What’s The Difference? Distinctions, Furūq, And Development In Post-Formative Islamic Law

This dissertation is a study of the “legal distinctions” (al-furūq al-fiqhiyya) literature and its role in the development of Islamic legal thinking. It reconsiders how linguistics, law, and public performance intersect with knowledge production to develop new packaging of legal information. This study identifies the origins of this tradition in linguistic and medical literature which demonstrated the possibilities of ‘distinctions’ reasoning. The linguistic furūq literature is largely a theological endeavor aimed as denying the existence of synonymy in Arabic while the medical literature was interested in diagnosing illnesses. After establishing the trends that led to the writing of this genre, I demonstrate the implications of the legal furūq and how changes to this genre reflect shifts in the social consumption of Islamic legal knowledge. The earliest interest in legal distinctions grew out of the performance of knowledge in formalized legal disputation (jadal). Disputation was an important activity for creating and defining tools of legal knowledge and distinction played an important part therein. From here, the genre of legal distinctions adapted to incorporate elements of play and entertainment through interplay with the genre of legal riddles (al-alghāz al-fiqhiyya). As play, books of legal distinctions functioned as supplements to performance in literary salons, study circles, and court performances (majlis); these books also served as mimetic objects, allowing the reader to participate in the majlis virtually through reading. This study demonstrates the analytical strength of genre as a tool for understanding the history Islamic law and the social and intellectual practices that helped shape its development

Structures research

The main objective of the structures group is to provide quality aerospace research with the Center for Aerospace Research - A NASA Center for Excellence at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The group includes dedicated faculty and students who have a proven record in the area of structures, in particular space structures. The participating faculty developed accurate mathematical models and effective computational algorithms to characterize the flexibility parameters of joint dominated beam-truss structures. Both experimental and theoretical modelling has been applied to the dynamic mode shapes and mode frequencies for a large truss system. During the past few months, the above procedures has been applied to the hypersonic transport plane model. The plane structure has been modeled as a lumped mass system by Doctor Abu-Saba while Doctor Shen applied the transfer matrix method with a piecewise continuous Timoshenko tapered beam model. Results from both procedures compare favorably with those obtained using the finite element method. These two methods are more compact and require less computer time than the finite element method. The group intends to perform experiments on structural systems including the hypersonic plane model to verify the results from the theoretical models

Dynamics and control of the orbiting grid structures and the synchronously deployable beam

Analytical models were provided for the orbiting grid structure and the joint dominated beam and computational procedures used in determining the eigen value characteristics

Lumped mass modelling for the dynamic analysis of aircraft structures

Aircraft structures may be modelled by lumping the masses at particular strategic points and the flexibility or stiffness of the structure is obtained with reference to these points. Equivalent moments of inertia for the section at these positions are determined. The lumped masses are calculated based on the assumption that each point will represent the mass spread on one half of the space on each side. Then these parameters are used in the differential equation of motion and the eigen characteristics are determined. A comparison is made with results obtained by other established methods. The lumped mass approach in the dynamic analysis of complicated structures provides an easier means of predicting the dynamic characteristics of these structures. It involves less computer time and avoids computational errors that are inherent in the numerical solution of complicated systems

Evaluation of the validity of osteoporosis and fracture risk assessment tools (IOF One Minute Test, SCORE, and FRAX) in postmenopausal Palestinian women

The need for simple self-assessment tools is necessary to predict women at high risk for developing osteoporosis. In this study, tools like the IOF One Minute Test, Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX), and Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation (SCORE) were found to be valid for Palestinian women. The threshold for predicting women at risk for each tool was estimated. Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity of the updated IOF (International Osteoporosis Foundation) One Minute Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Test, FRAX, SCORE as well as age alone to detect the risk of developing osteoporosis in postmenopausal Palestinian women. Methods Three hundred eighty-two women 45 years and older were recruited including 131 women with osteoporosis and 251 controls following bone mineral density (BMD) measurement, 287 completed questionnaires of the different risk assessment tools. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were evaluated for each tool using bone BMD as the gold standard for osteoporosis. Results The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was the highest for FRAX calculated with BMD for predicting hip fractures (0.897) followed by FRAX for major fractures (0.826) with cut-off values ˃1.5 and ˃7.8%, respectively. The IOF One Minute Test AUC (0.629) was the lowest compared to other tested tools but with sufficient accuracy for predicting the risk of developing osteoporosis with a cut-off value ˃4 total yes questions out of 18. SCORE test and age alone were also as good predictors of risk for developing osteoporosis. According to the ROC curve for age, women ≥64 years had a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. Higher percentage of women with low BMD (T-score ≤−1.5) or osteoporosis (Tscore ≤−2.5) was found among women who were not exposed to the sun, who had menopause before the age of 45 years, or had lower body mass index (BMI) compared to controls. Women who often fall had lower BMI and approximately 27% of the recruited postmenopausal Palestinian women had accidents that caused fractures. Conclusions Simple self-assessment tools like FRAX without BMD, SCORE, and the IOF One Minute Tests were valid for predicting Palestinian postmenopausal women at high risk of developing osteoporosis

