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Understanding the reproductive biology of aquatic biota is essential for better management and sustainability of coastal ecosystems and aquaculture development. The bivalve Paphia textile (Gmelin 1971) also known as Paratapes textilis, has an economic value in Indo-Pacific waters and the Red Sea. P. textile suffers from extensive fishing and exploitation. The current work aims to study the reproductive cycle of P. textile for the first time in the Egyptian waters of the Red Sea. Samples were collected monthly from two saline lakes at the Suze Gulf from December 2019 to November 2020. As part of the comprehensive research study, sex ratio, condition index, sexuality, histological analysis of the gonad maturity stages, shell size at maturity, and gonad index, were used to investigate the reproductive cycle. The results revealed that the sex ratio was male biased possibly due to anthropogenic stressors. Paphia textile has dioecious sexuality and hermaphroditism is lacking. The condition index in winter and spring indicates periods dominated by mature individuals. Five reproductive maturity stages were assigned for P. textile males and females. The prevailing warm water year-round could be the reason behind the lack of successive stages of gonad maturity and periodicity. The study indicates that gonad development is a function of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll. The Paphia textile shell sizes at which 50% of the population reached maturity ranged between 28 mm and 34 mm for females and males, respectively. A gonad index indicates the ripe stages. Study findings suggest the most suitable temperature for aquaculture spawning is between 20 ◦C and 30 ◦C in subtropical waters, and fishing should be prohibited at sizes less than 28.60 mm in general for males and females for better management and sustainability of this aquatic resource.

Background Given the diversity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms including cognitive impairment in certain domains, the need to develop a rapid and at the same time thorough tool for cognitive assessment is mandatory and represents an unmet need in the clinical and research fields of MS. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) is a good and practical tool to achieve this mission but is not present in the Arabic language for Arabic speaking countries yet. Objectives To assess the reliability and validity of Arabic version of the BICAMS (Egyptian dialect). Methods Ninety Egyptian MS patients and 85 matched healthy controls underwent neuropsychological testing using the BICAMS Arabic version (Egyptian dialect) battery including the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT), California Verbal Learning Test 2nd edition (CVLT-II), and revised Brief Visuospatial Retention Test- (BVRT-R). Test–retest data were obtained from MS patients 2 weeks after the initial assessment. Mean differences between both groups were assessed controlling for age, gender, and educational level. Results The MS patients scored significantly lower on the SDMT, CVLT-II, and BVMT-R tests compared to healthy controls (pr values of 0.85, 0.61, and 0.68, respectively. Conclusion BICAMS Arabic version is a reliable and valid tool for cognitive assessment of Arabic speaking MS patients in different clinical and research settings.

This paper investigates differences between the external auditors’ (EA) and the internal auditors’ (IA) perceptions of the degree of usage and compliance with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Standards for the Professional Practices of Internal Auditing (Standards) by internal audit departments. The research uses survey-based questionnaires sent to IAs and EAs of the listed firms registered in an emerging market and included interviews with individuals involved in the internal auditing function (IAF) and EAs. The survey analyzes issues relating to IAF compliance with IIA standards summarized in the Common Body of Knowledge Database (CBOK). Social identity and stakeholders’ theories are used to explain the development of the research hypotheses in relation to IAF. The research indicates that the rates of conformance for the selected individual standards vary significantly among respondents. The findings provide evidence that there are low levels of interactions between IAs and EAs in emerging markets. This study is considered among the first that surveys the status of the use of the professional IIA standards in listed firms in an emerging economy. It also investigates the importance of ensuring that the “spirit” of the IIA standards is adhered to rather than the mere compliance with their “letters”. The paper emphasizes the gap still existing in practice between IAs and EAs in relation to their interactions, communication, and cooperation to enhance the quality of the IAF activities and related financial reporting. The research study relied on a sample of companies to investigate the level of compliance with IIAs standards and selected a limited number of the IIA standards for usage and compliance assessments.

