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Abstract Objective The study aims to explore the perceived outcomes of Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) reforms on autonomy and overall performance within tertiary healthcare institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Pakistan. Methodology A cross-sectional study was carried out from September 2023 to March 2024, involving interviews with frontline staff, administrative personnel, and senior management within MTI-affiliated institutions. The methodology employed, using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. Results The study showed that institutional staff members’ knowledge and understanding of the MTI changes differed. Some observed very minor adjustments, while others saw advances in hospital operations and service delivery. Administrative complexity, political meddling, and resource allocation problems were noted as challenges. Positive results were also observed, though, and they included improved infrastructure, possibilities for staff training, and decision-making procedures. Conclusion Despite significant improved, there are still challenges, such as inconsistent staff comprehension, mixed impacts on service delivery, resource allocation issues, and political meddling. Addressing these issues necessitates improved communication, continuous evaluation, and coordinated efforts to improve administrative systems and obtain consistent funding.

SGIP1 encodes a protein Src homology 3-domain growth factor receptor-bound 2-like endophilin interacting protein 1. It is involved in the regulation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis along with having a role in energy homeostasis in neuronal systems. We generated an isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line with a biallelic frameshift variant in SGIP1. This exon has been shown to be subject to alternative splicing, leading to an isoform lacking 24 amino acids that are present in the longest SGIP isoform. The newly generated iPSC line will be helpful to dissect the differential properties of the two SGIP isoforms.

Decades of conflict, political instability, and limited infrastructure left Somalia facing significant challenges to offer consistent and equitable health services, especially for child vaccination. Recent data reveals alarming vaccination gaps, with 60% of children receiving no vaccinations, and only 11% completing required vaccines. Despite global support, an estimated 1.15 million children remain unvaccinated, half of them reside in inaccessible areas controlled by non-state armed actors. In this context, the Far-Reaching Integrated Delivery (FARID) project was initiated since October 2022 across 10 districts of Galmudug and Hirshabelle state in Somalia. Employing the ‘Health Camp’ model, FARID addresses social, structural, and gender barriers, adapting to ever-changing context of inaccessible regions by providing mobile health facilities and outreach health and nutrition services, including child vaccination. This approach effectively reached previously unreached population in Somalia’s most difficult-to-reach areas. Implemented in phases, the project immunized 51,168 children (0–23 months) who had not received any prior vaccinations (23,753 boys and 27,415 girls), screened and treated 14,158 malnourished children (0–59 months) and vaccinated 11,672 pregnant women during March–December 2023. The project’s success hinges on intensive community engagement, local partnerships, innovation in mapping and data management, and delivery of integrated services tailored to population needs. The project underscores the critical role of local community-based organizations and clan elders in reaching inaccessible populations through humanitarian negotiation amidst security challenges. The project has achieved significant milestones aligned with national health strategic plans, including progress towards universal health coverage and improved immunization access in Somalia’s most challenging regions.

Intellectual disability (ID) is a diverse neurodevelopmental condition and almost half of the cases have a genetic etiology. SGIP1 acts as an endocytic protein that influences the signaling of receptors in neuronal systems related to energy homeostasis through its interaction with endophilins. This study focuses on the generation and characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from two unrelated patients due to a frameshift variant (c.764dupA, NM_032291.4) and a splice donor site variant (c.74 + 1G > A, NM_032291.4) in the SGIP1 gene.

