The Role of Green Intellectual Capital in Strengthening the Elements of the Knowledge Economy: An Analytical Descriptive Study of the Opinions of a Sample of Managers in the Oil Products Distribution Company /Iraq- Nineveh

The current research sought to identify the role of the dimensions of green intellectual capital in strengthening the elements of the knowledge economy, by determining the level of the relationship and the impact between them and applying it on the Oil Products Distribution Company in Nineveh, the sample of study was selected intentionally. It consists of (100) managers, as it relies on collecting data and information on the main research tool (questionnaire form), a number of statistical tools have been adopted, namely (correlation coefficient, linear regression). Where many conclusions were presented, the most important of which is indicating a case of the actual contribution of the dimensions of green intellectual capital in strengthening the elements of the knowledge economy in the researched organization. It also made a set of proposals, including the need for more attention to be paid to employing the possibilities and capabilities of green intellectual capital (human, structural, social) towards strengthening the elements of the knowledge economy in the researched organization, in a way that, it contributes to enhancing efforts in support of knowledge economies and achieving added value in all directions

Simple Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Paroxetine in Tablets Using 1,2-Naphthoquinone-4-Sulphonate as a Chromogenic Reagent

Simple and rapid spectrophotometric method has been developed and validated for the determination of paroxetine (PRX) in tablets. The proposed method was based on nucleophilic substitution reaction of PRX with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate (NQS) in an alkaline medium to form an orange-colored product of maximum absorption peak (λmax) at 488 nm. The stoichiometry and kinetics of the reaction were studied, and the reaction mechanism was postulated. Under the optimized reaction conditions, Beer's law correlating the absorbance (A) with PRX concentration (C) was obeyed in the range of 1–8 μg mL−1. The regression equation for the calibration data was: A = 0.0031 + 0.1609 C, with good correlation coefficients (0.9992). The molar absorptivity (ε) was 5.9 × 105 L mol−1 1 cm−1. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.3 and 0.8 μg mL−1, respectively. The precision of the method was satisfactory; the values of relative standard deviations did not exceed 2%. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of PRX in its pharmaceutical tablets with good accuracy and precisions; the label claim percentage was 97.17 ± 1.06 %. The results obtained by the proposed method were comparable with those obtained by the official method

New Spectrophotometric and Fluorimetric Methods for Determination of Fluoxetine in Pharmaceutical Formulations

New simple and sensitive spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods have been developed and validated for the determination of fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX) in its pharmaceutical formulations. The spectrophotometric method was based on the reaction of FLX with 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate (NQS) in an alkaline medium (pH 11) to form an orange-colored product that was measured at 490 nm. The fluorimetric method was based on the reaction of FLX with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) in an alkaline medium (pH 8) to form a highly fluorescent product that was measured at 545 nm after excitation at 490 nm. The variables affecting the reactions of FLX with both NQS and NBD-Cl were carefully studied and optimized. The kinetics of the reactions were investigated, and the reaction mechanisms were presented. Under the optimum reaction conditions, good linear relationships were found between the readings and the concentrations of FLX in the ranges of 0.3–6 and 0.035–0.5 μg mL−1 for the spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods, respectively. The limits of detection were 0.1 and 0.01 μg mL−1 for the spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods, respectively. Both methods were successfully applied to the determination of FLX in its pharmaceutical formulations

Anatomical Variations in Palmar Creases and Their Correlation to The Intelligence Capacity of Libyan Medical and Dental Students of Omar Al-Mukhtar University.

Background: For centuries, clinicians, anthropologists, and palmists have found the creases in the palm interesting. However, only in the last fifty years that research's started to examine the variations in these creases. Based on the three main palmar creases, thenar, proximal, and distal transverse creases, four patterns of palmar creases are identified; nonvariant, Sydney, Suwon, and simian. Previous studies of palmar creases revealed that familial components, race, sex, and age are factors that influence the expression of palmar crease patterns. Simian patterns of palmar creases are linked to various congenital diseases, some characterized by low level of intelligence. Aim: This paper aims to investigate the variations in palmar crease patterns among medical and dental students of Omar Al-Mukhtar University and to study the range of intelligence capacity associated with each pattern. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 183 students. A paper-based IQ test was performed and photos were taken from both palms of all participants. Results: Out of 183 participants, the nonvariant pattern of palmar creases was found in 92%, in which, 100 students have bilateral 2 points of origin palmar creases and 48 students have bilateral 3 points of origin palmar creases, whereas 18 participants have one palm of 2 points and the other palm of 3 points of origin. Unilateral simian was the dominant type in the aberrant palmar creases, followed by bilateral Sydney, then unilateral Sydney, and Suwon. Conclusion: The students with unilateral simian have the highest average score of 47.166 followed by bilateral nonvariant and unilateral nonvariant. Students with unilateral Sydney have the lowest average score of 41

An Innovative Method for Damping the Seismic Waves on Pile Foundations Using A Mixture of Rubber-Binder Jacketing

