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Introduction Aim Methods Results Conclusion Rare coagulation disorders (RCDs) constitute an important health risk. Data on epidemiology, quality of life (QoL), access to care, and impact of the ongoing economic crisis on RCDs in Lebanon is limited.We aimed to address these gaps by evaluating effect of the crisis on the management of RCDs.We performed a retrospective chart review of RCD pediatric patients in a tertiary hospital between 2003 and 2023. Patients with deficiencies of fibrinogen, factor (F)II, FV, combined FV and FVIII, FVII, FXI, FXII, FXIII, and congenital deficiency of vitamin K‐dependent factors (VKCFDs) underwent a qualitative assessment of the impact of the economic crisis on care and quality of life by an interview aimed at investigating obstacles to diagnosis, disparities in access to treatment, impact of the crisis on QoL and disease management, and opinion on governmental efforts to solve the health crisis.46 patients were included. The response rate for the interview was 63%. Among the cohort, 21 (72.4%) reported difficulty accessing treatment since the start of the crisis and 18 (62%) reported “lack of healthcare coverage for necessary treatments” as the main issue. Most participants reported that the Lebanese government did not adequately address their needs during the crisis.Our study showcased that management of RCD patients in Lebanon has been severely affected by the economic crisis. Combined efforts by public and private sectors are needed to appropriately address this issue. Lessons can be learned from the Lebanese experience to appropriately screen for actionable factors in vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paediatric‐preformed zirconia crowns have been associated with several issues, primarily their inability to be crimped and the need for extensive tooth preparation. Additionally, the capacity to adjust the size, shape, and fit of these crowns is very limited. Aim: To evaluate and compare the fracture strength of four different types of dental crowns intended for paediatric patients. Design: The fracture resistance of four types of paediatric crowns was evaluated using the universal testing machine; freshly extracted primary molars received one of the following: preformed zirconia crowns, custom‐made computer‐aided design and computer‐aided manufacturing (CAD–CAM) zirconia crowns, custom‐made CAD–CAM ceramic crowns, and custom‐made CAD–CAM hybrid composite crowns. Data were statistically compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by the Bonferroni test, and the level of significance was set at 5%. Results: Results showed that there was a statistically significant difference among the four groups (p <.001). The highest value of fracture force was observed for the milled zirconia crown and the lowest for the prefabricated zirconia. Conclusion: The implementation of the CAD–CAM digital crown fabrication technique has the potential to address issues associated with preformed crowns in paediatric patients, particularly in terms of fracture resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot with an absent pulmonary valve is a very rare variant of tetralogy. It is characterized by absent valve tissue, severe pulmonary regurgitation, and secondary aneurysmal dilatation of the pulmonary arteries. Aim: In this study, we aim to investigate the clinical presentations, management strategies, and outcomes of patients with tetralogy of Fallot and absent pulmonary valve. Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients who presented to the American University of Beirut Medical Center between January 2010 and December 2020 and who were diagnosed with this anomaly. Results: A total of 300 cases of tetralogy of Fallot were identified, of which 18 patients had absent pulmonary valves. They were followed up for an average of 8.2 years. Prenatal diagnoses were made in four patients, while 13 patients were identified in the neonatal period, with an average age of 4.5 days. Genetic testing confirmed DiGeorge syndrome in one patient. Five patients underwent surgical intervention in the neonatal period, while the remaining patients were operated on during their early childhood. While overall there were no surgical mortalities nor any need for reinterventions, a variety of morbidities were encountered. Conclusion: This study provides an overview of this rare anomaly and its management in a developing country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT During the Lebanese 2019 uprising, the country's second‐largest city, Tripoli, became portrayed as the “bride of the revolution.” This portrayal was seen to break with the city's former stigma as a hotbed of extremism. However, as this article shows, local protesters were not unambiguously happy with this portrayal. Based on interviews with 30 protesters and fieldwork observations, the article seeks to understand the critical views of this narrative. It shows that there was a widespread perception among Tripoli protesters that the narrative of their city as the “bride of the revolution,” as presented by the media, represented a distorted image that romanticized, depoliticized, and de‐contextualized the uprising. This narrative was believed to serve a political purpose. These findings provide two main contributions to scholarly debates concerning identity narratives and the role of media for social movements in societies like Lebanon, characterized by hybrid regimes and a complex media‐politics nexus. First, it points to the complexity of breaking stigma and changing geography‐based identities. Second, it shows how the political ownership of media fuels the understanding of media frames as being politically motivated, even when they seem sympathetic to protests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Introduction Materials and Methods Results Conclusion Limited evidence exists on the relationship between ultra‐processed food (UPF) consumption and overweight/obesity amongst young children. This study aimed to assess UPF consumption, its socioeconomic correlates and its association with overweight/obesity amongst under‐five children in Lebanon.Data pertinent to children aged 6 months to 4.9 years (n = 893) from a cross‐sectional national survey were used. Anthropometric measurements were obtained, and multi‐component questionnaires were administered to mothers. Dietary intake was assessed using the 24‐h recall approach. NOVA classification was used to assign food items into four groups according to the extent of industrial processing. Contributions of each group to total energy intake (EI) and macronutrient and micronutrient intakes were estimated. Regression models were conducted to explore the correlates of UPF consumption as well as the association between UPF consumption and overweight/obesity status.UPFs were found to contribute 47% of daily EI. Girls and children with higher household income had significantly higher UPF intakes. Children whose mothers had an intermediate, high school, or technical diploma and were employed and whose fathers had higher education levels consumed significantly less EI from UPFs. Children whose %EI fell within the second and third tertiles of UPF intake had significantly higher odds of overweight/obesity as compared to those in the first tertile (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 1.32 and AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.47, 1.76, respectively), after adjusting for confounders.The high intake of UPFs coupled with its association with overweight/obesity call for public health nutrition interventions aimed at improving feeding and dietary practices in this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Lebanon, a country facing multilayered crises and an increase in reported cases of child maltreatment, the availability of a unified and comprehensive child safeguarding protocol in healthcare facilities remains limited. Healthcare providers are frontline in recognizing and detecting child abuse and neglect (CAN) cases in hospital settings. Therefore, the adoption of a child protection system in healthcare settings is much needed. We attempted to establish a program for child safeguarding identification, intervention and monitoring mechanisms in Lebanese teaching hospitals. Despite high levels of need, the establishment of this program faced major challenges in the context of multiple national emergencies. The latter included fragmentation of the child protection system and the collapse of the health sector. This paper aims to share these challenges and extract lessons learned for future implementation of a unified child safeguarding protocol in