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The purpose of this study is to assess how the PAKSERV paradigm affects brand loyalty, customer satisfaction, and trust in Somalia's banking industry. With an emphasis on the mediating function of trust in the Somali scenario, these comprehensive assessments stress the cultural component of quality of service. This study adopts a quantitative method by assessing 370 Islamic bank customers in Somalia for two main cities, Mogadishu and Hargeisa. Our respondents are existing and potential users of Islamic bank products and the sample was selected using the convenience sample technique. The data were examined with the quantitative method of structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 3.3.7. The study found a connection between client satisfaction, loyalty, and the PAKSERV quality of service attributes through the intermediary role of trust. In the cultural context of Islamic finance in Somalia, this study offers fresh information on how trust may function as a partial mediator in the interaction between client satisfaction and customer loyalty.

This study makes a significant contribution to the international scholarly community by illustrating the conceptual framework of international trade among OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) countries. It provides valuable insights into the impact of trade balance on economic performance. Employing a descriptive analysis approach, the paper meticulously describes the conceptual framework of international trade within the OIC context. Through an exploration of the determinants of trade deficits, this research sheds light on the policy dynamics influencing trade imbalances among OIC countries. The study particularly focuses on the influence of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trade balance on economic growth, revealing their interconnectedness. Furthermore, this study expands the understanding of the relationship between trade balance and economic performance specifically within the OIC countries. By elucidating these connections, it offers valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to enhance economic stability and growth in the OIC region. Overall, this research contributes to the international scholarly community by providing a comprehensive analysis of the conceptual framework of international trade in the OIC context, highlighting the significance of trade balance for economic performance. The findings of this study can inform future studies, policies, and strategies aimed at fostering sustainable economic development and prosperity among OIC countries.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to translate the Medication Use Questionnaire into a Malay version, adapt it to Malaysia’s culture, and verify its reliability among Malaysia’s older adults. MethodsMethodological approaches were used to translate, validate, and modify the questionnaire. The subjects were older adults aged ≥ 60 years in primary care settings in Penang, Malaysia. Two forward translations (English to Malay) were developed, reviewed, and back translated to English. The reconciliation phase was conducted to compare the translated and original questionnaires. Five older adults were then interviewed for the cognitive debriefing of the reconciled questionnaire to assess the linguistic and cultural equivalence. Two experts assessed content validity, and the translated questionnaire was proofread and finalized. After that, pilot test was done to examine the internal consistency among 20 older adults. ResultsTranslation of the questionnaire was done with no major disagreements. The main issues identified in cognitive debriefing and content validity were terms, number of questions, and phrases used in the questionnaire. Most participants reported that the questionnaires were not difficult to complete during the cognitive debriefing phase. The issues were then judged and revised accordingly. Further pilot testing on 20 older adults demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, Cronbach α (0.902). ConclusionsThis study findings suggest promising data supporting the use of translated version of the Medication Use Questionnaire that can be used to identify medication use problems among older adults in Malaysia.

IntroductionChronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with multimorbidity and high treatment burden. Pill-burden is one component of the overall treatment burden. However, little is known about its magnitude and contribution to the overall treatment burden among patients with advanced stages of CKD. This study aimed to quantify the magnitude of pill-burden in dialysis-dependent vs. non-dialysis-dependent advanced-stage CKD patients and its association with treatment burden. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study for the assessment of pill-burden and treatment burden among non-dialysis and hemodialysis (HD)-dependent CKD patients. Pill-burden was quantified as “number of pills/patient/week” through electronic medical record, while treatment burden was assessed using the “Treatment Burden Questionnaire (TBQ)”. Furthermore, oral and parenteral medication burden was also quantified. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential analysis, including Mann – Whitney U test and two-way between groups analysis of variance (ANOVA). ResultsAmong the 280 patients included in the analysis, the median (IQR) number of prescribed chronic medications was 12 (5.7) oral and 3 (2) parenteral medications. The median (IQR) pill-burden was 112 (55) pills/week. HD patients experienced higher pill-burden than non-dialysis patients [122 (61) vs. 109 (33) pills/week]; however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.81). The most commonly prescribed oral medications were vitamin D (90.4%), sevelamer carbonate (65%), cinacalcet (67.5%), and statins (67.1%). Overall, patients who had high pill-burden (≥112 pills/week) had significantly higher perceived treatment burden compared to low pill-burden patients (

