The social, cultural, and political impact of the British Military Administration on Libya, 1943-1951

This thesis examines the impact of the British Military Administration (BMA) on social- cultural and political organisations in Libya during the period 1943 to 1951. The thesis is grounded on a careful reading of secondary literature which has been integrated into available official documents available in both Arabic and English archival sources, in addition to new oral data generated from interviews. Its main claim to originality lies in the light that these documents throw on our understanding of the BMA’s impact on civil society in Libya. The thesis adopts a case study approach focusing on specific themes to examine the BMA’s impact on education, the press (specifically newspapers), and social, cultural and political organisations in Libya. These are viewed as key areas of concern in developing states since according to the secondary literature, including press debates at the time and available archival documentation, these organisations awakened people’s interest in the right to self determination. It is argued that in addition to the major political and economic changes that took place in Libya during this period, it was also a time of revitalisation of social, cultural and intellectual activities, both within Libya itself and in its émigré communities in Egypt and Tunisia. The BMA was characterised by remarkable developments in education, and also saw unprecedented growth in the press and in cultural and voluntary organisations. These associations brought together groups of individuals to create civil society and provide the basis for the political organisations, which were later to evolve into Libya’s first fully fledged political parties. The transitional British administration succeeded in building a system that greatly improved access to education and educational standards for all throughout Libya, while at the same time creating an elite cadre of Libyans who would help administer the country. During British rule, the press also improved in both quality and quantity. The diverse range of publications in Arabic that emerged not only played an important role in covering Libya’s journey towards independence but also awakened interest in issues relating to national identity. The social, cultural and political associations that flourished, both at home and abroad, made a major contribution to promoting this national movement by helping to create and shape the coherence and consciousness of Libyans as a nation. The stability that the BMA brought to Libya facilitated the growth of these social and cultural organisations which in turn underpinned the establishment of the political parties that would eventually assume responsibility for running the newly independent Libya. The findings of the study show that the BMA in Libya enjoyed considerable success in shaping Libyans’ attitudes towards the value of education, press freedom and civil society and in preparing Libya for independence. When the British left, the Libyans they had trained demonstrated their abilities in the fields of education and administration. While the British inculcated a national consciousness in the Libyans, it was also clear that Arab nationalism and Pan-Arab unity were also viewed as attractive political alternatives

Can the conventional cytology technique be sufficient in a center lacking ROSE?: Retrospective study during the COVID-19 pandemic

While rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) is considered to be an additional tool to optimize the yield of tissue acquisition during EUS-guided FNA of the gastrointestinal tract (1)(2) it is not readily available at all times while performing these procedures. We reviewed twenty-seven EUS-guided FNA procedures done at our institution in Tripoli central hospital with general working center restrictions due to local COVID-19 prevention protocols. Approximately 92.6 % of tissue adequacy was achieved despite the lack of ROSE which is comparable to ROSE-based tissue acquisition results. This is a small size retrospective chart review study to illustrate the optimal tissue adequacy during EUS-guided FNA of the upper gastrointestinal tract in a suboptimal hospital setting, lack of ROSE and merely utilizing visual inspection of those specimens by the performing physician and its effects on the diagnosis

Primary Retroperitoneal Melanoma Presented in a Rare Extracutaneous Site for Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma, as the name implies, is a malignant tumor of melanocytes, found in the skin, eyes, meningeal lining and the mucosal epithelium of the aero-digestive and genitourinary tracts. Malignant melanoma is typically skin malignancy, which rarely presents at extracutaneous site. Here we present a rare case of primary retroperitoneal melanoma and review the findings in comparison with other cases described in literature

COVID-19 in a pregnant patient with beta-thalassemia major: A case report

Further studies are needed on this unique population to better manage them and increase their chances of normal pregnancy and fewer complications and more favorable outcomes

