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Objectives The primary aim of this research is to uncover the underlying factors that shape hospital selection criteria among individuals in Lebanon.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting A survey was circulated across social media platforms and messaging applications in Lebanon from February to May 2023. This questionnaire aimed to gauge participants’ opinions on the importance of various factors in their hospital selection process.Participants A total of 746 participants filled out the survey. We targeted Lebanese adults who were not hospitalised at the time of survey submission.Main outcome measures We performed an exploratory factor analysis to examine the underlying structure of our 70-question survey. Reliability analysis was conducted using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Factor scores were derived by aggregating raw scores and computing the mean.Results The survey results identified eight key factors that accounted for 58.02% of the total variance, with excellent sampling adequacy (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0.921, Bartlett’s p

Abstract Background This study aims to investigate the moderating influence of social support and religiosity in the association between child abuse and entrapment during adulthood. This cross-sectional study recruited 352 Lebanese adults between November 2022 and January 2023. The survey included several sociodemographic items and validated instruments like the Child Abuse Self Report Scale, the Entrapment Scale Short Form, the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results The moderation analysis indicates that there is a positive relationship between physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect with entrapment, and the intensity of this correlation may vary depending on various levels of social support and religiosity. Religiosity and social support may help mitigate the intensity of entrapment experienced, making it less severe when support or religiosity is high but not enough to lead to a negative relationship between child abuse and entrapment. Conclusion This study is crucial as it recognizes the long-lasting impact of child abuse and its potential relationship with feelings of entrapment in adulthood, especially that it stresses long-term follow-up and support for survivors with regular assessments of coping strategies to help individuals navigate challenges and promote continued healing.

The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of aerobic halotolerant Bacillus plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), their production of hydrolytic exo-enzymes and their inoculation effect on two cowpea plants. The soil dilution plate technique was performed on tryptic soy agar complemented with thermal pretreatment to select Bacillus strains associated with the Phoenix dactylifera rhizosphere growing in hypersaline and arid soil in Algeria (In Salah, Tamanrasset). The inoculation effect of these strains on cowpea plant growth was assessed based on biometric and physiological parameters. As a result, thirteen halophilic, halotolerant and non-halophilic Bacillus strains were isolated. Upon screening, all strains were capable of producing at least two hydrolytic enzymes under saline conditions and most of the strains (n=10/13) showed at least two plant growth promoting (PGP) traits. Strains were identified as members of Bacillus genera based on their phenotypic and biochemical characteristics. The inoculation of these strains in cowpeas significantly improved biometrics and physiological growth parameters of the inoculated plants. Based on their PGP effects, five strains were identified: RP 7 (B. coagulans), RP 8 (B. circulans), RP 10 (Paenibacillus polymyxa), RP 12 (B. circulans) and RP 13 (B. cereus). The isolation and characterization of halophilic and halotolerant Bacillus strains increased knowledge about the microflora in the rhizosphere associated with date palms in saline and arid soils. Bacillus-PGPR strains proved to be highly effective to improve cowpea plant growth and development.

Over the years, significant work has been done on high-integrity systems, such as those found in cars, satellites and aircrafts, to minimize the risk that a logic fault causes a system failure, thus having functional safety as a key requirement. In this study, we employ an innovative approach to harness the benefits of both Dual Modular Redundancy and Triple Modular Redundancy techniques within an Interleaved-Multi-Threading microprocessor core, by means of a microarchitecture design capable of dynamically switching from Dual Modular Redundancy to Triple Modular Redundancy in case of faults. We explain the quantitative results obtained from an extensive fault injection simulation campaign on the fault tolerant core compared with its previous version regarding fault tolerant capabilities. The results show that in several application cases the fault resilience improvement and the hardware and timing overhead are better compared to the lockstep-based dual core approach. The proposed technique achieves 98,6% fault mitigation at the expense of only 4 clock cycles for roll-back overhead, with no checkpointing redundancy.

The low probability of single event upsets (SEU) within particular satellite orbits, makes Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic components a viable solution for space system implementation, thanks to the introduction of design-level fault tolerance techniques at the expense of some performance/energy/area penalty. This paper illustrates the design and validation of a novel RISC-V dual-core architecture, based on a computing paradigm that we refer to as full/partial heterogeneous multi-core protection. The approach relies on a small, low-performance, fully fault-tolerant core (LP core) coupled with a high-performance partially fault-tolerant core (HP core). The computing paradigm assumes the failure-exposed HP core executes computation intensive routines for relatively short periods of time, making the occurrence of failures a statistically unlikely situation, while the fully fault-tolerant LP core operates in critical control tasks and manages the failure recovery of the high-performance core. The execution time percentage in the LP core varies from a minimum of 11.4% up to a maximum of 91.3% while in the HP core it is between 8.7% and 88.6%, depending on the application. In the proposed study, both the cores belong to the RISC-V compliant Klessydra core family. The dual-core architecture also includes a watchdog timer controlled by the LP core and monitoring the non-protected HP core, and a context switch FIFO that speeds up the code and data switch between the two cores during failure recovery. A dedicated run-time software environment coordinates the execution of tasks on the high-performance core in a resilient fashion. The dual-core processor has been validated through extensive RTL simulations running in an UVM-based fault-injection environment, which emulates SEUs at various rates. Experimental results illustrate the benefits and limits obtained by using a heterogeneous architecture with different levels of protection and performance. The failure probability assuming a SEU fault occurrence can be reduced by a factor between 10X and 30X with respect to the non-protected architecture, leading to an average failure rate of up to 4.00E-06 per second with respect to 1.80E-05 per second in the non-protected architecture.

