Vulnerability of Islamic Banking

The recent global financial crisis has renewed the focus on the resistance of Islamic banks in order to confront the crisis. While several empirical studies show that Islamic banks have no resist from the crisis. thus, Islamic banks run their business side by side with their counterpart and play the game under the same umbrella and the rules of game. In case of Indonesia, which implement dual banking system, Islamic banks have potential to be effected by the variables of conventional banks. Which mean, this condition led the Islamic banks have the vulnerable spot in economic life. This paper aim to examine the stability of Islamic banks and to discern dynamic behavior of Islamic banks to the macroeconomic variables such as GDP, inflation rate, exchange rate and interest rate. the measure of stability of Islamic banks formulated as z-score. Then, We use VAR/VECM analysis in order to see the dynamic behavior and the vulnerability of Islamic banks. the paper found several findings, first, during the global financial crisis, Islamic banks more stable than the conventional banks, while after the global financial crisis conventional banks tend to be more stable than Islamic banks. Second, From the IRF test display that Islamic banks react sensitively to the shock of interest rate. however, Islamic banks prohibit the practice of interest rate. even though, in practical reason, Islamic bank use interest rate as benchmarking to determine the price. This condition put the Islamic Banks in vulnerable condition. Third, the FEVD test showed that the stability of Islamic banks mostly contribute by its own stability then followed by GDP, interest rate, exchange rate and Inflation. At the seventh period the stability of Islamic banks mostly contribute by its stability then followed by Inflation rate, GDP, exchange rate and interest rate

Ligamentum flavum cyst in the lumbar spine: a case report and review of the literature

Degenerative changes in the lumbar spine can be followed by cystic changes. Most reported intraspinal cysts are ganglion or synovial cysts. Ligamentum flavum pseudocyst, as a cystic lesion in the lumbar spine, is a rare and unusual cause of neurologic signs and symptoms and is usually seen in elderly persons (due to degenerative changes). They are preferentially located in the lower lumbar region, while cervical localization is rare. Complete removal of the cyst leads to excellent results and seems to preclude recurrence. We report the case of a right-sided ligamentum flavum cyst occurring at L3–L4 level in a 70-year-old woman, which was surgically removed with excellent postoperative results and complete resolution of symptoms. In addition, we discuss and review reports in the literature

Using Real-Time PCR to Investigate Some of Antibiotic Resistance Genes from Streptococcus agalactiae Isolates from ewe Mastitis cases in Nineveh province

هذه الدراسة ، من بين مجموعه 856 حالة من حالات التهاب الضرع في النعاج المرضعة ، أظهرت 34 عزلة فقط من المكورات العقدية اكالكشيا أنواعًا مختلفة من المقاومة لثلاثة أنواع من المضادات الحيوية (البنسلين والإيثروميسين والتتراسيكلين). تم التعرف على عزلات المكورات العقدية اكالكشيا وفقًا للطرق القياسية, بما في ذلك تقنية جديدة مقترحة باستخدام الاكار الكروموجيني المتخصص. حيث حددت المقاومة البكتيرية للمضادات الحيوية باستخدام مقايسة الصفيحة الميكروية (بطريقة التخفيف). أيضا، تم استخدام  تقنية تقنية الوقت الحقيقي لتفاعل سلسلة البوليمر, حيث تم تحديد أن هناك ثلاثة مقاومة لمورثات الجينات (pbp2b  وtetO و mefA). اظهرت النتائج نسبة التتراسيكلين (20.59%) مرتفعة من بين العزلات التي تحمل جين واحد، يليها نسبة البنسلين (17.65%), بينما أدنى نسبة كانت في الإريثروميسين (11.77%). مع ذلك,  كان هناك العديد من العزلات التي تحمل جينين  مقاومة للمضادات الحيوية يتمثل بـ البنسلين والاريثروميسين حيث تشكل  (38.22%), في حين كانت النسبة المئوية للبنسلين والتتراسيكلين( 11.77%). في المقابل ، لم يتم الكشف عن أي جين شائع مع اثنين من المضادات الحيوية (الاريثروميسين والتتراسيكلين). من ناحية أخرى ، لم يتم العثور على اي نتائج بالنسبة  لمشاركة مع ثلاثة أنواع من الجينات المقاومة للمضادات الحيوية معا ( pbp2bو tetO و mefA). كشفت هذه الدراسة أن عزلات المكورات العقدية اكالكشيا هي السبب الحقيقي وراء التهاب الضرع المتكرّر في النعاج العراقية المرضعة وخصوصاً في هذه الدراسة للبكتيريا التي تحمل جينات مقاومة للمضادات الحيوية المختلفة.In this study, from a total of 856 mastitis cases in lactating ewes, only 34 Streptococcus agalactiae isolates showed various types of resistance to three types of antibiotics (Penicillin, Erythromycin and Tetracycline). St. agalactiae isolates were identified according to the standard methods, including a new suggested technique called specific Chromogenic agar. It was found that antibiotic bacterial resistance was clearly identified by using MIC-microplate assay (dilution method). Also, by real-time PCR technique, it was determined that there were three antibiotics genes resistance ( pbp2b, tetO and mefA ). The high percentage of isolate carried of a single gene which was the Tetracycline (20.59%) followed by percentage Penicillin was (17.65%) and the lowest was in Erythromycin (11.77%). However, there were many isolates that carried two genes of antibiotics resistance represented by Penicillin and Erythromycin with collective present of 38.22%, and for the Penicillin and Tetracycline, the percentage was found to be 11.77%. In contrast, no common gene with two antibiotics (Erythromycin and  Tetracycline) was detected. On the other hand, it was found that no bacterial sharing with three kinds of antibiotic resistance genes ( pbp2b, tetO and mefA ). This study has revealed that the St. agalactiae isolates did induce recurrent mastitis in lactating Iraqi's ewes.&nbsp