C-Abl inhibition; a novel therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most prevalent movement disorder in the world. The major pathological hallmarks of PD are death of dopaminergic neurons and the formation of Lewy bodies. At the moment, there is no cure for PD; current treatments are symptomatic. Investigators are searching for neuroprotective agents and disease modifying strategies to slow the progress of PD. However, recently, due to the ignorance of the main pathological sequence of PD, many drug targets failed to provide neuroprotective effects in human trials. Currently, a huge amount of evidence suggests the involvement of C-Abelson (c-Abl) tyrosine kinase enzyme in the pathology of PD. C-abl plays a role in PD pathology on the levels of parkin activation, alpha synuclein aggregation, and impaired autophagy of toxic elements. Experimental studies showed that (1) c-abl activation is involved in neuronal death and (2) c-abl inhibition shows neuroprotective effects and prevents dopaminergic neurons’ death. Current evidence from experimental studies and the first in-human trial shows that c-abl inhibition holds the promise for neuroprotection against PD and therefore, justifies the movement towards larger clinical trials. In this review article, we discussed the role of c-abl in PD pathology and the findings of preclinical experiments and the first in-human trial. In addition, based on the lessons of the last decade and current preclinical evidence, we provide recommendations for future research in this area

THE ROLE OF JOB BURNOUT AND SOCIAL SUPPORT ON THE EFFECT OF JOB DEMAND TO EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

This study was conducted using the job demand-resource model to examine the effects of job demand, job burnout, and the role of social support as a measure of job resources in enhancing the influence of job demand on em­ployee performance. Through 131 responses from the questionnaire survey, this study uses the responses obtained from a state-owned banking agency in Ma­lang, Indonesia. Data analysis was performed using partial least square (PLS) with the WarpPLS.7.0 program and Sobel Test to verify the relationship bet­ween variables. The results of this study do not totally support the hy­po­thesis since employee performance can be directly influenced by the degree of job demand that employees experience but not by the degree of job burnout that banking employees experience. As opposed to that, a high job demand al­so has a direct impact on an employee's job burnout. Another significant fin­ding from this research is that social support has a role in enhancing the influence of job demands on employee performance, rather than mediating it. This research provides enlightenment for the banking industry regarding the impor­tance of paying attention to employees' social support. High job demand cau­ses a decrease in employee performance; with good social support, employees will be helped meet the job demand so that it does not impact the performance they are building. It is challenging to lessen how much job demand influences employee burnout. Banking institutions can work to provide social support while also attempting to alter employees' perceptions of their jobs' obligations. In order to successfully prevent job burnout syndrome in employees and re­du­ce negative effects brought on by job pressures, banking leaders should provi­de assistance and demonstrate excellent leadership. This strategy ought to considerably lessen job burnout and directly result in improved performance

Retrospective investigation of enteric illnesses in pet animals

Recording and analysis of data are key elements to understand the epidemiology of various infectious and zoonotic diseases such as enteric pathogens and conditions. In this study, the clinical records of Alhelal Alazraq veterinary clinic in Tripoli were investigated for enteric diseases and illnesses in cats and dogs during the period of 2010–2015. The diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines within the Libyan veterinary system were also assessed and discussed based on the retrieved information and records. A total of 859 cases representing 528 (61%) from cats and 331 (39%) from dogs were retrieved and analysed using descriptive analysis. The cases were originated from five major areas from the center of Tripoli and the surrounding areas. Of these, 835/859 (97%) cases adopted antimicrobial based therapies and administered various antibiotic classes mainly and respectively using penicillin (652; 78%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (229; 27%). The current study is the first retrospective investigation that analysed clinical and medical information from a major veterinary clinic in Libya. Diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines in the veterinary settings in Libya should be carefully reviewed and addressed. Retrospective studies and research programmes that monitor and investigate the occurrences of zoonotic and emerging pathogens particularly in relation to antimicrobial resistance are warranted in the Libyan health and medical system

A Nonlinear Goal Programming Model for University Admission Capacity Planning with Modified Differential Evolution Algorithm

This paper proposes a nonlinear Goal Programming Model (GPM) for solving the problem of admission capacity planning in academic universities. Many factors of university admission capacity planning have been taken into consideration among which are number of admitted students in the past years, total population in the country, number of graduates from secondary schools, desired ratios of specific specialties, faculty-to-students ratio, and the past number of graduates. The proposed model is general and has been tested at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the work aims to achieve the key objectives of a five-year development plan in addition to a 25-year future plan (AAFAQ) for universities education in the Kingdom. Based on the results of this test, the proposed GPM with a modified differential evolution algorithm has approved an ability to solve general admission capacity planning problem in terms of high quality, rapid convergence speed, efficiency, and robustness