In-service education and training of vocational school teachers in Iraq : a study of present provision and future needs

Iraq is confronted with the two-fold problem of extending vocational education and improving its quality. To improve the quality of vocational education it is necessary to improve the competence of inadequately trained teachers.Certain aims were formulated for the study which may be summarised as follows:1- Exploring and shedding light on the reality of the present situation of INSET activities.2- Ascertaining the perceptions among teaching staff regarding their INSET needs.3- Proposing new plans for INSET Programmes.This study is limited to the Iraqi vocational school teaching staff (both academic and vocational). The study sample was taken from the three representative provinces of Iraq, and four types of questionnaire were developed and used for the four groups (495 teachers and instructors, 42 administrators, 20 INSET trainers and 16 trainees involved in INSET courses). In addition to these, 13 experts and important educators were interviewed.The study is divided into 3 main parts (and comprise 11 chapters) together with an introductory chapter which reviews available INSET literature

In-service education and training of vocational school teachers in Iraq : a study of present provision and future needs

Iraq is confronted with the two-fold problem of extending vocational education and improving its quality. To improve the quality of vocational education it is necessary to improve the competence of inadequately trained teachers.Certain aims were formulated for the study which may be summarised as follows:1- Exploring and shedding light on the reality of the present situation of INSET activities.2- Ascertaining the perceptions among teaching staff regarding their INSET needs.3- Proposing new plans for INSET Programmes.This study is limited to the Iraqi vocational school teaching staff (both academic and vocational). The study sample was taken from the three representative provinces of Iraq, and four types of questionnaire were developed and used for the four groups (495 teachers and instructors, 42 administrators, 20 INSET trainers and 16 trainees involved in INSET courses). In addition to these, 13 experts and important educators were interviewed.The study is divided into 3 main parts (and comprise 11 chapters) together with an introductory chapter which reviews available INSET literature

Diabetic eye disease in the west of Scotland

This thesis reports the results of an investigation into some aspects of diabetic eye disease. The first three chapters give an account of the present state of knowledge of diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy. In chapter 4 the multifactorial aetiology of diabetic retinopathy is discussed. In relation to this a study of the possible role of blood and plasma viscosity in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy is reported. It was found that in diabetes blood and plasma viscosities are increased. Diabetics with proliferative retinopathy were found to have higher blood viscosity, at both high and low shear rates, than diabetics with background or no retinopathy. Diabetics with serious forms of retinopathy had higher fibrinogen levels than controls. Chapter 5 reports results of a study carried out in general practice to determine the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the West of Scotland. In Chapter 6 results of an investigation into the most practical means for the screening and detection of diabetic retinopathy are reported. This work was carried out in collaboration with ophthalmologists, opticians, physicians, and technicians from the Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology and Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Ophthalmoscopy was found to be a reliable tool for the purpose of screening for diabetic retinopathy. Ophthalmologists and trained and interested physicians were equally efficient in this respect. Other investigations such as fluorescein angiography, tests of colour vision, contrast sensitivity to grating patterns, and measurement of visual fields were time consuming, costly and needed highly specialised instruments which might not necessarily be available in centres concerned with early detection of serious diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic subjects had lower contrast sensitivity to grating patterns, compared to normal subjects, as measured by the Arden grating test. Contrast sensitivity was inversly proportional to the degree and severity of retinopathy. The severity of diabetic retinopathy also affected colour discrimination. The most seriously affected were those with exudative retinopathy. The study also confirmed that measurements of visual acuity are not a good indication of the severity of retinopathy. On the basis of results of the above study funduscopic examination of 400 consecutive diabetics attending a large hospital diabetic clinic, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, was performed (Chapter 7). This work was carried out to determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in this population of diabetic individuals. A similar study was carried out on diabetics attending general practice (chapter 8). Identified diabetics were asked to attend for a full physical, including an eye examination. 35 per cent of patients were found to have ophthalmoscopically recognisable diabetic retinopathy. The onset of blindness was earlier in diabetic males than females. Diabetics were found to be registered as visually handicapped at an earlier age than the non-diabetic blind individuals (Chapter 9). In Chapter 10 an account is given of the indications, techniques, and advantages of photocoagulation in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Visual results of major studies carried out in this respect are summarised. A study of the short-term effects of laser therapy and exposure to high intensity light from ophthalmic instruments was carried out on patients attending the Tennent Institute (Chapter 11). Normal volunteers and diabetic patients were exposed to the tungsten light of a slit-lamp microscope. Also diabetics who received laser treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy were studied. Visual acuity on Snellen's Chart, colour vision as determined by the Farnsworth-Munse1l 100-Hue test, and contrast sensitivity measured by Arden grating test were all determined before, 20 minutes, and 24 hours after exposure. These visual functions were not found to be significantly affected by laser therapy or exposure to ophthalmic instruments during photocoagulation or a slit-lamp examination although the majority of normal and diabetic patients showed a temporary drop in visual acuity 20 minutes after light exposure, in all cases returning to within 1 line of Snellen's Chart. In the final chapter (12) various conclusions from the proceeding chapters are discussed and some recommendations are made with regard to the desirability and design of screening programmes for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy

Meanings of near-synonyms and their translation issues in the Holy Qur'ān

The Holy Qur'ān includes near-synonyms which have seemingly similar meanings but convey different meanings upon deeper analysis of the semantic constituents of these words. Such near-synonyms usually pose a challenge that often presents itself to the translators of the Holy Qur'ān. This study investigates the meanings of near-synonyms and their translation issues in the Qur'ān. It aims to identify the contextual meanings of Qur'ānic near-synonyms based on different exegeses of the Qur'ān. Then, it explains the nuances that exist between the pairs of Qur'ānic near-synonyms and how such nuances are reflected in two English translations of the Qur'ān. The study adopts the Relation by Contrast Approach to Synonyms (RC-S) as a theoretical framework for data analysis. It also employs the qualitative approach for collecting and analyzing the data of the study. Besides, it makes use of different exegeses of the Qur'ān to identify the differences in meaning between each pair of the Qur'ānic near-synonyms. The analysis of the data reveals that there exist some nuances between the pairs of Qur'ānic near-synonyms in terms of denotative and expressive meaning. The findings also show that the differences in meaning between the pairs of near-synonyms are not reflected in the English translations. Therefore, the study recommends that readers as well as translators should look for nuances between Qur'ānic near-synonyms whenever they find two words with similar meanings in order to perceive the Qur'ānic text appropriately and translatorsshould makeaneffort to reflect the nuances between the pairs of near-synonyms in their translation

The interplay of Qur'ānic synonymy and polysemy with special reference to al-asfār and al-kutub (the books) and their English translations

This study investigates the meanings of the near-synonyms al-asfār and alkutub (the books) and their English translations. It aims at identifying the contextual meanings of the Qur'ānic near-synonyms based on different exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān. Then, it explains the semantic differences that exist between the Qur'ānic pair and how such semantic differences are reflected in two English translations of the Holy Qur'ān. Besides, it highlights the meanings of the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books) in different Qur'ānic contexts and how the various senses of this lexical item are transferred to English. The study adopts the RC-S approach as a theoretical framework for data analysis. It also employs the qualitative approach for collecting and analyzing the data of the study. The exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān are consulted to identify the semantic differences between the Qur'ānic near-synonyms as well as the meanings of the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books). The findings reveal that there are some semantic differences between the selected Qur'ānic near-synonyms and that such semantic differences are not reflected in the English translations. The findings also show that the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books) and its singular formal-kitāb (the book) are literally translated in some Qur'ānic contexts. The study provides recommendations for readers as well as translators especially the translators of the Holy Qur'ān

The Immunohistochemically Estimation of CD63 in Iraqi Patients with Gastric Cancer

يتميز CD63بأنه أحد افراد عائلة التتراسبانين البروتينية، إذ يعد سمة مميزة للحويصلات الخارجية كونه ينعدم وجوده في الانواع الاخرى من الحويصلات. يتم التعبير عنه في الاغشية الخلوية للخلايا السرطانية، فضلا عن سايتوبلازم الخلايا الحشوية (بين الخلوية). تهدف الدراسة الحالية إلى تقييم التعبير الإيجابي لـ CD63 في مرضى سرطان المعدة. وما إذا كان بالامكان استخدامه كدلالة تنبؤية للمرض. علاوة على ذلك، ايجاد العلاقة بين تعبير CD63, والمؤشرات السريرية المرضية مثل: الجنس، والعمر للمرضى، وعمق الغزو الورمي, والأنواع النسجية المختلفة للورم، واصابة العقد الليمفاوية، ودرجة تمايز الورم، ومراحل الورم (TNM). تم اجراء هذه الدراسة بأثر رجعي من الفترة الزمنية (2018-2020), على 50 مريضاً تم اختيارهم عشوائياً  10عينات كمجموعة سيطرة, و 40 عينة لمرضى سرطان المعدة) مع التقاريرالطبية  والتشخيصية من مختبر علم الأمراض في مستشفى أمراض الكبد والجهاز الهضمي التعليمي, في مدينة الطب، ومن بعض المستشفيات الخاصة.تم تصبيغ المقاطع النسجية لشريحتين من كل قالب بارافيني احدها H&E والثانية بـ CD63. أما التحليل الإحصائي فقد تم انجازه بواسطة نظام SPSS عند (P ≤ 0.05). وجدت فروق معنوية ذات دلالة إحصائية بين مجموعة السيطرة، ومجموعة المرضى في التعبير الإيجابي لـ CD63، كما كان هناك ارتباط معنوي بين تعبير CD63، والأنواع النسجية للورم، وعمق الغزو الورمي، واصابة العقد الليمفاوية، والمراحل المختلفة للورم في المرضى، بينما لم يكن هناك اي فروق ذات دلالة احصائية بين عمر، وجنس المرضى، ودرجة التمايز، والتعبير الإيجابي لـCD63. تشير هذه النتائج إلى أن CD63 يمكن أن يستخدم كدلالة تنبؤية جيدة لمرضى العراق المصابين يسرطان المعدة.CD63 is -one of the tetraspanin family proteins, which are regarded as: hallmark exosomal markers because it is absent from other types of vesicles. It is expressed in the cell membrane of cancer cells, and cytoplasm of stromal cells. Objective: To assess CD63 expression in gastric cancer (GC) patients, and detected if it could be used as a predictive marker. Furthermore, the current study aimed to find the correlation between CD63 expression and clinicopathological parameters as: gender, age, invasion depth, histopathological type, involvement of lymph nodes, grade and stages of GC (TNM). The current study is a retrospective study in the period time from (2018 to-2020); 50 randomly patients formalin-fixed paraffin embedded blocks (FFPE) of stomach tissue (10 cases normal tissue without GC as control, and 40 patients with GC) with its reports and diagnosis were collected from Pathology Department of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Teaching Hospital and some private hospitals. The histological sections were stained by hematoxylin and eosin stain (H&E), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) stain for CD63. Statistical analysis accomplished by SPSS system at (P ≤ 0.05). This study indicated that there were  significant differences between control group, and patients group in the expression of CD63, also there was a significant correlation between CD63 expression, and histopathological subtype, invasion depth, involvement of lymph node, and stages in patients, whereas there was a non- significant association between the age, grade, and gender of patients, and the expression of CD63.This result indicates that CD63 could be a good prospective marker in Iraqi cancer patients

