Engineering Commons^™

Molybdenum Versus Tungsten Based Polyoxometalates For Highly Effective Methylene Blue Removal, Roula Abi Saad, Ghassan Younes, Mohammad H. El- Dakdouki, Rami Al-Oweini

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

[SiW₁₂O₄₀]^4-(SiW₁₂) and [Mo₈O₂₆]^4- (Mo₈) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The prepared polyoxometalates were studied as potential adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution. Various operational parameters—contact time, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, pH, and temperature— were meticulously assessed by UV/Vis spectrophotometry to study its impact on the adsorption efficacy. An inverse relationship was observed between the percentage dye removal and the initial dye concentration, highlighting the complexes' superior adsorption capabilities under lower dye loads. The …

Optimization Of The Bio-Synthesis Of Magnesium Nanoparticles From Staphylococcus Haemolyticus: A Pilot Study, Mariam Bassam, Malak Mezher, Mahmoud Khalil

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Nanotechnology is developing rapidly. This field has many influences in humans’ life. Nanoparticles (NPs) have many unique properties including the size, shape, morphology, and surface area. The synthesis of NPs could be achieved by three ways: physical, chemical, and biological. However, the biological synthesis of NPs has a priority on the other domains due to its safety and environmental friendship. In this regard, the main objective of this study was to synthesize magnesium (Mg) NPs from the bacterium S. haemolyticus which was isolated from the Lebanese wastewater. Different parameters were applied to detect the best conditions to produce the highest …

Volar V-Y Advancement Flaps In Reconstructing Fingertip Injuries, Sawsan Abiad

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Fingertip injuries with exposed bones and joints require immediate or early closure for the preservation of function and avoidance of complications. The ideal procedure should maintain the length of the finger and cover the defect with non-tender, well-padded skin with normal sensation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the different types of volar V-Y advancement flaps in reconstructing and resurfacing injuries of the fingertips at different levels and angles. Thirty patients (N=30) sustaining fingertip injuries of variable etiology and lost components, type III & IV according to Allen’s classification were divided into two groups (n=15) …

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Of Palladium Parallelepiped Nanoparticles, Salem Marhaba, Nourhan El Kawni

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of palladium parallelepiped nanoparticle have been investigated using Finite Element Method (FEM) in the frame of COMSOL Multiphysics Software. Spectral characteristics (magnitude, peak position and width) of LSPR of a single Pd nanoparticle having the shape of a parallelepiped are investigated in two different cases. The first case studied the size effect on LSPR by fixing the height with varying both length and width. However, the second case studied the shape effect on the LSPR by rounding the corners of the parallelepiped for different radii while fixing its dimensions. The extinction cross-section spectra of these …

The Influence Of Environmental Tax And Technology On Different Air Pollution Emissions In Oecd Countries, Malak Ali Assaf

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Although countries continuously employ taxation and technological measures to control air pollution in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the results of these practices should be evaluated to determine whether they reach their intended outcomes. This study used panel autoregressive distributed lag model to establish how environmental taxes and technology affects the emission of air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, Carbon dioxide, and particulate matter 2.5). Using secondary data present in the OECD Database and The World Bank, EViews panel was derived to create 3 model in which each of the three variables would be sufficiently explained by environmental tax, abatement …

Evidence On The Impact Of Corruption On Economic Growth: A Systematic Literature Review, Nour Mohamad Fayad

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

The relationship between corruption and economic growth is complex and has been extensively studied. Till recent days it is still one of the most genuine political challenges that all countries face. Even though anti-corruption measures have improved, they still lack consistency and clarity. Accordingly, this paper reviews the extant literature on this issue, by examining 66 research papers on the impact of corruption on economic growth. The study was aided by analysis of the theme Corruption and economic growth identified in the present literature. Impact of Corruption on economic growth has been tested in multiple studies utilizing time series, panel, …

Discussing Different Images Of Pharmaceutical Company, Roula Afif Bou Assi, Ola Bazaza

