Search results

Medical imaging applied to archaeological human remains represents a powerful tool for the study of specimens of exceptionally fragile nature. Here, the authors report a tomographic computerized investigation on the naturally mummified human remains from the Takarkori rock shelter (Libyan Sahara), dated to the Middle Pastoral Neolithic (ca. 6100-5600 uncal BP). The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Medical radiological techniques allowed us to discriminate and isolate the tissues preserved thanks to their different electron density, driving us to detailed examinations of features of interest.

With a focus on anatomy and taphonomy, the authors infer on post-depositional phenomena in a way that could not be achieved through traditional approaches.

The investigation of digital data allows to acquire new sets of information with no risk for the original object. This case study is especially important considering that the human remains from Takarkori are currently not available to the scientific community due to political instability in Lybia.

The purpose of this paper is to trigger the preparation of an international development plan, which will aim to settle the deserts, which form a third of the area of the continents of the world.

This plan will enhance projects aimed to provide food to the present and future starving populations.

Warnings that starvation on a global scale is approaching were heard at the meeting of the World Summit on Food Security, held at the Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters in Rome (16‐18 November 2009) and at the UN Copenhagen Conference (7‐18 December 2009). The warnings were based on the observations that global temperatures are increasing due to the ongoing and forecasted increase in green house gases, and because of the increase in the population in the developing countries.

The settling of the deserts will be based on the conceptual model of Progressive Development, which will bring about the greening of the deserts by the utilizing the existing soil reserves and water reserves below and adjacent to the thus far empty and desolate regions. The development will proceed stage by stage from the utilization of shallow groundwater resources to the deeper aquifers and later to diversion of rivers flowing into the sea adjacent to the borders of the deserts.

Development of renewable energy resources and technical education of local population and new settlers will progress simultaneously.

The plan revealed in the following paper is the original initiative of its writer.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and development of corporate accounting regulation in Libya.

Questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview methods were used to collect data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with external auditors, financial managers, accounting academics and regulators.

This paper found general agreement that the accounting regulation of public corporations and banks is strongly influenced by the Libyan Commercial Code and the Income Tax Law. Although listed companies and the banking sector in Libya are required to comply with International Accounting Standards (IASs), the majority of them still comply with the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP). Moreover, the conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the enforcement of IASs through the Libyan Accountants and Auditors Association (LAAA), local auditors and the Libyan Stock Market has not achieved its purpose. The results also indicate that the accounting profession in Libya is still in its infancy and still lacks clear structure in order to develop corporate accounting practice and it appears to play only an important role in retaining external influences on the accounting practice. The empirical results of this research show that the Salter and Niswander (1995) criteria (longevity, setting exam and auditors’ opinion on companies’ financial reports) found that the level of professionalism in Libya is below the required standard.

This paper focuses on corporate accounting regulation and practices and the role of the LAAA in the development of corporate accounting in Libya. This paper, therefore, aims to contribute to the literature by examining the corporate accounting regulation in Libya and fills a gap in international accounting research.

This paper attempts to delineate an adequate typology for desert ecolodges in the developing world by focusing on the Northern Saharan region as an area of study. To do so, it first situates ecotourism in the Sahara within the larger history of tourism in the region. Then, it studies its evolution and manifestations while concentrating on the challenges it is confronted to as well as the environmental impacts it inflicts, mainly due to the inadequacy of its accommodation facilities. Hence, the paper advances a new paradigm for desert ecolodges, stressing the importance of a comprehensive resource and waste management strategy. Other recommended features include sustainable building methods, community involvement, and nature conservation and education. Each one of these attributes is further analyzed in three successful case studies located in the Egyptian desert. The study of these cases reveal that in order to decrease their environmental footprint, desert ecolodges should put more efforts into integrating new energy and water harvesting technologies as well as establish a symbiotic relationship with the oasis landscape.

The foreign intervention in Libya in 2011, legitimized by the Security Council Resolution 1973, whose veto is a privilege of solely five most powerful countries (at least from post-1945 war standpoint), not only reveals that same practice of the past still valid in international affairs today but also results in overthrowing Gaddafi regime, and most importantly in destabilizing a once stable nation, which can now be seen as a failing state.

Climatic extreme events are predicted to occur more frequently and intensely and will significantly threat the living of residents in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, this study aims to assess climatic extremes’ response to the emerging climate change mitigation strategy using a marine cloud brightening (MCB) scheme.

Based on Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model version 2-Earth System model simulations of a MCB scheme, this study used six climatic extreme indices [i.e. the hottest days (TXx), the coolest nights (TNn), the warm spell duration (WSDI), the cold spell duration (CSDI), the consecutive dry days (CDD) and wettest consecutive five days (RX5day)] to analyze spatiotemporal evolution of climate extreme events in the arid Sahara-Sahel-Arabian Peninsula Zone with and without MCB implementation.

Compared with a Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5 scenario, from 2030 to 2059, implementation of MCB is predicted to decrease the mean annual TXx and TNn indices by 0.4–1.7 and 0.3–2.1°C, respectively, for most of the Sahara-Sahel-Arabian Peninsula zone. It would also shorten the mean annual WSDI index by 118–183 days and the mean annual CSDI index by only 1–3 days, especially in the southern Sahara-Sahel-Arabian Peninsula zone. In terms of extreme precipitation, MCB could also decrease the mean annual CDD index by 5–25 days in the whole Sahara and Sahel belt and increase the mean annual RX5day index by approximately 10 mm in the east part of the Sahel belt during 2030–2059.

The results provide the first insights into the impacts of MCB on extreme climate in the arid Sahara-Sahel-Arabian Peninsula zone.