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Background: One of the most important issues in public policy and welfare state is health care. Poor management leads to the waste of resources, including money, human resources, facilities, and equipment. Aims: This paper seeks to answer the question of which eastern Mediterranean countries are more effective in allocating their health resources, and does Iran, in relation to those countries, have an effective health system. Methods: This study examined technical efficiency among eastern Mediterranean countries in 2018. Data were extracted from Global Health Observatory data World Health Organization. We applied input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models to estimate efficiency scores. Inputs are Physicians density per 10,000 populations, Total hospital beds per 10,000 populations, Current expenditure on health, % of gross domestic product and outputs are infant survival rate and Life expectancy. Results: The most efficient health systems in the eastern Mediterranean were Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. The inefficient countries are Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Conclusions: Among the efficient countries, one category of high-entry countries such as Bahrain and Qatar with high input especially in health expenditure had higher output. The second group of countries with lower inputs such as Iran and Morocco has been able to produce similar output with other countries. Also, inefficiency in countries such as Saudi Arabia can be attributed to this with higher input such as health expenditure has lower output such life expectancy and infant survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim was to critically appraise, synthesise and present the evidence of medication errors amongst hospitalised patients in Middle Eastern countries, specifically prevalence, nature, severity and contributory factors. Methods: CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Pubmed and Science Direct were searched for studies published in English from 2000 to March 2018, with no exclusions. Study selection, quality assessment (using adapted STROBE checklists) and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. A narrative approach to data synthesis was adopted; data related to error causation were synthesised according to Reason's Accident Causation model. Results: Searching yielded 452 articles, which were reduced to 50 following removal of duplicates and screening of titles, abstracts and full-papers. Studies were largely from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Thirty-two studies quantified errors; definitions of 'medication error' were inconsistent as were approaches to data collection, severity assessment, outcome measures and analysis. Of 13 studies reporting medication errors per 'total number of medication orders'/ 'number of prescriptions', the median across all studies was 10% (IQR 2–35). Twenty-four studies reported contributory factors leading to errors. Synthesis according to Reason's model identified the most common being active failures, largely slips (10 studies); lapses (9) and mistakes (12); error-provoking conditions, particularly lack of knowledge (13) and insufficient staffing levels (13) and latent conditions, commonly heavy workload (9). Conclusion: There is a need to improve the quality and reporting of studies from Middle Eastern countries. A standardised approach to quantifying medication errors' prevalence, severity, outcomes and contributory factors is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the correlation of thermodynamic parameters with the regional averaged lightning flash density in southwest Iran based on OTD/LIS observations and reanalysis datasets from 1996 to 2014. In addition, the most important parameters and their domains were identified for explaining the lightning density variance using a multiple linear regression model. The results showed that surface sensible heat flux over Syria and Jordan, CAPE over southwest Iran, sea surface temperature over the Arabian Sea, and latent heat flux over Northeastern Europe are the best parameters to predict the lightning density in winter. While in spring, CAPE over southwest Iran, the surface sensible heat flux over northeast Iran and the Arabian Sea, and air surface temperature over the Saudi Arabian Peninsula are the main factors for predicting lightning density. The regression models explain almost 90% and 93% of the lightning variability in winter and spring, respectively. The local effect of CAPE and low-level wind shear on lightning activity is more important in spring than in winter, indicating that the contribution of local lightning-generating convective activity is higher in spring. The correlation coefficient between humidity indices and lightning density showed that western moisture sources have a more important role in providing moisture to convection and lightning in winter than in spring. It is worth noting that the wind speed of jet streams at 300 hPa is positively correlated with lightning activity in winter, although their contribution to the multiple linear regression model is negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to determine the perceptions of Jordanian journalists toward Iranian propaganda in