Search results

Background: The Saudi government had implemented unprecedented preventive measures to deal with COVID-19. These measures included intermittent curfews, bans on public gatherings, limitations on many services, temporary suspension of Hajj, Umrah, and visit and launching awareness campaigns. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the KAP toward COVID-19 among residents of the border region of Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed from May 4 to May 21, 2020, using a Google Form. The survey questionnaire covered demographic characteristics and KAP toward COVID-19. The KAP questions consisted of 17 items on knowledge, four items on attitude, and six items on practice. Results: A total of 597 participants responded to the survey questionnaire. Overall, participants demonstrated a good knowledge of COVID-19, correctly answering 77% of the knowledge questions. Most of the participants exhibited good attitudes and acceptable practices toward COVID-19. Multiple regression analysis revealed that participants with a university education (B = 1.75) or post-graduate education (B = 2.24), those with an income >SR 10,000–20,000 (B = 1.38) or >SR 20,000 (B = 2.07), and those who had received a personal health education (B = 1.19) had higher COVID-19 knowledge scores (p < 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analysis found that compared to being female, being male was significantly associated with worrying about COVID-19 (p = 0.024, OR = 1.78), willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (p = 0.003, OR = 1.81), and willingness to report potential symptoms of COVID-19 (p = 0.046, OR = 2.28). Worrying about COVID-19 was significantly associated with pre-university education vs. post-graduate education (p ≤ 0.001, OR = 7.94) and university education vs. post-graduate education (p ≤ 0.001, OR = 4.17). The binary logistic regression analysis found that compared to being female, being male was significantly associated with less face mask wearing in public (p = 0.009, OR = 0.31): Females ...

The literature illustrates that agriculture continues to be the leader in the nation for accidents. The attitudes and behaviors of farmers and farm workers towards farm equipment and its safe use are major concerns. Farm safety education and research are strongly needed to prevent or reduce farm injuries. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate health and safety problems among limited resource farmers in selected counties of North Carolina. The survey method with a mail questionnaire was used to collect the data. The sample for this study consisted of 297 limited resource farmers in North Carolina. Selected conclusions drawn from the findings were: 1. The risks associated with limited resource farmers and their workers, such as use of tractors, machinery, and farm chemicals are very high. 2. Farmers between the ages of 36-50 have higher expected injuries compared to other age groups. 3. Training associated with the use of farm tractors, machinery, and personal protective equipment (PPE) is very essential for limited resource farmers. 4. The research suggested that hazards exposed by using tractors without rollover protection structure (ROPS) could result in higher injuries among limited resource farmers and workers. Selected recommendations: 1. Federal and state governments should give incentives to farmers to encourage them to retrofit ROPS on their old tractors. 2. Mandatory training should be required for small scale or limited resource farmers on utilization of farm equipment operation and personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization. 3. New design of preventive guards and shields that can be easily removed or opened for maintenance and remounted or closed afterward are needed. ; Ph. D.

The conventional solid-state reaction method was utilized to prepare a series of superconducting samples of the nominal composition Bi2-xPb0.3WxSr2Ca2Cu3O10+d with 0≤x≤0.5 of 50 nm particle size of tungsten sintered at 8500C for 140h in air . The influence of substitution with W NPs at bismuth (Bi) sites was characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dc electrical resistivity. Room temperature X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that there exists two phases, i.e. Bi-(2223) and Bi-(2212), in addition to the impurity phases of (SrCa) 2Cu2O3, Sr2Ca2Cu7Oδ, Ca2PbO4, CaO, and WO. It was found that the crystallographic structure of all samples was orthorhombic. Lattice parameter values and the volume fraction of the (2223)-phase of the prepared samples were also calculated. The superconductivity transition temperature (Tc) for samples subjected to substitution with W NPs was found to be higher than that for the pure sample. The optimal value of W NPs content in (Bi, Pb)-2223 system was found to be at x=0.3.

This work is related to the investigation of the effects of porous silicon (PSi) morphologies on the performance of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) hot spot SERS sensors for the detection of amoxicillin molecules. Two Si wafers with different resistivity values of 10 and 100 Ω.cm were used to synthesize a PSi layer of pores- and mud-like structures, respectively, by pulsed photo chemical etching process. The hot spot SERS sensors were synthesized by incorporating the Au-NPs within the PSi morphologies of pores- and mud- like structures which are characterized by high density of nucleation sites. Plasmonic Au- NPs with different sizes and hot spot regions were incorporated into the porous structures by the ion reduction process. It was recognized that the PSi morphologies have a considerable influence on the fabrication process of the detection sensors and, consequently, on the detection process. The plasmonic Au-NPs hot spot SERS sensor based on the PSi morphology of the mud-like structures shows higher sensitivity than that of pores-like structures, even at very low concentrations of amoxicillin solutions.

