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The oxygen vacancy properties are significant, creating ferromagnetic properties of material in metal oxide systems like dilute magnetic semiconductors. An aqueous sol-gel method has been used in the present study to synthesize non-stoichiometry BaTiO3-x polycrystalline. In an attempt of examining the oxygen deficiency consequences on the magnetic properties, the gel samples were sintered (1000◦C) at various times (6, 12, 18, and 24 hours) under a vacuum environment. This study employs an X-ray diffraction apparatus in terms of characterizing segments and structures of the samples. It also investigates morphology and element distribution on the surface of the samples exploiting an Electron microscope where Energy dispersive spectroscopy is supplied. For the purpose of characterizing the magnetic properties of the samples, it applies vibrating sample magnetometers. The chemical state of the element and its corresponding bond to other elements was identified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Single-phase compounds were observed. The crystal system is tetragonal, but the crystal parameters are different. Increase sintering time leads to increase crystallite size and decrease in micro strain. Moreover, sintering in a vacuum environment results in oxygen deficiency and leads to the atomic ratio of Ba/Ti change as the sintering time increases. The Ba/Ti ratio change affects the transformation from diamagnetic to ferromagnetic-like. The elements (Ba, Ti and O) chemical state is shown and its bonding to the corresponding element along with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy pattern of the BTX2 sample. The element of oxygen binds to Ti and Ba while Ba element exists in two chemical states.

Nickel (Ni) doped in the perovskite manganite could result in superior properties. The effect of the Ni on the morphology, crystallographic orientation, and magnetic properties of La0.7Sr0.3Mn(1-y)Ni(y)O3 alloy (y = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7), therefore, was undertaken. La0.7Sr0.3Mn(1-y)Ni(y)O3 alloy was firstly processed using a ball milling process, and again processed through heat treatment and crushing at the end of the synthesis process. Powder alloy was then investigated using a scanning electron microscope equipped with scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The particle size became smaller and agglomerated as the amount of Ni doping increased. The polycrystal structure phase formed would become more complex when the Ni doping was 0.5 and 0.7, where the dominant phase formed was La2NiO4 even though the La0.7Sr0.3Mn(1-y)Ni(y)O3 phase was still formed. The magnetic characteristics showed that the Ni doping of 0.1 had a higher magnetization value around 4.2 emu/g at room temperature.

Globally, oral infections and inflammatory lesions persist as substantial public health concerns, necessitating the introduction of novel oral treatment protocols. Oral diseases are linked to various causative factors, with dental plaque/biofilm resulting from inadequate hygiene practices playing a predominant role. The strategic implementation of novel topical therapies holds promise for effectively controlling the biofilms, addressing oral infections and promoting enhanced oral wound healing. This review aims to providing a comprehensive overview of the available evidence pertaining to the potential efficacy of topical oxygen and lactoferrin-releasing biomaterials, exemplified by the blue®m formula, as novel oral care interventions within the scope of contemporary implantology, oral surgery and periodontology.

Abstract In recent years, the proliferation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platforms on a global scale has been remarkable. Learners can now meet their learning demands with the help of MOOC. However, learners might not understand the course material well if they have access to a lot of information due to their inadequate expertise and cognitive ability. Personalized Recommender Systems (RSs), a cutting-edge technology, can assist in addressing this issue. It greatly increases resource acquisition through personalized availability for various people of all ages. Intelligent learning methods, such as machine learning and Reinforcement Learning (RL) can be used in RS challenges. However, machine learning needs supervised data and classical RL is not suitable for multi-task recommendations in online learning platforms. To address these challenges, the proposed framework integrates a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) and multi-agent approach. This adaptive system personalizes the learning experience by considering key factors such as learner sentiments, learning style, preferences, competency, and adaptive difficulty levels. We formulate the interactive RS problem using a DRL-based Actor-Critic model named DRR, treating recommendations as a sequential decision-making process. The DRR enables the system to provide top-N course recommendations and personalized learning paths, enriching the student's experience. Extensive experiments on a MOOC dataset such as the 100 K Coursera course review validate the proposed DRR model, demonstrating its superiority over baseline models in major evaluation metrics for long-term recommendations. The outcomes of this research contribute to the field of e-learning technology, guiding the design and implementation of course RSs, to facilitate personalized and relevant recommendations for online learning students.

Kousalya Prabahar,1 Manar Saleem Alhawiti,2 Asmaa Mokhtar Yosef,2 Raghad Saleh Alqarni,2 Fai Yahya Sayd,2 Mohammed Omar Alsharif,3 Vikashini Subramani,4 Hanan Alshareef,1 Ahmed ME Hamdan,1 Saleh Alqifari,1 Ghadi Saleh Alqarni,5 Sumayah Mokhtar Yousuf6 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; 3Director of Pharmaceutical Care Administration, Ministry of Health, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Nilgiris, TN, India; 5Pharmacist and Store Manager, Alnahdi Company, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia; 6Pharmacist, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Kousalya Prabahar, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, 71491, Saudi Arabia, Email kgopal@ut.edu.saPurpose: Older persons are frequently prescribed several medications; therefore, inappropriate medication prescriptions are common. Prescribing potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) poses a serious risk and hence, we aimed to assess the PIMs in older patients in Tabuk, using the 2023 Beers criteria.Patients and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out, including older persons ≥ 65 years of age admitted in two government hospitals from June 2022 to May 2023, and prescribed with five or more medications. PIMs were assessed using the 2023 Beers criteria. Descriptive analysis was performed for the categorical and continuous variables. Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of age, gender, number of medications and comorbidities on PIMs using SPSS version 27.Results: The study included 420 patients. The mean age of the participants was 75.52 ± 8.70 years (range, 65– 105 years). There was a slightly higher proportion of females (52%). The prevalence of PIMs was 81.43%, where 35.41% were prescribed one PIM, 26.48% were prescribed two PIMs, and 17.32% were prescribed three PIMs. The proportion of medications considered potentially inappropriate among older patients was 70.11%, and proton pump inhibitors were the most commonly prescribed medication (52.99%). The proportion of medications to be used with caution was 19.55%, with diuretics being the most frequently administered medication (91.43%). Gender and comorbidity did not influence PIMs, but age and number of medications significantly influenced the likelihood of PIMs.Conclusion: PIMs are prevalent among older people and are significantly associated with age and multiple medications. Caution should be exercised while prescribing medications to older persons. Frequent audits should be performed to assess PIMs, and clinicians should be informed of the same to avoid serious outcomes associated with PIMs. Interventions designed to reduce PIM need to be initiated.Keywords: older persons, inappropriate medication, American Geriatrics Society, prescription

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy is considered the gold standard and the most effective management option for OSA. However, a considerable number of patients are unable to tolerate or decline PAP therapy and seek alternative or complementary treatments. Studies have reported insufficient knowledge among physicians regarding OSA management, including the role of dentists. Furthermore, the focus on dentists' role in OSA management has primarily been limited to the provision of oral appliances, despite the potential for dentists to play a more significant role. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive and clear understanding of the dentists' role in OSA management to assist physicians in better recognizing their patients' needs and providing timely referrals for more efficient management.

