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Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of the nursing doctoral program features as perceived by students, alumni, and faculty, and to test for significant differences among them. The study was guided by Wulff’s Alignment Model. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected from 96 participants using an online survey, which utilized the program domain from the global, formative assessment measure - the Quality of Nursing Doctoral Education questionnaire. Results: Overall, the faculty and alumni rated the program features more positively than the students. Significant differences were found in areas such as the program mission, research relevant issues, supportive learning environment, components of core courses, and post-doctoral issues. Conclusions: Utilizing the formative assessment measure to evaluate the quality of nursing doctoral program features from the perspectives of students, alumni, and faculty highlighted areas of disagreement. The revealed information provides opportunities for improving the program's quality. Involving other stakeholders, such as program managers and decision-makers, would offer a more holistic view of the program's quality evaluation.

Gut immune system homeostasis is crucial to overall host health. Immune disturbance at the gut level may lead to systemic and distant sites’ immune dysfunction. Probiotics and prebiotics consumption have been shown to improve gut microbiota composition and function and enhance gut immunity. In the current study, the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of viable and heat-inactivated forms of the novel probiotic bacterium Rouxiella badensis subsp. acadiensis (Canan SV-53), as well as the prebiotic protocatechuic acid (PCA) derived from the fermentation of blueberry juice by SV-53, were examined. To this end, female Balb/c mice received probiotic (viable or heat-inactivated), prebiotic, or a mixture of viable probiotic and prebiotic in drinking water for three weeks. To better decipher the immunomodulatory effects of biotics intake, gut microbiota, gut mucosal immunity, T helper-17 (Th17) cell-related cytokines, and epigenetic modulation of Th17 cells were studied. In mice receiving viable SV-53 and PCA, a significant increase was noted in serum IgA levels and the number of IgA-producing B cells in the ileum. A significant reduction was observed in the concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-6, and IL-23, and expression of two proinflammatory miRNAs, miR-223 and miR425, in treated groups. In addition, heat-inactivated SV-53 exerted immunomodulatory properties by elevating the IgA concentration in the serum and reducing IL-6 and IL-23 levels in the ileum. DNA methylation analysis revealed the role of heat-inactivated SV-53 in the epigenetic regulation of genes related to Th17 and IL-17 production and function, including Il6, Il17rc, Il9, Il11, Akt1, Ikbkg, Sgk1, Cblb, and Smad4. Taken together, these findings may reflect the potential role of the novel probiotic bacterium SV-53 and prebiotic PCA in improving gut immunity and homeostasis. Further studies are required to ascertain the beneficial effects of this novel bacterium in the inflammatory state.

