The Rise and Fall of the Hasanwayhid Barzikani Dynasty (941-1015): Mapping Territories and Unraveling the Causes and Contributing Factors of Its Collapse

 This research significantly contributes to our understanding of the Emirate of Hasanwayhid Barzikani's rise and fall within the Abbasid Caliphate. The study unveils the intricate factors that shaped the emirate's destiny by meticulously mapping its geographical extent and employing an analytical-critical approach. The identification of key contributors, such as persistent tensions with the Buyids, internal rivalries, and the geopolitical context of its proximity to the Abbasid Caliphate's center, enriches historical discourse. Furthermore, the research underscores the impact of wars of attrition and internal conflicts on the emirate's stability. Methodologically, the thorough examination of primary and secondary sources enhances the reliability and depth of the findings. Ultimately, this research not only sheds light on the complex dynamics of Hasanwayhid Barzikani's existence and demise but also underscores the broader significance of considering multifaceted political, military, and socio-cultural factors in comprehending the dynamics of emirates during this historical period

Examining Teachers\u27 and College Students\u27 Perspectives Toward E-textbooks as an Educational Tool

The purpose of this research was to understand the perspectives of teachers and students regarding their use of specific e-textbooks in a higher education learning environment. The e-textbooks used by the teachers and students were examined in order to determine functions and features to focus on during the inquiry. This study was particularly interested in the design of e-textbooks and how they are used by both teachers and students in the learning process. The participants in the research were also prompted to suggest improvements to e-textbooks. A case study approach was used as the methodology to examine three teachers represented three majors in three different colleges and a small sample of their students to gather information to answer the research questions. Qualitative data from multiple sources such as in depth interviews and document reviews were used to analyze and examine the overall utility of e-textbooks toward learning/teaching, and functions related to the instructional and navigational design of e-textbooks. Results of this study showed that there was overall agreement that choosing books needs to be based on the quality of the material contained within the book, regardless of the format, print or electronic. E-textbooks facilitate teachers’ and students’ interactions and access to the materials and resources. However, both teachers and students viewed their e-textbooks as supplementary materials, even thought these e-textbooks allowed them to interact with the text using different tools. One recurring finding was how flexible e-textbooks are in individualizing student learning. Recommendations by students/teachers included the improvement of page layout, the interface, increasing window size, providing more complex tasks, keeping up with technology, and insuring the quality of information within the e-textbook. Implications for future research include further investigation into the use of e-textbooks as supplementary materials, and whether printed texts are also being considered as supplementary. Finally, there are indications that advanced technology may be changing how students learn and if e-textbooks reflect this change. Further research into this possible change in ways that students learn would shed additional light on this question

Abu’l–‘Izz al-Jazari and His Role in The Advancement of the Science of Mechanics (1136-1206)

Abu’l-‘Izz al-Jazari is considered one of the pioneers of mechanical engineering in the middle Islamic centuries. He is known not only as a collector of previous scientists' thoughts but also as an inventor and a mechanical engineering designer.Writing about this scientist is of special significance because it basically explains an important and neglected aspect of mechanical science. This study aims to shed light on al-Jazari’s efforts in the field of mechanics based on the documents and resources of Islamic history as well as foreign resources

Development of Stage – Distance – Discharge Relationship and Rating Curve using Least Square Method

For any river, besides the importance of stage – discharge relationship (rating curve), a stage-discharge- distance relationship is of more significance.  The accurate estimation of both relationships along a river reach is considered a key point for various applications of water resources engineering such as operation and management of water resources projects, designing of hydraulic structures, and sediment analysis.  In this paper, both relationships were established for the Shatt Al – Hillah river reach by applying multiple linear regression and simple linear regression using least square method for determining regression equations. Twelve gauging stations including three primary and nine secondary stations were considered for this method. Moreover, for evaluating the performance of both regressions, statistical measures such as coefficient of determination, root mean square error, mean square error, and Thiel's factor were used. The study results generally indicate a superior performance of both modeling techniques. MLR model was able to predict and mimic the stage-discharge-distance relationship with a coefficient correlation of about 0.932, while SLR model was able to predict three rating curves for the three primary stations with coefficient correlation of about 0.960, 0.943, and 0.924 respectively

Sparse Multi-Decoder Recursive Projection Aggregation for Reed-Muller Codes

Reed-Muller (RM) codes are one of the oldest families of codes. Recently, a recursive projection aggregation (RPA) decoder has been proposed, which achieves a performance that is close to the maximum likelihood decoder for short-length RM codes. One of its main drawbacks, however, is the large amount of computations needed. In this paper, we devise a new algorithm to lower the computational budget while keeping a performance close to that of the RPA decoder. The proposed approach consists of multiple sparse RPAs that are generated by performing only a selection of projections in each sparsified decoder. In the end, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is used to decide between output codewords. Simulation results show that our proposed approach reduces the RPA decoder's computations up to $80\%$ with negligible performance loss.Comment: 6 pages, 12 figure

Ocular Graft Versus Host Disease Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Review of Current Knowledge and Recommendations

Graft versus host disease (GVHD) is a common complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Ocular GVHD develops in approximately 40-60% of patients following allo-SCT and its most common clinical manifestations include keratoconjunctivitis sicca and cicatricial conjunctivitis. Ocular GVHD may lead to severe ocular surface disease, which can significantly diminish quality of life and restrict daily activities. It is thus important to monitor the condition closely since with timely diagnosis, irreversible damage can be avoided. The current review will focus on updated information regarding ocular GVHD

Happiness and its influencing factors among paddy farmers in Granary Area of Mada

The study aims to study the factors associated with the level of happiness among paddy farmer’s household in the granary area of Kedah. The study used quantitative research technique by using interview questionnaire to obtain data at the household level.Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) used to analyze the factors affecting happiness of the paddy farmers statistically.The study found that the institution factor is the most significant factor contributing to happiness of paddy farmer’s household with the coefficient value of 0.36. The finding shows that the role played by MADA, particularly in terms of advisory assistance to farmers have succeeded to improve happiness of farmers in the area.The management of leisure time, ownership of financial assets and human assets also positively significant influencing the happiness of paddy farmers.In addition the environment factors such as pollution, land degradation and waste disposal also significant influencing happiness of paddy farmers negatively. Finding also suggests that farm management factor indicated by variables such as effective use of machinery, pest control and weed control are not able to increase the happiness of paddy farmers.This situation clearly shows that the increase in cultivation technology with the usage of mechanization in every production process and harvesting is not able to increase the happiness of paddy farmers especially the poor.Thus, active involvement from related institution, strengthening the financial and human assets, as well as the introduction of technology that is more acceptable to the farmers, seen are the best way to raise the level of happiness among the paddy farmers