Universal human rights : a comparative study of the Charter of Medina and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Islam often receives criticism, particularly from right-wing movements, sections of media, governments, and the wider community in the West, for its lack of respect for respect human rights. In order to dispel such common myths about Islam, this study compares the Charter of Medina and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in terms of basic human rights, civil and political rights, and economic and social human rights. It also analyses the contents, concepts and principles of the Medina Charter, highlights the opinions and translations of Orientalists regarding the Charter, and identifies mistakes and shortcomings in those translations. To achieve these objectives, this study adopts a qualitative approach to analyse the Medina Charter and the UDHR. Document analysis, content analysis and thematic analysis were undertaken. These analyses show that the Orientalists are not proficient in Arabic and, at times, they have even relied on controversial Arabic books such as Al-Aghani (The Book of Songs) to understand and interpret the Medina Charter. The findings of the study also reveal that the Medina Charter could be used to establish universal legal frameworks that include both the individual and the tribe in order to achieve a level of political stability. The data analysis indicates that the Medina Charter considered the cultural and religious differences among people, unlike the Universal Declaration, which was drafted solely on the basis of Western thought. More importantly, the analysis shows that all the political and civil rights tenets stated in the UDHR were originally derived from the Medina Charter. This is indicative of the precedents set in the Sharia and their influence on the determination and preservation of human rights. Further, the data analysis reveals that the Sharia could be used to develop legal and policy mechanisms to protect all human rights of individuals, and that the rights relating to safety and social security in the UDHR in practice are less desirable than those in the Medina Charter. The research argues that the West can learn from Islam by knowing and understanding its approach to, and application of, human rights. This may enable Orientalists and Western-centric cultures to change their ill-informed stance. The study concluded that human rights embodied in the UDHR are less universal and overarching than those in the Sharia. Consequently, the reforms needed in the UDHR would benefit from the existing legislation in the Medina Charter that consider the cultural and religious differences in society

Mechanical and metallurgical properties of two-layered diamalloy 4010 and 2002 HVOF coating

Diamalloy 4010, which is iron/molybdenum blend, is resistive to wear and Diamalloy 2002 is resistive to corrosion and wear. However, combination of these powders in layered structure, may offer advantages over the individual powders. In this case, mechanical properties of the resulting layered structure could be improved. Consequently, investigation into mechanical and metallurgical properties of the resulting structure is necessary. High Velocity Oxy-Fuel coating of Diamalloy 2002 [(WC12Co)50,Ni33Cr9Fe3.5Si2B2C0.5] powders and Diamalloy 4010 [Fe68Mo30Cr1.8Mn0.2] powders as well as two-layered coatings consisting of these powders was carried out. In the two-layered structure, Diamalloy 4010 was sprayed at the substrate surface while Diamalloy 2002 was sprayed on the top of Diamalloy 4010 coating. The coating microstructure and morphology were examined using optical microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The indentation tests were carried out to evaluate the microhardness and surface elastic modulus of the resulting coatings. The mechanical properties of the coatings were examined through tensile and three-point bending tests. It was found that the coating produced for Diamalloy 2002 resulted in higher hardness than that corresponding to Diamalloy 4010. The failure mechanism of coating during tensile and three-point bending tests was mainly crack formation and propagation in the coating. The elastic modulus of coating produced from Diamalloy 2002 was higher than that of Diamalloy 4010 coating, which was due to the presence of 12% WC in the coating. The irregularities observed in the elastic limit of the curves indicated the formation of cracks in the coatings, which was particularly true for two layered coating. The shear stress developed at interface of the two-layered coating was responsible for the crack initiation in the coating. The deep cracks were also formed in the coatings after the tensile tests. This was attributed to the local stress centers, which increased the stress intensity under the tensile load

FinTech Industry Challenges

The rapid emergence and evolution of the financial technology (FinTech) sector has created new obstacles for the industry. This article looks into the various difficulties the sector faces and the complications they cause. From regulatory and compliance hurdles to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, access to capital, talent acquisition, customer adoption, market volatility, and collaboration within the industry, we will observe the multifaceted obstacles and explore potential solutions

A Feedback Linearization Based Nonlinear Control Approach for Variable Speed Wind Turbines

