Search

Omar A Al Omair,1 Abdallah Essa,2,3 Khaled Elzorkany,4,5 Somaia Shehab-Eldeen,2,3 Hamzah M Alarfaj,6 Sumaia M Alarfaj,7 Fatimah Alabdulqader,7 Alghaydaa Aldoughan,7 Mohammed Agha,8 Sayed I Ali,9 Ehab Darwish3,10 1Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt; 3Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases Unit, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt; 5Nephrology Unit, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 6King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 7Medical Student at the College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 8Chest Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt; 9Family Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 10Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, EgyptCorrespondence: Somaia Shehab-Eldeen, Tropical Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, 32511, Egypt, Tel +201117251523, Email Somaia.shehab@med.menofia.edu.egBackground: The emerging COVID-19 coronavirus disease has widely spread, causing a serious worldwide pandemic. Disease severity and mortality risk can be predicted using an analysis of COVID-19 clinical characteristics. Finding out what influences patients’ hospitalization length and in-hospital mortality is crucial for decision-making and planning for emergencies. The goal of this study is to identify the factors that influence hospital stay length and in-hospital death due to COVID-19 infection.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2020 and included 630 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. Using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), a multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess the variables that are linked to longer hospital stays and in-hospital deaths.Results: Most patients were male (64.3%), and most were older than 40 years (81.4%). The mean length of hospital stay (LoHS) was 10.4± 11.6 days. The overall death rate among these COVID-19 cases was 14.3%. Non-survivors were older, had more comorbidities, had prolonged LoHS with increased ICU admission rates and mechanical ventilation usage, and had a more severe condition than survivors. ICU admission, low serum albumin, and elevated LDH levels were associated with longer LoHS, while ICU admission, DM, and respiratory diseases as comorbidities, total leukocytic count, and serum albumin were predictors of mortality.Conclusion: Longer LoHS due to COVID-19 infection was linked to ICU admission, low serum albumin, and elevated LDH levels, while the independent predictors of in-hospital death were ICU admission, DM, and respiratory diseases as comorbidities, total leukocytic count, and serum albumin.Keywords: COVID-19, Saudi Arabia, hospital stay, Al-Ahsa

This research paper proposes a novel antijamming technique based on a single-relay distributed symmetric Turbo coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DSTC-OFDM) scheme. The stated scheme is incorporated with Alamouti space-time block code (STBC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) 2×2 antennas for coded-cooperative wireless communication system under wideband noise jamming environment. As a suitable benchmark for comparison, a conventional symmetric Turbo coded OFDM (STC-OFDM) scheme incorporated with Alamouti STBC-MIMO (2×2) antennas is also developed for non-cooperative wireless communication system under the same jamming environment. Moreover, both the proposed MIMO schemes are compared with the corresponding single-antenna schemes. In this research, the modulation techniques employed are binary phase-shift keying and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation while soft-demodulators are used at the destination node along with a joint iterative soft-input/soft-output decoding technique. According to the Monte Carlo simulation results, the proposed DSTC-OFDM-MIMO (coded-cooperative) scheme with Alamouti-STBC (2×2) antennas outperforms the STC-OFDM-MIMO (non-cooperative) scheme by a gain that ranges between 0.5-6 dB for different jamming scenarios in the high SNR simulated region under the same conditions, i.e., the code rates Rc = 1/3 and data frame lengths l = 512 bits for both the proposed schemes. However, in the low SNR simulated region, the STC-OFDMMIMO scheme shows similar performance as the DSTCOFDM-MIMO scheme, under identical conditions. Furthermore, the proposed distributed scheme with STBCMIMO (2×2) antennas incorporates both coding gain and cooperative diversity gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US and Mexico share a common history in many areas, including language and culture. They face ecological changes due to the increased frequency and severity of droughts and rising energy demands; trends that entail economic costs for both nations and major implications for human wellbeing. We describe an ongoing effort by the Environment Working Group (EWG), created by The University of California's UC-Mexico initiative in 2015, to promote binational research, teaching, and outreach collaborations on the implications of climate change for Mexico and California. We synthesize current knowledge about the most pressing issues related to climate change in the US-Mexico border region and provide examples of cross-border discoveries and research initiatives, highlighting the need to move forward in six broad rubrics. This and similar binational cooperation efforts can lead to improved living standards, generate a collaborative mindset among participating universities, and create an international network to address urgent sustainability challenges affecting both countries.

