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Technology and digital communications have advanced so that digital photos, videos, or text may be easily manipulated by those not authorized to do so. In addition, the availability of specialized picture editing programs like Photoshop has simplified the process of altering photographs. At first glance, there may seem to be no problem, especially when an image editing method is necessary to delete or add a certain scene that increases the picture’s beauty. But what about personal images or images with copyright? Attempts are constantly made to spoof these images using different approaches. Therefore, measures to reduce the likelihood of counterfeiting in digital and printed forms of media are required. The proposed approach aims to detect a counterfeit in images using a unique generator that conceals the data represented by the embedded watermark utilizing modern visual cryptography and hash algorithms. Image extractions may easily be analyzed for signs of forgery. As a result, our approach will detect and validate phony documents and images.

Millions of pilgrims and visitors from numerous parts of the world flock to Karbala (one of the most prominent ideological and religious places in central Iraq) each year to visit the holy shrines in Karbala due to their sanctity. Many improvements have been made to the Two Holy Shrines (THS), the Shrines of Imam Husayn and Imam Abbas, and the area between them (ATHS), due to the high temperatures in this region and to improve pedestrian thermal comfort. Studies on improving outdoor thermal comfort in Karbala are scarce. Hence, this research aims to look into historical and current architectural changes and how they affect thermal comfort. On the hottest summer day, the ENVI-met software program was used to simulate the building design and calculate the impact of vegetation on outdoor thermal comfort. According to the findings, trees of medium-density in a compacted arrangement should be used nearby built-up structures in newly planned urban regions. In existing urban plots, the best approach is to use free blank areas (e.g. car parks) to set trees of medium-density, as well as plant along large pedestrian and driving routes. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-05-08 Full Text: PDF

Objective: To assess family practitioners’ attitudes toward and awareness of evidence-based medicine in Egypt. Introduction: Evidence based medicine (EBM) is a systematic approach to medicine in which health care professionals use the best available scientific evidence to help make decisions about the care of individual patients. The use of evidence-based medicine may help plan the best treatment and improve quality of care and patient outcomes. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 135 family physicians from Rural and urban family medicine centres throughout Egypt that are affiliated with Ministry of Health and the private sector by using self- administered Evidence-Based Medicine Questionnaire distributed between October and November 2020. Results: With a 100% response rate most of the participants were females 91 (68.9%), aged between 30-39 (73.3 %), and worked in mixed urban and rural settings (53.3%). Most physicians welcomed or strongly welcomed the use of EBM (54.1% and 38.2% respectively). Moreover, 97% of the respondents agreed that EBM is useful or extremely useful.The majority (98.5% ) agreed that EBM improves patient care. . About 71% of the participants thought that the adoption of EBM will add more load on the family medicine practitioners Conclusion: Egyptian family physicians generally have a good attitude towards EBM, however their general knowledge about it is still insufficient. Keywords: Guidelines, Standards, Care pathways, Africa, Quality of health care

To study the effect of ground water salinity and sodicity on some soilchemical properties, the selected area under study comprised the nearestnorthern fringes of Qaroun lake shoreline, which considered as the main outletof drainage water of El Fayoum Governorate via many drainage canals. Theparent materials of most lands are more related to calcareous coarse texturednature. These soils were put under reclamation in sequence more than tenyears ago, and most of their lands were put under cultivation. The newlycultivation, surface irrigation and the insufficient drainage system make up water ground table raised. In general, soil chemical properties showed thatmost of the soil profiles under investigation suffer from salinity appearances.Therefore, it is accepted that such soils might need to reclamation andamelioration processes. The relationships between different soil variables andground water characteristics reflect highly positive correlation between soilsalinity and ground water salinity, whereas, the reverse was observed withground water depth, which showed a negative and highly significantcorrelation.In order to permanently improve the studied soil area , it is necessary to notonly leach salts , but also to have adequate drainage .The drainage systemmust provide a lot amounts let for the removal of the leachates as well as keep the water table deep enough to prevent salt ground water from moving up tothe root zone . Gypsum must be added according to gypsum requirements.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) features elevated oxidative stress and accelerated atherosclerosis driven by elevated levels of atherogenic lipoproteins relative to subnormal levels of atheroprotective high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Small, dense HDL3 potently protects low-density lipoprotein (LDL) against proinflammatory oxidative damage.To determine whether antioxidative and/or anti-inflammatory activities of HDL are defective in FH and whether such defects are corrected by LDL apheresis.Antioxidative and antiinflammatory activities of HDL were evaluated as protection of reference LDL from oxidative stress and capacity to prevent accumulation of proinflammatory oxidised lipids, respectively. Lipid surface rigidity of HDL was assessed using a fluorescent probe. HDL components were measured by analytical approaches. Systemic oxidative stress was characterized as plasma 8-isoprostanes.Pre-LDL-apheresis, FH patients (n = 10) exhibited elevated systemic oxidative stress (3.3-fold, P0.001) vs. sex- and age-matched normolipidemic controls (n = 10). Both antioxidative and antiinflammatory activity of HDL3 were impaired (up to -91%, P0.01) in FH. Sphingomyelin and saturated fatty acid contents were elevated in FH HDL3, resulting in enhanced lipid surface rigidity. The surface lipid content (phospholipids, free cholesterol) was reduced in FH (up to -15%, P0.001), whereas content of core lipids (cholesteryl esters, triglycerides) was elevated (up to +17%, P0.001). Molar apolipoprotein A-I content of HDL3 was subnormal in FH. A single LDL-apheresis session partially corrected (by up to 76%) deficient HDL antiatherogenic activities, attenuated systemic oxidative stress and partially normalised both the lipid composition and surface rigidity of HDL particles.FH features elevated oxidative stress and deficient antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of small, dense HDL3; such functional deficiency is intimately linked to anomalies in lipid and protein composition, which may impair the capacity of HDL to acquire and inactivate oxidized lipids.

