Antonine University

Cet article présente une traduction critique du manuscrit arabe anonyme du xve siècle Précis de musicothérapie modale, identifiable comme un véritable Précis de musicothérapie modale. Cette traduction est précédée d’un rappel du système modal arabo-persan de la fin du moyen âge et d’une récapitulation des trois épistémès antiques et médiévales sur lesquelles repose ce texte : (1) la théorie psycho-esthétique ternaire de l’éthos modal, (2) la théorie humorale modale quaternaire et (3) les modifications de l’état de conscience induites par la musique. La traduction est suivie d’une analyse des processus décrits à l’aune de ces épistémès et d’une modélisation de cette thérapie modale, à la lueur de la sémiotique musicale et de la neuromusicologie. L’article se termine par une double réflexion sur la formulation d’une musicothérapie modale culturellement contextualisée dédiée aux sociétés arabes actuelles et sur la nécessaire prise en compte de la grammaire musicale et de sa sémiose inductrice d’émotions dans l’élaboration de la musicothérapie intégrative à une échelle internationale.

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a chronic knee pain disorder that has high recurrence rates after treatment. While longer pain duration (>4 months) is one of the primary mediators for poor PFP prognosis, there are no clinical studies testing patients' response to early physiotherapy. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of an early physiotherapy programme compared with a delayed-delivery programme for people with PFP at short-term, medium-term and long-term follow-up. Young adults (18-35 years old) with PFP will be recruited in Brazil, the USA and Belgium. 152 eligible participants will be assessed at baseline and allocated to early (treatment initiated between 4 and 12 weeks after pain onset) or delayed (treatment initiated after ≥6 months after pain onset) intervention groups. The programme (education plus exercise therapy) will be similar for both groups and consists of a 12-week online programme with individual supervised and unsupervised sessions performed three times a week. Primary (self-reported pain, function, recovery and treatment response) and secondary (psychosocial features) outcomes will be reassessed immediately and at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment completion. Regression models with generalised estimating equations or χ² tests will determine group*time interactions (intention-to-treat analyses). The timing of physiotherapy may have a significant effect on patient outcomes with PFP. This study can provide relevant clinical messages about early management of PFP.

Background: Handgrip strength and explosive strength are key indicators of athletic performance, yet no normative data exist for trained Lebanese athletes. Establishing reference values for these strength parameters is essential for talent identification, performance evaluation, and training optimization. Objective: This study aimed to establish normative reference values for handgrip strength, explosive strength, and body composition in trained and untrained Lebanese males and females. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 264 participants (162 males, 102 females) aged 18–40, categorized as trained (300 min/week of resistance training) or untrained (300 min/week). Body composition metrics—including skeletal muscle mass (SMM), fat-free mass (FFM), and body fat percentage (PBF)—and upper-limb handgrip performance variables (maximal grip strength [Fmax] and rate of force development [RFDmax]) were assessed using a standardized handgrip protocol. Statistical analyses included Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to compare groups, and a seven-class normative system was used for performance classification. Results: Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were observed between trained and untrained individuals, particularly among females. Trained females exhibited a 17.04% increase in relative RFD (RFDrel) and a 12.98% improvement in maximal force (Fmax) compared to untrained females, along with higher SMM and lower PBF. Trained males demonstrated more modest improvements, with Frel_SUM increasing by 5.53%. Normative reference values were established for handgrip strength and explosive strength, categorizing performance levels from “Very Poor” to “Superior.” Conclusion: This study provides the first normative values for handgrip strength, explosive strength, and body composition in Lebanese athletes. These benchmarks will aid in athlete evaluation, talent identification, and training program development. Further research should explore longitudinal training adaptations and the effects of specific training modalities on strength performance.