Lebanese hospitals. Key Practitioner message: In countries where child protection services are already fragmented, multilayered crises further weaken the system while CAN risks increase. We recommend:An implementation model based on a thorough needs' assessment and feasibility study.A close collaboration with stakeholders to prevent pitfalls.Setting a clear, simple and comprehensive referral system between the social and healthcare systems where frontliner staff in both sectors are trained.Adopt a paediatric disaster preparedness framework.Harmonizing national policies and procedures with NGOs and community [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of non‐utilization of dental care in Lebanon and associated socioeconomic factors and self‐care behaviours. Methods: A nationwide, quantitative, survey‐based study was conducted by trained interviewers with Lebanese residents aged ≥18 years between July and September 2019. Univariate analyses were performed using Pearson Chi Square test or the Fisher's exact test followed by a binary logistic regression using the SPSS Version 25. Results: Of the 1070 participants, 247 (23.1%) did not utilise any type of healthcare and 144/247 (58.3%) did not utilise dental care. The prevalence of non‐utilization of dental care was estimated at 13.5%. Only 4.7% of the respondents consulted their dentist in the past year, among which 53% cited pain/emergencies as the reason for their consultation. Socioeconomic factors associated with the non‐utilization of dental care were lack of social medical insurance (OR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.31 to 0.79]) and long waiting time/patient time restriction (OR, 2.05 [95% CI, 1.26 to 3.35]). On the other hand, facilitators for utilization of dental care included ethical standards/personal qualities of the dentist (OR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.32 to 0.88]) and convenient cost with respect to the individual's economic status (OR, 0.28 [95% CI, 0.18 to 0.43]). Conclusion: This study suggests that dental care practices in Lebanon, including the non‐utilization of dental care, are suboptimal. Measures such as reducing sugar and tobacco consumption, providing information on oral hygiene, and using fluoride products are inexpensive; however, implementing these measures may take substantial time and input by multiple stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic defection has been identified as a potential game changer in conflicts. However, the factors that enable this process require further study. One factor that has been often overlooked is that of social identity and, more particularly, identity leadership. Ethnic defection is a social as much as it is a political process. Incumbents who can utilize this element may be more successful in encouraging a continuous and more persistent process of ethnic defection. A particularly useful tool for counterinsurgency (COIN) leaders to function as identity leaders is that of militias. Traditionally perceived in the literature as ad hoc outcomes of defection, this article demonstrates how militia recruitment can serve as a platform for recruiters to serve as identity leaders and create among recruits a distinct sense of identity that further distances them from other group members and strengthens their group identity. Success in enabling this group categorization could pave the way for more defectors to switch to the government side in a way less relevant than material incentives. The article illustrates this process by employing the case of Israel's recruitment of Shi'a defectors into pro‐Israel militias in South Lebanon and the Security Belt during the 1980s and 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lebanon is a country in the Middle East that had been witnessing nutrition transition to a westernized diet high in trans fats (TFs) and saturated fatty acids (TFAs) that had been linked to cardiovascular diseases and many other health issues. This study examines TF‐related awareness, knowledge, and self‐reported behaviors among a sample of Lebanese adults aged between 18 and 64 years, as well as their association with sociodemographic factors and anthropometric measurements. Using a multicomponent questionnaire, a cross‐sectional study was conducted online, across all Lebanese regions based on a convenience sampling method (n = 401). Factors associated with TF‐related awareness, knowledge, and behaviors were examined by multivariate linear regression analysis. The study highlighted specific gaps in TF‐related awareness, knowledge, and behavioral practices as well as differences by sociodemographic factors. Most of the participants (36%) had heard of partly hydrogenated oils (PHOs) rather than TFs (49%). A higher proportion of respondents (54%) said they understood a little about TFs, the majority had inadequate knowledge about the foods that contain TFs, and 44% said they would not give up eating their favorite snack even if they knew it contains TFs. Overall, consumers' awareness and knowledge about TFs are rather low and the majority had fair behavioral practices. In addition, being a woman and having higher education level were significantly associated with higher levels of TFs awareness, knowledge, and behavior scores. Higher behavior scores were shown in older participants, married, and those who had part‐time jobs, whereas having higher income and normal weight were significantly associated with higher awareness scores. These findings offer valuable insight into TF‐related awareness, knowledge, and behaviors in a sample of Lebanese adults and provide key information that could spur the development of evidence‐based TFs reduction interventions specific to the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork at the Lebanese‐Syrian border, this article analyses the gendered economy of debt among Syrian farmworkers in shawish camps, which have for decades supplied the largest and lowest paid seasonal labour force within Lebanon's food system. In turn, it traces how debt relations in these camps expanded as hundreds of thousands of Syrians sought long‐term refuge in Lebanon throughout the war in Syria (2011 to present). Revisiting classic and contemporary agrarian questions of debt from a feminist social reproduction perspective, the article charts how this debt system ultimately deepened the burdens of feminized work in the fields and in the home. Emblematic of debt's 'reproductive binds', these camps offer broader insights into how debt reconfigures gendered and generational divisions of labour within displaced agricultural families—and how these conditions are negotiated, contested and reproduced in daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current compounded economic crisis in Lebanon has increased poverty rates and widened the gap between families of different socioeconomic classes. Little is known about the impact of advertising, particularly smartphone advertising, on the self‐esteem and materialism levels of children in developing countries like Lebanon. This study aimed to measure the differences among children coming from lower and upper socioeconomic classes in the following: smartphone advertising exposure, materialism and self‐esteem, vulnerability to the effects of smartphone advertising exposure on materialism, and vulnerability to the effects of materialism on self‐esteem. It was found that advertising affected negatively the self‐esteem of the children coming from lower social classes, including the "newly poor," because in the current economic situation, children who are more exposed to advertising are more likely to believe in advertising, have lower self‐satisfaction, and believe themselves to be inferior for not owning the various products that are advertised, which lead them to become more materialistic than children from wealthier families. On the other hand, advertising had a reinforcing effect on materialism among more affluent children. In addition, and contrary to the expected, children from higher social classes, and not children from deprived households, were more susceptible to the impact of advertising on materialism. These findings enlighten us on the significant role that today's advertising plays in societies with wide socioeconomic disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant domestic workers (MDW) in Lebanon suffer grave human rights abuses as highly exploited social reproduction laborers under the kafala, or visa sponsorship system. Amidst the current economic and political crises in Lebanon, compounded by the spread of COVID‐19, MDW find themselves in an even more precarious situation. As funding from international and local nongovernment organizations is unable to keep up with the increasing demands for support, MDW community leaders and activists have shifted their labor in order to support some of the most marginalized members of this community of workers. To do this, these workers strategically use their often‐minimal personal sources of social reproduction resources to create this network of support. In so doing, the grassroots work of these MDW become yet another "fix" to capital's continuing crises and equally challenge their construction as a class of workers whose social reproduction needs can be disregarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the migration agreements between the European Union (EU) and Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. These international policy frameworks were negotiated in tandem with one another, and all were announced in 2016. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in the three countries, the article argues that they fuse humanitarian elements with a bloc‐based security logic in an ad‐hoc mix that lacks substantive legitimacy in the three states, rendering the frameworks unstable. The article introduces the idea of hybrid migration governance which we have developed inductively to conceptualise the empirical findings from our fieldwork, building on existing work on hybridity in the conflict and security studies literature and Nora Stel's conception of governance as the ability to shape the field of action of others. In our usage, hybrid migration governance refers to the efficacy of EU intervention in the institutional management of migration in the three case study countries ('shaping the field of action'), the 'frozen' character of the societal relations formed through this process and their underlying lack of domestic legitimacy. In conclusion, we argue that hybrid migration governance poses problem for the EU's 'Barcelona' conception of human security, because rather than expanding the bloc's 'zone of security' to the international neighbourhood, these policies have generated downstream security‐risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, tens of millions of forcibly displaced people live in informal urban neighbourhoods. Although critical sites for humanitarian and development intervention, municipal authorities may have only a limited presence. Especially in conflict and post‐conflict settings, other non‐state actors emerge to compete for public authority. While the localisation agenda of international donors seeks to better engage local governance actors, little is known about how aid donors take account of non‐state public authority actors as they seek to achieve stability, state building, security and refugee resilience objectives. Accordingly, this study adopts a qualitative methodology to analyse how, why and to what effect donors conceive of and seek to address the legitimacy of state and non‐state urban public authority actors in their response to urban displacement. Analysis of the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan and Lebanon shows that municipalities remain the focus, as donors hold three key assumptions that inform their interventions. Adopting sophisticated tools for understanding non‐state actors' pursuit of public authority, donor interventions seek to undergird, shift, work around, blank or ban their legitimacy‐making practices. We conclude that while donors embrace empirical legitimacy approaches, development and humanitarian responses to urban protracted displacement in marginal urban neighbourhoods are restricted by powerful normative legitimacy approaches rooted in foreign policy objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the effect of global oil and wheat prices, and local price shocks on the real price of wheat flour in Lebanon. We estimate a structural vector autoregressive model with exogenous variables (SVARX) using Bayesian methods. We then compute the impulse response functions and find that global commodity price shocks play a trivial role. Meanwhile, local gasoline price and wheat flour price‐specific shocks trigger large increases in the Lebanese wheat flour price on impact. Furthermore, since 2020, local gasoline price and wheat flour price‐specific shocks have contributed the most to the historical variation in the Lebanese wheat flour price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of Candida glabrata healthcare‐associated infections is on the rise worldwide and in Lebanon, Candida glabrata infections are difficult to treat as a result of their resistance to azole antifungals and their ability to form biofilms. Objectives: The first objective of this study was to quantify biofilm biomass in the most virulent C. glabrata isolates detected in a Lebanese hospital. In addition, other pathogenicity attributes were evaluated. The second objective was to identify the mechanisms of azole resistance in those isolates. Methods: A mouse model of disseminated systemic infection was developed to evaluate the degree of virulence of 41 azole‐resistant C. glabrata collected from a Lebanese hospital. The most virulent isolates were further evaluated alongside an isolate having attenuated virulence and a reference strain for comparative purposes. A DNA‐sequencing approach was adopted to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) leading to amino acid changes in proteins involved in azole resistance and biofilm formation. This genomic approach was supported by several phenotypic assays. Results: All chosen virulent isolates exhibited increased adhesion and biofilm biomass compared to the isolate having attenuated virulence. The amino acid substitutions D679E and I739N detected in the subtelomeric silencer Sir3 are potentially involved— in increased adhesion. In all isolates, amino acid substitutions were detected in the ATP‐binding cassette transporters Cdr1 and Pdh1 and their transcriptional regulator Pdr1. Conclusions: In summary, increased adhesion led to stable biofilm formation since mutated Sir3 could de‐repress adhesins, while decreased azole susceptibility could result from mutations in Cdr1, Pdh1 and Pdr1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cancer is regarded as a major worldwide burden. Patient distress has been linked to disease progression. Studies show that engagement strategies affect clinical decision‐making and patient outcomes. The optimal engagement method is a partnership that integrates the patient's expertise into the comprehensive co‐design of the healthcare system. Objectives: This is the first study to investigate cancer patient‐as‐partner experience and its impact on distress levels, decision‐making and self‐management. Methods: It is a quantitative and quasi‐experimental study that adopted a partnership committee at a Lebanese hospital. A stratified random sampling approach was used, and data were collected by self‐administered questionnaires. We utilized the standardized distress thermometer and PPEET. Results: We recruited 100 patient partners. Cancer patients‐as‐partners had optimal engagement experience in QI projects (mean = 4; SD = 0.4). The main partnership benefit was improved hospitalization experience (49%). Almost half of PP reported no challenges faced (49%). Recommendations for improvement were training (19%), team dynamics management (12%) and proper time allocation (7%). The distress level post‐partnership was significantly reduced (t = 12.57, p < 0.0001). This study highlights the importance of partnership and ‎its ability to influence shared decision‐making preference [χ2(2) = 13.81, p = 0.025] and self‐management practices [F(3, 11.87) = 7.294, p = 0.005]. Conclusion: Research findings suggest that partners from disadvantaged groups can have optimal partnership experience. A partnership model of care can shape the healthcare system into a people‐oriented culture. Further research is needed to explore diverse PP engagement methodologies and their effect on organizational development. Patient or Public Contribution: Patients and family members were engaged in the co‐design of the study methodology, especially the modification of a research instrument. Patient partners with lived experience were involved in the patient partnership committee as core members to improve healthcare system design and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective self‐management of type 2 diabetes requires adequate health literacy (HL) and a supportive network. Diabetes self‐management education and support programmes play a crucial role in improving these factors. However, limited research exists on how such programmes can support health literacy among migrants and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge within their social networks. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Arabic‐speaking informants with a migrant background in relation to how their type 2 diabetes‐related health literacy was acquired, applied and distributed within social networks through participation in a culturally sensitive diabetes self‐management education and support (DSMES) programme. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 12 informants during the programme and three to 7 months later, from September 2019 to May 2020. Abductive analysis was applied using HL and distributed health literacy (DHL) theory as frameworks. Results: The analysis generated three themes: (1) sources of health information and the development of health literacy; (2) changes towards active self‐management; and (3) distributed health literacy. Prior to programme participation, informants faced challenges in navigating conflicting information from family, friends and social media. After participating in the programme, they reported improvements in HL, particularly in knowledge acquisition. Many became more actively engaged in decision‐making and exhibited improved health behaviours, such as dietary choices. Nonetheless, some informants continued to struggle with choosing appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. Notably, certain informants acted as HL mediators, sharing their newly acquired knowledge within their social networks in Denmark and abroad. Conclusion: Culturally sensitive diabetes self‐management education programmes have the potential to enhance HL among migrants, leading to the distribution of relevant diabetes knowledge within their social networks. Future studies should explore how members of migrants' social networks perceive their supportive role in type 2 diabetes management. Programmes can benefit from emphasising critical HL and exploring how participant‐informants effectively communicate diabetes‐related knowledge within their networks to address misinformation and conflicting information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses whether perceived goal agreement matters for cross‐sectoral collaboration outcomes. Using original survey data from Lebanon that compares the perceptions of local governcment and nonprofit leaders, the findings indicate perceived goal agreement is salient and linked to judgments that collaboration meets its objectives. The article also examines perceptions of goal agreement as it relates to social (trust) and process (power‐sharing) collaboration outcomes and find it to be associated with higher trust between collaborators. While this is the case for nonprofits more than local governments, we find no corresponding sector differences for the relationship between perceptions of goal agreement and effectiveness. In addition, agreeing on goals seems to be linked to perceptions of unequal decision‐making authority for local governments. The results highlight implications for the relationship between goal agreement and cross‐sector collaboration outcome, particularly in the context of developing countries. Embed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's dynamic business milieu, the imperative of eco‐consciousness in hospitality cannot be overstated. This study focuses on Lebanon's burgeoning hotel industry, investigating its journey towards sustainability. Through qualitative content analysis and interviews with eight hotel managers, we unveil a crucial revelation: the integration of green practices not only enhances customer satisfaction but also engenders loyalty and positive referrals. This strategic pivot not only bestows hotels with a competitive edge but also positions them as champions of eco‐friendly experiences, resulting in tangible financial benefits and an expanded market share. Consequently, this fosters environmental sustainability within the sector, echoing its broader implications in environmental management discourse. Moreover, our research significantly contributes to institutional theory and stakeholder theory, offering valuable insights into the antecedents and consequences of green initiatives within organizational contexts. By delving into the intricate dynamics between institutional pressures and stakeholder expectations, the study provides a nuanced perspective on the drivers behind the adoption of sustainable practices in Lebanese hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugee children are at increased risk for mental health problems, including post‐traumatic stress, depression, and externalizing problems. The refugee environment, maternal mental health, and parenting may reduce or exacerbate that risk. This study investigated their direct and indirect associations with child mental health cross‐sectionally in a sample of Syrian refugee child–mother dyads in Lebanon in 2017–19. Mediating pathways were tested using structural equation modeling with 1446 dyads (child: Mage = 11.39, 52.1% females) and again 1 year later with 872 (child: Mage = 12.17, 53.1% females) of the original sample. Mediating pathways from the refugee environment through maternal mental health and parenting to child outcomes were detected, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to refugee mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Bank‐funded Bisri Dam in Lebanon represents an emblematic case of a high‐modernist project that has foundered on a mix of hydrogeological recalcitrance, popular opposition and compounding crises. Examining the popular contestation surrounding the Bisri Dam, this article offers a socio‐ecological material lens on post‐colonial state building and the political economy of infrastructural failure. Avoiding the analytical impasse of crisis epistemes and heuristics of failure within the long tradition of development studies on the Global South in general, and Lebanon in particular, the article poses a number of questions. How are 'crises' and 'failures' constitutive of capitalist development, and for whom are they generative? How can the ubiquitous failures of the promises of infrastructure become an opportunity for the re‐animation, re‐appropriation and re‐politicization of hydrogeologies and political imaginaries? Rather than perceiving them as aberrations, the author argues that failures are constitutive of high‐modernist infrastructural development, its liberal prescriptive techno‐political models, and the speculative logics of endless ruination. Yet, failures can also become generative, instigating new political imaginaries and historical subjectivities. The article pays special attention to competing modalities of power, focusing on the collective power of oppositional groups, coupled with the material recalcitrant power of local hydrogeology, in resisting unviable, speculative infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) should be highly prioritized, monitored, and conserved as they have an immense effect on sustainability and livelihood. In this study we aim to survey and map cereal and legume wild relatives of Fabaceae and Poaceae families. Mount Hermon, Bekaa side, Lebanon. A set of 46 CWR species were targeted based on desk selection analysis and prioritization by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas genebank for their potential importance in breeding programs. A botanical survey of 17 sites of the various habitats of Mount Hermon was performed during April–June 2021 using a systematic transect/quadrate sampling method. Recorded genera and species were accurately georeferenced and then mapped with the DIVA‐GIS program. In total, 854 occurrences were observed belonging to 34 species of Fabaceae and 12 species of Poaceae. High H′ Shannon diversity values were recorded in three sites (Al Fakiaa, Sham El Hafour and Ain Ata‐ al Berke) of the Mount with values ranking between 2.45 and 2.83. This was confirmed by the richness distribution maps of genera and species. Richness distribution maps provide relevant clues on candidate sites for high concentrations of each of the species under study. At least the three sites, hosting 87% of the surveyed CWR's species, can be considered for further in situ conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to investigate how Lebanese nursing students perceive the challenges of implementing person‐centered care in clinical settings. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted for this study. Methods: At one of Lebanon's top universities, a qualitative descriptive study design was used with 18 nursing students from various academic levels. Content analysis was used to generate the results after three focus group discussions. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research were used to report this study. Results: The content analysis gave rise to four main themes, namely, "overload", "challenges with education", "unawareness", "establishing connection", and "lack of initiatives related to policy". The results showed a number of obstacles that Lebanese nursing students believed were in the path of providing person‐centered care. These obstacles included organisational issues like time restraints and an intense workload, as well as interaction difficulties with patients and healthcare teams, and educational issues like insufficient instruction in person‐centered care concepts during nursing programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how neoliberalism impedes the emergence of alternative organizations. Via a mix of (auto‐)ethnography and memory work, it explains how neoliberal values replacing more traditional ones eroded the collective capacity to bring solutions to scarcity problems in today's Lebanon. It points to the stigmatization of the role of mothers, who once were the "guardians" of organizing around commons, and the alternative values necessary for that. It shows how neoliberal values undermined relationships and decisions based on affect, and promoted individualization and market‐based expertise, thereby destroying the authority of traditional motherhood. Also, neoliberalism introduced the importance of branding and accumulation in a manner that made sharing very difficult. These changes in values prevented people who embraced neoliberal culture from benefiting from commoning practices in a context of scarcity. This happens at a time where scholars predict the end of the age of abundance and the importance of commoning as a social arrangement capable of ensuring overall well‐being. The paper concludes with a discussion of the necessity of de‐stigmatizing values that are not compatible with the neoliberal ideology for the sake of leaving open the possibility of organizing differently and adapting to a changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in initially node-positive patients is still controversial. We aim to evaluate the oncologic outcomes of SLNB after NACT and further compare the results between those who were initially node-negative and node-positive. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort that included patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and had surgical management between January 2010 and December 2016. Survival and recurrence data after 3–5 years were collected from patients' records. We divided patients into Group A who were initially nodenegative and had SLNB ± axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and Group B who were node-positive and had SLNB ± ALND. Results: Among initially node-negative patients, 43 out of 63 patients did SLNB (Group A). However, among initially node-positive patients only 28 out of 123 patients did SLNB (Group B). Out of the 71 patients who did SLNB after NACT, 26 patients had positive SLNs with only 14 patients who further underwent ALND. The identification rate of SLNB was 100% in Group A and 96.4% in Group B. The survival curves by nodal status showed no significant difference between overall survival and recurrence-free survival at 5 years between patients in Group A versus Group. Conclusion: The results suggest that in properly selected patients, SLNB can be feasible after NACT. Our results resemble the reported literature on accuracy of SLNB after NACT and adds to the growing pool of data on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a summary of two books that examine the role of civil servants in organizations and their impact on policies. The first book focuses on the World Bank and its policy development over 32 years, while the second book explores the influence of globalization on civil service systems in four Middle Eastern and North African countries. Both books offer valuable insights into the role of professionals in organizations and their influence on policies. The article also discusses the influence of globalization on national civil service systems, particularly in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. It emphasizes the importance of evaluating development policies from both international and national perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in under‐resourced contexts are prone to constraining factors influencing their interactive and technological pedagogical choices. To cast light on this population of EFL teachers' technology‐integrated interactive teaching practices, such as technology‐assisted project‐based language learning (TAPBLL), this study examines EFL teachers' perceptions of TAPBLL before and after its implementation in Lebanon, Libya, and Syria. Survey and interview data were collected from 25 EFL teachers. The interviews were conducted via WebEx and Zoom between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. The analysis of the data was guided by a phenomenological approach and the author identified themes from the participants' responses. The findings reveal that all teachers in the three contexts perceive TAPBLL as a desired teaching approach although they encountered a number of challenges when attempting to implement it. The findings provide implications for further research and teacher professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance appraisal requires interactions between managers and employees and as such can be highly sensitive to differences in cultural values. This can be challenging when multinational enterprises (MNEs) are active across different institutional contexts, particularly when operating in the culturally complex Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this qualitative study, we apply institutional theory to explore how performance appraisal practices are implemented and internalized in MNE subsidiaries in the MENA region through manager–employee interactions. A total of 117 interviews were conducted with different headquarter and subsidiary stakeholders (managers and employees) of four French MNEs operating in Lebanon and Tunisia. The findings indicate that, during implementation, performance appraisal criteria, evaluation, and feedback were adapted based on socio‐cultural values to achieve internalization. Such values include the emotional relationship between managers and employees, the fear of losing face, high power distance, the desire to avoid confrontation, and high‐context communication. Insights for future research are presented regarding the viability of MNEs operating in the MENA region implementing corporate performance appraisal practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper presents one of the first bioarchaeological studies on dental disease and dietary patterns in coastal Phoenicia during the Roman period, focusing on the dentition of 145 adults from the contemporary and geographically proximal sites of Byblos, Beirut, and Tyre. Pathological conditions of the oral cavity and dental wear were used to assess intra‐assemblage and inter‐assemblage differences. Byblos in almost all instances exhibited higher levels of dental diseases and wear than Beirut and Tyre, suggesting a greater consumption of carbohydrates but also poorer oral hygiene and greater mechanical stress (dental wear) in this community. This difference between Beirut/Tyre and Byblos may be explained by the politico‐economic status of these cities as textual sources highlight the economic and political prowess of Beirut and Tyre due to their status as colonia. In addition, within each assemblage females generally exhibited higher caries (and associated periapical cavities and ante‐mortem tooth loss) than males. Although dental caries may be linked to nondietary factors, these patterns may support a more cariogenic diet for females in agreement with literary accounts reciting gender‐based divisions in Roman society, at least to the extent that these would manifest in dietary patterns. The findings from this study offer important insights into major and understudied communities along the Phoenician coast. Yet, further research is required, employing complementary methods (e.g., isotopic analysis and dental calculus microdebris) and including larger datasets of Roman Phoenician assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective narcissism is a belief in ingroup greatness which is contingent on external validation. A lack of research on collective narcissism amongst non‐Western contexts and minority groups remains a challenge for the field. However, here we test two types of collective narcissism (sectarian and national) as differential predictors of two dimensions of collective violence beliefs (against outgroup members and leaders) in a