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The paper explores and establishes a unique Bayesian framework for estimating three shape parameters of the McDonald generalized beta-binomial distribution. The mixture distribution is used in modelling overdispersed binomial data. Foundations of the framework have been enriched by knowledge of Bayesian statistics and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. A Metropolis within Gibbs Monte Carlo method to sample from the unknown posterior form of the distribution was used. The shape parameters (α, β and γ) were assigned flat gamma priors to ensure equal probabilities for all the values. McDonald generalized beta-binomial variables were simulated with fixed shape parameters set at (α,β,γ)=(0.5,0.5,0.5) respectively and samples generated were used to estimate the parameters, to evaluate if the method recovers estimates close to the true parameter values. Standard errors were also computed for the simulated data and real data. Further, credible regions and highest probability density intervals (HPD) were computed and their corresponding lengths. To evaluate the marginal posterior samples for every shape parameter generated trace plots presented, their respective correlation plots were also presented and the histograms to show the distributions assumed by every parameter. Bayesian framework provides a direct and flexible method of computation for a mixture distribution whose complexity may pose challenges of integration when using the classical methods of estimation.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great slump in the world. There has been an alarming increase in mortality rate, number of infections, and deterioration of macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, which have worsened the happiness and well-being of the population, despite the multi-faceted restraint and supports measures implemented by several governments to curb the spread of the virus. Using sample of 31 European countries as a dataset, this paper analyzes the effect of the worsening COVID-19 budget deficit on people's happiness in the year 2020. The main idea is to determine, independently of a country's characteristics, the duration of the pandemic or the containment regulations; whether the effect of the pandemic on happiness is increased by the worsening of the budget deficit. The Generalized Least Squares (GLS) estimation shows that death tolls and infected cases of COVID-19 are key determinants that significantly worsen individuals' happiness. In addition, its interaction with fiscal deficit further decreases people's life satisfaction, since the budgetary situation of these countries was already unsustainable long before the pandemic. Hence, there is urgency for States to provide for a community solidarity fund for the resources necessary for crisis management in their budget line.

The routes of uptake and efflux should be considered when developing new drugs so that they can effectively address their intracellular targets. As a general rule, drugs appear to enter cells via protein carriers that normally carry nutrients or metabolites. A previously developed pipeline that searched for drug transporters using Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants carrying single-gene deletions identified import routes for most compounds tested. However, due to the redundancy of transporter functions, we propose that this methodology can be improved by utilizing double mutant strains in both low- and high-throughput screens. We constructed a library of over 14,000 strains harboring double deletions of genes encoding 122 nonessential plasma membrane transporters and performed low- and high-throughput screens identifying possible drug import routes for 23 compounds. In addition, the high-throughput assay enabled the identification of putative efflux routes for 21 compounds. Focusing on azole antifungals, we were able to identify the involvement of the myo-inositol transporter, Itr1p, in the uptake of these molecules and to confirm the role of Pdr5p in their export. IMPORTANCE Our library of double transporter deletion strains is a powerful tool for rapid identification of potential drug import and export routes, which can aid in determining the chemical groups necessary for transport via specific carriers. This information may be translated into a better design of drugs for optimal absorption by target tissues and the development of drugs whose utility is less likely to be compromised by the selection of resistant mutants., Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation FAPESP

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to decreased access to care and social isolation, which have the potential for negative psychophysical effects. We examine the impact of the pandemic on physical and mental health outcomes after trauma.Patients in a prospective study were included. The cohort injured during the pandemic was compared to a cohort injured before the pandemic. We performed regression analyses to evaluate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and physical and mental health outcomes.1,398 patients were included. In adjusted analysis, patients injured during the pandemic scored significantly worse on the SF-12 physical composite score (OR 2.21; [95% CI 0.69-3.72]; P = 0.004) and were more likely to screen positive for depression (OR 1.46; [1.02-2.09]; P = 0.03) and anxiety (OR 1.56; [1.08-2.26]; P = 0.02). There was no significant difference in functional outcomes.Patients injured during the COVID-19 pandemic had worse mental health outcomes but not physical health outcomes.