الملخص: أهداف البحث: يعد الأداء المعرفي المنخفض مصدر قلق رئيسي بين أطفال الصيادين في ماليزيا. وبالتالي، هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى تقييم المدخول الغذائي، والحالة التغذوية، والنشاط البدني، والحالة الاجتماعية والاقتصادية، وربطها بالأداء المعرفي لأطفال الصيادين في تيرينجانو، ماليزيا. لقد بحثنا أيضا في المخاطر المرتبطة بالأداء المعرفي المنخفض. طريقة البحث: شملت هذه الدراسة المقطعية 94 طفلا تتراوح أعمارهم بين 7-11 سنة في تيرينجانو. تم تقييم كفاية النظام الغذائي باستخدام استرجاع النظام الغذائي لمدة 24 ساعة. تم تقييم القياسات الأنثروبومترية عن طريق حساب مؤشر كتلة الجسم للعمر والطول مقابل العمر. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تم إجراء اختبار متوسط اليود البولي لتحديد تركيز اليود. تم قياس النشاط البدني باستخدام استبيان النشاط البدني للأطفال. تم استخدام مصفوفات رافين التقدمية الملونة لتحديد الأداء المعرفي. تم إجراء الانحدار اللوجستي ذو الحدين على العوامل التي كانت مرتبطة بالأداء المعرفي لتحديد العوامل الأكثر تأثيرا على الأداء المعرفي. النتائج: حصل أطفال الصيادين على جميع العناصر الغذائية التي يحتاجونها بشكل كافٍ باستثناء الدهون والألياف الغذائية والثيامين وحمض الفوليك وفيتامين ج وفيتامين هـ والكالسيوم والزنك والبوتاسيوم. معظم الأطفال لديهم مؤشر كتلة الجسم الطبيعي بالنسبة للعمر (الوسيط=-0,86) والطول بالنسبة للعمر (الوسيط=83,9). ومع ذلك، فإن أكثر من نصفهم يعانون من نقص اليود .16٪ من أطفال الصيادين لديهم مستوى نشاط بدني منخفض ويصنف أدائهم المعرفي على أنه متوسط درجات منخفض.أظهر المستوى التعليمي للأم، مؤشر كتلة الجسم للعمر، البروتين، والنياسين، علاقات مهمة مع الأداء المعرفي. من بين هذه المتغيرات، كان مؤشر كتلة الجسم للعمر والربيع الرابع في تناول البروتين كانت عوامل الخطر المهمة لانخفاض الأداء المعرفي بين أطفال الصيادين في تيرينجانو. الاستنتاجات: يعد النظام الغذائي المتوازن وأنماط الحياة الصحية أمرا ضروريا للنمو المعرفي للطفل. وبالتالي، ينصح بالتدخلات التي تؤكد على تعزيز أنماط الحياة الصحية التي تركز بشكل خاص على مؤشر كتلة الجسم بالنسبة للعمر وتناول البروتين. Abstract: Objectives: Low cognitive performance is a major concern among fishermen's children in Malaysia. Thus, this study was aimed at assessing dietary intake, nutritional status, physical activity, and socio-economic status, and their associations with cognitive performance among fishermen's children in Terengganu, Malaysia. We also investigated the risk associated with low cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 94 children 7–11 years of age in Terengganu. Dietary adequacy was assessed with two 24-h dietary recall surveys. Anthropometric measurements were assessed by calculation of the body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-score and height-for-age Z-score. In addition, median urinary iodine tests were conducted to determine iodine concentrations. Physical activity was measured with the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C). Raven's coloured progressive matrices were used to determine cognitive performance. Binominal logistic regressions were performed on factors associated with cognitive performance, to identify the risk factors with the strongest association with cognitive performance. Results: The children of fishermen had adequate intake of all necessary nutrients except for fat, dietary fibre, thiamine, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, and potassium. Most of the children had normal BMI-for-age [median = −0.86 (2.11)] and height-for-age (mean = −1.01 ± 1.03). However, more than half had iodine deficiency [median = 83.9 (102)]. In addition, 16% had low physical activity levels, and their cognitive performance was classified with a low average score [median = 80.0 (21.0)]. The mother's education level (p = 0.037), children's BMI-for-age (p = 0.012), protein (p = 0.020), and niacin (p = 0.032), exhibited significant relationships with cognitive performance (p

Background: Recognizing the scarcity of data on caffeine consumption among university students in Malaysia, this study was designed to first characterize the habitual caffeine intake within this group. This study further investigated the potential association between these caffeine consumption patterns and sleep quality and mental health status. Methodology: The study employed an online self-administered questionnaire to assess habitual caffeine intake from various products. Sleep quality and mental health were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), respectively. Results: 78% of the respondents consumed caffeinated products daily within the safe level recommended by the European Food Safety Authority (£400mg/day). Only 2.6% of the students consumed caffeine exceeding the recommended limit. The median total daily caffeine intake was 100mg/day. Most students had poor sleep quality (77.3%), with 43.5%, 49.5%, and 33.0% reporting varying levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Odds ratio calculations revealed respondents consuming less than or more than 400 mg/day of caffeine did not show significantly different odds of poor sleep quality, depression, anxiety, or stress compared to non-consumers. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for further localized research on caffeine's effects among Malaysian university students regarding caffeine consumption, sleep, and mental health.

