Land use/land cover (LULC) changes have become a central issue in current global change and sustainability research. Saudi Arabia has undergone significant change in land use and land cover since the government embark...Land use/land cover (LULC) changes have become a central issue in current global change and sustainability research. Saudi Arabia has undergone significant change in land use and land cover since the government embarked on a course of intense national development 30 years ago, as a result of huge national oil revenues. This study evaluates LULC change in Makkah and Al-Taif, Saudi Arabia from 1986 to 2013 using Landsat images. Maximum likelihood and object-oriented classification were used to develop LULC maps. The change detection was executed using post-classification comparison and GIS. The results indicated that urban areas have increased over the period by approximately 174% in Makkah and 113% in Al-Taif. Analysis of vegetation cover over the study area showed a variable distribution from year to year due to changing average precipitation in this environment. Object-based classification provided slightly greater accuracy than maximum likelihood classification. Information provided by satellite remote sensing can play an important role in quantifying and understanding the relationship between population growth and LULC changes, which can assist future planning and potential environmental impacts of expanding urban areas.展开更多
Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, hydatidosis an important helminthzoonosis affecting sheep in the world. Hydatidosis is a wellknown disease in third world countr...Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, hydatidosis an important helminthzoonosis affecting sheep in the world. Hydatidosis is a wellknown disease in third world countries, especially in rural communities where humans live in close contact with domestic animals and dogs. Dogs act as intermediate hosts. The Al Taif city is about 90 kilometers away from mecca the holy city. In each year, millions of sheep and goats are slaughtered during the pilgrimage season. It is very important to assess the prevalence of hydatidosis since it can be transmitted through dogs which act as definitive hosts for the parasite. This study aims to determine the prevalence of hydatidosis and the fertility/sterility rates of hydatid cysts in sheep and goats slaughtered in Taif Abattoir, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this study, 1098 sheep and 296 goats were examined;162 (13.5%) sheep and 18 (6.1%) goats were found harboring hydatid cysts. In goats 6% were harboring hydaated cyst, and 76% of the goat were of local origin. Differences in prevalence rates were highly significant展开更多
文摘Land use/land cover (LULC) changes have become a central issue in current global change and sustainability research. Saudi Arabia has undergone significant change in land use and land cover since the government embarked on a course of intense national development 30 years ago, as a result of huge national oil revenues. This study evaluates LULC change in Makkah and Al-Taif, Saudi Arabia from 1986 to 2013 using Landsat images. Maximum likelihood and object-oriented classification were used to develop LULC maps. The change detection was executed using post-classification comparison and GIS. The results indicated that urban areas have increased over the period by approximately 174% in Makkah and 113% in Al-Taif. Analysis of vegetation cover over the study area showed a variable distribution from year to year due to changing average precipitation in this environment. Object-based classification provided slightly greater accuracy than maximum likelihood classification. Information provided by satellite remote sensing can play an important role in quantifying and understanding the relationship between population growth and LULC changes, which can assist future planning and potential environmental impacts of expanding urban areas.
文摘Hydatidosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, hydatidosis an important helminthzoonosis affecting sheep in the world. Hydatidosis is a wellknown disease in third world countries, especially in rural communities where humans live in close contact with domestic animals and dogs. Dogs act as intermediate hosts. The Al Taif city is about 90 kilometers away from mecca the holy city. In each year, millions of sheep and goats are slaughtered during the pilgrimage season. It is very important to assess the prevalence of hydatidosis since it can be transmitted through dogs which act as definitive hosts for the parasite. This study aims to determine the prevalence of hydatidosis and the fertility/sterility rates of hydatid cysts in sheep and goats slaughtered in Taif Abattoir, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this study, 1098 sheep and 296 goats were examined;162 (13.5%) sheep and 18 (6.1%) goats were found harboring hydatid cysts. In goats 6% were harboring hydaated cyst, and 76% of the goat were of local origin. Differences in prevalence rates were highly significant