الملخص: أهداف البحث: تزايد انتشار حصى الكلى في جميع أنحاء العالم في العقد الماضي، ويُعتقد أن عوامل الخطر المتعددة تُعزى إلى التغيير في نمط الحياة، والنظام الغذائي، وحتى الاحتباس الحراري. في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، لم يتم عمل الكثير من البحوث لاستكشاف انتشار حصى الكلى والمعرفة عنها. تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى قياس مدى معرفة المجتمع بحصى الكلى بين البالغين في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. طرق البحث: في هذه الدراسة المقطعية، تم جمع البيانات باستخدام استبانة ذاتية الإدارة تم توزيعها علىخمسة مائة و خمسة عشر مشارك (٢٠-٤٩ عاما) من أبو ظبي ودبي وعجمان والشارقة. النتائج: من بين ٥٠٠ مشارك، بلغ متوسط مجموع درجات المعرفة ٥٦.٤٪. لم يكن هناك ارتباط بين المعرفة بين أولئك الذين عانوا من حصى الكلى والذين لم يصابوا بها. كان وجود تاريخ عائلي بتشخيص حصى الكلى يزيد من خطر الإصابة بحصى الكلى بمعدل ٢.٢٧. وأظهرت النتائج أن المشاركين الذين كان لديهم علامات وأعراض وتشخيص وعلاج حصى الكلى، كان لديهم مستوى جيد من المعرفة بعد تحليل مصدر المعرفة، ولكن كان هناك مستوى ضئيل من المعرفة بخصوص العوامل الغذائية المتعلقة بحصى الكلى. كان للإنترنت ووسائل الإعلام دور أكبر بضعفين من الأطباء في تثقيف السكّان. الاستنتاجات: استطاعت هذه الدراسة أن توضح أن سكّان الإمارات على دراية ببعض الجوانب المتعلقة بحصوات الكلى ولكن على غير دراية بشأن عوامل الخطر التبعية. وهذا يسلط الضوء على أهمية تعزيز التعليم من خلال الحملات الصحية. Abstract: Objectives: The prevalence of kidney stones is increasing worldwide. Multiple risk factors are believed to contribute to the development of kidney stones such as lifestyle, diet, and global warming. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there has been limited research exploring the prevalence and risk factors of kidney stones. This study attempts to assess the understanding and prevalence of kidney stones among adults in the UAE. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, distributed among 515 participants (20–49 years old) from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, and Sharjah states. IBM SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. Results: The mean of knowledge score was 56.4% (n = 500). There was no correlation between the knowledge of those who had experienced kidney stones and those who did not. Furthermore, a family history of kidney stones increased the risk of developing stones by 2.27 times. Among participants reporting signs, symptoms, diagnosis, and the management of kidney stones, the knowledge and understanding about kidney stones was high. However, the perceptions of the same cohort about dietary precautions were limited. While analysing the sources of knowledge, the Internet and mass media were twice as important as physicians in educating the population. Conclusion: This study shows that the study cohort from the UAE population was aware of certain aspects of kidney stones but was quite naïve about its consequential risk factors. This highlights the importance of promoting education about kidney stones through health campaigns.

Aisha Alhofaian, Afnan Tunsi, Marym M Alaamri, Lisa A Babkair, Ghadah Ali Almalki, Safia Mohammed Alsadi, Samaher Saeed Alharthi, Ghadah Ahmed Almarhabi Faculty of Nursing, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Aisha AlhofaianFaculty of Nursing, King Abdul Aziz University, P.O. Box. 80209, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi ArabiaTel +966 505848634Email aalhofaian@kau.edu.saPurpose: The aim of this study was to assess the perception of health care providers about the COVID-19 and its vaccine in Saudi Arabia.Patients and Methods: In this study, we used a quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive design. We recruited healthcare providers (HCPs) from social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and emails that was distributed from March 15, 2021, to April 14, 2021. Chi-square tests were used to compare categorized data between health care workers.Results: A total of 390 health care providers from different regions of the country began the online survey. A total of 298 respondents (77.8%) accepted the COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 85 (22.2%) HCP disapproved. There was a significant difference in the degree of acceptance of COVID-19 immunization among health care providers (P< 0.001). Moreover, the results showed 200 females (52.63%) were more likely to accept the COVID-19 immunization; 97 (25.5%) males were planning on getting one as soon as possible.Conclusion: As shown in the results, 77.8% of health care providers agreed to receive the vaccine. Since COVID-19 is still ongoing, we must increase the number of HCPs who get vaccinated. In addition, a comprehensive immunization campaign is necessary to achieve maximum acceptance by the general public.Keywords: healthcare providers, vaccination, Saudi Arabia, perceptions, acceptance, COVID-19

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is the cause of COVID-19. Almost 50% of infected people with the virus are asymptomatic. After the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is a significant reduction in symptomatic infection among vaccinated individuals. The possibility of viral transmission through blood products is unconfirmed yet. Case report: We report a successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in a patient with sickle cell anemia from an asymptomatic COVID-19-positive donor who underwent stem cell collection under general anesthesia. No complications were encountered during and after the procedure. The marrow was infused safely with good immune reconstitution in the recipient. Conclusion: The report suggests that an asymptomatic COVID-19 positive person might be an acceptable HSCT donor possibly due to existing milder variants of COVID-19.