the Middle East as well as to measure their perceptions about the Iranian-sponsored satellite, Al Alam's credibility and efficiency. To answer the research questions, survey instrumentation was administrated on a systematic sample of 266 journalists in Jordan. Findings revealed that Iranian propaganda has no significant influence on Jordanian journalists. Data analysis examined five potential factors: The nature of Jordanian journalists' political constructer and their reference; Jordanian journalists' not trusting with Iranian role in Arab issues; Al Alam "The World" TV launching from Iran with a goal of enhancing "Shiite Sectarian" ideology rather than increasing Islamic unity; the existence of other more credible and influential Arabian news channel; and stopping the transmission of Al Alam toward Arabian region since November 2009. Also, findings show that Al Alam TV would have strong credibility and made it more acceptable among public viewers but not in the journalism community in four specific situations: broadcasting in Arabic languages; attacking the U.S. interests in its programs; focusing highly in projecting and covering the Palestinian cause; and giving Arab viewers a freedom to express their opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a comparative analysis of culture and organizational structure in the Middle East. Does culture influence organizational structure? Specifically, what influences do national cultures have on the structure of organizations? For many years researchers have studied the impact of culture on organizational structure. To the management, organizational structure represents the blueprint for arranging activities of organizations and the way in which organizations are tied together. It is, therefore, useful to the managers to know about the structures particularly those who are expatriates. The most common features of organizations are their size, hierarchy and centralization. Despite the vast number of such comparative studies, few have been undertaken in the Middle East. Whereas both Iran and Jordan are part of the larger Middle East culture, they differ from each other insignificant ways. Although the dominant religion of both countries is Islam, they follow different sects. The dominant sect in Iran is Shiah whereas the dominant sect in Jordan is Sunni. Both countries thus represent the broad Middle-East culture but there are differences among them due to differences in religious practices, historical traditions and languages.

Today, biotherapies (therapies using animals, plants or their secretions) are becoming increasingly popular. In medicine and cosmetology, leeches, fish, insect larvae, mucus from H. aspersa snail, bee products are used. Among them, ichthyotherapy - therapy with the use of Garra rufa (Heckel 1843), which is gaining popularity not only in the exotic resorts of Turkey, Iran and Jordan, but also in Poland, deserves attention. In view of the growing interest in ichthyotherapy, the question arises: Are cosmetic and therapeutic procedures using this vertebrate completely safe for humans? This question became a contribution to taking up this topic of study. Ichthyotherapy is the use of freshwater, sedentary benthopelagic fish of the cyprinid family, red garra (G. rufa), commercially referred to as "the doctor fish". This fish has a suction apparatus that allows removal of calloused epidermis in patients undergoing therapy. This treatment has been used mainly in cosmetics as so-called fish pedicure, but also in medicine. Scientific reports indicate that this fish may be helpful in treating some skin diseases, i.e. in alleviating the symptoms of psoriasis or atopic dermatitis. Treatments using the red garra have to be performed in full compliance with hygiene rules. In 2011, the British Health Protect Agency (BHPA) published the guidelines for carrying out treatments using these fish. It specified the indications and contraindications for performing the procedure, the way it should be performed, as well as the threats that could result from possible non-compliance with the principles of occupational health and safety during the procedures. Case studies of specific ichthyotherapy procedures performed in nine selected salons show that the awareness of people performing the procedures, as well as individuals undergoing ichthyotherapy is relatively low. Salons offering ichthyotherapy services, especially those located in tourist resorts, do not comply with health and safety rules, and thus expose those using the treatments to a potential risk of transmitting zoonotic infections from fish or water to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Omophlus Dejean, 1834 species is described as Omophlus (Odontomophlus) irbidensis sp. nov. from Jordan. The new species is illustrated and compared with the closest species Omophlus (Odontomophlus) syriacus Mulsant, 1856. New ditributional data for O. (O.) syriacus (Jordan and Lebanon) are added. New Podontinus Seidlitz, 1896 are described as follows: Podontinus farsensis sp. nov. from Iran and Podontinus mujibensis sp. nov. from Jordan. The new species are illustrated and compared with the closest species Podontinus punctatissimus (Kiesenwetter, 1861). New distributional data for P. punctatissimus (Israel and Jordan) are