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Current developments in the field of micro-nano technologies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are highlighted. Firstly, the scientific outcome of micro-nano technologies from the MENA region is analyzed. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the leading countries, with >50% of the total MENA publications. More than 50% were joint publications with France and the United States as the major partners. Secondly, different kinds of existing initiatives to develop and support micro-nano technologies in the MENA region are presented. The working principle of current respective initiatives is demonstrated. Despite the importance of these initiatives, they are fragmented and lack a regional framework and a common goal. Thirdly, therefore, a recommendation is suggested to create a platform and a road map for boosting the development of micro-nano technologies in the MENA region.

Hasan Rawashdeh,1,2 Aparna Ramachandran,1 Jenny M Yang,1 Gemma Blain,1 Jon Hyett1,3 1Department of Women and Babies, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaCorrespondence: Hasan Rawashdeh, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, Tel +00 962 7 9828 4038, Email hmrawashdeh@just.edu.joBackground: Preterm birth (PTB) is associated with significant neonatal mortality and morbidity. Universal measurement of cervical length has been proposed as a screening tool to direct intervention to prevent PTB.Aim: To assess the impact of the introduction of sonographic mid-trimester cervical length screening on the use of cervical cerclage and PTB.Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study reviewed two groups of women who underwent cervical cerclage before and after the introduction of universal sonographic cervical length screening. Demographics and outcomes were compared using Student’s t test, Fisher’s Exact test and Kaplan–Meier analysis.Results: Following introduction of universal cervical length screening, the overall rate of cerclage increased from 2.5/1000 births to 6.0/1000 births (p < 0.01). There was a reduction in the proportion of sutures placed purely based on maternal history (50.0% to 30.4%; p < 0.001), while the proportion of sutures placed following ultrasound assessment increased in both high- (21.7 to 36.6%) and low-risk (11.7% to 30.4%) women (p < 0.001). The overall rate of PTB < 37 weeks in women has a cerclage was 25.7% and was highest in women undergoing rescue cerclage (64.3%; p < 0.01). There was no difference in the rate of PTB between high- and low-risk women undergoing history- or ultrasound-indicated cerclage. Mean pregnancy length was most prolonged in low-risk women undergoing ultrasound-indicated cerclage, extending gestation from 33.9 to 38.3 weeks (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Universal cervical length screening results in an increase in the use of cerclage, specifically on the basis of the ultrasound findings. Women who were at low risk but then underwent ultrasound-indicated cerclage experienced most prolongation of pregnancy. Women who were at high risk but had a suture on the basis of ultrasound findings-indicated cerclage represent an alternative method of management with no significant difference in the gestational age of delivery.Keywords: cerclage, premature birth, cervical length measurement, progesterone, ultrasonography

The management of advanced metastasized breast cancer (BC) is a clinically challenging entity with a wide spectrum of novel therapeutics being introduced to the market. Such agents have remodeled BC treatment landscape and prolonged patients’ survival. Over the past decade, a growing body of literature has shed lights on CDK4/6 involvement in oncogenesis and the role of its inhibitors in clinical use with palbociclib being the prototype drug. We present a case of a 58-year-old post-menopausal Middle-Eastern woman diagnosed with stage IV HR+/HER2- breast cancer with extensive bone metastasis. The lesions were widely distributed across the axial skeleton including base of the skull, sternum, ribs, left iliac bone, right inferior pubic ramus, cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral vertebrae. The patient was started on therapeutic doses of letrozole and zoledronic acid in conjunction with adjuvant radiotherapy. A significant partial response was achieved reaching 70% remission followed by sternum disease progression. A decision was made to switch letrozole for tamoxifen which resulted in disease stability. Due to postmenopausal bleeding, tamoxifen was held and letrozole was reintroduced leading to regimen failure and disease advancement. Palbociclib and fulvestrant were started accordingly, yielding a remarkable metabolic response of all bone metastatic lesions (stable disease) after three months of the regimen initiation. The aforementioned stable disease status continued for approximately three years up to this point.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy condition with a complex etiology involving both environmental and genetic factors. This study investigated the association between polymorphisms in the microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis genes DICER (rs3742330) and RAN (rs14035) and the risk of PE among Jordanian women. Methods: A total of 224 pregnant Jordanian women were recruited. Genotypes of rs3742330 and rs14035 were determined using polymerase chain reaction techniques. This was a cross-sectional case–control study conducted in Jordan. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared using Chi-square tests, and hematological parameters were compared using t-tests. Results: The G allele and AG/GG genotypes of rs3742330 were more frequent in the PE group than controls (P < 0.05). However, no association was found between rs14035 and PE. Higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with increased PE risk (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The DICER rs3742330 polymorphism and increased BMI were associated with PE in Jordanian pregnant women. This suggests that genetic variations in miRNA biogenesis pathways may contribute to the development of PE.

AbstractThis research study addresses the complex interaction in between advertising and marketing capabilities, financial performance, and the moderating impact of consumer relationship management (CRM) in Jordanian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the service field. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was used for this study. The study clearly verifies a significant and favorable relationship in between advertising alignment and financial performance, highlighting the tactical value of customer-centric approaches. It likewise highlights the prominent function of value development in driving monetary success and the positive effect of operational capabilities on financial efficiency. Furthermore, the research study discovers the reliable moderation of CRM in the connections amongst marketing alignment, value development, operational capacities, and financial performance. These searchings for highlight the central role of CRM in improving the effect of marketing abilities on financial end results and offer useful understandings for Jordanian SMEs in the solution sector looking for to optimize financial performance and boost client connections.

We propose high-order computational schemes for solving nonlinear fractional integro-differential equations (FIDEs) that are commonly used to model systems with memory or long-term behavior. From the known structure of the smooth solution, we show that the solutions of such FIDEs are equivalent to those of Volterra integral equations (VIEs). The fractional integral appearing in the integral form of the resulting VIE is then split into a history term and a local term. Subsequently, we develop an efficient strategy that utilizes a combination of a kernel compression scheme and an integral deferred correction (IDC) scheme to obtain a high-order solution. The kernel compression scheme reduces the costs in approximating the history term, while the IDC scheme approximates VIEs on short intervals to obtain the local information. Error analysis demonstrates high-order accuracy of the proposed schemes, and numerical examples illustrate their effectiveness, particularly for nonlinear FIDEs. The results suggest that the proposed scheme provides accurate solutions even for large time steps, making it a valuable tool for researchers and engineers working on systems with memory or long-term behavior.

Shaimaa Nasr Amin,1,2 Gehan El-Akabawy,3– 5 Mohammad Adel Abuqasem,6 Asem Abdullah AL-Rawashdeh,6 Maram Mohamed Ayyad,6 Ahmad Khalid Ibrahim,6 Ali Mohammad AlShawagfeih,6 Sara Khaled Ebdah,6 Rana Jassem AlHajri,6 Ahmed A Ismail7,8 1Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; 4Centre of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates; 5Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt; 6House Officer, Medical Graduates Training Program, Jordan Medical Council, Amman, Jordan; 7Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt; 8Department of Health and Environment, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa, KS, USACorrespondence: Shaimaa Nasr Amin, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, P.O. Box 330127, Zarqa, 13133, Jordan, Tel +962770507906, Email shaimaa@hu.edu.joPurpose: Cognitive flexibility is a mental ability that aids in smoothly alternating between them tasks in the brain. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a, common disorder that has been associated with impairments in cognitive functions. This research is a retrospective case-control study aimed at establishing a clear relationship between cognitive flexibility and diabetes among Jordanians, considering demographic, anthropometric, and therapeutic variables.Patients and Methods: The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)-64 item and the Trail Making Test (TMT) assessed cognitive flexibility in 268 people with diabetes and healthy control. Demographic, therapeutic data were collected. We also measured waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI). As the variables were non-normally distributed, non-parametric statistical tests were used to examine differences (Kruskal–Wallis) and correlation (Spearman) between variables.Results: The patient group did worse on the WCST In contrast to the control group, patients exhibited more significant delays for both Part A and Part B of the TMT (p< 0.05). Males had higher WCST conceptual level responses than females. In addition, participants with professional jobs showed less delay in TMT Part A (p< 0.05). Age was positively correlated with WCST’s total errors and TMT’s Parts A and B (p< 0.05). BMI was negatively correlated with the WCST’s conceptual level of responses and positively correlated with TMT’s Part B (p< 0.05). In addition, urea and albumin levels were positively correlated with TMT’s Part A (p< 0.05). Furthermore, creatinine was positively correlated with WCST’s total errors and TMT’s Part A (p< 0.05).Conclusion: Some measures of cognitive flexibility are associated with DM status in the studied sample of Jordanians and other variables (educational levels, occupation, lifestyle, average duration of illness, and age).Keywords: cognitive flexibility, diabetes mellitus, Jordan, Wisconsin card sorting test, trail making test