Magnetic particles have been used for hyperthermia by inserting ferromagnetic material into tumor tissue. La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 is one of the best candidates for hyperthermia due to higher magnetic at ambient temperature and their Curie temperature easily adjusted. This research synthesized La(1-x)Sr(x)MnO3 using the ball milling technique. Several heat treatments were also conducted after ball milling processing. Various investigations, including SEM-EDS, XRD, DSC, and VSM, were conducted. LaMnO3 has a hexagonal structure, which has the space group R -3 c. From the diffraction pattern seen in LaMnO3 and La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 seen at angles 32.376 and 32.706, it looks separate like the database diffraction pattern. In La0.9Sr0.1MnO3, these two peaks are seen to be increasingly separated. In contrast to the diffraction patterns of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 and La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 at an angle of 32.376, there is a decrease in intensity. The specific heat capacity of the alloy with Sr substitution of 0.3 has a greater value than that without substitution and the lowest occurs in the alloy with Sr substitution of 0.1. The magnetization value for Sr substitution is 0.3 higher than for other alloys.

The internet of medical things (IoMT) has become a pivotal aspect of IoT applications, playing a crucial role in cutting down healthcare expenses, enhancing access to clinical services, and refining operational efficiency within the healthcare domain. An early detection of neurological brain disorders continues to present a formidable challenge. In response, our research endeavors are directed towards the IoMT-based system used for the real-time diagnosis of neurological disorders. In this paper, IoMT-based real-time diagnosis model is developed for neurological brain disorders using systematic deep learning and electroencephalogram (EEG) signal (RT-NeuroDDSM). We first introduce the time domain, channel and spatial attention network (TCSNet) for feature extraction which extracts the high-level time series, channel and spatial features, respectively. TCSNet aims to learn more valuable features from the input data to achieve good classification results. Furthermore, in order to maximize features, we create the modified normative fish swarm (MNFS) feature selection algorithm. Next, the detection of various neurological brain problems, including neuro-typical, epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is accomplished by applying the hinging hyperplane neural network (HHNN). To verify the performance, we used the publicly accessible EEG datasets from University of Bonn-Germany, CHB-MIT EEG repository, and King Abdulaziz University. The RT-NeuroDDSM has an overall classification accuracy of 99.956%, making it 5.471% more in efficiency compared to the existing state-of-the-art model.

Abstract This study introduces an augmented Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) neural network architecture, integrating Symbolic Genetic Programming (SGP), with the objective of forecasting cross-sectional price returns across a comprehensive dataset comprising 4500 listed stocks in the Chinese market over the period from 2014 to 2022. Using the S&P Alpha Pool Dataset for China as basic input, this architecture incorporates data augmentation and feature extraction techniques. The result of this study demonstrates significant improvements in Rank Information coefficient (Rank IC) and IC information ratio (ICIR) by 1128% and 5360% respectively when it is applied to fundamental indicators. For technical indicators, the hybrid model achieves a 206% increase in Rank IC and an impressive surge of 2752% in ICIR. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid SGP-LSTM model outperforms major Chinese stock indexes, generating average annualized excess returns of 31.00%, 24.48%, and 16.38% compared to the CSI 300 index, CSI 500 index, and the average portfolio, respectively. These findings highlight the effectiveness of SGP-LSTM model in improving the accuracy of cross-sectional stock return predictions and provide valuable insights for fund managers, traders, and financial analysts.

Machines need to be able to recognize and understand complex visual surroundings to function at their best in a variety of contexts. Here, we address the difficult problem of multi-object recognition to obtain a sophisticated knowledge of complex visual environments, tackling issues such as size, occlusion, fluctuations in object traits, and complicated backdrops. Our contribution is to provide novel methods (Gaussian mixture model and mean-shift algorithms) for inferring multiple object segmentation in complicated visuals, introducing a unique multiclass object classification strategy utilizing benchmark datasets. Notably, by utilizing local appearance, texture, and geometry characteristics, our technique considerably improves classification accuracy by integrating a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) with area signatures and local descriptors. By facilitating accurate object matching and identification based on local appearance, texture, and geometric features, local descriptors are essential for collecting particular information and regions of interest in images. When compared to state-of-the-art methods, empirical validation on MSRC and Corel 10k datasets shows better performance, especially when managing object occlusion problems. With an accuracy of 90.6% and 89.69%, respectively, our suggested system performs better than industry standards for multi-object classification on both datasets, highlighting the significant progress our method makes to the area of multiclass object classification in challenging visual contexts.

In environmental infrastructure projects, decision-making can be complex and challenging because of the inherent trade-offs between environmental, economic, and social considerations. During urban development, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) site selection is one of the most critical parts of environmental infrastructure. Choosing suitable sites for constructing a WWTP is based on various variables and limits. In the modeling phase of this study, ten criteria were developed from three main criteria to evaluate sites suitable for WWTPs. These criteria were slope, soil type, and proximity from rivers, roads, agricultural lands, railways, oil fields, groundwater, outfall, and residential areas. These parameters and their respective weights were determined based on a literature review, expert knowledge, field observation, and geophysical investigation. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, which integrates AHP and fuzzy logic, was used as a multicriteria decision-making, and fuzzy membership functions were performed to determine the criteria weights used with geographical information systems to select all available sites for the WWTP for the center of the Basrah province. The study concludes that the old Hamdan WWTP was located in an unsuitable area. In light of the rapid population growth in Basrah center in recent years, it may be proposed that a new WWTP be built in a new location that meets environmental, economic, and social criteria. This study reveals that 138.52 km2 (or 9.98% of the total land area) is appropriate for constructing the new WWTP.

This study aims to measure the influence of vocational students' soft skills on their career efficacy. This study uses a correlational quantitative method using mediation analysis on the JASP statistical application. The sample in this study consisted of 200 students using purposive sampling technique as many as 200 generation Z students who are vocational students were selected as respondents through several characteristics: 1) representing certain scientific fields / school majors; 2) the specified schools are spread throughout the South Sulawesi region; 3) the school is standardized on the Indonesian National Work Competency Standards. The data collection technique used a questionnaire adapted using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) test. The findings indicate that there is a significant influence between learners' soft skills on their career decisions. Learners who have or hone their soft skills will more easily direct themselves towards career decisions with confidence. Soft skills will also help vocational students to achieve more brilliantly in school to prepare for future careers. This study provides a conclusion that if the soft skills of vocational students are honed since the school period, it will affect career self-efficacy.

