The Perspective of Leader-Member Exchange and Its Relation with Workplace Empowerment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Nurses

Context: Leader-member exchange captures the impact of nurses’ perceptions of support from their supervisors’ high-quality relationships, which may promote extra-role behaviors, enabling increased job satisfaction and workplace empowerment and nurses` organizational citizenship behavior.Aim: Assess the perspective of leader-member exchange and its relation with workplace empowerment and organizational citizenship behavior among nurses. Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used to achieve the aim of the study. This study was conducted at Benha University Hospital in general medical and surgical units. A Convenient sample consisted of 190 nurses who were working in the study setting, as mentioned earlier. Three tools were used to collect the data; Subordinate (LMX-MDM) survey portion, Condition of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ), and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale. Results: The findings of this study indicated that more than half of nurses (54.7%) reported that they had a high-quality relationship with their supervisors, and 71.1% of nurses had a moderate level of workplace empowerment. Also, more than half of nurses (51.1%) had a moderate level of organizational citizenship behavior.Conclusions: There was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between the total score of leader-member exchange and total workplace empowerment, total organizational citizenship behavior. Also was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between total workplace empowerment, total organizational citizenship behavior. The study recommended that hospital management needs to focus on involving staff nurses in the political processes in an organization and keep them informed about significant changes in the organization and have a protective attitude toward it

Socio-Economic Impact of Touristic Development on Surrounding Local Communities- Case Study Delta Egypt

Tourism has become an important economic sector and a primary contributing driver of the economy in many parts of the world. The study area is a secluded area in northern Delta Egypt, directly on the Mediterranean Sea. In this research, we try to investigate how tourist development affects the local community, and how the local community takes advantage of the different opportunities offered by the development. Also, we try to answer the question of what makes some people better use the development than others. It is a qualitative interpretive inductive research based on naturalistic narrative methodology. This is achieved through semi-structured interviews with resort administrators, resort workers, local community members, and development beneficiaries. We monitor and document this change and try to identify the reasons behind the different levels of effect it has on people, and why some of them can take good advantage of the change and some don’t. Whether it is different levels of education, rationality, entrepreneur mentality, social class, social relations, or unequal distribution of chances. The interviews were conducted between August 2021 and September 2022. Throughout the narrative, we get a better understanding of the dynamic between different stakeholders

El cielo de Madrid: memoria del desencanto

This paper aims at identifying various functions of “memory”, which constitutes a main theme in Julio Llamazares’ novel El Cielo de Madrid (2005). Recalling the past years that the protagonist spent as a youn man in Madrid, the author makes use of a great deal of devices to highlight the role of imagination and memory. Throughout  the chapters of the novel, the author turns Madrid with its sky into a mythical (imaginative), yet a real, place.Esta investigación procura determinar las distintas funciones de la memoria, tema básico en El cielo de Madrid (2005) de Julio Llamazares. Mediante la evocación del pasado y los años de la juventud del protagonista en Madrid, Llamazares emplea varias herramientas temáticas y formales con el fin de resaltar el papel que desempeñan la imaginación y la memoria en el relato. Además, en cada capítulo de la novela, el autor hace de Madrid y de su cielo un espacio mítico y, a la vez, real

El cielo de Madrid: memoria del desencanto

Esta investigación procura determinar las distintas funciones de la memoria, tema básico en El cielo de Madrid (2005) de Julio Llamazares. Mediante la evocación del pasado y los años de la juventud del protagonista en Madrid, Llamazares emplea varias herramientas temáticas y formales con el fin de resaltar el papel que desempeñan la imaginación y la memoria en el relato. Además, en cada capítulo de la novela, el autor hace de Madrid y de su cielo un espacio mítico y, a la vez, real

Advanced intra-tumoural structural characterisation of hepatocellular carcinoma utilising FDG-PET/CT : a comparative study of radiomics and metabolic features in 3D and 2D

Purpose: The aim of our work is to evaluate the correlation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) radiomics and metabolic features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumour diameter, staging, and metabolic tumour volume (MTV). Material and methods: Thirty-three patients with HCC were studied using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography with computed tomography (18F [FDG] PET/CT). The tumours were segmented from the PET images after CT correction. Metabolic parameters and 35 radiomics features were compared using 2D and 3D modes. The metabolic parameters and tumour morphology were compared using 2 different types of software. Tumour heterogeneity was studied in both metabolic parameters and radiomics features. Finally, the correlation between the metabolic and radiomics features in 3D mode, as well as tumour morphology and staging according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging were studied. Results: Most of the metabolic parameters and radiomics features are statically stable through the 2D and 3D modes. Most of the 3D mode features show a correlation with metabolic parameters; the total lesion glycolysis (TLG) shows the highest correlation, with a Spearman correlation coefficient (rs) of 0.9776. Also, the grey level run length matrix/ run length non-uniformity (GLRLM_RLNU) from radiomics features exhibits a correlation with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.9733. Maximum tumour diameter is correlated with TLG and GLRLM_RLNU, with rs equal to 0.7461 and 0.7143, respectively. Regarding AJCC staging, some features show a medium but prognostic correlation. In the case of 2D-mode features, all metabolic and radiomics features show no significant correlation with MTV, AJCC staging, and tumour maximum diameter. Conclusions: Most of the normal metabolic parameters and radiomics features are statistically stable through the 3D and 2D modes. 3D radiomics features are significantly correlated with tumour volume, maximum diameter, and staging. Conversely, 2D features have negligible correlation with the same parameters. Therefore, 3D mode features are preferable and can accurately evaluate tumour heterogeneity