IntroductionAdolescence is a critical time for growth and development, but this age group is often neglected in research and development of nutrition interventions. Despite recommendations from the WHO to provide nutrient supplements to adolescents, evidence remains scarce on the most effective supplementation strategy. This study aims to compare weekly iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation with daily multiple micronutrient supplements (MMSs) in prevention of anaemia and improvement of school outcomes among adolescents in Burkina Faso and Tanzania.Methods and analysisA three-arm cluster-randomised, school-based supplementation trial will be conducted among 84 schools (42 schools per site) and roughly 4500 students aged 10–17. Schools will be matched on three characteristics: number of students, school ranking profile, distance to main road (Tanzania) or distance to city council (Burkina Faso). Each school will be randomised to receive either weekly IFA, daily MMSs or serve as a control. Supplements will be delivered to students by teachers, who will provide monitoring data to the study team. Baseline and endline surveys will be conducted prior to and after each supplementation cycle (12 weeks in Burkina Faso; 1 year in Tanzania) to assess haemoglobin, anthropometry and sociodemographic variables. The primary outcome of haemoglobin will be analysed continuously using linear regression, and anaemia status will be analysed using logistic or multinomial regression, depending on categorisation level of the outcome. Secondary analyses of school performance indicators will also be conducted with either logistic or linear regression.Ethics and disseminationThis protocol has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (IRB20-1108) and the Research Ethics Committees for the Ministries of Health in Tanzania (Zanzibar) and Burkina Faso. Results will be disseminated during meetings with the Ministries of Health and the participating communities as well as through peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration numberNCT04657640;NCT05104554

The aim of this research is to identify the most important benefits of using the Information technology in managing the warehouses. Knowing that the warehouse departments make use of the Warehouse management Systems (WMS) to manage their warehousing activities, but the system performs limited functions such as contacting the suppliers, as for the rest of operations such as knowing the amount of inventory, information regarding stock movement, knowing the arrival and departure schedules of trucks and many other functions etc., are performed by the warehousing staffs manually by using the papers in order to the record data. The study seeks to highlight the current use of IT in managing warehouse and identifying the shortcomings of WMS in managing warehouse. This paper will make use of literature review methodology, which will identify publications related to study highlighting the benefits of usage of information technology in managing the warehouse. The findings of the study will highlight the important benefits of using information technology in managing the Warehouses leading to more profits and efficiency for the organizations. The use of modern technology, such as big data in stock management improves the pace of work, if there is sufficient knowledge and skill when using these techniques.

Purpose: The objective of the study is to find out the areas in which the business students lack and to analyze the reasons for such lack of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: For carrying out the research study, 160 students from various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Oman studying accounting subjects were selected and a test was conducted with five identified areas of accounting – accounting concepts, application knowledge, accounting formulae, accounting methods, and decision making. After completion of the test, the results were shown, and the correct answer keys were explained. Subsequently, a questionnaire mentioning all the five areas and the difficulties faced therein were requested to be filled in by the respondents. Findings: The results of the empirical study reveal that the students assume that they are good at accounting but they lack knowledge of application, formulae usage, and decision making. Practical Implications: It is confirmed that the concepts, methodologies, and techniques are not difficult but proper guidance and proper education methods through real-world examples might help towards creating interest among the students to improve their way of learning. Social Implications: The study has identified the areas where the students lack and helps the teachers to improve their methods of teaching and the students to improve their way of learning. Originality/value: No study has investigated before the accounting learning difficulties of business major students, and this study will help accounting educators to introduce and modify their teaching strategies.

