Swept-source optical coherence tomography changes and visual acuity among Palestinian retinitis Pigmentosa patients: a cross-sectional study

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of inherited ocular diseases that result in progressive retinal degeneration. This study aims to describe different Swept-source Optical Coherence Tomographic (SS-OCT) changes in Palestinian RP patients and to explore possible correlations with Visual Acuity (VA). Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on Retinitis Pigmentosa patients diagnosed with RP in a tertiary eye hospital. Full history and ocular examination were made. SS-OCT imaging was done for all eyes assessing the presence of cystoid macular edema, epiretinal membrane, macular holes, and external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone status. Also, central macular thickness and choroidal vascular thickness were measured. // Results: The study was run on 161 eyes of 81 patients; 53 males and 28 females. The average age at examination was 26.1 (6–78) years. Twenty-six eyes (16.1%) were of syndromic RP patients, mostly Usher syndrome; 20 eyes (12.4%). The mean Logaritmic minimal angle of resolution (LogMAR) of Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA)of the study sample was 0.66 ± 0.7. The most prevalent change was cystoid macular edema [28 eyes, (17.4%)], followed by epiretinal membrane [17eye, (10.6%)]. A macular hole was noted only in one eye (0.6%). Ellipsoid zone and external limiting membrane were absent in 55 eyes (35.0%) and 60 eyes 37.5%. Vitreous hyperreflective foci were found in 35 eyes (43.8%). LogMAR of BCVA was associated significantly with cystoid macular edema (p = 0.001), ellipsoid zone(p = 0.001), and external limiting membrane (p = 0.001). // Conclusions: Detailed SS-OCT assessment in Palestinian patients diagnosed with RP identified different morphologies from other populations. Cystoid macular edema and vitreous hyperreflective foci may reflect signs of early or intermediate stages of the disease. Disease progression can be monitored by measuring the length/width (area) of ellipsoid zone +/− external limiting membrane and choroidal vascular thickness, which should be evaluated serially using high-resolution OCT

A Combined Bibliometric Analysis on the Data Collection and Reporting Systems for Sustainability Assessment in Higher Education

Sustainability in Higher Education (SHE) has been tagged as an emerging topic of concern among the research community and higher education institutions over the past decade. This paper aims to investigate the existing body of knowledge related to the SHE assessment tools, methods, data collection sources, reporting systems, methods used for rating and categories of broadening indicators using a combined bibliometric and exhaustive thematic investigations. This paper also aims at investigating the intellectual structure in the SHE field of knowledge using journal co-citation analysis, author co-citation analysis, and bibliographic coupling with the software VOSviewer. This study provides the research community with a comprehensive platform for expanding future research, highlighting the intellectual structure in the SHE assessment and implementation

Controlling of Mycobacterium by Natural Degradant-Combination Models for Sequestering Mycolic Acids in Karish Cheese

Degradation of the mycobacterial complex containing mycolic acids (MAs) by natural bioactive compounds is essential for producing safe and value-added foods with therapeutic activities. This study aimed to determine the degradation efficiency of natural organic acid extracts (i.e., citric, malic, tartaric, and lactic), quadri-mix extract from fruits and probiotics (i.e., lemon, apple, grape, and cell-free supernatant of Lactobacillus acidophilus), and synthetic pure organic acids (i.e., citric, malic, tartaric, and lactic), against MA in vitro in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and Karish cheese models. The degradation effect was evaluated both individually and in combinations at different concentrations of degradants (1, 1.5, and 2%) and at various time intervals (0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h). The results show that MA degradation percentage recorded its highest value at 2% of mixed fruit extract quadri-mix with L. acidophilus and reached 99.2% after 48 h both in PBS and Karish cheese, unlike other treatments (i.e., citric + malic + tartaric + lactic), individual acids, and sole extracts at all concentrations. Conversely, organic acid quadri-mix revealed the greatest MA degradation% of 95.9, 96.8, and 97.3% at 1, 1.5, and 2%, respectively, after 48 h. Citric acid was more effective in MA degradation than other acids. The fruit extract quadri-mix combined with L. acidophilus-fortified Karish cheese showed the highest sensorial characteristics; hence, it can be considered a novel food-grade degradant for MA and could be a promising biocontrol candidate against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in food matrices

The Removal of Uranium and Thorium from Aqueous Solutions Onto by-pass Cement Dust (BCD)

The adsorption behavior of uranium and thorium from aqueous solutions by By-pass cement dust (BCD) has been investigated by a batch technique. The uranium and thorium adsorption on BCD was studied as a function of initial concentration, weight of BCD, pH, shaking time and temperature. The uptake of uranium and thorium at the determined optimum conditions follows Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption control of both thorium and uranium are first order and uptake energy of activation Ea =10 and 15 kJ/mol for thorium and uranium respectively. Thermodynamic parameters such as О”Ho, О”So and О”Go were also investigated

Removal of Nickel (II) from Aqueous Solution Via Carbonized date Pits and Carbonized Rice Husks

