Southern Jordan Research Articles

Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage and its Antibiogram in Healthcare Workers from South of Jordan

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) can act as asymptomatic carrier in transmitting Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Availability of epidemiological and antibiotic susceptibility data is necessary to limit the spread of HCWs-associated MRSA infections, and to help physicians in choosing the appropriate empirical antibiotic for management of such infections. Objective: to assess nasal carriage and antibiogram of MRSA in healthcare workers from Southern Jordan. Methods: a total of 276 nasal swabs were randomly collected from the HCWs. MRSA was identified by culture, biochemical and molecular methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the disc diffusion method. Results: The HCWs-MRSA nasal carriage was 8.7%. There was significant difference for nasal carriage of MRSA by nurse occupation (p value = 0.007), education level of less than a university degree (p value = 0.039) and years of HCW experience (p value = 0.023). No significant difference by age, sex, antibiotic exposure or smoking. Antibiotic resistance to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole and Tetracycline was detected in 37.5% and 12.5% of all MRSA isolates respectively. No resistance to the other antibiotics used in this study and no multidrug resistance was encountered in all MRSA isolates. Conclusion: MRSA nasal carriage among HCWs in this study was 8.7% with no alarming antibiotic resistance pattern. Nurses, less educated and more experienced HCWs are at increased risk of MRSA nasal carriage. Therefore, we strongly recommend screening and decolonizing positive HCWs who can act as asymptomatic carriers in MRSA transmission cycle. Keywords: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Healthcare workers, Antibiogram

Sedimentary metal-pollution signatures adjacent to the ancient centre of copper metallurgy at Khirbet Faynan in the desert of southern Jordan

The impacts and course of heavy-metal pollution from ancient copper metallurgy that used a variety of accessory metal-rich ores possible associated hydrological engineering, and concurrent as well as later biological, diagenetic and geomorphic processes are all examined in a small desertic wadi adjacent to the ancient centre of copper metallurgy of the Khirbet Faynan, in southern Jordan. This novel study describes a step-by-step, multi-faceted approach to a type and scale of problem and geomorphological situation that differ from those most commonly examined in studies of past heavy-metal pollution. Although at this remote and arduous location much key geoarchaeological information is unknown, this investigation remains rooted in existing geomorphological descriptions and re-examines earlier explanations. It also describes the concentrations of other metals judged to be unlikely to be notably influenced by past industrial activity at the site. The exploration begins with a visually-based qualitative stratigraphic description of all metals determined by ICPMS studies to be present at more than trace concentrations in a complex sedimentary sequence in an exposure of surficial deposits in the wadi-floor, a process that also suggests further anomalies and uncertainties in existing understanding. PCA was used in a descriptive and inductive manner to clarify if previously inferred relationships were actually present between the concentrations of different metals, and between these concentrations and geomorphological properties of the six lithofacies recognised in the sedimentary sequence. This PCA did not seek to make statistical inference. Such relationships were previously explained in terms of interactions between the presence or absence in the vicinity of active pollution from industrial scale copper metallurgy and local (bio)geomorphological and post-depositional processes – these views were significantly, but not fully, supported.The PCA showed “overall gradients” that implied different pathways of various metals, between ancient active industrial landscapes and the post industrial situation of today. Previously unknown types of geochemical local trends were also detected consistently within the ordination space for some lithofacies, but not for others. These “local gradients” appear to distinguish consistently between those bodies of sediments that were accumulating adjacent to and contemporary with times of active copper smelting and exploitation, from those bodies of sediment that were accumulating after ca. 1350 calendar years ago, and in receipt of heavy-metals eroded and recycled in abandoned, post-industrial landscapes. The properties of both types of gradient appear real, consistent and meaningful.The end of industrial scale copper processing in Late Byzantine–Early Arab times in the exposure has been defined by the statistical relationships of its heavy-metal pollution yield, and separated from the impacts of an immediately preceding alluvial event. The PCA clarified a major anomaly in the geomorphological, archaeometallurgical and geochemical data. This is hypothesised to be the result of the water-proofing of the (often) porous sediments of this wadi-floor by the ancient process of puddling, possibly in association with the use of a major barrage immediately down-wadi. The extensive heavy-metal pollution evident in the modern landscape at this particular site is suggested to derive primarily from heavy-metal pollutants emitted in Classical times. The distinctive suite of heavy-metal pollutants emitted here in the Middle Bronze Age, ca. 3500 years ago, may have been partially-sealed below the immediate land surface by the inferred puddling of the wadi-floor. The changing concentrations of other heavy metals through this sequence suggest they were often essentially unaffected by the profound archaeometallurgical and natural events that have taken place here.

