When the dust settles : reflecting on the politics of reconstruction and reconciliation in the MENA region

Definitive solutions for war-torn Syria, Iraq and Libya are still on a distant horizon, but the scale and intensity of violence seem to be ebbing in 2018. With the forceful reclamation of Mosul, Aleppo and Raqqa, as well as the repossession of Sirte and the end of fighting in Benghazi, the greatest battles appear to be over. The civil war in Syria is increasingly localised into pockets of conflict in the South and the North, which are not likely to change the overall course of events. Iraqi central government and the Syrian regime have gained the upper hand in the last two years thanks to undeniable economic and military support from regional and international allies. ISIS, as a territorialised terrorist organisation, has almost been completely wiped out in all three war-torn countries, even though its activities are bound to persist. The military situation in Libya has been relatively stagnant since late 2015, with the exception of localised conflicts

Computer-aided transformer design capacity building

It is known that the deployment of highly efficient power transformers is crucial for the minimization of overall network losses. Hence, the curriculum of an elective senior-level course was developed for Cairo University students

A Deconvolution Approach to the Three Dimensional Identification of Cracks in Magnetic Slabs

Nondestructive assessment of cracks in metallic parts has always been a topic of industrial interest. In the past, different approaches have been proposed to assess such cracks. Recently, semi-orthogonal compactly supported spline wavelets were utilized to efficiently identify the 3D spatial location of cracks in conducting slabs of finite thicknesses. Within this proposed approach a horizontally oriented field sensor is employed on top of a magnetic slab subject to uniform horizontal magnetic field. In this paper the 3D spatial identification of cracks in conducting slabs is carried out through the Fourier transform by de-convoluting sensor response. In comparison to the previously adopted approach, the approach proposed in this paper is capable of identifying cracks that span over a relatively larger distance.  Details of the crack detection methodology and simulations are given in the paper

Tunneling magnetic force microscopy

We have developed a powerful new tool for studying the magnetic patterns on magnetic recording media. This was accomplished by modifying a conventional scanning tunneling microscope. The fine-wire probe that is used to image surface topography was replaced with a flexible magnetic probe. Images obtained with these probes reveal both the surface topography and the magnetic structure. We have made a thorough theoretical analysis of the interaction between the probe and the magnetic fields emanating from a typical recorded surface. Quantitative data about the constituent magnetic fields can then be obtained. We have employed these techniques in studies of two of the most important issues of magnetic record: data overwrite and maximizing data-density. These studies have shown: (1) overwritten data can be retrieved under certain conditions; and (2) improvements in data-density will require new magnetic materials. In the course of these studies we have developed new techniques to analyze magnetic fields of recorded media. These studies are both theoretical and experimental and combined with the use of our magnetic force scanning tunneling microscope should lead to further breakthroughs in the field of magnetic recording

A performance-oriented power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization

AbstractTransformers are regarded as crucial components in power systems. Due to market globalization, power transformer manufacturers are facing an increasingly competitive environment that mandates the adoption of design strategies yielding better performance at lower costs. In this paper, a power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization is proposed. Using this methodology, which is tailored to be target performance design-oriented, quick rough estimation of transformer design specifics may be inferred. Testing of the suggested approach revealed significant qualitative and quantitative match with measured design and performance values. Details of the proposed methodology as well as sample design results are reported in the paper

Executive Summary- Social Protection in Egypt: Mitigating the Socio-Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable Employment

This is the executive summary of an interdisciplinary project between the fields of development economics, political economy, labor sociology, development anthropology and public health. It reviews the social protection available to vulnerable employees and their households in Egypt and suggests ways to adapt them in light of the COVID 19 pandemic. The research focuses on four areas a) employment security b) social assistance c) health insurance d) gendered mitigations. The project will map the impact of the crisis on vulnerable employees and their households and propose policy interventions to alleviate the socio-economic effects of the pandemic through the publication of four policy reports

Healthcare financing in Egypt: a systematic literature review

Background: The Egyptian healthcare system has multiple stakeholders, including a wide range of public and private healthcare providers and several financing agents. This study sheds light on the healthcare system’s financing mechanisms and the flow of funds in Egypt. It also explores the expected challenges facing the system with the upcoming changes.// Methods: We conducted a systematic review of relevant papers through the PubMed and Scopus search engines, in addition to searching gray literature through the ISPOR presentations database and the Google search engine. Articles related to Egypt’s healthcare system financing from 2009 to 2019 were chosen for full-text review. Data were aggregated to estimate budgets and financing routes.// Results: We analyzed the data of 56 out of 454 identified records. Governmental health expenditure represented approximately one-third of the total health expenditure (THE). Total health expenditure as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was almost stagnant in the last 12 years, with a median of 5.5%. The primary healthcare financing source is out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure, representing more than 60% of THE, followed by government spending through the Ministry of Finance, around 37% of THE. The pharmaceutical expenditure as a percent of THE ranged from 26.0 to 37.0%.// Conclusions: Although THE as an absolute number is increasing, total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP is declining. The Egyptian healthcare market is based mainly on OOP expenditures and the next period anticipates a shift toward more public spending after Universal Health Insurance gets implemented

Authoritarianism, Populism, and the Global Retreat of Democracy: A Curated Discussion

To the surprise of many in the West, the fall of the USSR in 1991 did not lead to the adoption of liberal democratic government around the world and the much anticipated “end of history.” In fact, authoritarianism has made a comeback, and liberal democracy has been on the retreat for at least the last 15 years culminating in the unthinkable: the invasion of a democratic European country by an authoritarian regime. But why does authoritarianism continue to spread, not only as an alternative to liberal democracy, but also within many liberal democracies where authoritarian leaders continue to gain strength and popularity? In this curated piece, contributors discuss some of the potential contributions of management scholarship to understanding authoritarianism, as well as highlight a number of directions for management research in this area.publishedVersio