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Background: In Morocco, despite various initiatives to improve the quality of reproductive healthcare, the indicators remain unfavorable. To strengthen the skills of midwives and support the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 by 2030, Morocco has developed and implemented a competency-based training framework. However, there is a lack of information on the successful implementation of this program and its impact on the quality of student midwives’ preparation for practice. Objective: This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding and explore the barriers affecting the development of clinical learning skills among midwifery students and newly qualified midwives. Methods: This study employed a descriptive, exploratory qualitative approach. Data were collected through nine focus group discussions with 30 midwifery students and 24 newly graduated midwives between April and June 2023 from six higher education institutions in northern and central Morocco. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the transcribed discussions. Results: The barriers varied between locations. Overall, the internship design was inadequate, and the clinical environment was insufficient. Participants highlighted limited opportunities to experience the full range of midwifery skills. However, most midwifery students and new graduates had deficient competencies in managing high-risk situations and emergencies. Conclusion: This work provides an overview of the nature and extent of the challenges faced by many student midwives in Morocco, resulting in newly graduated midwives being poorly prepared for the full range of midwifery practice. These findings can inform various initiatives to strengthen midwifery education at the global, regional, and national levels.

Obstetric emergencies are critical situations that jeopardize the health of both the mother and the baby during pregnancy or childbirth. This study aimed to validate the effectiveness of clinical simulation training in managing these situations. We conducted a narrative review of studies published between 2008 and 2022, collected from databases including Scopus, Sciencedirect, PubMed, Springer, Scielo, and Google Scholar. Data from studies that met our inclusion criteria were meticulously gathered and summarized. Our findings strongly emphasize that clinical simulation emerges as a highly effective tool in the training of healthcare professionals. This training translates into substantial improvements in various aspects, including performance, knowledge, confidence, satisfaction, attitudes, self-efficacy, teamwork abilities, and the skills necessary to confront critical obstetric situations such as postpartum hemorrhage, eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, maternal cardiac arrest, umbilical cord prolapse, and cesarean sections. Importantly, this training reduces the inherent risks associated with learning on real patients and aligns with the highest ethical standards. Additionally, our results underscore that interdisciplinary collaboration in the management of obstetric emergencies proves to be an effective strategy for providing comprehensive patient care. However, it is crucial to highlight that, in order to ensure patient safety and promote a teamwork approach, it is imperative for healthcare professionals to receive adequate training and be duly qualified. Although we acknowledge that implementing clinical simulation training can entail significant costs and require substantial resources, we firmly believe that this strategy continues to hold immeasurable value in the education of professionals in this field. Ultimately, we anticipate that future high-quality research will further fortify the evidence base regarding best practices in clinical simulation training for obstetric emergencies, thus contributing to enhanced patient outcomes and the overall quality of healthcare in this critical domain.

« L’évolution » est considérée depuis longtemps comme étant le paradigme de base de la Biologie. D’une autre façon, la biologie ne peut se comprendre qu’à la lumière de l’évolution. Aussi, il est impossible, nous parait-t-il, que l’enseignement du savoir biologique puisse faire fi de l’idée de l’évolution et des théories et/ou modèles explicatifs. A travers l’analyse de contenu, nous cherchons à décrire la place qu’accordent les programmes à l’évolution, découvrir les éventuels arguments des concepteurs derrière le choix des éléments constituant le programme dans le système éducatif à la science au Maroc. L’analyse des manuels scolaires marocains en cycle secondaire, montre une approche hésitante et douteuse dans le traitement des théories de l’évolution. Cette hésitation peut s’expliquer par les valeurs de la société. «

Dilbilimciler teradüfü; "farklı lafızları değişik dillere dönüştürmeksizin ve söylenen lafızlar arasında fonetik bir yakınlık olmaksızın, tek bir mana için kullanılan kelimelerdir" şeklinde tarif etmişlerdir. Ancak bazıları bu yaklaşımın aksini söylemişler, dolayısıyla bu çeşitliliği de dilsel duyurnun kaybı, kasdedilen anlamı belirleyememe, lafızları sınırlandırmamaveya ger<>ksiz birziyadelik saymışlardır. Bazı dilbilimciler ise An~p dilindeki bu olguyu zenginliğin delııı, kullanabiliriilik yeteneği ve dilin üstün bir meziyeti kabul etmişlerdir.

Ashabın hadis rivayetinde tam güvenilir olup olmadıkları, yalan söyleyip söylemedikleri günümüzde bazı çevrelerde tartışılan konulardan bir tanesidir. Bu bağlamda özellikle Ebu Hureyre'ye tenkidler yöheltilmektedir. Aşağıdaki satırlarda hem yöneltilen tenkidler genel hatlarıyla sunulacak, hem.de ashabın tamamının RasUiüllah adına hadis uydurmaktan beri ve aynı zamanda adilkimseler oldukları ispat edilecek, yöneltileniddialar reddedilecektir. Böylece Kur'an ve hadislerle övülen o kutlu rieslin ümmetin itimadına tam anlamıyla layık oldukları gösterilecektir.!

