Age-related hematologic changes in captive-reared houbara,white-bellied,and rufous-crested bustards

Blood samples were obtained at monthly intervals between April 1994 and March 1996 from captive-bred houbara (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii), rufous-crested (Eupodotis ruficrista gindiana), and white-bellied (Eupodotis senegalensis) bustards from 4-24 wk of age. Hematology investigations were conducted to determine age-related changes and to establish reference values for growing chicks of these species. There were significant age-related changes in hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red cell count in young birds compared with those of adults. White cell counts (lymphocytes and monocytes) were higher in juvenile birds, compared with adult values.     

Aflatoxin contamination of rice in the United Arab Emirates

Many people in the United Arab Emirates store rice in large quantities for long periods of time before use. Five hundred samples of rice were collected from households in Al-Ain city during the summers of 1992-1994. Aflatoxin B₁ was detected in 160 samples (64%) of long grain rice and 81 Samples (32%) of short grain rice at levels ranging from 1.2 to 16.5 μg/kg. The moisture content of samples varied between 5.7% and 15.3%. Species ofAspergillus andPenicillium (includingA. flavus andA. parasiticus) were isolated from discoloured, broken and insect damaged grain and it was confirmed that at least two of the isolates ofA. flavus were aflatoxigenic. These findings demonstrate that rice may contribute to dietary exposure to aflatoxins which are known to be carcinogenic and immunosuppressive.     

United Arab Emirates: Phylogenetic relationships and ancestral populations

In the current report, 109 unrelated individuals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were typed across 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D149S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA) routinely employed in population genetics analyses and compared across a set of ethnically and geographically targeted reference collections. UAE, located at the southeastern most portion of the Arabian Peninsula, in the tri-continental crossroads connecting Africa, Europe and Asia, has been influenced by a number of human dispersal waves from a plethora of sources including the Paleolithic “Out of Africa” migrations, the exodus of Neolithic pastoral agriculturalists from the Fertile Crescent and Northern Africa, as well as more recent migrations from Asia and the Middle East. We found that despite the high levels of consanguinity that characterize UAE, this population is genetically highly heterogeneous. When compared to various world-wide biogeographical regions, the Arabian Peninsula exhibits the highest intra-population variance. Admixture analyses indicate that UAE and Bahrain uniquely in Arabia share 23.7% and 22.9%, respectively, of their DNA with Southwest Asian populations. Similar and complex Structure profiles are seen among Arabian Peninsula populations underscoring the high genetic diversity of the region. Although UAE shares a number of genetic characteristics in common with the rest of the populations in the Arabian Peninsula, it is unique in terms of its relative high Asian genetic component, likely the result of geographical proximity to Southwest Asia, west-bound waves of migration and socio-political ties with territories to the east.     

Ontogeny of behavior of hand-reared and hen-reared captive houbara bustards

The ontogeny of behavior of hand-reared and hen-reared captive houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata) was recorded between hatching and fledging and compared to determine ways to improve the behavioral and physiological health of individuals destined for release into the wild. Chicks from both groups were able to walk and run on the first day after hatching, although they were least active during the first 5 days. Thereafter, time spent prone with the head down, in a half-crouch position (resting on the tarsi) or being brooded during the day (in the case of hen-reared chicks), decreased quickly, and time spent walking and standing increased. Pecking and some preening and comfort behaviors were expressed from the first day in both groups, but increased after ˜15 days. Simple threat displays were first expressed at 6 days in both groups, but developed into more complete displays with age. The only differences found between the two rearing techniques were in time spent walking and in the half-crouch position: hen-reared chicks spent more time walking and less time in a half-crouch position than hand-reared chicks, because the hen stimulates the chicks to move. Lack of exercise during growth may result in poor development of locomotive structures, which may compromise the survival of chicks destined to be released to the wild. However, hand-reared juveniles were equally likely to survive as hen-reared juveniles after being released, suggesting that hen- rearing by captive-bred birds in a confined and artificial environment did not confer appreciable advantages. Zoo Biol 17:245–255, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dimensions and composition of eggs from captive bustards (Gruiformes: Otididae): houbara (Chlamydotis undulata), rufous‐crested (Eupodotis ruficrista), and kori (Ardeotis kori)