Chronic Inflammatory bowel diseases are usually accompanied by opportunistic colonic fungal infections. Itraconazole (ITZ), is a highly lipophilic broad-spectrum antifungal drug that is superiorly effective against several fungal species. Box-Behnken design was adopted to design ITZ-nanomixed micelles (ITZ-NMMs), aiming to enhance ITZ solubility, using various concentrations of Pluronic® L121, Cremophor EL, and with either sodium-deoxycholate or Pluronic® F68 through thin film hydration technique. Optimized formula composed of 90 % Pl–L121, 9.1% Cremophor EL, 3.127 % ITZ concentration and SDC as the hydrophilic surfactant and its particle size, Polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and release extent after 3 h were found to be 17.82 ± 0.189 nm, 0.26 ± 0.014, -6.72 ± 0.725 mV, 66 ± 7.4%, and 96.3 ± 7.22%, respectively. In vitro ITZ release study implied the ability of optimal ITZ-NMMs to enhance ITZ solubility in comparison to ITZ suspension. Also, augmented anti-fungal and anti-cancer activities were proven as ITZ-NMMs IC50 was 16.5 times that of pure ITZ. Afterwards, lyophilized optimal ITZ-NMMs formula was loaded into Eudragit S100-coated capsules where in vitro release and in vivo X-ray imaging ensured protection of ITZ release in either the stomach or intestine and targeting it to the colon. Such results suggested promising ITZ-NMMs system, capable of enhancing ITZ solubility in the intended target site, therefore, can be used not only in the treatment of colon fungal infections but also augments colon cancer therapy.

Extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma of the lungs is a rare soft tissue tumor of children and adolescents usually found in the extremities. In this case report, we present a 4-year-old male child with primary Ewing Sarcoma of the lungs who presented with shortness of breath, cough, left-side chest pain, and hemoptysis for two months. We reviewed clinical, radiological, and pathological findings for this rare malignancy.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is cancer of lymphocytes, characterized by over production and accumulation of cancerous immature lymphocytes known as lymphoblasts. The purpose of this research was to estimate micRNA-326 and micRNA-200c expression in children with ALL before and after chemotherapy to explore their potential value in diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric ALL. Methods: This case control researchwas conducted on 30 children with ALL (group I) and 10 healthy children with matched age and sex as controls (group II). All participants were subjected to history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigations including routine investigations for cases and controls (CBC on ERMA PCE-210N cell counter, serum LDH, ESR assessment), investigations for cases only (bone marrow aspiration and examination of stained films, cytochemistry, and immunophenotyping) and specific laboratory test for cases and controls: MicRNA-326 and MicRNA-200c relative expression by quantitative-real time PCR at diagnosis and after one year of chemotherapy. Results: MicRNA-326 and micRNA-200c relative gene expression levels were significantly down regulated in ALL cases than in control group. As regard ALL subtypes micRNA-326 was significantly down regulated in T-ALL cases than in B-ALL cases. While micRNA-200c was significantly down regulated in B-ALL cases than in T-ALL. After a year of chemotherapy for ALL cases, micRNA-326 and micRNA-200c expression levels were still down regulated in relapsed cases while upregulated in cured cases. Conclusions: The present research showed a statistically significant lower expression of micRNA-326 and micRNA-200c in newly diagnosed ALL children and in relapsed cases after one year of chemotherapy. These data suggests that micRNA-326 and micRNA-200c may play a role in diagnosis, prognosis, and early detection of relapsed cases.

