Search results

The purpose of this study is to propose an objective and efficient method for assessing credit risk by introducing and investigating to a greater extent the applicability of credit scoring models in the Jordanian banks and to what range they can be used to achieve their strategic and business objectives.

The research methodology comprises two phases. The first phase is the model development. Three modeling techniques are used to build the scoring models, namely, logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (NN) and support vector machine (SVM), and the best performing model is selected for next stage. The second phase is two-fold: linking the credit expert knowledge in a way that can enhance the outcomes of the scoring model and a profitability test to explore if the selected model is efficient in meeting banks’ strategic and business objectives.

The findings showed that LR model outperformed both ANN and SVM across various performance indicators. The LR model also fits best with achieving the bank’s strategic and business objectives.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first that applied several modeling and classification techniques for Jordanian banks and calibrated the best model in terms of its strategic and business objectives. Furthermore, credit experts’ knowledge was engaged with the scoring model to determine its efficiency and reliability against the sole use of an automated scoring model in the hope to encourage the application of credit scoring models as an advisory tool for credit decisions.

To study the effect of inhibition of new bipyrazole derivatives on the corrosion of steel in HCl media at various temperatures.

In this study, novel corrosion inhibitors, namely bipyrazoles were synthesised and tested as corrosion inhibitors for steel in 1 M HCl. The degree of corrosion was measured using various techniques including weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarisation, linear polarisation resistance (Rp) and impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

It was found that 1,5,5′‐trimethyl‐1H,2′H‐3,3′‐bipyrazole (P₁) gave the best inhibition effect. The inhibition efficiency increased with the concentration of P₁ to attain 79 per cent at 10⁻³ M. Good agreement between the various methods explored was observed. Polarisation measurements also showed that P₁ acted essentially as a cathodic inhibitor. The cathodic curves indicated that the reduction of proton at the steel surface was an activating mechanism. P₁ adsorbed on the steel surface according to Frumkin adsorption model.

The synthesis route offers the possibility of other pyrazolic compounds to be tested in the future.

The inhibitory efficiency of P₁ increased with the increase of both the concentration and the temperature (in the 298‐353 K range). As such, P₁ can be used in chemical cleaning and pickling processes.

The originality of this work is the synthesis of new inhibitors based on pyrazolic organic compounds.

Several previous studies showed strong social stigma toward mental illness patients from the health-care providers (HCPs) in Saudi Arabia. This stigma affects the level of care provided by HCPs. Stigma is a major barrier in treating schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. Thus, it is important to clarify the difference regarding the social stigma between both diagnoses. This study aimed to identify and compare the existence of social stigma among HCPs towards schizophrenia patients compared to OCD patients.

A total of 283 HCPs from King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, Saudi Arabia, were enrolled in this cross-sectional questionnaire-based study between middle and end of January 2021. The scale included a demographic questionnaire plus two vignette cases reflecting OCD and schizophrenia patients’ symptoms without mentioning diagnosis. Each case was followed with 18 questions, which measured some of the thoughts and attitudes of the social stigma of mental illnesses including negative stereotypes, discrimination, social distancing and emotional and cognitive prejudices against mental illness patients. The scale was validated by a pilot study (which included 15 other participants) with acceptable validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 81.4%).

Most participants’ responses were “low” in the total score of their stigma score for both diagnosis [OCD (84.1%), mean ± SD (1.15  ±  0.366) and schizophrenia (74.2%), mean ± SD (1.25  ±  0.438)]. However, those who responded “high” in their stigma score regarding the schizophrenia section were higher in their number than those who responded “high” in the OCD section (25.8% vs 15.9%). Most participants had “low” total stigma scores for both diagnoses [OCD (84.1%), mean ± SD (1.15  ±  0.366) and schizophrenia (74.2%), mean ± SD (1.25  ±  0.438)]. However, of those with “high” stigma score responses, more were for the schizophrenia section compared to the OCD section (25.8% vs 15.9%). Being flexible to recruit any of them was more related to promoting them if they deserve promotion. The sample that answered wrong regarding OCD vignette diagnosis and had “high” stigma score was higher (n = 40) than the sample that answered correctly and had “high” stigma score (n = 5). In contrast, the sample that answered wrong regarding the schizophrenia case diagnosis and had “high” stigma score (n = 41) was not significantly different in terms of its number compared to the one that answered correctly and had “high” stigma score (n = 32).

One aspect that reduces the strength of this study is that the target number of the participants could not be reached, meaning a 95% confidence level with a ±5% margin of error could not be reached. Another limitation is the lack of contact between HCPs at the KAMC in Makkah with mental illness patients owing to lack of psychiatric inpatient departments. However, this limitation may be a strength for this study, as we were able to primarily measure medical HCPs rather than psychiatric HCPs. Although the vignette methodology in stigma studies has many benefits, the participants do not respond to real patients, and therefore miss appearance and other nonverbal cues that are typically present in real interactions.

The social stigma level among HCPs against schizophrenia patients is higher than that against OCD patients. The factor of knowing the diagnosis of the case has a positive effect on decreasing stigma toward OCD patients but not toward schizophrenia patients. Educational awareness about stigma against mental illness patients to HCPs, rather than focusing on increasing literature knowledge, may decrease stigma among HCPs.

This paper aims to study the inhibition effect of 2-pyridinealdazine on the corrosion of mild steel in an acidic medium. The inhibition effect was studied using weight loss, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Tafel polarization measurements.

Weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic tests, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and spectral and conformational isomers analysis of A (E-PAA) and B (Z-PAA) were performed were investigated.

