The rights of women in Islam: The question of ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres for women’s rights and empowerment in Muslim societies

The question of women rights and empowerment in Islam are one of the most controversial issueswithin the Islamic schema of human rights. The rights of women as given in the Qura’n and the traditionsof Prophet Muhammad were a revolutionary step in the 7th century Arabia. However, the context drivenreforms of rights of women in Islam is subject to many challenges in the traditional Muslim societies. Thispaper examines the question of women rights in Islam based on ‘public’ and ‘private’ sphere of life and itsimpact on the question of women empowerment. Drawing on hermeneutic–relativist approach, the articlereveals the dialectical nature of interpretation of rights of women in Islam. The article also examines thequestion of classical and reformist understanding of rights and empowerment and suggest an approachfor understanding of ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres of life according to the cultural context of the Muslimsocieties

Isolated Amoebic Abscess of Spleen

Amoebic liver abscess is the most common extra intestinal manifestation of amebiasis. Amoebic abscess of spleen is a rare disease and cases of isolated abscess of spleen have rarely been reported in literature. We report a case of 52-year female, who presented with history of high grade fever, weight loss and malaise. Her ultrasound a showed a welldefined, thin-walled hypoechoic lesion in spleen and High Dose Contrast Enhanced Computer Tomography(CECT) abdomen revealed a well-defined cystic lesion within the spleen with thin enhancing rim. Ultrasound guided aspiration of splenic abscess was done and showed clusters of trophozoites in the wall of the cavity. She received treatment for amebiasis for one month and reported with resolution of symptoms. Post treatment repeat ultrasound also revealed resolution of abscess. &nbsp

Suspension high velocity oxy fuel thermal spraying for biomedical coatings

Thermal spraying of bioglasses offers the opportunity to produce coatings for different biomedical applications. The resorption of the coatings can be adjusted by tailoring the chemical composition of the glass and the coating microstructure. This thesis describes the production of novel bioactive and bioresorbable glass coatings for biomedical applications via an emerging suspension high velocity-oxy fuel (SHVOF) thermal spray. Bioglass® (45S5) was sprayed at the flame power of 90, 75, 50 and 25 kW by varying fuel (hydrogen) and oxygen flow rates. No coating was obtained at the flame power of 90 kW, and thin coating (< 10 µm) was obtained at 25 kW. Thick (25 ± 3 µm) and uniform coatings were obtained at the flame powers of 50 and 75 kW. The 50 kW coating was 16 ± 2 % porous, while the 75 kW coating was 10 ± 1 % porous. The bioactivity tests of the coatings showed that no hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on the surface of 25 kW coating even after seven days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Whilst, the coatings produced at 50 and 75 kW revealed HA deposition after three days. EDX analysis of the cross-section of the coated samples showed that the 50 kW initial coating thickness reduced from 25 µm to 6 µm after immersion in SBF for 7 days, which means that this microstructure was highly reactive towards SBF and hence behaved like a resorbable coating. Coatings from two bioactive glasses, namely ICIE16 (48.0 % SiO2, 33.0 % CaO, 6.6 % Na2O, 2.4 % P2O5 and 10.0 % K2O, in wt %.) and 13-93 (53.0 % SiO2, 6.0 % Na2O, 20.0 % CaO, 12.0 % K2O, 5.0 % MgO and 4.0 % P2O5, in wt %) were successfully produced at the flame powers of 50 and 75 kW. For both formulations, thick, porous and less hard coatings were obtained at 50 kW, whilst harder, dense and less thick coatings were obtained at 75 kW. ICIE16 coatings showed more dissolution in SBF than the 13-93 coatings. Moreover, in-vitro cell tests, using MG63 cells, showed good cell attachment and proliferation on the surfaces of the coating, revealing good cytocompatibility. Resorbable phosphate based glass (PBG), P-40 (40.0 % P2O5, 16.0 % CaO, 24.0 % MgO, 20.0 % Na2O in mol %) was sprayed at 50 and 75 kW flame power. The 75 kW coating was thinner and rougher than the 50 kW coating; both coatings presented globules on the surface. The Raman analysis of the P-40 coatings suggested that the structure of the glass had changed as the concentration of Q2 (2 bridging oxygen)species has been decreased. Whilst, Q1 (1 bridging oxygen) concentration has been increased and Q0 (0 bridging oxygen) species has been formed. Due to these structural alterations, these coatings showed less ion release and mass degradation than those reported in the literature for P-40 thin films and bulk glass. Ga2O3 doped Bioglass® was manufactured for antimicrobial applications and deposited at 50 kW. Moreover, Ga2O3 and Bioglass® suspensions were co-deposited via a hybrid nozzle at 50 kW to mix them in the flame. Both coatings showed bioactivity as HA was deposited on the surfaces of these coatings after immersion in SBF for 3 days. In summary, SHVOF thermal spraying has been proven to be an effective and versatile technique to deposit different bioglasses, maintaining their amorphous tetrahedral structure and composition