Impact of discrete wavelet transform on discriminating airborne hyperspectral tropical rainforest tree species

Discriminating tropical rainforest tree species is still a challenging task due to a variety of species with high spectral similarity and due to very limited studies conducted in this area. We are investigating the effect of discrete wavelet transform (DWT) on enhancing discrimination of tropical rainforest tree species. For this purpose, airborne imaging spectrometer for applications (AISA) airborne hyperspectral data obtained from Malaysian’s rainforest area are used; six tree species were selected from the study area. For comparison purposes, the performance of DWT is compared with the original reflectance, first, and second derivative spectra by using five different spectral measure techniques. An overall discrimination accuracy of ∼74% is obtained with DWT using Euclidean distance, which outperforms the original reflectance and first and second derivatives by ∼16.6 , 11.9, and 22.1%, respectively. The results suggest a significant impact of the DWT approach on improving tropical rainforest tree species discrimination

Investigating the meaning of Al-'ifk and Al-kadhib (Lie) and their English Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This study investigates the meaning of the Qur'ānic near-synonyms الإفك  al-'ifk and الكذب al-kadhib (lie) and their English translation. It aims to identify the contextual meaning of these Qur'ānic near-synonyms based on the exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān. Then, it explains the nuances that exist between these two lexical items in terms of denotative meaning. This study also examines how the semantic differences between these Qur'ānic near-synonyms are reflected in the English translation of the Holy Qur'ān by Ali (2006). This study adopts the RC-S approach by Murphy (2003) as a theoretical framework for data analysis. It also employs the qualitative approach to collect and analyze the data of the study. The exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān are consulted to identify the semantic differences between the Qur'ānic near-synonyms. The findings reveal that there exist some differences in meaning between these Qur'ānic near-synonyms in terms of denotative meaning and that the semantic differences between these Qur'ānic near-synonyms are not reflected in Ali's English translation of the Holy Qur'ān. The study provides recommendations for readers and translators especially the translators of the Holy Qur'ān

Manufacturing and Study the performance of Selective Surfaces that used in flat plate Solar Collectors

In this research an experimental study has done for testing the thermal performance of selective surfaces used in solar collectors for substrate of iron, galvanized iron and aluminum which are commercially available. The coating process for the samples has done in two ways, the electroplating and the chemical spray pyrolysis. The results of the thermal performance test of these samples are comparing with the thermal performance of a sample without paint and other paint with black paint without shines commercially available. For the electroplated samples, the performance study has done for different immersion time in plating bath, the distance between electrical poles, the current density, and area ratio of the sample plated area to the nickel pole face area. The chemical sprayed pyrolysis samples, study has done for different coating times, atomizing gas pressures, distance between the aperture of atomizer and the sample and the paint mass flow rate. The results showed that the best performance of the iron's samples is the sample which is coated with two layers. The first layer is of zinc done by electroplating where the time of plating is (2 min.) and the second layer is of black nickel done by electroplating, where the time is (20 min.), the distance between the poles is (6 cm), the current density is (0.15 A/dm2 ) and area ratio of the sample plated area to the nickel pole face area is equal to (1). The percentage of the increasing in heat storage of electroplating sample to galvanized iron sample without paint at the beginning of testing the performance of samples and at the end were (58.23%& 44.97%) respectively. For aluminum samples, the best performance was regarded for two samples electroplating sample and chemical spray pyrolysis sample. The best electroplating sample was coated with a layer of black nickel where the time of plating is (20 min.), the distance between the poles is (6 cm), the current density is (0.15 A/dm2) and area ratio of the sample plated area to the nickel pole face area is equal to (1). While the best chemical spray pyrolysis sample has been coated with a layer of black nickel where the time of plating is (16 sec.) and the distance between the aperture of the reservoir and the surface of the sample is (27 cm), the amount of flow is (4.8 ml / min.), the atomizing gas pressure is (1 bar) and temperature of the sample surface is (290 0C)