added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research argues that the Islamic theory of judicial power is based on full, and direct role of the people in the judicial power. Islam is based on the concept of government by judiciary. Under such a concept, the supreme/senior judge holds enumerated executive authorities in military power, taxation and foreign representation. The people's role in any Islamic government starts with the appointment of the supreme judge, who enjoys the ultimate qualification as the legal jurist. The people also play a major role in overseeing judicial independence and accountability, both for judges as individuals, and for the judiciary as an institution. The people are an integral part to ensure the transparency of the judicial process, including its enumerated executive powers. However, the practice of the judicial systems of some Islamic countries differs from the Islamic theory of judicial power. The research offers three malpractices of Islamic judicial powers, they are: Iran, Egypt, and Jordan. In Iran, the research focuses on the role of the Faqih, as a supreme judge and leader. It presents the historical foundation, and the current practice of the unique theory of Wilayat al-Faqih (Vilayat al-Faqih in Persian), which gives the leader unlimited executive, and judicial powers to the Leader. In Egypt, the research tackles the issue of junior judges, and the misuse of powers. It includes the unregulated appointment process, inappropriate interference in judicial authority, misuse of judicial immunity, and the impeachment of non-compliant judges. In Jordan, the research is limited to the new Jordanian Constitutional Court, and the question of its legitimacy. Finally, the research recommends several reforms for these cases in order to comply with the Islamic understanding of judicial power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This communication article provides a call for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) users in archaeology to make imagery data more publicly available while developing a new application to facilitate the use of a common deep learning algorithm (mask region-based convolutional neural network; Mask R-CNN) for instance segmentation. The intent is to provide specialists with a GUI-based tool that can apply annotation used for training for neural network models, enable training and development of segmentation models, and allow classification of imagery data to facilitate auto-discovery of features. The tool is generic and can be used for a variety of settings, although the tool was tested using datasets from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan. Current outputs suggest that trained data are able to help identify ruined structures, that is, structures such as burials, exposed building ruins, and other surface features that are in some degraded state. Additionally, qanat(s), or ancient underground channels having surface access holes, and mounded sites, which have distinctive hill-shaped features, are also identified. Other classes are also possible, and the tool helps users make their own training-based approach and feature identification classes. To improve accuracy, we strongly urge greater publication of UAV imagery data by projects using open journal publications and public repositories. This is something done in other fields with UAV data and is now needed in heritage and archaeology. Our tool is provided as part of the outputs given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the very large number of comparative organizational studies evidenced in the literature, few have been undertaken in the Middle East and only two involve a direct comparison of organizations in the Middle East with organizations in the West. In their comparison of organizations in pre-revolutionary Iran and the United States, Miller and Mahmoudi found strong support for the culture-free hypothesis and concluded that Iran could now be added to the growing list of countries showing a similar pattern of relationships among the major components of organizational structure. However, Miller and Sharda found support for the culture specific hypothesis in their comparison of organizations in Jordan and the United States. The purpose of this research is to show that Miller and Mahmoudi's conclusion may have been premature. Data were obtained from a matched sample of organizations in Jordan, and the causal model proposed by Miller and Mahmoudi is reanalyzed for all three countries employing a more rigorous methodology. The results suggest that a model constraining all parameters to be equal, fits the data in both Iran and Jordan, but not in the United States. This finding is not consistent with the culture-free hypothesis and suggests instead that organizational structure is conditioned in important ways by the unique culture and institutions of the nation-state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the analysis of mean reversion and convergence of the ecological footprint (EF) in the MENA region. Using a long memory model based on fractional integration, we find that the results are very heterogeneous across countries depending on the assumptions made on the error term and the use of original versus logged data. Nevertheless, some conclusions can be obtained. Thus, mean reversion