Cairo＇s Slums： A Ticking Time Bomb

Despite being one of the symbols of civilization throughout human history, Greater Cairo has many slum areas, hosting a population of three million people living in deteriorating conditions and lacking the basic human necessities. These slums represent a fertile environment for diseases caused by pollution in all its forms and are subject to crimes, rape and theft. There is a huge difference in the state of conditions when comparing the formally planned areas to the informally planned ones. People living in the formally planned settlements, like Nasr City, and in informal ones, like Ezbet El-Haggana, are similar to the kings and queens and slaves of legends. This paper tries to find solutions to the problem of slums and random areas.

基于Cairo的组合式仪表HMI系统设计

应用于中低端汽车市场的组合式汽车仪表一般采用低成本的系统设计方案,因此在人机交互界面(HMI)显示效果、信息呈现形式等方面与全液晶仪表存在一定差距。为使组合式仪表HMI系统能在保持低成本的同时具备丰富的信息呈现形式和更佳的显示效果,本设计在硬件选型上采用高性价比的全志F1c100s作为嵌入式HMI平台的微处理单元,在界面设计上优化了汽车HMI图层、场景结构与资源文件的封装方式,加快了软件对资源的加载速度从而间接提升画面帧率;在开发方式上,搭建了基于Cairo图形库的跨平台开发环境,简化了开发流程。HMI系统软件部分包含数据解析、事件队列、XML文件解析和图形抽象四个模块,以上模块在虚拟平台上完成开发、调试与优化后,移植到嵌入式平台运行验证。测试结果表明,该方案能以较低的软硬件成本实现可靠的功能性及更佳的显示效果。

DirectFB和Cairo的嵌入式图形开发实践

随着嵌入式系统在消费类电子产品中的普及应用,其对图形处理功能的要求越来越高,轻量、高效的需求使得基于DirectFB图形处理库的实现方案备受青睐。本文对DirectFB的相关技术进行详细介绍,并通过实例说明DirectFB的基本原理和开发方法;考虑到通用性以及功能扩展的需求,引入2D图形处理库Cairo,并在文章最后对基于DirectFB的Cairo的开发关键技术进行了介绍。

Assessment of Urban Heat Island Using Remotely Sensed Imagery over Greater Cairo, Egypt

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) results in significant and sometimes dramatic increases in air temperature differences between the urban environment and its surrounding areas. The heat island structure may extend from the ground to the top of roofs and canopy levels above ground. The Urban Heat Island effect is a leading factor in a long list of human health problems which are expected to increase with the rapid growth of urban populations and projected future climate change. Urban heat island studies can be conducted through either direct measurements of air temperature using automobile transects and weather station networks or through measuring surface temperature using airborne or satellite remote sensing. In this study, UHI was investigated over the Greater Cairo during both summer and winter seasons over two different dates. Landsat 7 ETM+ data were used and the mono-window algorithm was applied in the study. Results emphasis that both types of heat islands exist in the study area i.e. the surface and the atmospheric heat islands. Temperature differences ranged between 0.5°C to 3.5°C and these are much related to the existing land use/covers. It could be concluded that expansion of urban areas in Greater Cairo has led to increased thermal radiation of land surface on the highly populated areas.

基于Cairo跨平台波形呈现的软件设计与实现

跨平台呈现技术是当前软件开发领域关注的一项重点,在不同操作系统平台上实现相同呈现效果的软件开发需求日益增多,利用Cairo的设计框架借助GTK+构建出一个适用于Linux和Windows操作系统的跨平台的动态波形呈现方案,为更多高效的跨平台2D呈现方案提供解决参考。

Application of Remote Sensing Techniques and Geographic Information Systems to Analyze Land Surface Temperature in Response to Land Use/Land Cover Change in Greater Cairo Region, Egypt

The Greater Cairo Region (GCR), Egypt has experienced rapid urban expansion and broad development over the past several decades. Due to such development, this region faces many environmental consequences. In order to mitigate such consequences, it is essential to examine the historical change to measure the urban sprawl of GCR, and its effect on land surface temperature (LST). The objective of this study is to fulfill this goal. It does so by generating land use/land cover (LULC) maps derived from Landsat 5 TM for 1990 and 2003 and Landsat 8 OLI for 2016, using several classification techniques. A spectral radiance model and a web-based atmospheric correction model were used to successfully evaluate LST from thermal bands of Landsat data. Overall accuracy of Landsat derived land use data were 90.3%, 96.5% and 94.9% for years 1990, 2003 and 2016, respectively. The LULC change analysis revealed vegetation loss to urban land by an amount of 7.73% and from barren lands to urban uses by 8.70% within a 26-year timespan (1990-2016). This rapid urban growth significantly decreases vegetation areas, consequently increasing the LST and modifying the urban microclimate. Results from this study can help policy-makers characterize the evolution of urban construction for future developments.