As the next generation of the nation, toddlers need healthy food for optimal growth and development, as well as to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases as adults. However, there are several things that prevent toddlers from getting balanced nutrition. One of them is low economic problems, lack of supporting facilities, and lack of public awareness of the fulfillment of nutrition in toddlers. The purpose of this program is to increase public awareness of toddler health as well as family economic management by providing counseling on how to make nutritious food for toddlers. In addition, this program also seeks to optimize the ability of related support systems, namely the role of posyandu, as a community empowerment function. The service method used is Participatory Action Research (PAR) with five main steps, namely identifying partners and analyzing needs, counseling on the fulfillment of toddler nutrition and cooking demonstrations, mentoring and monitoring, providing raw materials and equipment, as well as evaluation and further development. The output of community service activities is an increase in community understanding, implementation of raw material management, providing education on healthy food consumption habits. In addition, the results of this service are also the material for published articles. Based on the community service activities carried out, the understanding of the community shown by the understanding of the mothers increased based on the comparison of the results of the pre and post tests conducted. The desire to implement knowledge from the counseling results is also quite high. Education related to healthy food habits is also carried out during counseling and other educational media.

Mustafa Ghanim,1 Rami Mosleh,2 Anas Hamdan,3 Johnny Amer,4 Malik Alqub,4 Yazun Jarrar,5 Majdi Dwikat4 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine; 2Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine; 3Department of Anesthesia and Resuscitation Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine; 4Department of Allied and Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine; 5Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, JordanCorrespondence: Mustafa Ghanim, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, P.O Box: 7, Nablus, Palestine, Email mustafa.ghanim@najah.edu Malik Alqub, Department of Allied and Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, P.O Box: 7, Nablus, Palestine, Email m.alqub@najah.eduBackground/Aim: Consanguinity represents a biological relationship between two individuals. In clinical genetics, it specifically refers to the marriage between individuals who are second cousins or closer. The aim of the study is to assess perceptions and their predictors among the Palestinian population towards consanguinity.Methods: A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample was collected using convenience and snowball sampling methods, yielding a sample of 1008 participants. The perceptions towards consanguinity and its predictors were assessed using Chi-square test.Results: The prevalence of consanguinity among married participants was 18.7% (N = 81/432), while it was 28.8% among their parents. Consanguinity rate was significantly low among the young age group (ie, < 47 years old) and among participants whose mothers have undergraduate educational levels (P < 0.05). Other factors like parental consanguinity, educational level of participants, their father’s educational level, and residency place showed no significant associations (P > 0.05). Rejection of consanguinity was significantly noted among young age participants, absence of parental consanguinity, the presence of children or family members with genetic disorders and female gender (P < 0.001). Furthermore, participants who indicated that they are governmental employees, those with 2000– 5000 ILS monthly income, those who are married (P < 0.01), and those who indicated that their mothers are holders of postgraduate degree were significantly more likely to reject the idea of consanguinity (P < 0.05). Also, medical and/or scientific reasons were significantly associated with rejecting the idea of consanguinity (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Consanguinity prevalence has decreased among recent generations in Palestine, but it remains a significant challenge in Palestine. Therefore, educational and awareness programs about consanguinity and its health effects are effective strategies for reducing the consanguinity rate, especially for persons who are at the age of marriage.Keywords: consanguinity, perceptions, awareness, genetics, health effects

Abstract The integration of multiscale datasets, including seismic, well-logs and stratigraphy, is providing a precise picture about reservoir evaluation and spatial distribution. This study focuses on the seismic interpretation and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Bahariya Formation in the South Umbaraka oilfields (Selkit, Khepri, and Sethos), located in the Western Desert of Egypt. Seismic interpretations reveal various structural closures, including anticlinal domes and faulted anticlines in different fields. The study area is divided into northern and southern blocks separated by a major fault, and structural cross sections provide valuable information on reservoir zones regarding lateral extension, thickness variation, and fault distribution. The Bahariya Formation is subdivided into two depositional sequences: Lower Bahariya sequence (BAH.SQ-1) and Upper Bahariya sequence (BAH.SQ-2) with distinct wireline-log characteristics, seismic reflections, and lithofacies variations. BAH.SQ-1 comprises mixed siliciclastic-dominated units with some carbonate units, while BAH.SQ-2 consists of mixed siliciclastic and carbonate units. Multiple sequence boundaries, depositional surfaces, and systems tracts are identified within BAH.SQ-1 and BAH.SQ-2, indicating changes in sedimentary environments and sea-level fluctuations. The petrophysical evaluation reveals promising reservoir zones in both the Lower and Upper Bahariya sequences. However, the Lower Bahariya sequence exhibits superior reservoir characteristics in terms of net-pay thickness, shale volume, effective porosity, and water saturation. Particularly, the sandstone-dominated LST-1 within the Lower Bahariya Formation is identified as a favorable reservoir zone. Conversely, the Upper Bahariya Formation has limited reservoir potential. This study underscores the significance of sequence stratigraphy and reservoir architecture, emphasizing the role of faulting, folding, and depositional environments in the distribution and quality of reservoir zones. The findings contribute valuable insights into the structural and stratigraphic characteristics of the Bahariya Formation, enhancing understanding of hydrocarbon plays and reservoir distribution in the studied area.

Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) are a major threat worldwide, and public consultation on these diseases is critical to disease control decision-making. However, traditional public surveys are time-consuming and labor-intensive and do not allow for timely decision-making. Recent studies have explored text analytic approaches to elicit public comments from social media for public health. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate a text analytics pipeline to identify the MBD topics that were discussed on Twitter and significantly influenced public opinion. A total of 25,000 tweets were retrieved from Twitter, topics were modelled using LDA and sentiment polarities were calculated using the VADER model. After data cleaning, we obtained a total of 6,243 tweets, which we were able to process with the feature selection algorithms. Boruta was used as a feature selection algorithm to determine the importance of topics to public opinion. The result was validated using multinomial logistic regression (MLR) performance and expert judgement. Important issues such as breeding sites, mosquito control, impact/funding, time of year, other diseases with similar symptoms, mosquito-human interaction and biomarkers for diagnosis were identified by both LDA and experts. The MLR result shows that the topics selected by LASSO perform significantly better than the other algorithms, and the experts further justify the topics in the discussion.

Background: The use of lasers in orthodontics has garnered interest for its potential to enhance the bond strength between orthodontic brackets and tooth surfaces, a crucial factor for successful orthodontic treatment. This study aims to investigate the effect of laser irradiation on the bond strength of orthodontic brackets in a sample of 30 patients. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients undergoing orthodontic treatment were divided into two groups. In Group A, brackets were bonded using conventional methods, while in Group B, brackets were bonded after laser irradiation. A diode laser operating at 810 nm was used, with an energy setting of 2.5 W for 20 s. After bonding, a universal testing machine measured the bond strength in megapascals (MPa). The adhesive remnant index (ARI) was also recorded to determine the mode of bond failure. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the results between the groups. Results: The mean bond strength in Group B (laser irradiation) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in Group A (conventional bonding). Group B exhibited a mean bond strength of 9.72 MPa, whereas Group A showed a mean bond strength of 7.41 MPa. The ARI scores indicated that Group B had more adhesive remaining on the tooth surface, suggesting a stronger bond. Conclusion: Laser irradiation prior to orthodontic bracket bonding resulted in significantly enhanced bond strength compared to conventional bonding methods. The increased bond strength and greater adhesive remnant on the tooth surface indicate that laser irradiation improves the adhesion between brackets and tooth enamel. Integrating lasers into orthodontic procedures has the potential to elevate treatment outcomes by ensuring durable bracket adhesion.