large, diverse, community sample from Lebanon (N = 778). We found that sectarian narcissism (narcissism related to smaller political and religious ingroup identity) predicted support for collective violence against members of different sects, while national narcissism predicted opposition to such collective violence. Neither form of collective narcissism had any significant relationship with collective violence against outgroup leaders. We controlled for both sectarian and national identification and found no significant effects in predicting either one of the two dimensions of collective violence beliefs. In this non‐Western context, in which a coherent national identity is undermined by sectarianism, national narcissism seems to be a progressive motivator for unity and social change, while sectarian narcissism is rather associated with extreme attitudes, such as support for collective violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sun exposure is an extrinsic risk factor for skin aging, wrinkle formation, and the development of skin cancer, namely melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Sun protection measures have emerged as an important means of preventing these harmful effects. Studies have shown that sexual minority men have a greater prevalence of skin cancer than heterosexual men. Aims: There is limited research investigating the reasons behind this risk of skin cancer development. This is especially important because identifying preventable risk factors, like those pertaining to sun exposure behaviors, can be targeted in the fight against skin cancer and help establish screening tools and preventive interventions for the SGM community. This study focused on members of the SGM community and demonstrated their tendency not to use sun‐protective measures, as well as their deficits in knowledge of skin cancer prevention. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross‐sectional study that investigates sun protection practices and trends among adults in Lebanon's SGM community using a survey. It includes adults aged 18–80 that were recruited from the dermatology clinics at AUBMC as well as LGBTQ+ organizations Helm and SIDC. Results: A total of 129 participants took part in the study and completed the survey. Reasons for tanning varied among our participants: tanning to get a color (13.1%), tanning to get vitamin D (4.6%), tanning socially (6.9%), and tanning for mood elevation (0.8%). No significant association was found between sexual orientation and SPF use (p = 0.167). No significant association was found between sexual orientation and tanning frequency during summer (p‐value: 0.231). Similarly, no significant association was noted between sexual orientation and tanning bed use (0.951). No significant association was noted between the type of job and SPF use (p = 0.601). Despite no significance between SPF use and the highest educational degree attained (p = 0.070), the tendency to use SPF increased with higher levels of education. Moreover, awareness of sun‐induced skin cancer did not significantly affect SPF use (p = 0.067). However, a significant association was found between the information source for skin cancer and SPF use (p < 0.001) where participants receiving information from dermatologists displayed notably higher SPF use (72.2%), compared to those obtaining information from media (18.2%) or family and friends (5.3%). Discussion: Surveying the perception of the Lebanese SGM community towards sun damage and their adaptive practices to prevent it can help implement and gear a nation‐wide campaign to spread proper awareness about this subject. Studying their behavioral tendencies for not using sunscreen can help overcome this contributing risk factor for skin cancers. Conclusion: Future investigations have yet to identify confounding variables contributing to higher levels of skin cancers in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with severe social, political, and economic challenges, Lebanon is described as a weak state. Argued to be a key factor weakening the formal institutions there, is the prevalent practice of wasta. This article seeks to answer two questions: (1) Why is wasta prevalent in a business environment characterised by weak formal institutions, such as Lebanon? (2) How can managers navigate the use of wasta in the Lebanese business context where it prevails, avoiding its negative outcomes while utilizing its positive outcomes? Fourteen semi‐structured interviews were conducted of managers from the Lebanese industrial sector. The findings highlight that wasta is used due to the networked nature of Lebanese society, economic hardship, widespread corruption and to maintain power. It was found that wasta could be beneficial in securing jobs, removing red tape, and gaining employment for humanitarian reasons. Finally, the negative outcomes of using wasta were found to include the employment of unqualified individuals, a reduction of organizations' productivity and a further weakening of formal institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial canker of stone fruits caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum (Psm race‐1/Psm race‐2) may lead to significant yield and crop losses in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivation areas in Türkiye. Strains pathogenic to apricot were isolated from trees with symptoms (mainly necrotized buds and dieback) of bacterial canker in orchards in Aras Basin. Pathogens were characterized using pathogenicity tests, phenotypic assays, end‐point PCR and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). Fifteen Pseudomonas syringae strains were isolated from 205 plant samples collected from apricot orchards showing symptoms of bacterial canker. As a consequence of the diagnostic tests, all isolates were identified as P. syringae pv. syringae. In this study, Pss, Psm R1 and Psm R2 strains in stone fruits were separated into different phylogroups (Pg‐2, Pg‐3, sPg‐1b) based on MLSA. Turkish strains obtained from stone fruits, particularly apricot, showed genetic heterogeneity, and clustered in different sub‐phylogroups (sPg‐2b, sPg‐2c, sPg‐2d). All these strains except strain K258 are also clustered in the same sub‐phylogroups (sPg‐2b and sPg‐2d) with other strains from different countries especially Iran, Lebanon, etc. Strain K258 isolated from apricot was clustered in sPg‐2c with Pss strain 642 (USA). The risk of bacterial canker disease in apricot growing areas is considered using GIS in this study. It was determined that a significant part of the Iğdır Plain, the biggest agricultural area in the Aras Basin, is at very high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge concerning the reconciliation of work and life in developing countries with weak labour protection and little governmental support (e.g. statutory work–life support) is still very limited. In this mixed‐method study, we explore how employees manage their work and nonwork responsibilities in Lebanon—a developing country with poor national and organisational work–life support. Findings from a qualitative study of 10 blue‐ (BC),10 white‐collar (WC) workers and 10 HR professionals from companies in various industries identified contextual challenges and strategies to reconcile work and nonwork responsibilities. In a quantitative study based on a survey of 269 employees, we examined the effect of family supportive supervisor behaviour (FSSB) for different groups of workers and explored one potential mechanism of FSSB, namely, schedule fit. Results show that FSSB increases employees' perceptions of schedule fit, which, in turn, minimises their work–life conflict (WLC). We also found that BC workers seem to benefit more from FSSB than WC workers. We inform work–life research on less supportive contexts and offer practical recommendations for HR managers to operate successfully within these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outcrop analogues play a key role in the characterization of subsurface carbonate platforms. The lack of well data and relevant outcrop analogues can result in the misinterpretation of seismic data. To address this issue, we apply an integrated workflow based on sedimentology, geophysics and petrophysics on outcrop analogues present onshore Lebanon, to constrain the carbonate platform's properties on onshore seismic data. A thorough sedimentary description is completed for a 400‐m‐thick Cenomanian–Turonian carbonate platform located in Kfarhelda, northern Lebanon. P‐wave velocity is acquired directly on the outcrop, and the petrophysical properties are measured on 44 samples. A 1D synthetic seismogram is computed with Ricker wavelet 25 Hz resembling