Radial Fourier transforms in exoplanetary imaging and potential uses at Timau National Observatory

Due to Fourier transforms nature between the field detected on the image and its corresponding input, astronomical imaging can be modelled mathematically. In exoplanetary imaging, we aim to detect exoplanets whose typical contrast are approximately one over a million times dimmer compared to their parent stars. Among the possible approaches to accomplish that is optical apodization, a technique to purposely modify the input signal profile such that the 'Airy rings' on the resulting image are suppressed while keeping the central brightness high. In the paper, we pedagogically describe this technique applying Fourier transforms of radially-symmetric functions; and investigate potential future uses at Timau National Observatory.Instrumentatio

Optimal Cerebral Perfusion Pressure During Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVES: The recommendation of induced hypertension for delayed cerebral ischemia treatment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage has been challenged recently and ideal pressure targets are missing. A new concept advocates an individual cerebral perfusion pressure where cerebral autoregulation functions best to ensure optimal global perfusion. We characterized optimal cerebral perfusion pressure at time of delayed cerebral ischemia and tested the conformity of induced hypertension with this target value. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING: University hospital neurocritical care unit. PATIENTS: Thirty-nine aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with invasive neuromonitoring (20 with delayed cerebral ischemia, 19 without delayed cerebral ischemia). INTERVENTIONS: Induced hypertension greater than 180 mm Hg systolic blood pressure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Changepoint analysis was used to calculate significant changes in cerebral perfusion pressure, optimal cerebral perfusion pressure, and the difference of cerebral perfusion pressure and optimal cerebral perfusion pressure 48 hours before delayed cerebral ischemia diagnosis. Optimal cerebral perfusion pressure increased 30 hours before the onset of delayed cerebral ischemia from 82.8 +/- 12.5 to 86.3 +/- 11.4 mm Hg (p < 0.05). Three hours before delayed cerebral ischemia, a changepoint was also found in the difference of cerebral perfusion pressure and optimal cerebral perfusion pressure (decrease from -0.2 +/- 11.2 to -7.7 +/- 7.6 mm Hg; p < 0.05) with a corresponding increase in pressure reactivity index (0.09 +/- 0.33 to 0.19 +/- 0.37; p < 0.05). Cerebral perfusion pressure at time of delayed cerebral ischemia was lower than in patients without delayed cerebral ischemia in a comparable time frame (cerebral perfusion pressure delayed cerebral ischemia 81.4 +/- 8.3 mm Hg, no delayed cerebral ischemia 90.4 +/- 10.5 mm Hg; p < 0.05). Inducing hypertension resulted in a cerebral perfusion pressure above optimal cerebral perfusion pressure (+12.4 +/- 8.3 mm Hg; p < 0.0001). Treatment response (improvement of delayed cerebral ischemia: induced hypertension(+) [n = 15] or progression of delayed cerebral ischemia: induced hypertension(-) [n = 5]) did not correlate to either absolute values of cerebral perfusion pressure or optimal cerebral perfusion pressure, nor the resulting difference (cerebral perfusion pressure [p = 0.69]; optimal cerebral perfusion pressure [p = 0.97]; and the difference of cerebral perfusion pressure and optimal cerebral perfusion pressure [p = 0.51]). CONCLUSIONS: At the time of delayed cerebral ischemia occurrence, there is a significant discrepancy between cerebral perfusion pressure and optimal cerebral perfusion pressure with worsening of autoregulation, implying inadequate but identifiable individual perfusion. Standardized induction of hypertension resulted in cerebral perfusion pressures that exceeded individual optimal cerebral perfusion pressure in delayed cerebral ischemia patients. The potential benefit of individual blood pressure management guided by autoregulation-based optimal cerebral perfusion pressure should be explored in future intervention studies

Treatment outcomes of fixed-dose combination versus separate tablet regimens in pulmonary tuberculosis patients with or without diabetes in Qatar

Background: Tuberculosis is considered the second most common cause of death due to infectious agent. The currently preferred regimen for treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, which has been used either as separate tablets (ST) or as fixed-dose combination (FDC). To date, no studies have compared both regimens in Qatar. We aim to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of FDC and ST regimen for treating PTB, in addition to comparing safety and efficacy of FDC and ST regimens in patients with diabetes treated for TB. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in two general hospitals in Qatar. Patients diagnosed with PTB received anti-tuberculosis medications (either as FDC or ST) administered by the nurse. Sputum smears were tested weekly. We assessed the time to negative sputum smear and incidence of adverse events among FDC and ST groups. Results: The study included 148 patients. FDC was used in 90 patients (61%). Effectiveness was not different between FDC and ST regimens as shown by mean time to sputum conversion (29.9 ± 18.3 vs. 35.6 ± 23 days, p = 0.12). Similarly, there was no difference in the incidence of adverse events, except for visual one that was higher in ST group. Among the 33 diabetic patients, 19 received the FDC and had faster sputum conversion compared to those who received ST (31 ± 12 vs. 49.4 ± 30.9 days, p = 0.05). Overall, diabetic patients needed longer time for sputum conversion and had more hepatotoxic and gastric adverse events compared to non-diabetics. Conclusion: ST group had higher visual side effects compared to FDC. FDC may be more effective in diabetic patients; however, further studies are required to confirm such finding.PublishedN/

Reduced Transmissibility of East African Indian Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has been classified into 4 main lineages. Some reports have associated certain lineages with particular clinical phenotypes, but there is still insufficient information regarding the clinical and epidemiologic implications of MTB lineage variation. METHODS: Using large sequence polymorphisms we classified MTB isolates from a population-based study in Montreal, Canada into the 4 major lineages, and identified the associated clinical and epidemiologic features. In addition, IS6110-RFLP and spoligotyping were used as indicators of recent TB transmission. The study population was divided into a derivation cohort, diagnosed between 2001 and 2007, and a separate validation cohort, diagnosed between 1996 and 2000. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, when compared to the other MTB lineages, the East African-Indian (EAI) lineage was associated with lower rates of TB transmission, as measured by: positive TST among close contacts of pulmonary TB cases (adjusted odds ratio 0.6: [95% confidence interval 0.4-0.9]), and clustered TB cases (0.3: [<0.001-0.6]). Severe forms of TB were also less likely among the EAI group (0.4: [<0.001-0.8]). There were no significant differences when comparing patients with the other MTB lineages. In the validation cohort, the EAI lineage was associated with lower rates of positive TST among contacts (0.5: [0.3-0.9]) and a trend towards less clustered TB cases (0.5: [0.1-1.8]) when compared to the other lineages. Disease severity among the different groups was not significantly different in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in Montreal, EAI strains were associated with reduced transmission compared to other MTB lineages

“So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy

Transformative artificially intelligent tools, such as ChatGPT, designed to generate sophisticated text indistinguishable from that produced by a human, are applicable across a wide range of contexts. The technology presents opportunities as well as, often ethical and legal, challenges, and has the potential for both positive and negative impacts for organisations, society, and individuals. Offering multi-disciplinary insight into some of these, this article brings together 43 contributions from experts in fields such as computer science, marketing, information systems, education, policy, hospitality and tourism, management, publishing, and nursing. The contributors acknowledge ChatGPT's capabilities to enhance productivity and suggest that it is likely to offer significant gains in the banking, hospitality and tourism, and information technology industries, and enhance business activities, such as management and marketing. Nevertheless, they also consider its limitations, disruptions to practices, threats to privacy and security, and consequences of biases, misuse, and misinformation. However, opinion is split on whether ChatGPT's use should be restricted or legislated. Drawing on these contributions, the article identifies questions requiring further research across three thematic areas: knowledge, transparency, and ethics; digital transformation of organisations and societies; and teaching, learning, and scholarly research. The avenues for further research include: identifying skills, resources, and capabilities needed to handle generative AI; examining biases of generative AI attributable to training datasets and processes; exploring business and societal contexts best suited for generative AI implementation; determining optimal combinations of human and generative AI for various tasks; identifying ways to assess accuracy of text produced by generative AI; and uncovering the ethical and legal issues in using generative AI across different contexts