Copper-bearing encrustations: a tool for age dating and constraining the physical–chemical regime during the late Quaternary in the Wadi Araba, southern Jordan

The alluvial–fluvial drainage system in the Wadi Araba, southern Jordan, incised into Cambrian clastic sedimentary and felsic igneous rocks giving rise to a disseminated Cu–(Mn) mineralization of diagenetic and epigenetic origin along the southern branch of the Dead Sea Transform Fault (=DSTF). During the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, the primary Cu sulfides were replaced by secondary minerals giving rise to hypogene to supergene encrustations, bearing Cu silicates, Cu carbonates, Cu oxychlorides and cupriferous vanadates. They occur in fissures, coat walls and developed even-rim/meniscus and blocky cements in the arenites near the surface. The first generation cement has been interpreted in terms of freshwater vadose hydraulic conditions, while the second-generation blocky cement of chrysocolla and malachite evolved as late cement. The Cu–Si–C fluid system within the Wadi Araba drainage system is the on-shore or subaerial facies of a regressive lacustrine regime called the “Lake Lisan Stage”, a precursor of the present-day Dead Sea. Radiocarbon dating (younger than 27,740 ± 1,570 years), oxygen-isotope-based temperature determination (hot brine-related mineralization at 60–80 °C, climate-driven mineralization at 25–30 °C) and thermodynamical calculations let to the subdivision of this secondary Cu mineralization into four stages, whose chemical and mineralogical composition was controlled by the variation of the anion complexes of silica and carbonate and the chlorine contents. The acidity of the pore water positively correlates with the degree of oxidation. The highest aridity and most intensive evaporation deduced from the thermodynamical calculations were achieved during stage 3, which is coeval with late Lake Lisan. Geogene processes causing Cu-enriched encrustations overlap with man-made manganiferous slags. The smelter feed has been derived mainly from Cu ore which developed during Late Pleistocene in the region.

Mapping the distribution of weathered Pleistocene wadi deposits in Southern Jordan using ASTER, SPOT-5 data and laboratory spectroscopic analysis

In the arid regions of the Levant, ancient wadi fills act as a terrestrial sedimentary archive with a high potential for preserving archaeological findings. This current study combines remote sensing with laboratory VIS-spectroscopy to investigate the spatial distribution of alluvial wadi fills in a small catchment in Southern Jordan. Due to its homogeneous sandstone geology, the composition of the alluvial sediments is highly influenced by the local bedrock whilst fluvial relocation and surface weathering processes initiated a secondary alteration of dominant iron oxides (Fe3 +). The differences in mineralogical composition of the sediments enable the detection and mapping of wadi deposits by remote sensing using different spectral combinations of ASTER and SPOT-5 satellite images. Additionally, laboratory measurements of reflectance spectra were applied on selected surface samples and soil sections from the study area in order to verify the information derived from remote sensing and to quantify the degree of surface weathering and pedogenic processes. The results show that an initial transformation from hematite to goethite is the dominant process related to the recent arid conditions in the study area. Furthermore, it is possible to predict potential new archaeological finding areas using remote sensing techniques.