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Every organization is a complex, non-linear, and dynamic system. Gareth Morgan discussed eight different metaphors where they can be useful devices to create mental images to clarify and interpret our organizations. These eight metaphors are: machine, organism, brain, culture, political, flux and transformation, psychic prisons and instruments of domination. This combination of metaphors helps us understand our organization, analyze the structure, the leadership style (NAGY, December 2014). In this paper I will discuss the different metaphors of a pharmaceutical company (X). It is a growing pharmaceutical company, where reading and analyzing the different metaphors will definitely help them to prepare …

Effects Of Bisphenol A And Nicotine On Cytochrome P450s In Brain And Liver Of Pregnant Rats, Mohammad Merii, Manal Fardon, Mahmoud Khalil

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used chemical, is associated with endocrine disruption through its interactions with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). BPA crosses into the human body mostly through migration from plastic packaging into the daily diet. AhR regulates the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), including numerous CYP450s, and mediates xenobiotic reactions. This study aims at examining how the expression of CYP450s expression is affected, in the brain and liver of pregnant rats, by exposure to BPA and nicotine. Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley dams were exposed to increasing doses of BPA; 0 (control), 50, 500, and 5000 g/kg/day , or in …

Concrete Mix Design Using Abrams And Bolomey Methods, Salem Abdelgader, Marzena Kurpinska, Hakim Abdelgader, Jamal Khatib

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This research studied concrete design methods. To design concrete using two methods, including the Abrams law and the modified Bolomey method. Concrete with assumed compressive strength 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 MPa was researched. The research was conducted in the laboratory using two types of samples: cubic 15x15x15cm for compressive strength tests and cylinders ϕ-15cm, h-30cm for the splitting strength tests using the Brazilian method.

The analysis of the cement content in the composition of 1m3 of the mixture showed very large differences depending on the calculation method used. The cement content calculated according to the Abrams method ranged …

Studying Changes And Addressing The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Restaurants, Nael Mohamed Nabil Alsarrag

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Several everyday activities were majorly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting these activities to become safe for people to perform and become "covid-friendly" required many studies. Dining out in restaurants was one of the major activities that were affected by this pandemic. Permanently or partially closed, restaurants adapted quickly to sidewalk pickups, and excessive delivery demand, and accordingly, their menus and even the staffing were shortened. Several months later, the foodservice industry was one of the first to move a step forward against coronavirus and positively adapt by coming up with creative and innovative ways to be able to re-open …

Architectural Representations Of Human Rights, El-Bastawissi Y. Ibtihal, Youssef Maged

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

The United Nations defines the Human Rights as the rights of all human beings, regardless of race, gender, language, religion, nationality, or any other status. These rights include all claims to live freely, to educate and work in equality, and to inhabit humanistic urban and architectural spaces. Throughout the history of architecture, civilisations have generated different perspectives towards respecting the human rights. Temples of Ancient Egyptian Architecture crushed the human scale to introduce religious experiences to their visitors. Tibetan temples over mountains enforced people to make anti-humanistic journeys to reach them. After thousands of years, the mega-scale palaces and cathedrals …

Normality Testing Methods And The Importance Of Skewness And Kurtosis In Statistical Analysis, Georges Hatem, Joe Zeidan, Mathijs Goossens, Carla Moreira

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The normal distribution (bell curve or Gaussian distribution) is a distribution that happens commonly in many circumstances. Real-life data rarely, if ever, follow a perfect normal distribution. Many tests are useful to test normality and more particularly skewness and kurtosis tests assess the comparability of a given distribution from a normal distribution. These tests are widely used in statistics, business, and epidemiological data including blood pressure, heights, IQ scores and measurement errors. This report provides a review assessing the essential methods employed for testing normality and highlighting the importance of skewness and Kurtosis in statistics. Moreover, it gives some examples …

Role Of Technological Revolution In Transport And Communications Development, Mohamad B. Chami

