The Constitutional and Conceptual Underpinnings of Kuwait’s System of Government

Abstract This study investigates the constitutional and conceptual underpinnings of Kuwait’s system of government. The Constitution of Kuwait, which was ratified in 1962, promulgated democracy as its government system; yet curiously, the Constitution lacked any actual explanation of the concept of democracy. Instead, it merely identified the system of government as ‘democratic’, with ‘the people of Kuwait’ as the source of all powers. To explain what Kuwaiti democracy and its government system truly involve, the study has traced its roots and origins: first, by shedding light on the ruling traditions since Kuwait emerged and flourished as a small city state in the seventeenth century. Second, by demonstrating how the Constitution and its Explanatory Memorandum explain Kuwait’s system of government. Third, by narrating the tale of the Constitution and its ratification in 1962 by the elected members of the Constituent Council. The study also focuses on the controversial history of the Islamic Sharia clause in the Arab world, reflected in the Minutes of Proceedings of both the Constituent Council and Constitution Committee. In addition, it highlights the evolution of representative councils, encompassing the 1921 Shura Council, the 1938 Legislative Council, and the 1961 Constituent Council; and applies David Held’s classical models of democracy to the theoretical model adopted by scholars of Kuwait constitutional law. Historical, constitutional and conceptual narratives on democracy lead the research to conclude that Kuwait’s political experience is rich and unique. In the early 1960s, Kuwait successfully withstood all regional challenges to become the first independent, democratic state in a region known for its autocratic regimes. Yet for over half a century since, it has never tackled the constitutional and conceptual shortcomings inherent in its adoption of a hybrid system. Accordingly, the study finds that the system of government in Kuwait is mixed; with its political system infused with rudimentary features of hereditary, representative, parliamentary and presidential systems, and profoundly influenced by its Arab-Islamic roots

Synthesis, Characterization, Thermal Studies, and Molecular Structure of New Metal Complexes of Dehydroacetic Acid Hydrazone

Metal complexes of dehydroacetic acid hydrazone are synthesized and characterized by physical, chemical, and spectral studies. The ligand behaves as monobasic tetradentate coordinated with the metal ions through C=O, deprotonated phenolic oxygen, and azomethin nitrogen. The characterization data suggests a square planar geometry for Cu(II) complex and an octahedral geometry for all other complexes. The crystal and molecular structure of the [Cu(HL)]Cl.H2O complex has been established by a single crystal maXus. The thermal studies of the complexes showed that the decomposition takes place through four steps

The Protective Role of Dehydroepandrosterone(DHEA) on the Reproductive Function in Adult Male Mice Treated with Nitrofurantoin

The aim to investigate the protective role of daily oral administration of the male reproduction system of mice treated with Nitrofurantoin. Forty eight adult albino mice were divided in to four equal groups as(G1)control , (G2) received 2mg/kg B.w of DHEA,(G3)received Nitrofurantoin at 200mg/kg B.w,(G4)received DHEA and Nitrofurantoin. All parameters were estimated after 30 and 60 day of the experiment. The result revealed the significant decrease testicular index, seminiferous tubules diameters, serum Testosterone and DHEAs level, sperm motility, viability and concentration in Nitrofurantoin treated mice with significant increase in sperm abnormality, serum catalase and peroxynitrite concentration. The opposite result were show in DHEA treated mice. Conclusion, DHEA at 2 mg/kg.B.w has a protective role in male reproduction system of Nitrofurantoin treated mice. This is suggested to be due to its potent antioxidative activity which is able to protect against Nitrofurantoin toxicity. Keywords: Nitrofurantoin, DHEA, male fertility, catalase, peroxynitrite

An Improved Single Stage Transformer-Less Multilevel Inverter Under Conventional And Advanced MPPT Algorithms for Photovoltaic Application

