Determining the Intended Meaning of Words in a Religious Text: An Intertextuality-Oriented Approach

The aim of the present study was to show how intertextuality could be a viable approach to determine the intended meaning of words in religious texts such as the Holy Quran. In order to do just this, the researcher selected two Quranic words to be the data of the study. These were al-gibaal (Arabic: ) and al-rawasi (Arabic: يساورلا )1. As for the machinery, a three-level analysis was attempted. At the first level, the denotational and connotational meanings of the two lemmas (dictionary entries) as illustrated in some major Arabic dictionaries are provided. At the second, the meanings of these words were sought in the interpretations of some major Muslim expositors. Finally, some attempts were made to provide alternative explanations by bringing out the local and global intuitions that the words invoke in the Quranic text as a coherent whole. The analysis of data revealed that al-gibaal and al-rawaasi are both not part of the Earth; al-gibaal is different form al-rawaasi in that whereas al-rawaasi is the main part of a mountain digging deep in the earth, al-gibaal is the outside part; al-gibaal serve a different function as compared with that of al-rawaasi; and finally, unlike al-rawaasi, there are three kinds of al-gibaal.

Rapidly progressive periodontal disease associated with human immunodeficiency virus

Severe periodontal inflammation with generalized dental plaque accumulation, spontaneous and severe gingival bleeding, fungal infection, and interdental papillae necrosis are presented in a patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Bite-wing radiographs revealed a generalized horizontal alveolar bone loss of 7-8 millimetres in both arches. Erythematous patches were noted on the gingival mucosa in both jaws. DNA testing was performed to indentify the periodontopathogens. The patient had no signs or symptoms of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This case-report presents the massive periodontal destruction that occurred in a patient infected with HIV. Therefore, it is highly recommended that patients infected with HIV should be regularly monitored to aid in early detection and to provide proper management of periodontal inflammatory conditions to minimize its destruction

The Effect of Organic Matter Application on Phosphorus Status in the Calcareous Soil

A field experiment is conducted to study the effect of different levels of peat (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 Mg ha-1 to uncropped and cropped soil to wheat. Soil samples are taken in different period of time (0, 3, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days after cultivation to determine (NaHCO3-Exteractable P at 3 different depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm). Field Experiment is conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates. Wheat, Al-Rasheed variety, is cultivated as a testing crop. The entire field is equally dived in two divisions. One of the two divisions is cultivated to wheat and the second is left uncropped. The effect of five levels of peat namely 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 Mg ha-1 is investigated. Soils are fully analyzed to determine its physical and chemical characteristics. The soil samples are collected after 3, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days for determining essential parameters and indicators that reflect the effect of the level of peat applications. Sodium bicarbonate - extractable P in uncropped and cropped soils at all depths, markedly decreases with time after peat application which has been attributed to plant uptake and rapid reaction of P with soil constituents. Sodium bicarbonate - extractable P with time in soil receiving 50 Mg ha-1 in both uncropped and cropped soil linearly decreases with the time of cultivatio

A test of the ecological valence theory of color preference, the case of Arabic

Humans have systematic and reliable color preferences. The dominant account of color preference is that individuals like some colors more than others due to the valence of objects that they associate with colors (Ecological Valence Theory). In support of this theory, Palmer and Schloss show that the average valence of objects associated with a color, when weighted (the WAVE), explains up to 80% of the variation in color preference for adults from the United States (US). Here we investigate whether Ecological Valence Theory can account for the color preferences of female and male adults from Saudi Arabia to test how well the theory generalizes across cultures and how well it accounts for sex differences in color preference. We also extend the investigation of EVT by investigating whether abstract concept associations as well as object associations can account for preference. Saudi adults’ color preferences, color object and concept associations, and association valence ratings were collected, and the WAVE was computed and correlated with preference ratings. The WAVE accounted for no more than half of the variance in Saudi color preferences, although there was some degree of sex specificity in the relationship of the WAVE and color preference. Adding abstract concept associations did not account for more variance than object associations alone, but the number of abstract concept associations did account for a significant amount of the variance in color preference for females, but not males. The findings converge with other cross-cultural studies in suggesting that the success of EVT in accounting for color preference varies across cultures and indicates that additional factors other than color associations are likely also at play

Gas Sensitivity of ITO Composite Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

Indium oxide and indium tin oxide composite (ITO) were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating (SGDC) technique. The particles annealed at (200 ◦C, 400 ◦C). The structure and surface morphology of particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), FT-IR and UV/visible measurements. The XRD and AFM indicate decreasing in the particle size and improve of optical and electrical properties of composite with increasing of tin oxide addition. The hall measurement were used to obtain information about the type of conductivity of indium oxide and indium tin oxide thin films and carrier concentration and mobility and resistivity, the results of Hall measurements show that the In2O3 and ITO composite have n-type. The thin film of composite ITO at composition (80:20) mole ratio has high sensitivity toward CO gas compared with pure indium oxide

Evaluation of Streptocin SH3, a Bacteriocin produced by Streptococcus sanguinis isolated from Human Dental Plaque