This study sought to increase understanding of the size and composition of eggs from two subspecies of houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata macqueenii and C. u. undulata). Eggs from the rufous‐crested bustard (Eupodotis ruficrista) and kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) were also examined for comparison. Infertile eggs were collected from captive birds; egg mass and linear dimensions were recorded, and egg component masses were determined wet and dry. Significant differences were observed in the composition of the eggs from the two houbara subspecies. Despite being smaller in size, eggs from the macqueenii subspecies had a relatively larger yolk (and relatively less albumen) than eggs from the undulata subspecies. The relative composition of the rufous‐crested and kori bustard eggs showed patterns similar to that of the undulata eggs. For the houbara bustards, changes in initial egg mass (IEM) were associated with changes in egg length more than egg breadth, and changes in egg length and breadth appeared to be due more to increases in albumen mass than to increases in yolk mass. Zoo Biol 21:337–346, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Deaths and Medical Visits Attributable to Environmental Pollution in the United Arab Emirates

Background

This study estimates the potential health gains achievable in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with improved controls on environmental pollution. The UAE is an emerging economy in which population health risks have shifted rapidly from infectious diseases to chronic conditions observed in developed nations. The UAE government commissioned this work as part of an environmental health strategic planning project intended to address this shift in the nature of the country’s disease burden.

Methods and Findings

We assessed the burden of disease attributable to six environmental exposure routes outdoor air, indoor air, drinking water, coastal water, occupational environments, and climate change. For every exposure route, we integrated UAE environmental monitoring and public health data in a spatially resolved Monte Carlo simulation model to estimate the annual disease burden attributable to selected pollutants. The assessment included the entire UAE population (4.5 million for the year of analysis). The study found that outdoor air pollution was the leading contributor to mortality, with 651 attributable deaths (95% confidence interval [CI] 143–1,440), or 7.3% of all deaths. Indoor air pollution and occupational exposures were the second and third leading contributors to mortality, with 153 (95% CI 85–216) and 46 attributable deaths (95% CI 26–72), respectively. The leading contributor to health-care facility visits was drinking water pollution, to which 46,600 (95% CI 15,300–61,400) health-care facility visits were attributed (about 15% of the visits for all the diseases considered in this study). Major study limitations included (1) a lack of information needed to translate health-care facility visits to quality-adjusted-life-year estimates and (2) insufficient spatial coverage of environmental data.

Conclusions

Based on international comparisons, the UAE’s environmental disease burden is low for all factors except outdoor air pollution. From a public health perspective, reducing pollutant emissions to outdoor air should be a high priority for the UAE’s environmental agencies.     

Aflatoxin in human and camel milk in Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates

During an initial survey, using thin layer chromatography, 10 of 64 samples of mothers’ breast milk, collected from donors at the Corniche Maternity Hospital and the Al-Nehyan Clinic for Maternity and Childhood, were found to contain Aflatoxin M₁ at concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 1.3 ng mL^?1. A second survey using HPLC showed Aflatoxin M₁ at concentrations ranging from 7 to 23 pg mL^?1 in all of the 15 samples collected. 6 of 20 samples of camel milk collected from several sources in Abu Dhabi were also found to contain Aflatoxin M₁ at levels ranging from 0.25 to 0.8 ng mL^?1.     

Strengthening desert plant biotechnology research in the United Arab Emirates: a viewpoint

The biotechnology of desert plants is a vast subject. The main applications in this broad field of study comprises of plant tissue culture, genetic engineering, molecular markers and others. Biotechnology applications have the potential to address biodiversity conservation as well as agricultural, medicinal, and environmental issues. There is a need to increase our knowledge of the genetic diversity through the use of molecular genetics and biotechnological approaches in desert plants in the Arabian Gulf region including those in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This article provides a prospective research for the study of UAE desert plant diversity through DNA fingerprinting as well as understanding the mechanisms of both abiotic stress resistance (including salinity, drought and heat stresses) and biotic stress resistance (including disease and insect resistance). Special attention is given to the desert halophytes and their utilization to alleviate the salinity stress, which is one of the major challenges in agriculture. In addition, symbioses with microorganisms are thought to be hypothesized as important components of desert plant survival under stressful environmental conditions. Thus, factors shaping the diversity and functionality of plant microbiomes in desert ecosystems are also emphasized in this article. It is important to establish a critical mass for biotechnology research and applications while strengthening the channels for collaboration among research/academic institutions in the area of desert plant biotechnology.     

