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The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate the first instrument to measure the source of customers’ stigmatization of employees with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Egypt.

The development and validation processes unfolded as follows: an item pool was generated from focus groups and previous studies on stigma; the initial instrument was evaluated by three experts and pilot-tested; the instrument was used to collect data from 500 Egyptian consumers to determine its dimensionality; to test this structure, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on a new sample of 300 Egyptian consumers.

Exploratory factor analysis showed that the instrument captures three factors: devaluation, avoidance and pity. Results confirmed that customers’ stigmatization of employees with HCV is a multidimensional construct that is manifested in these three dimensions.

Despite the importance of disease stigma, management scholars have not given it sufficient attention. This paper offers new insights into the study of a particular type of workplace discrimination and ways of measuring it.

The paper aims to use the Trilobal® polyester (Y cross-section) for producing fabrics suitable for fencing suits and evaluating their various properties.

Double weave structure was chosen to produce the samples by using six different face structures and two back structures divided into two groups according to the back structures. They were evaluated by their physical and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, puncture resistance, air permeability and humidity properties in horizontal and vertical wicking, drying rate and water vapor transmission.

Fencing sport recently is one of the most growing sports in the world, which necessitates special requirements and properties of fencing suit, either mechanical properties, which allow the easily and freely movement for the athlete, or the comfort properties that save the player’s effort and energy for a long time to improve his performance.

ANOVA test analysis showed highly significant results in some properties comparing back and face structures of the double weave fabric high correlation coefficient were found between packing density factor of produced fabric and the weft material types. The final results showed the produced sample that weaved with plain 1/1 for back structure and warp rib 2/2 for face structure achieved the best results, followed by the produced sample weaved with plain 1/1 for back structure and weft rib 2/2 for face structure compared with the other produced samples.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of two decomposition processes, namely, composting and vermicomposting, on the chemical composition of the finished products of a mixture of: cotton residues; soil and cotton residues; farmyard; soil.

Composting experiments were done over six months to prepare four different mixtures as follows: cotton residues+soil (C); cotton residues+soil+earthworms (C+E); cotton residues+soil+farmyard manure (C+F); and cotton residues+soil+farmyard manure+earthworms (C+F+E). Electrical conductivity, pH, nitrate-N, ammonium-N, ash, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, total organic carbon, carbon: nitrogen ratio, total potassium and trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn) were determined on monthly-based samples.

Significant differences (p < 0.05) in organic carbon, nitrate-N, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content were recorded in vermicompost compared to compost. In general, results indicated that vermicompost had a significant effect compared to compost and a positive effect on the chemical properties of the finished products.

This research work was carried out by four researchers from two institutions concerned with agricultural production and environmental aspects related to soil productivity. The paper emphasizes on production of organic fertilizers with good quality and monitoring of composting process for better management practices of agricultural wastes in Sudan.

The purpose of this study is to successfully apply ultrasonic waves for the quick extraction of flax seed gum from flaxseed hull or whole seed and compare it to the standard technique of extraction.

The effect of the heating source, extracted time, temperature and pH of extracted solution on the extraction was studied. The obtained gum is subsequently used for silk screen printing on cotton, linen and viscous fabrics. Rheological properties and viscosity of the printing paste were scrutinized in the current study to get a better insight into this important polysaccharide. The output of this effort aimed to specify the parameters of the processes for printing textiles to serve in women’s fashion clothes by applying innovated handmade combinations of Islamic art motives using a quick and affordable method. Seven designs are executed, and inspiring from them, seven fashion designs of ladies’ clothes were designed virtually by Clo 3D software.

The result recorded that the new gum has excellent printing properties. In addition, they have better rheological properties, viscosity, chromatic strength and fastness qualities, all of which could help them in commercial production.

Flaxseed and three different fabric types (Cotton, Linen and Viscous) were used.

Synthesis of a new biodegradable thickener from a natural resource, namely, flaxseed, by applying new technology to save time, water and energy.

Synthesis of eco-friendly biodegradable thickener and used in textile printing alternative to the synthetic thickener.

The purpose of this paper was to synthesize novel antibacterial reactive dyes for dyeing cotton fabrics.

Four synthetic novel antibacterial reactive dyes based on sulfonamide (D1-D4) have been synthesized by the coupling reaction of sulfonamide diazonium salt with sulfonamido-cyanurated 7-amino-4-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid “j-acid”. The chemical structure of the synthesized dyes was secured by their spectral data [infra red (IR) and proton Nuclear magnetic Resonance (1HNMR)].

