Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2012 Issue 1

This study was conducted over 45 days, on a total of 25 sample animals. It targeted the nutritional myopathies of camels, born and bred in Qatar, ranging in age from zero to three months. Blood and fecal samples of young were collected to identify the quality of commercially-used starter feeds and conventional feeds. Commercially manufactured silage stored and produced within the municipality is available for herdsmen to purchase as replacement feeds for adult lactating dam. Further study will target the use of milk replacement among nursing animals due to dam with low milk output in order to prevent young animals from incurring further degenerative diseases. Randomized samples will be collected.

Wind has been used as a natural renewable energy source for a few thousand years. Early applications included wind-powered ships, grain mills, water pumps, and threshing machines. With the evolution of technology, the last decades of the 20th century in particular, saw the development of machines which efficiently extract power from wind. These wind turbines are machines with rotating blades that convert the kinetic energy of wind into useful power. Qatar, like other nations, is striving to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and as a consequence of its carbon footprint. This is despite the nation rich resources of natural gas which is deemed to be the cleanest of all fossil fuels. The need to develop a complementary renewable energy input into the grid will help diversify the energy mix of the country. The obvious renewable energy source is the sun and huge efforts and resources are being spent on optimising the technology for the hostile environment of Qatar. This paper describes the development of a small-scale wind turbine for microgeneration in the Qatari environment. The generation of electricity from wind is an improving technology with an equally increasing popularity as solar power. It is an inexhaustible resource that has no associated greenhouse gas emissions and does not use any water during the electricity generation process. Both issues are of prime concern to Qatar. The adopted strategy in the development of the microgenerator is described here. The unfavorable wind environment in Qatar is the prevalent design challenge. The wind map of Qatar is not ideal for harnessing the wind but velocities ranging from 3.6m/s to 6.3m/s are regularly registered and would produce sufficient electricity for domestic applications. The approach adopted in deciding between two or three-bladed wind turbines is driven by the trade-off between aerodynamic efficiency, complexity, cost, noise and aesthetics, which are fully explained. Additional design considerations also include wind climate, rotor type, generator type, load and noise minimisation, and control approach. The turbine is designed to complement and supplement existing electricity supply. It is physically small with minimal visual or audible impact. It requires minimum maintenance and is economically competitive.

The darkling beetle Adesmia cancellata Solier, 1835 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is considered a dominant arthropod in the Qatari desert as suggested by previous studies. The species is also distributed in the Arabian Peninsula, Syria and Israel. The objective of our study is to explore the evolutionary history of this species in Qatar through genetic analysis. We first collected different individuals of A. cancellata in the field from 12 populations distributed across Qatar between February and April 2012. We used partial sequences of the cytochrome oxidase mitochondrial marker (COI) to reveal patterns of genetic structure underlying the geographic distribution of A. cancellata in Qatar, and indirectly, to infer dispersal rates and recent and historical patterns of gene flow between populations. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial sequences of this preliminary study show maximum values of 2% sequence divergence between populations. In order to explain such a low within species genetic diversity we propose the hypothesis hat the current genetic lineage of A. cancellata inhabiting Qatar entered the country quite recently, probably during the late Pleistocene. Since the time of Qatar colonization the species has spread across the country and became a dominant arthropod with respect population density and distribution area. In order to test this hypothesis it would be necessary to extend our analyses to a larger number of populations in Qatar and to compare them with populations outside Qatar throughout the world distribution range of the species.

The critical ratio of Cl to HCO concerning the corrosion rate has been determined with and without electrolyte erosion in 0.3 M NaHCO3 by using various concentrations of NaCl for X52 and X100 steels. The open circuit potential (OPC) was recorded for both steels in electrolytes containing 0.3 M NaHCO3 and 0.1 M NaCl without erosion, with electrolyte erosion, and with electrolyte-silica sand erosion. Electrochemical techniques such as linear polarization resistance (LPR) and potentiodynamic polarization scans were used to study and compare the material resistance against synergistic impact of erosion and corrosion. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy were used to study the morphology of pitting corrosion in the absence and presence of erosion. The change in pitting potential due to electrolyte and electrolyte-silica sand impingement has been discussed. The microstructure and hardness of X52 and X100 steels were evaluated and discussed with respect to the erosion-corrosion behaviors. Cracks were observed at the inner wall of a pit due to silica sand impingement during erosion-enhanced pitting corrosion. X100 steel is more stable than X52 steel against pitting corrosion with and without erosion. X52 steel suffered pitting corrosion in the standstill electrolyte containing chloride whereas X100 did not, even in the presence of erosion. Pits propagate in the direction of erosion because of the impingement and disruption of the passive layer in that direction.

