Keynote Address: "Challenges and Opportunities for Business in an Islamic Environment."

This presentation was the keynote address for the Business and Islam conference, held April 7-8, 2006 at the University of Kansas. The Business and Islam conference was sponsored by the University of Kansas (KU), the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC), the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and the KU Department of Economics.The Business and Islam conference was sponsored by the University of Kansas (KU), the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC) and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) and the KU Department of Economics

Marketing Strategies of International Pharmaceutical Companies in the Middle East and North Africa Region

The declines in oil and gas prices in 2014 by 50% or more led governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to decrease healthcare budgets correspondingly by more than 30%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that managers of international pharmaceutical companies have successfully implemented in the MENA region to ensure profitability after the 2014 decreases in the healthcare budgets, which followed the decline in oil and gas prices. The study involved data collection through semistructured interviews of 6 middle and executive managers working in 2 international pharmaceutical companies located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The cultural intelligence and strategic flexibility theories constituted the conceptual framework for this study and exploration of challenges associated with implementing marketing strategies for international pharmaceutical companies in the MENA region. Participants had a minimum of 5 years of experience in planning and implementing marketing strategies in the MENA region. The findings from the thematic data analysis led to the identification of major marketing strategies, which have helped to maintain business sustainability of pharmaceutical companies, despite difficulties with the reduction in healthcare budgets in the MENA region. The important themes emerging from this study included: (a) product launch strategy and operating model, (b) transformation of leaders by vision and guidance, (c) recognition of culture and diversity, and (d) the importance of training and learning agility. The results of the study may contribute to positive social change because pharmaceutical and healthcare knowledge benefits human health and may serve to influence positive job creation and enrichment of the economies of the region

Event Driven Tactile Sensors for Artificial Devices

Present-day robots are, to some extent, able to deal with high complexity and variability of the real-world environment. Their cognitive capabilities can be further enhanced, if they physically interact and explore the real-world objects. For this, the need for efficient tactile sensors is growing day after day in such a way are becoming more and more part of daily life devices especially in robotic applications for manipulation and safe interaction with the environment. In this thesis, we highlight the importance of touch sensing in humans and robots. Inspired by the biological systems, in the the first part, we merge between neuromorphic engineering and CMOS technology where the former is a eld of science that replicates what is biologically (neurons of the nervous system) inside humans into the circuit level. We explain the operation and then characterize different sensor circuits through simulation and experiment to propose finally new prototypes based on the achieved results. In the second part, we present a machine learning technique for detecting the direction and orientation of a sliding tip over a complete skin patch of the iCub robot. Through learning and online testing, the algorithm classies different trajectories across the skin patch. Through this part, we show the results of the considered algorithm with a future perspective to extend the work

Response of carbon fiber reinforced polymers strengthened beams to elevated temperature

The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) into the repair and retrofitting of concrete structures has been growing exponentially over the past two decades worldwide. The composite offers a superior strength- to- weight ratio as well as good durability in various service environments. The proper implementation of CFRP system involves a clean concrete surface, a powerful adhesive, such as epoxy resins together with compatible CFRP. However, one of the limiting factors towards the widespread of CFRP systems is attributed to its low resistance to elevated temperature and fire. Hence, efforts have been exerted to better understand and quantify this negative effect and to provide external protection for the system in order to alleviate the negative of impact of elevated temperature. This study focuses on assessing the impact of elevated temperature on the flexural strength of externally bonded CFRP with and without protection. Two sets of plain concrete beams have been prepared without protection and with a ready-to-use cementitious protective. All beams were subjected to temperature degrees of 70, 120 and 180 °C for 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours in a furnace. The flexural strength and mode of failure have been assessed for each set. The results of this work demonstrate the CFRP strengthened beams experienced a drastic loss in strength upon exposure to elevated temperature. The extent of the drop in strength varied according to degree of exposure as well as duration. On the whole, CFRP unprotected beams were able to restore 40% of the flexural strength at 70 °C, while the CFRP strengthened protected beams restored 20% of the flexural strength of the CFRP strengthened beams. At exposure of 120 °C the CFRP strengthened beams showed increase in the flexural strength of 40% over unstrengthened unprotected beams. The CFRP strengthened protected beams surpassed the flexural strength of the CFRP strengthened beams at 120 °C by 20%. At exposure of 180 °C, the CFRP strengthened protected and unprotected beams failed to restore the lost flexural strength for the four and eight hours of exposure. This was followed by the appearance of the normal flexural crack on all the beams. Yet, the separation of the CFRP laminates from the concrete surface were noticed only at exposure to temperatures of 120 and 180 °C. The preliminary cost of the CFRP strengthened unprotected was estimated as 90% higher than the unstrengthened unprotected beams and the CFRP strengthened protected assessed as 16% higher than the CFRP strengthened unprotected. The results unveiled the ability of the CFRP strengthened beams to enhance the flexural strength upon exposure to elevated temperature along with the ability of the fire protection system to further improve this strength. Future work should be resumed to investigate wider sets of composites, various temperatures schemes, long term properties as well as applying the system to steel reinforced beams. It is also recommended to investigate the cooling effect on the performance of the strengthened and protected beam

THE ROLE OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, PERCEIVED VALUE, TRUST, AND INFLUENCER MARKETING IN DETERMINING PURCHASE INTENTION IN SOCIAL COMMERCE