Earthquakes are sudden and unpredictable natural activity that causes severe damage. As a result of the increasing seismic activity in Iraq, it has become necessary to conduct a study on the impact of earthquakes and methods of damping them. Since traditional seismic damping methods for construction are very expensive, alternative solutions are necessary. Therefore, this research proposes a new damping method that depends on surrounding the piles with rubber crumbs, as the rubber works to dampen the seismic force before it reaches the piles before moving to the structure. This method is considered a type of sustainability. The study included a set of variables, including (the thickness of the rubber that surrounds the piles, and the position of placing the rubber that sleeved the piles). The tests were carried out using the shaking table device. The results showed that surrounding the piles with rubber gave distinct results in damping the seismic force and it is considered an easy damping method due to its ease of implementation, as well as its economic feasibility. The results showed for the models that surround the rubber in the upper part of the pile, an increase in the values of the acceleration of the structure and a decrease in the values of the movement speed of the structure, the values of the lateral displacement of the structure. The models in which the rubber surrounds the middle and bottom part of the pile, the results were close to the reference model

Health care workers’ performance regarding Infection Control Precautions in Primary Health Care Centers in Makkah

Background: Standards precautions are designed to protect staff from risks resulting from exposure to blood and body fluids and to protect patients from potential cross infection. Knowledge of clinical infection control practices is continually growing and changing. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess health care workers’ performance regarding infection control precautions in primary health care centers. Research design: a descriptive analytical design had been used. Subjects: simple random sample of a total of 379 health care workers was recruited from the 1st of February 2022 to the first of August 2022, at selected primary health care centers affiliated to health affairs directorate in Makkah. Tools of data collection: three tools were used to collect data: a structured self- administrated nurses\u27 questionnaire, observational check list, and environmental assessment checklist. Results: the results revealed that 44.6% of the studied health care workers’ had average level of total knowledge, whereas 58.6% of them had incompetent practice regarding infection control precautions. Moreover, there was highly statistically significant positive linear correlation between total nurse`s knowledge about infection control precautions in primary health care centers and their practice at (r = 0.317, and p =0.000). In conclusion, Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that, more than one third of health care workers’ in the current study had average overall knowledge score, while more than one half of them had incompetent practice regarding infection control precautions. A highly statistically significant positive linear correlation between total nurses’ knowledge about infection control precautions in primary health care centers and their practice was pointed up. Recommendations: mandatory regular base educational program must be planned to overcome the weak level of knowledge and updated and the clinical practice regarding infection control standard precautions

Flexural behaviour of RC one-way slabs reinforced using PAN based carbon textile grid

Textile reinforced mortar (TRM) is mainly used for strengthening of existing structural members whereas, on the other hand Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a technology implied in construction of new members for enhancing the structural behaviour. Application of TRM on the tension zone of the reinforced concrete (RC) slabs to improve the flexural capacity has been investigated by many researchers in the past. However, the effectiveness of textile fabrics, used as internal reinforcement in the RC slab (TRC technology) needs to be studied. The paper, therefore, presents the experimental research conducted on three one-way RC slabs specimens reinforced using textile grid. An innovative Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon textile grid was used as internal reinforcement in combination with the steel bars. Two textile-reinforced RC slabs having one and two layers of textile grid (SRC + 1T and SRC + 2T respectively) and one reference slab (SRC) was fabricated to investigate the flexural behaviour under a four-point loading system. The internal textile reinforcement layer(s) was confirmed to be effective, particularly in terms of improving the cracking load, ductility, deformability and toughness. The material ductility of SRC + 1T and SRC + 2T slabs were increased by 41% and 44% compared to SRC slab. Also, the deformability ratio was found to be greater than 4, indicating a ductile failure of textile-reinforced slabs. Further, based on the load-deflection relation, moment-curvature curves were derived. Moreover, these curves were also developed using Eurocode two prediction model. The experimental and the predicted moment-curvature curves showed good agreement

Aflibercept or ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the primary substance involved in retinal barrier breach. VEGF overexpression may cause diabetic macular edema (DME). Laser photocoagulation of the macula is the standard treatment for DME; however, recently, intravitreal anti-VEGF injections have surpassed laser treatment. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal injections of aflibercept or ranibizumab for managing treatment-naive DME.   Methods: This single-center, retrospective, interventional, comparative study included eyes with visual impairment due to treatment-naive DME that underwent intravitreal injection of either aflibercept 2 mg/0.05 mL or ranibizumab 0.5 mg/0.05 mL at Al-Azhar University Hospitals, Egypt between March 2023 and January 2024. Demographic data and full ophthalmological examination results at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post-injection were collected, including the best-corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) notation, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, dilated fundoscopy, and central subfield thickness (CST) measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.   Results: Overall, the 96 eyes of 96 patients with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 57 (10) (range: 20–74) years and a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.7 were allocated to one of two groups with comparable age, sex, diabetes mellitus duration, and presence of other comorbidities (all P >0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in baseline diabetic retinopathy status or DME type between groups (both P >0.05). In both groups, the median (IQR) BCDVA significantly improved from 0.7 (0.8) logMAR at baseline to 0.4 (0.1) logMAR at 6 months post-injection (both P = 0.001), with no statistically significant difference between groups at all follow-up visits (all P >0.05). The median (IQR) CST significantly decreased in the aflibercept group from 347 (166) µm at baseline to 180 (233) µm at 6 months post-injection, and it decreased in the ranibizumab group from 360 (180) µm at baseline to 190 (224) µm at 6 months post-injection (both P = 0.001), with no statistically significant differences between groups at all follow-up visits (all P >0.05). No serious adverse effects were documented in either group.   Conclusions: Ranibizumab and aflibercept were equally effective in achieving the desired anatomical and functional results in patients with treatment-naive DME in short-term follow-up without significant differences in injection counts between both drugs. Larger prospective, randomized, double-blinded trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm our preliminary results.&nbsp