Background: the incidence of depression in vitiligo patients ranges from 10% to over 60%, depending on the outcome measures, sample size and study population. The purpose is to estimate the prevalence of depression among vitiligo patients by conducting a systematic review and metanalysis of published studies. Methods: we conducted a literature search on Medline via PubMed, Scopus, web of science and Cochrane library. Results: 35 studies finally met our inclusion criteria. Our findings showed that the overall prevalence of depression among patients with vitiligo was 35 % (26%-45). Moreover, we observed a variation in the prevalence based on the used tool. For example, the GHQ revealed 30% (20%-39%) and the HDRS revealed 50% (44% - 57%). Our analysis demonstrated no significant differences between vitiligo and healthy cases in terms of HDRS and DBI. Moreover, there was no significant differences between vitiligo and psoriasis in terms of GHQ and BDI scores. Conclusion: in conclusion the current evidence suggests that patients with vitiligo have a high risk and prevalence of depression, different questionnaires have yielded variable prevalence due to the different domains and validation method.

The application of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) plays an important role in protecting power systems and ensuring their safe, reliable, and efficient operation. However, coordinating DOCRs involves solving a highly constrained and nonlinear optimization problem. The primary objective of optimization is to minimize the total operating time of DOCRs by determining the optimal values for decision variables such as the time multiplier setting (TMS) and plug setting (PS). This article presents an efficient hybrid optimization algorithm that combines the modified firefly algorithm and genetic algorithm to achieve improved solutions. First, this study modifies the firefly algorithm to obtain a global solution by updating the firefly’s brightness and to prevent the distance between the individual fireflies from being too far. Additionally, the randomized movements are controlled to produce a high convergence rate. Second, the optimization problem is solved using the genetic algorithm. Finally, the solution obtained from the modified firefly algorithm is used as the initial population for the genetic algorithm. The proposed algorithms have been tested on the IEEE 3-bus, 8-bus, 9-bus and 15-bus networks. The results indicate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithms in minimizing the total operating time of DOCRs compared with other optimization methods presented in the literature.