The prepared reactive dyes (D1-D4) were applied to cotton fabrics. Optimum conditions of the dying samples at sodium sulfate 100 g/l, liquor ratio (L.R.) 1:10, sodium carbonate 20 g/l at 80°C (D1, D2 and D4), 60°C (D3 for 60 min) were investigated. The fastness properties toward washing, perspiration, rubbing and light were evaluated. Dyed fabrics showed good light fastness property and good to very good washing and perspiration fastness properties according to the gray scale. Antimicrobial activities for synthesized dyes showed excellent activity against gram-negative organisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis faecalis, whereas very good activity against gram-positive organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis with respect to the standard drugs ampicillin and chloramphenicol.

The principle advantages in this study were that the synthesis of novel synthesized dyes by introducing bisulfonamide-based moieties to increase the antimicrobial activity of the cellulose fabrics could be used as a medical textile, short reaction time and reaction procedure conducted in few steps, the work up is convenient and thus the starting material can be easily prepared.

Lean construction (LC) consists of very effective techniques; however, its implementation varies considerably from one industry to another. Although numerous lean initiatives do exist in the construction industry, the research topic related to LC implementation is still unexplored due to the scarcity of validated assessment frameworks. This study aims to provide the first attempt in developing a structural model for successful LC implementation.

This study developed a Lean construction model (LCM) by critically reviewing seven previous LC frameworks from different countries, defining 18 subprinciples grouped into 6 major principles and formulating testable hypotheses. The questionnaire was pre-tested with 12 construction management experts and revised by 4 specialized academics. A pilot study with 20 construction units enhanced content reliability. Data from 307 Moroccan construction companies were collected to develop a measurement model. SPSS V. 26 was used for Exploratory Factor Analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS version 23. Finally, a structural equation model statistically assessed each construct's contribution to the success of LC implementation.

This work led to the development of an original LCM based on valid and reliable LC constructs, consisting of 18 measurement items grouped into 6 LC principles: Process Transparency, People involvement, Waste elimination, Planning and Continuous improvement, Client Focus and Material/information flow and pull. According to the structural model, LC implementation success is positively influenced by Planning and Scheduling/continuous improvement (β = 0.930), followed by Elimination of waste (β = 0.896). Process transparency ranks third (β = 0.858). The study demonstrates that all these factors are mutually complementary, highlighting a positive relationship between LC implementation success and the holistic application of all LC principles.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to develop a statistically proven model of LC based on structural equation modelling analysis, which is promising for stimulating construction practitioners and researchers for more empirical studies in different countries to obtain a more accurate reflection of LC implementation. Moreover, the paper proposes recommendations to help policymakers, academics and practitioners anticipate the key success drivers for more successful LC implementation.

The Egyptian Premier League (EPL) holds a prominent place in Egypt’s sporting culture and serves as the stage for some of Africa’s most competitive soccer clubs. However, the actual competitive balance in this league has come under scrutiny in recent years as the two historically dominant Cairo clubs, Ahly and Zamalek, continue to retain the EPL championship. A major concern is that the competitive imbalance of the EPL may actually be hampering the league’s progress and the progress of soccer in Egypt. In order to more closely assess this situation, the purpose of this paper is to use historical EPL performance data to conduct a series of competitive balance analyses on league results from 1948 to 2014. The findings revealed that competition in the league is almost nonexistent as Ahly and Zamalek continue to enjoy a number of direct and indirect financial benefits that are unrealized by their competitors. The dominance of these clubs has compromised the elements of match uncertainty and drama that are traditionally viewed as being important to the prestige and financial achievements of leagues and teams. Discussion is therefore offered for how the EPL could go about resolving some of its organizational and competitive balance issues.

This study adopted four basic measures of competitive balance to conduct descriptive analyses on EPL data that were collected from egyptianfootball.net and the Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. These analyses began with the EPL’s inaugural season (1948-1949) and extended to the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season. During this timeframe, seven seasons were canceled due to global and political tensions and four more went unfinished. Because these seasons were excluded, the total sample size consisted of 56 seasons, each of which contained between 10 and 24 EPL teams. The data were analyzed using variations of the following competitive balance measures: the range and standard deviation of winning percentages, the ratio of the standard deviation/Noll-Scully approach, the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, and five-club concentration ratio.

