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Rami Al-Dwairi,1 Ahmad A Ahmad,2 Abdelwahab Aleshawi,1 Areen A Bani-Salameh,2 Ihsan A Aljarrah,2 Qais M Al-Bataineh,2,3 Seren Al Beiruti,1 Ali Omar Alshami,1 Edina Rusen,4 Gabriela Toader5 1Department of Special Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 2Department of Physics, Thin Films and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Science and Art, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan; 3Leibniz Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften‐ISAS‐e.V., Dortmund, 44139, Germany; 4Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Bucharest, 011061, Romania; 5Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, Bucharest, 050141, RomaniaCorrespondence: Rami Al-Dwairi, Department of Special Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology, P. O. Box: 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan, Tel +962799273019, Fax +962 2 7201064, Email ramialdwairi@yahoo.comObjective: Silicone oils have the role in maintaining the attachment of the retina in conditions where the risk of retinal re-detachment is high. However, silicone oils have the tendency to emulsify with subsequent complications. In this work, analyses have been performed to understand changes that occurred to the optical, and physical characteristics of the oil after removal from the vitreous cavity of patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for fibrovascular membranes/tractional retinal detachment (FVM/TRD).Methods: Four samples of silicone oil were allocated from patients who underwent PPV for FVM/TRD. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, micro-viscometry, and ultraviolet-visible spectrometer analyses were utilized to determine the changes in its chemical bondings, viscosity, absorbance, transmittance, buoyance, and specific gravity.Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.0 years. The mean duration of silicone oil implantation was 18.9 months. FTIR analysis showed significant breaking in the chemical bonding that was related to the lens status during the primary PPV, the presence of significant retinal hemorrhages, the duration of silicone oil implantation, and the degree of silicone oil filling. Similarly, viscosity and contact angle analyses revealed a reduction in the viscosity with similar factors to the FTIR analysis. Moreover, absorbance and transmittance were largely affected by the aggressiveness of FVM/TRD.Conclusion: This study revealed that certain factors such as the age of the patient, duration of silicone oil implantation, lens status, and the presence of retinal hemorrhages, the degree of silicone oil filling and aggressiveness of FVM/TRD may contribute to the emulsification process.Keywords: silicone oil, tractional retinal detachment, emulsification, viscosity

Asmaa M El-Kady,1 Mostafa I EL-Amir,2 Mohammed H Hassan,3 Khaled S Allemailem,4 Ahmad Almatroudi,4 Alzahraa Abdelraouf Ahmad5 1Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 2Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 3Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 4Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudia Arabia; 5Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, EgyptCorrespondence: Asmaa M El-KadyDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, EgyptTel +201114229741Email Asmaa.elkady@med.svu.edu.egIntroduction: Schistosomiasis is an important neglected tropical disease (NTD) in several developing countries. Praziquantel is the principle and efficacious chemotherapeutic agent that has been used to treat schistosomiasis for decades. Unfortunately, emerging resistance to praziquantel with accompanying reduced efficacy is reported in some localities. Hence, genetic diversity among parasite populations is of significant interest in assessing the effects of selective pressure generated by praziquantel therapy that might result in encouraging the emergence of new genotypes that are either non-susceptible or drug-resistant. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium among human populations using the RAPD technique to help clarify disease epidemiology and transmission.Materials and Methods: S. haematobium eggs were isolated from 50 of 134 patients from four different localities in Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. These patients complained of terminal hematuria and burning micturition. Samples were used for molecular analysis using RAPD-PCR primers (A02, A07, A09, A10).Results: Twenty S. haematobium isolates (40%) were amplified using the selected RAPD primers. Amplification patterns of these isolates showed distinct variation in the size and number of amplified fragments, indicating high genetic variation among these isolates.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the genetic diversity of S. haematobium in human populations in Upper Egypt. Future studies on a larger geographic scale involving many districts in Upper Egypt should be encouraged. Information from such a study would provide better insight into clonal lineages of S. haematobium in this endemic area. In turn, understanding transmission of the parasite may have a major role in establishing control strategies for urogenital schistosomiasis in Upper Egypt.Keywords: Schistosomiasis haematobium, RAPD, Upper Egypt, genetic diversity

