Factors That Influence the Pronunciation of Interdentals in Modern Standard Arabic and English by Egyptian Arabic Speakers

Although Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has three different interdental fricatives /θ/, /ð/, and the emphatic interdental /ðˤ/, most Egyptian Arabic (EA) speakers do not pronounce these interdental fricative sounds, whether in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or in English, and instead substitute them with the sibilant /s/ and /z/, respectively (Schmidt, 1987), as in the examples ‘three’ and ‘the’. The factors which influence the pronunciation of interdentals by EA speakers vary from one study to another. For instance, Ahmed Ali (2014) and El Zarka (2013) refer to dialect interference in the second language acquisition of phonology, while other studies indicate some sociolinguistic variables such as a socioeconomic background variable (Labov, 1970) or a stylistic variable (Schmidt, 1987) as influencing the EA speakers’ pronunciation of interdental fricatives. This study examines the interdentals of 15-20 EA speakers through an interview and several tasks, including reading samples, in order to determine which variables (e.g., phonological, sociolinguistic, stylistic) are the most salient in the acquisition of interdentals in MSA and L2 English. In addition, this study tests several new variables (the effect of pronunciation teaching, and formality of the topic) that may influence the EA speakers’ pronunciation of interdentals. Through analysis of the collected data, this study demonstrates that the pronunciation of interdentals by EA speakers is in fact due to a combination of these factors

Community engagement and civic participation in education: The role of education in advancing social capital among rural communities. A case study of USAID funded program to basic education in Egypt; the new schools program (NSP)- 2000-2008

This thesis examines e the role of civic participation in education in building the capacities of rural communities and advancing behaviors of democracy through the formation of a culture of social capital among them

The state mosques of the Arabian Gulf: bridging tradition and modernity in the 20th

The architecture of the state mosques of the Arabian Gulf in the 20th century is an overlooked subject. Their various styles of Islamic architecture, lavish details, luxurious decoration and enormous scale are all intended to convey a message of elegance and power. While some research has been carried out on the Gulf States as part of modern urban development in general, little has been done on State Mosque architecture in particular, and few have been studied or even published in detail. Nevertheless, this region underwent more major changes in its contemporary mosque architecture from its traditional architecture than any of the surrounding Arab States. Although the architectural style of these state mosques varied, they all shared a single goal, the regeneration of traditional Islamic forms combined with a tendency toward a new perspective of contemporary mosque architecture that stressed the development of the mosques’ forms, styles and their place in an urban setting, which was unlike those of neighboring Arab states. Hence, the aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive study of the styles, techniques, decoration, design and messages of state mosque architecture in the Arabian Gulf. It will be compared with Islamic architecture of the medieval and early modern period. This research will be the first in-depth study of the state mosques of the Arabian Gulf

Financiarisation des économies, pouvoir de négociation syndicale et qualité d'emploi : cas des pays de l’OCDE

