Recently Published Resarch

Abstract

University–business research collaboration is an increasingly important innovation model [1]. This study examines the research collaboration between universities and business sector in Syria, which is based on two different questionnaires, the first one is conceived for faculty members, and the second one is for the business sector. This study concludes that researches which are  conducted by faculty members and  students in Syria do not significantly matching with the problems and the needs of business, also it shows that there is no significant difference between private and public universities in the above said domain, as well as between the social sciences and applied sciences faculties. Moreover, many faculty members are not so encouraged to achieve researches for main reasons; poor income, no program to be invested within the research outcomes. In addition, Syrian business sector does not provide data easily and funding for most researchers. On the other hand, most of Syrian business do not benefit from researches of Syrian universities, but they benefit more from foreign researches. This is due to the lack of trust with the ability of faculty members dealing and recommending adequate solution to businesses problems, they have no clue about the nature of research in the Syrian universities, in addition they consider the cooperation with universities as costly. However, most of the Syrian business sector is ready to participate into joint research programs with Syrian universities if it is financially supported. By considering the result, this research's aim is to suggest a new triple collaboration model that link Chambers, Universities and Business together through three interrelated elements [2]. This will match the gap between universities research and the Syrian business sector needs, then advancing  knowledge base, enhancing the relevance of research programs,  accelerating the application of  innovation within  the economy as well as contributing effectively and efficiently in the reconstruction phase of Syria.

Keywords: University  Business  Collaboration  Model  Syria 

Link to read full paper

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-54419-9_11

Abstract

This study investigates factors that affect students’ performance at the Faculty of Business Administration at a private university in the Syrian Arab republic. The impact of four variables; high school GPA, motivation, source of high school certificate, and gender, on student’s faculty GPA have been examined using large sample of students for the period from 2005 to 2015. Applying Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimates, we find that high school GPA is the main determinants of student’s faculty performance. Moreover, the difference in average faculty GPA between males and females is significant with males underperforming females. Furthermore, motivation seems an important determinant of faculty GPA though it is less reliable than high school GPA. Hence, Awareness sessions should be conducted for high school students to raise their awareness of their future careers. Moreover, admission policies need to be reviewed and developed to include motivation element in the admission process.

Keywords

Academic performance Motivation Source of high school certificate Gender 

Link to read full paper

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-54419-9_7

Abstract

In Syria, health risk data on young males are limited. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors along with C-reactive protein levels measured by high-sensitive method (hsCRP) in a group of healthy males of university students (, 18–25 years old). Participants’ anthropometric characteristics; alcohol drinking, smoking, and physical activity habits; parents medical history; and some inflammatory biomarkers were inspected for their associations with hsCRP. Results. Regarding hsCRP level, 19 participants were at average (1–3 mg/L) and 13 were at high (>3 mg/L) risk of CVD. Nonparametric statistical tests ( value < 0.05) revealed that hsCRP level was higher in participants who had high body mass index (BMI), had high BMI with high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), or did not practice sport frequently. Unexpectedly, it did not vary between smokers and nonsmokers. In general, it correlated positively with anthropometric and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) measurements. Nevertheless, it negatively correlated with sports practicing in overall and nonsmoker groups and in participants whose parents were without medical history. Finally, when participants with high BMI were smokers, did not practice sport frequently, or had a parent with medical history, their hsCRP levels were higher than others who had the same circumstances but with low BMI.

Link to read full paper

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/iji/2017/7326527

Abstract

Discovering of new and effective antibiotics is a major issue facing scientists today. Luckily, the development of computer science offers new methods to overcome this issue. In this study, a set of computer software was used to predict the antibacterial activity of on antibiotic Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs, and to explain their action by possible binding to well-known bacterial protein targets, along with testing their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A three-dimensional virtual screening method that relies on chemical and shape similarity was applied using rapid overlay of chemical structures (ROCS) software to select candi-date compounds from the FDA-approved drugs database that share similarity with 17 known antibiotics. Then, to check their antibacterial activity, disk diffusion test was applied on Sta-phylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Finally, a protein docking method was applied using HYBRID software to predict the binding of the active candidate to the target receptor of its similar antibiotic. Of the 1,991 drugs that were screened, 34 had been selected and among them 10 drugs showed antibacterial activity, whereby drotaverine and metoclopramide activities were without precedent reports. Furthermore, the docking pro-cess predicted that diclofenac, drotaverine, (S)-flurbiprofen, (S)-ibuprofen, and indomethacin could bind to the protein target of their similar antibiotics. Nevertheless, their antibacterial activi-ties are weak compared with those of their similar antibiotics, which can be potentiated further by performing chemical mod-ifications on their structure.

Keywords: antibiotics, virtual screening, docking, antibacterial activity

Link to read full paper

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/adt.2016.771

Abstract

The instantaneous measurement of RF & microwave frequencies is widely used in electronic warfare (EW) for the determination of unknown signals over a broad frequency band. This paper   presents an enhanced frequency measurement accuracy using three stagesof novel RF frequency discriminator (FD) for RF front-end IFM Receivers. The appropriate structure of the designed frequency discriminator is implemented using a conventional PCB fabrication process. The frequency discriminator consists of two different hybrid layouts and one Wilkinson power divider, and all these components are implemented in microstrip echnology, which is particularly important due to lower cost and easy integration into the PCB. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed structure, an RF-FE instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) receiver has been realized based on 3-stage RF frequency discriminator. Simulation and measurement results have shown a frequency measurement accuracy less than 1 MHz (RMS) over the entire S-band.

Link to read full paper

http://www.jpier.org/PIERC/pierc73/04.17013004.pdf