Suspension high velocity oxy fuel thermal spraying for biomedical coatings

Thermal spraying of bioglasses offers the opportunity to produce coatings for different biomedical applications. The resorption of the coatings can be adjusted by tailoring the chemical composition of the glass and the coating microstructure. This thesis describes the production of novel bioactive and bioresorbable glass coatings for biomedical applications via an emerging suspension high velocity-oxy fuel (SHVOF) thermal spray. Bioglass® (45S5) was sprayed at the flame power of 90, 75, 50 and 25 kW by varying fuel (hydrogen) and oxygen flow rates. No coating was obtained at the flame power of 90 kW, and thin coating (< 10 µm) was obtained at 25 kW. Thick (25 ± 3 µm) and uniform coatings were obtained at the flame powers of 50 and 75 kW. The 50 kW coating was 16 ± 2 % porous, while the 75 kW coating was 10 ± 1 % porous. The bioactivity tests of the coatings showed that no hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on the surface of 25 kW coating even after seven days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Whilst, the coatings produced at 50 and 75 kW revealed HA deposition after three days. EDX analysis of the cross-section of the coated samples showed that the 50 kW initial coating thickness reduced from 25 µm to 6 µm after immersion in SBF for 7 days, which means that this microstructure was highly reactive towards SBF and hence behaved like a resorbable coating. Coatings from two bioactive glasses, namely ICIE16 (48.0 % SiO2, 33.0 % CaO, 6.6 % Na2O, 2.4 % P2O5 and 10.0 % K2O, in wt %.) and 13-93 (53.0 % SiO2, 6.0 % Na2O, 20.0 % CaO, 12.0 % K2O, 5.0 % MgO and 4.0 % P2O5, in wt %) were successfully produced at the flame powers of 50 and 75 kW. For both formulations, thick, porous and less hard coatings were obtained at 50 kW, whilst harder, dense and less thick coatings were obtained at 75 kW. ICIE16 coatings showed more dissolution in SBF than the 13-93 coatings. Moreover, in-vitro cell tests, using MG63 cells, showed good cell attachment and proliferation on the surfaces of the coating, revealing good cytocompatibility. Resorbable phosphate based glass (PBG), P-40 (40.0 % P2O5, 16.0 % CaO, 24.0 % MgO, 20.0 % Na2O in mol %) was sprayed at 50 and 75 kW flame power. The 75 kW coating was thinner and rougher than the 50 kW coating; both coatings presented globules on the surface. The Raman analysis of the P-40 coatings suggested that the structure of the glass had changed as the concentration of Q2 (2 bridging oxygen)species has been decreased. Whilst, Q1 (1 bridging oxygen) concentration has been increased and Q0 (0 bridging oxygen) species has been formed. Due to these structural alterations, these coatings showed less ion release and mass degradation than those reported in the literature for P-40 thin films and bulk glass. Ga2O3 doped Bioglass® was manufactured for antimicrobial applications and deposited at 50 kW. Moreover, Ga2O3 and Bioglass® suspensions were co-deposited via a hybrid nozzle at 50 kW to mix them in the flame. Both coatings showed bioactivity as HA was deposited on the surfaces of these coatings after immersion in SBF for 3 days. In summary, SHVOF thermal spraying has been proven to be an effective and versatile technique to deposit different bioglasses, maintaining their amorphous tetrahedral structure and composition

How Generative Models Improve LOS Estimation in 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks

With the advent of 5G and the anticipated arrival of 6G, there has been a growing research interest in combining mobile networks with Non-Terrestrial Network platforms such as low earth orbit satellites and Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit satellites to provide broader coverage for a wide range of applications. However, integrating these platforms is challenging because Line-Of-Sight (LOS) estimation is required for both inter satellite and satellite-to-terrestrial segment links. Machine Learning (ML) techniques have shown promise in channel modeling and LOS estimation, but they require large datasets for model training, which can be difficult to obtain. In addition, network operators may be reluctant to disclose their network data due to privacy concerns. Therefore, alternative data collection techniques are needed. In this paper, a framework is proposed that uses generative models to generate synthetic data for LOS estimation in non-terrestrial 6G networks. Specifically, the authors show that generative models can be trained with a small available dataset to generate large datasets that can be used to train ML models for LOS estimation. Furthermore, since the generated synthetic data does not contain identifying information of the original dataset, it can be made publicly available without violating privac