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The arousal of technology has changed a lot of aspects in human life and has drastically changed its path through a revolution that changed the whole world. This revolution took place in various aspects while affecting significantly the global economy and from those fields that considerably affect the life of human beings in the previous and current centuries are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and transportation. It is these two factors that play a major role in the economy of countries and dominate the lives of societies in the world. Thus, this paper studies the impact of the technology revolution …

The Feasibility Of Using A Phenomenological Approach To Explicate The Experience Of Being-In-Community: Experience Of Reviving The Marine Heritage In Bahrain, Islam Hamdy Elghonaimy, Layal Tahsine Ahmed Channaa

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

The strategic location of Bahrain and its wealthy marine and coastal environment were the main drivers for the country’s flourishment before the discovery of oil. For a long time, Bahrain has functioned as a pioneer maritime trade center and represented a significant trade transit route between the east and west that transfers the affluent marine productions. This mainly formed an eminent cultural heritage for the country reflected within its inveterate maritime history and the authentic bond between the Bahraini grandparents and the sea. Unfortunately, along with the life evolution, this bond became weak and the biodiversity of the country’s marine …

Extensive Descriptive Literature Review Revealing The Impact Of Banking Secrecy On Money Laundering: Prominence On The Lebanese Banking Sector, Nour Mohamad Fayad, Sara Karam Nassredine

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Worldwide financial institutions face complexity in balancing between business ethical standards on one hand, and the act of competitiveness on the other hand. Thus, while selecting their customers they seek customers that lead them to the optimum position of competitiveness in the market, taking into consideration the act of financial investigation to avoid money launderer customers. Money launderer customers seek to deal with financial institutions to proceed with operating their financial crimes. Therefore, this paper spots the light on “money laundering” alongside with the impact of banking secrecy on money laundering with prominence on the Lebanese banking sector. Thus, in …

Optimization Of Supermarket Checkout Counters Using Integrated Greedy Algorithm, Ramzi Fayad, Hadi Abou Chakra

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Supermarkets worldwide are facing a service dilemma whether to increase or decrease their number of counters used at checkouts. A higher number of checkouts will undoubtedly reduce waiting time at checkout, a factor in improving customer satisfaction and service quality but this will come at a cost to the Supermarket. The work conducted in this paper will therefore focus on this tradeoff between improving the customer shopping experience versus the Supermarket Cost and profitability margins. It will do so by using an optimization algorithm that can help find the optimum number of checkouts and utilization of staff resources. The optimization …

An Improvement Of Cross Entropy Thresholding For Skin Cancer, Nancy Aref Zreika N, A. Zreika, Ali El Zaart, Abdallah Al Shakik

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Image processing procedures in medical diagnosis are used to improve diagnosis accuracy. An example of this is skin cancer detection using the thresholding approach. Thus, research studies involved in identification of inherited mutations predisposing family members to malignant melanoma have been performed in the Cancer Genetics field. Melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers, but could be cured when diagnosed early. A fundamental step in image processing is segmentation that includes thresholding, among others. Thresholding is based on finding the optimal thresholds value that partitions the image into multiple classes to be able to distinguish the objects from the background. …

Unsteady Rotational Motion Of A Micropolar Fluid Inside A Right Circular Cylinder Using State Space Approach, Sarah Ahmad Slayi S.A.Slayi, Emad Ashmawy

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

In this work, the unsteady rotational motion of an incompressible micropolar fluid inside a right circular cylinder is investigated. The classical no-slip and no-spin boundary conditions are proposed. The problem is solved analytically using the state space approach together with Laplace transform technique. The inverse Laplace transform is carried out numerically using a numerical technique based on Fourier series expansion. Numerical results for the flow field functions are represented graphically for different values of the time and micropolarity parameters.