In a world where some regions are directly experiencing the effects of the climate change, while others are more vulnerable; this article dives into the deep and frequently catastrophic impact of the climate change on vulnerable countries. This review emphasizes the need for transdisciplinary academic collaboration, including social scientists, healthcare professionals, engineers, policy experts, and climate scientists, and underscores academia’s potential role in advancing climate-resilient health systems in these areas. The study promotes inclusive research that prioritizes at-risk groups, involves communities, and supports culturally sensible methodologies. Beyond their traditional tasks, academia has an obligation for action, learning, innovation, and change. To address the complex health concerns brought on by the planetary crisis, collaboration across academic fields and in tandem with communities, governments, and international organizations is crucial. Ongoing collaboration between academia, governments, and stakeholders is crucial to developing healthcare systems and technologies that are climate resilient. The complex role of academia involves developing pioneering solutions in healthcare for a sustainable future, advocating for policies based on evidence, and educating the next generation of professionals.

BackgroundDespite the established effectiveness of the BNT162b2 Vaccine, the novel technology demands careful safety monitoring. While global studies have explored its safety, local data remains limited and exhibits some variability. This study investigated short-term side effects among BNT162b2 vaccinated individuals in Qatar.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using data extracted from the electronic health records of individuals aged 18 or older across 8 primary health centers who received either the first or second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine during the period from December 23, 2020, to April 24, 2021. The proportions of individuals experiencing short-term side effects after each dose were calculated. Logistic regression and log binomial regression analyses were used to explore associations with the side effects.ResultsAmong 7,764 participants, 5,489 received the first dose and 2,275 the second, with similar demographics between the groups. After the first dose, 5.5% reported at least one local side effect, compared to 3.9% after the second, with a 1.4 times higher incidence after the first dose (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.14–1.75) compared to the second. Systemic side effects after the second dose were 2.6 times more common than after the first (RR 2.6, 95% CI 2.15–3.14). Gender, nationality, history of prior COVID-19 infection, and obesity were significantly associated with side effects after the first dose, while age, gender, and nationality, were significant factors after the second dose.ConclusionThe rates of side effects following the BNT162b2 vaccine in Qatar were relatively low, with age, gender, nationality, previous infection, and obesity identified as significant predictors. These results emphasize the need for tailored vaccination strategies and contributes valuable insights for evidence-based decision-making in ongoing and future vaccination campaigns.

The psychological significance of embroidery stitches is considered one of the most important factors that affect the building of personality, especially children. The clothing is the first basis on which this brick is built.Therefore, the research experiment was based on determining what are the psychological implications of the colors of hand embroidery stitches by unleashing renewed thinking during the implementation of children’s clothing with stitches Diverse embroidery and displaying these clothes to expert professors specialized in the fields of clothing, textiles, art education and psychology. The objective of the research experiment is to identify the psychological implications of hand embroidery stitches and their effect on the child when implemented on children's clothing. The research experiment was applied to a number of (25) executed pieces and embroidered them in a distinct and technical manner, then the executed pieces were judged by specialized professors through an evaluation card for the executed pieces.The results of the research experiment indicated achieving proportionality between the shape and the floor and fixing the color of the floor, which led to achieving balance, unity and sovereignty in the designs proposed for implementation, which confirms the significance of the stitches used as decorative units to enrich the aesthetic aspect of the executed clothes, and that the availability of color homogeneity and the employment of some stitches in the style of the symbol in a degree High, which confirms the hypotheses of the study. The results were also good in some designs, which indicates the acceptance of the idea by the professors specialized in the field of psychology, clothing and textiles, to translate the stitches of some hand embroidery stitches into plastic designs for decorating children's clothes in an image that fits the spirit of the age

