Studies on the traditional historiography of the Maronites on the period 1100-1516.

In the preparation of this thesis I have endeavoured to examine the history of Lebanon during the Crusader and Mamluk periods as presented by three Maronite historians who represent the Maronite historiographic tradition in the fifteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth centuries. The study has been made in view of the future use of the works of those historians for the reconstruction of a period in the internal history of Lebanon which has remained so far obscure and unknown. Aside from giving brief biographies of the three historians in question (Jibra'il ibn al-Qila'i, d, 1516, Istifan ad-Duwaihi, d, 1704, and Tannus ash-Shidyaq, d, 1861), and discussing at length the circumstances under which they wrote their histories and their purposes as historians, I have given detailed synopses of their historical works and analysed their histories independently. In the course of this analysis I have sought to establish historical facts which they mention or to which they allude by studying these facts and taking Into consideration any mention or allusion to them by non-Maronite historians (Moslems, non-Maronite Eastern Christian, and Western Christians) and by other Maronite historians, and the general setting of the history of the Middle East in the Crusader and Mamluk periods in which they fit. Some of those facts I have established definitely, but many others only by probability. After making an independent analysis of each of the three historians, I have tried to assess the value of their works, independently and conjointly, as sources for the history of Lebanon in the Crusader and Mamluk periods, This thesis, on the whole, has been concerned with the establishment of historical facts concerning the history of Medieval Lebanon and the exercise of judgement on the worth of Maronite historiography in so far as it deals with this history. It has been prepared as a basis for the reconstruction of the history of Lebanon in the four centuries preceding the Ottoman conquest in 1516 which, so far, have been practically completely ignored, it is hoped that the work done in this thesis will open the way to further research on the subject

Investigation into The Filterability of Raw Sugars from Different Geographical Regions of The World

This  study  was  carried  out  at  Al khaleej  Sugar  Refinery  in  Dubai, United   Arab   Emirates.  The  study  aimed  to  find  out  the  correlation  between  the  filterability  and  slurry  resistance  values  of   raw  melt  liquor  in  the  carbonation sugar  refinery  and   the  raw  sugar  quality.  The investigation utilized 5 raw sugar samples collected from various regions of the world comprising three quality groups namely; Low Pol sugar (LP) from Thailand, Very High Pol sugar (VHP)   from  Brazil , South-Africa , Sudan , India , and  Very  Very High Pol  sugar ( VVHP )    from  Brazil. The  filterability  and  the  slurry  resistance  tests  were  used  as the main determining factors for the evaluation. The  filterability  of  refined  sugar  (considered  as 100 % ) was  used  as  a reference  value  for comparison. The  results  of  the  experiments  showed  that  the  filterability  of (L P)  raw  sugar  was only about 20% from that of  refined sugar. Whereas the filterability  values  for  (VHP) and  (VVHP) sugars  ranged  between 40% to 80%  from  that  of  refined  sugar.  In addition, the  slurry  resistance  values  for  VHP  and VVHP  sugars  in the  laboratory  were  0.76  and  0.64  respectively  compared  to 0.74 and 0.48  in  the  refinery  production line. It was also observed that there is a close similarity between laboratory filterability and slurry resistance with the actual refinery filtration process which suggests that the laboratory filterability and slurry resistance tests could  be  used  as tool to predict the  behavior  of  the refinery  filtration process  for  similar  qualities  of  raw  sugar

An Assessment of Students’ Enrolment Rate In University Of Ilorin, Nigeria from 2019-2021: Implications for Management

Enrolment at all levels of education is regarded as one of the indices of measuring the growth and development of education system. It is against this backdrop that the study assesses the enrolments of students in the University of Ilorin and its implications for the management. In order to get data for the study, annual report of the university from 2019-2021 were used to provide answers to the two research questions that were formulated to guide the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive method of analysis. The findings of the study revealed that females were more enrolled than males at undergraduate level, while males were more enrolled than females at postgraduate level. Findings also indicate that there was low enrolment of international students in the university. Also, it was found that from the state enrolment statistics, Kwara state had high enrolment while Yobe state had low enrolment. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that more facilities should be made available for the population explosion of students and also, the admission for international students should be made seamless, this will ensure the internationalization of the university

On some properties of ideal convergent double sequences in fuzzy normed spaces

Recently, Rashid et al. [Rashid, Mohammad HM and Kočinac, Ljubiša DR. Ideal convergence in 2–fuzzy 2–normed spaces, Hacettepe Journal of Mathematics and Statistics, 46(1):149–162, 2017] defined the notion of ideal convergence of single sequences in 2–fuzzy 2–normed linear spaces. The aim of this paper is to generalize this notion to the double sequences in such spaces. For the sake of generalizing we define some concepts that contribute basically to outcomes that we came up with and study some basic properties of these new definitions.Publisher's Versio

Knowledge, attitude and practice of in-home medication disposal in U.A.E.

Background: Medication disposal is one of the topics overlooked by the population in the United Arab Emirates. The present study aims at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of public to appropriate disposal of medications in Sharjah, UAE.Methods: A cross-sectional study on randomly selected subjects was conducted using a pre-piloted questionnaire written in Arabic and English and distributed to 250 subjects. The survey was designed with 22 questions to assess knowledge, attitude and practice on safe disposal of expired medication.Results: More than half (120, 54.8 %) of the participants were females of age 17-25 (100, 45.7%) and with a university or a higher degree (124, 56.6%). A total of 131 (59.8%) of the participants reported that they do not take any precautions when disposing hazardous products and they just throw them in the general waste. Regardless of their educational level, 90 (41.1%) of the respondents believed that throwing medications in the general waste is the safest way of disposal. The majority of participants (202, 92.3%) reported that they never received counselling from pharmacists on safe disposal of expired and unused medications.Conclusions: International guidelines on safe medication disposal need to be adopted by health authorities. Providing secure collection boxes in various residential areas and increasing public awareness of medication’s safe disposal are important steps that could be implemented in the UAE. Pharmacists should also play a major role in guiding and instructing patients on this topic

A Recent Approach towards Fluidic Microstrip Devices and Gas Sensors: A Review

This paper aims to review some of the available tunable devices with emphasis on the techniques employed, fabrications, merits, and demerits of each technique. In the era of fluidic microstrip communication devices, versatility and stability have become key features of microfluidic devices. These fluidic devices allow advanced fabrication techniques such as 3D printing, spraying, or injecting the conductive fluid on the flexible/rigid substrate. Fluidic techniques are used either in the form of loading components, switching, or as the radiating/conducting path of a microwave component such as liquid metals. The major benefits and drawbacks of each technology are also emphasized. In this review, there is a brief discussion of the most widely used microfluidic materials, their novel fabrication/patterning methods

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised