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Article
Publication date: 11 January 2023

Akram M. Mohammed, Ayman Mohammed El-Anany, Sami A. Althwab, Raghad M. Alhomaid, Hend F. Alharbi, Reham M. ALgheshairy and Rehab F.M. Ali

The purpose of this current investigation is to evaluate the effect of adding different levels of cheeseweed Malva parviflora L. mallow leaves powder (MPLP) on the nutritional and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this current investigation is to evaluate the effect of adding different levels of cheeseweed Malva parviflora L. mallow leaves powder (MPLP) on the nutritional and quality characteristics of bread.

Design/methodology/approach

Wheat flour was partially replaced with MPLP at 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% levels to obtain the wheat– MPLP composite flour. Chemical composition, phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl of wheat flour and MPLP were determined. Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of bread enriched with various levels of MPLP were evaluated.

Findings

MPLP contains 23.9% of protein, 10.1% of crude fiber and 9.8% of ash, respectively. MPLP had a significantly higher concentration of micronutrients than wheat flour. The content of total phenolics, flavonoids as well as free radical scavenging activity of MPLP were 17.6, 38.2 and 6.0 fold, respectively, higher compared to wheat flour. Protein content in bread samples increased with the addition of the MPLP in a range of 1.2%–6.6%. The increasing replacement of MPLP in the composite flours resulted in progressively higher dietary fiber and ash contents for fortified bread samples. The higher level of MPLP reduced the specific volume of fortified breads. The highest scores for the sensory attributes were noted for bread samples fortified with 2% and 3% of MPLP, whereas the lowest scores for bread samples fortified with 4% and 5% MPLP.

Research limitations/implications

Supplementation of wheat bread with different levels of MPLP resulted in significant increases in macro and microelements of fortified breads.

Originality/value

Supplementation of wheat bread with different levels of cheeseweed Mallow (Malva parviflora L.) leaves powder resulted in significant increases in macro and microelements of fortified breads.

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2019

Fahad Riaz Choudhry, Khadeeja Munawar, Bushra Akram, Yaser Mohammed Al-Worafi, Faizah Safina Bakrin, Li Ying Tey, Sabrina Anne Jacob, Goh Bey Hing, Tahir Mehmood Khan, Lee Learn Han and Anila Kamal

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into xylophagia, its treatment, intervention options, etiological causes and possible relationship with other diseases.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into xylophagia, its treatment, intervention options, etiological causes and possible relationship with other diseases.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic search was performed across four scientific databases (i.e. Ovid Medline, Embase via Ovid, PubMed and ProQuest). All of the qualitative studies reporting on xylophagia from the inception of databases until August 2019 have been included. The quality of included studies was assessed through a ten-item checklist given by Kmet et al. (2004).

Findings

A total of 18 studies were included, and five primary themes emerged after analysis: precipitation/onset of xylophagia, co-morbid psychiatric or medical illnesses, assessment and investigation modes to confirm diagnosis, outcomes of xylophagia and treatment options comprising medical care, psychological care, counseling and duration of recovery. There were 16 females and 9 males in included studies. The mean ages and standard deviations of males and females were 29.25(12.17) years and 32.81(11.92), respectively. The mean duration and standard deviation of paper pica were 4.80(4.27) years.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the limitation that this meta-synthesis is based upon findings from case studies, results show that standardized medication regimens for treating xylophagia are still not available or are unknown. There is a dire need for further research in order to better understand the disorder. The healthcare professionals need to use reciprocal, mutually constituent influence of biological and sociocultural factors in order to screen, diagnose and manage complex psychological problems like xylophagia.

Originality/value

The findings advance our understanding of the positive effects of patients and family members undergoing counseling or cognitive behavior therapy in reducing stress and enhancing coping skills thus, avoiding self-damaging behaviors.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2018

Abdelhamid Kerkadi, Abdelmonem Sadig Hassan, Al Anoud Mohammed Al Thani, Walaa Al Chetachi, Hammad Akram, Hiba Bawadi, Benjamin Vinodson and Nassar Moustafa Ragheb Risk

The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among adolescents attending independent schools in Qatar.

Design/methodology/approaches

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in November-December 2013 in 23 secondary schools. A total of 1,161 students aged 14 to 19 year olds were randomly selected using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique. Body weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured using standard protocol. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) reference were used to define overweight and obesity. Abdominal obesity (AO) was defined by waist to height ratio (WHtR ≥ 0.5) and by sex- and age-specific WC cut-off values.

Findings

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the study population was 20.6 and 20.7%, respectively. The highest rate of overweight and obesity was observed among boys, and the youngest age group. The rate of obesity defined by either WC/or WHtR was higher than that assessed by BMI. The prevalence of AO assessed by WC and WHtR was 48.8 and 46.9%, respectively. The rate of AO was significantly higher (p < 0.05) among boys compared to girls for both assessment criteria. The proportion of adolescents with AO (WHtR ≥ 0.5) according to BMI was 17.3%, 80.8% and 97.1% for adolescents with normal, overweight and obesity had AO, respectively. Being male was significantly associated with higher odds of having both general obesity and AO.

Originality/value

The study revealed a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity in adolescents in Qatar. Waist measures appear to be an important indicator in identifying adolescents at risk and should be included as screening tools for cardiometabolic risk.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 49 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 June 2018

Bouchra Abdelilah, Akram El Korchi and Mohammed Amine Balambo

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the confusion between flexibility and agility. The paper traces the evolution of agility and the evolution of flexibility over time…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the confusion between flexibility and agility. The paper traces the evolution of agility and the evolution of flexibility over time, analyses their drivers and different elements, draws the boundaries between them and defines their relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review of flexibility and agility was developed. Papers written between 1920 and 2017 were reviewed and analyzed using a structured review technique. The identified papers focus on flexibility and agility, relating both to manufacturing and the supply chain.

Findings

Agility is the natural evolution of flexibility. Until the 1990s, the term “flexibility” was used to refer to agility, but, because of market changes, competitiveness and the need for speed, the term “agility” was coined. While flexibility is considered as an operational ability, agility is a strategic ability that enables a firm to establish a strategic long-term vision. In fact, flexibility is an agility capability, among other capabilities such as responsiveness or speed. There are also several types of flexibility that are used as agility sub-capabilities, or as agility enablers, which further confirms the idea that flexibility is a part of agility.

Research limitations/implications

This research is a systematic review of the existing literature on the concepts of flexibility and agility. Although it is theoretical, it could provide a set of hypotheses that would enable an empirical study to be conducted into how firms from different industries perceive flexibility and agility and how they implement each of them.

Originality/value

Flexibility and agility are two distinct characteristics that enable a firm to gain a competitive advantage by responding quickly and effectively to changing customer demand. However, there is confusion between these two concepts in the academic and professional literature, with both terms being used to refer to the same idea. Our literature review aims to draw the boundaries between flexibility and agility by analyzing the evolution of the two concepts and detailing their respective drivers and elements, in order to bring more clarity to the nature of the relationship between flexibility and agility.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2017

Sonia Afrin, Mohammed Ziaul Haider and Md. Sariful Islam

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of financial inclusion on the enhancement of paddy farmers’ technical efficiency (TE). The impact was evaluated rigorously…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of financial inclusion on the enhancement of paddy farmers’ technical efficiency (TE). The impact was evaluated rigorously from different dimensions which could be useful in the policy discussion for enhancing efficiency in utilizing productive resources.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional data of randomly selected 120 paddy farmers from Khulna district in the Southwest region of Bangladesh were collected for this study. Initially, a stochastic production frontier approach was used for estimating farmers’ TE. Thereafter, ordinary least squares and quantile regression models were applied for unveiling the existing relationship between TE and various dimensions of financial inclusion after controlling all other socio-economic characteristics.

