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In the present study two convective types of solar dryers were investigated and tested under the Iraqi climate conditions. The first is called indirect type which consists of solar collector and drying chamber and the second type is a direct solar dryers. A drying equation based on a thin layer-drying function has been introduced to simulate the change of moisture content of crops with time taking into account the effect of flow rate of air, drying temperature, humidity ratio, initial and final moisture contents, and crops distribution on the drying rate and can be used for different crops. The dryers were tested using potato, fruit, any vegetables and other kinds of green leaves under typical condition of Iraqi weather. Good agreement has been obtained between the present results and the available published measurements. The study indicates that the indirect solar dryer gives definite performance advantage compared with the direct solar dryer.

Les risques liés aux pressions fortes des parties prenantes de la société civile et surtout l’existence de législations, ou leur anticipation, fondent l’intérêt des entreprises en vue de l’intégration de la RSE dans leur stratégie. Nonobstant, cet engagement socialement responsable demeure, à ce jour, disparate d’une entreprise à l’autre. Une explication plausible de cette variation réside dans les valeurs, les croyances et les cognitions du dirigeant, notamment son «orientation». En vue d’analyser ce phénomène, cet article s’intéresse, au travers d’une revue de littérature, aux caractéristiques qui forment l’orientation ouverte du dirigeant à savoir: l’idéologie politique, la carrière professionnelle, l’expérience internationale et la formation académique, et à leurs effets sur les pratiques de RSE

The excavations which conducted in 2011 by Iraqi mission under supervision of Mr. Dheyaa Makki reveled a big group of different objects dated to the Kassite period ( ca.1595-1162 B.C) including a unique piece made of river turtle shell which it used by an craftsman who draw an interesting scene on it. This research deals with the varroice scenes drawn on this object such as animals and plants figures, and geometrical designs, when we were able to study each figure independently, and this study resulted that these figures contain different ideas and religious concepts those were originally from ancient Mesopotamia civilization . كشفت التنقيبات الأثرية التي اجريت عام 2011 من قبل بعثة عراقية برئاسة السيد ضياء مكي الصفار عن مجموعة كبيرة من اللقى وجدت في طبقة أثرية تعود بتاريخها إلى العصر الكشي(1595-1162ق.م) داخل بناية كبيرة لم تحدد وظيفتها بعد خلال هذا الموسم، وكان من بين تلك اللقى قطعة فنية نادرة، واهم مايميزها هي المادة التي نحت عليها المشهد الفني وهي عبارة عن ترس لسلحفاة نهرية استغلها الفنان الكشي لتنفيذ مشهده الفني. تناول البحث دراسة تلك القطعة الفنية غير المنشورة وما تحمله من مشهد فني جميل تضمن مجموعة من العناصر الفنية توزعت بين حيوانية ونباتية وهندسية تم دراسة كل عنصر منها على انفراد، وقد تبين خلال هذه الدراسة أن اغلب تلك العناصر المكونة للمشهد الفني تحمل في طياتها عقائد فكرية ودينية مختلفة اتسمت بها الحضارة العراقية القديمة.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are semiconductors gaind much interest due to applications in optoelectronic and tranport properties. Herein, we investigated optoelectronic and tranport properties of Rh doped Fe3BO6 compound. The band structure of parent compound for spin up shows insulating nature while other channel is semiconducting nature (4.181 eV Up/2.41 eV Dn). When spinel material doped with Rh3+, the band gap is reduced for both spin channels (2.59 eV (Up)/ 0.59 (Dn), respectively. The optical dispersion exhibits strong absorption in the UV region, for both materials. Reflectivity spectra, for both materials visible-UV indicating good coating materials to reduce solar heating. The transport parameters are computed. It's observed that large ZT value Fe3BO6 made this compoud most promisining in thermoelectric applications. The effective masses of species were also analyzed by curve fitting method, results showed that nature of band at 0.69 is changed from direct to indirect for doped compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxins have been linked to adverse health impacts, including liver cancer and kidney diseases. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the dietary exposure of Lebanese adults to multi-mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), ochratoxin A (OTA), ochratoxin B (OTB), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 and HT-2) and to assess their associated health risks. Hence, a nationally representative sample of 449 participants aged 18-64 years old were interviewed to obtain their socio-demographic characteristics, food consumption data and exposure estimates. A food frequency questionnaire and 24 h-recall were used to collect data. The concentration of mycotoxins in all foods consumed by the participants was collected from previous national published studies. The estimated daily intake (EDI), the hazard quotient (HQ) and the margin of exposure (MOE) were calculated. The total exposure to AFB1, AFM1, OTA and DON was 1.26, 0.39, 4.10 and 411.18 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. The MOE to AFB1, AFM1, OTA and DON in the Lebanese food basket was 316, 1454, 3539 and 510, respectively, indicating high health-related risks. Per food items, the MOE to AFB1 was below 10,000 in cereals (466.5), mainly in rice (827.9) and Burgul (4868.5). Similarly, the MOE to OTA in cereals was 1439, in which bread (4022), rice (7589) and bulgur (7628) were considered unsafe. Moreover, the MOE to DON in cereals (605) is alarming, especially in bread (632) and manakesh (6879). The MOE to AFM1 in dairy products was 1454, indicating health-related risks with a focus on yogurt (9788) and labneh (8153). As for the herbs/spices group and traditional dishes, the MOE to AFB1 was relatively lower than 10,000 (3690 and 1625, respectively), with a focus on thyme (2624) and kishik (3297), respectively. It is noteworthy that the MOE to DON and the MOE to OTA in traditional foods and coffee were lower than 10,000 (8047 and 8867, respectively). All hazard quotient (HQ) values were below 1, except the HQ value of milk and dairy products (1.96). The intake of some food groups varied between age categories, corresponding to differences in EDI between them. Thus, it is essential to put control measures in place to decrease the contamination and exposure to mycotoxins by Lebanese consumers.