Background Decisions on the management of interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and prognostication require an accurate diagnosis. It has been proposed that multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings for ILD (ILD-MDT) improve these decisions in challenging cases of ILD. However, most studies in this field have been based on the decisions of individual clinicians and there are few reports on the outcomes of the ILD-MDT approach. We therefore describe the experience of the ILD-MDT meetings at our institution.

Abstract We investigated how preservice teachers observe and analyze their competencies through self-reflection and video-learning community strategies and how self-recorded videos influence their microteaching experience. We aimed to improve preservice teachers’ competencies in light of the Saudi National Professional Teaching Standards. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis was performed to extract themes identifying preservice teachers’ experiences and perceptions. The results indicated that the use of self-recorded videos can influence the microteaching experience and help identify development gaps, analyze weaknesses and strengths, and reflect upon them. The results showed that preservice teachers hold positive perceptions and experiences of self-recorded videos to improve their Saudi National Professional Teaching Standards competencies via self-reflection and video learning community. Furthermore, personalized learning principles benefit preservice teacher training programs through self-reflection and self-analysis without coach intervention. This study presents discussions, implications, and recommendations that are relevant to both researchers and practitioners.

National legislation is the requirement established by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for each country sponsoring Deep-seabed Mining (DSM) and criminal provisions and sanctions are an inseparable part of it. A total of 38 countries are listed as sponsor countries, while Indonesia, with its potential as a maritime country and member of UNCLOS 1982, has not participated in DSM activities. This article aims to explore and compare the criminal provisions in the national legislation of sponsoring countries that have been approved by the ISA so that the formulation of sanctions in Indonesian national legislation can be illustrated in order to prepare Indonesia’s contribution as a sponsoring country for DSM activities in the International Seabed Area. The research method used is normative juridical with a statutory and comparative approach. The research results show that the majority of sponsoring countries in their criminal provisions stipulate criminal sanctions in the form of fines as well as the possibility of imprisonment and several administrative sanctions. Based on the results of this comparative study, it can be concluded that the formulation of sanctions that can be regulated in Indonesian national legislation is a maximum fine of more than 100 billion Rupiah and a maximum prison sentence of not less than 5 years, as well as additional criminal penalties and administrative sanctions in the form of termination or revocation of DSM activity permits, confiscation of profits resulting from illegal DSM acquisition, and compensation for environmental damage caused by DSM activities.

Abstract Background Vietnam and Saudi Arabia have high disease burden of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Early detection in asymptomatic patients at risk for HCC is a strategy to improve survival outcomes in HCC management. GALAD score, a serum-based panel, has demonstrated promising clinical utility in HCC management. However, in order to ascertain its potential role in the surveillance of the early detection of HCC, GALAD needs to be validated prospectively for clinical surveillance of HCC (i.e., phase IV biomarker validation study). Thus, we propose to conduct a phase IV biomarker validation study to prospectively survey a cohort of patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis, irrespective of etiologies, using semi-annual abdominal ultrasound and GALAD score for five years. Methods We plan to recruit a cohort of 1,600 patients, male or female, with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis (i.e., F3 or F4) and MELD ≤ 15, in Vietnam and Saudi Arabia (n = 800 each). Individuals with a liver mass ≥ 1 cm in diameter, elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (≥ 9 ng/mL), and/or elevated GALAD score (≥ -0.63) will be scanned with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a diagnosis of HCC will be made by Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LiRADS) assessment (LiRADS-5). Additionally, those who do not exhibit abnormal imaging findings, elevated AFP titer, and/or elevated GALAD score will obtain a dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI annually for five years to assess for HCC. Only MRI nearest to the time of GALAD score measurement, ultrasound and/or AFP evaluation will be included in the diagnostic validation analysis. MRI will be replaced with an abdominal computed tomography scan when MRI results are poor due to patient conditions such as movement etc. Gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced MRI will not be carried out in study sites in both countries. Bootstrap resampling technique will be used to account for repeated measures to estimate standard errors and confidence intervals. Additionally, we will use the Cox proportional hazards regression model with covariates tailored to the hypothesis under investigation for time-to-HCC data as predicted by time-varying biomarker data. Discussion The present work will evaluate the performance of GALAD score in early detection of liver cancer. Furthermore, by leveraging the prospective cohort, we will establish a biorepository of longitudinally collected biospecimens from patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis to be used as a reference set for future research in early detection of HCC in the two countries. Trial registration Name of the registry: ClinicalTrials.gov Registration date: 22 April 2022 Trial registration number: NCT05342350 URL of trial registry record

Abstract Background Deep neck space infections are uncommon in infants. Retropharyngeal abscess (RPA) is a deep space neck infection that can present with subtle signs and symptoms. Delay in diagnosis can lead to life-threatening complications. Here we describe life-threatening complication of retropharyngeal abscess. Case presentation We report a life-threatening complication of retropharyngeal abscess in 10-month old Asian infant weighing 8.2 kg. The patient presented with fever, right-sided neck swelling, hoarseness of voice, and respiratory distress. The clinical and radiological findings were suggestive of airway obstruction complicated by retropharyngeal abscess. The patient was urgently taken to the operating room and underwent (grade 3) intubation. After stabilization, the patient underwent endoscopic trans-oral incision and drainage, during which 5 cc pus was aspirated. Antibiotics were prescribed for 2 weeks following the procedure based on the sensitivity result of the pus culture. Conclusion In retropharyngeal abscess, a delay in diagnosis can result in life-threatening complications. This report highlights the importance of prompt recognition of a threatened airway and the management of retropharyngeal abscess by emergency physicians. If an emergency physician suspects RPA with airway obstructions, the airway should be immediately secured in a secure environment by otolaryngologist and an anesthesiologist.

Remanufacturing of mechanical parts has recently gained much attention due to the rapid development of green technologies and sustainability. Recent efforts to automate the inspection step in the remanufacturing process using artificial intelligence are noticeable. In this step, a visual inspection of the end-of-life (EOL) parts is carried out to detect defective regions for restoration. This operation relates to the object detection process, a typical computer vision task. Many researchers have adopted well-known deep-learning models for the detection of damage. A common technique in the object detection field is transfer learning, where general object detectors are adopted for specific tasks such as metal surface defect detection. One open-sourced model, YOLOv7, is known for real-time object detection, high accuracy, and optimal scaling. In this work, an investigation into the YOLOv7 behavior on various public metal surface defect datasets, including NEU-DET, NRSD, and KolektorSDD2, is conducted. A case study validation is also included to demonstrate the model’s application in an industrial setting. The tiny variant of the YOLOv7 model showed the best performance on the NEU-DET dataset with a 73.9% mAP (mean average precision) and 103 FPS (frames per second) in inference. For the NRSD dataset, the model’s base variant resulted in 88.5% for object detection and semantic segmentation inferences. In addition, the model achieved 65% accuracy when testing on the KolektorSDD2 dataset. Further, the results are studied and compared with some of the existing defect detection models. Moreover, the segmentation performance of the model was also reported.