Depuis quelques années, les mutations de l’environnement obligent les entreprises à repenser leurs modes d'organisation et de gestion et à recourir à des stratégies de recentrage sur leur métier principal avec recours croissant à l’externalisation ou à la sous-traitance de nombreuses activités. Face à cette opération d’externalisation qui se base sur la logique du marché c.à.d. la recherche des compétences externes et la réduction des coûts, les dirigeants des deux parties du contrat fonctionnent dans des systèmes de management et avec une culture qui est souvent éloignée du développement durable et de la RSE. Leur formation et leur métier reposent sur la culture de l’efficacité technique et économique, pour beaucoup d’entre eux, les critères environnementaux et sociaux, au delà des exigences législatives, ne font pas partie des pratiques normales de l’approvisionnement. Ceslogiques des marchéset des réductions de coûts ont entrainé une sortie apparente du périmètre de responsabilité juridique des impacts environnementaux et sociaux négatifs générés par l’activité de la grande entreprise et son report sur les PME fournisseurs. Mais ces pratiques ont été dénoncées comme non responsables par les acteurs de la société civile. Ces mouvements ont été de puissants leviers pour l’introduction de critères de RSE dans lagestion de la chaine d’approvisionnement.Dans ce contexte, les grandes entreprises clientes mettent en place des dispositifs pour intégrer des objectifs de qualité sociale et environnementale dans leurs achats (nature du bien acheté) ou dans le choix et la gestion de leur relation avec leurs fournisseurs. Les PMEintégrées à ces chaînes de valeur devront alors non seulement être en mesure d'intégrer les principes de la RSE, mais également d'en rendre compte de façon crédible, au risque d'êtreécartées au profit de partenaires moins susceptibles de mettre à risque la réputation des grandes entreprises.A ce niveau là, on peut s’interroger sur la manière de développement des pratiques responsables dans la gestion de la chaine d’approvisionnement.Cette communication à pour objectif de répondre à cette problématique, en déterminant d’abord, le rôle des grands textes et références internationaux dans la diffusion de la RSE dans la chaine d’approvisionnement, ensuite, la réalité de la RSE dans cette dernière, puis, le réseau comme démarche collective d’intégration de la RSE dans la chaine d’approvisionnement, en enfin la supply chaine pérenne

Abstract Background The present study presents a 3-D numerical simulation of a direct injection diesel engine powered by base diesel oil and soybean biodiesel fuel at different load conditions. The modeling was performed using commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software linked to a chemical solver. A chemical kinetic reaction mechanism was developed to simulate the combustion and fuel spray processes. Base diesel oil results were verified using a single-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine. Results The study showed that the usage of the soybean biodiesel fuel caused a reduction in carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions by about 42.38% and 41.35%, compared with base diesel and an increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of about 21.8% and 11.2%, respectively. Exhaust gas temperature (EGT) is reduced by an average value of 9.4%, the brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) is increased by an average value of 11.8% and the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) is dropped by an average value of 11.3% for soybean biodiesel fuel. Conclusions The CFD model showed the effect of the unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters present in soybean biodiesel on the spatial distributed values of NOx, oxygen and temperature during the combustion in engine cylinder. It was observed that the combustion of soybean biodiesel began about 3.89 CAD earlier than base diesel, and the in-cylinder peak pressure was dropped by 8.25%. Soybean biodiesel fuel was optimized by performing four starts of injection (SOI) at timings of − 18, − 16, − 15 and − 13,5 bTDC, and it was found that the combustion characteristics of soybean biodiesel are optimum at SOI = − 15 bTDC. These results indicate that the biodiesel fuel can be used as an alternative and environmentally friendly fuel in the engine without any modifications.

Abstract This study aims to investigate the effects of piston bowl shape and biodiesel fuel on combustion and emissions of a direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Three configurations of piston bowl geometry are modeled: hemispherical, toroidal, and rectangular. Biodiesel fuel derived from soybean oil is being considered. An experimental work was conducted on a diesel engine with a hemispherical piston bowl, and a better validity was attained. The study showed that, diesel engine with toroidal piston bowl delivered the largest power than other shapes, where turbulent regions are formed inside the toroidal piston bowl with higher intensity, which resulted in better combustion characteristics and lower emission concentrations. It is observed from the combustion of biodiesel fuel that, the rapid combustion stage began earlier than conventional diesel fuel by about 5o CA, heat release rate (HRR) decreased by 18.88%, emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), and unburnt hydrocarbon (UHC) reduced but nitric oxide (NO) emission increased by about 17.78% at 55o CA, as compared to diesel fuel. During the injection process, the jet core of biodiesel fuel appeared thicker and longer than conventional diesel fuel. For optimization, preheating with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) of biodiesel fuel contributes to reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and improve the atomization rate.