A total of 366 accessions of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) obtained from the Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Centre (APGRC) in Sudan were characterized for a number of morphological characters using a descriptor list derived from the list published by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources in 1984. Those accessions, which were collected from different regions of Sudan, were grown in the APGRC research farm in Wad Medani town in central Sudan during ten different seasons within the period between 2000 and 2019. Phenotypic variations were observed among and within the different accessions for plant, stem, leaf, inflorescence and fruit characters. Up to 59% of accessions were found to be heterogeneous for different traits. The descriptor states observed ranged from very rare in 5%or less of the accessions, to abundant in more than 90% of the accessions. Substantial phenotypic variation was observed for okra fresh fruits, the main organs used for food, in terms of shape, colour, pubescence and number of ridges. Accessions carrying fruits preferred in local or foreign markets were identified making them good candidates for further breeding to produce new cultivars for both markets. The cluster analysis resulted in 13 subclusters at a similarity level of 60%. When comparing the subclusters with collection sites, no direct relation was detected indicating that okra germplasm has been spreading all over the country resulting in diversified materials across different regions.

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a challenging clinical problem affecting adults, adolescents, and physically active populations. PFPS impacts the patient’s trunk kinematics in the frontal plane. Previous studies have found gender-based biomechanical differences in patients with PFPS; however, sagittal trunk kinematics during mini-squats and lumbar proprioception in PFPS have not been studied previously. Objectives: To investigate sagittal trunk excursion (It is defined as the sagittal trunk flexion angle from the start to the end of the mini squat) during mini-squats as well as lumbar repositioning error between individuals with and without PFPS, and determine gender differences in the outcome variables. Methods: A sample of 56 participants aged 18–25 years was enrolled; 30 with PFPS (13 males, 17 females) and 26 asymptomatic controls (11 males, 15 females). The sagittal trunk excursion during mini-squats was examined by two-dimensional (2D) photographic analysis using Surgimap software. Active lumbar flexion repositioning error was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. Results: For sagittal trunk excursion, no significant main effect of group was observed ([Formula: see text]). On the other hand, the main effect was significant for gender ([Formula: see text]), as was the interaction effect. Compared to the control group, the PFPS group showed significantly ([Formula: see text]) lower sagittal trunk excursion in females than in males during mini-squats. For active lumbar flexion repositioning error, no evidence was found for significant main or interaction effects ([Formula: see text]). Conclusion: Females with PFPS exhibit a more erect sagittal trunk posture than males during mini-squats. Trunk posture should be considered during weight-bearing activities in PFPS, and gender-specific assessment protocols should be developed.

Renewable energy is crucial for reducing emissions and meeting future energy demands. However, due to concerns regarding intermittent supply, integrating RE into a multi-microgrid system might pose various power system problems, for instance, unstable electrical power output. As a result, increased load reactive power demands result in voltage losses during peak load demand. Therefore, it can be minimized by utilizing Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices in electrical networks, which are designed to strengthen the stability and control of power transfer and act as a controller for the AC transmission specification, which also provides speed and flexibility for certain applications. By identifying the need to implement solutions that can sustain the electric power quality of a microgrid, this paper presents a review of various method approaches which could be used to evaluate the impact of integrating the multi-microgrid systems with FACTS devices for voltage profile improvement and real power loss reduction in power system. In this paper, a comprehensive study is carried out for optimum multi-microgrid placement, considering the minimization of power losses, enhancement of voltage stability, and improvement of the voltage profile. An attempt has been made to summarize the existing approaches and present a detailed discussion that can help the energy planners decide which objective and planning factors need more attention for optimum locations and capacity for multi-microgrid and FACTS devices.

