The research has designed for studying the relationship between manufacturing strategy and its flexibility under the flexible manufacturing system with their reflection on the competitive environmental performance of the firm. To interpret and tackle the problem, a hypothesis has formulated stating that “ the competitive performance of a firm is interpreted by the manufacturing strategy and flexibility which are derived from the firm and its business  strategies under the flexible manufacturing system”. Related literatures with their theoretical dissertations, which enhanced the thoughtful content, have analyzed. An illustrative case study on the flexible manufacturing system at Toyota Motors Corporation working at the g

Background: percutaneous balloon dilation of corotation of aorta is a less invasive and alternative to surgical repair for patients with discrete coaction of aorta and although the used of balloon angioplasty in patients with recurrent postoperative coarctation gained a wide consensus, the use this technique for native coarctation is still controversial in children less one years. 

Objective: to evaluate the immediate and late result of balloon dilation of native coarctation of aorta in infant and children.

Type of the study: A prospective study. 

Subjects & Methods: The study was done on forty-five patients who were referred for cardiac catheterization and balloon

Five new ostracod species belonging to the subfamily Trachyleberidinae have been described. They are Paragrenocythere monilis and Peloriops levisulcata from the Maastrichtian of Iraq; Oertliella petraensis from the early Palaeocene (middle – late Danian) of Jordan; Reticulina syriaensis from the Palaeocene of Syria and Reticulina ninurta from the middle – late Eocene of Iraq.

Background: Genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to Guillain Barre' syndrome. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) as part of immune system has a role in the disease process.Aim of the study: to assess the relationship between HLA-A alleles with Guillain Barre' syndrome (GBS) compared with a healthy control group using PCR-SSOP method.Type of the study: Cross-sectional study.Patients and methods:Patient's group consisted of 30 Iraqi Arab Muslims patients with Guillain Barre' syndrome that consulted the Neurological department in Neurosciences Hospital between January-2013 to January- 2014 were genotyped for HLA-A alleles. A control group consisted of 30 healthy volunteers among the staff of AL-Kindi College of Medicine that

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) offers small loans with easy repayment system and till now these institutions have served millions of needy people around the globe. This study highlights the hurdles influence the smooth working and growth of Microfinance institution in Egypt. The structured interviews were conducted from the top and mid-level managers of MFI's. This study revealed that interest rate, political and economic conditions, corruption, customer outreach, competition and technology are the important elements for MFI's success. It is evident that lack of use of technology and less importance drawn on customer outreach programs are the main challenges of MFI's in Egypt. This study provides a roadmap for practitioners and strategic

The hazardous metabolic effects of treating schizophrenia patients with olanzapine comprise serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2C) antagonists. Metabolic side effects of antipsychotic drugs, including lipid abnormalities, disturbed glucose metabolism, and weight gain, can have a major impact on treating psychiatric patients. The intent of this study was to investigate whether there is an associated link between the genetic polymorphism at -759C>T in the promoter region of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor (HTR2C) gene and the metabolic syndrome driven by olanzapine in schizophrenia patients. A cross-sectional study that involved fifty hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. The patients were split into two groups (metabolic and non-metab

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common disease, and a major determinant of morbidity and mortality in all races. The pleiotropic effects of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) such as modulation of cell survival, mineralization and inflammation, make it an interesting candidate mediator in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions.Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the role of RANKL in the pathogenesis of ACS.Methods: The levels of RANKL were measured by ELISA method in sera of 60 ACS patients, 31 patients with unstable angina (UA) and 29 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in comparison with 20 apparently healthy controls.Results: Current data indicate

     In this paper, the bi-criteria machine scheduling problems (BMSP) are solved, where the discussed problem is represented by the sum of completion and the sum of late work times  simultaneously. In order to solve the suggested BMSP, some metaheurisitc methods are suggested which produce good results. The suggested local search methods are simulated annulling and bees algorithm. The results of the new metaheurisitc methods are compared with the complete enumeration method, which is considered an exact method, then compared results of the heuristics with each other to obtain the most efficient method.