Background The traditional paper and pencil method for EDSS calculation (pEDSS) is the cornerstone of multiple sclerosis practice; however, it requires an expert for an accurate calculation, and it takes a lot of time to perform the function scores. A new algorithmic approach (aEDSS) has been developed for easier and faster assessment. Objective To determine if using aEDSS can achieve good inter-rater agreement and save time compared to pEDSS. Subjects and methods This study was conducted on 200 MS patients; EDSS was performed twice for each patient by two neurologists on the same day; one used the pEDSS, and the other used the aEDSS in a random order to test the inter-rater agreement regarding functional system scores and the final EDSS score and to detect the difference in the time needed for calculation between both methods. Results The new algorithmic approach achieved excellent agreement with the traditional method (Kappa > 0.81) with a shorter calculation time (16 ± 2.67 min for aEDSS vs 31 ± 4.3 min for pEDSS, P < 0.0001). Conclusion The new algorithmic approach could represent a suitable alternative to the traditional method, making EDSS calculation easier and faster.

BACKGROUND The safety of Ramadan fasting for Muslim patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) is still a matter of debate. This work aimed to study the clinical course of MS during Ramadan fasting and to clarify the predictors of relapses and symptoms exacerbation. METHODS This retrospective study included 153 Muslim patients with MS. Data related to the disease course before Ramadan were obtained from patients' files, whereas data related to the disease activity during Ramadan, were collected from patients over the two months following Ramadan. RESULTS Patients with MS who experienced relapses, exacerbation of symptoms and development of new symptoms during Ramadan had a statistically significant longer disease duration compared to those who did not experience (P < 0.001

Background Aging is associated with changes in cognitive functions. However, many other factors may affect cognitive functions and this interaction needs further assessment. Objectives To detect gender differences in sleep quality, nutritional status, and health-related quality of life and their impact on performance in verbal fluency tasks among apparently healthy elderly. Subjects and methods The study was conducted on 102 normal aged subjects, 51 males and 51 females. Subjects were divided according to age into group ≥ 60 years and group Results Among the older group, females had significantly poorer physical and mental health, sleep quality and nutritional status than males (p value 0.001, 0.003, 0.012, and 0.014, respectively). Older females had significantly lower performance in verbal fluency (girls’ names) compared to younger females (p value 0.013), but no significant gender difference was found among the older group. Verbal fluency tasks are correlated to the level of education in both males and females (r 0.392 and 0.42, p value 0.029 and 0.019, respectively), However, in older males, it is also correlated to sleep latency (r 0.41 and p value 0.021). Conclusion Older females had poorer sleep quality, lower health-related quality of life and lower nutritional status. No gender difference was found in verbal fluency tasks. Although no single variable could independently affect verbal fluency, education remains the main player in the difference in performance.

Purpose This study aims to investigate factors affecting students’ satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study uses quantitative data. A survey of 280 respondents, representing undergraduate students in business schools in Cairo, Egypt is conducted. The survey includes both public and private universities. The participants are questioned about their opinions and attitudes toward satisfaction with online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings The findings of this study reveal that Egyptian university students prefer to use synchronous teaching methods using different platforms. Attending virtual sessions and real-time conference call classes are the most preferred mode of delivery as perceived by the respondents. Also, the results of this study found that the internet, platform, class time, loss of interest, motivation and self-motivation and use of online exams as an assessment can be considered as the factors that significantly affect students’ satisfaction with online learning in Egypt. Originality/value To the best of the knowledge, this study is among the first group of studies in Muslim emerging countries that explore the factors affecting students’ satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Prevalence of central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) increases with age. Central auditory dysfunction is also more prevalent in older people with mild memory impairment ...