Abstract Background Mindfulness may serve as a component of metacognitive beliefs and can also be viewed as a form of time perspective. The interplay between time perspective and metacognitive beliefs remains understudied. Both aspects, however, display considerable stability over time and significantly influence an individual’s life and well-being. Lebanon, marked by its diverse and complex history, struggles with various political, social, and economic challenges. This study offers a valuable and unprecedented opportunity to examine these connections within a distinct cultural context, shedding light on the unique experiences of the Lebanese population. Therefore, our research aims to investigate the connection between time perspective and metacognition, with a focus on the role of mindfulness as a mediator. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from August to November 2022 and involved participants from various regions of Lebanon. The questionnaire included sociodemographic data and scales such as the Arabic versions of the 15-item Short Form of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, the Metacognitions Questionnaire, the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-2). Results Our investigation recruited 423 participants. The analysis showed that individuals with a positive stance on their past, a hedonistic present, or a future-oriented outlook exhibited heightened levels of mindfulness. This elevated state of mindfulness, in turn, demonstrated a significant link to augmented cognitive self-consciousness (An increased introspection into one’s own thoughts). We also observed a direct association between a future-focused time perspective and high scores of cognitive self-consciousness. Furthermore, mindfulness emerged as a crucial mediator in the relationships between time perspectives and negative beliefs about the danger of worry. Similarly, individuals with a positive view on their past, a hedonistic present orientation, or a future-focused mindset demonstrated elevated levels of mindfulness, which was correlated with less negative beliefs about the danger of worry. Notably, a positive past perspective was directly associated with less negative views on worry and the subsequent loss of control, whereas higher future focused time perspective scores was significantly and directly associated with more negative beliefs about worry, whereas more future focused time perspective was significantly and directly associated with more negative beliefs about worry. Conclusion Our findings found several meaningful associations between our variables, but it primarily underscored the significance of considering distinct subcomponents within mindfulness and psychopathological metacognition that may overlap, shedding light on their differential impacts on psychological well-being. We were also able to mirror the dual pathway theory of time perspective suggested in previous studies. These insights carry notable implications for the development and refinement of mindfulness-based and metacognitive interventions, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches that consider varying time perspectives. Continued investigation in this area promises to advance our understanding of these constructs and refine their practical applications in mental health interventions and well-being enhancement strategies.

Stringent mobility restrictions across the world during the COVID 19 pandemic have impacted local economies and, consequently, city carbon budgets, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate the capability of scientific approaches to quantify emissions changes. Our study aims to quantify and map CO2 emissions from fossil fuel and biogenic CO2 fluxes over the Paris metropolitan area during the first lockdown period (March‐May 2020) in France, in comparison with the same period in 2019. Our inversion system relies on transport model simulations initiated with the Weather Research and Forecasting chemistry transport model combined with a high‐resolution fossil fuel CO2 emissions inventory, and biogenic CO2 fluxes from a vegetation model. The inversion with atmospheric observations from a network of six towers resulted in a positive re‐adjustment of fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2019 and 2020 compared to prior. In 2020, the inversion resulted in a large emission reduction (43%) compared to 2019, while the reductions were estimated to be 37% based on the prior inventory itself. By assimilating CO mixing ratios in addition to CO2, the traffic emission estimates were reduced by 68% in 2020, compared to nontraffic (29%). Various sensitivity tests show that prior emission uncertainty and different background conditions significantly impacted the emissions estimates. We conclude that our current inversion system with atmospheric CO2 monitoring makes it possible to identify the emission decrease in 2020 partly over the urban region. However, additional information on prior emission errors and a dense network will be needed to map emissions precisely. Plain Language Summary: The study aims to quantify the Paris region's CO2 emissions using a Lagrangian‐based inversion system during the spring season (March‐May) of 2019–2020, using CO2 and co‐emitted CO observations from a network of six ground‐based stations. Our Inversion system tends to increase the emissions with respect to prior in 2019 and 2020. A significant increase (about 150 g CO2 m‐2 day‐1) in the fossil fuel emissions compared to prior was identified in the central Paris region across all our inversion experiments. Sectoral inversion shows an increase in the traffic emissions from the high‐resolution inventory by about 17% in 2019 and 10% in 2020. However, the impact of COVID 19 lockdown on the emissions were −37% to −46% (reduction) depending on the configuration of the inversion system. We also identified that the lack of information relative to inventory uncertainties remains a major limitation in quantifying the aggregated emissions. Precise mapping of fossil fuel emissions at the urban scale will require additional information to quantify both the high‐resolution inventory errors and their spatial structures. However, we confirmed the impact of lockdown restrictions on CO2 fossil fuel emissions to −12% ({plus minus}4%) over the Paris region through inversion. Key Points: Quantification and mapping of fossil fuel CO2 emissions over the Paris metropolitan area during the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdownLockdown has resulted in an emission decrease of about 43% in 2020, with a 37% contribution from the inventory itselfSpatial error correlations, different background conditions and prior uncertainty impact the posterior emission estimates [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess Lebanese medical students’ attitudes towards patient safety and medical error disclosure. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving medical students from seven different medical schools in Lebanon. The participants completed the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire (APSQ-III) online, which consists of 26 items across nine key patient safety domains. Items were scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Demographic data were also collected. Results Of the 549 students enrolled in the study, 325 (59%) were female and 224 (41%) were male. More than half (287, 52%) were aged between 20 and 22 years and 95% were Lebanese. The overall attitude of students towards patient safety was positive (3.59 ± 0.85) with the most positive attitudes in the domains of ‘ Team functioning’ followed by ‘ Working hours as an error cause’ . More positive attitudes were perceived among male students in the domains of ‘ Professional incompetence as an error cause’ and ‘ Disclosure responsibility’ whereas more positive attitudes were seen in female students in the domain of ‘ Working hour as an error cause’ . Older medical students had more positive attitudes in the domain of ‘ Team functioning’ than younger students. Conclusion Medical students in Lebanon had an overall positive attitude towards patient safety. These findings may be used to guide improvements in patient safety education and enhance patient-centred care in medical institutions in Lebanon.