Decentralized energy generation systems based on renewable sources have significant potential to assist in the sustainable development of developing countries. The small-scale integration of hybrid renewable energy systems in off-grid communities has not been thoroughly researched. The primary objective is to develop a preliminary design for a PV/biogas hybrid system that can meet the energy needs of an off-grid community center. A survey was conducted to calculate the energy demands of an off-grid community center and a hybrid renewable system has been designed to supply the electricity. The optimum designed system is evaluated by the PVSYST simulation software and SuperPro Designer software. The annual production of the PV system is 34428 kWh/year, specific production is 1118 kWh/kWp/year, and the performance ratio is 81.72%. All the factors that contribute to energy loss are considered in designing a PV system. The average operating efficiency of the inverter is 92.6%, and global inverter losses are 2752.4 kWh. The biogas simulation findings show an adequate match with the composition of conventional biogas and contains 89.64% methane and 5.99% carbon dioxide content. Two sensitivity analyses of biogas based on hydraulic retention time and moisture content have been performed. Measurements readings of hourly data are used to analyse the performance of PV, biogas system as well as the hybrid system performance. At day time, the maximum power generation of the hybrid PV/Biogas and the maximum load demand of the community at that time are 25.2 kW and 24.31 kW, respectively. At night time, the maximum power generation of the hybrid system and the maximum load demand are 9 kW and 8.3 kW, respectively. The power factor (PF) of the system fluctuates between 0.92 and 0.98 and the frequency of the system is constant at 50 HZ.

Abstract Objectives To explore the patterns, trends, nature, and extent of changes in sickness absence among health care workers (HCWs) at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar-during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years and uncover the main associated factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of all sick leaves’ records of PHCC HCWs regardless of their profession from January 2019 till August 2021. Results A total of 41,132 sick leaves were taken during the studied period. The majority of HCWs who availed sick leaves were between 30–39 years (45.9%), females (65.1%), and expatriates (65.1%). Compared with pre-COVID-19 (Jan 2019-Feb 2020), Wave 1 of COVID-19 had significantly less incidence of sick leaves per day per 1000 HCWs. While wave 2 had significantly higher incidence of sick leaves compared to both pre-COVID-19 and wave 1. The number of sick leaves per person among female HCWs was significantly higher than that of male HCWs. Moreover, the number of sick leaves per person among locals were about two times the number among expatriate HCWs. Physicians and nurses had significantly lower number of sick leave per person compared to other professions. The rates of sick leaves due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, back/neck pain and gastroenteritis were significantly higher in the second wave compared to the first wave of COVID-19. Conclusion Overall and cause specific sick leave rates among HCWs varied significantly across different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related sick leave rate was higher during the second wave compared to first one. By addressing the root causes of sick leaves, it is possible to reduce the burden on HCWs and ensure their continued ability to provide essential care to those in need.

Objective: Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). This study was conducted to assess the QOL and coping strategies of parents of children with ASD in Oman. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Al-Masarra psychiatric hospital. Telephone interviews were conducted with the parents of all children diagnosed with ASD and attending Al-Masarra Hospital between January 2018 and October 2021. Data were collected using the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-Brief. Results: A total of 304 parents participated in the study (response rate: 100%), of which 59.5% were female. The mean age of the parents and children with ASD was 40.4±6.9 and 8.4 ±2.3 years, respectively. Most children with ASD were male (78.3%) and entirely dependent upon their parents (18.1%). Seeking social support was the most common coping strategy (75.53 ±13.99), while escape avoidance was the least common (51.78 ±8.04). Most parents (48.7%) rated their QOL as good to very good, with acceptable scores in the psychological (70.92 ±11.22) and social (73.27 ±11.46) domains, borderline in the physical health domain (63.51±7.77), and poor in the environmental domain (58.31 ±11.00). Conclusions: Omani parents of children with ASD utilize various coping strategies, with coping skills considered a positive index for mental health in general. No significant differences were observed between Omani fathers and mothers in terms of QOL or coping strategies.

Objectives To externally validate a recently developed cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk model for Omanis with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Design Retrospective cohort study.Setting Nine primary care centres in Muscat Governorate, Oman.Participants A total of 809 male and female adult Omani patients with T2DM free of CVD at baseline were selected using a systematic random sampling strategy.Outcome measures Data regarding CVD risk factors and outcomes were collected from the patients’ electronic medical records between 29 August 2020 and 2 May 2021. The ability of the model to discriminate CVD risk was assessed by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Calibration of the model was evaluated using a Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 test and the Brier score.Results The incidence of CVD events over the 5-year follow-up period was 4.6%, with myocardial infarction being most frequent (48.6%), followed by peripheral arterial disease (27%) and non-fatal stroke (21.6%). A cut-off risk value of 11.8% demonstrated good sensitivity (67.6%) and specificity (66.5%). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.7 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.78) and the Brier score was 0.01. However, the overall mean predicted risk was greater than the overall observed risk (11.8% vs 4.6%) and the calibration graph showed a relatively significant difference between predicted and observed risk levels in different subgroups.Conclusions Although the model slightly overestimated the CVD risk, it demonstrated good discrimination. Recalibration of the model is required, after which it has the potential to be applied to patients presenting to diabetic care centres elsewhere in Oman.

