Measuring the concentration of some hormones in patients sera of polycystic ovaries

Extensive evaluation of 76 women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared with 25 fertile women as control group was achieved by routine investigations and hormonal study of each female which were done in one period during the menstrual cycle. Then the women with PCOS have been divided into 2 groups according to their menstrual cycle (irregular menstrual cycle) during assessing their hormonal profiles as follow:- 1- (54) Patients with oligomenorrhea. 2- (22) Patients with menorrhea. This study shows that the women with PCOs have different clinical features taken from a history of disease of all of the women. Those features were distributed as follow: 57.92% of them suffer from hirsutism. 19.24% suffer from irregular menstrual cycle, obesity in 67%, 9 patient with acne vulgaris, and more than 50% of them have most of the clinical symptoms at same time. It is also found that the hormonal disorder is the main cause of this disease with other cawes

Pemodelan matematik dalam pengurusan Aktiviti Pelancongan Rekreasi di Wetland Putrajaya (Mathematical modelling approach to the management of recreational tourism activities at Wetland Putrajaya)

Satu model matematik dibina bagi menilai pengurusan aktiviti pelancongan rekreasi di Wetland Putrajaya. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah pengaturcaraan gol (PaG) dan perisian LINDO 6.1.untuk menyelesaikan masalah pelbagai objektif bagi memaksimumkan anggaran keuntungan aktiviti dan bilangan peserta yang terlibat. Tujuh aktiviti di Wetland Putrajaya yang terletak di bawah pengurusan Perbadanan Putrajaya telah dipilih sebagai kes kajian. Data dan maklumat rekod tahun 2008 dijadikan sebagai anggaran untuk kos dan bilangan peserta. Hasil kajian mendapati pihak Wetland Putrajaya boleh mencapai keuntungan lebih 40% daripada jumlah kos dan matlamat untuk memaksimumkan bilangan peserta bagi aktiviti yang terlibat juga tercapai

Molecular Typing of Human Brucella melitensis Isolated from Patients in Erbil, Iraq

Brucellosis is a reemerging infectious zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, it is a widely spread disease and remains a challenging health problem. This disease is mainly caused by Brucella melitensis, in human. For confirmation of these isolates, a study was performed, by isolation and molecular typing of Brucella Spp. from human patients in Rizgari Hospital at Erbil city (Iraq), between March 2014 and November 2016. One hundred sixty seven samples of blood collected from patients suspected for brucellosis, one hundred twenty one samples from these were recorded as genus of Brucella, using biochemical test and confirmed by applying polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using genus specific primer for omp31 gene which was specific for B. melitensis. These results support using molecular method that based on PCR as diagnostic test for the control of brucellosis in Erbil. Further studies are needed from different geographical areas of the country with different level of endemicity to plan and execute control strategies against human brucellosis

Identity processes among adolescents and young adults in Pakistan: implications for personal and social well-being

This thesis investigates how identity styles operate in a non-Western cultural context. Through four papers, it both tests and extends some of the theoretical assertions made by the social constructivist approach of identity styles (Berzonsky, 2011), which proposes that people construct both ‘who they think they are’ and ‘the reality in which they live’, through informational, normative or diffuse-avoidant identity orientations. Although the relationship among identity styles and well-being is well established in Western literature, there is a serious dearth of similar research in non-Western cultures such as Pakistan. Western theories tend to assume the universal generalisability of identity styles and their relationship with well-being. The primary aim of this research is to test the validity of this assumption in the cultural context of Pakistan. Paper 1 systematically examines the factorial structure of the Identity Styles Inventory (ISI-5) in a Pakistani sample. In confirmatory factor analysis, normative orientation items perform relatively poorly, leading to a possibility that the conception of normative orientation is not as universal as previously assumed. Paper 2 shows that well-being is predicted positively by information orientation and negatively by diffuse-avoidant orientation in the Pakistani sample. Normative orientation remained as non-significant predictor of well-being. Identity commitment and satisfaction of identity motives partially mediate these links. Paper 3 explores the indigenous processes of identity formation through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Normative orientation is found to operate at a much more complex level than assumed previously. Participants described many different ways of being normative, making this a less automatic, mindless and effortless process in Pakistani culture than assumed previously based on Western research models. Paper 4 focuses on the construction and psychometric testing of new measures of normative orientation suitable for use with the samples from Pakistan. Together, these studies illustrate the value of using indigenous perspectives to enrich Western-based understandings of identity formation

