Review : Immune Activation and Gut Microbes in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

( Al Khatib Khaldun ),( Henry C. Lin ) The Editorial Office of Gut and Liver 2009 Gut and Liver Vol.3 No.1

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent disorder that is characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habit. The diagnosis of IBS has traditionally been made by matching the complaints of the patient with established clinical criteria, since the underlying pathophysiology was not known. Various new findings have recently been reported in IBS patients that challenge our concept of IBS as a syndrome with no explanation. While the florid inflammation characteristic of inflammatory bowel disease is absent in IBS, changes suggesting immune activation are present in nearly all IBS patients. Is IBS an autoimmune disease, or is the immune activation responding to a trigger? In this review we present evidence that points to a state of immune activation in IBS and show data that suggest that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth triggers immune activation in IBS. (Gut and Liver 2009;3:14-19)

Carbon dioxide storage in Dead Sea water

Mohammad Al-Harahsheh,Raghad Al-Khatib,Aiman Al-Rawajfeh 한국공업화학회 2021 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.99 No.-

In this paper, the Dead Sea (DS) environment as a carbon dioxide (CO2) potential storage site wasinvestigated. Firstly, the storage capacity of CO2 in ultra-pure and Dead Sea water (DSW) was studied atambient temperature and pressure. The effect of CO2 pressure on the storage capacity of CO2 in DSW wasalso studied at different contact times at the ambient temperature. Finally, for comparison purposes, CO2gas was injected into a solution containing only dissolved calcium ions. Different analytical andinstrumental analysis techniques were used to characterize both liquid and solid samples including acidbase titration, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Thermogravi-metric Analysis (TGA), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Based on the titration method, thestorage capacity of CO2 in both pure water and DSW was found to be 1.7 and 1.53 mmol/l, respectively, atambient temperature (15 C) and ambient pressure. DSW water was found to contain 1.6 Ca wt% and4.3 wt% Mg based on AAS analysis. The storage capacity of CO2 in DSW increased with the increase ofpressure and despite the high content of Ca and Mg in DSW, no precipitation was observed even at a CO2pressure of 25 bar and 76 h of contact time. When DSW, saturated with CO2, was titrated (using NaOH),precipitates were obtained containing aragonite, brucite and magnesite as identified by XRD, TGA andSEM analysis techniques. The majorfinding of this work is that DS water is suitable environment to beused to sequester CO2.

Difficulties Encountered by Arab Translators in Translating Love Songs from Arabic into English

( Mahmoud A. Al-khatib ) 한국통역번역학회 2007 FORUM Vol.5 No.1

Cet article etude des problemes et des difficultes que les traducteurs arabes rencontrent en traduisant des chansons arabes en anglais. Il s`agit que chaque culture a des caracteristiques distinctes qui le rendent different de chaque autre culture. La communication interculturelle presente ainsi beaucoup de defis et l`un d`entre eux est la necessite de prendre conscience de l`importance de comprendre les aspects culturels - litteraires de l`espace croix - culturelle. Les textes choisis pour la traduction sont cinq chansons d`amour les plus populaires et reconnues dans le monde arabe. Quatre strategies principes de ceux employees par des auteurs de chanson arabe ont ete identifiees: flatterie, bl?mer, douleur, et se plaindre. Un projet de traduction a ete forme pour decouvrir comment ces chansons etaient traduites en anglais. Les sujets etaient (10) traducteurs qui ont de maitrise en Anglais, Traduction, ou Linguistique Appliquee. Les difficultes que les traducteurs arabes rencontrent en traduisant des chansons arabes de l`amour en anglais ont ete identifiees et discutees au-dessous de trois titres principaux: collocation lexique, espace lexique, et transfert culturel. Des extraits des donnees contenant les erreurs faites par celui traducteurs sont presentes et les implications socio -pragmatiques pour la signification et la communication interculturelle sont discutees.