2-pyridinealdazine (PAA) acts as a good inhibitor for the corrosion of steel in 2.0 M H₃PO₄. The inhibition efficiency increases with an increase in inhibitor concentration but decreases with an increase in temperature.

This paper is intended to be added to the family of azines which are highly efficient inhibitors and can be used in the area of corrosion prevention and control.

Interventions to hasten patient discharge continue to proliferate despite evidence that they may be achieving diminishing returns. To better understand what such interventions can be expected to accomplish, the authors aim to critically examine their underlying program theory.

Within a broader study on patient flow, spanning 10 jurisdictions across Western Canada, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with 300 senior, middle and frontline managers; 174 discussed discharge initiatives. Using thematic analysis informed by a Realistic Evaluation lens, the authors identified the mechanisms by which discharge activities were believed to produce their impacts and the strategies and context factors necessary to trigger the intended mechanisms.

Managers' accounts suggested a common program theory that applied to a wide variety of discharge initiatives. The chief mechanism was inculcation of a sharp focus on discharge; reinforcing mechanisms included development of shared understanding and a sense of accountability. Participants reported that these mechanisms were difficult to produce and sustain, requiring continual active management and repeated (re)introduction of interventions. This reflected a context in which providers, already overwhelmed with competing demands, were unlikely to be able (or perhaps even willing) to sustain a focus on this particular aspect of care.

The finding that “discharge focus” emerged as the core mechanism of discharge interventions helps to explain why such initiatives may be achieving limited benefit. There is a need for interventions that promote timely discharge without relying on this highly problematic mechanism.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the physicochemical properties, fatty acids, tocopherols, and polyphenols of Algerian argan oil.

The argan oil was extracted from the kernel by an organic solvent, the n‐hexane. Several methods and techniques (spectrophotometric, titrimetric, refractometric, and chomrtographic (CPG/high‐performance liquid chromatographic – HPLC) were used to characterise to argan oil.

The argan oil was yellow oil with faintly marked smell and flavour. The physicochemical analysis showed that the oil was pure, fresh, not siccative and rich in C₁₈ medium chain unsaturated fatty acids, particularly the oleic acid. A HPLC and gaseous phase chromatography methods were developed for the quali‐quantitative analysis of α‐tocopherol and fatty acids composition, respectively.

This highlight shows that the composition of argan oil is oleic‐linoleic type rich in α‐tocopherol (20 mg/kg). The phenolic fraction known for its antioxidant properties ranges from 30 to 50 mg/kg. The argan oil is mainly rich in antioxidant compounds such as phenolic compounds and α‐tocopherol. Argan oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherol and phenolic compounds.

Considering its rich composition in antioxidant compounds and essential fatty acid, argan oil has been used for a long time as a food and for body care, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and some cancers diseases. A deep knowledge of the chemical composition of argan oil will certainly show that is has a high‐nutritional potentiality and is claimed to have favourable medicinal and cosmetic properties.

No such research has been carried out on the argan oil extracted from Argania spinosa (L.) of Algeria. The present work was undertaken to study the physicochemical and nutritional properties of the argan oil.

This paper aims to propose a new node energy-efficient algorithm with energy threshold to replace cluster heads. The proposed algorithm uses node ranking to elect cluster heads based on energy levels and positions of the nodes in reference to the base station (BS) used as a sink for gathered information. Because the BS calculates the number of rounds a cluster head can remain for as a cluster head in advance, this reduces the amount of energy wasted on replacing cluster heads each round which is the case in most existing algorithms, thus prolonging the network lifetime. In addition, a hybrid redundant nodes duty cycle is used for nodes to take turn in covering the monitored area is shown to improve the performance further.

Authors designed and implemented the proposed algorithm in MATLAB. The performance of the proposed algorithm was compared to other well-known algorithms using different evaluation metrics. The performance of the proposed algorithm was enhanced over existing ones by incorporating different mechanisms such as the use of an energy-based threshold value to replace CHs and the use of a hybrid duty-cycle on nodes.

Through simulation, the authors showed how the proposed algorithm outperformed PEGASIS by 15 per cent and LEACH by almost 70 per cent for the network life-time criterion. They found that using a fixed pre-defined energy threshold to replace CHs improved the network lifetime by almost 15 per cent. They also found that the network lifetime can be further improved by almost 7 per cent when incorporating a variable energy threshold instead of a fixed value. In addition to that, using hybrid-redundant nodes duty-cycle has improved the network lifetime by an additional 8 per cent.

The authors proposed an energy-efficient clustering algorithm for WSNs using node ranking in electing CHs and energy threshold to replace CHs instead of being replaced every round.

The concept of “Workplace Spirituality (WPS)” in the field of management has gained great interest in the last decade, especially due to its connection with profitability. There has been a rapid increase in research related to the topic. It is assumed that employees who spend a significant part of their time at work are willing to satisfy their spiritual needs at the workplace. Such unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic have posed many difficulties for organizations to remain agile, develop and grow, and innovate to survive. At this very moment, the importance and meaning of WPS for managers appear to have increased even more. Workplace spirituality is related to motivation, belongingness, and loyalty, and the pandemic seems to have created significant issues concerning these topics with employees. Employees have been forced to work from home due to prolonged restrictions and have faced difficulties in returning to work post-pandemic. Workplace spirituality has the potential to help employees stay motivated in their work, increase their job performance, enhance job satisfaction, and improve their mental health during this difficult period. Organizations can support their employees by implementing different practices to develop workplace spirituality. In this article, approaches to satisfy the spiritual needs of employees post-pandemic, and the efforts of workplaces to meet these needs, are examined with insights from theoretical and practical life.