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This paper aims to synthesize 6-ethyl-4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one as a new enol-type coupling component in the preparation of some 3-arylazo-4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one dyes and evaluate the solvent effects on their absorption in ultraviolet-visible spectra.

6-Ethyl-4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one was synthesized by thermal cyclocondensation reaction of N, N′-bis(4-ethylphenyl) malonamide at 130–140°C in polyphosphoric acid. This compound was then applied in the azo-coupling reaction with some aniline-based diazonium salts, so as to prepare seven new mono-heterocyclic azo dyes. The structures of the compounds were confirmed using mass spectroscopic technique. Fourier transform infra red (FT-IR) and 1H proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13 C NMR) studies on the structure of the azo compounds revealed that they exist as two E- and Z-isomers of hydrazone tautomer both in solid and solution state. The effects of acid and base on the visible absorption spectra of the dyes were also evaluated and discussed.

Ultra violet-visible UV-vis absorption spectra of the dyes didn’t show significant variation by changing of solvents because of intramolecular H-bonding between proposed hydrazone forms and 2- and 4-keto functions in their structures. The spectra of the dyes were not sensitive to the addition of acid but were very sensitive to base.

The synthesized 3-arylazo-4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one dyes are new members in the 4-hydroxyquinolin-2(1H)-one azo dyes family, where very few details regarding the synthesis of such dyes are reported before in the literature. They are unique in terms of synthesis and spectral properties.

This paper comprehensively addresses the influence of chopped strand mat glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) patch configurations such as geometry, dimensions, position and the number of layers of patches, whether a single or double patch is used and how well debonding the area under the patch improves the strength of the cracked aluminum plates with different crack lengths.

Single-edge cracked aluminum specimens of 150 mm in length and 50 mm in width were tested using the tensile test. The cracked aluminum specimens were then repaired using GFRP patches with various configurations. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) was adopted to simulate the repaired cracked aluminum plates using composite patches to obtain the stress intensity factor (SIF). The numerical modeling and validation of ABAQUS software and the contour integral method for SIF calculations provide a valuable tool for further investigation and design optimization.

The width of the GFRP patches affected the efficiency of the rehabilitated cracked aluminum plate. Increasing patch width WP from 5 mm to 15 mm increases the peak load by 9.7 and 17.5%, respectively, if compared with the specimen without the patch. The efficiency of the GFRP patch in reducing the SIF increased as the number of layers increased, i.e. the maximum load was enhanced by 5%.

This study assessed repairing metallic structures using the chopped strand mat GFRP. Furthermore, it demonstrated the superiority of rectangular patches over semicircular ones, along with the benefit of using double patches for out-of-plane bending prevention and it emphasizes the detrimental effect of defects in the bonding area between the patch and the cracked component. This underlines the importance of proper surface preparation and bonding techniques for successful repair.

This paper aims to synthesize new screen-printing ink formula based on new derivatives of azo thiadiazol disperse dyes and evaluate their characteristics after being printed on polyester fabric substrates.

New dispersed dyes based on 1, 3, 4-Thiadiazole derivatives (dyes 1 and 2) were prepared and confirmed by different analyses, infrared (IR), mass and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and then formulated as colored materials in the screen-printing ink formulations. Printing pastes containing the prepared dyestuffs and other ingredients were used for printing polyester using screen-printing or traditional printing. The characteristics of printed polyester fabric substrates were measured by color measurements such as a*, b*, L*, C*, E, Ho, R% and color strength, as well as light, washing, crock and alkali perspiration fastness, and finally, the depth of penetration was evaluated.

The prepared 1, 3, 4-Thiadiazole derivatives (dyes 1 and 2) were obtained from the reaction of 5,5’-(1,4-phenylene)bis(1,3,4-Thiadiazole-2-amine) with resorcinol and m-toluidine as a coupling component. The suitability of the prepared dyestuffs for silk screen-printing on polyester fabrics has been investigated. The prints obtained from a formulation containing dye 1 possess high color strength as well as good overall fastness properties if compared to those obtained using dye 2.

The method of synthesis of the new dyestuffs and screen-printing ink provides a simple and practical solution to prepare some new heterocyclic disperse azo dyes, and they are formulated in the screen-printing inks for printing on a polyester fabric substrate.

The prepared disperse dyes based on 1,3,4-Thiadiazole derivatives (dyes 1 and 2) could be used in textile printing of polyester on an industrial scale.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether audit committee characteristics, in particular audit committee size, audit committee activity and audit committee gender diversity, are associated with financial performance in Egyptian banks. The second purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating role of board gender diversity on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and financial performance.

A multiple regression analysis is used to estimate the moderating role of board gender diversity on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and financial performance of a sample of Egyptian banks during the period between 2018 and 2022.

The results indicate that audit committee size has a negative and insignificant effect impact on return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), respectively. The results also indicate that the audit committee gender diversity has a significant positive impact on ROA and ROE, respectively. Regarding audit committee activity, the number of board meetings has a negative and insignificant effect on ROA and ROE, respectively. Regarding gender diversity as a moderating variable, in general there is a positive effect of gender diversity on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and financial performance.