Findings

The study findings revealed that farmers were around 86 percent technically efficient and amongst them, credit takers were more efficient than non-credit takers. A non-monotonic relationship between TE and amount of credit was observed where TE was maximized at amount around 20,000 Bangladeshi Taka (USD255), a medium credit in terms of its amount. In addition, credit literacy was identified as a significant factor for improving TE. Though difference in the choice of sources for accessing credit had little impact on mean TE, its effect was found significantly higher for low scored technically efficient farmers compared to high scored farmers.

Practical implications

The policy toward widening the coverage of financial inclusion would be more effective than providing larger amount of credit to a limited number of farmers for improving their TE.

Originality/value

Such an in-depth assessment of the impact of financial inclusion on TE is probably the first effort in the Khulna district of Bangladesh.

Details

Agricultural Finance Review, vol. 77 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-1466

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 December 2023

Marwa Ben Ali and Ghada Boukettaya

For decades, the fast population growth worldwide was interrelated with the adopted rapid lifestyle behavior that relies on the extensive use of fossil fuels. This primary energy…

Abstract

For decades, the fast population growth worldwide was interrelated with the adopted rapid lifestyle behavior that relies on the extensive use of fossil fuels. This primary energy source has caused various urban and environmental impacts, such as global warming, air pollution, and so forth. Consequently, the identified circumstance issues have caused many health, social, and economic hindering effects for global citizens. It poses an existential threat to humanity and the global earth's ecosystem. The alarming levels of urban pollution emissions are putting enormous challenges to the related stakeholders (governments, businesses, investors, automakers, and citizens) to admit the need to decarbonize the global economy and reach sustainable development goals (SDGs) for cleaner and smarter cities across borders. As such, a vital part of a smart city is the transport sector. The road transport sector, precisely, is one of the primary consumers of fossil fuels that contribute to high carbon dioxide emissions. Accordingly, it is essential to adopt novel and sustainable urban transport solutions and promote the achievement of the SDG's eleventh goal for sustainable cities and communities. This chapter provides insight into the present global energy situation with particular attention to the road transport sector. Indeed, it highlights different emerging technologies for a sustainable and smart urban mobility future that will mitigate the environmental situation thanks to the development of drive and internet telecommunication technologies. Furthermore, we aim in this chapter to study the international progress of the transition project using the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal (PESTEL) analysis methodology. This study is to pinpoint opportunities for project development and the challenges that set back its evolution.

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2020

Ammara Zamir, Hikmat Ullah Khan, Waqar Mehmood, Tassawar Iqbal and Abubakker Usman Akram

This research study proposes a feature-centric spam email detection model (FSEDM) based on content, sentiment, semantic, user and spam-lexicon features set. The purpose of this…

Abstract

Purpose

This research study proposes a feature-centric spam email detection model (FSEDM) based on content, sentiment, semantic, user and spam-lexicon features set. The purpose of this study is to exploit the role of sentiment features along with other proposed features to evaluate the classification accuracy of machine learning algorithms for spam email detection.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing studies primarily exploits content-based feature engineering approach; however, a limited number of features is considered. In this regard, this research study proposed a feature-centric framework (FSEDM) based on existing and novel features of email data set, which are extracted after pre-processing. Afterwards, diverse supervised learning techniques are applied on the proposed features in conjunction with feature selection techniques such as information gain, gain ratio and Relief-F to rank most prominent features and classify the emails into spam or ham (not spam).

Findings

Analysis and experimental results indicated that the proposed model with sentiment analysis is competitive approach for spam email detection. Using the proposed model, deep neural network applied with sentiment features outperformed other classifiers in terms of classification accuracy up to 97.2%.

Originality/value

This research is novel in this regard that no previous research focuses on sentiment analysis in conjunction with other email features for detection of spam emails.

Details

The Electronic Library , vol. 38 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2021

Mohammed Laid Ouakouak, Nour AlBuloushi, Noufou Ouedraogo and Nabeel Sawalha

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether openness to receive and openness to share knowledge drive employees to share knowledge with colleagues in the workplace. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether openness to receive and openness to share knowledge drive employees to share knowledge with colleagues in the workplace. The authors also investigate what, if any, influence knowledge sharing has on performance at both individual and work unit levels.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 237 employees from eight banks in Kuwait. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and openness to share knowledge influence the provider’s knowledge-sharing behavior. The latter positively affects the provider’s job performance and the work unit’s innovation performance. Furthermore, knowledge utilization strengthens knowledge sharing’s positive effect on work unit innovation.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study are industry and country specific and, therefore, would likely not be applicable to other settings. Thus, similar future research targeting different industries and/or countries is warranted. As a cross-sectional study, this research can also benefit from subsequent longitudinal studies.