Solar power plants using parabolic trough solar collectors, operating Rankine steam cycles, are well proven and the most widely used type of solar power plant (SPP) worldwide. These plants have a low power cycle efficiency (30%) due to low throttling conditions of 350-375°C and 100 bar. Conventional steam power plants have high throttling conditions (535-560°C and 140-160 bar) and high efficiency (38-40%). An SPP was suggested for generating electric power and desalted seawater; i.e. a cogeneration power desalting plant (CPDP) in Qatar. Qatar has large natural gas (NG) resources and Qatar's power plants use NG-fueled gas turbines. However, NG resources are finite and NG consumption is rising. As in many countries, SPPs contribute to electric power and desalted seawater production. This prolongs the life of the NG resources, and maintains an export revenue stream. This also limits the emission of greenhouse gases and air polluting gases due to NG combustion, which badly affect the environment. While NG is used in SPP to compensate the intermittent nature of solar energy, and keeps the operation during non-sunshine hours, its main purpose is to raise the SPP throttling temperature, and thus increases the steam cycle efficiency, even during full sunshine. It also lowers the cost of using expensive land where the SPP is planned. This paper studies the feasibility of utilizing NG to superheat the steam leaving the SPP solar collector field, and to heat the feed water to the collector. This drastically increases both power output and efficiency. Modifications of SPP power cycle to become a CPDP are presented.

Background: Cobalt catalysts are employed in catalyzing several important and selective reactions, one of which is the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reaction that is becoming of particular importance because of its application in converting natural gas and coal into liquid fuels. Supported cobalt catalysts are used most commonly for F-T reactions because of their high activity, high selectivity for forming linear hydrocarbons, low activity for the water gas shift reaction and lower cost compared to noble metal catalysts. In these reactions, cobalt is supported on an silica oxide material. Objectives: To investigate the oxidation isotherms of 15 wt% Co3O4/SiO2 using the coulometric titration (CT) technique and to study the effect of the reduction gas type on the Co3O4/SiO2 isotherm. Methods: The sample to be analysed was placed in an alumina crucible that was then inserted into the centre of the YSZ tube (Fig.1). The sample was exposed to a gas mixture of H2-H2O for full reduction. Reduction also was carried out using a mixture of CO-CO2. The P(O2) was then established by equilibrium between H2 and H2O: P(O2)½ =K-1 * P(H2O)/P(H2) Oxygen was then pumped into the cell electrochemically by passing a current through the Pt electrodes (Fig. 1). The open-circuit potential across the electrodes (V) was measured in order to calculate P(O2) from the Nernst equation: V= RT/4F Ln PO2/0.21 Results: The oxidation isotherms obtained from CT for reduced 15 wt% Co3O4/SiO2 (Fig. 2) exhibit two well-defined transitions. The first transition corresponds to the oxidation of Co to CoO and the second oxidation corresponds to CoO to Co3O4. Figure 3 represents the comparison of the Co/SiO2 oxidation isotherms at 873 K due to reduction using a mixture of H2/H2O and CO/CO2. The results indicate that the isotherms exhibit the same pattern but they are different in their P(O2) values. The transitions due to CO/CO2 reduction appear at lower P(O2) values. Conclusions: Coulometric titration results show that 15 wt% Co3O4/SiO2 exhibit two well-defined steps due to Co3O4/SiO2 full reduction. This indicates that there is no strong interaction between Co and silica.

Passive control is preferred due to its simplicity and zero power consumption. A common passive control device is the impact damper which consists of a freely moving mass constrained by two stops inside a container mounted on the primary system. Typical application of impact dampers are vibration attenuation of cutting tools, television antennas, turbine blades, manufacturing machines, heavy armored personnel carriers (Armadillos), digger machines, structures, plates, tubing, and shafts. Researchers have attempted to develop the impact damper for many decades. The objectives have been to decrease the high accelerations, contact forces, and noise levels. The common types of impact damper are the following: single unit impact damper (1-dof or 2-dof), multi-unit impact damper, bean bag damper, particle (or granular) impact damper, resilient impact damper, and buffered impact damper. In this paper, a new type of impact damper consists of linear chain of spherical balls. Previous work proposed a new energy absorption scheme based on the multiple impact in the linear chain of spherical balls with different sizes. The new impact damper is based on placing a small ball between each two larger balls in the chain. Hence, the small ball will have numerous collisions with the larger balls during an impact event. This behavior leads to the dissipation of the kinetic energy due to the numerous collisions of the large balls. The linear chain impact damper is validated by comparing its responses with the single unit impact damper. A parametric study is conducted to specify the sufficient number of balls and the efficient diameters to be used in a specific available space in the primary system.