The results confirmed that the league is largely imbalanced, leading the authors to recommend systemic and structural changes that could help promote competitive balance in the league. The call for competitive balance in the EPL was bolstered by a literature review of studies that advocated for parity in professional sports leagues. In the end, the researchers recommend the EPL to improve its organizational policies and consider a revised revenue-sharing system that would allow the small-market teams to survive and thrive.

The EPL holds a prominent place in Egypt’s sporting culture and serves as the stage for some of Africa’s most competitive soccer clubs. The primary purpose of this study was to perform a series of competitive balance analyses on EPL results from 1948 to 2015 in an effort to better understand the various degrees of competitiveness in the league during this time.

This research seeks to evaluate the impact of applying lean construction principles on the performance of reinforcement operations using a discrete-event simulation (DES) approach.

Process mapping of reinforcements operations was first established through field observation and interviews with construction managers involved in the selected project. Subsequently, quantitative data were gathered and then used to identify the best probabilistic density functions for each activity duration based on the fit-quality tests. Upon testing the validity of the real-world model, a lean simulation model was developed, using ARENA software, to investigate the impact of lean construction principles on the performance of such processes.

Lean principles are effective in enhancing the performance of the selected construction process. Output performance measurements for real-world model and lean model revealed that lean construction principles led to 41% improvement in process productivity, 14% enhancement in process efficiency and 17% reduction in cycle time.

The statistical findings only represent the process under study (reinforcement process) and cannot be generalized to other construction activities. In order to draw generalizable conclusions, future works are needed to extend this study to different project sizes and more complex construction processes (e.g. bricklaying process and concrete pouring operations). Moreover, there are other factors such as labor skills, rework and uncertainty, site conditions that require further analyses for leaner construction projects.

The methodology and the techniques presented in this work can be used for decision making by analyzing various lean construction scenarios and evaluating their impacts on performance outcomes of any construction process prior to real-world implementation.

Although the hospitality sector is considered the most active and profitable sector in the Egyptian economy, it suffers from the non-stop immigration of skilled manpower and the high rates of labor turnover. One of the apparent solutions for this problem that could be implemented is empowering Egyptian females to play an active role in the success of this sector. Females faced many obstacles while working in hospitality, including prevailing social perception, the culture of shame, the traditional negative view of feminine hoteliers, long working hours and the shift system, which led to weak females' desire to enroll in the hospitality field. The study aims to determine how empowering Egyptian women in the hospitality industry affects staff turnover.

To achieve the aim of the study, a sample of four- and five-star resorts in Red Sea, Egypt, was under study. A self-administrated questionnaire was addressed to female hotel employees, and 140 forms were statistically analyzed in addition to 14 semi-structured interviews with hospitality experts.

The study recommends that hotels should start re-tailoring policies to activate Egyptian females' role in reducing the high rate of hospitality labor turnover through increasing their work engagement (WENG) (as a mediator) by adopting a decent work environment and motivating them to get promoted to hold senior positions.

In spite of some noteworthy contributions, the authors would like to point out certain shortcomings. The sample was homogeneous, consisting of female hotels employees in Egypt, but the findings are generalizable to other Arabian communities. Nonetheless, the authors feel that they have supplied some suggestive evidence, even for the most careful reader who wants to further study these elements of working attitudes in the hotel business.

According to the authors' knowledge, this study is among the few studies covering females' reluctance to continue working in the hospitality field.

This paper aims to monitor, evaluate and adjust the joint quality of dissimilar friction stir welded AA2024-T3 and AA7075-T6 Al alloys.

Taguchi analysis for design of experiments and ANOVA analysis were applied. Tensile test, visual inspection and macro and microstructure investigations were carried out at each welding condition. In addition, the grain size of stir zone and the value of heat input were measured.

Using Taguchi analysis, the optimum values of tool rotary speed, welding speed and axial load were 1,200 rpm, 100 mm/min and 1,300 kg, respectively, yielding the maximum tensile strength of the joints of 427 MPa. ANOVA analysis indicated that the most significant parameter on the joint strength is the tool rotary speed, followed by welding speed and axial load, with contributions of 67, 27 and 2 per cent, respectively. Best mixing between Al alloys in the stir zone with no defects was observed at moderate speeds because of proper heat input and grain size, resulting in high strength.

A relation between structure characteristics of the joint, the process parameters and the joint strength was established to control the joint quality.