Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

Qatar is facing unprecedented development both inland and in its surrounding waters. While the natural environment is not yet fully characterized, there is a need for managers to have an accurate overview of it as a decision making tool and a baseline study for monitoring the future changes. Remote sensing techniques are cost effective in their ability to cover great areas and provide information in a time and cost efficient ma Read More

In 2005 the impact module of the Deep Impact (DI) spacecraft collided with Comet 9P/Tempel 1. Based on analysis of the images made by this spacecraft during the first 13 minutes after the impact, Ipatov and A'Hearn concluded that the triggered outburst of small particles and excavation of a large cavity with dust and gas under pressure began at te= 8s, where te is the time after the DI collision. Schultz et al. analyzed ima Read More

Introduction: Solar energy has been one of the most active research areas in the last decade because it is environmental friendly with respect to conventional energy resources. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a promising oxide material that has useful electrical and optical properties. It has been extensively investigated for photovoltaic applications. Anatase titania (TiO2) is a well known n-type inorganic metal oxide semiconductor Read More

Background and Objectives: The objective of this work is to illustrate concepts and applications of nilpotent structures in physics. To that end, we will use two examples, both of which have attracted considerable attention recently: the generalized uncertainty principle, in its various forms, and the Tsallis entropy. The former has been motivated and extensively used in string theory and black hole physics during the last two decades. Read More

Recycled polypropylene (RPP) based hybrid composites of date palm wood flour/glass fibre were prepared by different weight ratios of the two reinforcements. The mixing process was carried out in an extruder and samples were prepared by an injection molding machine. RPP properties were improved by reinforcing it by wood flour. Morphological studies indicated that glass fiber has good adhesion with RPP supporting th Read More

Organic geochemistry plays a major role in the environmental assessments of water quality. Today, the tools used in exploration and production of hydrocarbons combined with good understanding on natural processes which form and alter the hydrocarbons during biodegradation, weathering, oxidation and evaporation, can be applied to predict the fate of pollution in water. BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene) ar Read More

Improving the mechanical properties in an aluminum alloy at high temperatures should acknowledge several factors which are related principally to a decrease in the strength of the metal with increasing temperatures. Most applications of Al-Si casting alloys are generally used at temperatures of no more than 230°C. To improve the strength of the alloys under high temperature conditions, a microstructure contai Read More

Natural resources such as oil and gas can be used in more efficient ways. Instead of just burning these fuels, the exhaust gas or sync-gases can be used for hydrogen fusion reactions along with carbon fusion reactions. This offers the prospect of a longer-term supply of energy by using only a very small amount of fuel. Fusion reaction energy could be made relatively cheap by using proton tunneling catalytic reactors that bypa Read More

Constructed wetlands are engineered land treatment systems that utilize natural processes to improve water quality. A system that consists primarily of vegetation, aquatic organisms, soils and microbes is designed to assist in treating wastewater by taking advantage of the same process that occur in nature, but in a more controlled setting. Successful and sustainable planning and management of an engineered wetland ( Read More

Background & Objectives: Qatar ranked number one in the world in terms of per capita CO2 emissions and is the latest Middle Eastern country to aggressively push towards reducing the per capita CO2 emissions and embrace a low carbon economy. Information and communication technology (ICT) already represents around 2% of total CO2 emissions (of which wireless networks represents about 0.2%) and this is expected to in Read More