The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), transmitted via mosquitoes, exhibits clinical manifestations ranging from headaches, myalgia and arthralgia to debilitating systemic malfunctions. Endemic to Africa, CHIKV has seen an increase in cases since it was first recorded in 1950. There has recently been an outbreak in numerous African nations. The authors aim to review the history and epidemiology of CHIKV in Africa, current outbreaks, strategies adopted by governments and/or international organisations to mitigate such an outbreak, and future recommendations that can be employed., Methodology: Data were collected from medical journals published on Pubmed and Google Scholar, and from the official World Health Organisation, African and United States of America's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention websites. All articles considering CHIKV in Africa, including epidemiology, aetiology, prevention and management, were sought after., Results: Since 2015, the number of Chikungunya cases in Africa has increased, reaching the highest values ever recorded, especially in 2018 and 2019. Even though numerous vaccination and therapeutic intervention trials are still ongoing, no advancement has been made so far, including drug approval. Current management is supportive, with preventative measures, such as insecticides, repellents, mosquito nets and habitat avoidance, paramount to halting disease spread., Conclusion: In light of the recent CHIKV outbreak in Africa, local and global attempts are re-emerging to mitigate the eruption of the case of the lack of vaccines and antivirals, controlling the virus may be an arduous feat. Improving risk assessment, laboratory detection and research facilities should be a priority., Competing Interests: NA., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: The vulnerability and prevalence of common psychiatric illnesses, that is, anxiety and depression are very high at the time of pregnancy in the socio-cultural context of Southeast Asian low- middle-income countries' pregnant women. However, the issue remains poorly understood despite the fact that pregnancy can be stressful for women, their families and is strongly connected with marital quality and perceived social support. The present study examines the impact of anxiety proneness, marital satisfaction, and perceived social support on fear of childbirth and development of depression among pregnant women., Design and Methods: Participants were purposively selected 136 pregnant women who were in the third trimester with ages ranging between 19 and 35 years and were selected through a purposive sampling technique from six hospitals in Pakistan. The STICSA, RAS, MSPSS, CAQ, and PADQ scales and questionnaires were used as study tools., Findings: Anxiety proneness positively predicted childbirth fear and depression; marital satisfaction and perceived presence of social support were negative predictors among pregnant women., Practice Implications: Obstetricians, nurses, midwives, and mental health professionals can imply these findings towards developing targeted antenatal programs that focus on the pregnant woman's mental health., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Every health care system requires an adequate health care workforce, service delivery, financial support, and information technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global health systems were ill prepared to address the rising prevalence of mental health problems, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), thereby increasing treatment gaps. To close these gaps globally, task shifting and telepsychiatry should be made available and maximized, particularly in LMICs. Task shifting to nonspecialist health workers to improve essential mental health coverage and encourage efficient use of the available resources and technology has become the most viable strategy.

Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they do not have conflict of interest.

Background: With the uncertainties of COVID-19, people infected with coronavirus present with diverse psychiatric presentations. Some institutions have had to manage their patients with existing protocols, others have had to create them. In this article we aimed to report the challenges and good practices in the management of psychiatric conditions and delirium coexisting with COVID-19 across continents., Methods: Early Career Psychiatrists (ECPs) from across five continents were approached to share their experiences on the management of psychiatric conditions in patients with COVID-19 during the current pandemic., Results: We collected information about the experiences from sixteen countries. Commonalities were similar psychiatric presentations and poor preparedness across countries. Differences were varying adjustments made in the management of psychiatric conditions coexisting with COVID-19 and different innovations. Good practices which can be adopted by other countries are novel approaches such as telepsychiatry, proactive consultation-liaison units and enhanced community services targeted at circumventing challenges faced when providing mental health services., Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for global preparedness in the mental health sector during outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the need for concerted efforts targeted at global and locally sensitive adaptation of existing protocols and the development of new guidelines for the management of psychiatric conditions for the present pandemic and subsequent occurrences., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