This paper proposes a neural networks predistorter based on the bidirectional long-short-term memory (BiLSTM) structure. The proposed predistorter was trained while ensuring that it captures the full intrinsic behavior of the device under test including its memory effects and nonlinear distortions. For this purpose, the device under test was characterized while operating at peak power level with a test signal that emulates strong memory effects. Extensive experimental validation carried on a commercial Gallium Nitride power amplifier prototype demonstrated the ability of the proposed predistorter to maintain standard compliant adjacent channel leakage ratio over a wide range of operating conditions including operating average power, signal bandwidth, and carriers’ configurations. It has been shown that a digital predistorter (DPD) derived from one single training condition was able to linearize the device under test for 72 different test conditions with signal bandwidths between 10MHz and 40MHz, and an operating power range of 5dB. Furthermore, benchmarking results showed that the BiLSTM DPD is unable to maintain satisfactory performance when trained with a sub-optimal signal which does not emulate the full behavior of the device under test. Moreover, it has been shown that the use of the optimal characterization signal along with a generalized memory polynomial predistorter does not lead to satisfactory performance. Hence, the resilience of the predistorter is obtained by combining the suitable model structure along with the appropriate training approach. Such resilient DPD presents a paradigm shift in predistortion techniques which significantly minimizes the need for update. It is anticipated that this work will pave the road for a new generation of DPDs resilient to a wide range of operating conditions.

The deployment of a millimeter wave over a short path is one of the keys to enabling technologies for the next generation of wireless communication systems. Path loss (PL) is the most important parameter to indicate the performance of the mm-wave wireless channel. However, the accuracy and efficiency of each model are limited to characterize path loss for an environment that is different in terms of weather conditions and geographical arrangement from that for which they have been designed. This paper analyzed path loss for accurate signal estimation in Malaysia based on outdoor microcellular at 38GHz on a 300 m path length. The impact of rain attenuation on path loss, path loss exponent (PLE), and shadow fading (SF) have been investigated. This paper also presents two-channel models utilized for simulations in terms of the outdoor Large-Scale Path Loss, the statistical spatial channel model NYUSIM (version 2) developed in 2019 by New York University (NYU) and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TR 38.900 Release 14 channel mode. Even though the CI and 3GPP models are accurate and suitable in the area where the measurement campaign was carried out in the temperate climate and must need modification for different regions, such as tropical climate. The underestimation can be interpreted because of the difference in AF's attenuation factors (pressure, humidity, temperature, rain rate) calculated by the CI model in the NYUSIM simulations and the attenuation factor (AF) obtained from measurement data. The NYUSIM channel model better estimated the measured data of path loss compared with 3GPP. Thus, the CI model is suitable for outdoor environments.