Background Patient safety is of utmost importance and every effort is to be made to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infection. Contaminated attire is proposed as a mode of hospital infections spread. This study aims to assess the laundering habits, the perception of healthcare workers toward the contamination of their attire, and the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on their cleaning practices in non-operative settings.

The hydrodynamic model is essential for building a water quality model for rivers, lakes, estuaries, and other water systems. Most model software, such as HEC-RAS, can perform a complex hydrodynamic surface water body and limitations to represent water quality for the corresponding area. In contrast, other models, like WASP, can simulate a wide range of contaminants in a multidimensional geometry of rivers, estuaries, lakes, and reservoirs. Still, it requires flow information from separate hydrodynamic models. This article aims to develop a comprehensive water quality model of the Shatt Al Arab River south of Iraq by linking HEC-RAS with WASP. A variety of software techniques has sequentially been used. This software includes GIS for DEM modification, HEC-RAS for the hydrodynamic model, Python code with PyCharm to run the external coupler, WASP software for advective and dispersive contaminant transport, and finally, WRDB software for full calibration process and results display. The results showed successful transportation of flow information had been achieved. Moreover, the article described an effective calibration process by plotting comparison graphs and statistical summaries to make the appropriate decision. Another goal of this work is to collect the equations and associated reaction rates of source/sink kinetic for eutrophication’s state variables.

AbstractThis study reckons that although a lot of debate has gained currency of late on whether board diversity is associated with environmental performance, empirical evidence that delved into the effects of age, tenure, and gender board diversity and the moderating effect of board independence are yet to be conducted. This study aims to point out how these board diversity attributes can serve as drivers for environmental performance. Using 14,878 firm-year observations from 11 Asia-Pacific countries, the results indicate that the level of environmental performance is positively associated with age and gender board diversity and negatively associated with tenure board diversity. This striking result can be attributed to the management friendliness hypothesis where long-serving on the board is causing a management-friendly bias, which ultimately reduces environmental activities. The findings of this study also support that board independence moderates the associations between tenure and gender diversity and environmental performance. The findings of this study make valuable implications for understanding how board diversity can serve as a driver for the environmental performance issue.

Hadhanah is a pattern of parenting children after a divorce occurs. The research method is qualitative with a literature study approach. Data collection techniques using documentation studies. Data processing techniques with data reduction and presentation. Data validity technique using source triangulation. The research results show: (1) hadhanah is child custody that occurs after a divorce where custody is resolved contractually for children who are not yet able to take care of themselves. (2) hadhanah after divorce is a pattern of parenting carried out by parents after obtaining custody rights from the divorce process. Parenting is carried out in accordance with religious rules and also the results of peace agreements.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the educational thoughts of Ibn Sina and correlate them with contemporary Islamic education. The research methodology employed is literature review, utilizing secondary sources such as books, scholarly journals, dictionaries, documents, magazines, and others. The findings of this study reveal that Ibn Sina's educational ideas hold significant relevance to contemporary Islamic education. The research outcomes indicate that Ibn Sina was a polymath philosopher with expertise spanning various domains, including education. According to Ibn Sina, the purpose of education is characterized as universal, curricular, and operational. Ibn Sina categorized the curriculum based on the learners' age groups. Within Ibn Sina's pedagogical concept, several teaching methods are identified, including talqin (instruction), demonstration, habituation and exemplification, discussion, apprenticeship, assignments, encouragement, and discouragement. Ibn Sina also emphasizes the educator's role as a positive exemplar for the learners. The educational philosophies of Ibn Sina demonstrate relevance to contemporary Islamic education.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive age-related lung disease causing relentless fibrosis of the lung parenchyma. Currently, pirfenidone and nintedanib are the two antifibrotic drugs, approved for the treatment of IPF. Both are shown to slow progression by preserving lung functions from rapid decline compared to a placebo. We are reporting a real-life patient experience using these two antifibrotic medications (AFMs) in our tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted for all IPF cases diagnosed in multidisciplinary meetings between 2015 and 2020 at KAMC, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). We are reporting patients' demographics, lung function, survival, tolerance, side effects, or death in patients taking AFMs. RESULTS: A total of 81 cases were identified. The majority of patients aged 67 years (68%) were men with a median age of 68 years. Late presentation, severe disease, and definite usual interstitial pneumonia patterns were reported in 60% of our patients. The average number of hospital admissions before starting treatment was 1 (range: 0–3) in the nintedanib group and 1.4 (range: 1.2–5) in the pirfenidone group. There was an increase in the number of hospital admissions in the group started on pirfenidone 1.7 (range: 1.9–8) compared to nintedanib 0.5 (range: 0–3), P = 0.001. The observed mortality outcome in this cohort was 4 (11%) and 12 (27%) for nintedanib and pirfenidone, respectively. The predominant side effects were gastrointestinal symptoms for both the groups 18 (22%). CONCLUSIONS: Pirfenidone and nintedanib are the available approved antifibrotic agents used for many years to treat IPF patients. Real-life data showed better tolerability than reported in the West, good compliance, and a manageable side effect profile in this group of elderly and severe IPF patients.

BACKGROUND: Although chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent in Saudi Arabia, there are limited data on the patient burden and associated factors. The aim of this study is to identify the chronic respiratory diseases frequently admitted to pulmonary services and to determine the patient's characteristics, associated comorbidities readmission rate, and reason for a more extended stay in hospital. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted over a 5-year period at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Pulmonary Division, between March 2015 and December 2019. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and chronic respiratory diseases were collected. RESULTS: Total patients admitted were 1315 patients, female 54.2%, the mean age was 62.4 (SD±17.6), and the ages ranged from 14 to 98 years. Overall, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the most common respiratory disease requiring admission (17.9%), followed by interstitial lung disease (15.8%), bronchiectasis (11.9%), and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (10.8%). The most common comorbidities were obesity (42.5%), diabetes 49.1%, and hypertension 54.9%. Only 135 (10.3%) were readmitted within 30 days posthospital discharge. Among the patients who were readmitted, 103 (76.3%) were readmitted due to issues related to previous admission diagnosis, noncompliance 75 (55.5%), social reasons, and premature discharges in 51 (37.8%) and 29 (21.5%) of the cases, respectively. The respiratory disease varied significantly by gender, age, obesity status, comorbidities, length of stay (LOS), and admissions. CONCLUSION: Chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent in our population and are mainly influenced by gender, age, obesity status, comorbidities, LOS, and admissions. Policymakers and health professionals need to recognize the burden of chronic respiratory diseases on patients and health systems and implement effective prevention programs.

