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Sarah A Alobaid,1 Mohammed Basem Beyari,1 Reem Bin Idris,1 Mohammed H Alhumud,1 Lamia A Alkuwaiz,2 Faisal Alsaif,3 Mansour Aljabry,4 Bandar Aljafen,5 Mona Soliman6 1College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; 3Fellowship and Residency Training Program, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Medicine Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 6Medical Education & Physiology, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mona Soliman, Medical Education and Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966505468581, Email msoliman1@ksu.edu.saBackground: The Big Sibling Program is an innovative peer student mentoring method that was designed and implemented by the students’ council in 2021 to complement the faculty mentoring program of first-year medical students in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the medical students’ perception of the peer students “Big Sibling” mentoring program and to assess the effectiveness of the program in terms of changes in the behavior and academic performance of the students.Methods: This is a retrospective study that was conducted in 2021. A registration form that includes demographic data, personal information, and academic performance (GPA and extracurricular achievements) was sent to all second- and third-year medical students to select the Big Siblings. A total of 49 mentors “Big Siblings” were accepted (30 males, 19 females) and matched randomly with the little siblings from first-year medical students. A written consent was obtained from the participants. The survey was structured on a 5-point Likert scale, and composed of four sections of closed-ended questions, that includes: the demographic data, the students’ (little sibling) evaluation of the mentorship sessions, the little sibling perception of the Big Sibling Program and its effectiveness of the Big Sibling Program in terms of behavioral or quality effects.Results: Out of 297 first-year medical students, 284 (95.62%) responded. The majority significantly agreed that the Big Sibling was readily available and they personally benefitted from the relationship (94.36%, p< 0.001; 90.14%, p< 0.001). They significantly disagreed that the relationship requires too much time (72.54%, p< 0.001) or that they do not need a mentor (78.87%, p< 0.001). Most significantly agreed that mentoring is a good idea (94.37%, p< 0.001), the program helped reduce their stress (84.51%, p< 0.001), helped them adjust to college (89.44%, p< 0.001), and advance academically (78.52%, p< 0.001). The program also encouraged their involvement in extracurricular activities (58.10%, p< 0.0001), research (43.31%, p< 0.001), and social engagement with peers (71.48%, p< 0.001). Moreover, the majority thought the program significantly improved their self-confidence (73.94%, p< 0.001), self-awareness (84.51%), accountability (54.51%), leadership (54.93%), resilience (71.13%), punctuality (69.01%, p< 0.001), time management (75.70%), stress coping (77.82%), problem-solving (76.76%), and teamwork (75.35%).Conclusion: Peer students’ big Siblings program has succeeded in reducing first-year medical students stress levels, improving their self-confidence, self-awareness, accountability and responsibility, leadership, resilience, punctuality and engaging them in research and extracurricular activities.Keywords: Medical students, big sibling program, mentoring, peer mentoring, mentoring program

Faisal Alsaif,1 Lamia Alkuwaiz,1 Mohammed Alhumud,1 Reem Bin Idris,1 Lina Neel,2 Mansour Aljabry,3 Mona Soliman4 1College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Medical Education & Physiology, Medical Education Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mona Soliman, Medical Education Department, Medical Education and Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966505468581, Email msoliman1@ksu.edu.saBackground: The objective structured practical examination (OSPE) is used as an assessment tool of laboratory practical sessions. This study described the design and implementation of peer-led mock OSPE for first- and second-year medical students, investigated the perception of the students of the peer-led mock OSPE and the impact of attending the mock OSPE on the performance.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Two mock OSPEs were designed and conducted by third-, fourth- and fifth- year medical students for year one and two. Each mock OSPE involved six stations. Thirty-three medical students facilitated the OSPE. The OSPEs were conducted prior to the summative end of block exams. Following the mock OSPEs, an online survey was sent to the participants to assess their satisfaction, quality and benefits of the mock OSPE. The study also evaluated the impact of the mock OSPE on students’ performance.Results: Out of 313 first-year students, 279 (89.1%) attended the mock OSPE and out of 298 second-year students, 213 (71.5%) attended. A total of 192 (68.8%) first-year medical students and 102 (47.9%) second-year medical students completed the questionnaire. There was no significant difference between attending and non-attending the mock OSPE in the students’ performance in the summative OSPE. The majority of students felt more confident, less anxious, and lowered the levels of stress after attending the mock OSPE. More than half of the students felt that attending the mock OSPE helped in easing the steps, better preparation, provided sufficient orientation, well explained the materials and helped them to learn the concept of the final OSPE. The majority of students found the mock OSPE stimulating.Conclusion: Attending the mock OSPE did not affect the students’ performance in the summative OSPE. However, the peer-assessed mock OSPE improved the medical students’ confidence and lowered the anxiety associated with OSPE.Keywords: medical students, OSPE, mock, assessment