Spatial distribution of uranium and vanadium in the upper phosphorite member in Eshidiyya basin, southern Jordan

Geostatistical analysis of geochemical exploration data can provide useful information for evaluating the mineralization potential of geologic bodies. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the spatial distribution of U and V over an area in the upper phosphorite member, the A0 unit, in Eshidiyya basin in southern Jordan. Drill-hole samples were analyzed. The geochemistry of the analyzed elements was assessed. The spatial variability of U and V was also assessed using semivariance analysis. Both U and V were found to exhibit a normal distribution as indicated by the constructed histograms and the calculated skewness and kurtosis coefficients. Exponential models with nugget effects were fitted to the experimental semivariograms. Ordinary kriging was performed to generate geochemical maps. The applied interpolation technique proved to be the best in producing geochemical exploration maps for both U and V in Eshidiyya phosphorites. The constructed geochemical maps helped visualize a WNW–ESE U mineralization trend in the studied phosphorites. This trend should be taken into consideration in any future exploration programs for U in south Jordan.

Gingival Status and Caries Experience in 12 and 15 Year Old School Children in Southern and Central Jordan

Objective: To determine gingival status and caries experience among 12 and 15- year old school children in the middle and South regions of Jordan. Methods: Data were collected through a clinical examination carried out by a calibrated examiner for 1,914 school children, 633 girls and 1,281 boys (943 in Southern Jordan and 971 in Central Jordan) in twenty two schools. All present teeth were examined including primary teeth. Loe and Silness gingival index was used to detect the gingival condition while dental caries experience was assessed using decayed, missing and filled teeth index. Results: Gingivitis was detected in 31.4% of the 12 year olds compared to 52.6% of the 15 year olds. Prevalence of dental caries for 12 year olds was 89.7%, the mean decayed; missing and filled teeth 2.65 ± 1.15 and gingival score 0.47 ± 0.81. For students aged 15 years prevalence of dental caries was 94.8%, decayed, missing and filled teeth 2.82 ± 1.36 and gingival score 0.73 ± 0.83. For the study population, older subjects tended to have higher decayed, missing and filled teeth (2.82 ±1.36) than younger (2.65 ± 1.15) and gingival scores were also higher in older (0.73 ± 0.83) than younger (0.47 ± 0.81) and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.00). The difference in mean decayed, missing and filled teeth and gingival index between Southern and Central Jordan was statistically significant (P = 0.00). Boys tended to have significantly higher decayed, missing and filled teeth index and gingival scores than girls (P = 0.00). Conclusion: Caries experience and gingival scores were significantly higher in boys than girls and in 15 than 12 year old school children. These scores were also worse among students in South regions of Jordan compared to those in the middle regions. A need to build a school-based oral health services is evident and both preventive and restorative approaches should be adopted for school children.

Medical waste management practices in southern Jordan

The purpose of this work was to study medical waste practices in southern Jordan. Five major hospitals in that area were used to conduct this study. It involved distributing a modified version of the questionnaire that was adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The surveyed hospitals had total number of beds ranging from 72 to 131 beds, while the average amount of medical waste generated in these hospitals was 0.73 kg bed−1 day–1. The practices of medical waste management were found to be suffering from major defects owing to the lack of both training and proper education.

Chitinozoans from the middle Rhuddanian (lower Llandovery, Silurian) ‘hot’ shale in the E1-NC174 core, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya

Chitinozoans recovered from the E1-NC174 core, south-west Libya, are described. On the basis of key biostratigraphical taxa, including Belonechitina postrobusta, Belonechitina pseudarabiensis, Plectochitina pseudoagglutinans, Angochitina seurati and Sphaerochitina palestinaense, the entire core is suggested to be of Rhuddanian age, with the ‘hot’ shale constrained to the upper part of the range of Belonechitina postrobusta. The age of this ‘hot’ shale, and the significant decline of chitinozoan abundance within it, shows strong similarity with the middle Rhuddanian ‘hot’ shale occurring in the BG-14 core of southern Jordan. In total, nineteen different taxa are described from fifty samples, adding valuable data to the chitinozoan record for lower Silurian strata in northern Gondwana.