Background: This study aimed to determine the relationship between perceived stress and moral resilience among nurses. Methods: The researcher used a quantitative–comparative correlational study design that utilized a self-administered questionnaire with 393 nurse participants in the Hail Region, Saudi Arabia. Adapted questionnaires were distributed through Google Form survey. Data collection was conducted between October and November 2021. Results: The nurses were moderately stressed (21.69/30) but morally resilient (2.74/4). Perceived stress scale (p < 0.033) and moral resilience (p < 0.25) were found to be significantly associated with gender. The designated ward and age were not significantly associated with perceived stress and moral resilience. Conversely, the years of experience showed a significant association with perceived stress (p < 0.038) but not with moral resilience (p > 0.255). Finally, no relationship was observed between perceived stress and moral resilience (p > 0.248). Conclusions: The nurses were perceived to be moderately stressed but morally resilient. Gender was found to have a significant association with perceived stress and moral resilience but not with designated ward and age. Conversely, the years of experience had a significant association with perceived stress but not with moral resilience. Meanwhile, perceived stress had no significant relationship with moral resilience. Therefore, being morally robust allows nurses to respond to challenging, frequently intractable ethical issues that arise in clinical practice and during pandemics, regardless of the underlying stress at work.

Abstract Despite near‐universal health care and timely updates to treatment guidelines in Saudi Arabia, asthma control remains suboptimal, warranting deeper exploration of its management practices. This study describes asthma characteristics and prescription patterns of short‐acting β2‐agonists (SABAs) in the Saudi Arabia cohort of the SABA use IN Asthma (SABINA) III study. Patients with asthma (aged ≥12 years) from seven sites across Saudi Arabia participated in this cross‐sectional study. Asthma severity was classified by study investigators, guided by the 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommendations. Of 511 patients enrolled, 502 patients, treated by respiratory medicine specialists, were analyzed (mean [standard deviation] age, 47.5 [14.8] years; female, 68.5%). Most patients had moderate‐to‐severe asthma (89.6%, GINA treatment steps 3–5), were overweight/obese (78.9%), and received full health care reimbursement (83.4%). Asthma was partially controlled/uncontrolled among 64.3% of patients; 62.3% experienced ≥1 severe asthma exacerbation(s), and 60.6% and 41.2% were prescribed ≥3 (overprescription) and ≥10 SABA canisters, respectively, in the 12 months preceding study initiation. Additionally, 21.9% of patients purchased SABA over the counter (OTC), of whom 66.4% purchased ≥3 SABA canisters. Ninety‐seven (88.2%) patients who purchased SABA OTC also received SABA prescriptions, and 80.4% and 56.7% of these were prescribed ≥3 and ≥10 SABA canisters, respectively. Overall, compared with SABINA III, a higher percentage of patients from Saudi Arabia were overprescribed SABA (60.6% vs. 38.0%, respectively) and purchased SABA OTC (21.9% vs. 18.0%, respectively), underscoring the need to align asthma treatment practices with current evidence‐based recommendations and regulate SABA OTC sales in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract Controlling photophysical properties is critical for the continued development of electroluminescent devices and luminescent materials. The preparation and study of novel molecules suitable as luminescent for the development of optoelectrical devices have recently received a lot of attention. Even though the as-triazine unit is a good building block for organic active substances, it is rarely used in this context. We created here novel bis-triazine derivative dyes in the far UV–Vis range by alkylation of triazine-thione derivatives with appropriate dibromo compounds. At the B3LYP/6-311**G(d,p) basis set, their optimal molecular structures were obtained. DFT technique confirmed that the new triazine derivatives are in noncoplanar with one of the two phenyl rings and the triazine plane rotating out by 102.09. Also, depending on the energy gap difference between HOMO and LUMO, some important parameters including chemical potential (π), electronegativity (χ), and chemical hardness (η) were calculated. The compounds may be readily polarized and have significant NLO characteristics, as seen by the tiny HOMO–LUMO energy gap. The calculated values for the polarizability (α) of the two new triazine derivatives have the range 6.09–10.75 × 10–24 (esu). The emission peaks seemed to move to the long-wavelength (redshift), with a rise in the fluorescence band, suggesting that the singlet excited state is more polar than the ground state. The influence of solvent polarity and the intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) processes are reflected in the photophysical properties of new fused triazine derivatives. These properties such as extinction coefficient, absorption and emission cross-sections, fluorescence quantum yield, fluorescence lifetime, oscillator strength, the dipole moment, radiative decay rate constant, the energy yield of fluorescence, and the attenuation length were assessed and discussed.

Aim: Identify the existing evidence base with regards to interventions that address high levels of dental caries. A discussion of the applicability of the evidence to possible replication in Saudi Arabia is presented, alongside recommendations to help reduce dental caries rates in children in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review following PRISMA methods was conducted using three databases: MEDLINE via OVID; EMBASE via OVID and Cochrane Library. Studies were included according to inclusion criteria. AMSTAR2 was used to assess the quality of the included studies, while GRADE was used to assess the quality of evidence. Results: Ten studies were included in this review. The quality of these were ‘high’ (in two review), moderate (in two studies), low (in one study) and to ‘critically low’ (5 reviews). The quality of the evidence presented by the reviews ranged from ‘moderate’ to ‘very low’. The interventions methods included MI, one-to-one nutrition advice, educational interventions and dental screening. The applicability of the findings in relation to dental care in Saudi Arabia is discussed and summarized in a narrative. Conclusion: No strong evidence that supported interventions to improve the child oral health in Saudi Arabia was found. None of the included reviews included studies conducted in Saudi Arabia or evaluated interventions among the local community. As for different culture values, norms, beliefs and attitude to those demographics explored in the reviews, it is unclear if interventions with improve oral health among Saudi children. Further research is needed to explore the efficacy of these interventions in a Saudi context.

The implementation of learning Islamic Religious Education and Morals at Al Alif Blora Vocational School turns out to have entrepreneurial value in it which is the basis for carrying out this research. This research is a field research with a qualitative approach. Data obtained through non-participatory observation, semi-structured interviews and documentation with data analysis utilizing Miles and Huberman's theory. The results of this study indicate that the learning carried out at SMK Al Alif Blora contains several entrepreneurial values, namely the core activities in the form of the values of Independence, self-confidence, originality, creativity, and courage in taking risks. Then in the closing activity there are values of confidence, originality, and result oriented. Evaluation activities also have entrepreneurial values in them, namely self-confidence through assignments that must be done independently in the form of writing, photos and videos in order to bring independence to students. Human-oriented values, namely giving assignments by giving assignments in groups with the demand for cooperation between students in order to raise awareness that humans are social creatures and originality as seen from the follow-up activities given by the teacher to students.