Establishing A New Restoration Strategy To Use Nanomaterials In Reviving Damaged Buildings Post-Disaster, Khouloud Walid Darwiche

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Nanotechnologies are a new solution of many problems of contemporary society, by creating products and processes for more specific uses with less environmental impact throughout their life cycle. The use of new technology such Nanotechnology in the restoration of damaged buildings post-disaster will be a contemporary solution to achieve sustainable development. After the explosion of Port of Beirut in August 4, 2020, it is necessary to search a new technology that restore and retrofit damaged buildings and in the other hand, to achieve the architectural quality, comfort and energy saving, in addition to its impact on energy consumption rates, its …

Optimised Retrofit Strategies For Energy Reduction And Comfort In Dwellings For Future Climate Scenario In Southeast England, Bahaa El Dine Abou El Khoudoud

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

This paper aims to find an optimum retrofit scheme utilising adaptation and mitigation techniques to a Sub-urban English old house, for an inevitable future climate change. It seeks its aims by investigating the energy performance, as well as the summertime comfort of old dwellings in current and future weather predictions. Studies shows that pre-1990 building stock represents one of the least energy-efficient, as these houses were built before the introduction of building envelope directives in building regulation. Specifically, uninsulated semi-detached houses of the inter-war period can potentially be an essential target for retrofits to reach the 2030 carbon emission goal. …

Antibacterial Effect And Phytochemical Analysis Of The Shoot System Of Rubus Canescens Dc. Growing In Lebanon, Omar Assafiri, Hiba Abdallah, Mohammed El-Dakdouki

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The misuse of antibiotics followed by improved fitness of resistant strains of infectious microorganisms hindered the efficacy of many known antimicrobial agents, and fueled research for the discovery of novel remedies. The current study aims at assessing the antimicrobial activity and understanding the mechanism of action of Rubus canescens DC. growing wild in Lebanon, as well as qualitatively determining its phytochemical profile. The antibacterial activity, MIC, and MBC of the extracts were evaluated by two-fold dilution. Time-kill curves were plotted to assess the bactericidal activity of the R. canescens DC. extracts against the growth of microorganisms, and TEM images were …

Waterpipe: A Global Alarming Problem, Tarek Houri, Bilal Osta, Sara Mobayed, Rayan Farha, Mazher Issa

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Waterpipe popularity has increased significantly in the recent decades to become the major cause of death worldwide. This practice, which is also known as hookah, shisha and Narghile that is based on tobacco burning, increases the percentage of tobacco smokers especially among young people, due to several factors such as the attracting effect of sweetened tobacco, the marketing role and the social acceptance of waterpipe. A literature review was constructed using "Pub med" as a searching tool to confirm by studies the differences in adverse effects between waterpipe and cigarette by analyzing the toxicant’s levels generated from them, evaluating the …

Moringa Oleifera Leaves Aqueous Extract Induce Apoptosis In Ht29 Cell Line, Farah Reda, Jamila Borjac, Julnar Usta

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Moringa oleifera (MO) tree has been recognized for the nutritional and medicinal values, attributing anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and antidiabetic activities of the alcoholic and/or water extracts to its various parts. Recent research has focused on therapeutic anti-cancerous effects of the water extract of MO leaves (MOE), commonly consumed as hot beverage. In-vitro cytotoxicity on esophageal, lung, and breast cancer cells were reported by MOE. The aim in this study is to investigate the anti-cancerous potential of MOE on the colon carcinoma HT29 cells. MO water extract (MOE) was prepared at concentrations (0.1%-0.5%). MOE anti-proliferative effect on HT29-cells was assessed by measuring …

Photoluminescence Spectroscopic Studies Of Mn2o3/Co3o4-Glucose/Lactose Complexes, Alaa Abdallah, Jamalat Al Boukhari, Rana Najjar

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

As nanoparticles serve as mediators in the electron transfer between biomolecules and a biosensor’s electrode surface, this study is dedicated to investigating Mn2O3 and Co3O4 nanoparticles and their photoluminescence effect that play a critical role in sensing glucose and lactose. The chemical coprecipitation method was adopted for preparing the nanoparticles that were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscope, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray, UV-vis spectroscopy, and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry. It was found that the obtained Mn2O3 and Co3O4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared, with a crystallite size of 65.91 and 58.00 nm, respectively. The high specific surface area …

Activation Of Fly Ash To Stabilise Lead Contaminated Soils And Solutions, Mabrouk Hassan Arhoma