Study of Groundwater in Northeast Cairo Area, Egypt

This paper presents a comprehensive hydrogeologic view of the Quaternary aquifer in north eastern Cairo area, Egypt. The hydrogeologic, hydrochemical and isotopic features of the aquifer are determined to assess the groundwater geochemistry and quality for different uses. The groundwater in the aquifer is shallow and flows towards the heavily pumping areas (cultivated and industrial areas). The concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) vary considerably in the aquifer, ranging from 225.6 mg/L to 1219 mg/L. Wide variations in the concentrations of major ions, trace elements, nitrate, δ18O and δ2H are detected, indicating the variation in the geologic and recharge conditions. This further indicates the effect of natural processes (weathering, dissolution and ion exchange) as well as anthropogenic activities on the quality of groundwater. Moderate levels of contamination with nitrate, aluminum and manganese are recorded in the groundwater below the cultivated area. The contamination is linked to the extensive use of fertilizers for agriculture and the leakage of wastewater from improper sewage system. The computed nitrate pollution index reveals that about 69.69% of groundwater is safe for drinking, while the rest of groundwater is unsuitable. The calculated water quality index indicates that about 78.79% of groundwater is safe for human consumption and the rest of groundwater is poor for consumption because of the contamination with the high levels of manganese, total hardness, pH, sulphate, aluminum, and nitrate. The contaminated groundwater needs to be treated before consumption. Hence, periodic groundwater quality checks are recommended.

Analysis of urban growth at Cairo, Egypt using remote sensing and GIS

The main objective of the present study was to highlight and analyze the exchange between the land cover components at Cairo with focusing on urban area and agricultural land between 1973 and 2006 using Landsat satellite data with the aid of Digital Elevation Models (DEM). The techniques utilized in this investigation involved a rigorous supervised classification of the Landsat and the DEM images. Results showed that urban area of Cairo was 233.78 km2 in 1973 and increased to 557.87 km2 in 2006. The cut-off from agricultural lands was 136.75 km2, whereas urbanization into the neighboring desert was estimated at 187.32 km2 for the same period. The direction of urban sprawl was mainly controlled by regional topography. Urban sprawl was attributed mainly to accelerated population growth.

Impact of industrial wastewater disposal on surface water bodies in Mostord area, North Greater Cairo

The studied area (Shoubra El Khima, Bahteem and Mostorod) lies in the industrial area north of Greater Cairo. The area suffers from several environmental problems such as sewage and disposal of pollutants from the surrounding factories into the surface water pathways in the area. Water samples were collected seasonally from different waterways found in the area, domestic and or industrial liquid wastes from 12 discharge tubes of different factories (as a point source of pollution). Chemical characteristics of different water samples and its heavy metals content were determined using ion coupled plasma technique (ICP). Results indicate that industrial and domestic wastewater samples contain several toxic levels of tested heavy metals (Cd, Co, Pb and Ni) which have a serious impact on surface waterways in the area. Shebin El Qanater collector drain samples exhibited the highest levels of Cd, Co, Pb and Ni compared to other tested water bodies. Mostorod collector drain samples showed the highest levels of Zn and Cu. Industrial effluent samples collected from Cairo Company for Fabric industry had the highest amounts of total Zn Cu, Cd, Co and Pb, while Delta steel company discharges the highest amounts of total Fe and Mn. Al Ahleya Plastic Company discharges the highest amounts of total Ni. Generally, it is necessary to impose the environmental laws and its regulation regarding the industrial wastewater treatments and disposals to minimize the risk of the adverse effects of these pollutants.

Natural Attenuation Capacity Indicators for Groundwater Remediation to the Northeastern Cairo

The natural attenuation capacity of groundwater is considered to be an important factor for remediation purpose, it is also important for surveying suitability in the early phases of siting hazardous facilities. The present work has been devoted to explore the natural attenuation capacity of the groundwater system northeast Cairo. Some indicators (hydrogeological, hydrochemical and isotopic) have been insighted to explore the system retardability against contaminant dispersion. Groundwater flow and contaminant transport have been pointed out using GOD index which varied from 0.04 to 0.28 reflecting high protectability. The isotopic contents (18O, 3H, and 14C) showed a general comply with the GOD index and helped to delineate the sectors of high contaminate attenuation ability. Kelly index inferred significantly high adsorption potential on the aquifer clay content. The calcite and dolomite tend to precipitate on the aquifer contact providing a chance for specific contaminants to coprecipitate. The Eh-pH relation of the studied groundwater samples indicates high oxidation conditions and openness of the system. The attenuation capacity has been determined mathematically, it assumes the dispersive, advective, sorptive, and degradative processes acting on a solute in a one-dimensional flow system. The value of attenuation capacity increases by decreasing groundwater velocity and completely vanishes at a certain high velocity;determined for the relevant radioactive contaminants.