Measurement(s) supervised machine learning Technology Type(s) Camera Device Sample Characteristic - Organism Diptera sp. NZAC 03009335

Conventional thyroidectomy has been the standard technique for over 100 years but has the drawback of leaving a scar on the neck. As such, the demand for minimally invasive endoscopic thyroid surgery is rapidly growing as patients are becoming more and more worried about scars; it is more appropriate in patients who want to get surgery done because of odd looking swelling over the neck. TOETVA is safe, feasible, effective, and scar-free alternative to conventional thyroid surgery. We are sharing our first clinical experience in TOETVA in Pakistan with effective outcome in terms of surgical complication and patient satisfaction. Keywords: TOETVA, minimally thyroid surgery, Pakistan.

In the present study, we consider a thermal-Timoshenko-beam system with suspenders and Kelvin–Voigt damping type, where the heat is given by Cattaneo's law. Using the existing semi-group theory and energy method, we establish the existence and uniqueness of weak global solution, and an exponential stability result. The results are obtained without imposing the equal-wave speed of propagation condition.2010 MSC: 35D30, 35D35, 35B35.

The transition from the pandemic period to normal again requires adaptation to habits, one of which is in learning, which was previously carried out online, now the learning model is offline again. Students are accustomed to using gadgets in their daily lives. Even in the current conditions, although the situation returns to its original state, adaptation is needed, one of which is in the learning model and making learning media to support teaching and learning activities. Therefore, in this study we propose the idea that the application of gamification in mobile learning using Case Based Learning is expected to make it easier for students to understand the material, increase students’ competitive spirit, and motivate students to learn. This research uses ADDIE which is an acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. The trial was carried out by material and media tests, small group tests, and field tests. Data analysis in this study used descriptive statistical tests and qualitative analysis. On the results of the UEQ questionnaire test, the Attractiveness scale obtained a score of 1.60, the Perspicuity scale obtained a score of 2.00, the Efficiency scale obtained a score of 1.61, the Dependability scale obtained a score of 1.00, the Stimulation scale obtained a score of 1.14, and the Novelty scale obtained score 0.90. Based on the results of the UEQ questionnaire testing, the design improvement solution obtained a positive score and showed improvement compared to the initial evaluation. The development of mobile learning apps is expected to be a source of mathematics learning materials that are practical in nature and can be used anytime and anywhere by students.

Measurement(s) recognition system with machine/deep learning Technology Type(s) Camera Device Sample Characteristic - Organism Aedes aegypti • Aedes albopictus

Sawsan Abuhamdah,1,2 Tahia H Saleem,3 Bakheet EM Elsadek,4 Omyma Ashraf,5 Ali R Hamdan,6 Eslam El Sayed El-Khateeb,6 Saeda M Abd Elwahab,7 Mohammed H Hassan5 1College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2Department of Biopharmaceutics and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; 3Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; 4Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt; 5Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt; 6Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt; 7Radio-Diagnosis Department, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, EgyptCorrespondence: Mohammed H Hassan, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt, Tel +20 1098473605, Email Mohammedhosnyhassaan@yahoo.comIntroduction: Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is a life-threatening neurological disorder and there is a lack of biomarker research, particularly human studies that could help to categorize the severity and predict the outcome. We aimed to assess the role of serum Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and Neuroglobin (NGB) in predicting severity and outcome of TSCI.Methods: This prospective study included 63 participants categorized into 33 patients with various types of TSCI and 30 unrelated healthy volunteers. Neurosurgical [American spinal injury association (ASIA) impairment score (AIS)] and radiological [using spine computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] assessments were performed on the included patients to determine the severity and the level of injury with neurological follow-up of patients within 6 months post-injury. Serum UCH-L1 and NGB were measured for all participants using commercially available ELISA assay kits.Results: Of the included patients, 20 (60.60%) had partial SCI and the remaining 13 patients (39.39%) had complete SCI. On follow-up, 19 patients (57.57%) showed improved AIS, while 14 cases (42.42%) did not show any improvement in their AIS scores. There was significantly higher median serum UCHL1 value among cases compared to controls (1723 pg/mL and 657 pg/mL, respectively), p ˂ 0.05. There was an insignificant rise of serum NGB levels among cases in comparison with the controls (15.2pg/mL and 7.52pg/mL, respectively, p ˃ 0.05). Significantly lower initial median serum UCHL1 levels (pg/mL) were observed in patients with improved AIS during the neurological follow-up compared with those who did not show any improvement in their AIS score (1723, and 4700 respectively, p ˂ 0.05), with lack of significant difference in the initial median serum NGB levels, p ˃ 0.05.Conclusion: Initial serum UCHL1 assay could be a helpful marker in reflecting the degree of TSCI and predicting its outcome, though NGB needs further assessment.Keywords: traumatic spinal cord injury, Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1, neuroglobin, diagnostic and prognostic markers

Managing osteoradionecrosis is an integral part of complication management in head and neck cancer patients. While essentially an infection, the management of this complication has a considerable task for head and neck surgeons. While various measures have been discussed for the management, stem cells injection therapy is a potential management option. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy provides the local tissue with growth factors and proliferative cells that can aid a radiated tissue in the healing process. The article intends to review the bedrock of the pathology, ranging from pathophysiological and the epidemiological concerns to sparking a potential discussion on the use of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in osteoradionecrosis of mandible in head and neck cancer surgery and thus the ensuing future of the regenerative medicine. Continued...

Human body has a set of unspecialized cells called as stem cells that have the ability to generate cells of specialized function. Volume of fractionated plasma extracted from autologous blood is termed as Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) that is rich in several growth factors. Both have shown effective results in the field of regenerative medicine. Physiologically, platelets are the first cells to concentrate at the site of tissue damage, therefore application of PRP in diverse surgical procedures enhances bone and soft tissue healing; this same phenomenon is currently being used in otology, head and neck flap surgery and yielding miraculous outcomes. The perspective role of stem cells in regenerative medicine is wrapped in its loosely arranged DNA with working genes; a similar concept is being worked upon in different ENT procedures with groundbreaking results. Continued...

Some waste materials from natural sources are interesting resources for extraction to a more valuable compound. Specific techniques for the extraction of these waste materials are required. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is one of the most important biomaterials that can be extracted from natural Bovine Bone waste. Natural Hydroxyapatite has been extracted from bovine bone by heating it at different temperatures, namely 850°C and 900°C. The properties of this natural hydroxyapatite have been compared with synthetic hydroxyapatite obtained from a commercial product. The influence of the HAp extraction method on several critical properties such as Ca/P ratio, crystal structure, crystallinity, crystallite sizes, microstrain, and morphology have been discussed. The hydroxyapatite obtained from the bovine bone was around 51% wt. The volume of the unit cell, crystallinity, crystallite size, ratio Ca/P, and morphology were affected by the extraction process. The conclusion is that HAp obtained from bovine bone is comparable to commercial products.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as an unforeseen challenge for head and neck cancer care providers. A similar challenge is also faced by other oncological fields, but the severity of this challenge is highest in otolaryngology because of the need for additional precautionary measures and curbs on the possibility of aerosol forming interventions related to the upper aerodigestive tract. In this narrative review, provision of ethical and consistent care on moral and professional grounds to head and neck cancer patients during the pandemic are discussed for professionals who provide head and neck oncology care.