Practical implications

Organizations should create a culture conducive to sharing knowledge. For example, managers should assure employees that knowledge shared with coworkers will be well received and utilized, remove barriers to new knowledge utilization and create awareness among employees that sharing knowledge benefits knowledge providers as well as knowledge providers.

Originality/value

The authors provide evidence of how the knowledge receiver’s openness to receive and to share knowledge affect the provider’s knowledge sharing. The authors also provide insights into how knowledge sharing drives job performance and innovation.

Article
Publication date: 2 February 2023

Hamid Mahmood Gelaidan, Abdullah Kaid Al-Swidi and Mohammed A. Al-Hakimi

The importance of innovation has attracted growing attention due to the complex and rapidly changing business environment. This study aimed, first, to examine the joint effect of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The importance of innovation has attracted growing attention due to the complex and rapidly changing business environment. This study aimed, first, to examine the joint effect of servant and authentic leadership (AUL) styles on employee creativity (EC), second, to examine the direct and mediated effect of servant leadership (SL) on employees' innovative work behaviour (IWB), third, to examine the effect of EC on IWB and finally, to investigate the moderating effect of creative self-efficacy (CSE) on the relationship between AUL and EC.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was used, and the data were collected from 446 employees in the Qatari public sector. The data were then analysed by employing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS software to validate the measures before testing the proposed model.

Findings

The results of this study emphasized the strong hypothesized link between EC and IWB. It also endorsed the mediating role of EC between SL and IWB and the moderating role of CSE in the AUL-EC relationship.

Originality/value

The originality of this study comes from various aspects. First, it is unique in separately examining EC and innovation and the link between them. Second, it investigates the joint impact of servant and AUL styles on EC. Third, it explores the mediating role of EC between SL and IWB. Fourth, the moderating effect of CSE on the AUL-EC link also was examined to gain a full understanding of the relation effect. Finally, the value of the current study also comes from the integration of the triangular theory of creativity, SL and AUL theories and self-efficacy theory to explain the proposed model of the study. Moreover, this study serves as a guideline for decision-makers on how to enhance IWB among employees by focusing on leadership programmes and the creative and innovative culture.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 December 2023

Mueen Ghazi Elmobayed, Hamood Mohammed Al-Hattami, Mohammed A. Al-Hakimi, Walaa Salama Mraish and Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan

This research aims to determine the effect of marketing literacy on the success of entrepreneurial projects (EPS) in Palestine.

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Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to determine the effect of marketing literacy on the success of entrepreneurial projects (EPS) in Palestine.

Design/methodology/approach

To attain the study’s purpose, the researchers employed the questionnaire, which was applied to a random sample of 298 individuals from the owners of entrepreneurial projects in Palestine. The data were analyzed and tested using SmartPls 4 software.

Findings

The study reached a set of results, including that the level of marketing literacy among owners of small businesses in the Gaza Strip was significantly higher for customer service (CS), management style (MS), technology (T) and customer retention (CR). In particular, the results implied that CS, MS, T and CR significantly and positively affect EPS.

Practical implications

This research would help the start-ups in Palestine spread marketing literacy among the workers in entrepreneurial projects.

Originality/value

Today, most countries tend to support entrepreneurs and owners of creative ideas and entrepreneurial projects through various programs. To the best of the authors'' knowledge, this research is distinguished by its modernity and scarcity in the Arab world, particularly in Palestine. Thus, it would help raise awareness of marketing literacy among owners of entrepreneurial projects and provide empirical evidence of success for those who are about to establish an entrepreneurial project.

Details

Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1985-9899

Keywords

1 – 10 of 128