Information Security Policies and their Relationship with the Effectiveness of the Management Information Systems of Major Palestinian Universities in the Gaza Strip

This paper aims to recognise Information Security Policies (ISP) and their relationship with the effectiveness of the Management Information Systems (MIS) of the major Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip. The researchers used the descriptive analytical approach. They used a questionnaire as a research tool. They used a stratified random sample to explore viewpoints of the research sample which comprised 169 employees of The Islamic University – Gaza, Al Azhar University - Gaza, and Al-Quds Open University - Gaza Strip branches. The population comprised IT center employees and administrative departments’ employees who use MIS in their daily work. 152 questionnaires were collected, with a response rate of 89.94%. The study found that the research sample had shown a high degree of agreement on the ISP dimensions (Risk Assessment of Information Security, Senior Management Support, Reviewing and Updating of ISP, Enforcement of ISP, Training and Awareness of ISP). Those dimensions together gained a rate of 74%. The study also found that the research sample had shown a high degree of agreement on the field of the “Effectiveness of MIS”, with a rate of 81%. In addition, it demonstrated a statistically significance relationship level (α ≤ 0.05) between ISP and the effectiveness of the MIS of the major Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip. It recommends that the universities should support the Information Security Policies from the process of risk assessment and creation of ISP to the process of continuous reviewing and updating of ISP. Furthermore, the universities should measure the effectiveness of their MIS periodically, to enhance this effectiveness and improve it regularly.DOR: 98.1000/1726-8125.2017.15.1.0.1.73.11

TRANSPORT OF SODIUM-CHLORIDE, UREA, AND CREATININE THROUGH MEMBRANES DERIVED FROM METHYLMETHACRYLATE-CO-METHACRYLIC ACID AND ITS IONOMERS

Permeabilities of cast films of methylmethacrylate-co-methacrylic acid (MMA-MAA) and its 5% neutralized Na1+, Cs1+, Zn2+, Ba2+, and Al3+ ionomers for urea, sodium chloride, and creatinine were determined using a double (donor and acceptor) compartment cell. Film permeability was increased as the ionic potential decreased and it was more marked with urea as compared with sodium chloride and creatinine. Tensile properties of the above samples were also tested and variations in Young's Moduli were based on the effect of type of aggregates produced by the cations in the matrix of the copolymer

Empowering Self-Efficacy by Using Patient Empowerment among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Pre–Post-Test Study

Patient empowerment is increasingly acknowledged as a milestone of high-quality patient-centered care. This study was conducted using COPD Self-Efficacy Scale to determine the effectiveness of the patient empowerment intervention program among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients on self-efficacy. We employed an interventional design with a pre-test and post-test. Sixty COPD patients comprised the final sample of the study. The current study revealed significant improvement in overall self-efficacy factors among most participants. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the total self-efficacy post-empower intervention model scores concerning age, sex, work, educational level, and marital status. The study’s findings revealed that the patient empowerment intervention program positively affected COPD patients’ self-efficacy

Radiosynthesis and In Vivo Evaluation of Four Positron Emission Tomography Tracer Candidates for Imaging of Melatonin Receptors

Melatonin is a neurohormone that modulates several physiological functions in mammals through the activation of melatonin receptor type 1 and 2 (MT1 and MT2). The melatonergic system is an emerging therapeutic target for new pharmacological interventions in the treatment of sleep and mood disorders; thus, imaging tools to further investigate its role in the brain are highly sought-after. We aimed to develop selective radiotracers for in vivo imaging of both MT1 and MT2 by positron emission tomography (PET). We identified four previously reported MT ligands with picomolar affinities to the target based on different scaffolds which were also amenable for radiolabeling with either carbon-11 or fluorine-18. [11C]UCM765, [11C]UCM1014, [18F]3-fluoroagomelatine ([18F]3FAGM), and [18F]fluoroacetamidoagomelatine ([18F]FAAGM) have been synthesized in high radiochemical purity and evaluated in wild-type rats. All four tracers showed moderate to high brain permeability in rats with maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax of 2.53, 1.75, 3.25, and 4.47, respectively) achieved 1-2 min after tracer administration, followed by a rapid washout from the brain. Several melatonin ligands failed to block the binding of any of the PET tracer candidates, while in some cases, homologous blocking surprisingly resulted in increased brain retention. Two 18F-labeled agomelatine derivatives were brought forward to PET scans in non-human primates and autoradiography on human brain tissues. No specific binding has been detected in blocking studies. To further investigate pharmacokinetic properties of the putative tracers, microsomal stability, plasma protein binding, log D, and membrane bidirectional permeability assays have been conducted. Based on the results, we conclude that the fast first pass metabolism by the enzymes in liver microsomes is the likely reason of the failure of our PET tracer candidates. Nevertheless, we showed that PET imaging can serve as a valuable tool to investigate the brain permeability of new therapeutic compounds targeting the melatonergic system