CXC ligand 13 in rheumatoid arthritis and its relation to secondary Sjögren’s syndrome

AbstractAim of the workThe aim of the present study was to measure the level of the chemokine CXC ligand 13 protein (CXCL13) in the plasma and unstimulated saliva of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in order to find out its role in the disease activity and its relation to secondary Sjögren’s syndrome (sSS).Patients and methodsThe study was conducted on thirty rheumatoid arthritis patients attending the Outpatient Clinic of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation department of Ain shams University Hospitals. The patients’ group had been classified into group (1) which included fifteen RA patients associated with sSS diagnosed according to the American–European Consensus Group Classification Criteria and group (2) which included fifteen RA patients not associated with sSS. Ten healthy subjects were included as a control group. Patients were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory detection of CXCL13 level in the plasma and saliva of patients as well as the control groups using ELISA technique. Assessment of disease activity in RA patients was done using the disease activity score (DAS28).ResultsPlasma levels of CXCL13 were significantly higher in RA patients than control group (p<0.001). Plasma levels of CXCL13 were significantly correlated with the RA disease activity (r=0.677, p<0.001) and disease duration (r=0.406, p<0.05), while the salivary levels were higher in those with sSS and correlated with sSS disease duration (r=0.536, p<0.05). A highly significant correlation was found between salivary CXCL13 and severity of sSS (r=0.816, p<0.001). Salivary levels of CXCL13 above 110pg/ml may diagnose sSS with sensitivity 80% and specificity 84%.ConclusionThe results of this preliminary study point out the importance of CXCL13 as a marker for RA disease activity, its role in diagnosing sSS, and estimation of sSS severity

The Diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion weighted image in female patients with endometrial carcinoma

Aim of work: To evaluate the efficacy of transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in presurgical staging of endometrial cancer.Methodology: This work included 35 female patients. Thirty patients were diagnosed to have endometrial carcinoma.Results: The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in detection of invasion of myometrial cavity were 67.25%, 75.0%, 90.00%, 30.00% and in distant metastasis were 77.78%, 80.95%, 63.64%, 89.47% and %80. These variables for MRI were 88.89%, 100.0%, 100%, 66.67% and 91% in myometrial invasion and in distant metastasis were 100.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 100% and 100.0%. There was an inversely proportional relationship between ADC values and the tumor grading. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) magnitude of 0.77 ± 0.21 x 10-3 mm2/s was associated with endometrial cancer while normal endometrial cavity showed ADC value of 1.31 ± 0.11 x 10-3 mm2/s).Conclusion: Conventional MRI, diffusion weighted imaging and contrast enhanced MR images are superior to TVUS in patients with endometrial cancer and ADC values help to differentiate between normal and endometrial cancer which may replace MR contrast enhanced images.Keywords: Transvaginal ultrasound, MRI, DWI, Endometrial carcinom

Influence of preheating on mechanical and surface properties of nanofilled resin composites

Resin composite preheating is an innovative method that could be clinically beneficial by improving the handling properties, marginal adaptation, and surface properties of uncured nanofilled resin composite materials. There is conflict and unclear information regarding the effect of preheating on the microhardness, fracture toughness and surface roughness of nanofilled resin composites. Thus, it is important to assess whether dental clinicians can adopt preheating procedures without compromising composite mechanical strength. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of preheating on microhardness, fracture toughness and surface roughness of nanofilled resin composite. In this study, one commercial nanofilled resin composite Filtek Z350 XT was used. A total of 28 disc-shaped specimens were fabricated in a Teflon mold (10 mm diameter x 2 mm thick) for Vickers microhardness indentation test and surface roughness test. The samples were divided into two groups of 14 samples each, one group of samples was light-cured at room temperature (24ºC) without preheating (non-heated group), and the other group was light-cured after preheating (preheated group). Vickers hardness measurements of 14 specimens (n=7) either preheated or non-heated of the top and bottom surfaces was measured by means of microhardness tester by applying 100 g load for 10 s. Surface Roughness measurements (Ra) were obtained from 14 specimens (n=7) either preheated or non-heated with the atomic force microscope. Fourteen single-edge-notched-beam specimens were prepared for fracture toughness test (n=7) either preheated or non-heated with measurements (2.5 x 5 x 25 mm3) and a crack 2.12 mm in length. The specimens were tested via three-point bending mode, using a universal testing machine at crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min until failure occurred. Independent sample t- tests revealed no significant difference between non-heated and preheated groups for all tests (p>0.05). However, for Vickers hardness test, there were significant differences between top and bottom surfaces for non-heated and preheated groups (p0.05). Preheating procedure did not negatively affect microhardness, fracture toughness and surface roughness of nanofilled resin composites so preheating is recommended for the other potential clinical advantages