Despite concerns about long-term dependence, opioids remain the mainstay of treatment for acute pain from traumatic injuries. Additionally, early pain management has been associated with improved long-term outcomes in injured patients. We sought to identify the patterns of prehospital pain management across the United States.We used 2019 national emergency medical services (EMS) data to identify the use of pain management for acutely injured patients. Opioid specific dosing was calculated in morphine milligram equivalents (MME). The effects of opioids as well as adverse events were identified through objective patient data and structured provider documentation.We identified a total of 3,831,768 injured patients, 85% of whom were treated by an advanced life support (ALS) unit. There were 269,281 (7.0%) patients treated with opioids, including a small number of patients intubated by EMS (n = 1537; 0.6%). The median opioid dose was 10 MME [IQR 5-10] and fentanyl was the most commonly used opioid (88.2%). Patients treated with opioids had higher initial pain scores documented by EMS than those not receiving opioids (median: 9 vs 4, p0.001), and had a median reduction in pain score of 3 points (IQR 1-5) based on the final prehospital pain score. Adverse events associated with opioid administration, including episodes of altered mental status (n = 453; 0.2%) and respiratory compromise (n = 252; 0.1%), were rare. For patients with severe pain (≥8/10), 27.3% of patients with major injuries (ISS ≥15) were treated with opioids, compared with 24.8% of those with moderate injuries (ISS 9-14), and 21.4% of those with minor (ISS 1-8) injuries (p0.001).The use of opioids in the prehospital setting significantly reduced pain among injured patients with few adverse events. Despite its efficacy and safety, the majority of patients with major injuries and severe pain do not receive opioid analgesia in the prehospital setting.

This paper discusses the journey of finding alternate solution for having to run the Expandable Liners operations in the Fahud field which is already one of the most operationally challenging fields to drill in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), due to the presence of a gas cap in highly fractured and depleted limestone formations with total losses and the need for dynamic annulus fill to maintain primary well control. In Fahud field, there is a highly reactive shale formation within reservoir limestone formation. Due to high likelihood of total losses, this shale formation caused bore hole instability challenges while drilling. And with more depletion took place, the challenges became more frequently to occurred. In 2001, expandable tubular liner was introduced to address these bore hole instability challenges while drilling highly reactive shale formation under total losses in the 8-1/2″ section. The use of expandable technology was sustained over the years in delivering all wells drilled to traverse this reactive shale column. Previously before 2001, wells used to have fat well design by installations of extra casing to cover the formations and problematic zones. Also, Fahud field was not depleted as it is now, and the problematic shale zone used to drill by normal conventional way without any issue using inhibition frilling fluid. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) identified expandable liner as a preferred alternative to ‘Fat’ well design. The ‘Fat’ well design would have a large hole size through potential loss zones, resulting in unmanageable volumes of water being required. Expandable liber was fast-tracked - various technical options were considered by PDO with expandable liner technology being identified as the best solution to address the problem of the shale column. However, the deployment of expandable tubular liner technology supported to drill & deliver wells but also has its associated challenges incurring additional time and cost with reasonable installation and low operations success rate due to number of operational steps required prior and after the expandable liner. Adding to that, all the challenges associated with each step. The installation of the expandable liner required eight operational steps with multiple trips to under-ream, install and expand, cement, caliper log and drill through the liner which increased the probability of something going wrong due to mainly the challenging well profile and multiple operations steps. The expandable liners technology was required when the target formation was below the reactive shale interval. The team carried out a study of previous deployments with the intention of identifying well planning and operational contributors to the installation difficulties and operations failures, with a view of eliminating the need for installing the expandable liner and drilling the well to the desired landing point at designed section total depth. Most of the unsuccessful installation rates were observed to be prevalent in wells with high angle applications. The team also observed that the length of the hole interval below the reactive shale column contributed to the number of unsuccessful installation and operational failure rates recorded. The team evaluated the impact of reducing well inclination on the ability to deliver the hole section without installing the expandable liner. Subsequently the team developed an optimization plan which involved keeping all build activities above and below the problematic interval and holding tangent at less than 45° inclination while drilling across the problematic shale. In conclusion, in 2020 the team delivered six wells (90% of wells crossing reactive shale formation delivered) using the above described approach and traversed the historically highly reactive shale formation without installing expandable liners. This resulted in a 20% reduction in total well construction time and 17% reduction in total well delivery cost per well. In addition to the time and cost saving, with the new approach, described in this paper, less water needed to be pumped for dynamic fill. This allowed bringing the wells quicker to production, thus reducing oil deferment.