Background and Objective: The Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) was hunted to near extinction in from the 1950s to the 1970s. Thus, the oryx ranks among the rarest mammals in the world. Qatar currently has ~800 oryx and has donated numerous oryx to breeding programs around the world. As such, Qatar may be a significant source of genetic diversity to the worldwide oryx population. The primary purpose of this project was to provide a genome sequence and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data in hopes it can be used for improving breading strategies by maintaining as much genetic diversity as possible. Methods: A DNA sample was provided from an oryx male in the Wabra Wildlife Preservation in Qatar. The animal's whole genome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing approach. After assembling the contigs, we utilized a 67bp kmer and ~2.4B paired 100bp (~80X coverage) reads from the Illumina HiSeq. These reads were distributed across libraries ranging in size from 300-1200bp for paired-end and 2000-5000bp for mate-pair libraries. Genome physical coverage by mate-pair libraries was approximately 15X. De novo gene prediction was conducted on scaffolds >500bp. SNPs were also detected. Results: Predicted genome size of ~3Gb (similar to other Mammals), a scaffold N50 of ~300kb, an assembly spanning ~2.5Gb of the genome which is likely >90% of euchromatic sequence. The sequence is distributed across 36,964 scaffolds greater than 500bp. We detected ~1M SNPs between parental alleles, which is significantly fewer than in other "rare" animals such as the giant panda. Conclusion: The initial analysis of polymorphisms suggests a relatively high level of inbreeding, and further study will be needed to clarify whether this is only in certain herds or a worldwide issue.

Background: Traditionally, household pest control relies entirely on the use of pesticides. Multiple hazards are associated with the use of pesticides. Objectives of the study: Because of the potential health effects of pesticides exposure, the main aim of this study is to seek alternative methods to control cockroaches. Management measures that keep unwanted pests out buildings and houses can control cockroaches and their associated allergens better than traditional pesticides spraying. Methods: Three methods of investigations were used: interviews with house owners, estimation of cockroach density by using sticky traps and direct observations on the habitat. Although the study was conducted mainly in Rayyan municipality but information on cockroach population density were also collected from other municipalities in Qatar. Results: Two species of cockroaches were identified. The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana L.) and the German cockroach (Blattela germanica L.). Sewage water manholes were the preferred locations for the American cockroach while the German cockroaches were found mainly in kitchens. Houses which were connected to the sewage water disposal nets suffered less from cockroach infestations. Clean houses that sanitary measures are less subjected to cockroach infestations. Regular house repairs and maintenance are negatively correlated with cockroach density. Houses with many entries suffer more from cockroaches. Number of residence in the house are positively correlated with cockroach density. Education level and awareness of the house owner is negatively correlated with the cockroach density. The use of pesticides alone achieved 54% control. Conclusion: The information collected in this study can be utilized to develop a pest management strategy taking into consideration all the components which may lead to suppress the pest population without relying exclusively on chemical use. This could be achieved through habitat manipulation, which includes maintaining proper sewer system, repairing around the house, fixing water leaks, sealing around electrical plumbing outlets, cleaning, covering garbage cans and tie garbage bags, etc. Pesticides can be used only as a spot treatment in locations where pests were located. Residents education is a major component in the control program because it will improve the awareness about the pest and how to co-operate in the control program.

Background and Objectives: Due to overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics, many pathogens are now highly resistant to common antibiotics. This has caused difficulties in controlling disease, particularly in developing countries, where infectious, enteric and diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of illness and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of Qatar's local desert plants in an effort to find potential new sources of antimicrobial agents that may be effective in the fight against existing and emerging infections. Methods: Nineteen desert plants were collected in the winter of 2011. Their parts were separated into flower, leaf, stem and root, and, in one plant, seeds. Each plant part was extracted with water, hexane and methane. The plant extracts were tested for their antimicrobial activity against 10 Gram-positive and Gram-negative common human pathogenic bacteria as well as a fungus--Candida albicans. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for testing, and the resulting zone of inhibition, which indicates antimicrobial activity, was measured and recorded. Results: All nineteen plants included in this study demonstrated some antimicrobial activity in one of the four plant parts. Paronychia argyrocoma showed the strongest activity, inhibiting growth in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms in all extracts. Salvia aegyptiaca, Pulicaria undulata, Althea ludwigii, and Vicoa pentanema also exhibited positive results in all extracts in many of the plant sections. Conclusions: This study indicates that many of the desert plants tested are an important source of antimicrobial compounds. Several plants showed remarkable antimicrobial effects against a wide variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. This study supports the use of these local plants in traditional medicine and may provide sustainable and new sources of antimicrobial agents. Further studies are needed on the most active plants to explore the development of new antimicrobial drugs.