Abstract Automakers spend billions of dollars annually towards warranty costs, and warranty reduction is typically high on their priorities. An accurate understanding of warranty performance plays a critical role in controlling and steering the business, and it is of crucial importance to fully understand the actual situation as well as be able to predict future performance, for example, to set up adequate financial reserves or to prioritize improvement actions based on expected forthcoming claims. Data maturation, a major nuisance causing changes in performance metrics with observation time, is one of the factors complicating warranty data analysis and typically leads to over‐optimistic conclusions. In this paper, we propose a sequence of steps, decomposing and addressing the main reasons causing data maturation. We first compensate for reporting delay effects using a Cox regression model. For the compensation of heterogeneous build quality, sales delay, and warranty expiration rushes, a constrained quadratic optimization approach is presented, and finally, a sales pattern forecast is provided to properly weigh adjusted individual warranty key performance indicators. The results are shown to dramatically improve prior modeling approaches.

Background. Bladder paraganglioma (BPG) is a very rare tumor. Case report: We report the case of a 48-year-old woman with a history of isolated hematuria. Cystoscopy showed a solid mass on the bottom of the bladder. During the intervention the patient experienced a severe hypertensive episode. BPG was then suspected. Pathology findings confirmed the diagnosis.123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scan showed a pathological tracer accumulation in the left bladder wall consistent with BPG. The patient underwent a transurethral resection of the bladder after drug preparation. The postoperative course was uneventful and our patient was normotensive. Conclusion. Diagnosis of BPG is often made on histological examination of the tumor.

Abstract Background Self-perceived temporal perspectives has been shown to vary across cultures. Although cross-cultural differences may be blurred by the globalization, accelerated pace-of-life worldwide and spread of multitasking; the way Arab individuals deal with time has its specificities. However, research in this area is scant in the Arab world. One of the main reasons for this scarcity of research is the lack of psychometrically sound and convenient-to-use measures. We aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the briefest version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZPTI-15). Methods A sample of community Arabic-speaking Adults from Lebanon (N = 423, 68.6% females, mean age 29.19 ± 12.54 years) were administered the Arabic ZPTI-15. The forward and backward translation method was adopted. Results Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) revealed that the five-factor model exhibited a good fit to the data. The five ZTPI-15 subscales yielded a McDonald’s omega ranging from 0.43 to 0.84. Multi-group CFA ascertained the invariance of the Arabic ZTPI-15 across gender at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Our findings support divergent validity of the scale by showing positive correlations between past negative, present fatalistic, present hedonistic dimensions, and psychological distress; as well as negative correlations between past positive, future focused dimensions, and distress. Conclusion The Arabic ZTPI-15 is easy-to-use, valid, reliable, and will hopefully enable the conduction of future research in the field to purposively provide comprehensive insight into the time perspective patterns and correlates in Arab countries, and the broad Arabic-speaking community globally.

This paper provides some new extreme-point robust-stability results for discrete-time polynomials with special uncertainties in the coefficient space. The proofs, obtained using the bilinear transformation, are simple, and the results specialize to existing robust-stability results.