Smart ambulance is a novel system where modern communication, computation, and sensing technologies are employed to revolutionize ambulance and emergency systems. We propose a smart system that aims to minimize the ambulance response time, travel time from patient’s location to the hospital, and the waiting time at the hospital. We utilize the road traffic conditions and hospital loading information (collected in real-time basis) to make optimal decisions (which hospital responds to the patient’s request and which ambulance it sends, which route the ambulance takes to reach the patient, which hospital the ambulance heads to after picking up the patient, and which route it should take to the selected hospital). The first two decisions are used to minimize the response time while the last two decisions are employed to minimize the door-to-needle time. We analyze the performance of the proposed algorithm; both analytically and by simulation for verification. The results showed very good consistency between simulation results and analytical results, which confirms the correctness and accuracy of the analysis. In addition, we compare the performance of our proposed smart algorithm with a previous algorithm that is reported in the literature and that minimizes the drop-off delay. The results confirmed the superiority of our smart algorithm under considered operating conditions and scenarios.

Occupational asthma is defined as variable airway obstruction due to exposure to a specific substance in the workplace environment. The aim of the study was to find out the frequency of occupational asthma in wheat mill workers and to explore the role of fungi biomarkers (galactomannan (GM) and β-D-glucan (βDG)) in occupational asthma. Subjects and methods: Assessment of fungi in air was done. Spirometric function of workers (n=120) were assessed during diurnal (before and 15 minutes after inhalation of salbutamol) and nocturnal time. Blood samples were analyzed to measure serum GM and βDG and allergen specific immunoglobulin E. The workers were asked about asthma symptoms. Results and conclusion: A significant proportion of workers had occupational asthma (25%) and only four workers (3.3%) had non-occupational asthma (excluded from the study). The rest were normal (86 workers). Penicillium and Aspergillus were the only species found in the air environment. Mean GM concentration (GM-c) was significantly higher among occupational asthmatics than normal workers. The estimated risk of occupational asthma (Odds ratio) was 13.3 times higher among workers with high GM-c (>1 pg/ml). Ln (GM) was the only significant predictor of PEFR variability. GM has a potential diagnostic role in occupational asthma due to fungal exposure among wheat mill workers. βDG did not have a role in occupational asthma. We recommend that wheat mill flour workers should do periodic spirometric functions and serum GM every 6 - 12 months for early diagnosis and control of occupational asthma.

This study proposes a new approach to employ the hydrology-based predictions of the water fate, rather than empirical ones, to estimate crop water requirements (CWRs) in artificially-drained agricultural lands. The study area comprises a 12 ha-wheat-land that locates in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, for the growing season of 2018–2019. Despite there was almost no need for irrigation in the study area due to the amble rainfall; the empirical prediction of the water fate caused overestimations in CWRs (30840 m3). Under the same data of evapotranspiration and precipitation, the new approach enhanced CWRs estimates (12750 m3), and this is due to the well-known accuracy of hydrology-based approaches in predicting the water fate. In addition, the water fate in the study area was hydrological simulated and predicted under some scenarios of field conditions and management practices, and the new approach was applied to estimate CWRs under these scenarios. It was revealed that changes in the water fate affected much CWRs and caused an increase (up to 80%), compared to the estimated value under baseline conditions. Therefore, the accurate prediction of the water fate is indispensable for better CWRs estimates along with better utilization of available water resources. In addition, the new approach presented in this study can be applied to estimate future CWRs in artificially drained lands, along with the assessment of various impacts of many field conditions and management practices on CWRs.

This paper assesses the Quaternary aquifer behavior in Assuit governorate under different management discharge/recharge scenarios. The four discharge scenarios represent 1.25, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 of the current abstraction rate. The two proposed discharge scenarios represent 0.5 and 1.0 m reduction in surface water levels in the Nile River and main canals in the study area. The sensitivity analysis was performed, identifying hydraulic conductivity as the most sensitive parameter. The model was calibrated with 28 observation wells with a good agreement with measured data. The reductions in groundwater heads are 0.17, 0.35, 0.72, 1.11 m for the four discharge scenarios, respectively, while 0.22 and 0.46 m obtained as a reduction in groundwater heads for the two proposed discharge scenarios, respectively. The recharge from the Nile and canals was reduced by 58.078, 114,800 m3/day, respectively. Sustainable management plan is recommended for long-term analysis of the Quaternary aquifer in the study area.

Objective: To study the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) and its predictors after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in an Asian cohort. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Almana Hospital, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, which is a tertiary care hospital. The study duration was form Oct 2019 to Dec 2021. Methodology: All the male and female consecutive patients with coronary artery disease undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were included in the study. All the surgeries were performed through median sternotomy using cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients with emergency CABG, off pump CABG and those undergoing multiple procedures were excluded from the study. A total of 220 consecutive patients were included in the study. Patients were followed in the perioperative period. Various variables were recorded on a preformed proforma. Patients were divided into two groups, those who had atrial fibrillation (AF) and those who did not have AF. Data was analyzed using SPPS version 23 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago,IL). Results: The mean age of the patients was 51.50±11 years in the AF group and 49.38±9 years in the no AF group. The incidence of atrial fibrillation postoperatively in our cohort was (n=52, 25%). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to hypertension and diabetes (p=0.408 and p=0.054) respectively). Conclusion: In spite of a younger population, the incidence of AF in our cohort undergoing CABG is comparable to the international literature. Lack of preoperative β-blockers, statins and low ejection fraction are predictors of new onset POAF.