يتم إدخال نظام كهروضوئي أحادي المرحلة بدون محول متصل بالشبكة مع عاكس متعدد المستويات، يتم استخدام العاكس متعدد المستويات لدمج النظام الكهروضوئي مع شبكة المرافق نظرًا لكفاءته العالية وتكلفته المنخفضة وصغر حجمه ووزنه ومع ذلك، فإن تيار التسرب بسبب عدم وجود عزل كلفاني هو أحد العوائق في مثل هذا النظام. تبحث هذه الورقة في عاكس أحادي الطور ثلاثي المستوى مثبت بنقطة محايدة ليتم استخدامه في نظام كهروضوئي أحادي المرحلة متصل بالشبكة. يتميز النظام بعامل القدرة الموحد والتشوه التوافقي الكلي للتيار المنخفض، والجهد المنخفض على مفاتيح أشباه الموصلات، وعدم إطلاق النار من خلال المشاكل، والموثوقية العالية والكفاءة. تقترح الورقة العاكس المحسّن ذو الحث المنقسم كمرشح فعال ليتم استخدامه في مثل هذا النظام الكهروضوئي الذي لا يحتوي على محول. تم تصميم التحكم في تيار التخلف لتتبع تيار خرج العاكس وإجباره على أن يكون صفراً من أجل تحقيق طاقة شبكة عالية الجودة والحفاظ على عامل طاقة الوحدة. يتم فحص خوارزميات تتبع الحد الأقصى من الطاقة التقليدية والمتقدمة بما في ذلك الاضطراب والمراقبة والشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية لضمان استخراج الطاقة القصوى من اللوحة الكهروضوئية. تم تصميم النظام بأكمله واختباره في هذا العمل. يتم تحقيق أداء أفضل في ظل نهج الشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية. تتحقق النتائج من قدرة العاكس المحسن ذو الحث المنقسم تحت التحكم في تيار التخلف والشبكة العصبية الاصطناعية لنقل الطاقة الكهروضوئية القصوى إلى الشبكة مع عامل طاقة موحد، وجودة طاقة عالية، وتيار منخفض للغاية تشوه متناسق كلي مع تبديل أشباه موصلات أقل بنسبة 0.37٪ الإجهاد، وبالتالي الموثوقية العالية لذلك، تسلط الورقة الضوء على أن العاكس المحسن ذو الحث المنقسم حيث تعتبر بمثابة عاكس متعدد المستويات فعالة ليتم استخدامها في مثل هذا النظام.A transformer-less single-stage, grid-connected PV system is increasingly introduced with a multilevel inverter (MLI). MLI is employed to integrate the PV system with the utility grid due to its high efficiency, low cost, smaller size and weight. However, The leakage current due to the absence of galvanic isolation is one of the drawbacks in such system. This paper investigates a single phase three level Neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter to be employed in a single stage grid connected PV system. The system is characterized with a unity power-factor and low current total harmonic distortion (THD), low voltage stress on the semiconductor switches, no shoot through problems, high reliability and efficiency. The paper proposes the improved split-inductor (ISI-NPC) inverter as an effective candidate to be employed in such transformer-less PV system.  Hysteresis current control (HCC) is designed to track the inverter output current and force it to be zero in order to achieve high power quality grid power and maintain unity power factor. A conventional and advanced maximum power point tracking algorithms including perturb and observe (P&O) and artificial neural-network (ANN) are examined to ensure extracting the maximum power from the PV panel. The whole system is designed and tested in this work. A better performance is achieved under ANN approach with HCC. The results validate the ability of the ISI-NPC inverter under HCC control and artificial neural network to transfer PV maximum power to the grid with a unity power factor, high power quality, very low current THD with a 0.37% less semiconductor switches stress, and thus high reliability. Therefore, the paper highlights that ISI-NPC is considered as an effective MLI to be employed in such system