Introduction: Traditional thoracolumbosacral orthosis fabrication involves truncal casting (traditionally fabricated [TF] Wilmington brace [WB]), whereas the newer Chêneau-style brace (computer-aided design [CAD]) involves three-dimensional truncal scanning technology. We sought to evaluate how these two brace styles affect the position of the spine in the coronal and sagittal plane. Materials and Methods: Inclusion criteria included adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treated with WB or CAD Chêneau-style brace, major curve Cobb angle 20°–45°, age 10–15 years, Risser 0–3, and radiographs (prebrace and in-brace posteroanterior and lateral). Analysis included 28 CAD Chêneau-style braces and 56 WB patients. Results: There was no difference between groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, major curve location, major curve degree, sagittal plane curvature, and pelvic parameters. In-brace analysis demonstrated decreased sagittal plane curvatures and increased T1 pelvic angle in both groups; both had significantly reduced major curve correction. Coronal plane major curve correction ratio of the two groups was similar (P = 0.236). In the CAD Chêneau-style brace group, the thoracolumbar junction became more kyphotic (P = 0.03). In the WB group, both coronal balance and thoracic trunk shift were leftward (P = 0.001). Both groups had a significant increase in T1 pelvic angle, but this increase was higher in the CAD Chêneau-style brace group (P = 0.045). Conclusions: Both braces exert a flattening effect on the spine and positive global sagittal balance. Coronal plane major curve correction was similar for both groups. Coronal plane trunk shift and C7 coronal balance were significantly changed leftward after WB application. Kyphotic thoracolumbar transition and forward tilt of the spine (T1 pelvic angle) were significantly greater in CAD Chêneau-style brace than WB. Clinical Relevance: A Chêneau-style brace fabricated with CAD/computer-aided manufacturing technology can produce a brace comparable to one fabricated by traditional methods using cast molding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To share the results of a national screening program for amblyopia in school children in the north of Jordan. METHODS: This is a prospective national screening study for amblyopia. The program rolls first and second-grade children (6 to 7 years old) in the north of Jordan. The eye examination included: best-corrected visual acuity, cover-uncover test, and cycloplegic retinoscopy. Monocular visual acuity was tested using an ETDRS visual acuity chart without correction. Moreover, children were tested with full cycloplegic refraction when the test criteria were met. Unilateral amblyopia was defined as a best-corrected visual acuity difference of 2 or more lines. In comparison, bilateral amblyopia was defined as a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in the best eye. RESULTS: The prevalence of amblyopia for the total sample tested (n=17 203) was 2.78% (n=479). The most common cause of amblyopia was hypermetropia (64.45%), followed by previous ocular surgeries (15.1%), myopia (10.43%), strabismus (9.39%), and congenital cataract (0.63%). CONCLUSION: This is the first and only study, identi?ng modifiable risk factors in Jordanian children with amblyopia. In their first couple of years of elementary education, many Jordanian children are affected by amblyopia and pass unnoticed. A more governmental effort is needed into screening programs to improve vision in the Jordanian population.

Recent studies on e-feedback have answered many questions concerning the effectiveness of e-feedback in educational and non-educational sectors. They stated clearly that e-feedback is efficient and practical. From both teachers’ and students’ perspectives, e-feedback has influenced their learning and teaching environment effectively. It is a good technique to personalize the learning strategies. Based on the previous assumption, this study aims at exploring the effectiveness of e-feedback in an educational environment taking into consideration the TAM model and the external factors of trustworthiness and enjoyment. The data is collected by an online questionnaire that was distributed among a group of students. Facilitating communication among teachers and students. It helps in replacing the traditional feedback and assess the learning environment during the pandemic periods. The two constructs of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness affect positively the intention to use the e-feedback and initiates this type of feedback as a prominent procedure to be used frequently in the learning environment. In addition, the perceived enjoyment and perceived trustworthiness increase the chance of using e-feedback. Recently, e-feedback is highly dominant among online platform users.

The impact of atmospheric attenuation on wireless communication links is much more severe and complicated in tropical regions. That is due to the extreme temperatures, intense humidity, foliage and higher precipitation rain rates with large raindrop sizes. This paper investigates the propagation of the mm-waves at the 38 GHz link based on real measurement data collected from outdoor microcellular systems in Malaysia. The rainfall rate and received signal level have been measured simultaneously in 1-minute time intervals for one year over a 300 m path length. The rain attenuation distributions at different percentages of exceedance time have been compared with the modified distance factor of the ITU-R P.530-17 model. The average link availability calculated with the measured rain rates has been analysed. Additionally, the key propagation channel parameters such as the path loss, path loss exponent, Rician K-factor, root mean square, delay spread and received power have been investigated considering the rain attenuation. These propagation channel parameters have been analysed using MATLAB software and explained with the help of the latest NYUSIM channel model software package (Version 2.0). The analysis results have been classified considering rain attenuation, antenna setup, link distances, antenna height and antenna gain. The outcomes revealed that the rain fade predicted by applying the modified distance factor provides high consistency with the measured fade in Malaysia and several available measurements from different locations. The large-scale path loss model in the NYUSIM simulation result was around 126.23 dB by considering the rain attenuation effects on the 300m path length. This work shows that the NYUSIM channel model offers more accurate rendering results of path loss for omnidirectional and directional antenna transmissions without rain fade. This study proves that the ability to provide good coverage and ultra-reliable communication for outdoor and outdoor-to-indoor applications during rain in tropical regions must be sufficiently addressed.