This study investigates severity of floods influencing Marbeea-Alshareef, Sharq Elneel, Sudan. The hydrological and topographical models of the area were integrated to point out the causes of the floods in the study area, along with adaptive and mitigation measures needed to avert these hazards. The integration was based on the digital elevation model. Data processing and analysis were carried out using QGIS hydrological modules and Google Earth on-line GIS facilities. Findings proved the study area is directly affected by small catchment area (182 km2) and indirectly by a large one (1386 km2). The core drivers of flooding events could be attributed to man-made features (highway and irrigation canal) and the low topography of the study area. Floods in the area can only be mitigated by establishing an efficient drainage network in the man-made features. Integration of topographical and hydrological models is important for pointing out the core drivers of flooding events.

Background: Neonatal jaundice is the commonest condition encountered during daily practice of neonatologists. Phototherapy remains the main-stay in the treatment. However, its safety and efficacy still questioned. Agar was proposed as an adjuvant therapy to improve the effectiveness and safety profile of bilirubin. However, the evidence is still building up. The current work aimed to address the value of agar as an adjuvant to phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia of full-term neonates. Methods: The study was a randomized double-blind comparable clinical trial. Full term neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia within their first week of life at the level of phototherapy were included. Patients were randomly assigned into two equal groups. The phototherapy alone group, where newborns received 10 ml of distilled water by bottle every 12 hours. The second group, where neonates received 300 mg/kg of agar orally by bottle every 12 h before feedings in 10 ml of distilled water. The collected data for comparison included patient demographics and serial measurements of total serum bilirubin (TSB). Treatment was stopped when TSB levels falls to 2 mg/dl below the phototherapy initiation threshold. Results: Both groups were comparable regarding patient demographics, mode of delivery and gestation age at delivery. TSB levels showed significant progressive reduction after the first, at the third and the fifth days of therapy among agar and comparable groups. The percentage of reduction in TSB levels was significantly higher in phototherapy-Agar combination group than the other group at third day of therapy (- 38.92 versus - 28.66%, p=0.0001). Finally, the length of hospital stay duration was significantly shortened with agar than the other group (3.34±0.70 vs 3.7 ±0.74, p=0.014). Conclusion: Adding oral agar to phototherapy improves the effectiveness and safety among full-term neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia.

The paper includes the definition of open education and its multiple means that allowed a large segment of society and teachers to join the ranks of higher education, and this university was gigantic and absorbed large numbers of students who graduated from multiple faculties. Multiple, and it is more popular as it helps to study in the student’s own time and in his own way and the place he determines, it breaks down the barriers of age, takes place without face-to-face meetings between the learner and the teacher, makes the student free to choose what to learn, when to learn and how to learn, open education is education without borders, Independent education, and home education, as well as education without walls, Self-education and multimedia education. There are many justifications for open education, such as the remoteness of geographical areas from the locations of universities and political problems in many countries and that women are no longer confined to the home and others. The method used: a historical and descriptive analytical method and a case study. Objectives: Providing educational opportunities for every citizen with a belief in the value of continuity of learning, providing freedom of study for the learner by liberating him from restrictions, providing professional growth for workers in work sites, providing new educational methods and media, providing opportunities for scientific, research and educational cooperation between educational institutions in the Arab world, preparing and developing Cadres in different areas of life according to the needs of society Case study: office theory and applied field Results: The researchers concluded that open education led to the education of a large segment of society who missed the education train and facilitated many ways of educational means for them, and that the book is the mainstay of open education, despite the existence of other means, but it has become inconsistent with development and other technologies