seismic resolution. The resulting reflectors are mainly (1) high amplitude reflectors at the limit between two facies with contrasting physical properties enhanced by diagenesis, (2) moderate amplitude reflectors corresponding to stratigraphic limits at the transition between facies and (3) very low amplitude reflectors in karstified units. The integration of outcrop and seismic data is based on the generation of the synthetic seismogram to identify the geological origin of reflectors. The best fit between the synthetic seismic and seismic profile is used to interpret a seismic facies representing bedded limestones of Sannine and Maameltain formations (Cenomanian–Turonian). Two other distinctive reflectors are identified at the boundary of the Marly Limestone Zone, and the Channel facies unit characterized by bioclastic packstone to floatstone. This study highlights the importance of using outcrop analogues to identify the seismic signal of stratigraphic sequences and improve the interpretation of onshore seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study constructs a multidimensional livelihood index (MLI) using data from Syrian refugees in Lebanon to identify households who are currently poor. The MLI is then used to predict households' vulnerability to future poverty using a three‐stage Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) model. The analysis identifies more precisely which households and geographical locations are vulnerable to experiencing prolonged poverty. This study is among the first to adapt the multidimensional poverty framework to the context of protracted forced displacement. The approach provides insights into how humanitarian and development organizations can more optimally target assistance to alleviate immediate and future poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies collective memory in divided societies. To do so, we begin by studying national memory in civil societies, where the nature of this memory is hegemonic. We use Gramsci's concept of hegemony to explain national memories in civil societies and differentiate it from that of contested memories in divided places. In order to explain memory in divided societies, we apply Ibn Khaldoun's concepts of 'aAsabiyah and Istitba'. Societies deeply divided tend to have contested memories at two levels: within a community which creates an internal other and outside the community where groups compete to impose their memory at the state level. We use examples from Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Bosnia‐Herzeogvina to explain the memory dynamics from a Khaldounian perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the molecular profile of borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) in the Lebanese population by whole‐exome sequencing and to correlate the results with the patients' clinical profiles. Methods: We included in this retrospective study 33 tumors belonging to 32 Lebanese women presenting with BOT, diagnosed at Hôtel Dieu de France. A total of 234 genes involved in different germinal and somatic types of cancer were analyzed using next‐generation sequencing. Results: Molecular analysis of these tumors allowed us to detect mutations in genes involved in the mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade in 57.58% of BOT and to identify variants affecting the DNA repair mechanism in 63.89% of samples. Furthermore, our initial analysis revealed an association between defects in DNA double‐strand break repair and the occurrence of mucinous BOT, in 75% of the cases. Conclusion: This study reports the molecular profiles of BOT in the Lebanese population and compares them to the literature. This is the first study associating the DNA repair pathway to BOT. Synopsis: Assessment of the molecular profile of borderline ovarian tumors in the Lebanese population by whole‐exome sequencing and correlation of the results with patients' clinical profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the lessons learned from women who died during pregnancy or childbirth in Lebanon between 2018 and 2020. Method: This is a case series and synthesis of maternal deaths between 2018 and 2020 that were reported by healthcare facilities to the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. The notes recorded from the maternal mortality review reports were analyzed using the "Three Delays" model to identify preventable causes and lessons learned. Results: A total of 49 women died before, during, or after childbirth, with hemorrhage being the most frequent cause (n = 16). The possible factors that would have prevented maternal deaths included a prompt recognition of clinical severity, availability of blood for transfusion and magnesium sulfate for eclampsia, adequate transfer to tertiary care hospitals comprising specialist care, and involvement of skilled medical staff in obstetric emergencies. Conclusion: Many maternal deaths in Lebanon are preventable. Better risk assessment, use of an obstetric warning system, access to adequately skilled human resources and medications, and improved communication and transfer mechanisms between private and tertiary care hospitals may avoid future maternal deaths. Synopsis: Maternal mortality in Lebanon can be prevented by improving referral practices between healthcare facilities, ensuring availability of essential medicines and blood products, and prompt recognition of clinical deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past 20 years have seen an expansion of walking trails across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including the Abraham Path, Palestine Heritage Trail, Jordan Trail, Israel National Trail, Lebanon Mountain Trail, and Sinai Trail. Many of those who walk these trails do so primarily for leisure, yet to relegate these trails to being merely cultural or leisure sites is to miss the less visible but equally important entanglements of space, mobility, and colonialism. The growth of these trails coincides with a context of (post)colonial and settler‐colonial mobility restrictions and the associated material and imagined infrastructures that control that movement. By attending to the im/material and state/embodied tensions of walking trails, this paper demonstrates how an innocuous‐looking site can enrich understanding of infrastructures and work exploring the mobilities and temporalities of colonialism. To understand the relationships between infrastructure and colonialism through walking trails, I employ a mixed‐method approach combining participant observation, interviews, and discourse analysis of official material pertaining to trails. Such an approach enables the productive tension between official narratives and experiences to emerge. In doing so, this paper makes three arguments surrounding the geographies of colonial infrastructures. First, how nationalism is embedded in the mobilities of trails. Second, how exploring the intimacies of infrastructure can highlight ongoing connections of capitalism and colonialism. Third, how infrastructure might be refused and imagined otherwise. In these mobilities, intimacies, and refusals an expanded geography of colonial infrastructure emerges that makes two broader contributions to geographical scholarship. First, the need to centre attention on the MENA region beyond dominant foci that orientate more readily around state or geo/political practices. Second, how a focus on walking trails centres a site in which the discursive and representative is in constant relationship and tension with the experiential and embodied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the coping strategies utilized by Muslim women entrepreneurs in the country‐specific context of crises‐laden Lebanon. In so doing, we capitalize on a qualitative interpretative methodology, drawing upon in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews. We present empirical evidence detailing how women entrepreneurs utilize Muslim feminism and various Islamic practices and values as means of coping with crises situations and contexts. We also provide insights into how the doing of gender unfolds as a coping strategy enabled by Muslim feminism in the advent of adversities. Hence, we underscore the importance of approaching religion as a social construct which is performed, as opposed to treating religion as something located outside the spheres of gender and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased interest in school psychology has been accompanied with an expansion of in‐house psychological and rehabilitation services worldwide and in Lebanon. This study aims to explore current practices of school‐based psychologists in Lebanese schools in an attempt