimed at determining local
crop irrigation parameters for cotton grown at two locations in Syria, Hasakah and Aleppo, and to
evaluate the performance of FAO’s CROPWAT Model for on-farm irrigation application for cotton
under arid conditions at these two locations. Crop yield data were collected at the two locations over
two cotton growing seasons 2001-2002. At each location, experimental plots were established, and
treatments consisted of two irrigation methods; basin and drip. Irrigation water was applied before
sowing and then each time the soil root zone reached 75% of field capacity. Results determined local
crop water use values in the first year at 850 and 890 mm, and in the second year 880 and 910 in
Aleppo and Hasaka, respectively. The simulated crop water use by CROPWAT model were 825 and
906 mm in the first year and 850 and 885 mm in the second year in Aleppo and Hasaka, respectively.
Simulated irrigation timing using the model showed that the model performed well at these two local
conditions and that managers in the region would benefit from using it for planning purposes. The
model can be used as a management tool to help farmers, extension services, and other agents to
analyze, make decisions, and optimize water use management.
Nadia A. Abdel-Magied
Drinking of Arabic coffee in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is widespread, with many
additives used to change its flavor and taste. However, some of these additives may have biological
effects. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of different Arabic coffee preparation methods
on some biochemical and histological parameters of the kidney. The experiment was made on Wister
Albino male rats for a period of 30 days. The rats were divided into four groups, one of these groups is
normal (control), while the other three groups were given coffee orally from the first day to the end of
the experiment according to regional difference in coffee preparation. Three animal from each group
were killed at 10, 20, 30 days and blood was tested for some biochemical parameters, including urea,
uric acid, and creatinine. Parts of kidney samples were taken to determine the level of Nitric oxide,
Xanthin Oxidase, Lipid Peroxidation, and the other parts of the kidney were used for histological
examination. The results indicated that coffee with only cardamom gave the best results in comparison
with other groups.