Environmental Constraints on Ancient Copper Production in the Aravah Valley: Implications of the Newly Discovered Site of Khirbet Mana'iyah in Southern Jordan

The paper presents the recently discovered copper smelting site of Khirbet Mana'iyah and its relations to the copper ore deposits and ancient production systems in the nearby Timna Valley. The unique location of the site, in the foothills of southern Edom and away from the ore sources, sheds light on the environmental factors that shaped and limited the production of copper in this region through the millennia. The site is one of the largest ancient smelting camps in the southern Aravah known today, containing several hundred tons of slag. Thus, it was probably the search for fuel sources that dictated its location—near an extensive spread of acacia trees that grew on the alluvial fans on the eastern side of the Aravah. It is also suggested that the site, whose smelting technology cannot date earlier than the late 10th century BCE, represents an Iron IIA activity related to the transformation in smelting technology that followed the campaign of Pharaoh Shoshenq I to the southern Levant.

A reconstruction of Quaternary Environments in Wadi Calcretes from Southern Jordan using Stable Isotopes

A reconstruction of Quaternary Environments in Wadi Calcretes from Southern Jordan using Stable Isotopes

Khirbat Nuqayb al-Asaymir and Middle Islamic Metallurgy in Faynan: Surveys of Wadi al-Ghuwayb and Wadi al-Jariya in Faynan, Southern Jordan

Khirbat Nuqayb al-Asaymir, in the Faynan region of southern Jordan, is one of the best-preserved Middle Islamic―period copper production sites in the southern Levant. Two seasons of survey in Wadi al-Ghuwayb and Wadi al-Jariya revealed much about the site and the landscape surrounding it, which during the Middle Islamic period was exploited primarily for mining and pastoral activities. The finds from these surveys, focusing on those collected at Khirbat Nuqayb al-Asaymir, are presented here. A new model explaining the revival of copper mining and smelting activities in Faynan during the Middle Islamic period, linking copper from Faynan to the expanding Jordanian sugar industry, is also proposed.

The signs that bind: identifying individuals, families and friends in Hismaic inscriptions

Among the thousands of Hismaic inscriptions found in the Ḥismā desert of southern Jordan are the signatures of countless authors and artists who carved their names, thoughts and drawings into stone. These signed carvings, which typically give not only the name of the author but also, on occasion, the name of his father, grandfather and even great‐grandfather, provide an extraordinary record of the actual individuals who roamed the desert wadis 2000 years ago. This article, which focuses on a collection of Hismaic inscriptions and drawings from the Wādī Ḥafīr canyon of southern Jordan, illustrates how traditional epigraphic study of these names, combined with a GIS‐based landscape approach, can provide a much clearer picture of not only who was carving the inscriptions and where, but also how the various authors may have been related or acquainted.

Enrichment of uranium in the uppermost Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation, Eshidiyya basin, southern Jordan

The Al-Hisa Phosphorite Formation (AHP) in the Eshidiyya basin of south Jordan consists of three members, the lower member accommodates the main high grade commercial phosphorite deposits, followed upwards by the coquinoidal limestone member which is overlain by the uppermost member, the A0 member. The phosphorites in both member are granular (peloidal) type deposits. Uranium (U) and Vanadium (V), in the main phosphorites of the lower member, are 75 and 70ppm respectively as analyzed in a previous work.The distribution of the analyzed elements in this work is governed by three factors: the phosphorite (P, Ca, Na, U, V, Cd, Zn, and Sr) decreasing upwards from the lower A0 unit to the topsoil, detritals (Al, Si, Fe, Mg, K, Ga, Hf, Nb, Rb, Th, and Zr) increasing upwards, and minor carbonates (Ca, and Sr) with no obvious trend. Uranium is three times more enriched in the upper phosphorite member, the A0, relative to the lower or main phosphorite member, 234ppm versus 75ppm respectively. Vanadium is likewise enriched several times in the A0. Both elements, U and V are worth further exploration in the A0 in northern Eshidiyya basin. Thorium, Zr and Hf are relatively low.

