Search

Background There is an observable increase in food-borne diseases, food poisoning among the rural dwellers in the study setting which is perceived to be due to consumption of poorly handled food. This was a strong justification for this study. Objective This study aimed at assessing the environmental and storage system for unprocessed and processed food amongst identified eateries and to implement interventions based on observed wrong practices. Results At pre-intervention phase, apron use was 15 (39.5%) with 3 (7.9%) consistency; chef caps usage was 14 (36.8%) with 8 (21.1%) consistency but there was no observable use of facemasks. Twenty-three (60.0%) reported Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) burden. At the post-intervention phase, apron use was 37 (97.4%) with 35 (92.1%) consistency; chef cap use was 28 (73.7%) with 26 (68.4%) consistency; facemask use was 33 (86.8%) with 19 (50.0%) consistency. By implication, 36.8% wear it under the chin, and 13.2% still feel uncomfortable using it. Conclusion Interventions can influence the practice of good food handling practice among food handlers and consistency in the use of PPE to prevent food contamination via droplets.

This study aims to bring out the engagement level of university students during this pandemic. The research is to study the levels of engagement such as affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement on the dependent variable of students' performances. As in this pandemic, most classes are online, and students need different classes and web-based tools to interact in the classroom. The biggest challenge to the educational sector is the transformation, and by 2030 there could be a change in the educational sector. For this purpose, the primary data are collected from 979 students of the Kingdom of Bahrain. PLS-SEM was utilised to analyse the measurement and structural models through SmartPLS 3.3.2 software to prove the construct's hypothesis. Therefore, the study utilised the combinative PLS method that fulfils the characteristics of the model. The study results show that affective engagement, behavioural engagement, and cognitive engagement positively affect the students' performance. The moderating effect of class & web-based tools between behavioural engagements and student performance negatively reflects the SEM Model. The education sector is at the centre of revolution from the traditional learning system to more technological-based learning.

This study examined socio-cultural variables and child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. Four objectives, four research questions and four hypotheses guided this study. A correlation research design was used and the population of this study was 57,004 students in senior secondary II classes in the 253 public secondary schools for the 2020/2021 academic session in the study area and a sample size of 570 students from 11 of the schools selected through simple random sampling technique was used for the study but 526 students returned the questionnaires. A researcher-made questionnaire named Socio-Cultural Variables and Child Abuse Questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.74 was the instrument for data collection. The instrument was duly administered on the respondents and the data collected were used in testing the hypotheses formulated. The data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation at .05 alpha level. The findings of the study showed that poverty, domestic violence, child rearing practices and family structure significantly related with child. Based on these findings, it was concluded that socio-cultural variables significantly contribute to child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended that parents/guardians irrespective of the family structure should strive as much as possible to provide for their children, positively influence them, and raise them properly with love so that they can develop the right attitude to life rather than allowing life situations to make them abuse their children.

We propose a fractional self-exciting model for the risk of corporate default. We study the properties of a time-changed version of an intensity based model. As a time-change, we use the inverse of an α -stable subordinator. Performing such a time-change allows to incorporate two particular features in the survival probability curves implied by the model. Firstly, it introduces random periods of time where the survival probability is frozen, thereby modeling periods of time where the viability of the company is not threatened. Secondly, the time-change implies possible sharp drops in the survival probability. This feature corresponds to the occurrence of one-time events that threaten the creditworthiness of the company. We show that the joint probability density function and Laplace transform of the time-changed intensity and associate compensator are solutions of fractional Fokker–Planck equations. After a discussion regarding approximation of Caputo fractional derivatives, we describe a simple and fast numerical method to solve the Fokker–Planck equation of the Laplace transform. This Laplace transform is used to obtain the survival probabilities implied by our model. Finally, we use our results to calibrate the model to real market data and show that it leads to an improvement of the fit.

Aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanomaterials (AlxZn1-xO) with x fraction varying as 0.02 and 0.04 were synthesized using the auto-combustion method using glycine as a fuel. The synthesized catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Raman spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). XRD results showed that synthesized materials possessed good crystallinity, while UV–VIS was employed to find the band gaps of synthesized materials. Raman was used to determine the vibrational modes in the synthesized nanoparticles, while TEM analysis was performed to study the morphology of the samples. Industrial effluents such as indigo carmine and azo carmine G were used to test the photodegradation ability of synthesised catalysts. Parameters such as the effect of catalyst loading, dye concentration and pH were studied. The reduction in crystallite size, band gap and increased lattice strain for the 4% AZO was the primary reason for the degradation in visible irradiation, degrading 97 and 99% equimolar concentrations of indigo carmine and azo carmine G in 140 min. The Al doped ZnO was found to be effective in faster degradation of dyes as compared to pure ZnO in presence of natural sunlight. This work was supported by an NPRP grant from the Qatar National Research Fund under NPRP12S-0131–190030.