Translating Address Norms from Arabic into English: Some difficulties and implications

( Mahmoud A Al Khatib ) 한국통역번역학회 2004 FORUM Vol.2 No.1

Le present article identifie les disparites, omissions, ecarts et enonces impropres portant sur les termes appellatifs traduits d`arabe en anglais. Il s`avere que dans les traductions effectuees dans ce sens, mais aussi inversement, les traducteurs eprouvent quelques difficultes relatives aux termes appellatifs utilises dans les pays arabophones. La perte de sens qui se manifeste alors par les erreurs ci-dessus resulte d`un transfert inexact de la LS, notamment par effacement, substitution, modification, deplacement ou insertion d`elements dans la LC. La raison en est que la plupart des termes appellatifs son censes posseder une dynamique culturelle principalement feminine, a l`oppose de celles d`autres langues. Les donnees, sous forme d`une longue liste de termes appellatifs, ont ete recueillies dans diverses emissions de television et de radiodiffusion. Les niveaux ont ete classes, selon certains criteres, en trois categories principales, a savoir, arabe classique, contemporain et dialectal. Trois textes comportant un grand nombre d`exemples de ces trois categories ont ete proposes a dix traducteurs professionnels qui ont ete invites a les traduire en anglais. Les resultats ont indique que la plupart des erreurs commises par ces traducteurs etaient de type arabe contemporain, dialectal et classique. Outre l` eclairage qu`elle apporte sur un aspect important de la traduction, a savoir les pertes de sens, la presente etude livre des resultats qui sont etroitement lies aux pratiques en usage dans les differents pays en matiere de termes appellatifs et a la facon dont ces usages sont regis par le milieu socio-culturel de la langue

Difficulties Encountered by Arab Translators in Translating Love Songs from Arabic into English

Mahmoud A. AL-KHATIB 한국통역번역학회 2008 FORUM Vol.5 No.1

Enhancing value of quality assurance rounds in improving radiotherapy management: a retrospective analysis from King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan

Khader, Jamal K.,Al-Mousa, Abdelatif M.,Mohamad, Issa A.,Abuhijlih, Ramiz A.,Al-Khatib, Sondos A.,Alnsour, Anoud Z.,Asha, Wafa A.,Ramahi, Shada W.,Hosni, Ali A.,Abuhijla, Fawzi J. The Korean Society for Radiation Oncology 2019 Radiation Oncology Journal Vol.37 No.1

Purpose: The quality assurance (QA) chart rounds are multidisciplinary meetings to review radiation therapy (RT) treatment plans. This study focus on describing the changes in RT management based on QA round reviews in a single institution. Materials and Methods: After 9 full years of implementation, a retrospective review of all patients whose charts passed through departmental QA chart rounds from 2007 to 2015. The reviewed cases were presented for RT plan review; subcategorized based on decision in QA rounds into: approved, minor modifications or major modifications. Major modification defined as any substantial change which required patient re-simulation or re-planning prior to commencement of RT. Minor modification included treatment plan changes which didn't necessarily require RT re-planning. Results: Overall 7,149 RT treatment plans for different anatomical sites were reviewed at QA rounds. From these treatment plans, 6,654 (93%) were approved, 144 (2%) required minor modifications, while 351 (5%) required major modifications. Major modification included changes in: selected RT dose (96/351, 27%), target volume definition (127/351, 36%), organs-at-risk contouring (10/351, 3%), dose volume objectives/constraints criteria (90/351, 26%), and intent of treatment (28/351, 8%). The RT plans which required major modification according to the tumor subtype were as follows: head and neck (104/904, 12%), thoracic (12/199, 6%), gastrointestinal (33/687,5%), skin (5/106, 5%), genitourinary (16/359, 4%), breast (104/2387, 4%), central nervous system (36/846, 4%), sarcoma (11/277, 4%), pediatric (7/251, 3%), lymphoma (10/423, 2%), gynecological tumors (2/359, 1%), and others (11/351, 3%). Conclusion: Multi-disciplinary standardized QA chart rounds provide a comprehensive and an influential method on RT plans and/or treatment decisions.