Abstract Background Eosinophilia is a significant factor in asthma severity; however, the prevalence of severe eosinophilic asthma in Saudi Arabia is largely unknown. We aimed to determine the prevalence of the eosinophilic (defined in this study as ≥ 300 cells/mm3 in blood), atopic (atopic phenotype 1, defined in this study as > 100 IU/mL total serum IgE; atopic phenotype 2, defined in this study as > 150 IU/mL), and overlap phenotypes among patients with severe asthma in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in centers specialized in severe asthma management. Patients aged ≥ 12 years with severe asthma were enrolled. Study patients responded to the Global Initiative for Asthma 2018 assessment of asthma control questionnaire and provided study investigators with current information related to the study objectives. Additional medical record data and a blood sample for total serum IgE and complete blood count were collected. Results A total of 101 patients were enrolled; 83% were female and the mean (standard deviation) age was 48.7 (13.2) years. Forty-five (45%) patients had the eosinophilic phenotype, 50 (50%) had atopic phenotype 1, and 25 (25%) had phenotypic overlap (eosinophilic and atopic 1). Forty-one (41%) patients had atopic phenotype 2 and 23 (23%) had phenotypic overlap (eosinophilic and atopic 2). Asthma control and oral corticosteroid use patterns were similar and there were no significant differences in number of asthma exacerbations across phenotypes. Conclusions In Saudi Arabia, 45% of patients with severe asthma had the eosinophilic phenotype, which is most likely an underestimation as no clinical features of eosinophilia were taken into account in the definition of eosinophilia. Approximately half of them had phenotypic overlap with the atopic phenotype. Trial registration NCT03931954; ClinicalTrials.gov, April 30, 2019.

In this study, the analysis was carried out concerning previous changes in land use/land cover (LULC) for 2 years, 2000 and 2020, and their impact on water resources in the Diyala River Watershed in Iraq was assessed. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is a hydrological model used to perform the hydrological modeling process for LULC maps. The data for LULC were collected using the Landsat satellite with a resolution of 30 m, and it was classified using geographical information systems (ArcGIS). Using the confusion matrix, the accuracy of the maps for the years 2000 and 2020 was evaluated, the overall accuracy was more than 90%, and the kappa coefficient (ka) was more than 88%, which indicates the accuracy of the classification and is ideal for use in modeling work. SUFI-2 included with the SWATCUP program was used to perform the calibration and the results were validated for the outflow of the two gauging stations within the study area of Hemren station and Derbendikhan station as a monthly time step for a baseline map LULC 2000, in the period 1996–2020 with 4 years as warm up. Coefficient of determination (R 2), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and percent bias (Pbias) were used, which were the most common indicators for evaluating the performance of the statistical model. The results indicated that the values of R 2 during the calibration and validation processes were (0.84–0.88) and (0.85–0.87), respectively; the NSE was (0.87–0.85), and the Pbias was (4.2–6.8)% and (5.8 to −4.1)%, respectively. Therefore, the calibration and verification results were good and satisfactory. In addition to the two LULC maps for 2000 and 2020, the parameters of the modified SWAT model were utilized to estimate the effects on the Diyala River Basin. The study found that LULC change affects basins and sub-basins differently. At the basin, hydrological parameters were largely unaffected by LULC changes. However, at the sub-basin level, the water yield and the surface runoff were changed between (−6.45 to 4.67)% and (−2.9 to 9.88)%, respectively.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. A Machine Learning (ML) system can predict CVD in the early stages to mitigate mortality rates based on clinical data. Recently, many research works utilized different machine learning approaches to detect CVD or identify the patient’s severity level. Although these works obtained promising results, none focused on employing optimization methods to improve the ML model performance for CVD detection and severity-level classification. This study provides an effective method based on the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) to handle imbalance distribution issue, six different ML classifiers to detect the patient status, and Hyperparameter Optimization (HPO) to find the best hyperparameter for ML classifier together with SMOTE. Two public datasets were used to build and test the model using all features. The results show that SMOTE and Extra Trees (ET) optimized using hyperband achieved higher results than other models and outperformed the state-of-the-art works by achieving 99.2% and 98.52% in CVD detection, respectively. Also, the developed model converged to 95.73% severity classification using the Cleveland dataset. The proposed model can help doctors determine a patient’s current heart disease status. As a result, it is possible to prevent heart disease-related mortality by implementing early therapy.

Background: Glenohumeral (GH) instability is a common entity that primarily affects young active populations and athletes in particular. Shoulder dislocation occurs when the humeral head is forced out of the glenoid fossa. Once the soft tissues supporting the shoulder become loose or torn, the shoulder joint becomes prone to dislocations. Various imaging techniques are available for the evaluation of shoulder joint abnormalities including plain radiographs, conventional arthrography, ultrasonography, computed tomography, MRI and MR arthrography. Magnetic resonance imaging is considered the best modality for assessment of shoulder joint pathology as it provides superior multiplaner capability and exceptional soft tissue contrast. MR arthrography, in particular, is more superior to conventional (non-arthrographic) MRI for the detection of the assessment of labral tears and articular cartilage damage. We have searched literatures in PubMed, Google scholar, Egyptian bank of knowledge and science direct. Conclusion: Various imagingtechniques are useful in assessment of shoulder instability. MRI and MR arthrography are considered the imaging modalities of choice for such cases as they provide superior soft tissue contrast in addition to the benefit gained form joint distension in MR arthrography allowing for better assessment of the labrum.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A Machine Learning (ML) system can detect heart disease in the early stages to mitigate mortality rates based on clinical data. However, the class imbalance and high dimensionality issues have been a persistent challenge in ML, preventing accurate predictive data analysis in many real-world applications, including heart disease detection. In this regard, this work proposes a new method to address these issues and improve the predict the presence of heart disease and patients’ survival, including supervised infinite feature selection (Inf-FSs) to find the most significant features and Improved Weighted Random Forest (IWRF) to predict heart disease, and Bayesian optimization to tune the new hyperparameters for IWRF. Two public datasets, including Statlog and heart disease clinical records, were used to develop and validate the proposed model. The proposed model is compared with other hybrid models to show its superiority using performance metrics like accuracy and f-measure to evaluate the models’ performance. The results have shown that the proposed Inf-FSs-IWRF achieved better results than other models in attaining higher accuracy and F-measure on both datasets. Additionally, a comparative study has been performed to compare with previous studies, where the proposed model outperformed the others by an accuracy improvement of 2.4% and 4.6% on both datasets, respectively.