Background: Immune stressors, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), profoundly affect microbiota balance, leading to gut dysbiosis. This imbalance disrupts the metabolic phenotype and structural integrity of the gut, increasing intestinal permeability. During puberty, a critical surge in estrogen levels is crucial for mammary gland development. However, inflammation originating from the gut in this period may interfere with this development, potentially heightening breast cancer risk later. The long‐term effects of pubertal inflammation on mammary development and breast cancer risk are underexplored. Such episodes can dysregulate cytokine levels and microRNA expression, altering mammary cell gene expression, and predisposing them to tumorigenesis. Methods: This study hypothesizes that prebiotics, specifically Lentinula edodes Cultured Extract (AHCC), can counteract LPS's adverse effects. Using BALB/c mice, an acute LPS dose was administered at puberty, and breast cancer predisposition was assessed at 13 weeks. Cytokine and tumor‐related microRNA levels, tumor development, and cancer stem cells were explored through immunoassays and qRT‐PCR. Results: Results show that LPS induces lasting effects on cytokine and microRNA expression in mammary glands and tumors. AHCC modulates cytokine expression, including IL‐1β, IL‐17A/F, and IL‐23, and mitigates LPS‐induced IL‐6 in mammary glands. It also regulates microRNA expression linked to tumor progression and suppression, particularly counteracting the upregulation of oncogenic miR‐21, miR‐92, and miR‐155. Although AHCC slightly alters some tumor‐suppressive microRNAs, these changes are modest, highlighting a complex regulatory role that warrants further study. Conclusion: These findings underscore the potential of dietary interventions like AHCC to mitigate pubertal LPS‐induced inflammation on mammary gland development and tumor formation, suggesting a preventive strategy against breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the higher order electrostatic and solitonic EA energy plasma in auroral plasma has been investigated. The perturbed KdV form has been solved. The modulated soliton speed, energy of the cold beam electrons, and the associated higher fifth order electrostatic field have been mathematically derived. The effect of perturbed beam density as well as beam temperature parameters on the dressed electrostatic and energy properties has been discussed. The auroral plasma results in this work may be important in space applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of widely expanding personalized medicine applications and their impact on clinical outcomes, it is naturally befitting to explore all the dimensional aspects of personalized radionuclide therapy (RNT). Adoption of absorbed radiation dose into clinical practice in the field of RNT has been hampered by difficulties such as evidence of dose-effect correlation, technical requirements in quantitative imaging of the radiopharmaceutical, heterogeneity of methods between not only centers, but also across software, hardware and radionuclides used. Additionally, standardized agreed upon definition of outcome measures is being debated whether it be solely related to toxicity, quality of life, survival or other measures. Many clinical RNT activity administrations are still based on empirical/fixed activities, or scaled based on parameters such as body surface area. Although still challenging, a tremendous amount of progress has been made to facilitate routine clinical dosimetry with discussions regarding standardization, harmonization and automated processing techniques. This has also been aided by the development and FDA approval of several companion diagnostics allowing within the theranostic paradigm not only a crude qualitative predictive biomarker but also an objective dosimetry based predictive therapeutic biomarker. This work aims to review the literature of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA RNT, focusing on clinical trials and studies, with the goal to summarize the range of dosimetry techniques and the range of doses calculated to organs and tissues of interest from these techniques. A dosimetry method for [177Lu]Lu-PSMA RNT should be reliable, reproducible and encompassing the knowledge gained from all clinical trials evaluating it. Its translation into clinical routine practice can be achieved with the confirmation that dose calculation represents good clinical efficacy and low treatment-related toxicity. Finally, some future perspectives on the future of [177Lu]Lu-PSMA RNT are made, especially in the rapidly emerging field of artificial intelligence (AI), where deep learning may be able to play a large role in the simplification of dosimetry calculations to aid in their clinical adoption.

Introduction: Identification of electron-dense immune deposits in electron microscopy (EM) images is integral to the diagnosis of medical renal disease. Deep learning has the potential to augment this process, especially in areas with limited resources. Objectives: Our study explores the feasibility of applying deep learning to detect electron dense immune deposits in electron microscopy images from medical renal biopsies. Patients and Methods: EM images (N=900) from native and transplant kidney biopsies were processed into 4530 tiles (512 x 512 pixels). These tiles were reviewed and classified into one of three categories: deposits absent, deposits present, and indeterminate. This classification resulted in 1255 images with consensus agreement for deposits present and deposits absent. These 1255 images were then used to train a machine learning model, using 1006 images for training, and 249 images for testing. Results: The overall accuracy on the test data was a competitive 78%, and the F1 scores for deposits absent and present was 0.76 and 0.79, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility of creating and applying a machine learning model that performs competitively in identifying electron dense deposits in EM images.