Bassam Al-Naami,1 Hamza Abu Owida,2 Mohammed Abu Mallouh,3 Feras Al-Naimat,2 Moh’d Agha,2 Abdel-Razzak Al-Hinnawi4 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 2Department of Medical Engineering, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan; 3Department of Mechatronics Engineering, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan; 4Faculty of Sciences, Al-Isra University, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Bassam Al-NaamiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hashemite University, PO Box 330127, Zarqa, 13133, JordanFax +962 5 3826348Email b.naami@hu.edu.joPurpose: The daily life management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) constitutes a significant and rapidly expanding health-care responsibility. In this study, an innovative prototype of a wireless-sensing smart wearable medical device (SWMD) is proposed as a multi-functions solution for Alzheimer patients. The SWMD is aimed to assemble three main biomedical engineering advances: 1) use of a Wi-Fi microcontroller, 2) simultaneous monitoring of a set of vital biomarkers, and 3) cautions of fall down conditions, in addition to GPS location indicator.Methods: The SWMD employs a Wi-Fi controller that is incorporated with electronic circuits to monitor three vital signals (temperature, heart rate, and oxygen saturation), fall down conditions in three directions (X, Y, and Z axis), and GPS location. The SWMD was connected to the Firebase Service (database hosted on the Internet Cloud). The proposed device was tested on 13 normal volunteers. The left side, right side, forward, and backward fall down conditions were assessed. The prototype’s functions during daily activity such as rising hand, sitting down or standing up, and walking conditions were also assessed.Results: The three assembled functions were all successfully incorporated to build the SWDM device as a suggested solution offering real-time alerts during daily activity to AD patients. The Bland-Altman statistical test showed no significant difference (p-value > 0.05) between the SWMD biomarkers’ acquisition and the reference methods. The gyro/accelerator sensor yielded 93% sensitivity in fall down detection and 95% specificity during daily activities. The GPS yielded correct positioning of the SWDM holder, while the internet cloud allowed saving and managing all vital biomarkers daily.Conclusion: The SWMD is a possible solution for daily life support for AD patients. It incorporates three functions in one single device, GPS location indicator, monitoring set of biomarkers, and fall down alert, which are all controlled via a Wi-Fi micro controller on-line connected to Internet Cloud. It successfully would allow the management of the daily records as well as the real-time alerts to remote persons.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, smart wearable medical device, fall down alert, Internet Cloud access, health care aids, Wi-Fi micro controller

There is little information on predator–prey interactions in wind energy landscapes in North America, especially among terrestrial vertebrates. Here, we evaluated how proximity to roads and wind turbines affect mesocarnivore visitation with desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and their burrows in a wind energy landscape. In 2013, we placed motion-sensor cameras facing the entrances of 46 active desert tortoise burrows in a 5.2-km2 wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California, USA. Cameras recorded images of 35 species of reptiles, mammals, and birds. Counts for 4 species of mesocarnivores at desert tortoise burrows increased closer to dirt roads, and decreased closer to wind turbines. Our results suggest that anthropogenic infrastructure associated with wind energy facilities could influence the general behavior of mammalian predators and their prey. Further investigation of proximate mechanisms that underlie road and wind turbine effects (i.e., ground vibrations, sound emission, and traffic volume) and on wind energy facility spatial designs (i.e., road and wind turbine configuration) could prove useful for better understanding wildlife responses to wind energy development. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