Background: Bacteriocin is a peptidic toxin has many advantages to bacteria in their ecological niche and has strong antibacterial activity. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluation of bacteriocin using Streptococcus sanguinis isolated from human dental caries. Subjects and Methods: Thirty five streptococcus isolates were diagnosed and tested for their production of bacteriocin, and then the optimal conditions for production of bacteriocin were determined.  After that, the purification of bacteriocin was made partially by ammonium sulfate at 95% saturation levels, followed by and gel filtration chromatography using Sephadex G-50 column. Finally, physical characteristics were also studied and determined the bacteriocin stability. Results: Among all streptococcal isolates, the S. sanguinis SH3 isolate with batter antimicrobial activity was selected, and used in further experiments. The optimum conditions for bacteriocin production were in Todd Hewitt broth (THB) supplemented with 1% glucose at 37°C for 24h under anaerobic conditions and inoculum size of (1.2 ˟ 109CFU/ml) and pH 7, where the inhibition zone diameter reached to 29 mm against Enterococcus faecalis. The purified bacteriocin had high inhibitory activity against S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, E. faecalis, E. faecium and  Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Streptocin SH3 keeps its effectiveness within the pH range 3-10, and temperature until 80ºC for 20 min. Conclusion: Bacteriocin produced from S. sanguinis has high activity against many pathogens and has high stability over wide ranges of temperature and pH, which makes it a good alternative in the medical and food preservation field

Enhancement of Physical Properties of Asphalt Binder by Using Silica Powder

One of the primary requirements for a successful pavement system can be regarded as the caliber of the road pavement. Therefore, various measures have been taken, such as improving pavement quality and structure design methods, to reduce the issues of fatigue cracks and rutting of roads. Since a few years ago, engineers have paid more attention to modifying and improving the performance of asphalt by adding various additives to improve the environment and lower the price of modified pavement mixture. Evaluation of employing modified asphalt cement at various percentages of particle size of silica powder is the main goal of this study. Three percentages of Particle Size of Silica Powder Nano silica and micro silica with 2, 4, and 6% of the weight of asphalt as a modifier for asphalt and their effect on the performance of asphalt mixtures at high temperatures. It was discovered that adding silica powder to asphalt cement would increase the softening point and viscosity and decrease ductility and penetration. Experimental results indicated that the Silica Powder positively contributed to the performance properties of asphalt

Treatment of Tinea Corporis by 0.50% Topical Ointment Prepared from Calvatia Craniformis Mushroom

Background: Tinea Corporis or Ringworm is a fungal disease caused by Trichophyton  rubrum,T.mentagrophytes , Microsporum  canis andT.tonsurans.It is transmitted by direct contact with infected animals and humans or by indirect contact through fomites. The Aim of Study: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of  0.50% ointment prepared from Calvatia craniformis mushroom in treatment of Tinea Corporis in human. The Patients and Methods : The study is done in dermatology clinic in Baquba city. Three different concentration of Calvatia craniformis mushroom ointment are prepared by mixing three different weights of mushroom powder (0.3 ,0.4 and 0.5gm) with vaseline and completed up to 100 gm for each concentration to obtain  (0.3%,0.4% and 0.5%) of the mushroom ointment respectively and then applied topically to lesion  twice daily. Sixty  patients were involved in our study  and divided into two  groups, the treatment group includes thirty patients which is divided into three subgroups, each  subgroup  include ten patients they were treated by one of the three concentrations ( Ten patients 0.3% , Ten patients 0.4%, Ten patients 0.5% concentrations). The control group included thirty patients was treated by 1% clotrimazol cream. Results and Conclusion: 0.5% mushroom ointment significantly reduce  clearance time  (P<0.05)in comparison with the control group , while other concentration produce non significant changes in clearance time , therefore this substance is effective in the treatment of tinea corporis  with less time,  more patient compliance compared with the control group

Predictive risk factors for distant metastasis in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer from Saudi Arabia

BackgroundDespite their excellent prognosis, children and young adults (CAYA) with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) tend to have more frequent occurrence of distant metastasis (DM) compared to adult DTC. Data about DM in CAYA from Middle Eastern ethnicity is limited.MethodsMedical records of 170 patients with DTC ≤18 years were retrospectively reviewed. Clinico-pathological factors associated with lung metastasis in CAYA, their clinical presentation and outcome were analyzed. Rick factors related to distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) for the whole cohort were evaluated.ResultsDM was observed in 27 patients and all were lung metastasis. Lung metastasis was significantly associated with younger age (≤15 years), extrathyroidal extension (ETE), multifocal tumors, bilaterality, presence of lymph node (LN) disease and high post-operative stimulated thyroglobulin (sTg). Highest negative predictive values were seen with low post-operative sTg (97.9%), absence of LN disease (93.8%), absence of ETE (92.2%) and age older than 15 years (92.9%). Post-therapy whole body scan (WBS) identified most of the lung metastasis (21 of 27; 77.8%). Upon evaluating patients response according to ATA guidelines, excellent response was seen in only one patient, while biochemical persistence and structural persistence were seen in 11.1% (3/27) and 77.8% (21/27), respectively. Elevated post-operative sTg (&gt;10ng/ml) was the only risk factor found to be significantly associated with both biochemical persistence (with or without structural persistence (p = 0.0143)) and structural persistence (p = 0.0433). Cox regression analysis identified age and post-operative sTg as independent risk factors related to DMFS. Based on these two risk factors for DMFS, patients were divided into 3 groups: low risk (no risk factors), intermediate risk (1 risk factor) and high risk (both risk factors). 20-year DMFS rates in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups were 100.0%, 81.3% and 23.7% respectively (p &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionHigher suspicion for metastatic pediatric DTC should be considered in patients who are young, have LN disease, extrathyroidal extension and elevated post-operative sTg. Persistent disease, despite therapy, is very common and it appears to be related to post-operative sTg level. Hence, risk adaptive management is desirable in CAYA with DTC