to understand their role and inform the design of national strategies. A mixed methods design was used including a review of existing academic curricula, laws and regulations and published local research studies; interviews with stakeholders, and a survey filled by school‐based psychologists. In addition, 7 university curricula, 7 theses, and 3 dissertations were reviewed, 14 stakeholders were interviewed and 49 school‐based psychologists filled the survey. Conclusions suggest that there is no consensus about the title of this profession and its scope of practice, and the required knowledge and training to practice. This study highlighted the need to further make strategic decisions and establish this professional profile, in addition to making the needed amendments to the university curricula and the legal framework of the rules and regulations. Practitioner points: School‐based psychologists in Lebanon are not performing their roles based on international standards.School‐based psychologists lack qualifications and resources.There is a lack of proper training particularly in screening and assessing students with difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against what they considered the immoral politics of sectarianism, leading activists in Lebanon in the 2010s combined entrepreneurialism and activism to animate systemic change and build an effective nation‐state. In doing so, they created an ethicopolitical subjectivity that I call entrepreneurial activism. Entrepreneurial activists articulated an ethical politics that celebrated patriotic citizens who work autonomously on both individual moralities and political structures. Examining activist biographical accounts that tied entrepreneurialism to imaginations of change and revolution in Lebanon, this ethnography reveals both the possibilities and limitations of the middle‐class politics of entrepreneurial activism. Translocal encounters between the middle class, the aspirational middle class, and the returning diaspora entangled globalized projects of active citizenship and social entrepreneurship with lived experiences of war and leftist legacies in Lebanon. Fostering social mobilization and new ways of doing politics, entrepreneurial activism is a compelling case in which moral and political imaginations co‐constitute each other, and in which entrepreneurialism cannot be reduced to neoliberalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High fasting plasma glucose (FPG) has been listed as one of the risk factors for bladder cancer. We here estimated the global, regional, and national levels of bladder cancer burden attributable to high FPG from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Bladder cancer data attributable to high FPG were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, and analyzed by age, sex, year, and location. Age‐standardized rates were utilized to evaluate the burden between different populations. The temporal trend of the burden was estimated through the Joinpoint analysis. Results: In 2019, high FPG contributed to 22,823.33 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 4694.88–48,962.26) deaths and 399,654.91 (95% UI, 81,609.35–865,890.95) disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of bladder cancer globally. Since 1990, the global age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer attributable to high FPG increased apparently by 39.18% and 41.48%, respectively. During the last 30 years, high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer have increased in all countries. In 2019, Central Europe showed the greatest high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer, but Andean Latin America had the lowest rates. Nationally, Lebanon showed the greatest high FPG‐related age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer in 2019. High FPG‐attributable deaths and DALYs of bladder cancer were more considerable among males and older people. Countries with high SDI showed higher levels of age‐standardized death and DALY rates of bladder cancer due to high FPG and presented remarkable upward trends in rates in the last 30 years. Conclusions: Globally, the high FPG‐associated bladder cancer burden has remarkably increased in all countries, and showed a higher level among countries with higher SDI. Monitoring FPG levels among patients with bladder cancer is critical to lower the corresponding burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paediatric complex wounds pose a challenge to the reconstructive surgeon due to the intricacy of reconstructive options required. Developments in microsurgery and microsurgical technique have brought free tissue transfer ever closer to the comfort zone of the reconstructive surgeon for reconstruction of paediatric traumatic complex wounds. We present our experience of microsurgical reconstruction in Lebanon for complex traumatic wounds in paediatric patients under the age of 10 years using the free anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap. The ALT flap has proven its value as a safe, adaptable, and aesthetically acceptable reconstructive option in paediatric complex trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the demand side of social contracts. It asks what people expect from their governments. Drawing on original, nationally representative surveys in Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon, it explores popular preferences for the three possible government deliverables in social contracts: provision of social and economic services, protection from physical harm and political participation. Findings reveal that citizens expect governments to deliver all three 'Ps' (even if this costs a price), yet preferring provision over protection and participation if they have to prioritize. Findings do not show robust preferences among social groups identified by economic, gender, educational and communal differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Arabic version of the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES‐Ar) among a sample of Lebanese young adults. A total of 402 Lebanese university students and their contacts were recruited for the study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) investigated the structure of the scale. The CFA for investigating a four‐factor solution using all items showed the fit indices were acceptable (χ2/df = 1803.15/489 = 3.69; RMSEA = 0.082 [0.078–0.086]; CFI = 0.88; TLI = 0.87) but the loading of the negatively worded items 5, 28 and 33 were low on their respective factors. When testing the four‐factor model after removing items 5, 28 and 33, the results improved further with good fit indices of the model (χ2/df = 1383.184/399 = 3.46, RMSEA = 0.078 [0.074–0.0832], CFI = 0.91 and TLI = 0.90) and good factor loading of each item on each factor, respectively. No measurement invariance was found between genders. The AES‐Ar Cronbach's α was excellent (0.976). Higher Assessing Emotions Scale‐Ar scores, based on the 30 positively worded items, were significantly associated with greater self‐esteem (r =.547; p <.001), and less depression (r = −.295; p <.001). Our results suggest that the AES‐Ar is appropriate for use to measure emotional intelligence in Arabic‐speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I explore the possibility that interruptions in in situ interviews can support understandings of power and social relations in research. I base my discussion on an extract from a study of young people's experiences of rapid urbanisation in Central Beqaa, Lebanon. The extract is from an interview with a young man who was continually interrupted by his mother. I problematise a tendency to silence these interruptions in the research process by considering how interruptions can reveal the social architecture in which young people are embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the barriers and drivers relating to telecommuting as a mode of work in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Using a qualitative research design, data from 30 interviews conducted with employees from different departments and specialties in Lebanon were analysed. The results reveal three main themes, namely, technological context, organisational context and national context in relation to the experiences of workers telecommuting during the pandemic. There are limited studies that examine telecommuting in the Middle East region in general and in Lebanon in particular. The study highlights the benefits of telecommuting and offers several organisational and contextual implications that would enhance the adoption of telecommuting in the Middle East region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]