Objectives Zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) is specifically expressed in the pancreatic β-cell and is more restricted in its tissue distribution than other auto-antigens as glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD 65 ) and insulinoma-associated antigen-2 (IA2). ZnT8 autoantibodies (ZnT8A) assessment allows identifying rapid progression to clinical onset of the disease. We evaluated the prevalence of ZnT8A in adults of different ethnic and phenotypic groups and analyzed its potential utility as additional marker of autoimmunity in daily practice. Methods ZnT8A, GADA and IA2A were assessed using enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) in 160 controls and 216 diabetic subjects. 105 were of type 1 diabetes (T1D), 17 had Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults (LADA), 38 were type 2 diabetic (T2D) and 56 had ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD). 82 patients were newly diagnosed cases. Results ZnT8A were detected in 1% of controls and were not found in any of our 38 T2D subjects or 56 KPD subjects. In contrast, ZnT8A were detected in 18% of LADA subjects and in 38% of T1D subjects. A slight difference of percentage of ZnT8A positivity was found among our T1D ethnic groups. ZnT8A were positive in 41% of patients positive for GADA and 67% of patients positive for IA2A. The percentage of stratification achieved 91% when GADA, IA2A and ZnT8A were assessed simultaneously. Conclusions Results obtained for ZnT8A measurement using ELISA were consistent with previous data. Such investigation could improve the risk stratification and would be integrated in our daily practice.

Background and objective 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] is the most important vitamin D metabolite in regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism and bone resorption. It is measured in plasma for diagnosis and management of patients with disorders influencing vitamin D metabolism. The most common methods for 1,25(OH)2D quantification are competitive isotopic I125 immunoassays. The purpose of this work is to compare the IDS isotopic immunoassay (IDS RIA) and the nonisotopic iSYS immunoassay (IDS iSYS) for 1,25(OH)2D measurement in human serum and in control samples obtained from the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme (DEQAS). Methods 1,25(OH)2D concentrations in 180 serum samples (87 females and 93 males) and in 25 samples from the DEQAS were assayed using IDS RIA and IDS iSYS methods. Both assays were performed after delipidation and immunoextraction steps. Measurement range was 9.0–348.0 pmol/L and 15.6–504.0 pmol/L for IDS RIA and IDS iSYS assay, respectively. ‘Normal adult’ reference ranges of 1,25(OH)2D were 43–168 pmol/L for IDS RIA and 63–228 pmol/L for IDS iSYS. Results The equation of the Deming regression analysis demonstrated that IDS iSYS tended to give lower 1,25(OH)2D concentrations by a mean of 20% over the tested concentration range when compared to IDS RIA. Both assays would easily meet the DEQAS goal of 80% of survey samples within 30% of the All-Laboratory Trimmed Mean “ALTM”. Results of 1,25(OH)2D obtained using IDS iSYS in samples distributed by DEQAS were closely related to those by LC–MS/MS method. Conclusions The concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D measured by the IDS iSYS tended to be lower than those of IDS RIA in patients, but quite comparable to those of LC–MS/MS and ALTM in DEQAS samples.