This study introduces a refined model of hand grip asymmetry tailored to the Lebanese population, incorporating both maximal strength (Fmax) and explosive strength (RFDmax). Unlike previous models that primarily focused on maximal strength, this dual-parameter approach provides a more comprehensive assessment of hand grip asymmetry, offering insights into functional health and injury risk. Given the absence of prior data on this population, the model establishes baseline asymmetry thresholds to support clinical evaluations and performance assessments. A total of 393 healthy adults (241 males, 152 females) from various Lebanese regions underwent hand grip assessments measuring Fmax and RFDmax for both the dominant (DH) and non-dominant hands (NDH). Asymmetry levels were computed separately for handgrip strength and handgrip explosive strength, and participants were classified into four asymmetry groups: low (0–10%), moderate (10.1–20%), high (20.1–30%), and very high (>30%) based on asymmetry percentage thresholds. Results indicated that males demonstrated approximately 44% greater hand grip strength (Fmax) and 47% higher RFDmax than females across both hands (p < 0.001). A dominant hand advantage was observed, with a 6.9% higher Fmax in males and a 7.9% difference in females (p < 0.001). While overall asymmetry did not differ significantly between genders, females exhibited slightly higher asymmetry in RFDmax. Notably, explosive strength asymmetry was more pronounced than maximal strength asymmetry, suggesting it may serve as a stronger indicator of neuromuscular control and injury risk. This model serves as a key reference for understanding hand grip asymmetry in the Lebanese population, establishing normative benchmarks that may aid in health risk identification and functional assessments. Future research should explore age-related trends and cross-population comparisons to further evaluate the impact of hand grip asymmetry on performance and health outcomes.

The Maillard reaction is a complex chemical reaction that occurs between nucleophilic groups, such as thiolates or amino groups primarily from amino acids, peptides, proteins, and carbonyl groups, particularly from reducing sugars. The pH value of the medium is a key parameter controlling the kinetics of the Maillard reaction, as it influences the concentration of nucleophilic groups. Other specific conditions of reaction medium such as temperature, reaction time (or residence time in a process), and water activity also significantly influence the Maillard reaction. Understanding the impact of these parameters is essential for optimizing the Maillard reaction to enhance sensory attributes, nutritional qualities, and product stability during the storage and distribution of the final products. The Maillard reaction is responsible for the formation of desirable sensory qualities such as flavor, aroma, color, and texture in cooked and thermally processed foods, in addition to the improvement of nutritional value and shelf life of foods. In contrast, there are limitations in its industrial applications, as it can also generate harmful compounds such as acrylamide, N(6)-carboxymethyllysine, furans, and heterocyclic amines, as well as undesired changes in the nutritional value of the food. This review provides an overview of the Maillard reaction's mechanism, influencing parameters, pros and cons, as well as some food industrial applications.

This paper presents the creation and realization of a precision time base (PTB) for mitigating jitter and measuring time interval error (TIE) in digital sampling oscilloscopes (DSO), achieved through the utilization of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Our proposed method focuses on mitigating jitter through PTB, which involves the sampling of two reference channels having a phase shift of approximately 90∘ (at quadrature) for an accurate timebase correction. Through extensive experimentation and analysis, we were able to achieve a reduction in root mean square (RMS) jitter, minimizing it to around 260 fs. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of DSO measurements. Expanding on the application of our previously proposed technique, we demonstrate that the same sampling error correction approach can be utilized for TIE measurement. By sampling a large amount of data at either the rising or falling edge of a sinusoidal signal, TIE can be accurately evaluated. This extension enhances the versatility of our FPGA-based implementation by enabling comprehensive TIE analysis alongside PTB compensation in DSOs.

This study investigated the effects of financial literacy, financial self-control, and demographic determinants on individual financial performance and behavior during the Lebanese crisis period between 2019 and 2021. To the best of our knowledge, this may be the first study that compares the determinants of financial behavior for different generations, genders, marital statuses, and education and income levels. To do so, we conducted a comprehensive survey of 328 individuals and performed a logistic regression analysis. The empirical results show that an individual’s financial performance and behavior are positively affected by financial literacy, financial self-control, and demographic factors, in particular education and income levels. In addition, when we focused on the demographic factors, the results reveal that having good financial literacy increases the likelihood of an individual’s financial performance and behavior, in particular for Generations X and Z, males and females, single and married people, low- and high-educated people, and low- and high-income individuals. However, having good financial self-control only increases the likelihood of an individual’s financial performance and behavior at highly educated levels. The results are robust and come from various performed methodologies, and the results have important policy implications. The policies should be focused on enhancing an individual’s financial behavior and helping young adults acquire skills in self-control. Policies could also motivate local financial institutions to offer a variety of financial products and investment opportunities, targeting low-income and low-educated individuals, by providing subsidized funds with parallel mandatory financial studies.