Smart Home Automation System for Elderly, and Handicapped People using XBee

Bilal Ghazal,Khaled Al-Khatib 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Smart Home Vol.9 No.4

Smart home automation system is increasingly used due to the wide manufacturer brands and various available technologies. From a social point of view, residents are admitted to smart homes for comfort, luxury, improving quality of live, and for providing security against intrusion and burglars. Secondly, home automation is achieved using a single controller, monitoring and the controlling many interconnected appliances such as lights, power plugs, HVAC system, humidity and temperature sensors, gas, smoke and fire detectors, audio, video and home theater as well as security and emergency systems. Smart homes are cheap, low-power, cost effective, efficient, and realize the automation of a variety of domestic appliances using user-friendly interface as remote control or any other handheld devices. Elderly, handicapped patients, and people with disabilities who have problems with locomotion difficulty can benefit from this smart home to totally operate, with high performance, all appliances and devices from anywhere in the house. When a resident is living alone, the ubiquitous access becomes very important and it is realized by using XBee transceivers that maintain RF wireless communication between the remote control and the master control panel board.

Enhancing value of quality assurance rounds in improving radiotherapy management: a retrospective analysis from King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan

Fawzi J. Abuhijla, MD, MSc,Abdelatif M. Al-Mousa,Issa A. Mohamad,Ramiz A. Abuhijlih,Sondos A. Al-Khatib,Anoud Z. Alnsour,Wafa A. Asha,Shada W. Ramahi,Ali A. Hosni,Fawzi J. Abuhijla 대한방사선종양학회 2019 Radiation Oncology Journal Vol.37 No.1

Purpose: The quality assurance (QA) chart rounds are multidisciplinary meetings to review radiation therapy (RT) treatment plans. This study focus on describing the changes in RT management based on QA round reviews in a single institution. Materials and Methods: After 9 full years of implementation, a retrospective review of all patients whose charts passed through departmental QA chart rounds from 2007 to 2015. The reviewed cases were presented for RT plan review; subcategorized based on decision in QA rounds into: approved, minor modifications or major modifications. Major modification defined as any substantial change which required patient re-simulation or re-planning prior to commencement of RT. Minor modification included treatment plan changes which didn’t necessarily require RT re-planning. Results: Overall 7,149 RT treatment plans for different anatomical sites were reviewed at QA rounds. From these treatment plans, 6,654 (93%) were approved, 144 (2%) required minor modifications, while 351 (5%) required major modifications. Major modification included changes in: selected RT dose (96/351, 27%), target volume definition (127/351, 36%), organs-at-risk contouring (10/351, 3%), dose volume objectives/constraints criteria (90/351, 26%), and intent of treatment (28/351, 8%). The RT plans which required major modification according to the tumor subtype were as follows: head and neck (104/904, 12%), thoracic (12/199, 6%), gastrointestinal (33/687,5%), skin (5/106, 5%), genitourinary (16/359, 4%), breast (104/2387, 4%), central nervous system (36/846, 4%), sarcoma (11/277, 4%), pediatric (7/251, 3%), lymphoma (10/423, 2%), gynecological tumors (2/359, 1%), and others (11/351, 3%). Conclusion: Multi-disciplinary standardized QA chart rounds provide a comprehensive and an influential method on RT plans and/ or treatment decisions.

The Impact of Internal Audit Quality on Financial Performance of Yemeni Commercial Banks: An Empirical Investigation

Saddam A. HAZAEA,Mosab I. TABASH,Saleh F.A. KHATIB,Jinyu ZHU,Ahmed A. AL-KUHALI 한국유통과학회 2020 The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Busine Vol.7 No.11

Quality internal audit (IA) plays a crucial role in accountability, transparency and preserving public properties. This paper gives a brief background of the IA system in Yemen and examines its impact with regards to financial performance in Yemeni commercial banks based on five factors: (i) independence of IAs, (ii) adherence to IA standards, (iii) governance principles implementation, (iv) size of the IA, and (v) frequency of internal audits committees’ meetings. The primary data for the study were collected through a questionnaire prepared for this purpose. Fifty questionnaires were distributed out of which forty-two were retrieved and valid in the analysis process. For the empirical analysis, descriptive analysis and T-test were used for verification of the research hypotheses. Results revealed that sticking to standards internal audit, internal auditors’ independence and quality governance have significant impact on banks’ financial performance, while the size of internal audits committees, as well as their meeting, frequently has insignificant positive impact on banks’ performance. Moreover, the country results show that the use of automated internal audit in banks has an impact on improving financial performance. This article provides avenues for further studies, mainly in developing countries, including Yemen, in quality internal audit and financial performance.