is decisively found in the case of Tunisia, and other countries showing some degree of reversion to the mean include Israel, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Dealing with the issue of convergence within the MENA countries, similar conclusions hold and only Tunisia reports statistical evidence of convergence for the two types of errors. Additional evidence is found in the case of Syria, Yemen, and Jordan with uncorrelated errors and for Iran with autocorrelation. It is recommended that environmental policies targeted at stabilizing the trends in EF in the MENA region should not be indiscriminately applied in consideration of the heterogeneous nature of the series in the region., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Recognizing the importance of iodine deficiency as a single most important preventable cause of brain damage, World Health Organization (WHO) urged all countries to scale up salt iodization since 1991 where iodine deficiency was declared as a global public health problem. All countries committed to report on the national iodine status of school-aged children (6-12 years), every 3 years. This paper aims to evaluate the progress of countries in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) toward the eradication of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) and recommend operational action to support implementation of the WHO Regional Nutrition Strategy (2020-2030). Salt iodization in EMR has been scaled up with significant progress in increasing the proportion of dietary salt which is adequately iodized. As a result, many countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, and Iran have achieved, or are now on the threshold of achieving IDD elimination. The WHO in coordination with United Nations Children's Fund is working with member states to ensure suitability of these achievements. Hence, efficient monitoring will help member states to measure the magnitude of IDD as a public health problem and to monitor the effects of the intervention on the iodine status of a population. Policy makers should take proactive steps to enforce mandatory regulatory measures for USI, through a multi-sectoral coordination, and careful assessments and estimates of iodine nutritional status. Coordination between the two national programs of USI and salt reduction intake is necessary.

Planners and decision-makers in the wastewater sector are often confronted with the problem of identifying adequate development strategies and most suitable finance schemes for decentralized wastewater infrastructure. This paper research has focused on providing an approach in support of such decision-making. It is based on basic principles that stand for an integrated perspective towards sustainable wastewater management. We operationalize these principles by means of a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach 'Assessment of Local Lowest-Cost Wastewater Solutions'--ALLOWS. The main product of ALLOWS is the identification of cost-effective local wastewater management solutions for any given demographic and physical context. By using universally available input data the tool allows decision-makers to compare different wastewater solutions for any given wastewater situation. This paper introduces the ALLOWS-GIS tool. Its application and functionality are illustrated by assessing different wastewater solutions for two neighboring communities in rural Jordan.

Background: The Levant is a crucial region in understanding human migrations between Africa and Eurasia. Although some mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies have been carried out in this region, they have not included the Jordan area. This paper deals with the mtDNA composition of two Jordan populations., Aim: The main objectives of this article are: first, to report mtDNA sequences of an urban and an isolate sample from Jordan and, second, to compare them with each other and with other nearby populations., Subjects and Methods: The analyses are based on HVSI and HVSII mtDNA sequences and diagnostic RFLPs to unequivocally classify into haplogroups 101 Amman and 44 Dead Sea unrelated individuals from Jordan., Results: Statistical analysis revealed that, whereas the sample from Amman did not significantly differ from their Levantine neighbours, the Dead Sea sample clearly behaved as a genetic outlier in the region. Its outstanding Eurasian haplogroup U3 frequency (39%) and its south-Saharan Africa lineages (19%) are the highest in the Middle East. On the contrary, the lack ((preHV)1) or comparatively low frequency (J and T) of Neolithic lineages is also striking. Although strong drift by geographic isolation could explain the anomalous mtDNA pool of the Dead Sea sample, the fact that its mtDNA lineage composition mirrors, in geographic origin and haplogroup frequencies, its Y-chromosome pool, points to founder effect as the main cause. Ancestral M1 lineages detected in Jordan that have affinities with those recently found in Northwest but not East Africa question the African origin of the M1 haplogroup., Conclusion: Results are in agreement with an old human settlement in the Jordan region. However, in spite of the attested migratory spreads, genetically divergent populations, such as that of the Dead Sea, still exist in the area.