Screening of Mineral Elements in Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis Essential Oils and their Leaves

peer reviewedThe aim of this study was to determine the levels of mineral compounds in Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco from two different regions Jerada (arid climate) and Tafoughalt (humid climate). A total of fifteen elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Zn, Al, Ca, Fe, K and Mg) has been measured by inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Their concentrations have been found to vary in leaves and their essential oils. From the results of the study, P, Al, Ca, Fe, K and Mg are highest in all the samples analysed. Cr and Pb were not detected in essential oil of Cistus libanotis from Jerada and Tafoughalt, respectively. These plants were found to contain appreciable amounts of the elements K, Ca, Fe, Mg, P, Al, Ni, Li, Zn and Cu Witch are important in many biological mechanisms. This study also provides a comprehensive survey of the concentration of elements in plants due to their wide utilisation as herbal fusion or decoction in Eastern Morocco

Leader identity construction among Saudi Women academics: how does readiness matter?

This study focuses on Saudi women’s construction of their leader identity, specifically within the context of political and sociocultural constraints. Women in Saudi Arabia (KSA) account for 49 percent of the population (GASTAT, 2016) and 45.4 percent of academia (Ministry of Education, 2018a). However, only 3.3 percent have attained top leadership positions in the public sector (GASTAT, 2018a). Research suggests that sociocultural constraints may affect Saudi women’s developmental readiness to hold high-ranked leadership roles (Kattan et al., 2016). It is therefore important to view leadership practises through a contextual lens, to gain insights into the unique experiences leaders encounter in leadership roles (Radomski, 2014; Avolio et al., 2009b; Antonakis et al., 2003; Osborn et al., 2002; Steers et al., 2012; Lord et al., 2001). Accordingly, this study will adopt the social constructionism paradigm in its construction of the leader identity through narratives. The main argument in this study is that women’s academic advancement as leaders in KSA is entangled with sociocultural constraints, suggesting that leader identity is fundamentally intrapersonal. This study reviews leadership developmental readiness literature (Avolio, 2016) and the role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders (Eagly and Karau, 2002), and applies a social identity lens to developmental leadership readiness in the context of KSA. Qualitative research methods were employed to facilitate an in-depth understanding of each participant’s unique lived experience. The study consisted of two phases, the first completed in January 2017, and the second a year later. Participants in the first phase were thirty Saudi women academics who attended a women-only leadership development programme. Fifteen of these women participated in the second phase. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; the data captured Saudi women’s self�concept concerning their readiness to hold prominent leadership roles. The effect of new socio-political reforms in KSA was explored in phase two, including and if and how they affected the women’s self-perception as leaders. A narrative analysis using a combination of categorical content and structure analysis was employed (Lieblich et al., 1998). The categorical content analysis highlighted main themes from participant narratives, while the structural analysis analysed the story as a whole. Key themes from the categorical content analysis regarding the factors that shaped women’s leader identity developmental readiness included self-readiness, higher education (HE) organisational readiness and sociocultural context readiness. The holistic content analysis identified three leader identity narratives Stories of leader identity construction emerged from the analysis of the phase one and two interviews with Saudi women academics and which formed three narratives. These were: the “I am not a leader”; “I am a leader: capable and motivated”, which indicates a steady narrative. Progressive narrative “Ambivalent leader identity to I am a leader narrative”, “Being a leader was not a choice of mine, now it is”, “I am not a leader narrative to I am a leader”, and regressive narrative “why not to it is only a show”. Participants’ stories revealed the ways in which subtle, institutionalised gender practises stemming from the sociocultural context shaped Saudi women’s leader identity construction, which contradicts the study’s previous argument. Some participants misplaced their gender identity in favour of academic identity, concealing leader identity unless positive social identity had been constructed

Wavelets operational methods for fractional differential equations and systems of fractional differential equations