Majdi M Alzoubi,1 KS Hayati,1 AM Rosliza,1 AA Ahmad,1 ZM Al-Hamdan2 1Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43400, Malaysia; 2Department of Nursing Management, Faculty of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JordanCorrespondence: KS HayatiDepartment of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43400, MalaysiaEmail hayatik@upm.edu.myBackground: Synergistic integration of predictors and elements that determine the success of total quality management (TQM) implementations in hospitals has been the bane of theoretical development in the TQM research area. Thus, this paper aims to offer a systematic literature review to provide a foundation on which research on TQM can be built and to identify the predictors of successful TQM in the health-care context.Materials and methods: A systematic literature survey was adopted in this paper, involving the review of 25 relevant researched articles found in the databases Science Direct, EBSCO, MEDLINE, CINAHL and PubMed.Result: The systematic literature survey reveals five variables to be core predictors of TQM, signifying how important these variables are in the successful implementation of TQM in the health-care context. Also, it is revealed that the identified core predictors have positive effects on an improved health-care system. However, the systematic survey of the literature reveals a dearth of studies on TQM in the health-care context.Conclusion: As TQM has become an important management approach for advancing effectiveness in the health-care sector, this kind of research is of value to researchers and managers. Stakeholders in the health sectors should introduce and implement TQM in hospitals and clinics. Nevertheless, this study has limitations, including that the databases and search engines adopted for the literature search are not exhaustive.Keywords: total quality management, total quality management implementation, health care, commitment, systematic literature review, critical success factors

Asmaa M El-kady,1 Alzahraa Abdelraouf Ahmad,2 Tasneem M Hassan,2 Heba EM El-Deek,3 Samer S Fouad,4 Sultan S Althagfan5 1Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; 2Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt; 3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt; 4Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; 5Department of Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia Introduction: Schistosomiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic infections in developing countries. Although chemotherapy is one of the main strategies in controlling the disease, it is less effective in reversal of schistosome-induced pathology especially in the chronic and advanced stages of schistosomiasis. New strategies and prospective therapeutic agents with antifibrotic effects are needed. Eugenol has a wide anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, we investigated the possible antischistosomal effect of eugenol on Schistosoma mansoni.Materials and methods: The murine model of S. mansoni was established in three groups of adult male Balb-c mice; group I (infected non-treated group) and groups II and III (infected groups) treated orally with eugenol and praziquantel (PZQ), respectively. The expression of the sensitive immunohistochemical marker α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in schistosome-infected tissues was determined. In addition, parasitological, biochemical, and histological parameters that reflect disease severity and morbidity were examined.Results: Eugenol treatment showed significant reduction in total worm burden by 19.2%; however, the oogram pattern showed no marked difference compared to that of the PZQ group. Yet, eugenol significantly reduced the serum levels of hepatic enzymes: aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. Histopathological examination revealed a significant reduction in both numbers and diameters of hepatic granulomata, which was consistent with reduction in collagen fiber deposition. Additionally, the antifibrotic effect of eugenol was validated by its considerable reduction in the expression of the sensitive marker α-SMA in both eugenol- and PZQ-treated groups.Conclusion: Although eugenol could not totally eradicate adults of S. mansoni, the significant amelioration of liver enzymes and hepatic fibrosis potentiate eugenol’s role as a promising antifibrotic and a complementary antischistosomal agent. Keywords: eugenol, Schistosoma mansoni, praziquantel, liver enzymes, hepatic stellate cells, anti-inflammatory

In this article, three novel systems for wireless sensor networks based on Alamouti decoding were investigated and then compared, which are Alamouti space–time block coding multiple-input single-output/multiple-input multiple-output multicarrier modulation (MCM) system, extended orthogonal space–time block coding multiple-input single-output MCM system, and multiple-input multiple-output system. Moreover, the proposed work is applied over multiple-input multiple-output systems rather than the conventional single-antenna orthogonal chirp division multiplexing systems, based on the discrete fractional cosine transform orthogonal chirp division multiplexing system to mitigate the effect of frequency-selective and time-varying channels, using low-complexity equalizers, specifically by ignoring the intercarrier interference coming from faraway subcarriers and using the LSMR iteration algorithm to decrease the equalization complexity, mainly with long orthogonal chirp division multiplexing symbols, such as the TV symbols. The block diagrams for the proposed systems are provided to simplify the theoretical analysis by making it easier to follow. Simulation results confirm that the proposed multiple-input multiple-output and multiple-input single-output orthogonal chirp division multiplexing systems outperform the conventional multiple-input multiple-output and multiple-input single-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems. Finally, the results show that orthogonal chirp division multiplexing exhibited a better channel energy behavior than classical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, thus improving the system performance and allowing the system to decrease the equalization complexity.