One of the most critical stages for developing groundwater resources for drinking water use is assessing the water quality. The use of a Water Quality Index (WQI) is considered an effective method of evaluating water quality. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of six multiple artificial intelligence techniques, i.e., linear regression (stepwise), support vector regression SVM (linear and polynomial kernels), Gaussian process regression (GPR), Fit binary tree, and artificial neural network ANN (Bayesian) to predict the WQI in Jizan, Southern Saudi Arabia. A total of 145 groundwater samples were collected from shallow dug wells and boreholes tapping the phreatic aquifer. The WQI was calculated from 11 physicochemical parameters (pH, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, NO3−, and TH). The spatial distribution results showed that higher values of Cl− and SO42− were recorded in the places close to the coastline, indicating the occurrence of seawater intrusion and salinisation. Seven wells had a WQI of greater than 300, indicating that the water was unfit for consumption. The results showed that the GPR, linear regression (stepwise), and ANN models performed best during the training and testing stages, with a high correlation of 1.00 and low errors. The stepwise fitting model indicated that pH, K+, and NO3− were the most significant variables, while HCO3− was a non-significant variable for the WQI. The GPR, stepwise regression, and ANN models performed best during the training and testing stages, with a high correlation and low errors. In contrast, the SVM and Fit binary tree models performed the worst in the training and testing phases. Based on subset regression analysis, the optimum input combination for WQI model prediction was determined as these eight input combinations with high R2 (0.975–1.00) and high Adj-R2 (0.974–1.00). The resultant WQI model significantly contributes to sustainable groundwater resource management in arid areas and generates improved prediction precision with fewer input parameters.

The reduction of the Nile River Nile flow to Egypt is expected due to the construction and potential improper filling of various projects in the Nile River basin such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Therefore, this research investigates the potential impacts of the GERD on the groundwater level in the Nile Valley aquifer in El-Minia Governorate. Three filling scenarios of 2, 3 and 6 years for the GERD reservoir were simulated under three different flow conditions from the Blue Nile including normal flow (NF), minimum of average flow (MAF) and minimum flow (MF) that arriving Nasser Lake. The results indicated that GWLs decreased by 1.41, 1.76, and 2.21 m for NF, MAF, and MF compared to the base case (BC) for first scenario of two years filling of GERD reservoir, respectively, while for the other two scenarios, the reductions in GWLs were lesser. The tested several management scenarios to satisfy the irrigation demand of the study area revealed that all the simulated scenarios showed an adverse impact of GERD on the deterioration of the Nile Valley aquifer, El-Minia, Egypt. We highlighted the importance of adopting a win–win situation between Eastern Nile Countries and Egypt to minimize the severe adverse GERD's filling impact on groundwater in the Nile Valley aquifer.

Assessment of the long term possibilities and risks related to geological storage requires insight in the deep groundwater flow systems. The objective of this paper is to show the relevance of the deep creep flow of the earth’s viscous upper mantle and crust as a complement to the groundwater flow. The paper presents an approach based on Fourier decomposition of the topography. The creep flow equations are solved analytically, which results in simple indices like penetration depth and relaxation time characterizing the gravity-driven creep flow. Thanks to the very high effective viscosity of the Earth’s subsurface a Darcy-like equation is obtained in which the ‘creep conductivity’ is Fourier mode dependent, which allows for simple comparison with the hydraulic conductivity for groundwater flow. Order of magnitude calculations indicate that for horizontal length scales of 100–1000 km the subsurface creep velocities are 0.3–30 mm/year, respectively, which shows that creep velocities in the deep subsurface are significant with respect to deep groundwater velocities.

Jazan province on Saudi Arabia’s southwesterly Red Sea coast is facing significant challenges in water management related to its arid climate, restricted water resources, and increasing population. A total of 180 groundwater samples were collected and tested for important hydro-chemical parameters used to determine its adaptability for irrigation. The principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to evaluate the consistency/cluster overlapping, agglomeration in the datasets, and to identify the sources of variation between the 11 major ion concentrations (pH, K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, SO42−, Cl−, HCO3−, NO3−, TDS, and TH). The EC values ranged from excellent to unsuitable, with 10% being excellent to good, 43% permissible, and 47% improper for irrigation. The SAR classification determined that 91.67% of groundwater samples were good to excellent for irrigation, indicating that they are suitable for irrigation with no sodium-related adverse effects. Magnesium hazard values showed that 1.67% of the samples are unsuitable for irrigation, while the remaining 98.33% are suitable. Chloro-alkaline indices signify that most groundwater samples show positive ratios indicating that ion exchange is dominant in the aquifer. The Gibb’s diagram reflects that evaporation, seawater interaction, and water–rock interaction are the foremost processes impacting groundwater quality, besides other regional environmental variables. A strong positive correlation was declared between TDS and Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl−, SO42− in addition to TH with Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl−, SO42−, TDS, and also Cl− with Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ were major connections, with correlation coefficients over 0.8 and p < 0.0001. The extracted factor analysis observed that TH, Ca2+, TDS, Cl−, and Mg2+ have high positive factor loading in Factor 1, with around 52% of the total variance. This confirms the roles of evaporation and ion exchange as the major processes that mostly affect groundwater quality, along with very little human impact. The spatial distribution maps of the various water quality indices showed that the majority of unsuitable groundwater samples were falling along the coast where there is overcrowding and a variety of anthropogenic activities and the possible impact of seawater intrusion. The results of the hierarchical cluster analysis agreed with the correlations mentioned in the factor analysis and correlation matrix. As a result, incorporating physicochemical variables into the PCA to assess groundwater quality is a practical and adaptable approach with exceptional abilities and new perspectives. According to the study’s findings, incorporating different techniques to assess groundwater quality is beneficial in understanding the factors that control groundwater quality and can assist officials in effectively controlling groundwater quality and also enhancing the water resources in the study area.

The estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo), a crucial step in the hydrologic cycle, is essential for system design and management, including the balancing, planning, and scheduling of agricultural water supply and water resources. When climates vary from arid to semi-arid, and there are problems with a lack of meteorological data and a lack of future information on ETo, as is the case in Egypt, it is more important to estimate ETo precisely. To address this, the current study aimed to model ETo for Egypt’s most important agricultural governorates (Al Buhayrah, Alexandria, Ismailiyah, and Minufiyah) using four machine learning (ML) algorithms: linear regression (LR), random subspace (RSS), additive regression (AR), and reduced error pruning tree (REPTree). The Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) was used to gather daily climate data variables from 1979 to 2014. The datasets were split into two sections: the training phase, i.e., 1979–2006, and the testing phase, i.e., 2007–2014. Maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum temperature (Tmin), and solar radiation (SR) were found to be the three input variables that had the most influence on the outcome of subset regression and sensitivity analysis. A comparative analysis of ML models revealed that REPTree outperformed competitors by achieving the best values for various performance matrices during the training and testing phases. The study’s novelty lies in the use of REPTree to estimate and predict ETo, as this algorithm has not been commonly used for this purpose. Given the sparse attempts to use this model for such research, the remarkable accuracy of the REPTree model in predicting ETo highlighted the rarity of this study. In order to combat the effects of aridity through better water resource management, the study also cautions Egypt’s authorities to concentrate their policymaking on climate adaptation.

In the coming years, climate change is predicted to impact irrigation water demand considerably, particularly in semi-arid regions. The aim of this research is to investigate the expected adverse impacts of climate change on water irrigation management in Saudi Arabia. We focus on the influence of climate change on irrigation water requirements in the Al Quassim (97,408 ha) region. Different climate models were used for the intermediate emission SSP2-4.5 and the high emission SSP5-8.5 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) scenarios. The FAO-CROPWAT 8.0 model was used to calculate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) using weather data from 13 stations from 1991 to 2020 and for both the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s. The findings indicated that, for the 2100s, the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios forecast annual average ETo increases of 0.35 mm/d (6%) and 0.7 mm/d (12.0%), respectively. Net irrigation water requirement (NIWR) and growth of irrigation water requirement (GIWR) for the main crops in the Al Quassim region were assessed for the current, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. For SSP5-8.5, the GIWR for the 2040s, 2060s, 2080s, and 2100s are expected to increase by 2.7, 6.5, 8.5, and 12.4%, respectively, compared to the current scenario (1584.7 million m3). As a result, there will be higher deficits in 2100 under SSP5-8.5 for major crops, with deficits of 15.1%, 10.7%, 8.3%, 13.9%, and 10.7% in the crop areas of wheat, clover, maize, other vegetables, and dates, respectively. Optimal irrigation planning, crop pattern selection, and modern irrigation technologies, combined with the proposed NIWR values, can support water resources management. The findings can assist managers and policymakers in better identifying adaptation strategies for areas with similar climates.

Heat and mass transport through porous media is governed by the advection-dispersion equation. Near the forward moving mixing front the longitudinal and transversal dispersion lengths are non-zero; only dispersion by molecular diffusion remains. The present paper presents mathematical-physical arguments why in steady transport the dispersion lengths are equal to zero. In conventional models the dispersion lengths are generally assumed to be process-independent. To interpolate between the relatively large dispersion lengths near time-dependent moving front and the steady transport conditions far away from the front, a mathematical model is proposed to describe the process-dependent time-evolution of the dispersion lengths. In this model, the dispersion lengths near the forward moving front are equal to the well-established conventional dispersion lengths that correctly represent the mixing near the front. However, further behind the moving front, where the mass transport has become (almost) steady, the process-dependent model results in vanishing dispersion lengths and, consequently, in a substantially smaller transversal mixing zone. Keywords: Advection, Flow systems, Mixing, Steady transport, Transversal dispersion

Objectives - In recent years studies on organizational engagement have increasingly been carried out to find out further, and more broadly, both antecedent variables and consequent variables, specifically involving individuals as research objects, and there are only a few studies involving groups as research objects. Therefore, this study aims to examine the antecedent model and the consequences of group attachment based on Social Exchange Theory. Design/Methodology/Approach - The population of this research is 113 social sciences study programs in private universities and college, and there are 105 study programs qualify as data. While the object of group research consists of heads and secretaries of the department. The research model uses a census model. Antecedents include perceptions of organizational support, distributive justice, and the consequences of group engagement, namely group performance. Findings - The results show that the perception of organizational support directly predicted group engagement and group performance, the distributive justice predicted group engagement but not group performance, and the group engagement predicted group performance. Indirectly, it was found that group attachment was significant as a mediator of the effect of perceived organizational support on group performance, and the effect of distributive justice on group performance. Originality - There are still a few studies on group engagement as a mediator and predictor of antecedents and their consequences using group data objects. Therefore, this study offers not only using group data but also providing a wider range of antecedent variables and their consequences based on social exchange theory.