WF16. Architecture, Sedentism and Social Complexity Communal Building in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Settlements: New Evidence from WF16

Recent excavations at WF16 in Wadi Faynan, southern Jordan have revealed remarkable new evidence for the early Neolithic, especially regarding the development of architecture and settlement organization, allowing fresh insights into the development of increasingly sedentary communities and the social systems they supported. The nature of early Neolithic communities is integral to our understanding of the Neolithic transformation.

The Pottery Informatics Query Database: A New Method for Mathematic and Quantitative Analyses of Large Regional Ceramic Datasets

There is an increasing demand within the humanities and social sciences to use computers to analyze material culture and discover patterns of historical and anthropological significance. Using southern Levantine Iron Age (ca. 1200–500 BCE) ceramics as a test case, the Pottery Informatics Query Database (PIQD) provides a novel solution for constructing regional ceramic typologies. Beyond digitally archiving 2D/3D-scanned ceramics, the PIQD encodes ceramic profiles as mathematical representations. This method of digital preservation enables rapid queries to be conducted in a mathematically grounded approach. In this sense, the queries are similar to online Basic Local Alignment Search Tool searches developed in the field of genetics by rapidly associating large quantities of digital vessel profiles to each other based on similar morphological traits. The PIQD is an open-source online tool that enables scholars and students to test humanities-related hypotheses against ceramic data in ways that conventional publications or other databases cannot provide. Regional spatial patterning of the ceramic data is delivered over a Google Earth-based user interface. In this paper, we present the PIQD as an objective method for developing a comprehensive ceramic typology of an entire region of archaeological study and provide an arena to conduct novel scientific research. We then demonstrate through a case study its analytical capabilities to handle large datasets of 3D scans and digitized 2D ceramic profiles and generate cultural inferences with the ceramic assemblages of the Iron Age II “Edomite” region located in modern southern Jordan. PIQD adds an important methodological tool to the post-excavation cyber-archaeology tool box.

Imaging heterogeneity of the crust adjacent to the Dead Sea fault using ambient seismic noise tomography

For the purpose of studying the Earth’s crust by means of tomography, we investigated cross-correlation functions emerging from long-term observations of propagating ambient seismic noise at pairs of broadband stations in Israel and Jordan. The data was provided by the eight permanent broadband stations of the Israel Seismic Network evenly distributed over Israel and the 30 stations of the DESERT2000 experiment distributed across the Arava Fault (South of the Dead Sea basin). To eliminate the influence of earthquakes and explosions, we have applied the methodology of Bensen et al. (Geophys J Int 169:1239–1260, 2007), including bandpass filtering and amplitude normalization in time and frequency domain. The cross-correlation functions estimated from continuous recordings of a few months were used to extract Rayleigh waves group velocity dispersion curves using automatic version of the frequency–time analysis procedure. Subsequently, these curves have been converted into the Rayleigh wave group velocity maps in the period range 5–20 s and S waves velocity maps in the depth range 5–15 km. In these maps, four velocity anomalies are prominent. Two of them are outlined by the previous reflection-refraction profiles and body wave tomography studies, i.e. a low velocity anomaly corresponds to the area of the extremely deep (down to 14 km) sedimentary infill in the Southern Dead Sea Basin and a high velocity anomaly in the Southern Jordan corresponds to the area of the Precambrian crystalline rocks of the Nubian Shield on the flanks of the Red Sea. The two other anomalies have not been reported before - the high velocity zone close to the Beersheba city and the low velocity anomaly in the region of Samaria-Carmel mountains - Southern Galilee. They have relatively low resolution and hence need further investigations for approving and contouring. The highest contrast between the average Rayleigh wave group velocity (2.7 km/s) and the anomalies is 10–13 %, comparable, however, to the level of noise in the data. The results have been verified by modeling the revealed anomalies which showed that all the four zones mentioned above could be detected by the tomography study.