In this thesis, new and effective operational methods based on polynomials and wavelets for the solutions of FDEs and systems of FDEs are developed. In particular we study one of the important polynomial that belongs to the Appell family of polynomials, namely, Genocchi polynomial. This polynomial has certain great advantages based on which an effective and simple operational matrix of derivative was first derived and applied together with collocation method to solve some singular second order differential equations of Emden-Fowler type, a class of generalized Pantograph equations and Delay differential systems. A new operational matrix of fractional order derivative and integration based on this polynomial was also developed and used together with collocation method to solve FDEs, systems of FDEs and fractional order delay differential equations. Error bound for some of the considered problems is also shown and proved. Further, a wavelet bases based on Genocchi polynomials is also constructed, its operational matrix of fractional order derivative is derived and used for the solutions of FDEs and systems of FDEs. A novel approach for obtaining operational matrices of fractional derivative based on Legendre and Chebyshev wavelets is developed, where, the wavelets are first transformed into corresponding shifted polynomials and the transformation matrices are formed and used together with the polynomials operational matrices of fractional derivatives to obtain the wavelets operational matrix. These new operational matrices are used together with spectral Tau and collocation methods to solve FDEs and systems of FDEs

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of essential oil, various organic extracts of Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco

In the present work, we studied the chemical composition of the essential oil of Cistus ladanifer and Cistus libanotis growing in Eastern Morocco. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and their chemical composition was analysed using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Camphene, borneol, cyclohexanol-2, 2, 6 tremethyl, terpineol-4 and α-pinene were the main constituents of the essential oil of C. ladanifer, while in the essential oil of C. libanotis we obtained terpineol-4, γ-terpinene, camphene, sabinene, α-terpinene and α-pinene. The antioxidant potential of various extracts (water, ethanol, ethanol: water (50:50), methanol, methanol: water (50:50), acetonitrile) and essential oils of C. ladanifer and C. libanotis were carried out by the method of 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylhydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined. The result show that C. ladanifer of the leaves of methanol: water (50:50) extract had the highest value of total phenolic content and the lowest was present in ethanol: water (50:50) extract of the stem and acetonitrile extract of the flowers of C. libanotis. From our experimental results, the extract of flowers, fruit, stem and leaves of those plants showed highest potential as free radical scavengers.Keywords: Antioxidant, phenolics, flavonoids, essential oil, extracts, gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC–MS).African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(34), pp. 5314-532

The New and the Old: Responses to Change in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This qualitative study was primarily concerned with Saudi women’s reactions to social change in the political sphere. It focused on their responses to decrees allowing women to vote in municipal elections for the first time, become candidates in such elections, and be nominated in the Shura Council by the King. Structured interviews of urban dwellers illustrated that changes, seen as opportunities, had been noted, but their impact had yet to be processed thoroughly. Attitudes towards political participation were positive and largely optimistic, but rarely seen as applying to the self. Competence, rather than gender, was seen as relevant to voters’ views of political candidates as well as of elected or appointed officials. Compared with older interviewees, young ones viewed the impact of women’s political participation, along with other social changes, as gradual, manageable, and merely one of the many articulations of the 2030 Vision, a strategic framework developed by KSA intended to reduce the country’s dependence on oil and diversify its economy. Both young and older interviewees, though, were reluctant to forecast its specific future impact. Actual political participation, in the form of either voting or running for office, was dismal. These results indicate that not only time is needed for top-down interventions to enter the social fabric of a nation and the minds of its people, but also the necessary conditions must exist that enable the genuine flourishing of human agency

New Biomedical Applications Approach using Shape Memory Polymers for Muscles Rehabilitation and the Accompanying Wounds after Severe Bone Fractures

This article introduces a new approach for modern applications of medical devices using shape memory polymers to aid in the rehabilitation of muscles and injuries attached to severe fractures.  The group of heaters connected with the splint controls the temperature and humidity inside the affected area. Microcontrollers were attached to the polymer plate in order to directly control the required parameters and changes in addition to giving direct commands to the connected sensors. Because of the property of changing the outer shape of the polymer after being exposed to a certain temperature and returning to the normal shape after the removal of the external influence, the designed polymer plate applies light intermittent pressure on the wound area, muscles, and surrounding tissues, which helps to speed up the rehabilitation of these muscles, especially after She suffered from stiffness due to lack of movement during the period of treatment