Background: Risk behaviors among young people are a major social and public health issue. This study aims to assess the impact of a life-skills-based prevention program (called Mission Papillagou) on self-esteem, well-being, and risk behaviors among adolescents., Method: In a two-arm controlled study involving 520 school pupils aged between 10 and 15 years old, participants taking part in the prevention program (the Papillagou group) were compared to pupils who did not take part (the control group). Two assessment sessions were performed, one at baseline, and one after either the Mission Papillagou program (Papillagou group) or usual lessons (control group). Participants self-reported on their self-esteem, well-being, behaviors, interests and opinions., Results: The Mission Papillagou program significantly improved Self-Esteem scores (ηρ 2  = .035). Well-being (Cramér's V = .14) and mood ("feeling of depression": Cramér's V = .503; "feeling hopelessness about the future": Cramér's V = .357; "waking up at night": Cramér's V = .343) also improved in the Papillagou group compared to the control group. Regarding risk behaviors, the prevention program produced a decrease in the frequency of insults (Cramér's V = .267) and rumor-spreading (Cramér's V = .440), and a change of opinion toward the possibility of smoking an electronic cigarette in the future (Cramér's V = .372)., Conclusion: This study suggests that life-skills-based risk prevention programs are effective.

Background: Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) has been implemented for the treatment of individuals with opioid use disorders in Lebanon since 2011, but has not been evaluated yet. The aim of the study is to describe the implementation of the first pilot OAT program in Lebanon from the users' perspective., Methods: Data collectors gathered data from male participants during June 2016-July 2016. Eighty-one out of 94 patients agreed to participate in the study. Data regarding access to treatment, satisfaction with the treatment protocol and treatment outcomes, patient-provider relationship, and misuse and diversion was collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews. Data saturation was reached after 81 interviews; once no new themes were reported., Results: Findings showed inequalities in access to treatment and showed that OAT improved mental and social wellbeing among users who had financial access and complied with the program protocols. Registering in the program protected users from arrest and reduced their economic burden. Among the main encountered challenges were fear of dependence to buprenorphine, restricted geographical access to treatment, misuse and diversion of buprenorphine., Conclusion: Results implicate inequalities in access to OAT as one important gap to be tackled in the management of OAT in Lebanon. Further research should be done in order to understand the challenges in the implementation of the program from the providers' perspectives.

Companion animals are an important aspect in human life. However, they may also be considered a source of pathogens. An example of zoonotic parasitoses is toxocarosis or cutaneous larva migrans (CLM). The aim of the study was to detect zoonotic nematodes of dogs living in different areas and the intensity of contamination in parasite polluted environments that are hazardous to human health. The fecal samples were examined using standard flotation and decantation methods as well as McMaster's quantitative technique. The soil samples in urban and rural areas were examined using a modified flotation method as described by Quinn et al. Statistical analyses were performed by IBM SPSS Statistics Version 23. The overall prevalence of parasites in dogs was 38%, 17.02% and 56.60% from urban and rural areas, respectively. The percentage values of nematodes important for human health ( Toxocara canis , Ancylostomatidae, Trichuris vulpis ) remained at the same level (16%). The infected dogs were dominated by a single parasite species, the main was T. canis (28.95%). In total, 54.30% of the soil samples were contaminated with parasite eggs. The contamination of urban and rural sandpits was 40% and 60%, respectively. The molecular examinations of soil samples using LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) confirmed the presence of nematode eggs of the species T. canis in all samples previously classified as positive., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Several species of trichomonads are intestinal or urogenital parasites of humans and animals, with only a few species typically being located in the oral cavity. The prevalence of oral trichomoniasis in dogs is approximately 15-25 %, although the prevalence varies among different populations and depends on age, sex and the health of the oral cavity., Case Presentation: A case of mandibular gland infestation by trichomonads in a 13-year-old female Dachshund with advanced periodontal disease and oral trichomoniasis is reported. The dog was referred due to a history of a painless swelling over the left submandibular region that increased in size over time. Based on physical and ultrasound examinations, a final diagnosis of mandibular gland cyst was established and transcutaneous needle aspiration was carried out. Numerous mobile trophozoites of trichomonads were found by microscopy and culturing for trichomonas was performed. The species was finally characterized as Trichomonas tenax by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing., Conclusions: Studies have shown that T. tenax can be found in humans in atypical locations such as the salivary glands and upper and lower respiratory tracts. According to our knowledge this is the first report of T. tenax being present in the salivary glands of a dog. Because of the relatively high prevalence of trichomoniasis in dogs with periodontal diseases, these parasites should be considered together with bacterial and viral agents in salivary gland infections, especially in individuals with compromised oral health.

Transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy (TRUS) has rarely been associated with disseminated infection, yet the occurrence appears to be increasing. Resistance to fluoroquinolones, the most commonly used prophylaxis, is one of the likely causes, with Escherichia coli being the most commonly reported cause of these infections. Herein we present what is, to our knowledge, the first case of Enterococcus faecalis septicemia and vertebral osteomyelitis after TRUS. Previously reported cases of this condition are referenced also.