Despite the ubiquity of rib fractures in patients with blunt chest trauma, long-term outcomes for patients with this injury pattern are not well described.The Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies (FORTE) project has established a multicenter prospective registry with 6- to 12-month follow-up for trauma patients treated at participating centers. We combined the FORTE registry with a detailed retrospective chart review investigating admission variables and injury characteristics. All trauma survivors with complete FORTE data and isolated chest trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score of ≤1 in all other regions) with rib fractures were included. Outcomes included chronic pain, limitation in activities of daily living, physical limitations, exercise limitations, return to work, and both inpatient and discharge pain control modalities. Multivariable logistic regression models were built for each outcome using clinically relevant demographic and injury characteristic univariate predictors.We identified 279 patients with isolated rib fractures. The median age of the cohort was 68 years (interquartile range, 56-78 years), 59% were male, and 84% were White. Functional and quality of life limitations were common among survivors of isolated rib fractures even 6 to 12 months after injury. Forty-three percent of patients without a preexisting pain disorder reported new daily pain, and new chronic pain was associated with low resilience. Limitations in physical functioning and exercise capacity were reported in 56% and 51% of patients, respectively. Of those working preinjury, 28% had not returned to work. New limitations in activities of daily living were reported in 29% of patients older than 65 years. Older age, higher number of rib fractures, and intensive care unit admission were independently associated with higher odds of receiving regional anesthesia. Receiving a regional nerve block did not have a statistically significant association with any patient-reported outcome measures.Isolated rib fractures are a nontrivial trauma burden associated with functional impairment and chronic pain even 6 to 12 months after injury.Prognostic/epidemiologic, level III.

Post frac cleanout and milling operations are considered some of the most critical activities that leverage on the operational benefits of coiled tubing. Therefore, they deserve the highest focus on continuous improvement and planning since the associated efficiency gains are often immediately quantifiable. This paper will focus on the improvement and optimization of post frac cleanout and milling strategies in extremely depleted wells in the Sultanate Of Oman. The gains from such optimization helped improve wells delivery and overall performances. Plug and perf methodology is still the preferred placement method of hydraulic fractures. One of the main challenges in depleted wells is the need for cleanout and plug milling after each stage to avoid risk of CT becoming stuck either differentially due to depletion or mechanically with plug cuttings in case circulation is lost. For years the frac and mill concept was adopted to complete those wells, resulting in frequent delays to frac operations and huge cost impact to the overall project. An efficiency improvement plan was agreed upon to address this particular challenge. A step-by-step strategy improvement plan was developed via in-depth analysis of frac initiation and reservoir characteristics in order to combine together multiple stages of post-frac cleanout and milling activities. This was done through unique software simulations and fluid selection criteria to achieve the lowest possible bottom hole pressure to minimize the losses in addition to the highest possible lifting velocity and best carrying medium conditions. Moreover, the utilization of engineered fluid solutions with foaming agent and foam generator have demonstrated significant added value through enhancement of carrying fluid properties while achieving the lowest possible settling velocity, which in turn lead to the highest possible velocity factor. After completing the agreed optimization plan, a post frac cleanout with 6-plug milling was performed in a single combined stage instead of multiple individual stages. This improvement reduced the overall frac operation for 6 stages from nearly 30-35 days to 19-20 days. Understanding the field and reservoir pressures in addition to fluid selection for both post frac cleanout and milling operation is crucial to successful implementation of this methodology. This achievement was delivered through a collaboration between many different business units from design to execution and it will help Petroleum Development Oman PDO on the future planning of hydraulic fracturing activity. The completion of the entire wells (well delivery) was achieved in a significantly shorter period of time compared to previous wells; this is reflected on actual cost reduction of more than 20% of total cost/AFE.