Abstract: This paper describes the design and implementation of a nonlinear control strategy for the control of the shaft speed of wind turbine systems. The proposed approach is based on input-output linearization techniques. Because wind turbine systems are highly nonlinear, feedback linearization constitutes a suitable optimal control design for those systems. Further, Electromechanical systems in general are good candidates for nonlinear control applications because the nonlinearities, being modeled on the basis of physical principles, are often significant and exactly known. The underlying design objective is to endow the wind turbine with high performance dynamics while maximizing power extraction when the wind turbine operates in the partial load regime. In addition to fulfilling the aforementioned control objectives, our control design aims to reduce the complexity of the control scheme, saving thereby the computation time of the control algorithm, which is an improvement over previous work found in the technical literature. Application of the proposed approach to an induction generator based variable speed wind turbine has led to optimum operations and maximization of power extraction when the wind turbine operates in the partial load regime

Regular plural inside English compounds within the theory of base-driven stratification

This literature-based thesis studies the phenomenon of the regular plural inside compounds according to Giegerich’s (1999) stratal model of English morphology. The strata of his model are defined by their bases: stratum 1 is root-based and stratum 2 is word-based. The model overcomes the failings associated with earlier stratal models defined by their affixes (e.g., Kiparsky, 1982). However, assigning compounding and the regular plural to the same word stratum following Giegerich’s (1999) model leaves an open question in terms of what restricts the interaction between both rules to prevent the generation of ill-formed compounds such as *toys box and *trucks driver. Another question emerges: Should the regular plural inflection be assigned to stratum 2? This question is important because the answer affects how we discuss the interaction between the regular plural and compounding. For example, how do we account for the interaction between a stratum-2 rule and a syntactic rule if we are not dealing with an interaction of two lexical rules at the same stratum? This thesis challenges the theory that inflectional morphology is separate from the lexicon (Anderson, 1988, 1982; Perlmutter, 1988) with supporting evidence from the properties of the possessive inflection. This research contributes significantly to the literature in its analysis of a number of compounds within texts extracted from books, which demonstrates that the internal regular plural morpheme has an evident semantic function that restricts it from appearing inside compounds (that is, on stratum 2 of the base-driven stratification model). The study thereby challenges Lieber and Štekauer’s (2009) view that the internal regular plural morpheme is purposeless and therefore should be regarded as a linking element. I also argue that the possessive inflection is assigned to stratum 2 and can interact with compounding to form possessive compounds, but is restricted by the semantic feature of the non-head element

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MULLIGAN (SNAGS) AND MAITLAND MOBILIZATION IN NECK PAIN

Objectives: Comparative Study of Mulligan (SNAGs) and Maitland’s Mobilization in Neck Pain. Design: Randomized Control Trial. Methodology: A total of 50 patients were included as per pre define inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned into two groups each having 25 patients. Group A was given conventional therapy (Active, Isometrics exercises, moist hot packs) plus SNAG while Group B was given conventional therapy (Active, Isometrics exercises, moist hot packs) plus Maitland’s mobilization for 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week one session per day. The patient’s outcome measures were assessed by visual analog scale, NDI (Neck disability Index) and Goniometry for Cervical Range of Motion. Pre and post treatment values were recorded for comparison of results. Results: Results revealed that means and S.D of both group were clinically significant but statically the Group of patients treated with conventional therapy plus SNAGS managed pain (pre=4.25±1.6, post=2.35±0.3), NDI (pre= 15.81±2.5, post= 8.18±1.7) and range of motion (flexion pre=48.9±8.9, post=53.9±4.9, extension pre=55±4.1, post=63.9±3.1, Rt side flexion pre=38.5±2.1, post=43.1±2.0 and lt. side flexion pre=38.5±2.1, post=43.6±1.8, Rt side rotation pre= 61.7±6.3, post=65.7±5.5) lt. side rotation pre=60.5±3.01, post=67.6±3.5) is not better than group of patient treated with conventional therapy plus Maitland’s mobilization in terms of pain (pre=4.27±1.5, post=1.73±0.19), NDI (pre=17.1±3.31, post=8.10±1.10) and range of motion (flexion pre=48.5±4.7, post=56.7±6.5,extension pre=57.1±4.8, post=67.9±3.9, Rt side flexion pre=35.6±2.9 post=43.1±2.2, lt Side flexion pre=38.1±2.1, post=42.5±2.0, Rt side rotation pre=58.5±5.5 post=67.1.±5.4, lt Side rotation pre=59.6±5.6, post=67.7±4.3. Conclusion: The result of study suggests that both SNAG and Maitland’s improves the symptoms of Neck pain. Better improvement was shown by Maitland’s group than SNAGs group. Based on these results Maitland mobilization with conventional therapy should be the treatment of choice for Neck pain rather than SNAGs with conventional therapy.  Article visualizations