Background: Primary immune deficiency (PID) patients may develop acute or chronic pain. Pain has not been studied in this population until now. Objectives: This study systematically assessed the pain of various durations in PID patients using validated pain questionnaires. Subjects and Methods: A Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), already validated in the Arabic language, was used to ascertain the characteristics and severity of pain. Additionally, an Arabic version of the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire-Short Form (NPQ-SF) was employed to evaluate neuropathic pain in the same group of patients. Results: Forty-six patients participated in the study. The mean age of the patients was 25 years. The most commonly diagnosed PID was a common variable immune deficiency (32.6%), followed by severe combined immune deficiency (19.57%). Based on the SF-MPQ, the pain was experienced by 30.4 % of the subjects who participated in the study; 57% of whom were on regular pain medications. The most common site reported for pain was the abdomen (35.7%). The mean duration of pain was 36.1 days ± 34.6 days. The most common comorbidities in these patients were bronchiectasis, followed by immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and scoliosis. None of the PID patients had significant neuropathic pain based on NFQ-SF. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the prevalence as well as the severity and duration of pain in PID patients. There were significantly more subjects who had continuous pain. Treatment of pain in PID patients will have a significant effect on improving their quality of life.

This study aims to prepper stable thermodynamically dilutable nanoemulsion formulation of Beauveria bassiana with the lowest surfactant concentration that could improve its solubility stability. Formulations were prepared from oil in the water nanoemulsion region of phase diagrams subjected to thermodynamic stability tests. We found propanetriol was the highest germination rate at 5% and 10% concentration, 46.66 and 53.33%, respectively. Castor oil achieved a 43.00 germination rate at 1%. Tween 80 gave 54.33 % germination rate at 10%. While Tween 20 showed a 48 % germination rate at 5%. At the concentration, 1% Term 1284 gave 43.33% rate germination. Nanoemulsion composed of propanetriol and nonionic surfactants, with a mean particle size ranging from 25.08 to 75.35 nm, was formulated for various concentrations of the oils and surfactants. Water in oil emulsion was prepared using propanetriol oil, Tween 20, Tween 80, Term 1284, and water. Nanoemulsion of 25.08, 33.75, and 75.35 nm size was obtained at a 45: 15 % ratio of oil and surfactant, and it was found to be stable. The larger droplet size 75.35 nm of formulation Tween 20 and the smaller size was 25.08 nm in the formulation of Term 1284. The higher viscosity value was 16 mPas of formulation Tween 80, and the lowest value was 7.80 in the formulation of Term 1284. To demonstrate the possible employment of these systems, they were used to formulate a nanoformulation pesticide.

Construction projects are inherently complex and subject to various uncertainties and delays that can significantly impact their schedule and overall success. Delays in construction projects can arise from a multitude of factors such as weather conditions, material shortages, labor issues, or unexpected design changes. These delays not only disrupt the planned timeline but can also lead to cost overruns and conflicts among project stakeholders. An efficient construction industry is a prerequisite for the development of the construction process. In this regard, this paper aims to identify the most common, severe, and important causes of schedule delay and its effect on construction projects. Therefore, the main contribution of current study offers a systematic approach to assessing and managing risks associated with delays in construction projects. By quantifying the likelihood of different delay scenarios, project managers can make informed decisions to mitigate risks and optimize scheduling strategies. The main objective during the construction phases is to complete the project on time and within the budget and meet the set quality requirements and other specifications simultaneously. For this purpose, a framework to identify and prioritize delays and critical activities is proposed in current study and an attempt is made to implement it using the framework introduced in a real case study on the freeway projects of Iran. Accordingly, first, several delays known in free construction projects were considered using the available theoretical resources, they were then subjected to the judgment of experts employing the Delphi technique so 14 delays were identified in the first round of implementing the Delphi technique. Subsequently, a schedule was designed for freeway projects consisting of 13 activities. In the continuation of this research, a questionnaire was prepared to collect information, and 48 answer sheets were carefully completed and received by experts. Then, by running the second round of Delphi, five critical delays were selected among the identified delays, and the statistical delay functions of each of them were estimated using Decision Tools software. Then, by designing 19 scenarios, the effect of each of the critical delays in the activities was reported based on the designed scenarios. Also, for further analysis, nine and five scenarios were designed based on the most important delay factors on critical activities and two important activities, respectively; and using the PERT technique, the certain value of increase in activity time was calculated based on different probabilities. According to the reported PERT, the scenarios were prioritized in each step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global approval of the use of fluid viscous dampers to control the buildings response against dynamic loadings is growing. The idea behind incorporating additional dampers is that they will reduce most of the energy that is transmitted to the building during shaking event. The objective of this work is to identify and enhance the design parameters that control the nonlinear behaviour of fluid viscous damper subjected to sinusoidal excitation. For this, a numerical model of the flow inside the dissipater has been carried out based on finite volume method. A novel approach has been adopted to simulate elastic behaviour of the fluid, taking into account its compressibility by using the Murnaghan equation of state. A comparison between the calculations of the proposed model and the experimental tests was carried out. The model proved to be sufficiently accurate. A fluid flow analysis was then conducted to fully understand the internal mechanism of the damper. A parametric study was then performed by varying aspects such as dimensions, geometric relationships between components and fluid properties in order to better understand their effect on the non-linear behaviour of the device. The results highlight the relationship between the parameters governing the shear thinning behaviour of the fluid and the nonlinearity exponent of the damper. This makes it possible to better control the non-linear behaviour of the device by selecting the appropriate silicone oil and the appropriate geometric dimensions of its components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Palestinian adults toward different dimensions of wife abuse. A cross-sectional survey, using a combination of self-administered questionnaires and interviews, was conducted among a systematic random sample of 624 adult Palestinian men and women from the West Bank and Gaza Strip (18 years or older). Study results indicated a strong tendency to justify wife beating in different situations, such as when the wife is perceived as having an affair with another man or as physically attacking her husband. Participants considered the following acts of husband's violence against wife as most severe: using a weapon (86%), having sex with the wife against her will (67%), and hitting her with his fist (57%). The majority of participants thought that wife beating should be considered a crime (82.3%). Traditional marital role expectations was the main significant predictor for all of the study criterion variables. Gender, place of residence, age, and marital status were significant predictors of some of the criterion variables. (Contains 2 tables and 5 figures.)