The Impact of Clinical Pharmacist Interventions on Drug and Antibiotic Prescribing in a Teaching Hospital in Cairo

Background: The present study was undertaken to investigate the patterns of drug and antibiotics prescribing in a teaching hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Aim: to determine the impact of interventions on such trends in an attempt to rationalize drug use. Method: 1200 prescriptions and patients' records covering the months of January to December, 2011. Prescribing patterns were analyzed using WHO guidelines with regard to prescribing, patient care and health facility indicators. The same parame-ters were again assessed after distributing antibiotic guidelines and holding workshops activities directed towards rational drug use. Results: The number of hospital visits resulting in a prescription was significantly reduced from 94% to 86% (P-value <0.05) and in both cases none of the en-counters contained a generic drug. The average number of drugs per encounter was 2.7 and did not decrease significantly after intervention. A significant reduction was achieved in the number of prescriptions with antibiotics whereas reduction in encounters with injectable drugs was not statis-tically significant. Penicillins was the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics and amoxicillin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic. A significant reduction was observed in both en-counters with penicillin and the total of those with antibiotics. Analysis of prescriptions with anti-biotics revealed that penicillins, cephalosporins and erythromycin comprised 94% and 97% of all antibiotics prescribed before and after interventions respectively. Conclusion: The present results clearly indicated that interventions including distribution of antibiotic guidelines and running workshops and seminars on rational drug use to prescribers can lead to significant improvement in prescribing behavior.

Truthfulness of the Existence of the Pelusium Megashear Fault System, East of Cairo, Egypt

The so-called Pelusium Megashear System (PMS), consists of echelon left-lateral megashears crossing Africa from the Nile-Delta since the Precambrian times. Although this system is questioned by some scientists, its existence is sup- ported by others. This research work provides evidences for the existence of the PMS near Egypt’s capital (Cairo city). Evidence is interpreted from gravity, magnetic, and seismological data, which proves that it has been in existence since 2800 BC [1]. To support the existence of this fault zone system, all available tectonic data are reviewed;new magnetic tilt derivative TDR map and recent fault plane solution map are introduced. Moreover available earthquake catalogue for historical and recent occurrences in and around the Pelusium zone is compiled. The collected recent and historical seismicity data is supporting the existence of PMS system. The faults excluded from magnetic maps were found to be in a good agreement with tectonic and gravity data introduced by some authors. Available fault plane solutions for old and recent earthquakes gave rise to the hypothesis that the PMS is right lateral shear system. Additionally, the Pelusium zone is evaluated for the rate of seismic activity. The hazards of these zones are studied by calculating the earthquake recurrence rates using Richter-Gutenberg formula (LogN = a – bM). A statistical method is applied to exclude the effect of lack of data due to little seismograph station in the early records, or lack of population density. The Pelusium Megashear fault system proved to be active at least in Egypt, however, it plays a role only over big time window, may be thousands of years to dissipate stresses accumulated within the west of Sinai Peninsula in the African Eurasian-Arabian plates. Finally integrated tectonic model including the effect of PMS is introduced to solve the complexity of intraplate tectonics in Northern Egypt.

Modeling and Mapping of Urban Sprawl Pattern in Cairo Using Multi-Temporal Landsat Images, and Shannon’s Entropy

Cairo city, being the Egypt’s industrial and cultural center, has a problem of rapid urban sprawl. The city has an extremely high population density which is continuously increasing through informal settlements that grow by sprawling due to migration from the Nile Delta villages and the high population growth rates. The present study attempts to understand, detect and quantify the spatial pattern of Cairo’s urban sprawl using Shannon’s entropy and multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM images acquired for the period from 1984 to 2013. Supervised classification was applied to extract the built-up areas and to measure the changes in the urban land-use class among the city wards. Shannon’s entropy was applied to model the city’s urban sprawl, trend and spatial change. The entropy values for the city’s electoral wards were modeled and used in an interpolation function to create an entropy surface (index) for each acquired temporal image. Such index indicates the spatial pattern of the urban sprawl and provides a visual comparison of the entropy phenomenon in such wards. Results indicate that Shannon’s entropy index increased from (1.4615) in year 1984 to (2.1023) in year 2013, indicating more dispersed urban growth, a sign of urban sprawl. The maximum entropy values are found in the eastern wards namely El Nozha, Awal Nasr District, Thany Nasr-District, El Salam, El Marg and El Bassatein. A regression analysis was carried for the population growth rate and the built-up areas. Findings help in understanding the sprawl patterns and dynamics among Cairo’s electoral wards and provide a visual comparison. The applied methodology provides explanations and facilitates tracing and measuring the urban sprawl which is needed by decision makers and city planners of mega cities.