The study was limited to 20 banks in one country, but it sets the tone for future empirical research on this subject matter. The study also relied on one moderating variable, which is board gender diversity. This study provides an avenue for future research in the area of corporate governance and financial performance in other emerging countries, especially other African countries.

This study provides useful insights for managers and policymakers to better understand which audit committee characteristics can best encourage a company to improve financial performance. Furthermore, regulators should ensure that banks strictly adhere to corporate governance principles to build a strong banking industry capable of achieving economic development.

Banks will benefit equally from valuable qualities across demographic groupings in society by having females on the audit committee and appropriate audit committee meetings. Additionally, if audit committee members are correctly selected, banks with more females in audit committee and suitable audit committee meetings can successfully contribute to strengthening financial performance and social welfare of diverse segments of society. A culture of good banking governance must emerge to improve bank financial stability and, as a result, greater stability and economic growth.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is, perhaps, the first to examine the moderating role of board gender diversity on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and financial performance in Egyptian banks. This study adds to the literature by investigating such an issue in a developing economy that operates in a different context than those in developed countries.

This study aims to investigate the daily performance of the proposed microgrid (MG) that comprises photovoltaic, wind turbines and is connected to the main grid. The load demand is a residential area that includes 20 houses.

The daily operational strategy of the proposed MG allows to vend and procure utterly between the main grid and MG. The smart metre of every consumer provides the supplier with the daily consumption pattern which is amended by demand side management (DSM). The daily operational cost (DOC) CO2 emission and other measures are utilized to evaluate the system performance. A grey wolf optimizer was employed to minimize DOC including the cost of procuring energy from the main grid, the emission cost and the revenue of sold energy to the main grid.

The obtained results of winter and summer days revealed that DSM significantly improved the system performance from the economic and environmental perspectives. With DSM, DOC on winter day was −26.93 ($/kWh) and on summer day, DOC was 10.59 ($/kWh). While without considering DSM, DOC on winter day was −25.42 ($/kWh) and on summer day DOC was 14.95 ($/kWh).

As opposed to previous research that predominantly addressed the long-term operation, the value of the proposed research is to investigate the short-term operation (24-hour) of MG that copes with vital contingencies associated with selling and procuring energy with the main grid considering the environmental cost. Outstandingly, the proposed research engaged the consumers by smart meters to apply demand-sideDSM, while the previous studies largely focused on supply side management.

This study aims to appraise and synthesize evidence examining the effects of toxic leadership on the nursing workforce and patient safety outcomes.

This is a systematic review in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Five electronic databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and Psych INFO) were searched to identify relevant articles. Two independent researchers conducted the data extraction and appraisal. A content analysis was used to identify toxic leadership outcomes.

The initial literature search identified 376 articles, 16 of which were deemed relevant to the final review. Results of the content analysis identified 31 outcomes, which were clustered into five themes: satisfaction with work; relationship with organization; psychological state and well-being; productivity and performance; and patient safety outcomes. Seven mediators between toxic leadership and five outcomes were identified in the included studies.

Organizational strategies to improve outcomes in the nursing workforce should involve measures to build and develop positive leadership and prevent toxic behaviors among nurse managers through theory-driven strategies, human resource management efforts and relevant policy.

The review findings have provided modest evidence suggesting that working under a leader who exhibits toxic behaviors may have adverse consequences in the nursing workforce; however, more research examining if this leadership style influences patient safety and care outcomes is warranted.

This study intends to improve the quality of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis practices including proper VTE risk assessment and the appropriate prophylaxis measures for surgical urology patients.

The authors applied the Six-Sigma define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) improvement methodology in a pre–post interventional study that involved all adult patients above 18 years old indicated and scheduled for urology surgical interventions including endoscopic urological surgeries in a urology specialized 60-bed hospital. The pre-intervention sample included all patients meeting the inclusion criteria over a period of six months. Post-intervention sample included all patients meeting the inclusion criteria over a period of six months. The improvement areas included both the VTE risk assessment as well as the VTE prophylaxis prescription.

DMAIC methodology has achieved a substantial sustained improvement in surgical urology VTE prophylaxis practices with an average of 70% on both levels; VTE risk assessment practices and VTE prophylaxis prescribing practices were statistically significant. The post-intervention results also showed a statistically controlled process with no special cause variations. Based on the study results, the Six-Sigma DMAIC methodology can be considered of high value when applied in healthcare clinical practice improvement projects.

The project study includes some pitfalls that can be addressed as follows: 1. The lack of VTE rate incidence tracking. This limitation can be partly refuted when the authors conduct a literature review and explore that the VTE prophylaxis effectiveness had been proven with sufficient evidence to an extent that pushed several scientific societies to develop their own guidelines to support VTE prophylaxis. (Algattas et al., 2018). 2. Another limitation of this study can be that it handled only surgical patients and more specifically surgical urology patients. Of course, VTE prophylaxis is a crucial life-threatening problem not only for the surgical admitted patients but also for all the medical admitted patients either in hospital wards or ICUs. However, the prediction that surgical patients especially surgical urology patients are more prone to VTE development risk as they have -in several cases-two or three main additive risk factors which are age, procedure duration and malignancy in elderly men. (Tikkinen et al., 2014). So, the authors consider the study project to be a prototype that hopefully can be utilized for future study projects that will manage both other surgical specialty patients and medical patients on the national level and can track accurately and effectively report the VTE incidence rates.