The objective of the present study is to measure the impact of blockchain technology on financial reports. The study utilizes a time series analysis covering eleven commercial banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2019. Two key measures, namely other operating expenses and customer deposits are employed in the Return on Assets (ROA). The findings indicate that blockchain technology can be quantified by 0.038 of other operating expenses. However, there are no discernible indications of measuring blockchain technology through customer deposits. The study suggests that blockchain technology is a double-edged sword; when not utilized as required, it leads to increased expenses, and conversely, its effective exploitation can have cost-reducing effects. In other words, operational inefficiencies or heterogeneity are associated with elevated costs associated with implementing blockchain technology. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2024-05-02-014 Full Text: PDF

In the present study, Krill Herd (KH) is proposed as a Feature Selection tool to detect spam email problems. This works by assessing the accuracy and performance of classifiers and minimizing the number of features. Krill Herd is a relatively new technique based on the herding behavior of small crustaceans called krill. This technique has been combined with a local search algorithm called Tabu Search (TS) and has been successfully employed to identify spam emails. This method has also generated much better results than other hybrid algorithm optimization systems such as the hybrid Water Cycle Algorithm with Simulated Annealing (WCASA). To assess the effectiveness of KH algorithms, SVM classifiers, and seven benchmark email datasets were used. The findings indicate that KHTS is much more accurate in detecting spam mail (97.8%) than WCASA.

The architecture of a learning system implies a heavy task for e-learning to be integrated into a complicated system that is flexible, time scalable, and capable of lasting, even though there are many diverse tools. Currently, higher education in United Arab Emirates is experiencing a major transformation, considering increased accessibility. Therefore, the study aims to identify the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning in university education in United Arab Emirates. A descriptive study design was used to randomly select students from Ajman university, who were enrolled in 2018/2019 academic year. A close-ended structured questionnaire was constructed to collect data from students. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyse the data collected. 81% students stated that e-learning provides scientific material in an interesting way. Similarly, 80% students have responded that e-learning increases the possibility of contact between students among themselves and between the students and the teacher. 73% students indicated that due to increasing social isolation, they spend more time in front of the technical means of social interaction account and face-to-face with others. 70% students have indicated that there is a presence of electronic illiteracy among parents, which reduces their ability to follow their children electronically. It is essential for potential e-learners to understand the differences between an e-learning classroom setting and a conventional classroom setting as there are both advantages and disadvantages of e-learning to both environments that can probably influence their overall performance as a student.