China Cultural Center in Cairo held Symposium on China Tourism

The China Cultural Center in Cairo held a symposium titled "Tourism Bridge of Communication Between People: Egypt and China as a Model".“China enjoys tourism and cultural diversity. It has all the tourist products in the fields of beach tourism, archeology, safari, festivals, exhibitions and conferences, as well as sports, therapeutic and educational tourism';said Nasser Abdel-Aal, former Egyptian tourism advisor to Beijing.

Chemical Composition, Characterization and Factors Affecting Household Dust (<20 µm) in Greater Cairo, Egypt

Adverse health and environmental effects of household dust are derived from their chemical composition and properties. In this study, household, stairs and entryway dust (<20 μm) samples from homes located in urban, residential and residential near to industrial area in Greater Cairo during summer 2013 were collected to study their chemical composition, characterization and factors affecting them. Results indicate that the levels of measured anions and cations were higher in the household compared to stairs and entryway dust. The highest concentration of ?, , Cl-?,?, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the household and entryway dust was found in urban area. was abundant in household, entryway and stairs dust followed by Cl- and . Its average concentrations were 21.38, 14.57 and 15.83 mg/g, respectively. The household/entryway (I/O) concentration ratios of measured ion components indicate that these species might derive from indoor sources, although outdoor sources could be present as well. pH values of household, stairs and entryway dust ranged from 6.43 to 8.53, indicating that these dusts brought a large amount of crustal species, and might alleviate the tendency of acidification. The relationships between the concentrations of acidic components ( and ) and basic components (, Ca2+ and Mg2+) in household, stairs and entryway dust confirm that the acidity of dust is neutralized. Ca2+ and in household and stairs dust and Ca2+ and Mg2+ in entryway dust are the most dominant neutralization substances.

Explanation of the Damage to the Royal Family’s Cemetery in Historic Cairo and Examination of the Building Materials

The cemetery of the royal family, who ruled Egypt from 1805 to 1952, is one of the masterpieces of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Cairo. It is a complex building from massive stone masonry walls supporting hemispherical domes and is very rich with the marble decorative elements. Unfortunately, it suffers nowadays from serious cracking due to on-going structural damage. Almost all the structural elements are cracked. Besides, the continuous rise in the groundwater table affects both its structural stability and aesthetics. A detailed inspection was carried out to identify and explain all the manifested damage by the structural elements of the cemetery. The differential settlement damage was found to be very noticeable in the form of many diagonal cracks that are active and threaten the overall stability of the cemetery. The construction history was investigated and found to have a clear effect on the noticed damage. Examination of the construction materials and deterioration products was carried out by inspecting representative samples of the stone, the marble, the mortar, the plaster and the salt. They were examined using different analysis techniques including the Polarized Microscope, the Stereo Microscope, the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) provided with Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) unit. This examination helped in identifying the type of the used stone, the mortar components, the types of salts affecting the structure, and the deterioration manifested by the marble. It seems that the cemetery needs an urgent conservation project to stop the deterioration and keep it safe for the next generations.

Khedivial Cairo： An Evolved Metabolism

Metabolism such as Cairo evolves rabidly, to transform existing urban spaces. The result of transformation process may lead to the loss of the original space qualities. Opera and Ataba squares are junction space which is one of these urban spaces that meanwhile is suffering from this process. This junction space is between two unique urban structures Fatima Cairo and Down town Cairo. This urban structure needs to be a grand civic expression of the 19th century urban system with the new energies of the functionalist city. This Gordian knot of elevated highways, congested surface roads, extensive automobile parking and sprawling informal markets will be integrated into a new open space system that optimizes the city＇s intensified energies. This paper discusses urban structure transformation of the junction space urban structure timeline. Ending with a proposal finally transforms this space into a sustainable urban development.

Second Chinese Food Cooking Competition Held by China Cultural Center in Cairo

Recently,the Second Chinese Food Cooking Competition hosted by China Cultural Center in Cairo(hereinafter referred to as"the Center")came to a close.

From Cairo With Love

HOSAM Farouk Elmaghrabi believes that the early bird catches the worm. He gets up at the crack of dawn to start his working day at the Arabic department of China,org,cn, a media website managed by China International Publication Group （CIPG）.

A Voyage of Discovery A journey from Cairo ends in love and a new life in Beijing

I HAVE spent the golden years of my life and career in China, having come to Beijing from Cairo as a 22-year-old, That was in 2008 and this is 2016, so you could call it a life-time experience.