Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference Proceedings Volume 2014 Issue 1

Safe handling, storage and transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has been the root concern in the process industry due to the growing demand for ecological and clean alternative energy namely natural gas. Due to economic advantages in transportation, natural gas is transported in the liquid form. This calls for a thorough research in LNG safety due to its hazardous flammability properties. The study of consequen Read More

The UER formation in the Dukhan Field, Qatar has an aquifer associated with it. The formation water and sour crude associated with the formation and aquifer lead to many corrosion-related problems, and casings are being replaced at an almost bi-annual rate. Our research proposal was to replace these with fiberglass casing and tubing. Any tubing and casing that is replaced would need to withstand similar pressures and te Read More

The present study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of three desert plants extracts grown naturally in Qatar: (Al-rayhan) Ocimum basilicum, Shafallah (Capparis spinosa) and Qwaif(Prosopis juliflora)to study their inhibitory effect against three pathogenic fungi: Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Giberella baccata. Samples were collected from Qatar University farm. Filter disk method was used for antagonistic stud Read More

The Science Education Alliance (SEA) Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science, or PHAGES, is a national initiative in the United States, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and led by Professor Graham Hatfull from the University of Pittsburgh. This project is built around the discovery and analysis of mycobacteriophages in the biodiversity of the United States. For the first time, this research is Read More

Background and Objective: Diabetes Mellitus is associated with a higher incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) and poor prognosis in affected individuals; however, treatment with the oral hypoglycemic drug, metformin, is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A MI reduces oxygen delivery and results in nutrient/glucose starvation (GS) with micro-vascular endothelial cells (MECs) recei Read More

BACKGROUND. The existence of a dichotomy between immunologically active and quiescent phenotypes has been recently recognized in several types of cancer. The activation of a Th1 type of immune signature has been shown to confer better prognosis and likelihood to respond to immunotherapy. However, whether such dichotomy depends on the genetic make-up of individual cancers is not known yet. In melanom Read More

Background: A new immerging nonpathogenic single stranded human RNA virus known as GBV-C/HGV was discovered in 1995. Both GBV-C virus and HCV have similar genome, but they replicate in different cell types. The incidence of GBV-C infection has been studied worldwide, however, to our knowledge; no previous studies were conducted in Qatar, thus the objectives of this study are: (i) to determine the rate of GBV-C inf Read More

Cancer incidence is rising fast in Qatar, including in particular breast cancer. The expression of the oncogenic protein HER-2/neu is associated with an aggressive phenotype, and agents targeting this molecule have been successful in prolonging survival of breast cancer patients. Despite treatment progresses, metastatic breast cancer is still a fatal condition, and mechanisms of HER-2/neu regulation/resistance are not full Read More

Background: Mental Disorders, particularly Depression, are recognised as one of the biggest burden of disease worldwide. Two of the top three burdens of disease in Qatar are mental health related. Yet, there is scarcity of lifetime prevalence data available to understand the impact in this country. Aim: This study uses the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI), to measure the lifetime prevalence of t Read More