BACKGROUND The importance of verbal fluency tasks as a cornerstone in cognitive assessment is now well acknowledged, as they provide fast, reliable tools for assessment of both verbal and executive function abilities. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of age and education on verbal fluency and to develop a verbal fluency task that is culture-oriented and non-education-based to overcome the problem of illiteracy in Egypt. METHODS Two groups of participants were recruited, a normal cognition control group (n=79) and a clinically demented group (n=32). Phonemic verbal fluency was tested by asking participants to generate as many words as they could think of starting with the Arabic letter Haa; category fluency was evaluated using four semantic categories (animals, fruits, vegetables, and names). RESULTS Animal, vegetable, and name fluency tasks (unlike phonemic fluency and fruit) were not related to age and education, and they had better criterion validity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]=0.96, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively) than did letters and fruits (AUC=0.74 and 0.86, respectively). Our suggested cutoff points are 11 for the animal fluency task (sensitivity=94%, specificity=93%), 11 for vegetables (sensitivity=84%, specificity=88%), and 18 for names (sensitivity=91%, specificity=82%). CONCLUSIONS Animals, vegetables, and names are reliable and appropriate categories to be used for culture-oriented and non-education-based verbal fluency tests.

As many other metals, aluminum is a widely recognized neurotoxicant and its link with neurodegenerative disorders has been the subject of scientific debate. One proposal focuses on amyloid β deposition (amyloidogenesis) as the key player in triggering neuronal dysfunction the so-called amyloid cascade hypothesis. We undertook this study first to investigate the cognition status of workers exposed to Al dust in an Al factory in Southern Cairo, second, to evaluate serum amyloid precursor protein (APP) and cathepsin D (CD) enzyme activity to study the possible role of Al in amyloidogenesis, and finally to explore the relation between these potential biomarkers and cognitive functions. The study was conducted on 54 exposed workers and 51 matched controls. They were subjected to questionnaire, neurological examination and a cognitive test battery, Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination - Revised (ACE-R). Serum Al, APP and CD enzyme activity were measured. A significant increase of serum Al was found in the exposed workers with an associated increase in serum APP and decrement in CD activity. The exposed workers displayed poor performance on the ACE-R test. No significant correlation was detected between ACE-R test total score and either APP or CD activity. We concluded that occupational exposure to Al is associated with cognitive impairment. The effect of occupational Al exposure on the serum levels of APP and CD activity may be regarded as a possible mechanism of Al in amyloidogenesis. However, our findings do not support the utility of serum APP and CD activity as screening markers for early or preclinical cognitive impairment.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in the degree of usage and compliance with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Standards for the Professional Practices of Internal Auditing (Standards) by the Egyptian listed companies’ internal audit departments. This paper shows the differences among the external and the internal auditors’ perceptions concerning the level of use and compliance with these standards. Design/methodology/approach – Survey based on questionnaires sent to the internal auditors and the external auditors of the Egyptian listed firms registered in the Egyptian Institute of Directors indicator of corporate governance in 2010. This survey was conducted in March 2014 about various topics relating to internal auditing which were summarized in the Common Body of Knowledge 2006 database in relation to compliance with the IIA standards that are important to enhance its role in corporate governance. Findings – The research shows significant levels of variation in the responses concerning usage and compliance with Professional Practices standards of the internal and external auditors. Standards 1100 “Independence and objectivity” and 2100 “Nature of work” show variations in relation to compliance among survey respondents while Standards 1300, “Quality Assurance and Improvement Program” respondents indicated high levels of non-compliance. The findings provide evidence that there are no minimal qualifications level required to appoint the internal auditors and low levels of interactions between the internal auditors and the external auditors. Originality/value – According to the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first that surveyed the status of the use of the IIA Standards in the Egyptian listed firms characterized by having good corporate governance practices from the perspectives of the internal and external auditors of the same companies. This study also investigated the importance of ensuring that the “spirit” of the IIA standards is adhered to rather than the mere compliance with their “letters”. Limitations – The research study relied on a sample of companies for investigating the level of compliance with IIAs standards as well as selected some of the IIA standards for usage and compliance assessments.