Root distribution during rice cultivation is a governing factor that considerably affects soil water content (SWC) and root water uptake (RWU). In this study, the effects of activating root growth (using growth function) and assigning a constant average root depth (no growth during simulation) on SWC and RWU for rice cultivation under four deficit drip irrigation treatments (T90, T80, T70, and T60) were compared in the HYDRUS-2D/3D model version 3.03. A secondary objective was to investigate the effect of applied deficit irrigation treatments on grain yield, irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and growth traits of rice. The simulated DI system was designed to reflect a representative field experiment implemented in El-Fayoum Governorate, Egypt, during two successive seasons during 2017 and 2018. The deficit treatments (T90, T80, T70, and T60) used in the current study represent scenarios at which the first irrigation event was applied when the pre-irrigation average SWC within the upper 60 cm of soil depth was equal to 90%, 80%, 70%, and 60% of plant-available water, respectively. Simulation results showed that as water deficiency increased, SWC in the simulation domain decreased, and thereby, RWU decreased. The average SWC within the root zone during rice-growing season under different deficit treatments was slightly higher when activating root growth function than when considering constant average root depth. Cumulative RWU fluxes for the case of no growth were slightly higher than for the case of root growth function for T90, T80, and T70 accounting for 1289.50, 1179.30, and 1073.10 cm2, respectively. Average SWC during the growth season (24 h after the first irrigation event, mid-season, and 24 h after the last irrigation event) between the two cases of root growth was strongly correlated for T90, T80, T70, and T60, where r2 equaled 0.918, 0.902, 0.892, and 0.876, respectively. ANOVA test showed that there was no significant difference for SWC between treatments for the case of assigning root growth function while the difference in SWC among treatments was significant for the case of the constant average root depth, where p-values equaled 0.0893 and 0.0433, respectively. Experimental results showed that as water deficiency decreased, IWUE increased. IWUE equaled 1.65, 1.58, 1.31, and 1.21 kg m−3 for T90, T80, T70, and T60, respectively. Moreover, higher grain yield and growth traits of rice (plant height, tillers number plant−1, panicles length, panicle weight, and grain number panicles−1) were obtained corresponding to T90 as compared with other treatments. Activating the root growth module in HYDRUS simulations can lead to more precise simulation results for specific dates within different growth stages. Therefore, the root growth module is a powerful tool for accurately investigating the change in SWC during simulation. Users of older versions of HYDRUS-2D/3D (version 2.05 and earlier) should consider the limitations of these versions for irrigation scheduling.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and Pap tests are recognized as effective preventive measures to reduce the incidence of HPV-related diseases among young adults. The objective of this study was to assess HPV vaccination and Pap test uptake, awareness, and barriers among young adults in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2024, involving 831 young adults aged 18–39 residing in GCC countries. The main outcome measures were HPV vaccination and Pap test uptake rates, awareness of the HPV vaccine and Pap testing, and barriers to vaccination. Data were collected using online platforms. The Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used for data analysis. Results: The UAE had the highest vaccination rate at 18.9% (50/264), followed by Qatar at 5.8% (6/104), and KSA at 4.6% (10/216), p

Flash floods, rapid and devastating inundations of water, are increasingly linked to the intensifying effects of climate change, posing significant challenges for both vulnerable communities and sustainable environmental management. The primary goal of this research is to investigate and predict a Flood Susceptibility Map (FSM) for the Ibaraki prefecture in Japan. This research utilizes a Random Forest (RF) regression model and GIS, incorporating 11 environmental variables (involving elevation, slope, aspect, distance to stream, distance to river, distance to road, land cover, topographic wetness index, stream power index, and plan and profile curvature), alongside a dataset comprising 224 instances of flooded and non-flooded locations. The data was randomly classified into a 70 % training set for model development, with the remaining 30 % used for model validation through Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The resulting map indicated that approximately two-thirds of the prefecture as exhibiting low to very low flood susceptibility, while approximately one-fifth of the region is categorized as high to very high flood susceptibility. Furthermore, the RF model achieved a noteworthy validation with an area under the ROC curve of 99.56 %. Ultimately, this FSM serves as a crucial tool for policymakers in guiding appropriate spatial planning and flood mitigation strategies.