The consistent problem with operators and planners for power systems hasbeen related to minimizing transmission losses. An important role is playedby reactive power by keeping voltage stability and reliability in the system inorder to support the transfer of real power. The optimal reactive powerdispatch is associated with the problem of non-linear optimization along withmany constraints. In this paper, a study is highlighted for an algorithm thatoptimizes reactive power with the help of particle swarm algorithm andcompare the result with Newton-Raphson method. Reduction of systemactive power loss is the goal of the function in the projected algorithm. Here, the control variables identified are transformer tap positions, generator busvoltages, and shunt capacitor banks with switch. This projected algorithm isperformed on Oman 6 bus electrical grid as oman electricity transmissioncompany has an instability voltage issue in chosen 6 bus.&nbsp

Lantadene A (LA) which is one of the major pentacyclic triterpenoids in Lantana camara leaves was reported to exhibit anti-cancer property. However, the detail mechanism of LA inhibition against prostate cancer cells is still remained unknown. Hence, this study aimed to extract LA which was then used to treat LNCaP cells for the prediction of its apoptotic mechanism. A serial of separation techniques including maceration, solvent partition, crystallization and column chromatography was applied to recover LA. Approximately, 0.45%w/w LA was obtained from the plant leaves with 87.16% purity. The results found that the viability of LNCaP cells decreased with the increase of LA concentration with the IC50 of 208.4 µg/mL. High content screening showed the nucleuses of intact cells were started to collapse at the LA concentration more than 12.5 µg/mL, whereas the breakage of mitochondrial membrane was observed together with the release cytochrome C into cytosols. The activities of caspases -3/7 and -9 was found to increase in a dose dependent manner. Cell cycle arrest was happened during the (G0/G1) phase at the concentration of LA more than 50 µg/mL. As a conclusion, LA was effective to inhibit the growth of LNCaP cells without any cytotoxic effects to RWPE-1 cells. The inhibitory action of LA followed the intrinsic pathway of mitochondria dependent mechanism.

Determine the proportion and characteristics of traumatic injury survivors who perceive a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their recovery and to define post-injury outcomes for this cohort.The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated physical, psychological, and social stressors that may create a uniquely difficult recovery and reintegration environment for injured patients.Adult (≥18 years) survivors of moderate-to-severe injury completed a survey 6 to 14 months post-injury during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey queried individuals about the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on injury recovery and assessed post-injury functional and mental health outcomes. Regression models were built to identify factors associated with a perceived negative impact of the pandemic on injury recovery, and to define the relationship between these perceptions and long-term outcomes.Of 597 eligible trauma survivors who were contacted, 403 (67.5%) completed the survey. Twenty-nine percent reported that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their recovery and 24% reported difficulty accessing needed healthcare. Younger age, lower perceived-socioeconomic status, extremity injury, and prior psychiatric illness were independently associated with negative perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on injury recovery. In adjusted analyses, patients who reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their recovery were more likely to have new functional limitations, daily pain, lower physical and mental component scores of the Short-Form-12 and to screen positive for PTSD and depression.The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the recovery of trauma survivors. It is essential that we recognize the impact of the pandemic on injured patients while focusing on directed efforts to improve the long-term outcomes of this already at-risk population.

To assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of dentists (dental students, dental school graduates/interns, postgraduate dentists) of the role of robotics (R) and artificial intelligence (AI) in oral health and preventive dentistry. The null hypothesis was that dentists would not be aware of R and AI use in dentistry and would not be ready to accept them in oral health and preventive dentistry for dental care management and training.This was an observational cross-sectional study in which data was collected from a representative population in Saudi Arabia. 570 participants answered 26 closed-ended questions. The questionnaire's validity and reliability were evaluated for vetting and remarks. The questionnaire collected demographic data of participants and their knowledge, perception and attitude about R and AI. Questions were to be answered with 'yes', 'no' and 'I don't know'. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using the control chart technique and the chi-squared test, with statistical significance set at p0.05.The majority of the participants (n = 313; 54.6%) were males. Dental students, dentist school graduates/interns, and postgraduate dentists comprised of 58.8%, 18.2%, and 23.0% respectively. Most of the respondents gave affirmative answers for knowledge, attitude and perception of R and AI (58.3%, 67.4%, and 60.3%, respectively). Participants agreed that R and AI is beneficial in dentistry and would provide better results. Most (83.3%) would be willing to be treated using R/AI and would recommend (84.5%) treatment with R/AI, as shown in the control chart by affirmative answers. These were significantly above the overall affirmative answers, as the corresponding point lies above 95% UCL (upper confidence limit).Most dentists were unacquainted with R and AI. Dentists had a positive attitude towards R/AI, but due to inadequate knowledge and understanding, its use and applications were very limited. There is significant need in the near future to increase awareness of this concept, as it may increase treatment efficiency and effectiveness.

Facial trauma can have long-lasting consequences on an individual's physical, mental, and social well-being. The authors sought to assess the long-term outcomes of patients with facial injuries.This is a prospective multicenter cohort study of patients with face abbreviated injury scores ≥1 within the Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies registry. The Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies registry collects patient-reported outcomes data for patients with moderate-severe trauma 6 to 12 months after injury. Outcomes variables included general and trauma-specific quality of life, functional limitations, screening for post-traumatic stress disorder, and postdischarge healthcare utilization.A total of 188 patients with facial trauma were included: 69.1% had an isolated face and/or head injury and 30.9% had a face and/or head injuries as a part of polytrauma injury. After discharge, 11.7% of patients visited the emergency room, and 13.3% were re-admitted to the hospital. Additionally, 36% of patients suffered from functional limitations and 17% of patients developed post-traumatic stress disorder. A total of 34.3% patients reported that their injury scars bothered them, and 49.4% reported that their injuries were hard to deal with emotionally.Patients who sustain facial trauma suffer significant long-term health-related quality of life consequences stemming from their injuries.

BACKGROUND The strength of one's social support network is a potentially modifiable factor that may have a significant impact on recovery after injury. We sought to assess the association between one's perceived social support (PSS) and physical and mental health outcomes 6 months to 12 months postinjury. METHODS Moderate to severely injured patients admitted to one of three Level I trauma centers were asked to complete a phone-based survey assessing physical and mental health outcomes in addition to return to work and chronic pain 6 months to 12 months postinjury. Patients were also asked to rate the strength of their PSS on a 5-point Likert scale. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were built to determine the association between PSS and postdischarge outcome metrics. RESULTS Of 907 patients included in this study, 653 (72.0%) identified themselves as having very strong/strong, 182 (20.1%) as average, and 72 (7.9%) as weak/nonexistent PSS. Patients who reported a weak/nonexistent PSS were younger and were more likely to be male, Black, and to have a lower level of education than those who reported a very strong/strong PSS. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with a weak/nonexistent PSS were more likely to have new functional limitations and chronic pain in addition to being less likely to be back at work/school and being more likely to screen positive for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety at 6 months to 12 months postinjury than those with a strong/very strong PSS. CONCLUSION Lower PSS is strongly correlated with worse functional and mental health outcome metrics postdischarge. The strength of one's social support network should be considered when trying to identify patients who are at greatest risk for poor postdischarge outcomes after injury. Our data also lend support to creating a system wherein we strive to build a stronger support network for these high-risk individuals. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic/epidemiologic, level III.