A Federated Channel Modeling System using Generative Neural Networks

The paper proposes a data-driven approach to air-to-ground channel estimation in a millimeter-wave wireless network on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Unlike traditional centralized learning methods that are specific to certain geographical areas and inappropriate for others, we propose a generalized model that uses Federated Learning (FL) for channel estimation and can predict the air-to-ground path loss between a low-altitude platform and a terrestrial terminal. To this end, our proposed FL-based Generative Adversarial Network (FL-GAN) is designed to function as a generative data model that can learn different types of data distributions and generate realistic patterns from the same distributions without requiring prior data analysis before the training phase. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, we evaluate its performance using Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL), and Wasserstein distance between the synthetic data distribution generated by the model and the actual data distribution. We also compare the proposed technique with other generative models, such as FL-Variational Autoencoder (FL-VAE) and stand-alone VAE and GAN models. The results of the study show that the synthetic data generated by FL-GAN has the highest similarity in distribution with the real data. This shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach in generating data-driven channel models that can be used in different region

Frequency of types of parturition and their relationship with maternal characteristics: a cross-sectional analysis

Background: The pathways that are involved for the duration of pregnancy and type of parturition are extremely complex, involving maternal as well as fetal systems. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of types of parturition and their relationship with maternal characteristics among pregnant female patients.Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a non-probability convenient sampling technique was conducted among 195 healthy pregnant females at Obstetrics and Gynaecological Department of Hamdard Hospital, Karachi, from 1st March 2019 to 31st August 2019. After taking written informed consent from the participants, the relevant data were gathered with the help of a structured questionnaire designed specifically for the study. Statistical package for social sciences was used for data entry while the chi-square test was applied for inferential analysis. The duration of the study was six months. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Descriptive analysis was performed by generating means and standard deviations for continuous variables while frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. A Chi-square test was applied to perform the inferential analysis while the significance level was set at 0.05.Results: A total of 195 pregnant females were included in the study, whose mean age was 29.29±5.22 years. The study results showed that BMI before pregnancy (p=0.021), rest is taken during pregnancy (p=0.034) and gravida status (p=0.047) were all significantly associated with the type of parturition among the study participants, but spacing in pregnancies and parity were not.Conclusions: Maternal characteristics were found to be significantly associated with the type of parturition among pregnant females. For gynecologists the maternal characteristics identified in this study may serve as a useful indicator of the type of parturition expected in their patients

Preliminary study on factors affecting E-commerce success: a modified Delone and McLean model

Electronic commerce has gained the popularity since last two decades, due to its recompenses towards the online transactions. Academicians and e-retailers eagerly want to identify the factors which affect the e-commerce success. The main intention of this study to investigate the factors which are essential to draw the net benefits of e-commerce from an individual perspective rather than the organization perspective. The proposed framework in this paper is based on Mclean and Delone 2003 IS success model along with two extra variables that are privacy and trust. In this paper, the author discussed the result of the pilot study. The authors designed the quantitative research questionnaire by adopting the items from the previous studies and conducted the pilot study to check the reliability of the questionnaire. The overall value for Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 and also the Cronbach's alpha value for individual constructs were greater than 0.7, which indicates that there is a strong relation between the items. This research engrossed on four factors that are system quality, service quality, privacy, trust, that are essential for achieving the user satisfaction which in turn leads to achieve the e-commerce net benefits. In addition to service quality and system quality, trust and privacy are the important factors that affect the net benefits through user satisfaction, hence the modified version of Delone and Mclean IS success model from individual perspective is proposed

Hamstring Shortness among Undergraduate Students, Using Knee Extension Angle Test

Objective: To examine the causes and incidence of hamstring tightness/shortness among undergraduate physical therapy students. Cross-sectional study. Institute of Physical Medicine &amp; Rehabilitation, DUHS during the period of Jan 2019 to Jun, 2019. Material and Methods: The subjects sample size (n=248) was estimated by open EPI software. Male and female both are included. Hamstring muscle shortness was assessed by a gold standard assessment tool i.e. passive knee extension angle test. Descriptive statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version 24. Results: The hamstring muscle tightness was measured by using knee extension angle test. It results conclude that among (248) students (62.90%) had hamstring muscle tightness / shortness and (37.10%) did not show any muscle shortness. Out of (216) females participants (136) have hamstring shortness. On the other hand out of (32) male participants (20) had hamstring shortness/tightness out of total (248) students. It was also evident from the study that 27% of physiotherapy students having low back pain was because of clinical exposure and tight hamstrings muscles. Conclusion: Hamstring tightness/shortness is very much prevalent among the undergraduate physiotherapy students. The reason might be the prolong study durations and lack of physical activities. The result showed statistically significant difference between hamstring muscle extensibility in both male and female Key words:   Extension Angle, Flexion, Contracture, Fasciti