Cette thèse de doctorat s’inscrit dans le champ des relations industrielles. Elle a pour objet d’analyser la relation entre la financiarisation des économies, le pouvoir de négociation syndicale et la qualité de l’emploi. Elle présente une analyse comparative dans treize pays de l’OCDE sur une période de vingt-sept ans [1990-2017]. La recherche vise à comprendre dans quelles mesures la financiarisation des économies des pays de l’OCDE modifie le pouvoir de négociation syndicale et par voie de conséquence la qualité de l’emploi. Sur le plan théorique, nous avons mobilisé les concepts de la théorie de la régulation. Sur le plan méthodologique, la recherche utilise une méthodologie quantitative basée sur des modèles en données de panel dynamique. L’hypothèse de départ est que le processus de financiarisation et, particulièrement, la montée en puissance des investisseurs institutionnels en tant que composante principale des nouveaux systèmes financiers ont changé non seulement le dynamisme des marchés du travail et les relations de travail, mais aussi la qualité de l’emploi et le rapport de pouvoir entre les parties négociantes. Cette thèse propose, alors, des indicateurs synthétiques multidimensionnels du pouvoir de négociation syndicale et de la qualité de l’emploi. Le pouvoir de négociation syndicale est agrégé en deux pouvoirs : le pouvoir économique de négociation syndicale et le pouvoir politique de négociation syndicale. Nos principaux résultats montrent que, dans l’ensemble, la montée en puissance des investisseurs institutionnels affaiblit le pouvoir de négociation syndicale et réduit la qualité de l’emploi. Toutefois, les résultats sont mitigés si nous comparons des groupes de pays appartenant à trois types de capitalisme à savoir le capitalisme dominé par les marchés et la finance, le capitalisme familial et le capitalisme social-démocrate. Les résultats sont aussi mitigés quant à l’impact du pouvoir de négociation syndicale estimé sur la qualité de l’emploi. Le pouvoir estimé de négociation syndicale, affaibli par la montée en puissance des investisseurs institutionnels, ne réduit pas toujours la qualité de l’emploi. Par ailleurs, les résultats des tests de causalité montrent que dans l’ensemble le pouvoir de négociation syndicale est lié aux variables indicatrices des investisseurs institutionnels. Autrement dit, la montée en puissance des investisseurs institutionnels, la déréglementation et la libéralisation des marchés financiers se sont traduites par un affaiblissement du pouvoir de négociation syndicale. De plus, un pouvoir de négociation syndicale faible peut détériorer la qualité de l’emploi. Le lien de causalité entre les pouvoirs de négociation syndicale et la qualité de l’emploi est bidirectionnel. Plus spécifiquement, un affaiblissement des pouvoirs de négociation syndicale détériore la qualité de l’emploi et une mauvaise qualité de l’emploi affaiblit davantage les pouvoirs de négociation syndicale.This doctoral thesis comes within the field of industrial relations. It seeks to analyze the relationship between the financialization of economies, union bargaining power and job quality. It presents a comparative analysis in thirteen OECD countries over a period of twenty-seven years [1990-2017]. The aim of this research is to understand the extent to which the financialization of OECD economies changes the union bargaining power and thus the job quality. At the theoretical level, we have mobilized the concepts of regulation theory. Empirically, the research uses a quantitative method based on dynamic panel data models. The initial hypothesis is that the process of financialization and, in particular, the rise of institutional investors as a main component of new financial systems have changed not only the dynamism of labor markets and employment relationship, but also the job quality and the power relationship between the negotiating parties. This thesis then proposes synthetic multidimensional indicators of union bargaining power and job quality. Union bargaining power is aggregated into two powers: the economic union bargaining power and the political union bargaining power. Our main results show that, overall, the rise of institutional investors weakens union bargaining power and reduces job quality. However, the results are mixed if we compare groups of countries belonging to three types of capitalism: market-based capitalism, family capitalism and socialdemocratic capitalism. The results are also mixed regarding the impact of estimated union bargaining power on job quality. Estimated union bargaining power, weakened by the rise of institutional investors, does not always reduce job quality. Moreover, the results of the causality tests show that, overall, union bargaining power is related to the institutional investor’s indicator variables. In other words, the rise of institutional investors and the deregulation and liberalization of financial markets have led to a weakening of union bargaining power. Thus, weak union bargaining power can lead to a deterioration in the job quality. The causal link between union bargaining power and job quality is bidirectional. More specifically, a weakening of bargaining power deteriorates job quality, and poor job quality further weakens union bargaining power

Safe injection procedures, injection practices, and needlestick injuries among health care workers in operating rooms

Background: Of the estimated 384,000 needle-stick injuries occurring in hospitals each year, 23% occur in surgical settings. This study was conducted to assess safe injection procedures, injection practices, and circumstances contributing to needlestick and sharps injures (NSSIs) in operating rooms.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional approach was adopted. Modified observational checklists based on World Health Organization (WHO) definitions were used in operating rooms (n = 34) and interview questionnaire was administered to HCWs (n = 318) at the Alexandria Main University Hospital.Results: Safe injection procedures regarding final waste disposal were sufficiently adopted, while measures regarding disposable injection equipment, waste containers, hand hygiene, as well as injection practices were inadequately carried out. Lack of job aid posters that promote safe injection and safe disposal of injection equipment (100%), overflowing of sharps containers and presence of infectious waste outside containers (50%), HCWs not cleaning their hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (58.1%), and HCWs not wearing gloves during IV cannula insertion (58.1%), were all findings during observations. High prevalence of NSSIs was reported (61.3%), mostly during handling suture needles (50.8%). In addition, 66.2% of the injured HCWs were the original user of the sharp item which was contaminated in 80% of injuries. At time of NSSI, 79% HCWs were wearing gloves. The most common injured sites were left fingers (39.5%), and 55.4% of injuries were superficial. After exposure, 97.9% did not report their exposure. The source patient was not tested for HBV, HCV and HIV infection in more than 70% of injuries and 96.9% of injured HCWs did not receive post exposure prophylaxis.Conclusion: The study highlighted that inadequately adopted safe injection procedures and insufficient injection practices lead to high prevalence of NSSIs in operating rooms.Keywords: Needlestick injuries, Sharps injuries, Injections, Post-exposure prophylaxis, Operating room