Objective: In this work, a gastro-retentive floating microsphere delivery system composed of Drug/Glyceryl mono-oleate (GMO) embedded in a Ca-alginate gas-generated matrix was designed to improve the bioavailability of a slightly-soluble model drug Famotidine. Methods: The water/Oil emulsion method was used to prepare Famotidine floatable microspheres, and formulation variables such as Alginate: GMO ratio, gas-generated bicarbonates concentration, and loading drug concentration were investigated. Conventional techniques, including DSC, XRD and FTIR were performed to confirm Famotidine compatibility with GMO and Alginate polymers. Real-Time X-ray Radiography was used for in vivo imaging of Famotidine floatable microspheres using rabbits as an animal model. HPLC spectroscopic technique was used to determine Famotidine plasma concentration after oral administration of Alginate-GMO loaded microspheres. Results: Floating Famotidine Alginate-GMO microspheres (0.75:1:0.25) w/w/w showed a remarkable entrapment efficiency (>98%), good buoyancy (>84) and prolonged in vitro drug release properties (>24 hours). DSC, XRD, and FTIR techniques showed no evidence of interaction between Famotidine and Alginate or GMO. In vivo Imaging of Famotidine floatable microspheres showed that capsules containing Famotidine-Alginate microspheres were not detected after 3 h of administration, while capsules containing Famotidine-GMO-Alginate microspheres can be detected for more than 12 h, indicating superior gastric retention properties. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated for Famotidine: GMO-Alginate, and Famotidine: alginate and compared with the plain drug over 24 h period. Famotidine: GMO-Alginate microspheres exhibited controlled and prolonged absorption Tmax of 6.0 vs. 3.0 and 2.0 h; Cmax of 124.9±0.9 vs. 323.7±0.4and 458.6±0.5 ng/ml; AUC0-24 of 2153.025±6.7 vs. 1650.4±1.9 and 1110.725±2.1 ng/ml for Famotidine: alginate and plain drug, respectively, reflecting the increase in the bioavailability of the drug in the floating formulations compared to the free drug. Conclusion: Prolonged gastric retention time and sustained release properties of floating GMO-alginate microsphere suggest that it could provide a valuable sustained release dosage form of slightly-soluble drugs.

The main objective of the research article is to demonstrate the role played by environmental monitoring in promoting green creativity by creating competitive new products, services, processes, procedures and systems designed to use natural resources at the lowest level and to provide a better quality of life. The research relied upon the independent variable, i.e., environmental monitoring including different dimensions such as the technical field and environmental accounting. On the other hand, the dependent variable is green creativity and has four dimensions (such as green creative motivation, green creative thinking, green creative behaviour and green creative outcome). For this study, the researchers selected a sample of auditors and accountants associated with some of the factories in Iraq-Karbala Governorate, and the sample size was 138. To attain the objective, the analytical descriptive approach was adopted which was leveraged to answer the main question: Are the heads of organisations aware of the role played by environmental monitoring in promoting green creativity? The research question was answered by testing four hypotheses and all of them were verified. The research found that there was a weakness in environmental monitoring and green creativity in a few aspects. It was represented by the weak environmental awareness of the employees and organisations towards green creativity and environmental sustainability. The organisations did not show any interest in adopting materials with less environmental harm. Therefore, it is necessary to review the environmental laws in Iraq and reformulate them to be stringent in applying the environmental monitoring laws and imposing fines.

Calibration laboratories often face the challenge of the impossibility to perform full capacity range calibration of their force transducers, particularly below 10 % of the force transducer’s capacity. Sometimes these laboratories use curve fitting extrapolation to estimate and predict force transducer behavior within uncalibrated capacity ranges. This work deals with the study of extrapolation errors in force transducers to know and estimate prediction accuracies when using extrapolation for force transducer calibration in ranges below 10 % and between 50 % and 100 % of the transducer’s capacity. The results of this study showed that the magnitude of the extrapolation error is very close to the magnitude of the reproducibility error within calibrated capacity ranges in the laboratory.