The Prevalence of Obesity among School Students and its Relation to Dietary and Physical Habits

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that unhealthy food practices and lack of exercise are the main cause of the progressive increase in the obesity prevalence. AIM: We aim to assess the prevalence of obesity among school students and its relationship to dietary and physical habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study from 18 intermediate and high schools located in Taif, Saudi Arabia, between April 2014 and June 2015. We excluded any student with a psychological disease or chronic diseases. We calculated the body mass index (BMI) of students by measuring their height and weight. Dietary, physical, sleep habits, and socioeconomic status were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2943 students participated with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.7 years. The majority of these were boys and attending government schools with a mean BMI 22.7 ± 8.6 kg/m2. Overall, 13.6% were overweight and 12.8% were obese. One-third of students report a sedentary lifestyle. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to have lower BMI (p < 0.001), be overweight (p < 0.001), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), own electronic devices other than smartphone (p < 0.001), use the electronic devices <3 h/day (p = 0.007), eat their meals with their family (p < 0.001), eat fruits and vegetables daily (p < 0.05), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), and walk to and from school at least once weekly (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A quarter of the students were either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be obese with less favorable socioeconomic, media consumption, dietary, and physical profiles

Determination of putative virulence factors among clinical isolates of enterococci isolated from a military hospital in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia

Background: The pathogenic potential of enterococci to produce life-threatening infections is well-documented. The scientific community has, of late, evinced a renewed interest in the putative virulence factors of enterococci. Objective of the study was to determine the putative virulence factors of clinically isolated Enterococcus species from a military hospital and to describe the association between virulence factors and vancomycin susceptibility.Methods: A total of 245 enterococci were isolated from clinical samples collected from KFMMC, a leading military hospital in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Following species identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the Vitek 2 system; the isolates were tested for the production of caseinase, gelatinase, biofilm, and presence of haemolysin.Results: Among the enterococcal isolates, 36.7% produced caseinase, 38% produced gelatinase, 24.1% exhibited biofilm formation, and 30.6% were positive for haemolytic activity. A significant association between vancomycin susceptibility patterns and the virulence factors, gelatinase and haemolytic activity, were noted. No significant associations were observed between vancomycin susceptibility patterns and the presence of caseinase or the formation of biofilms.Conclusions: Virulence factors are invariably produced by several clinical isolates of enterococci in our hospital, and some virulence factors are associated with vancomycin susceptibility

Prevalence and pattern of lipid disorders in Saudi patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and patterns of dyslipidemia in Saudi patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, hospital-based study, which was conducted on all Saudi patients who underwent coronary angiography under the author′s personal care and were found to have > 50% coronary stenosis. Fasting lipid profile was measured in all patients during the admission for the coronary angiography. Results: Two hundred and ninety-five patients were included in the study. The mean age (±Standard deviation) was 55.1 ± 11, ranging from 17 to 86 years. The majority of patients were males: 229 (77.6%). Mean total cholesterol was 175.6 ± 47.6 mg/dl, mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was 111.3 ± 40.3 mg/dl, mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 38.27 ± 9.5 mg/dl and mean triglyceride level was 141.8 ± 74.8 mg/dl. 21 (7.1%) patients had normal coronary arteries, 107 (36.3%) had one vessel disease, 78 (26.4%) had two vessel disease and 89 (30.2%) had three vessel disease. There was a significant correlation between the extent of CAD and age (P = 0.003), sex (P = 0.0002), total cholesterol (P = 0.02) and low HDL-C (P < 0.001. 21 (7.1%) patients were asymptomatic, 110 (37.3%) had stable angina, 127 (43.1%) had none ST elevation acute coronary syndrome, 20 (6.8%) had ST elevation myocardial infarction and 17 (5.7%) had heart failure. There was also a significant correlation between age (P = 0.03), sex (P < 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.005) and low HDL-C (P < 0.001) and the severity of CAD. Conclusion: Dyslipidemia is a very prevalent risk factor in Saudi patients with CAD. Low HDL-C was the most frequent lipid abnormality, which significantly impacts on the extent of the CAD