Synthesis of sedimentologic, paleocurrent, and organic geochemistry data of the Lower Permian Ga’ara Formation from the Western Desert, western Iraq, shows good hydrocarbon potentiality and deposition by high sinuosity and mixed-load channels, likely by a meandering river system. The Ga’ara Formation includes kaolinitic mudstone beds of various colors and channelized quartzitic sandstone beds. Based on the lithofacies identification, five lithofacies associations have been recognized: channel-floor, point-bar, abandoned channel plug, crevasse splay, and interchannel flood basin. In addition, the paleocurrent analysis and sandstone percentage map indicate a variation of the paleoflow spatially and temporally with a general direction range between NE and Sw, and the depositional environment has been interpreted as a meandering river system. To unravel the hydrocarbon potentiality of the Ga’ara Formation deposits, Pyrolysis and TOC% analyses were conducted on selected samples. The studies indicated that the Ga’ara Formation in western Iraq could be a moderate to excellent rock source. The PCI agrees with TOC content, suggesting that the generation potentiality of the mudstones as a source rock is poor and poor to excellent. All the analyzed samples show that their hydrocarbons are indigenous. The Ga’ara mudstones of the Nijili and West Tayyarah have very good generative potential, whereas the Ubairan samples have excellent generation potentiality. The Nijili and Ubairan samples are at an early stage of oil generation, i.e., immature. In contrast, the Tayyarah sample represents a postmature phase at the end of oil generation. Collectively, these new data on spatial distribution, geologic characters, and organic geochemistry propose that the Ga’ara Formation in western Iraq could be a valuable economic asset with good hydrocarbon potentiality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): To Compare the level of knowledge about health behaviors during menstrual period between high school girls students in northern and southern part of Tehran. Methods: A randomized sampling method was employed, and 280 girls were selected from high schools in both regions (140 from each). Data were collected via a two-part questionnaire including items on demographic data and 6 sections related to the specific aims of the study. Results: The results indicated that 10.7% of the sample in the North and 10% in the South had poor knowledge and 84.3% and 87 .9% of the students in the North and in the South had average level of knowledge, respectively. Only 5% of the students in the North and 2.1 % in the South had an acceptable level of knowledge about menstrual health behavior. Conclusion: The findings suggest that high school students both in the North and in the South have poor knowledge on the topic and in general there is no significant difference between these two groups.