Indicators are being used in many agricultural sustainability assessment methods, but disputes about a common indicator for the definition of sustainability have resulted in so many various indicators and methods of measurement. The objective of this review is to provide a bibliometric analysis of sustainability pillars and indicators that has been widely applied. In addition, this paper evaluates the impact of pillars and indicators on scientific research through the analysis of their citation and trend. Using Scopus database, a total of 30 articles have been selected. The search revealed more than 500 indicators, and the top 3 indicators of each pillar which were considered in 7 articles or more are (soil erosion, crop diversity and pesticides) for environmental pillar, (education and training) for social pillar are and (Profitability, productivity and farm income) for economic pillar. Results showed that the environmental pillar is the most tackled in terms of the number of articles (n=22) and the most cited with a mean citation of about 60. The pesticide is the oldest indicator in terms of its average year of publication in 2011, the most cited indicator of more than 250 in 2005 and has the highest mean citation of about 42. The least cited indicators are farm income and training with less than 10 mean citation. Nowadays, the economic pillar is considered one of the most discussed and widely implemented with a total of 7 published articles in 2020.

Objective Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). This study was conducted to assess the QOL and coping strategies of parents of children with ASD in Oman. Method This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Al-Masarra psychiatric hospital. Telephone interviews were conducted with the parents of all children diagnosed with ASD and attending Al-Masarra Hospital between January 2018 and October 2021. Data were collected using the Ways of Coping Checklist-Revised and World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-Brief. Results A total of 304 parents participated in the study (response rate: 100%), of which 59.5% were female. The mean age of the parents and children with ASD was 40.4 ± 6.9 and 8.4 ± 2.3 years, respectively. Most children with ASD were male (78.3%) and entirely dependent upon their parents (18.1%). Seeking social support was the most common coping strategy (75.53 ± 13.99), while escape avoidance was the least common (51.78 ± 8.04). Most parents (48.7%) rated their QOL as good to very good, with acceptable scores in the psychological (70.92 ± 11.22) and social (73.27 ± 11.46) domains, borderline in the physical health domain (63.51 ± 7.77), and poor in the environmental domain (58.31 ± 11.00). Conclusions Omani parents of children with ASD utilize various coping strategies, with coping skills considered a positive index for mental health in general. No significant differences were observed between Omani fathers and mothers in terms of QOL or coping strategies.

Let A be a prime *-algebra. A product defined as U•V=UV∗+VU∗ for any U,V∈A, is called a bi-skew Jordan product. A map ξ:A→A, defined as ξpnU1,U2,⋯,Un=∑k=1npnU1,U2,...,Uk−1,ξ(Uk),Uk+1,⋯,Un for all U1,U2,...,Un∈A, is called a non-linear bi-skew Jordan n-derivation. In this article, it is shown that ξ is an additive ∗-derivation.

Group actions are a valuable tool for investigating the symmetry and automorphism features of rings. The concept of fuzzy ideals in rings has been expanded with the introduction of fuzzy primary, weak primary, and semiprimary ideals. This paper explores the existence of fuzzy ideals that are semiprimary but neither weak primary nor primary. Furthermore, it defines a group action on a fuzzy ideal and examines the properties of fuzzy ideals and their level cuts under this group action. In fact, it aims to investigate the relationship between fuzzy semiprimary ideals and the radical of fuzzy ideals under group action. Additionally, it includes the results related to the radical of fuzzy ideals and fuzzy G-semiprimary ideals. Moreover, the preservation of the image and inverse image of a fuzzy G-semiprimary ideal of a ring R under certain conditions is also studied. It delves into the algebraic nature of fuzzy ideals and the radical under G-homomorphism of fuzzy ideals.

