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Sustainable practices in construction industry are still facing numerous challenges despite the continuous efforts and campaigns for sustainable construction worldwide. This study aims to investigate the drivers of sustainable construction in the Kuwaiti construction industry with focus on Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) as an alternative sustainable construction material. It also aims to explore the level of awareness and acceptance of sustainable construction material among different stakeholders. The research was organized in three phases. The first phase identified the main drivers from relevant literature and similar studies in the past. In the second phase, a questionnaire-based survey was designed and implemented based on the findings from the literature. Two different questionnaires were designed for the survey: the first one was dedicated for stakeholders with limited knowledge about technical aspects of construction industry (owners, clients, real estate companies) and the second one was dedicated for practitioners and specialists (construction companies, engineers, project managers). In the third phase, statistical analyses were performed to compare the influence of the drivers on the stakeholders’ choices. Friedman test and Bonferroni-Dunn test were used to statistically demonstrate the level of importance of the investigated drivers. The results showed that the most influencing drivers in the choice of sustainable materials from the practitioners’ perspective are “Energy Efficiency”, “Availability and Accessibility to Resources”, “Environmental Impact”, “Enhancement of Health and Safety” and “Knowledge and Skill of Personnel” with no significant difference, followed by the “Client Demands” and the “Cost Savings” then finally the “Awareness on Sustainability”. It was also concluded that the clients’ perspective ranked the “Cost Saving” and the “Enhancement of Health and Safety” as the most important drivers followed by the “Availability and Accessibility to Resources” and the “Environmental Impact”. The survey also showed that despite the poor level of awareness on environmental sustainability, the results related to the level of acceptance of sustainable construction materials are optimistic. This observation demonstrates the readiness/willingness of clients and practitioners to shift towards sustainable construction materials, but the lack of knowledge and awareness can be the most challenging barrier to more sustainable practices. Hence, it is believed that strategies for promoting sustainability in construction industry should start by spreading knowledge among all involved stakeholders.

Conventional steel bars are mostly used as the main load transfer mechanism between jointed slabs in rigid pavements; however, they are generally prone to corrosion which reduces the load transfer efficiency at the joints. This study evaluates the performance of steel bars wrapped with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets, introducing a corrosion-free alternative to conventional steel bars while maintaining the required strength. This paper explains the test setup of large-scale shear strength and load transfer efficiency tests that are currently conducted on the slab samples to evaluate the structural performance of the proposed dowel bars and concrete mix designs.

In forensics, predicting the sex is a crucial step in identification. Many studies have aimed to find an accurate and fast technique to estimate the sex. This study was conducted to determine the accuracy of volumetric and linear measurements of three-dimensional (3D) images of the mandible obtained from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiographs, using different machine-learning (ML) models for sex identification. The CBCTs of 104 males and 104 females were included in this study. The radiographs were converted to 3D images, and the volume, surface area, and ten linear measurements of the mandible were obtained. The data were evaluated using statistical analysis and five different ML algorithms. All results were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05, and the precision, recall, f1-score, training accuracy, and testing accuracy were used to evaluate the performance of the ML models. All the studied parameters showed statistically significant differences between sexes p < 0.05. The right coronoid-to-gonion linear distance had the highest discriminative power of all the parameters. Meanwhile, Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB) showed the best performance among all the ML models. The results of this study revealed promising outcomes; the sex can be easily determined, with high accuracy (90%).

The extreme arid climatic conditions and poor asphalt mix design characteristics have further accelerated the rate of deterioration of in-service asphalt pavements in Kuwait. Pavement distresses, such as raveling, rutting, and fatigue cracks, worsen in severe climatic and loading conditions, such as high temperatures, elevated humidity levels, and high traffic loads on the pavement surfaces. In this study, a life performance evaluation using mechanistic–empirical analysis of a new modified Superpave mix design was undertaken. The performance life of the modified Superpave asphalt mixture was evaluated, and the results showed that the new modifications to the mix improved the rutting and fatigue cracking resistances of the asphalt mixture for the unconditioned state. However, fatigue cracking resistance under the moisture-conditioned state still needs further improvement for the newly modified Superpave asphalt mixture.