Temperature and egg-laying experience influence breeding performance of captive female houbara bustards

The influence of climate, age and egg-laying experience on reproductive performance (propensity, fecundity, timing) of a flock of captive houbara bustards was determined. The flock, established in Saudi Arabia for reintroduction purposes, was housed in outdoor pens, and fed food and water ad libitum. Birds were artificially inseminated when they came into breeding condition and eggs were removed soon after laying. Winter temperatures, rather than rainfall, synchronized reproduction in the captive flock. Cooler winter temperatures led to higher proportions of females laying, an earlier start to laying, and greater numbers of eggs laid per season. The first significant rainfall of the season stimulated some females to lay their last egg. Age per se had little effect on breeding performance independent of egg-laying experience. Females with no previous egg-laying experience laid fewer eggs than similarly aged females with previous experience. This difference, in combination with a pattern of increasing recruitment into the breeding population between 1 and 5 years of age, led to improved breeding performance in the population with age. The inferior performance of first-time egg-layers, despite ad libitum food, indicates restraint in the onset of breeding, which may be an adaptation for optimizing life-time fitness.     

Sedimentary facies analysis of the subsurface triassic and hydrocarbon potential in the United Arab Emirates

Summary The Triassic sediments in the subsurface of the United Arab Emirates has been divided into three formations (from bottom to top): Sudair, Jilh (Gulailah) and Minjur. The Sudair Formation consists of four lithofacies units composed mainly of limestones and minor dolomites interbedded with terrigenous shaley mudstones and anhydritic dolomitic limestones. These were deposited in shallow marine supratidal to subtidal settings. The Jilh (Gulailah) Formation has five lithofacies units dominated by anhydritic dolomitic limestone, fine terrigenoclastic sediments and bioclastic and intraclastic limestones. The formation was laid down under lagoonal to supratidal sabkha conditions with little normal marine influence. The Minjur Formation is composed of three lithofacies units characterized by argillaceous quartzitic sandstones, shales, mudstones, dolomitic and ferruginous limestones with thin coal seams. These facies represent deposition in prograding delta lobes, reflecting humid continental to marginal-marine conditions. Diagenesis plays a major role in the reservoir development in the Triassic sediments, the pores are occluded by dolomite and anhydrite. The grains are compacted, leached or cemented by marine cements. Porosity generally ranges from fair to poor with values from 6% to 9% in the carbonates and from 6% to 15% in the clastics. Interparticle and vuggy porosities are the main pore types. The porosity was controlled by diagenesis, depth of burial and lithology. No oil has been discovered so far in the Triassic sediments of the United Arab Emirates but pronounced gas shows have been reported from offshore fields. Western offshore United Arab Emirates is a promising area for potential hydrocarbon accumulations. The Triassic sediments have low to moderate source rock potential; the organic matter is mainly sapropelic kerogen, and the degree of thermal alteration ranges between mature to highly mature stages.     

Breast Cancer Screening Awareness,Knowledge, and Practice among Arab Women in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background

Breast cancer screening can reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the survival rate for this malignancy. Low participation in screening programs has been attributable to many factors including lack of knowledge. The aim of this study was to assess breast cancer screening knowledge, attitudes and practices among women of screening age (≥40 years old) in the city of Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2013 using the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM). Four out of twelve cultural and religious community centers in Al Ain city were randomly selected. Two hundred and forty seven women were interviewed. Chi Square test and regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Results

Despite the increase in the uptake of screening modalities in our study group, a lack of knowledge about breast cancer screening is still evident. Almost half (44.8%) of women who never had a Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) and 44.1% of women who never had a mammography expressed a lack of knowledge about the existence of these screening techniques. Nearly one third of the participants interpreted the presence of a breast lump incorrectly and, moreover, expressed fewer worries about the nature of the lump than would normally be expected.

Conclusions

The National screening program needs to be improved and directed towards more efficient and targeted utilization of resources. Healthcare professionals play a major role in alerting women to the importance of periodic screening.     

Cervical smear abnormalities in the United Arab Emirates: a pilot study in the Arabian Gulf

OBJECTIVE: To gather epidemiologic data on cervical abnormalities and make recommendations pertaining to a national cervical screening policy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of patients and physicians in the UAE with regard to cervical cytology was carried out. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of a group of female primary care physicians on cervical cytology were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire. Pap smears and Chlamydia testing were offered to women attending selected primary care centers and secondary health care facilities. RESULTS: Results of Chlamydia prevalence and KAP were published elsewhere; this report addresses the cytologic aspects of this study. There were 2,013 smears collected from primary health centers and 2,042 from secondary care. The overall rate of cervical screening among women in this survey was 85.5% in primary care and 77% in secondary care. The proportion of unsatisfactory smears was < 5%. The prevalence of cervical abnormalities according to the Bethesda System 2001 was 3.6%. There were 9 (primary care) and 21 (secondary care) cases of low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSILs), for a prevalence of 0.77%. There were 4 primary care and 17 secondary care cases of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), for a prevalence of 0.54%. The combined prevalence for LSIL and HSIL is 1.32%. There were 3 cases of glandular abnormalities. The atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance/SIL ratio was 1.71. No cases of squamous cell carcinoma were detected. No tissue follow-up information is available. The prevalence of cervical abnormalities is low in the UAE. We first recommend the institution of a more organized approach to opportunistic screening in the UAE with appropriate clinical follow-up rather than the immediate launch of a cervical mass screening program.     