Gene expression profiling of HCV genotype 3a initial liver fibrosis and cirrhosis patients using microarray

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes liver fibrosis that may lead to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and may partially depend on infecting viral genotype. HCV genotype 3a is being more common in Asian population, especially Pakistan; the detail mechanism of infection still needs to be explored. In this study, we investigated and compared the gene expression profile between initial fibrosis stage and cirrhotic 3a genotype patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Gene expression profiling of human liver tissues was performed containing more than 22000 known genes. Using Oparray protocol, preparation and hybridization of slides was carried out and followed by scanning with GeneTAC integrator 4.0 software. Normalization of the data was obtained using MIDAS software and Significant Microarray Analysis (SAM) was performed to obtain differentially expressed candidate genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 22000 genes studied, 219 differentially regulated genes found with <it>P </it>≤ 0.05 between both groups; 107 among those were up-regulated and 112 were down-regulated. These genes were classified into 31 categories according to their biological functions. The main categories included: apoptosis, immune response, cell signaling, kinase activity, lipid metabolism, protein metabolism, protein modulation, metabolism, vision, cell structure, cytoskeleton, nervous system, protein metabolism, protein modulation, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation and transport activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study on gene expression profiling in patients associated with genotype 3a using microarray analysis. These findings represent a broad portrait of genomic changes in early HCV associated fibrosis and cirrhosis. We hope that identified genes in this study will help in future to act as prognostic and diagnostic markers to differentiate fibrotic patients from cirrhotic ones.</p

Researching identity styles in Pakistan: confirmatory factor analysis and associations with commitment and value priorities

Identity styles—informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant—have been studied widely across North America and Europe but infrequently in “non-Western” cultures. We tested the factorial structure of the Identity Styles Inventory-5 (ISI-5) among 479 young adults in Pakistan. Findings supported the predicted three-factor solution, but only when numerous poorly performing items were deleted. We further tested associations among identity styles, identity commitment, and value priorities. As expected, informational and normative styles were associated with higher commitment, whereas diffuse-avoidant style was associated with lower commitment. The three identity styles showed a pattern of divergent associations with value priorities that mostly, but not entirely, replicated the pattern of associations previously found among U.S. and European samples. We conclude that Berzonsky’s three identity styles can be detected in a Pakistani cultural context but that the ISI-5 may not fully capture the breadth and complexity of identity formation processes among Pakistani youth

Challenges Facing the Use of Point Of Sale POS from Merchants and Banks’ Employees Perspective in Sudan

This study aims to identify challenges facing the use of POS in Sudan from the perspectives of merchants and banks’ employees. An Exploratory study was applied to capture the perspective of the merchants using questionnaires to collect data on their views, while a qualitative technique using focus group was adopted to collect data on banks employees’ perception on challenges facing POS in Sudan. (150) questionnaires were distributed in Khartoum. Ultimately (141) responses were received and checked for completeness and consistency and were randomly cross checked for accuracy of the data. (100) banks’ Employess from the marketing and IT departments participated in the focus group discussion.Based on the merchants ‘perspective the main challenges facing the use of use of POS in Sudan is the legal and regulatory hurdles followed by operational challenges including poor network reliability. Banks’ employees perceive that the challenges are manifested in the lack of (know how) in addition to the need to develop an incentive plan that encourages customers to use POS more often. The study recommends that further investment should be put in the network and the IT infrastructure in addition to the need to revisit the regulatory procedure governing the relationship between the different stakeholders of POS. Larger sample size to be employed