In health care and public health practice, it is critical to settings control practices that are critical to reducing the transmission of infections through cross-contamination. To provide protection from cross-contamination, use and throw gloves are routinely used. However, single-time use and inconsistent sanitization of used gloves remain a large problem and elevate the risk of catching viruses, germs, pathogens, and contaminants. The study reports reusable self-sanitizing gloves via 3D-printing and common hand molding methods. The major contribution is frequent self-sanitization of gloves without any manual intervention. The elastomeric material is used for fabricating gloves and continuous channels are embedded within the elastomeric material that runs through the entire glove surface, covering the front, back, and fingers. Elastomeric material allows the engagement of fingers for gripping objects. While the embedded channel is provided with uniformly spaced openings to eject the sanitizing solution. The glove surface is textured with a porous morphology that acts as mini and micro reservoirs for sterilizing solution ejected through embedded channel opening. The embedded channel is connected to a sanitizing solution storage tank. The incorporation of sanitizing solution storage tank enables its usage over a longer period. This uniquely constructed design of the gloves even assists in the effective sterilization of infected surface that comes in contact with the gloves. The gloves can be customized to improve comfortability by fabricating them from the 3D-printed mound developed based on the palm size of the user. The developed technology can be used by individuals working in hospitals, the transport sector, delivery units, schools, offices, industries, etc. We strongly believe that this technology will be highly useful in minimizing the risk of getting infected through cross-contamination and will help in maintaining hygienic as well as safe surroundings. This work was supported by the RRC-2-063-133 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). Open Access funding was provided by the Qatar National Library.

A 73-year-old man who presented with fever and abdominal discomfort was diagnosed to have a liver abscess. He was treated with antimicrobials which included metronidazole. One month into treatment, he developed neurological symptoms and signs that were suggestive of cerebellar pathology. MRI of the brain showed T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery hyperintensities involving bilateral dentate, fastigial and interpositus nuclei. After excluding common aetiologies, the possibility of metronidazole-induced neurotoxicity was considered. After stopping metronidazole, his symptoms and signs resolved. A subsequent MRI scan of the brain showed reversal of changes. Neurotoxicity caused by metronidazole is an uncommon adverse effect of a commonly used antimicrobial drug and should be considered in the appropriate clinical scenario.

Infectious diseases are responsible for an immense global burden of disease that impacts public health systems and economies worldwide. The rapid increase in the use of protective items has introduced an urge for their reuse and safe dumping to minimize the threat of disease transmission through cross-contamination. The existing disinfection processes are mostly powered with non-renewable energy sources and focus on single disinfecting technology that limits their installation to in-house applications and reduces the degree of disinfection, respectively. Thus there is a need to develop new strategies and innovations powered by renewable energy sources that enhance the degree of disinfection of daily-use objects and curtail the spread of the infection through cross-contamination. The present study reports a smart automatic technology called “REACTIV-FIT”. The technology is developed as an exercise bike with a disinfection chamber that efficiently kills viruses, bacteria, and other germs/pathogens. The current developed technology is equipped with three disinfecting protocols in one system. The system is powered by renewable solar energy and utilizes the mechanical energy during exercise into electrical energy using a generator-based mechanism. The portable smart automatic disinfection box embedded in the bike utilizes the synergetic effect of ultraviolet (UV), thermal, and vapor treatment for sterilizing objects. During vapor treatment, the continuous supply of the sterilizing solution is maintained through a storage tank attached to the outer body of the box and can be easily refilled. In the final step of the disinfecting protocol, the objects are exposed to UV-A light having a peak wavelength of 365–370 nm. The automatic disinfection process is powered by renewable solar and mechanical energy during cycling. The developed technology can be installed in schools, offices, and industries, and its renewable energy-powered feature offers installation in parks, tourist places, streets, remote areas, etc. This work was supported by the RRC-2-063-133 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).