The adsorption of nickel from liquid solutions onto carbonized date pits (CDP) and rice husks (CRH) has been investigated in the current study. The process was studied in a batch system with respect to the initial pH, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dose and nickel initial concentration. The results showed that the experimental data was well represented by first order model for CDP and second order model for CRH. Based on the kinetic modeling, the apparent activation energies calculated were 7.84 kJ and 18.502 kJ/mol for CDP and CRH, respectively. The results also indicated that process of nickel uptake by CDP and CRH was physical adsorption process. The equilibrium data for CDP indicated that it fitted both Freundlich and Langmuir models. However, adsorption onto CRH fitted Freundlich model better based upon the higher value of R2 obtained. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔHº, ΔSº and ΔGº) calculated from the experimental data indicated that the process was endothermic and spontaneous

Muslim Diaspora in the West and International HRM

Interest in Islam and how Muslims organise themselves within the so-called Western world has largely stemmed from the flow of Muslim immigration since the 1960s and the 1970s (Loobuyck, Debeer, & Meier, 2013). Many of these immigrants have come to these new lands in the hope of making a better life for themselves economically, or to escape the political or religious pressures of their homeland (Lebl, 2014). Initially, deeming the influx of these foreigners to be largely irrelevant, there was little interest in their presence by the different governments across many jurisdictions. Typically, scant interest was shown towards entering into dialogue with the Muslim immigrant community. Indeed, until the 1990s, it was not uncommon for Islam to be perceived as a strange, foreign religion that was best managed through outsourcing to respective consulates (Loobuyck et al., 2013). Yet, migration and work-based mobility has a significant influence on the world of work and societies in which organisations are embedded. Many individuals migrate for better employment perspectives, as well as due to chain migration, betterment in the quality of life and based on fleeing famine, war and terror zones globally (Sharma & Reimer-Kirkham, 2015; Valiūnienė, 2016). Migration could involve upward as well as downward mobility/ wages, depending on the country and organisation. For example, minimum wages differ from € 184 in Bulgaria up to € 1923 in Luxembourg (Valiūnienė, 2016). Migration also contributes to the lived religion of diasporic communities as they navigate their faith at work (Sharma & Reimer-Kirkha

Correlation between factors controlling preparation of porous copper via sintering technique using experimental design

There are many factors which control the porosity of the final object during preparation of porouscopper compact using PM (powder metallurgy) technique.The amount of filler material, its type, sintering temperature, sintering time and the pressureof compaction were recognized as the most important parameters. In this investigation, naphthalene wasused as filler material during porous copper preparation. Also, the correlation between these parametersand the porosity degree of the final object was developed with the aid of 2N factorial design experiments.It was found that the amount of naphthalene represents the most important parameter controllingthe porosity degree in the final object

A Critique of Jabra’s Arabic Translation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest

This study critiques and evaluates Jabra’s translation of The Tempest into Arabic. This translation poses a lot of problems stemming from the differences between English and Arabic, the difficulty and ambiguity of the original text, and the translator’s approach.The discussion demonstrates the great efforts made by the translator to convey the equivalent meanings of the text. It also clearly shows that Jabra’s translation is literal, that the translator sometimes uses colloquial, inaccurate, and nonpoetic words that add to the ambiguity of the text, that he sometimes gives good translations, that he makes slight mistakes, and that he sometimes deletes or drops words or lines from the text, which represents a flagrant violation of the ethics of translation.Despite the pitfalls, Jabra’s translation of The Tempest is the fruit of hard work deserving of praise and appreciation. The mistakes made are ascribed to the difficulty of translating literature whose language consists of figures of speech that defy translation.Key words: Shakespeare; Drama in translation; Language; English; Arabic; Syntax; Figures of speech; Literary translation; Strategies of translatio

From BIM towards digital twin: Strategy and future development for smart asset management

With the rising adoption of Building Information Model (BIM) for as-set management within architecture, engineering, construction and owner-operated (AECO) sector, BIM-enabled asset management has been increasingly attracting more attentions in both research and practice. This study provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the state-of-the-art latest research and industry standards development that impact upon BIM and asset management within the operations and maintenance (O&M) phase. However, BIM is not always enough in whole-life cycle asset management, especially in the O&M phase. Therefore, a framework for future development of smart asset management are proposed, integrating the concept of Digital Twin (DT). DT integrates artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to create dynamic digital models that are able to learn and update the status of the physical counterpart from multiple sources. The findings will contribute to inspiring novel research ideas and promote wide-spread adoption of smart DT-enabled asset management within the O&M phaseCentre for Digital Built Britain, Innovate U

Achilles tendon rupture following surgical management for tendinopathy: a case report

BACKGROUND: Achilles tendinopathy is understood to be a failed healing response. Operative management is utilised following the failure of non-operative methods. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of Achilles tendon rupture, sustained whilst isometrically loading the Achilles tendon during an eccentric loading exercise programme. Conclusion: Bilateral surgical exploration and debridement had previously been performed after conservative management of bilateral Achilles tendinopathy had been unsuccessful