The paper aims to improve understanding about the causes why customers intend to purchase online through social media networks. The study examined factors affecting purchase intention namely: country of origin effect, trust, perceived value, and influencer marketing on the willingness of buyers to purchase clothes through social commerce. A questionnaire was established for data collection, and 400 forms were collected in Lebanon, and were analyzed using SEM to examine the relationships in the conceptual framework suggested. Results designated that country of origin, trust, and perceived value were three significant precursors of customers’ purchase intention in the context of social commerce. Moreover, country of origin and perceived value can impact trust beliefs; and influencer marketing could enhance perceived value of commodity purchased. This research suggests vital inferences to both scholars and professionals and highlights the implications of factors’ motivating intention to buy from vendors in social media networks. The paper is amid the early efforts to evaluate the effect of country of origin on intention to purchase among consumers in social commerce settings

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus among blood donors in Nyala, South Dar Fur, Sudan

The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and the possible risk factors among blood donors in Nyala, South Dar Fur State of western Sudan, which has never been studied before. A total of 400 male blood donors were tested for the detection of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies, (6.25%) were found reactive for HBsAg and (0.65%) were reactive for anti-HCV antibodies. The highest seroprevalence (30.8%) was found in those between 19-24 and 37-42 years for HBsAg, whereas it was (50%) in those between 31-36 years for anti-HCV antibodies. Unprotected sexual activities (20%) was the most apparent predisposing risk factor for both HBV and HCV seroreactors, followed by razor sharing (13.3%), parenteral drug injections (10%), history of migration to Egypt and alcoholism (6.6%) for each, tattooing and surgical procedures (3.3%) for each and (36.6%) were not aware for their condition. Serum alanine aminotansferase (ALT) was elevated in (30.7%) of HBV seroreactors and in (50%) of HCV seroreactors. Serum albumin was reduced in (23.1%) HBV and in (50%) HCV seroreactors. The study concluded that the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV was in an intermediate and low rates respectively and unprotected sexual activities was the major risk factor for infection in the population studied

Study of the wettability of fusion relevant steels by the sodium potassium eutectic alloy NaK-78

AbstractSeveral validation activities were dedicated to the High Flux Test Module (HFTM) of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. The HFTM contains 24 capsules packed densely with Eurofer specimens to facilitate their irradiation in the high flux zone directly behind the IFMIF neutron source. The small gaps among the Eurofer specimens are filled by the sodium potassium eutectic alloy NaK-78 to improve the thermal conduction among the specimens and achieve uniform and predictable temperature distribution. As a result of first trials, the filling process of NaK-78 into the specimens’ capsule had been identified as an issue worth further investigations. Therefore, the wettability of the steels Eurofer and SS 316 by NaK-78 is experimentally investigated to evaluate the applicability of this concept and identify the favorable conditions. In the experiment, the capillary rise of NaK-78 in a two-parallel-plates channel (gap) is investigated versus the following: (i) temperature of both NaK-78 and the parallel plates from 50°C to 350°C, (ii) machining techniques used for the parallel plates, (iii) thickness of the gap between the plates, and (iv) material of the parallel plates including Eurofer and SS 316. The present experimental results will help in defining the working conditions required to achieve an optimal filling of the IFMIF HFTM capsules with NaK-78 and a complete wetting of the capsules’ specimens

Pneumatic Non-Contact Measuring System for In-Process Dimensions Measurements

Abstract Pneumatic non-contact measuring systems are applied for automatic inspection for dimensions and forms. The dynamic characteristics of the systems were studied analytically and experimentally. Analytical relations considered the effect of the systems design parameters and measuring speeds on the system performance; measuring range, sensitivity and response time. Sets of experiments were performed at different measuring speeds on machined parts having different dimensions and forms. Comparison between the experimental and analytical results was performed. The experimental results showed conformity with those derived analytically. Pattern recognition methods were used to correlate the pressure variation with the measured dimensions and forms

Evaluating the impact of Egyptian social fund for development programs

The Egyptian Social Fund for Development was established in 1991 with a mandate to reduce poverty. Since its inception, it has disbursed about $2.5 billion, of which nearly two-fifths was devoted to supporting microcredit and financing community development and infrastructure. This paper investigates the size of the impact of the Fund’s interventions, whether the benefits have been commensurate with the costs, and whether the programs have been targeted successfully to the poor. The core of the impact evaluation applies propensity-score matching to data from the 2004/2005 national Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Survey. The authors find that Egypt’s Social Fund for Development programs have had clear and measurable effects, in the expected direction, for all of the programs considered: educational interventions have reduced illiteracy, health and potable water programs have lowered household spending on health, sanitation interventions have cut household spending on sanitation and lowered poverty, and road projects have reduced household transportation costs by 20 percent. Microcredit is associated with higher household expenditures in metropolitan areas and urban Upper Egypt, but not elsewhere. The Social Fund for Development’s road projects generate benefits that, by some estimates, exceed the costs, as do health and potable water interventions; this is less evident for interventions in education and sanitation. The Fund argues that its mission is primarily social, and so should not be judged using a cost-benefit analysis. The Fund support for microcredit is strongly pro-poor; the other programs analyzed have a more modest pro-poor orientation.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,,Rural Poverty Reduction,Housing&Human Habitats,Population Policies