The significance of Pantoea agglomerans bacteria in diseases linked to healthcare is underappreciated due to a shortage of information on their spread. This is the first study in Saudi Arabia to examine the possible contribution of medical students' cell phones (CPs) to the transmission of P. agglomerans to hospitalized patients and to evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. In total, 250 CPs were swabbed. P. agglomerans was isolated and identified using standard techniques. The suspected colonies were confirmed by the Vitek 2 compact system. The isolates' antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were assessed using Epsilon assays, and the results were interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The frequency of P. agglomerans contamination of CPs was found to be relatively high (20.40%; 51 isolates/250 samples). Many isolates showed varying degrees of reduced sensitivity to ampicillin, aztreonam, cefazolin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, and ertapenem antibiotics. To implement optimal infection prevention and control policies regarding the possibility of antibiotic-resistant P. agglomerans transmission through medical students' contact points with hospitalized patients during their frequent activities in healthcare settings, health policymakers may find value in utilizing this study's results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyse the rate of contralateral nodal metastasis in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma and identify the patient cohorts that would benefit from bilateral neck treatment. Methods: A retrospective cohort review was performed on 110 HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma patients who underwent transoral robotic surgery and bilateral neck dissections from 2012 to 2022. The primary outcome was to investigate the pathological incidence and location of contralateral neck node metastasis. Results: The contralateral nodal disease rate was 12.7 per cent (n = 14), of which 2 patients (2 per cent) were occult findings, with comparable results between tongue base and tonsil sub-groups. The most commonly involved contralateral nodal station was level II (11 of 110 patients, 10 per cent). The presence of extra-nodal extension and multiple ipsilateral positive nodes was associated with increased risk of contralateral nodal disease. Conclusion: The incidence of contralateral nodal and occult disease in the studied cohort is low. The characteristics of patients who may benefit from bilateral neck treatment were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread application of conventional chemical fertilizers has led to various environmental issues, including reduced food quality, soil degradation, and harm to beneficial soil organisms. Conversely, the use of Nano-fertilizers holds promise as a potential solution to address these challenges. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of supplementing small quantities of Nano-fertilizers in conjunction with conventional NPK fertilizers to reduce the overall volume of traditional fertilizers when cultivating spinach plants. Moreover, the performance of micro Nano fertilizers (Fe, Zn) with spinach plants was assessed in comparison to the performance of chelated fertilizers. A split-plot experimental design was utilized, consisting of twenty treatments with three replicates, which were the simple possible combination between four NPK additions as main plots and five foliar applications of Fe and Zn as sub main factor. Main factor treatments were T1: 100% recommended dose of NPK as traditional bulk form,T2: 75% recommended dose of NPK as traditional bulk form + 15% recommended dose of NPK as Nano form,T3: 50% recommended dose of NPK as traditional bulk form + 15% recommended dose of NPK as Nano form andT4: 25% recommended dose of NPK as Nano form. While, the sub main factor treatments were F1: Control (without foliar),F2: Fe- Nano (10mg L-1, Fe2O3 Nanoparticles), F3: Zn- Nano (10mg L-1, ZnO Nanoparticles), F4: Fe- EDTA (100mg L-1 using Fe -EDTA 6% Fe) and F5: Zn- EDTA (100mg L-1 using Zn -EDTA 6%Zn). The T2 treatment emerged as the most effective in achieving the highest values for all the all the measured parameters such as plant height (cm), fresh and dry weights (g plant-1), leaf area (cm2 plant-1) and yield (ton ha-1) of spinach plants at the harvest stage. It was followed closely by the T3 treatment . In contrast, the T1 treatment ranked third after both T3 and T2. Lastly, the T4 treatment was found to have the least impact on these growth parameters and yield. Fe treatments exhibited greater effectiveness when compared to the Zn treatments. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that the Nano form exhibited greater effectiveness when compared to the chelated form in the context of both Fe and Zn treatments. Generally, it can be noticed that the F2 treatment was the superior for obtaining the maximum values for the most of studied traits. Therefore, it is recommended that farmers and agricultural practitioners consider adopting this approach to optimize crop performance while minimizing the environmental impact of conventional chemical fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose: this study aimed to determine the effect of a two-week tapering period on physiological variables by reducing three different percentages of volume (30%, 50%, 70%) while maintaining high training intensity on young futsal players. Method: An experimental design was used. The research sample was chosen from players of the talent school in Nineveh Governorate for the year 2023-2024, totaling 18 players (6 players per group). A paired student's t-test was used to process the interaction effect between pre- and post-training, and an ANCOVA test was used to determine the differences between the three groups. Results: Tapering with a 50% reduction rate led to the development of all physiological variables of performance in the Bruce test (p<0.005), aerobic (p<0.025) and anaerobic work (p<0.018), VO2max (p<0.028), and blood Lactate (p<0.031). while tapering with a 30% reduction rate led to the development of aerobic work (p<0.33) and VO2max (p<0.044). Tapering with a 70% reduction rate led to the development of achievement in the Bruce test(p<0.01), anaerobic work (p<0.046), and LA (p<0.030). While there were no significant differences among the three groups in physiological variables of performance in the Bruce test (p<0.151), aerobic (p<0.085) and anaerobic work (p<0.343), VO2max (p<0.181), and LA (p<0.166). Conclusions: the tapering by 50%, showed a more balanced development in aerobic and anaerobic work, VO2max, and LA compared to to the tapering by 30% reduction, which developed only aerobic work and VO2max, and to the tapering 70% reduction, which developed anaerobic work and LA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous tumors found in the pelvic region, are prevalent among women of reproductive age. The incidence of uterine fibroids varies between 5.4% and 77%. These tumors develop within the muscular walls of the uterus in women who have not yet reached menopause. Symptomless or causing abnormal bleeding, pelvic pressure symptoms, infertility, and growth or regress throughout life, leiomyomas are more common in people of African descent, those who have never given birth, those who are overweight, and those with a positive family history of fibroids. Millions of women suffer with leiomyoma, and it is one of the most common reasons for hysterectomy. Aim of the Work: to determine whether or not vitamin D supplementation reduces the size of uterine fibroids in patients who are deficient in the nutrient. Patients and Methods: This RCT was a single-blind randomized study at tertiary care hospital at Beni-Suef university hospital from January 2022 till June 2022 and performed on a total of 100 women in childbearing period diagnosed with uterine fibroid who had vitamin-D deficiency. Results: As regards the fibroid size after Vitamin D supplementation for 6 months, according to the findings of this study, there is no statistically significant distinction in fibroid size amongst Vitamin D group and control group over the first three months whereas, fibroid size was substantially less in the Vitamin D group. At the fourth, fifth month and sixth months. Consequently, the size of the tumor decreased significantly over the six months in the group of Vitamin D supplementation with no significant improvement in the size of the fibroid over the 6 months in the control group. Conclusion: According to the results of the current research, vitamin D supplementation is an effective, low-risk method of preventing leiomyoma growth and stabilizing fibroids, therefore avoiding the onset of more serious and symptomatic disorders. Vitamin D supplementation seems to prevent fibroid growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult for hospitals and clinics to manage their documents related to their patients and routine works without having management software. The purpose of this paper is to design and develop a web-based dental clinic application for educating and managing patients. Recent web technologies such as ASP.NET, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and Web Service have been used for developing the application; it is hosted in the Cloud and it is powered by Microsoft Azure Cloud computing Service. A clinic has been selected to use and evaluate the application. The evaluation results of the application show that the application meets its objectives of educating and managing patients. It can be updated and extended to use in various private and public hospitals and clinics for educating and managing patients.