Several recommendations can be extracted from the research project that is summarized in the following points: Paying focused attention to continuous healthcare quality improvement initiatives and projects as a main approach for healthcare improvement especially for the public health-related problems. This might be achieved through periodic region-specific or specialty-specific focus groups from which public health problems could be addressed and prioritized to be considered as a part of country healthcare campaigns regarding cost-utility and feasibility studies. The adoption of a system thinking approach in dealing with the improvement strategies; all efforts and resources are to be employed to achieve a common objective. This includes the generation of a national-wide electronic health information system that can aid in healthcare resource allocation and direct the healthcare efforts towards the most important, high-priority public health problems. Electronic national-wide health record is really an effort, and resources consuming activity, but actually, it's worth exerting efforts, and its valuable outcomes may be seen several years later. 3. Development of unified national specialized VTE prophylaxis pathways to standardize the patient-specific VTE prophylaxis plans. Standardization of healthcare pathways enables healthcare professionals to follow an evidence-based practice which will be reflected on the improvement of healthcare quality level, cost-effectiveness enhancement, and timely patient care on all levels especially in high critical areas like ER and ICU. 4. Incorporation of VTE prophylaxis costs in the universal health insurance diagnosis-related group (DRG) insurance packages and service pricing. Universal health insurance is a nationwide strategy that is aiming to cover all Egypt residents by the year 2030. Universal health insurance is being following the DRG reimbursement policy that is thought to control all the healthcare-associated costs so, the VTE prophylaxis costs shall be added as the main cost item to encourage all healthcare facilities to follow an evidence-based VTE prophylaxis pathway taking into consideration the high-risk patient categories who will definitely represent a high-cost burden on the long run if they suffer a VTE event.

DMAIC improvement methodology applications in healthcare are still relatively limited, especially on the clinical level. The study can be considered one of a kind in Egypt dealing with a comprehensive DMAIC methodology application on the clinical level.

To achieve sustainable development objectives, managers are encouraged to implement best practices in corporate social and environmental responsibility within their establishments. The main objective of this chapter is to assess the quality of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) communication for Moroccan financial institutions. This chapter is devoted to the content analysis of the annual reports of 14 financial institutions listed in Morocco regarding ESG strategies between 2017 and 2021. The reference assessment tool we used is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards (2016), based on six principles. Each principle contains requirements and guidance on how to apply it. These principles are summarized in the following: Accuracy, Balance, Clarity, Comparability, Reliability, and Timeliness. The sample is composed of 14 financial institutions listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange. After checking the content of the annual reports of listed Moroccan financial institutions, we detected several shortcomings in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting behavior. Companies avoid disclosing information about negative events and performance. We saw this as a bad sign for stakeholders. The results showed a significant gap between the GRI standards and the content of the annual reports. These weaknesses mainly concern accuracy, comparability, and, timeliness, hence the need to carry out corrective measures to improve the quality of ESG practices within Moroccan financial institutions. One of the limitations of this research is its focus on financial institutions. However, it is possible to broaden the scope of the research by assessing the quality of ESG communication for nonfinancial companies.

This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on consumer behavior (CB) in Islamic banking (IB), encompassing an overview of researched contexts and topics, identifying literature gaps and proposing a comprehensive future research agenda.

By using bibliometric citation and content analysis, this study investigates 135 documents sourced from Scopus indexed publications.

This study delves into the growing field of CB in IB, offering a comprehensive understanding that encompasses influential journals, theories, research context, characteristics and methods used in IB research.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide a comprehensive review of CB studies in the IB domain detailing research topics, prevailing theories, research settings, important variables and research methods.

While most West European nations were formed around pre-existing entities that could be called “countries” before the modern age, this was not the case in the Middle East. Some entities, like Egypt, did have a clear political and cultural identity before colonialism, others, like Algeria, did not. This chapter discusses the four states of the Maghreb: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, through the perspective of “country creation” going into and coming out of colonial rule. We can see here two “models” of fairly similar types of historical development, one showing a gradual process through a protectorate period to relatively stable modern nations, another through violent conquest and direct colonization ending in violent liberation and military and wealthy but fragile states. The article asks whether these models for the history of country creation and the presence or absence of pre-colonial identities can help explain the modern history and nature of these states in the Arab Spring and the years thereafter. Then, a more tentative attempt is made to apply these models to two countries of the Arab east, Syria and Iraq. While local variations ensure that no model can be transferred directly, it can show the importance of studying the historical factors that go into the transition from geographical region to a country with people that can form the basis of a nation.