There is an interest to ensure sub-saturated water content in lines containing carbon dioxide in applications such as enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration, to reduce risks of hydrate blockage and corrosion. The water content of carbon dioxide at various temperatures and pressures has been measured in the past, but there is no consistent set of measurements that could be used for carbon dioxide storage and transportation design work. The solubility of water in a carbon dioxide rich gas phase at hydrate forming conditions was measured in this work. Pressures ranged from 12.06 to 29.30 bar along two isotherms, 1 °C and −7 °C, all within the gaseous carbon dioxide and hydrate stability zone. For the first time in these types of measurements, the solid phase was also characterized and confirmed to be carbon dioxide hydrate via X-ray computed tomography, simultaneous with water content measurements of the gas phase. Once carbon dioxide hydrate conversion had reached a maximum value (65% estimated by X-ray computed tomography), the equilibrium water content was measured. Prior to reaching this maximum carbon dioxide hydrate conversion, the water content in carbon dioxide was observed to decrease as liquid water converted to carbon dioxide hydrate. This slow conversion to hydrate, metastability of the hydrate phase, or unexpected phases may be responsible for the large discrepancy between prior data sets for similar carbon dioxide water content measurements.

Abstract Objectives To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the academic and clinical processes of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship training held by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS). Methods A cross-sectional, nationwide, survey-based study was conducted between June and December 2020. PEM program directors as well as fellowship trainees were eligible. The collected data were under the following domains: (1) sociodemographic and work-related characteristics; (2) impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient flow and PEM procedures; (3) impact on emergency skills and competence; (4) impact on academic performance; and (5) attitudes toward PEM practice and potential solutions. Monthly reports of PEM visits and procedures were also collected from program directors. Results A total of 11 PEM program directors and 42 fellows responded. During the pandemic, the number of total ED visits decreased by 70.1%, ED inpatient admissions fell by 57.3%, and the number of intraosseous need insertion and lumbar puncture procedures fell by 76.7% and 62.3%, respectively; the temporal differences in the median frequencies were statistically significant. The pandemic has influenced the knowledge acquisition and leadership skills of one-third of program directors (36.4% and 27.3%, respectively) and the skills and competence of fellows (31.0%). The majority of directors and fellows showed that online classes/webinars were useful (100% and 95.2%, respectively), and there was no need to extend the current fellowship training to compensate for learning deficits (62.7% and 78.6%, respectively). The importance of dedicated modalities to fill in the training gap increased by 62.5% of program directors and 35.7% of fellows. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on clinical procedures and academic activities in the PEM fellowship program. The impact was consistently perceived across PEM program directors and fellows. Technology-driven solutions are warranted to mitigate the expected learning and clinical deficits due to reduced clinical exposure.

This study aims to describe and determine students' abilities to solve mathematical problems that focus on visual and auditory learning styles. Subjects are eighth-grade students from junior high school in Bulukumba district. This research is descriptive qualitative, which seeks to determine and describe the mathematical problem solving ability in terms of student learning styles. Data is collected using questionnaires, tests, and interviews. The use of questionnaires describes visual learning styles and auditory learning styles. Two numbers of the test determine mathematics problem solving ability in Polya's step, and interviews confirm mathematics problem solving ability. The data analysis techniques are reduction, presentation, and verification. Based on the results, the first subject with a visual learning style can fulfill all the indicators of Polya's steps, but another one is just three indicators. The first subject with an auditory learning style can meet all Polya's steps, but the other can fulfill three indicators.

Aim and Background: Intimacy is a key and important property of a marital relationship and a distinguished attribute of a successful marriage. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of the couple relationship enrichment by Olson’s method on the increase in the marital intimacy of couples. Methods and Materials: The present study was methodologically quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with a 45-day follow-up. The statistical population was 30 couples from Farsan city and its suburb in 2018. The sample of the present study comprised 20 couples voluntarily selected from the couples in Farsan city and its suburb according to a call on educational-counseling courses. The experimental group received the couple relationship enrichment training by Olson’s method for 7 sessions. The control group was also in the waiting list. To collect data, we employed Bagharouzi’s Marital Intimacy Questionnaire. To analyze the data, we used a mixed-ANOVA test. Findings: The results revealed that the couple relationship enrichment by Olson’s method was effective in increasing the marital intimacy of couples in Farsan city (p

One of the problems of today's organizations is the occurrence of aggressive and bullying behaviours in the organization. These behaviours’ affect both the performance of organizations and the interpersonal relationships and the spirit of cooperation of employees; Therefore, the study of organizational bullying in recent years has attracted the attention of many researchers. In order to investigate the factors affecting organizational bullying, in this study, the role of ethical leadership and the voice of employee in reducing organizational bullying is studied. The current research is empirical survey method. The current study was conducted in 2018 and the sample population of this study were 168 nurses and staff of Mehregan Hospital in Mashhad city. The main tools for data collection were standard questionnaires for each of the research variables. Analysis of data based on structural equation modelling indicates that ethical leadership leads to a reduction in organizational bullying and an increase in voice of employee. But, voice of employee voice does not have a significant effect on reducing organizational bullying. The results of the current study show that a greater focus on ethical leadership in the organization can help reduce bullying. Current research adds to existing knowledge in the field of healthcare management and provides a better understanding of the phenomenon of organizational bullying