Using the years 1970–2022, this research looks at the macroeconomic variables that have an impact on Jordan's renewable energy production. To assess the main factors impacting Jordan's renewable energy scenario, the study employed the Dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lag (DARDL) tool. Several important aspects affecting renewable energy production are highlighted in the study. A multitude of factors that statistically and positively impact the attainment of renewable energy are diverse economic activities as measured by the GDP. The contribution of a fair economy in speeding up and maintaining promotion of renewable energy projects in Jordan is noticeable. Moreover, FDI is one of the factors in fostering renewable energy production and its role is very significant and positive, thus, it is affecting renewable energy production in a great extent. In a nutshell, overseas funding should be meant to yield a great harvest in planting and constructing Jordanian renewable energy plants and equipments. The study also indicates that finance is not just fundamental for renewable energy movement but for the evolution of the renewable energy industry as well. While the tried and true fact of the positively and statistically significant case of link between renewable energy production and financial development underline the vital role of a financially prosperous area in redirecting investments from traditional resources to renewable energy and therefore contribute to its further expansion. However, that idea needed some modification due to the disagreement that the CO2 emissions also have significant role in reducing renewable energy production. The study has identified that there is a negative correlation between the carbon emissions and renewable energy production if it is computed statistically. The implementation of more effective policies and initiatives that will result in reduced carbon emissions becomes possible with all sectors working together to form a better environment for the establishment of renewable energy infrastructures.

Study region: A pilot case study in East El Oweinat (PCSEO), Egypt. Study focus: An artificial neural network (ANN)-based mountain gazelle optimization (MGO) model was applied to map groundwater potential zones (GWPZs). For this purpose, ten layers affecting groundwater occurrence were prepared and normalized against the groundwater drawdown (DD) map. All data was divided into 70:30 for training and testing. After that, sensitivity analysis was adopted to verify the relative importance (RI) of layers. The accuracy of GWPZs was checked using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and other statistical indicators. The model was finally applied to propose a sustainable strategy for groundwater exploration by implementing the integrated MODFLOW-USG and MGO framework. New hydrological insights for the region: Over 40% of the PCSEO revealed high to very high groundwater potential degrees and was situated mostly on the southwestern side. Sensitivity analysis revealed that GWPZs were significantly affected by groundwater table (GWT), well density (WD), and land use (LU). The results also indicated that the ANN-based MGO model performed well with an area under curve (AUC) of ∼ 90% compared to other conventional models. Additionally, the MODFLOW-USG-based MGO model gave a spatial distribution of optimal discharge and well-depth zones. This finding could significantly match SDGs relevant to ending poverty, affordable groundwater, and life on land.

Floods are one of the most common catastrophes in the world. This study generates the flood susceptibility maps (FSM) using AHP and FR in Kakegawa, Japan. A set of 100 flood points were presented in an ArcGIS environment where 70 points were chosen at random as a training dataset while 30 ones were used for validation. Eleven flood causative factors were calculated and utilized to generate the flood vulnerability maps. For the validation 30% data sub-sample set, FSM was completed by creating the receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). The results indicate that the two methods show sensible accuracy since the AUC for FR and AHP are 67% and 85.5% respectively. AHP showed higher accuracy due to the expert opinion that being shared while FR achieved lower precision because of its simple arithmetic procedures. The results help decision-makers in determining the locations vulnerable to flooding.

Climate change represents an overwhelming challenge that demands urgent intervention for effective resolution. Among the devastating consequences of climate change, flash floods stand out as one of the most catastrophic repercussions. This research focuses on two primary objectives. Firstly, it aims to evaluate the existing state of flash flood intensity (FFI) in a specific area of Hamamatsu city, Japan, which frequently experiences flash flood incidents. Secondly, it seeks to develop a mitigation plan to alleviate the adverse impacts of flooding on buildings within the area. To accomplish these objectives, four parameters related to FFI (namely, runoff depth, runoff velocity, runoff duration, and affected portion) were selected and estimated through the implementation of hydrological and hydrodynamic models. Additionally, a hydrological model was employed, utilizing a storm event with a return period of 100 years as input. During this simulated storm event, FFI values were calculated and categorized into four distinct levels. The results revealed that more than one-tenth of the examined buildings encountered the highest scale of FFI (category 4), while categories 3 and 4 combined accounted for nearly three-quarters of all buildings in the study area. Moreover, two mitigation strategies were adopted to prevent flooding within the buildings’ vicinity. Finally, this study provides a valuable framework and guidance for decision-makers and insurance companies, enabling them to assess the flood hazard status of buildings and make informed decisions accordingly.

Landslides and flash floods are significant natural hazards with substantial risks to human settlements and the environment, and understanding their interconnection is vital. This research investigates the hazards of landslides and floods in two adopted basins in the Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures, Japan. This study utilized ten environmental variables alongside categories representing landslide-prone, non-landslide, flooded, and non-flooded areas. Employing a machine-learning approach, namely, a LASSO regression model, we generated Landslide Hazard Maps (LHM), Flood Hazard Maps (FHM), and a Composite Hazard Map (CHM). The LHM identified flood-prone low-lying areas in the northwest and southeast, while central and northwest regions exhibited higher landslide susceptibility. Both LHM and FHM were classified into five hazard levels. Landslide hazards predominantly covered high- to moderate-risk areas, since the high-risk areas constituted 38.8% of the study region. Conversely, flood hazards were mostly low to moderate, with high- and very high-risk areas at 10.49% of the entire study area. The integration of LHM and FHM into CHM emphasized high-risk regions, underscoring the importance of tailored mitigation strategies. The accuracy of the model was assessed by employing the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve method, and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) values were determined. The LHM and FHM exhibited an exceptional AUC of 99.36% and 99.06%, respectively, signifying the robust efficacy of the model. The novelty in this study is the generation of an integrated representation of both landslide and flood hazards. Finally, the produced hazard maps are essential for policymaking to address vulnerabilities to landslides and floods.