Prevalence and awareness of osteoporosis among postmenopausal Palestinian women

Summary The prevalence and awareness of postmenopausal osteoporosis was assessed among 569 postmenopausal women randomly selected from the population. Osteoporosis was assessed based on bone mineral density (BMD) values at three indicative sites. The results indicate a significant prevalence of the disease among this fraction of the population with a poor knowledge of its risk factors. Introduction Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major health problem at the individual and population levels. Assessment of its prevalence and awareness of risk factors provide the basis for health plans to control the disease. No previous studies have been done in our population. A cross-sectional study including 569 postmenopausal women showed a significant prevalence of osteoporosis with a poor awareness of risk factors. Methods Included in the study were 569 randomly selected postmenopausal women (≥49 years of age). BMD was measured in 505 subjects at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Awareness was evaluated using a special questionnaire. Results Osteoporosis affected the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip in 24%, 14% and 29.7% of subjects, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation (p<0.001) between age and number of years since menopause and BMD at all the sites evaluated. Conversely, BMD increased at the three sites as weight, height and BMI increased. There was a significant positive correlation between BMD at the three sites and the physical characteristics of the subjects (weight, height and BMI) (p<0.001 at the hip and femoral neck, and p=0.05 at the lumbar spine). BMD was higher at the lumbar spine and femoral neck among subjects aware of the disease (0.893 and 0.746 g/cm2, respectively) than among subjects unaware of the disease (0.835 and 0.712 g/cm2, respectively). This investigation is the first among Palestinian women in this region. It indicates the urgent need for a comprehensive national programme to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis. Conclusion Postmenopausal osteoporosis is significant among the Palestinian population and there is a poor awareness of the risk factors.The authors would like to thank PCBS for their valuable assistance and the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation in Beit Jala for their significant assistance in bone scanning. This study was partially funded by a generous grant from the Union of Health Work Committees in Palestine

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bone turnover markers in Palestinian postmenopausal osteoporosis and normal women

Summary This study evaluated the association of vitaminD and bone markers with the development osteoporosis in Palestinian postmenopausal women. Even though vitamin D deficiency was very high for the recruited subjects, it was not associated with osteoporosis except for bones of the hip. Age and obesity were the strongest determining factors of the disease. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with serum vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, obesity, and bone turnover markers in Palestinian postmenopausal women. Methods Three hundred eighty-two postmenopausal women (≥45 years) were recruited from various women clinics for BMD assessment (131 women had osteoporosis and 251 were normal and served as controls). Blood samples were obtained for serum calcium, PTH, 25(OH)D, bone formation (N-terminal propeptide (PINP)), and bone resorption (serum Cterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX1)) markers. Results Women with osteoporosis had statistically significant lower mean weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and serum calcium (p < 0.05) compared to controls. No significant differences were detected between the mean values of bone turnover markers (CTX and PINP), 25(OH)D, and PTH of the two groups. Women with vitamin D deficiency (severe and insufficiency) represented 85.9% of the study subjects. Multiple and logistic regression showed that age and BMI significantly affected BMD and vitamin D had a significant association with BMD only at the lumbar spine. BMI was positively correlated with BMD and PTH but negatively correlated with vitamin D. Logistic regression showed that the odds ratio (OR) for having osteoporosis decreased with increasing BMI (overweight OR = 0.11, p = 0.053; obese OR = 0.05, p = 0.007). Conclusions There was no direct correlation between BMD and PTH, bone turnover markers, and vitamin D except at the lumbar spine. A negative correlation between BMD and age and a positive correlation with BMI were observed. The protective effect of obesity on osteoporosis was complicated by the effect of obesity on vitamin D and PTH.This work was supported in part by a special grant from the Palestinianministry of education and higher education (MEHE)

A piecewise continuous Timoshenko beam model for the dynamic analysis of tapered beam-like structures

Distributed parameter modeling offers a viable alternative to the finite element approach for modeling large flexible space structures. The introduction of the transfer matrix method into the continuum modeling process provides a very useful tool to facilitate the distributed parameter model applied to some more complex configurations. A uniform Timoshenko beam model for the estimation of the dynamic properties of beam-like structures has given comparable results. But many aeronautical and aerospace structures are comprised of non-uniform sections or sectional properties, such as aircraft wings and satellite antennas. This paper proposes a piecewise continuous Timoshenko beam model which is used for the dynamic analysis of tapered beam-like structures. A tapered beam is divided into several segments of uniform beam elements. Instead of arbitrarily assumed shape functions used in finite element analysis, the closed-form solution of the Timoshenko beam equation is used. Application of the transfer matrix method relates all the elements as a whole. By corresponding boundary conditions and compatible conditions a characteristic equation for the global tapered beam has been developed, from which natural frequencies can be derived. A computer simulation is shown in this paper, and compared with the results obtained from the finite element analysis. While piecewise continuous Timoshenko beam model decreases the number of elements significantly; comparable results to the finite element method are obtained

The origin of first‐in‐class drugs: innovation versus clinical benefit

First-in-class (FIC) designation became a hallmark of innovation, however, even at the marketing authorization stage, little is known about the clinical benefits these products deliver. We identified the provenance of the FIC drugs that entered the French market from 2008 to 2018 and matched these medicines to the clinical benefit grading by Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) and Prescrire. Analyses were performed using descriptive statistics to present our findings by drug origin and therapeutic area and to establish the degree of concordance between HAS and Prescrire. Of the 135 FIC drugs identified, 71.1% (n = 96) originated from the industry, 16.3% (n = 22) from academia, and 12.6% (n = 17) from joint partnerships. Three therapeutic areas accounted for most FIC medications: antineoplastic (25.9%, N = 35), anti-infective (14.1%, N = 19), and metabolic (11.1%, N = 15) agents. HAS and Prescrire agreed on 60.74% of clinical benefit gradings. According to HAS, only 5% of all FIC drugs had substantial added benefit, and only 3%, according to Prescrire. HAS and Prescrire graded 45.9% and 68.2%, respectively, of FIC drugs as no clinical benefit and 48.9% and 28.9%, respectively, as some clinical benefit. FIC-designated drugs are primarily of industry (> 70%) rather than academic origin. We found that 55% of FIC medicines that entered the French market over the 10-year period deliver no additional clinical benefit. Whereas FIC medicines may represent important scientific advancements in drug development, in > 50% of cases, the new mode of action does not translate into additional clinical benefits for patients