In solar PV fields, solar photovoltaic panels are typically arranged in parallel rows one after the other. This arrangement introduces variations in the distribution of solar irradiance over the entire field, compared to measurements recorded at meteorological weather stations and data obtained from climatic database platforms. This is due to the difference in the view factors between the rows of the solar PV field and a single surface, as well as the presence of shade on rear sides and in the space separating the rows. These phenomena combined will reduce the intensity of solar irradiance incident on the PV solar field; consequently will reduce the energy yields. Accurate estimation of solar radiation on solar fields requires knowledge of the sky, ground, and rear side of the preceding row view factors, and an estimation of the time and space occupied by the row’s shadow. Prior literature has addressed this issue using two-dimensional (2-D) techniques such as the crossed-strings method (CSM). This study developed a novel three-dimensional (3-D) analysis in addition to numerical analysis to determine the view factors associated with solar fields. The study uses both isotropic and anisotropic transposition analyses to determine solar irradiance incident on the solar field with varying tilt angles of solar panels and distance separating the rows (distance aspect ratio) for several latitudes. The present research also tested the validity of the CSM for wide ranges of distance separating rows and length aspect ratios, the obtained results show that the CSM shows good agreements in both sky and ground view factor in the range of length aspect ratio greater than one. But the CSM fails in rear-side view factor in the design ranges of PV solar fields, where the error rate was found about 11%, this result is important in the case of bifacial PV solar systems. Also, the present work compared the solar irradiance calculated for a single surface with that incident on a PV solar field for wide range of sky conditions and latitudes. The obtained results ensure the accuracy of using the solar irradiance incident on a single surface data for low latitudes and for most sky conditions for PV rooftop solar systems as well as PV solar fields. While it has remarked a large error in the case of cloudy skies, where the error rate exceeded 17% in the case of aspect ratio equals to 1.5 and about 15.5% in the aspect ratio of 2.0.

With increasing attention to global warming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and providing a better environment for coming generations, there is a critical need to quantify and decrease the environmental impact. Underground construction projects are one of the biggest constructions in North America; consequently, it is one of the GHG emissions' primary sources. This research focused on optimizing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for a 91 cm (36 in) diameter sewer pressure pipe with 3 m (10 ft) depth and 30 m (100 ft) length, operating at 690 kPa (100 psi) during the commonly used pipeline materials' life cycle: Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP), Pre-stressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP), High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe, and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe. The life operations for this study were considered 100-years. The four phases of a pipeline life cycle included in this study are fabrication, installation, operation, and disposal phases. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology to evaluate the environmental impacts of products or service systems throughout the complete life cycle from the cradle to the grave. The study results show that the CO2 emissions have been reduced by 16% on the PCCP pipe, 4% on PVC pipe, 1% on HDEP pipe, and by 3.2% and 2.0% on CIPP lining (50 years and 100 years life expectancy, respectively). It is recommended that field studies be conducted in future research to obtain the necessary data to overcome the dependence on assumptions made in this study. Also, I recommended including the direct and social costs, which will make the decision easier for engineers and decision-makers to choose the right choice.

Background/purpose: Increasing the bond strength between the orthodontic brackets and all-ceramic materials is one of the challenges facing orthodontists. The purpose of this study is to assess the shear bond strength (SBS) of metal brackets to two types of all ceramic materials using various surface mechanical and chemical conditioning methods. Materials and methods: Sixty ceramic blocks were prepared using two types of all ceramic materials (IPS e.max and VITA Suprinity® PC) and treated with 3 surface treatments; surface etching with 9.6% hydrofluoric acid (HFA) for 2 mins; surface roughening with Sof-Lex finishing discs; and surface roughening with Sof-Lex finishing discs and etching with HFA. Metal brackets were attached to the surface of the ceramic blocks using light cure orthodontic adhesive. Samples were subjected to 2000 thermo-cycles (5–50 °C) and the SBS was assessed using Instron machine. The adhesive remnant index (ARI) was evaluated under light microscope. Descriptive and group comparison were calculated using Two-way ANOVA, Post-hoc Tukey's and Chi-square tests and significance level set at (P