Nigella sativa and Thymoquinone: A Natural Blessing for Periodontal Therapy

Thymoquinone (TQ), the chief active constituent of Nigella sativa (NS), shows very valuable biomedical properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, antiparasitic and anti-asthmatic effects. Several studies have examined the pharmacological actions of TQ in the treatment of oral diseases but its potential role in periodontal therapy and regeneration is not yet fully defined. The present investigation has been designed to review the scientific studies about the effects of TQ as an adjunct to periodontal treatment to promote healing and periodontal regeneration. Along with clinical experiments, in vitro studies exhibit the beneficial effects of TQ during periodontal therapy. Nevertheless, additional comprehensive clinical and preclinical studies at cellular and molecular levels are essential to examine the particular action mechanisms of Nigella sativa and its elements, particularly TQ, during periodontal treatment or regeneration

ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN EGYPT: TOWARDS A GENDER SENSITIVE STUDIO

Architecture is a profession that men have dominated for centuries, while the transmission model of education has been the common basis for architectural education. In Egypt, architectural education continues to be masculine despite the increase in the number of female students enrolled in architectural programs. In such a type of education, the studio is the venue where concepts and building competencies are transformed. Therefore, this research paper investigates the impact of gender inequality on architectural education by surveying the educational process in the studio among male and female students at Egyptian universities. By exploring the actual difficulties related to gender that face architectural education in Egypt, the research aims to enhance the quality of the educational process for architecture students in general, and help them to equally qualify for the profession. This in turn should raise awareness for all the participants in the educational process in order to create a better educational environment for architecture students with special regard to gender sensitivity

Design and Economic Evaluation of a Photovoltaic Water Pumping System for Tomato Irrigation in El Oued, Algeria

This paper explores the design, economic assessment, and operation of a photovoltaic water pumping system for irrigating tomatoes in Terifaoui, El Oued, Algeria. Terifaoui's desert climate and lack of grid access make it a suitable candidate for a solar-powered irrigation system. The system design, simulated using PVsyst software, considers El Oued's climate to ensure reliable operation. This study examines the technology, economics, and operational aspects of the system, highlighting its potential to boost agricultural output and regional economic resilience

Oropharyngeal and otorhinological changes in end stage renal patients undergoing hemodialysis

The study aimed to assess oropharyngeal and otorhinolaryngological changes in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis and correlate the findings to renal functions. This case-control study compared oral and otorhinolaryngologica

A Brain-Computer Interface Augmented Reality Framework with Auto-Adaptive SSVEP Recognition

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) initially gained attention for developing applications that aid physically impaired individuals. Recently, the idea of integrating BCI with Augmented Reality (AR) emerged, which uses BCI not only to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities but also to develop mainstream applications for healthy users. One commonly used BCI signal pattern is the Steady-state Visually-evoked Potential (SSVEP), which captures the brain's response to flickering visual stimuli. SSVEP-based BCI-AR applications enable users to express their needs/wants by simply looking at corresponding command options. However, individuals are different in brain signals and thus require per-subject SSVEP recognition. Moreover, muscle movements and eye blinks interfere with brain signals, and thus subjects are required to remain still during BCI experiments, which limits AR engagement. In this paper, we (1) propose a simple adaptive ensemble classification system that handles the inter-subject variability, (2) present a simple BCI-AR framework that supports the development of a wide range of SSVEP-based BCI-AR applications, and (3) evaluate the performance of our ensemble algorithm in an SSVEP-based BCI-AR application with head rotations which has demonstrated robustness to the movement interference. Our testing on multiple subjects achieved a mean accuracy of 80\% on a PC and 77\% using the HoloLens AR headset, both of which surpass previous studies that incorporate individual classifiers and head movements. In addition, our visual stimulation time is 5 seconds which is relatively short. The statistically significant results show that our ensemble classification approach outperforms individual classifiers in SSVEP-based BCIs