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prevalent condition with significant physiological and psychological implications for men, particularly those with diabetes. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a systematic review to explore the multifaceted aspects of ED in men with diabetes, encompassing prevalence, risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, treatments, psychological interventions, and emerging therapies. Secondary data were gathered through a comprehensive literature search of reputable databases using relevant keywords from 1996 to 2020. The data obtained indicate that the global prevalence of ED increases with age, with substantial rates observed in older men. Cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, and psychological factors are identified as major contributors to ED development. The quality of life of men with ED is profoundly affected, leading to psychological distress and strained relationships. Future perspectives involve personalized treatments, nanotechnology, and innovative therapies. While promising, challenges in managing ED include stigma, underreporting, complex etiology, and limited access to specialized care. Comprehensive and individualized approaches are crucial to optimize treatment outcomes for men with ED, particularly those with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work investigated carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) as a potential base polymer for a fracturing fluid used in deep tight gas wells, synonym to high-temperature reservoirs. Fracturing is a common method to improve oil production by creating fractures in potentially productive reservoirs using fracturing fluids. Fracturing fluids are typically composed of water, sand, proppant, and many different additives to alter the capabilities of the fluid. Design/methodology/approach: A stable high-density fracturing fluid (HDFF) was developed to cope with scorching good temperatures up to 350°F (177°C)as well as to reduce the surface treating pressure. The HDFF consists of NaBr heavy brine, CMHPG, clay stabilizers, and zirconium and borate crosslinkers. A linear gel fluid was prepared by combining NaBr brine with CMHPG before adding the additives. The resulting fluid was then tested using a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) rheometer. Findings: The results showed that the performance of the HDFF was optimum in an alkaline environment between pH 10 to 12. The efficiency of zirconium and borate crosslinkers were optimum at 0.7 ppm and 1.5 ppt, respectively. Concentrations higher than these values are not only uneconomical but will cause the fluid to be overly crosslinked, consequently reducing efficiency. In actual field operation, this is disastrous when the fluid does not flow to the fracturing column but instead swirls around the drill string as the drill string rotates. On the other hand, a reduction of concentration below the optimum values can cause fluid instability at high temperature reservoirs. Research limitations/implications: The study was limited to using two different kinds of crosslinkers and various concentrations. Future studies can be conducted using other kinds of crosslinkers, as well as an investigation into the effects of varying temperatures, pressures, and pH on the HDFF using CMHPG. Practical implications: It can be concluded that HDFF using CMHPG as the base polymer can be a potential use in formulating fracturing fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has become a significant factor in producing up-to-date and accurate topographic data in the current world. LiDAR technology has been used for years for many applications, including the efficient creation of digital model for large scale, high accuracy mapping. This technology offers fast, accurate, expedient and cost-effective ways of capturing wide area elevation information to produce highly detailed digital model of the earth. LiDAR is based on airborne laser scanners enables to acquire dense and accurate 3D data of the surveyed area, i.e., the Digital Surface Model (DSM). This paper presents an exploratory study to assess the accuracy of constructed DTM (Digital Terrain Model) and evaluating ground height without surface features using LiDAR Digital Surface Model (DSM). The study area comprised of an undulated area situated at Jinjang in the Klang Valley region, Malaysia covering an area of one kilometre square. LiDAR DSM and DTM constructed and derived from LiDAR were critically assessed with reference to the USGS Map Accuracy Standards. The accuracy of derived DSM and DTM were evaluated using ground control points derived from conventional surveying technique. The constructed models were accessed quantitatively and qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in number of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases will lead to more cluster discovery in Malaysia. Furthermore, with the increasing population, city growth, workplace income needs, high-risk groups, and other relevant factors can contribute to the formation of the new clusters. The cluster distribution of the disease could be seen by mapping and spatial analysis to understand their spatial phenomena of the disease dynamics. The purpose of the study is to analyse the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cluster cases in Selangor for year 2020. Two objectives of the study are i) to determine the hotspot location of the COVID- 19 cluster, and ii)to examine the spatial distribution of the factors affecting the COVID-19 cluster. The data processing was conducted using hotspot analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) in ArcGIS Pro and Microsoft Excel to explore the local disease phenomena. TheCOVID-19 cases was most prevalent in the Petaling district, followed by Hulu Langat and Klang. The virus had the least impact in Sabak Bernam, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor, Sepang, Kuala Langat, and Gombak. Three environmental factors of population density, the effects of urbanisation, and workplace cases were influential variables at the local clusters. These findings could help the local agencies to facilitate and control the spread mode of the virus in a spatial human environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers are developed from the pentagonal fuzzy numbers and interval-valued pentagonal fuzzy numbers concepts. Previous researchers have suggested that various defuzzification methods were used to transform pentagonal fuzzy numbers into crisp numbers. However, very little research discusses defuzzification methods for interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers. Five interval-tuple fuzzy numbers that act as the input transformed information are needed to obtain crisp numbers via defuzzification methods. Therefore, this study examined some defuzzification methods for developing interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers where interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers (input) are transformed into crisp numbers (output). In addition, a comparison between interval type-2 pentagonal fuzzy numbers and general pentagonal fuzzy numbers are provided to validate the consistency and efficiency of these defuzzification methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]