The main challenge in the young crescent moon (YCM) observation is the ability to detect the appearance of the YCM, which has varying contrast due to the phenomenon of twilight. The advancement of technology in digital imaging helps the faint and thin image of the YCM to be detected and taken during observation. The techniques used in the observations of the YCM were naked eyes, telescope, and telescope with cameras. A digital imaging technique is also being used in the observations to assist in detecting and recording the image of the YCM more effectively. This paper presents the analysis of the YCM observation data recorded at Telok Kemang Observatory from 2000 to the present. A total of 275 observation sessions were conducted during this study, with 87 positive sightings successfully recorded. The studies found that the smallest elongation and the minimum altitude at sunset of the YCM successfully recorded were 6.81° and 5.40°, respectively. The moon was recorded at an altitude of 3.37°, while the sky is still bright with the sun at an altitude of –2.64° using the digital imaging technique. Based on the records, the YCM which has the minimum criteria of Imkanur Rukyah, i.e., altitude of 2° and elongation of 3° at sunset was never detected or recorded during the 22 years of observations. Therefore, this work suggests the need to change the visibility of Imkanur Rukyah criteria used since 1995 to a more potentially observable criterion. In other aspects, the lengthy observation activities have contributed to the development of a database system for JAKIM that other researchers can access.

Till now, there is no complete program that could be implemented to eradicate the parasitic weeds such as broomrape because of their complex life cycle. Therefore, the current research aimed to find new and safe agricultural practices to solve, partially at least, the issues of broomrape in faba bean fields. The experiment was conducted for two winter seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in naturally infested field with broomrape. Treatments involved application of mycorrhiza, charcoal and rocket salad powder, glyphosate–isopropylammonium herbicide, and weedy check applied whether with sole planting of faba bean and interplanting with flax. The experiment was designed in a strip plot based on completely randomized block arrangement with six replicates. Broomrape number and weight, infested faba bean plants, faba bean agronomic traits, and seed nutrient uptake were estimated. In both seasons, glyphosate whether with sole or interplanting patterns recorded the lowest values of broomrape number plot‒1 and broomrape weight plot‒1 without significant variation with charcoal and rocket salad applied in interplanted plots. The maximum increases in faba bean seed yield were observed with application of charcoal × sole or interplanting pattern and rocket salad × interplanting pattern in the 2018/2019 season as well as charcoal, mycorrhiza, and rocket salad with sole pattern in the 2019/2020 season. Charcoal, mycorrhiza, and rocket salad were effective practices whether under sole or interplanting patterns for improving nutrient uptake, especially in the first season. In the second season, rocket salad with sole or interplanting pattern was the stable interaction for enhancing all nutrient uptake. Reducing broomrape hazards expressed in low number and weight with less infested faba bean plants was confined by application of mycorrhiza, charcoal, and rocket salad powder whether with sole planting of faba bean and interplanting with flax. Hence, faba bean farmers are advised to apply such promising safe practices for sustaining faba bean cultivation in lands infested by broomrape.

Populações de usuários de drogas têm sido associadas a epidemias de infecções ou Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis, especialmente a infecção pelo HIV (que está associada a drogas injetáveis, uso de equipamentos contaminados para drogas injetáveis e sexo inseguro). A droga mais associada às DSTs é a cocaína fumável de base livre (crack), devido ao aumento dos comportamentos sexuais de risco. Diante disso, o presente estudo teve como objetivo compreender o impacto do uso de drogas no aumento das infecções sexualmente transmissíveis. Para isso, adotou-se como metodologia a revisão sistemática de literatura, realizando buscas nas bases de dados Scielo, Pubmed e BVS/Medline a partir do uso de descritores DeCS/MeSH e aplicação de critérios de inclusão e exclusão. A partir da análise e interpretação dos dados, concluiu-se que que pessoas que fazem uso abusivo de drogas lícitas ou ilícitas, sejam elas mulheres, homens, adolescentes, jovens, adultos, idosos, em situação de rua ou não, tendem a desenvolver comportamentos vulneráveis que pode resultar em IST. Somado a isso, enquanto comportamento de risco, tem-se a preferência por não usar preservativo, seja em relações sexuais com pessoas monogâmicas como com dois ou mais parceiros. Nesses casos, tanto o uso exacerbado de drogas como a falta de informação sobre comportamento sexual demonstram-se insuficientes.