Resilience aspects of woody plant species at the passage of fire: case of Quercus coccifera in Tlemcen Mountains (Algeria)

In this study, on the aspects of the resilience of woody species to the passage of fire, we wanted to test the alveolar specificity represented by the size of the pores of the secondary xylem of the root system in Quercus coccifera L., Pore size assessment is based on measuring 100 pores in cross sections, from the roots of 10 shrubs. The aim of this study is to explain how the roots can maintain their vitality after passing a fire and thus guarantee regeneration. In addition to the vigor of the root system of this species, the release of pyrolysis gases and the propagation of heat by conduction are provided by the porosity of the material. The results show that the pores are qualified as “fine” in the initial wood with an average diameter of 83.35 µm. In final wood, they are "very thin" with 42.30 µm in diameter. The absence of oxygen and the less porous structure delay the combustion cycle of the root system, the roots distant from the surface are thus protected from proliferation by heat conduction and thus guarantee regeneration.

First record of the blackfish Centrolophus Niger (Teleostei: Centrolophidae) from the Lebanese waters in the eastern Mediterranean sea

A young specimen of the blackfish, Centrolophus niger (Gmelin, 1789) was reported for the first time from the Lebanese waters. It was caught and photographed by a professional fisherman in Beirut, on 15th November 2014. The present note reports details about this first record.

Arabic grammar by mathematical principles

In mathematics, any equation is formed from specific elements; these elements are connected to each other according to a system of relationships (Borowski, 1995). This system allows us to build the general rule for the equation or the mathematical issue; similarly, the sentence is formed from elements that have grammatical properties, which can be transformed to mathematical data. Hence, the elements or the words that carry the grammatical properties of the sentence correlate to each other to form a mathematical relation; this mathematical relation forms the theory of sentence construction. Therefore, the analysis process is correct when we can collect mathematical data contained within the elements; in other words, we indicate the mathematical data contained in the words located in a specific sentence. These mathematical data will form the elements of the mathematical theory of the Arabic sentence.

The architectural evolution of the ancient Lebanese churches in Koura, Batroun and Byblos, from the 8th Century to the 13th Century

I think this work is intriguing for a wide circle of readers interested in the history of ancient Lebanese churches. Monumental historical temples are the symbol of cultural identity showing the spiritual value of their old period and reflecting the social, cultural and economic endurance of the past. They are the main part of the architectural heritage that signalizes the continuity of history and the important link between our time and history that helps to understand the development of the architectural features in time and space. Like in many countries, ancient churches need to be identified, classified and then assessed; for this reason, in this research, I will offer an overall picture of the original ecclesiastical parts, which is based on the latest architectural and documental data. The study of these structures is important because it helps to identify the structural forms, the disaster preparedness and the potential hazards. The original damaged and undamaged parts of these churches should be examined in order to achieve proper results, considering the first step to accomplish this, is to recognize them in their original status, so that the applied intervention could be implemented respecting these results. Documentation, protection and conservation of historic monuments are the most important procedures of the cultural heritage preservation, therefore large inventory of these temples should be well documented before starting to detailed analyses and restoration projects.

Change management in Higher Education: a New Perspective

Universities need to operate a transition from the common ‘traditional’ settings towards an education that contributes to a sustainable social change by preparing students to be change agents who care for others and for the well-being of society. We designed an interpretative qualitative approach using the unique case study of a Jesuit University, based on interviews with leaders of and participants to volunteering initiatives driven by that university. The objective of the study was to identify the drivers of change of the outreach model in higher education and analyze if the Jesuit way of doing things, or Jesuit tradition, is an effective tool to drive the change in universities. Five key drivers of change were identified (communication, participation, sharing, empathy and reflexivity), all in line with the characteristics of the Jesuit tradition. Both empathy and reflexivity are drivers of change, which were not cited in previous works on change management and may be considered as the study’s added value to the conceptual framework. The results of this study need to be confirmed on a larger sample of participants and would be enriched by a benchmarking work on Jesuit-led outreach bodies.

Optimizing fertigation of eggplant production in hydroponic coco-peat substrate

This research aims at optimizing eggplant cultivation by comparing hydroponic fertigation recipes in coco-peat substrate with traditional soil cultivation. The first two groups of 36 plants each are fertilized according to the recipes recommended by two companies (A and B), treatments 1 and 2 respectively. The third is fertilized according to the conventional method in the soil adopted by farmers (group C). Company A applies standard fertilizer application protocol throughout the life of the plant with a stable pH and electro conductivity of 6 and 2.8 mS / cm respectively. Company B applies an upward fertilizer scheme during the plant's production cycle with a stable pH of 5.6, but an electro conductivity that varies from 2.1 mS / cm at the vegetative phase to 2.5 mS / cm from the appearance of the 1st fruit. Despite its high investment, the two hydroponic treatments T1 and T2 showed greater plant size (127 cm and 129 cm respectively at the 12th week), more fruits (15 fruits per plant each week, compared to 8 fruits per plant in the soil), and higher yield (average mass per plant reached a maximum value at the 11th week of 1.192 g for T1 and 1,189 g for T2 compared to 499 g for the soil). The difference in revenues shows a negligible financial advantage in favor of Company B. Adopting fertilization recipe of Company A or B is not a limiting factor at the financial level hence either one of the two formulations is adequate.