Introduction: Osteoporosis according to postmenopausal women is a major health problem increasing yearly. Thus, there is a growing need to assess the success of dental implants among these patients. Aim: Evaluation of dental implants success between 6 and 12 months follow-up on postmenopausal women with osteoporosis by means of clinical and radiographic assessment. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 female patients aged between 46 and 65 years were diagnosed with osteoporosis and treated with Vitamin D3 and Calcium (Vit D3 and Ca). The sample was divided into two groups: Group 1- 15 female patients diagnosed with osteoporosis (bone density of D2) and treated with (Vit D3 and Ca) and group 2- 15 female patients diagnosed with osteoporosis (bone density of D3) and treated with (Vit D3 and Ca). A total of 60 dental implants were placed in the mandibular posterior area. Implant loading was done after 6 months. Follow up intervals were 6 to 12 months after loading. Results: According to the study, compromised survival was in two implants in the osteoporosis group with a bone type of D2 with a rate of 3.3%, and compromised survival in the osteoporosis group with bone type of D3 was 11 implants with a rate of 18.3%. The success was in 52 implants, with a rate of 86.7%. Conclusion: Placing dental implants in postmenopausal female patients with osteoporosis and treating with (Vit D3 and Ca) is a safe treatment option for missing teeth, despite the bone density type. More researches about implant with osteoporosis patients are recommended.

Background: Evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) is considered a major and very important global paradigm shift. Unfortunately, most healthcare providers and researchers embrace the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) without integrating this concept in clinical settings. The current situation of EBP and new practice guidelines utilization in Jordan are scarce. This policy brief aimed to discusses the process of utilizing nursing EBP in clinical settings in Jordan. Methods: The authors adopted an action plan utilizing a systematic approach to develop and implement specific strategies and policies to integrate EBP in clinical settings in Jordanian hospitals. We present an experience of one country in terms of introducing a policy brief to establish an EBP policy accompanied by developing an EBP unit in the hospital's country. Results: A comprehensive description of this policy is provided with reference to the eminent steps of policy analysis and evaluation. In fact, EBP policies and clinical practice guidelines should keep a live document and revise regularly or as needed. Overall, the authors suggest the development of a unit for EBP to deal with issues related to clinical practice guidelines. Conclusions: Expected outcomes for the introduction of the EBP unit and its policy include increase research utilization and accelerated adoption of new evidence, increase the quality of care provided, increase patient, staff, and managers satisfaction, and decrease staff workload by reducing complications associated with medical errors and outdated interventions.

This study aims to know the relationship between the birth order and lifestyles among a sample of adolescent students. The sample of the study consisted of (200) students selected from the governmental schools in the Directorate of Education of Qabatiya, in the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021. The results of the study have revealed that the most common lifestyles among the sample of the study are represented by: (the belonging) style, (the submissive) style, (the avenger) style, (the pampered) style, respectively. The study has also found that there are statistically significant differences in the lifestyles of: (the victim, the domineering, the avenger, and the harmful) which are ascribed to the gender variable. Moreover, there are statistically significant differences in (the pampered) style in favour of the female students. The study has also indicated that there is no statistically significant relationship between the birth order and the lifestyles among the sample of the study. The researcher has recommended conducting more studies which deal with birth order and the lifestyles with other variables and other categories.

Many utility owners in the United States are actively searching for new and innovative rehabilitation techniques to help them regain control and repair large tracts of their networks; moreover, traditional open cut replacement is too costly and slow to keep up with demand. Many trenchless techniques such as Spray-In-Place Pipe (SIPP) lining have been adopted by municipalities to renew their aging pipeline systems. The further development of SIPP linings could benefit the water community in the United States and around the world. SIPP lining could play a key role in controlling the future expected burden caused by the aging distribution networks. This study aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of a newly proposed reinforced spray in place pipe (SIPP) lining material that boasts structural characteristics. This material is a spray applied two component polyurethane high build coating. Three forms of sample were investigated during these tests: (1) No Fiber-Baseline (2) Rigid-with one layer of carbon fiber (3) Rigid—with two layers of carbon fiber. Three types of tests are performed: tensile, flexural, and hardness tests. This study included both experimental and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Target mechanical properties of proposed material can be improved by using carbon fiber (CF) as reinforcement and based on the results of this study, the SIPP lining material with two layers of CF reinforcement has the highest value of 8,067 psi and 16,534 psi during the tensile and flexural test, respectively.