Economic growth,electricity consumption,urbanization and environmental degradation relationship in United Arab Emirates

The present study explores the relationship between economic growth, electricity consumption, urbanization and environmental degradation in case of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study covers the quarter frequency data over the period of 1975–2011. We have applied the ARDL bounds testing approach to examine the long run relationship between the variables in the presence of structural breaks. The VECM Granger causality is applied to investigate the direction of causal relationship between the variables. Our empirical exercise reported the existence of cointegration among the series. Further, we found an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and CO₂ emissions i.e. economic growth raises energy emissions initially and declines it after a threshold point of income per capita (EKC exists). Electricity consumption declines CO₂ emissions. The relationship between urbanization and CO₂ emissions is positive. Exports seem to improve the environmental quality by lowering CO₂ emissions. The causality analysis validates the feedback effect between CO₂ emissions and electricity consumption. Economic growth and urbanization Granger cause CO₂ emissions.     

Applicability of Heavy-Metal Phytoextraction in United Arab Emirates: An Investigation of Candidate Species

Phytoremediation of contaminated calcareous desert land in the United Arab Emirates has been investigated. Soils from 12 northern UAE sites, suspected of metal contamination, were acid-extracted and analyzed by ICP-OES for Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Twenty-two plants naturally growing at contaminated sites were sampled and analyzed for their uptake of Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn and eight commercially available plants, grown under controlled conditions, were also studied for their phytoextraction capabilities. The concentration of available Cr was found to be 1300 ± 150 mg/kg in the soil of the Ajman Industrial Zone and 80 ± 10 mg/kg of Pb was found at Bithna. Among the plants investigated, Portulaca oleracea and Iresine herbstii showed potential for Cr(VI) and Pb(II) accumulation, respectively, with bioconcentration factors (BCF) greater than unity. Atriplex halimus accumulated Co(II), Cr(III), and Cu(II) each with a BCF > 1.     

Oligocene larger foraminifera from United Arab Emirates,Oman and Western Desert of Egypt

An early Oligocene (Rupelian) diagnostic larger foraminiferal assemblage is described and illustrated from marls and limestones of the Asmari Formation, at Jabals Hafit and Malaqet in the UAE. An equivalent assemblage is identified in the mudstones of the Tahwah Formation, Wadi Suq, Oman. Although Nummulites intermedius (D'Archiac 1846) and N. fichteli are fully synonymous (e.g. Roveda 1970; Schaub 1981; Sirel 2003), in this study both species are biometrically differentiated, distinct and both names are valid. N. fichteli Michelotti 1841, N. intermedius (D'Archiac 1846) and N. emiratus n. sp., which are index for the early Oligocene (Rupelian), and they are replacing each others competitively and environmentally.

The presence of Blondeauina bouillei n.gen., N. emiratus n.sp., N. intermedius, N. fichteli, Planoperculina complanata (Defrance 1822) and Austrotrillina asmariensis Adams 1968 ascribed the section of the Asmari Formation to the early Oligocene (Rupelian). The studied marls and limestones were deposited in outer and inner shelf environments, respectively. The Asmari Formation in the area studied consists mainly of marl in its lower portion and reefal limestone in its upper part, indicating a major marine regression. The Tahwah Formation in Oman is composed of bioturbated silty and muddy marls and is a facies equivalent to the Asmari Formation marls. The Asmari Formation facies change probably relates to a mid-Oligocene fall in global sea level.

In this study, the Dabaa Formation, a subsurface unit of late Eocene–Oligocene marine shales in the north Western Desert of Egypt, was chosen to correlate with the Oligocene of Emirates and Oman. The Dabaa Formation comprises Spiroclypeus ornatus (Henson 1937) and Eulepidina dilatata (Michelotti 1861). The environment of deposition was inner shelf to littoral, which become estuarine towards the top in many areas. This Oligocene Dabaa sequence is correlatable with Wadi El Arish sequence recently discovered by Kuss and Boukhary (2008) from Risan Aneiza, Northern Sinai, Egypt.