PURPOSEBreast cancer among Emirati patients is characterized by early-onset disease and later stages at presentation. Little is known about the germline genetic variants that may contribute to these observations. The goal of this study is to characterize the rate and implications of germline genetic variants among a cohort of Emirati patients at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome.MATERIALS AND METHODSA retrospective study was performed to analyze the results of clinical germline genetic testing (March 2020-January 2023) among a cohort of consecutive Emirati patients at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome: group A: patients with personal history of breast or ovarian cancer (n = 135); group B: unaffected patients with family history of breast or ovarian cancer (n = 37); and group C: patients presenting for cascade testing (n = 20). Management of patients identified to have pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants was analyzed.RESULTSThe rate of P/LP germline variants for each group was: group A: 17.3%, group B: 16.6%, group C: 57.9%. BRCA1 gene was the most commonly identified gene harboring P/LP variants, followed by BRCA2, among this cohort. Four unrelated patients had a recurrent BRCA1 pathogenic variant: c.4065_4068del (p.Asn1355Lysfs*10). Only two patients in this series elected risk-reducing mastectomy and four patients elected risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.CONCLUSIONA higher rate of P/LP variants is seen among Emirati patients at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome compared with reports of similar patients from Western populations. Efforts to increase utilization and awareness of germline genetic testing are warranted among Emirati patients.

The pressing need to significantly reduce global CO2 emissions requires the decarbonization of the shipping industry. Currently, shipping relies on fossil fuels with a shift from heavy oil to liquefied natural gas. The main engine is the primary energy user onboard vessels, and its exhaust is the main CO2 emission source. A potential path to reduce emissions onboard vessels is the capture, compression, and storage of CO2 from the exhaust gases. This requires effective integration across the engine, the capture technology, the CO2 compression, cooling, and storage. The integration of four alternative capture technology options is conceptually explored and assessed: chemical absorption, membranes, temperature swing adsorption, and cryogenic distillation. Integration schemes are developed for each of the four technologies that achieve carbon capture, compression, and storage driven by the exhaust gas waste heat as the only energy source. Heat and power requirements are met through heat integration and heat-to-power conversions using organic Rankine cycles (ORCs). The study was performed on an LNG vessel using LNG fuel in its main engine. Thermal capture technologies (absorption and adsorption) are observed to significantly outperform their alternatives (membranes and cryogenic distillation) and capture, compress, and store more than twice the amount of CO2 emissions from the engine exhaust stream. Finally, the proposed integration schemes resulted in self-sustainable onboard capture systems without combusting additional fuel.

This study aimed to assess the degree of social pressures and their relationship to sports achievement motivation among 51 randomly selected handball players from first-division clubs in Jordan. A descriptive approach was employed, and data were collected via a questionnaire, with analyses conducted using SPSS 26. The results showed that social pressure levels were moderate, with training pressures being the highest (M = 3.17; a relative importance of 63.40%), followed by family (M = 2.92; a relative importance of 58.40%) and public pressures (M = 2.32; a relative importance of 46.40%). No statistically significant differences were found in social pressures and sports achievement motivation among handball players based on experience (p > 0.05). While family and public pressures were not significantly correlated with motivation (p>0.05), training and overall pressures were positively correlated with motivation (p

Mortality rate due to coronary artery disease (CAD) is elevated among diabetes mellitus (DM) compared to non-DM patients. Endothelin 1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, is implicated in the pathophysiology of both CAD and DM. The impact of ET-1 on the short-term clinical outcomes following revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) remains unclear. We investigated the impact of ET-1 on clinical outcomes and revascularization strategies in CAD patients, exploring the role of DM on modifying these relationships. In a prospective observational study, patients presenting to cardiac catheterization lab for CAD evaluation at a Jordanian hospital were enrolled and stratified by status of CAD and DM. Plasma levels of ET-1 were measured before catheterization. Short-term clinical outcomes and prognosis were compared.Among 815 enrolled patients (603 CAD and 212 controls), DM prevalence was higher among CAD patients than non-CAD. Plasma ET-1 levels were measured in 490 random patients and were associated with CAD and the need for revascularization. Multivariate analysis independently revealed higher plasma ET-1 levels in DM patients requiring revascularization. Short-term follow-up for 366 patients (median of 4 months) showed that 132 developed one cerebro/cardiovascular event, predominantly among DM patients. Baseline ET-1 was not associated with higher risk of the first event. Notably, revascularization by PCI was associated with lower event risk in DM patients.Our study indicates that plasma ET-1 levels are associated with the need for revascularization in DM patients, with those undergoing PCI having a lower risk of initial cerebro/cardiovascular events.