Background: Ischemic heart disease is a major cause of the diastolic heart failure. Risk of heart failures was increased with microvascular coronary disease, which is characterized by left ventricular stiffness with impaired relaxation and reduced compliance. Aim of this study is to estimate the effect of the severity of myocardium ischemia on the left ventricle ejection fraction and left ventricular volume using SPECT with 99mTc MIBI and to compare the results with the echocardiography. The study included 117 subjects with ischemic heart disease were examined using SPECT and echocardiography techniques. The following parameters were measured: left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV) , left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV) , and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Results show that the change difference in EDV between the two technique was (98.79%) with insignificant (p > 0.05). While the change in the LVEF% between both groups was (105.40%) with significant (p <0.05). On the other hand, the difference in ESV and EDV/ESV ratio for both groups were (95.52%), and (103.61%) respectively with insignificant (p >0.05). It was concluded that SPECT with 99mTc MIBI had a good relation with the echocardiography technique for evaluation of the left ventricular ejection fraction and the left ventricular volumes. The results showed that LVEF was decreased in patients with severe ischemic disease.

The Cretaceous Balambo Formation from three sections in Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq was studied. The selected sections are located in the Zagros Fold -Thrust Belt. Eleven rock samples were analyzed by means of the organic geochemical method, Bitumen extraction method, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine the bitumen and hydrocarbon content, kerogen types, origin of organic matter, thermal maturity level, and depositional environment. The analyzed samples are considered to have an excellent potential in Baranan-1.G1 and Sazan sections, with poor to fair potential in Baraw section. The Baranan-1.G1 source rocks are of type II kerogen (oil prone), whereas Sazan and Baraw samples are of type II/III (oil/ gas prone). Detailed distribution analysis of biomarkers such as normal alkane, isoprenoids, sterane and terpane was performed on saturated hydrocarbons. The mode of n-alkanes and isoprenoids distribution in all analyzed samples is similar, with a unimodal distribution that indicates non-biodegraded hydrocarbons, with the same range of alkane compounds between C13-C34 alkanes. The results of n-C17, pristane, n-C18 and phytane, and regular steranes show that the source rocks of Balambo Formation in Baranan-1.G1 are mainly rich with algal marine organic matter deposited under a reducing environment, while Baraw and Sazan sections are composed of mixed marine organic matter that refers to terrestrial land plants input deposited under reducing anoxic/dysoxic environments. Thermal maturation appraisal is deduced from Pristane/n-C17 versus Phytane/n-C18 diagram, Carbon Preference Index (CPI), C29 ββ/ (ββ+αα), C29 20S/ (20S +20R), C32 22S/ (22S+22R), and Ts/ (Ts+Tm). All these parameters indicate that the analyzed samples are mature and have entered the oil window (early to peak oil window). Biomarker ratios of C22/C21, C24/C23 and C26/C25, C31R/C30H show that the Balambo Formation is composed mostly of carbonates with less shale beds.

Female criminality is one of the important phenomena in popular media and also in academic discourse of contemporary scholastic arena like sociology, criminology, psychology and anthropology. The changing nature of female's roles in capitalist system instigate female more to involve in violent and property crimes. The main intent of the study is to review the major theories of female criminality such as masculinization, opportunity, marginalization and chivalry. The authors also tried to shed light on the acceptability and validity of female criminality theories on female criminal activities. This study mainly relies on secondary sources. Data have been collected from journal articles, books, research reports, government documents and so on. Among the theories of masculinization, opportunity, marginalization and chivalry; marginalization theory is the most relevant and significant for analyzing causes of female criminality in contemporary third world societies. On the other hand, masculinities and opportunities theories are sometimes partially applicable to predict criminality of women in first world countries.

In this work, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were prepared using rf magnetron sputtering on silicon wafer and glass substrates from V2O5 target at 200 °C substrate temperature, followed by annealing at 400 and 500 °C in air for 2 h. The prepared thin films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), forier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-visible absorbance, and direct current coductivity to study the effects of annealing temperature on their structural and optical properties. The XRD analysis exhibited that the annealing promoted the highly crystallized V2O5 phase that is highly orientated along the c direction. The crystalline size increased from 22.5 nm to 35.4 nm with increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C. The FTIR spectroscopy showed the enhancement of the characteristics band for the V2O5 with increasing annealing temperature to 500 °C. The optical study showed that the energy gap for the sample deposited on glass slides decreased from 2.85 eV, for as deposited sample, to 2.6 eV upon annealing the sample to 500 °C. There was a linear dependence between sensitivity and relative humidity (RH) at the range from 25% to 70%, while the behavior was exponential at high RH range.