Age determination of Petra's engineered landscape – optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon ages of runoff terrace systems in the Eastern Highlands of Jordan

The unfavourable mountainous environment of the Petra region in southern Jordan was modified by ancient engineers to supply the Nabataean/Roman city of Petra with food and water. The area was reclaimed by installing extended runoff terrace systems and hydraulic structures. The agricultural terrace systems have so far been dated based on surface pottery, and the chronology of the systems is under debate. In this study, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating techniques were successfully applied to date these terrace systems. Samples were taken from the fills of agricultural terraces and underneath their walls to determine the chronology of the construction, use and abandonment of the agricultural terraces. The results suggest that runoff farming in the Petra region started around the beginning of the Common Era, and construction, use and maintenance lasted at least until 800 AD.

Treatment of a Jordanian Phosphate Mine Wastewater by Hybrid Dissolved Air Flotation and Nanofiltration

Approximately 10,000 m³/day of untreated wastewater is produced during phosphate beneficiation at Eshydia phosphate mine in southern Jordan. The effluent contains 21 wt% phosphates (P2O5) and 12–14 wt% solids. Dissolved air flotation (DAF) and subsequent nanofiltration (NF) were investigated as potential treatment methods. DAF combined with the use of a commercial flocculant effectively removed the suspended solids and decreased total dissolved solids (TDS) by 50 %; NF effectively treated the DAF effluent and produced water with only 860 ppm TDS. The treated water can be recycled for use by Eshydia phosphate mine or for irrigation.

Non-revenue water: financial model for optimal management in developing countries – application in Aqaba, Jordan

This paper presents the application of a financial model for optimal non-revenue water (NRW) to the Aqaba Water Company (AW), which serves approximately 130,000 residents of the Aqaba Governorate in Southern Jordan. It describes the water supply circumstances in Aqaba, summarizes previous NRW-reduction programs and their historical impacts, outlines the process of application for an NRW financial optimization model, and then presents the results, focusing on Aqaba City in particular. Currently, Aqaba Governorate's water is supplied from non-renewable groundwater drawn from the Disi Aquifer. With growing water demand, Aqaba will face a severe constraint – the limited capacity of wells and of the pipeline from Disi to Aqaba. As of 2010, the actual NRW was 361 L/customer/day, while the optimal amount was found to be about 89 L/customer/day. Sensitivity analysis shows that the reliability of the optimal NRW model result is plus or minus 10%. Depending on the effort expended, AW could reach optimal NRW by 2014–2017. Approximate projections show that NRW reduction can be a ‘source’ of water supply for the near future by delaying the date when Aqaba reaches full capacity of its current source of supply. However, a major new source of water will be needed for the long term. The paper concludes with a discussion of observations, conclusions and future work.

Evidence of past environmental conditions during the evolution of a calcretised Wadi System in Southern Jordan using stable isotopes

A stratigraphically and temporally ordered sequence of channel calcretes preserved along the Wadi Dana, Southern Jordan, records the Quaternary evolution of the formation and infilling of rock-cut channels and their subsequent incision in a tectonically subsiding basin. It is currently unknown under what palaeoenvironmental conditions these non-pedogenic calcretes formed. Stable isotope analyses have been used to investigate whether any past topographical, hydrological, vegetational, diagenetic, and/or temporal signatures can be identified from the channel calcretes. The results of this research indicate that channel calcrete development is influenced by altitudinal variation (affecting vegetation and hydrology) within the landscape as well as location within individual wadi channels (which has an affect on diagenetic processes). The lack of calcretisation of a terrace that is between +1 and 1.5m above the modern wadi floor supports the idea that the environment is currently too arid for calcrete to develop. Thus the presence of older Wadi Dana channel duricrusts suggests wetter conditions when they formed. The δ18O data of the calcrete implies cooler conditions than today, as there is little evidence of a strong evaporative effect. Any temporal control is limited and mainly a function of stratigraphic position with some numeric dating.