Despite the high number of studies that investigate effects of the market and entrepreneurial orientation on business performance, still, there is a lack of investigating effects of the technology orientations, organizational learning and market conditions on the growth of Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study is built on a research that investigates the interface between entrepreneurial orientation and SME growth in the Syrian market. It discusses the effect of strategic orientation (market, entrepreneurial and technology) on organizational learning and growth of the SMEs in Syria. Also, it discusses whether the influences of the three strategic orientations on the SME growth would be varying due to the change of market conditions. Data of this study is collected from SMEs operating in hospitality industry in the Syrian market by distributing a questionnaire in hand; the questionnaire has many questions varying 1 to 7, where 1 corresponds to strongly disagree and 7 to strongly agree, respectively. The research model of this study is tested via Structural Equation Modeling. This study provides recommendations to the SME owners on how to gain a competitive edge and sustain it through enhancing their learning capacity and strategic orientations under different market conditions. The study also offers insights for those who formulate, deliver and evaluate small, medium business policy by identifying the support needs of entrepreneurs in those areas which have not yet been adequately covered by existing national measures such as training for the development of certain skills and education of the entrepreneurs. Keywords: Small, Medium-Sized Enterprises, Strategic Orientation, Organizational Performance, Structural Equation Modeling, Syrian Markets. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ÖZ: İş performansı ile alakalı pazar ve girişimcilik yöneliminin etkilerini araştırmaya yönelik çok sayıda çalışma olmasına rağmen, Küçük Orta ölçekli işletmeler’de (KOBİ) teknoloji yönelimleri, örgütsel öğrenme ve piyasa şartlarının etkilerine dair hala araştırma eksiklikleri bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Suriye pazarında girişimcilik eğilimi ve KOBİ arasındaki büyümeyi inceleyen bir araştırma üzerine inşa edilmiştir. Yine bu çalışma ile Suriye'deki KOBİ'lerin büyümesi ve örgütsel öğrenme üzerine stratejik yönelimin etkisi (piyasa, girişimci ve teknoloji) irdelenmektedir. Ayrıca, KOBİ büyüme üzerindeki piyasa koşullarının değişikliği nedeni ile üç stratejik yönelimin etkilerinin olup olmayacağıda bu çalışma ile incelenmektdir. Bu çalışmanın verileri elden anketlerin dağıtılması ile Suriye pazarında faaliyet gösteren KOBİ işletmelerinden sağlanmıştır; Ankette sırasıyla 1’den 7’ye kadar değişen sorular bulunmaktadır, 1 “kesinlikle katılmıyorum”, 7 ise “kesinlikle katılıyorum” ibarelerine karşılık gelmektedir. Bu çalışmanın araştırma modeli “Yapısal Eşitlik Modeli” ile test edilmektedir. Yine bu çalışma farklı piyasa şartları altında KOBİ sahiplerine rekabet avantajının ve bu avantajı öğrenme kapasitesinin stratejik yönelimlerine odaklı devam ettirilmesi ile nasıl kazanılacağı yönünde önerilerde bulunmaktadır. Çalışmada ayrıca, girişimcilerin eğitimi ve belli becerilerin gelişimi için alıştırma gibi mevcut ulusal tedbirler kapsamında girişimcilerin destek ihtiyaçlarının belirlenerek KOBİ’lere gerekli görüşleri şekillendirmesine ve değerlendirmesine olanak sağlamaktadı. Anahtar Kelimeler: Küçük ve Orta Boy İşletmeler, Stratejik Oryantasyon, Kurumsal Performans, Yapısal Eşitlik Modeli, Suriye Piyasası. Master of Science in Tourism Management. Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Tourism, 2013. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Araslı.

Objective— Absence of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) in mice reduces plasma triglycerides and provides protection from obesity and insulin resistance, which would be predicted to be associated with reduced susceptibility to atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of SCD1 deficiency on atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— Despite an antiatherogenic metabolic profile, SCD1 deficiency increases atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficient mice challenged with a Western diet. Lesion area at the aortic root is significantly increased in males and females in two models of SCD1 deficiency. Inflammatory changes are evident in the skin of these mice, including increased intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and ulcerative dermatitis. Increases in ICAM-1 and interleukin-6 are also evident in plasma of SCD1-deficient mice. HDL particles demonstrate changes associated with inflammation, including decreased plasma apoA-II and apoA-I and paraoxonase-1 and increased plasma serum amyloid A. Lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response and cholesterol efflux are not altered in SCD1-deficient macrophages. In addition, when SCD1 deficiency is limited to bone marrow–derived cells, lesion size is not altered in LDLR-deficient mice. Conclusions— These studies reinforce the crucial role of chronic inflammation in promoting atherosclerosis, even in the presence of antiatherogenic biochemical and metabolic characteristics.