Flat reinforced concrete (RC) slabs or plates are still widely used in buildings and are most popular in single or multiple story floor construction systems. This is due to the ease and speed of implementation as well as the continuous smoothness that is provided in relation to the locations of members. Flat slab systems have an inadequate shear strength in both directions. Thus, they are subjected to a shear failure at their intersections with columns, which results in the collapse of a larger part of the structure. Shear failure occurs due to many reasons including changing the functions of the facility, the technical errors in the design and implementation procedures, an increase in the load, deterioration of materials, and poor quality. The carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets/strips and glass fiber reinforced concrete polymer (GFRP) are used as a composite section formulated when there is a structural deficiency. Strengthening by using CFRP and GFRP provide an improvement in the punching shear resistance in both directions as well as flexural strength, ductility, and hardness. They are more suitable for a practical use as a substitute for other costly and difficult approaches such as increase the cross-sectional area of columns and so on. This paper reviews the up to date studies of enhancing the shear resistance of flat slabs by CFRP/GFRP and discusses the used materials for strengthening flat slabs and the used methods, which are used to implement these materials. Also, a summary for the cited studies are stated and the possible future works are suggested.

Abstract Introduction COVID-19 transmission was significant amongst Qatar’s working population during the March–July 2020 outbreak. The study aimed to estimate the risk of exposure for COVID-19 across various workplace settings and demographics in the State of Qatar. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing surveillance data of all workplaces with 10 or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. These workplaces were categorized using a mapping table adapted from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, 2017 version. The data was then analyzed to estimate and compare the positivity rate as an indicator of the risk of developing COVID-19 infection across various workplace settings in the State of Qatar. Results The highest positivity rate was reported amongst the Construction & Related (40.0%) and the Retail & Wholesale Trade sectors (40.0%), whereas, the lowest positivity rate was attributed to the healthcare workplace setting (11.0%). The highest incidence of COVID-19 infections occurred in South Asian nationalities and in the male gender. The private funded sector employees have seen higher positivity rate than employees of the governmental funded sector. Conclusion The elevated risk of infection in Construction and Retail & Wholesale Trade is probably due to environmental and educational vulnerabilities. The predominant labor force of those workplace categories is South Asian craft and male manual workers. Alternatively, the better containment of the healthcare workplace setting can be attributed to the enforcement of infection control and occupational safety measures. These findings imply the importance of using preventive and surveillance strategies for high-risk workplace settings appropriately.

The rate of adoption of e-learning has increased significantly in most higher education institutions in the world. E-learning refers to the use of electronic media, educational technology, also; information and communication technology (ICT) in the educational process. The aim for adopting e-learning is to provide students with educational services via the use of ICT. Thus, students can access educational resources from anywhere and at any time. However, the successful implementation of e-learning relies on the readiness to be able to initiate this system because, without proper readiness, the project will probably fail. E-learning readiness refers to the assessment of how ready an institution is to adopt and implement an e-learning project. One of the most important aspects of e-learning readiness is the technological aspect, which plays an important role in implementing an effective and efficient e-learning system. There is currently a lack of arguments concerning the factors that shape the technological aspect of e-learning readiness. The focus of this study is concentrated on the technological aspect of e-learning readiness. A model is proposed which includes eight technological factors, specifically: Software; Hardware; Connectivity; Security; Flexibility of the system; Technical Skills and Support; cloud computing; and Data center. A quantitative study was conducted at six Malaysian public universities, with survey responses from 374 Academic staff members who use e-learning. The empirical study confirmed that seven of the technological factors have a significant effect on e-learning readiness, while one factor (cloud computing) has not yet had a significant impact on e-learning readiness.

E-learning is an educational method which aims to provide educational or training programs for students or trainees at any time and at any place using information and communication technology (ICT). Increasing numbers of higher education institutions have adopted e-learning in order to take advantage of the opportunities that it offers. Through e-learning, learners can access resources and information from anywhere and at any time. However, the successful implementation of e-learning relies on the readiness to be able to initiate this system because, without proper readiness, the project will probably fail. E-learning readiness refers to the assessment of how ready an institution is to adopt and implement e-learning. E-learning readiness helps higher education institutions to measure their stages of readiness, identify any gaps, and then redesign its strategy in order to adopt the e-learning system. One of the most important aspects of e-learning readiness is the technological aspect, which plays an important role in implementing an effective and efficient e-learning system. There is a lack of agreement about the factors that shape the technological aspects of e-learning readiness; hence, a clear gap has been identified in the knowledge on the technological aspects of e-learning readiness. The aim of this paper is to review the technological factors of e-learning readiness by performing the Delphi technique, and develop an initial model for technological aspects of e-learning readiness in higher education institutions. It is anticipated that this model can help institutions of higher education to identify and understand the technological aspects that must be considered when assessing the readiness to apply an e-learning project.