ole of New Opinion Leaders on Social Media in Political and Religious Polarization (Jordanian case study)

Social media brings to the fore new opinion leaders. Due to their supposed role in public debate as well as persuasion and promotion of opinions and new behaviours among users of such networks, they are called Influences. In the last few decades, communication research has explored opinion leaders as effective influences on their environments and societies. They present and interpret information, give opinions and adopt innovation before the audience, in addition to mediating between the audience and media in the communication process. More particularly, Facebook represents a new space for discussion in the Arab World. The phenomenon spread during the Arab Spring in 2011 and even expanded later. It took different forms, like the transfer of information, interpretation of incidents, and mobilization for mass events, political and cultural polarization and new critical discourse. However, what is taking place in cyberspace is still debatable. The present study looks into the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon in the Arab public sphere and their part in political and religious polarization. The discourse of posts on three Facebook accounts of new opinion leaders (Influences) in Jordan is analysed. As these figures play disparate roles in national political and cultural events and dilemmas, lessons can be derived from such a rising phenomenon. The study aims at exploring the discourse features of the posts addressing public issues which sparked widespread controversies in the period 2017-2018, such as the civil state, theocratic state, school curriculum reform and political reform in Jordan. Study has found that the new opinion leaders’ phenomenon on social media in Jordan is on the rise, in terms of political and religious polarization. That would reveal some characteristics and roles of new opinion leaders, in addition to the features of their discourse with reference to major political and religious issues and values as well as political and religious polarization.

Beneficial Utilization of House fly, Musca domestica [Diptera: Muscidae]

The house fly, Musca domestica, is a significant pest of Man and his livestock mainly because of its disease vectoring capacities and the fact that it constitutes a serious nuisance. Several cultural chemical and biological measures have been used to reduce house fly populations. Despite the fact of the known hazards this insect can pose, there are certain benefits man can gain through the utilization of this insect. Utilization of house fly can serve as an alternate protein source for livestock, a possible forensic indicator and can be implemented in the wastes management that has organic origins. However, to achieve the full utility of these flies, several challenges have to be surmounted.

Annotated Checklist of the Marine and Coastal Birds of Lebanon

The study of marine and coastal birds in the Lebanon recorded 75speciesalong the shore line of Lebanon and for a distance of 7 kms offshore.Of those species,35 are seabirdspecies, 38 marine or seawater/freshwater coastal birds, and 2waterbird specieswintering on the archipelagoes of Mina/Tripoli in North Lebanon (Grey Heron and Little Egret)with apparently much affinity to seawater in the winter season. This study highlighted 3 globally threatened species (Leach’s Storm Petrel Hydrobates leucorhoa [Vulnerable], Mediterranean Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan [Vulnerable], and Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus [Vulnerable]), underlined7 globally Near Threatened avian species, pointed out to 3 species that may be submitted for reconsideration bythe “Lebanon Bird Record Committee” (LBRC) at LCNRS;and updated the data of 9species of high significance from the past studies, of which, 2 species are upgraded from vagrants to winter visitors/passage migrants, one to passage migrant and one to wintervisitor..Regarding the final phenological statusesof species, one is resident breeding, one is summer breeding, 3 are formerly bred, one extirpated (extinct) from Lebanon 31are passage migrant/winter visitors, 25passage migrantsonly, 2winter visitors and 14vagrant species.

Ecological and Biological Behaviorof Nesting Colony of Bubulcus ibisin North-Western Algeria

We studied a colony of the Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis located in the public garden on the northern outskirts of Chlef, north-western of Algeria, a site with 13 tree species; in this locality Cattle Egrets nested only on Ficus elastica, Jacaranda mimosifolia and Pinus halepensis. We observed the birds, each two weeks during the wintering period and weekly during the breeding season (February to August). To count the colony population, we used the method described by Dragonetti & Giovacchini (2009), called perimeter counts. Egg and nestling were recorded on 20 randomly selected nests and from different locations in each ofthe three nesting trees until all fledging. The number of Cattle Egrets at this site varied according to season, and was higher during the breeding season (1902 individuals) than during the wintering period (1210 individuals). Depending on the morphology of the trees hosting this colony, numbers of these birds varied from one tree to another. The nests observed are placed at relatively low heights, contrary to what has been described by some authors. Reproductive success is affected by the environmental conditions of the area and also by the physical and perhaps biochemical characteristics of the nest trees, but no difference in the location or orientation of the nests was noticed.