Activating the Elements of Performance Audit Report (Economic - Efficiency - Effectiveness) in Measuring the Performance of External Control Agencies

Purpose: The research aims to shed light on the theoretical and defining aspect of performance audit in light of the economic elements of the report, efficiency and effectiveness, and its reflection on the performance of external control.   Theoretical framework: the external control represented by the Federal Financial Supervision Bureau and the effective role played by the performance audit in diagnosing the performance elements represented by the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the work of external control.   Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology relied on the inductive approach in defining the problem of the study by defining the role that performance auditing provides in diagnosing the points of a defect in the external control to shift from the general to the specific, as well as relying on the deductive approach in order to shift from the specific to the general by generalizing the recommendations and highlighting what Elements of the performance report (economic, efficiency, effectiveness).   Findings: the economic component. There is a waste of the available energy due to the long-term vacations granted to auditors working in the Federal Bureau of Financial Supervision. In terms of the efficiency component, the performance of the Federal Bureau of Financial Supervision decreased in answering complaints received on the whistleblowing service. Financial institutions in government institutions, as well as a decrease in the element of effectiveness when exploiting the allocations allocated to them in the annual financial budget.   Research, Practical &amp; Social implications: Moreover, a statement of the impact on the applied side of the elements of the performance report (economic, efficiency, effectiveness) on auditing the performance of the work of the external oversight bodies in the Iraqi environment, represented by the Federal Financial Supervision Bureau.   Originality/value: This study is one of the very few studies that focus on the performance audit elements (economic, efficiency, effectiveness) in the performance audit report on the work of the Federal Financial Supervision Bureau because of the role of these elements in diagnosing strengths and defects in performance

The Geochemical Distribution and Assessment of Heavy metals Pollutions in Soil Sediment of Chamchamal City-Sulaimanya Governorate / NortherEastern Iraq.

The current study aims at the geochemical distribution of heavy elements in soil sediments.It assesses environmental pollution using pollution index and potential health hazards in the city of Chamchamal  northeastern Iraq. Twenty-one samples of soil sediments were collected in the area of residential, commercial and industrial areas in mid-July 2017. Heavy metals (As, Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn) were analyzed using ICP-MS. The results showed that arsenic, chromium, cadmium, cobalt, manganese and nickel were the highest concentration in residential areas.While molybdenum and lead were higher in commercial areas, wheras copper, iron and zinc recorded the highest concentration in industrial areas. The results of pollution indicators (Igeo) showed that the  arsenic was the  (Moderately contaminated), The values of the (EF) index of the arsenic  are (Significant enrichment), the cadmium and nickel were (moderate enrichment), and the values of Cdeg showed that some of  samples are (Contamination Moderate) wheras the rest of the sites are considered (Contaminated) by  heavy metals studied. The PRI values indicated that some models were of (Riskable) and others (Very High Risk). key words: chemchmal area, heavy metal, pollution , health ris

Superconducting Properties of the (Bi0.8Pb0.2)2(Sr0.9Ba0.1)2 Ca2Cu3-x Nix O10+? System.

The effect of substitution of Ni on Cu in (Bi0.8Pb0.2)2(Sr0.9Ba0.1)2 Ca2Cu3-x Nix O10+? for (x=0,0.1….1,2,3) superconductor system and sintering time has been investigated .The samples were prepared by solid-state reaction methods. The results show that the optimum sintering temperature is equal to 850 ºC, and the sintering time is equal to 140 h. The highest transition temperature (Tc) obtained for (Bi0.8Pb0.2)2(Sr0.9Ba0.1)2 Ca2Cu3-x NixO10+? composition was 113 with x=0.8 Phase analyses of the samples by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed an orthorhombic structure with a high Tc phases (2223) as a dominant phase and low Tc phase (2212) in addition to some impurity phases