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The role of pH on removal of metal contaminated solution was investigated by adding gradually drops of NaOH to lead solutions, the increase of the pH was observed and concentration of lead solution was measured by using ICP. The activated \ pulverised fly ash (PFA) was used as stabilizing material. The leaching behaviour of lead was investigated using 5 grams of the soil thoroughly mixed with 0.1g of the stabilising material in a polypropylene container to which 50ml of either deionised water; the mixture was shaken on a flat bed shaker for 2h, and then filtered using a What man …

Corrosion Of Coated And Uncoated Steel Reinforcement In Concrete, Jana Abou Shakra, Rouba Joumblat, Jamal Khatib, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Corrosion of reinforcing steel is the one of the main causes of deterioration in reinforced concrete structure. During the initial stage of corrosion, the steel volume increases. This creates tensile stresses in the concrete, which can eventually lead to cracking, delamination, and spalling. This potential risk of corrosion in a structure is quite unpredictable. Therefore, this paper examines the influence of accelerated corrosion on the bond between concrete and the coated and uncoated steel bars. The bar coating consisted of epoxy rich in zinc. Six concrete mixes were prepared. Three mixes had cement contents of 300, 400 and 500 Kg/m3 …

Effect Of Using Cathode-Ray Tubes (Crt) Waste Glass On Concrete Properties, Jad Bawab, Jamal Khatib, Ali Jahami, Said Kenai, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Cathode-ray tube (CRT) glass is a hazardous material that should be responsibly managed when disposed. One of the possible options for recycling CRT waste glass is using it as fine aggregates in concrete for its richness in silica. For the aim of evaluating concrete with this material, four mixes with replacement levels of 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% are prepared. Workability, hardened density, ultra-pulse velocity, compressive strength, tensile strength, and static modulus of elasticity were examined. Experimental results showed that the use of CRT improved properties of concrete at certain replacement levels. CRT glass improved the workability of concrete where …

Concrete Mix Design Using Simple Equations, Hakim Abdelgader, Ramadan Suleiman, Abdalla Adam, Jamal Khatib

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The behaviour of concrete, whether fresh or hardened, depends basically on the behaviour of its components and the relationship between them, therefore, obtaining a concrete with certain properties depends fundamentally on the concrete mix design. Concrete mix design generally includes two main steps: 1-Selection of the main components suitable for the concrete (cement, aggregate, water, and additives); 2-Determination of more economical mix ratios to fulfil the workability, strength and efficiency requirements. Currently, there are many international methods locally approved for mix designs. They are all related to each other, they give relatively the same quantities of the mix components and …

Essential Control To Environmental Regulations For Oil And Gas Industry: Spotlight On Drilling Processes In Lebanon, Rami Harkouss

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

At present, environmental legislation bounds the drilling operators in drilling wastes removal. The rapid increasing sensitivity of drilling waste management forced many countries to develop environmental guidelines for their drilling operations. This research studies some sorts of waste produced during upstream petroleum activities, particularly while drilling. After that, many hazards and impacts on the environment are addressed, as well as their principal treatment techniques. This paper gives a modest and theoretical vision over the present environmental standard and waste management design, realized at a universal scale. Studies show that performance fluid management and total fluid management are highly recommended in …

Comparison Between Nano-Hydroxyapatite And Cpp-Acpf In Remineralizing Early Carious Lesions (In Vitro Study), Raneem Saudi, Mohamed A. Ibrahim

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

Poor oral hygiene, bacteria and orthodontic appliances mainly lead to early demineralized lesions where early detection and diagnosis of the lesion is a must so that it can be assessed and cured with the least invasive treatment. The objective was to evaluate the effect of nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HA) and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate fluoride (CPP-ACPF) on early demineralized enamel using DIAGNOdent pen and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Materials and methods: A total of 60 enamel specimens were divided into four groups (n=15), where Group A: experimental; treated with nano-HA tooth paste, Group B: self-control for group A, Group C: experimental; …