DRINAMOD is a superior model being used globally to assess the impacts of different agricultural drainage layouts and practices on farmlands' water balance. But the model considers a fixed value of surface storage capacity (SSC) for the whole simulation period, which causes the model to predict improper water distribution patterns in farmlands where SSC varies with time due to agricultural practices. The present study presents a novel artificial neural network model (ANNM) that mimics the DRAINMOD model and overcomes such a shortage of considering a fixed SSC value when predicting farmlands' water balance. After training the ANNM by sets of data, which were generated by the DRAINMOD model after being calibrated and validated in rice-wheat rotation farmland at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin, China, groundwater tables in the study area were predicted by both models under different scenarios of drainage layouts and management practices. Results show that there were excellent agreements between these predictions, which validates the applicability of the developed ANNM in predicting the water balance in artificial-drained farmlands. The developed ANNM enhances water fate predictions in artificial-drained farmlands characterized by time-variable surface storage capacities, thus resulting in a better assessment of the available water resources alongside high agricultural productivity. Findings from the present study point also to the potential role of neural network models as a tool to enhance the performance of hydrologic models without modifying their source code.

COVID-19 vaccines are generally proven safe in all population and are highly recommended. However, rare adverse events have been reported. We hereby present a case of an 18-year-old man who presented to emergency department with fever, meningitis like symptoms, shortness of breath, chest pain, skin rash, and extreme fatigue. He had cardiac manifestations including hypotension, elevated troponin, and reduced ejection fraction. High inflammatory markers were also noted. He was initially worked up for and treated as a possible infectious etiology, but the microbiological studies were negative and there was no response to treatment. Since he had recently received booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination three weeks prior to onset of symptoms, a possibility of Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) was made. His presentation fulfilled all the diagnostic criteria. The possibility for MIS-C being related to vaccination was proposed after relevant serological tests showed that the antibodies, he had were due to COVID-19 vaccine, not to a prior infection. After he received appropriate immunomodulatory treatment (IVIG and methylprednisolone) as per the guideline, he showed marked clinical improvement. Our case report highlights the need to consider MIS-C as a potential differential in young patients who present with unexplained multisystem illness with increased inflammatory markers and negative microbiologic work-up. MIS-C can be secondary to COVID-19 vaccination as well as to prior COVID-19 infection

The present study was conducted to compare the effect of Nano-Selenium (Nano-Se) and sodium selenite (SSe) on antioxidant enzyme activity, immunity and thyroid activity of growing New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. In this study, 72 male rabbits (5 wk old) were divided randomly into 3 groups (24 rabbits each). The first group served as a placebo; in groups 2 and 3, each rabbit was intramuscularly injected once a week with 4 mL solution of Nano-Se or SSe, respectively, for a 2-mo period. The solution was adjusted to provide 30 μg Se/kg/live body weight. Results showed that Nano-Se treatment significantly (P

Flash floods in the Sinai often cause significant damage to infrastructure and even loss of life. In this study, the susceptibility to flash flooding is determined using hydro-morphometric characteristics of the catchments. Basins and their hydro-morphometric features are derived from a digital elevation model from NASA Earthdata. Principal component analysis is used to identify principal components with a clear physical meaning that explains most of the variation in the data. The probability of flash flooding is estimated by logistic regression using the principal components as predictors and by fitting the model to flash flood observations. The model prediction results are cross validated. The logistic model is used to classify Sinai basins into four classes: low, moderate, high and very high susceptibility to flash flooding. The map indicating the susceptibility to flash flooding in Sinai shows that the large basins in the mountain ranges of the southern Sinai have a very high susceptibility for flash flooding, several basins in the southwest Sinai have a high or moderate susceptibility to flash flooding, some sub-basins of wadi El-Arish in the center have a high susceptibility to flash flooding, while smaller to medium-sized basins in flatter areas in the center and north usually have a moderate or low susceptibility to flash flooding. These results are consistent with observations of flash floods that occurred in different regions of the Sinai and with the findings or predictions of other studies.

The DRAINMOD model is a superior tool used to predict the changes in farmland water balance under different agricultural drainage layouts, fields, weather conditions, and management practices. In the present study, we assessed the sensitivity of the DRAINMOD predictions in farmland water balance to the time step (hourly or daily) in daily evapotranspiration (ET₀) computations for 12-hectares of farmland located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin. The model was calibrated and validated and then was applied twice under two sets of daily ET₀ values, computed using the standardized ASCE Penman–Monteith model (one using the hourly time step (HTS) and the other using the daily time step (DTS)). Regarding daily computed ET₀ values, results show that abrupt diurnal changes in the weather always result in significant differences between daily ET₀ values when computed based on DTS and HTS. DRAINMOD simulations show that such differences between daily computed ET₀ values affected the model’s predictions of the “water fate” in the study area; e.g., adopting HTS rather than DTS resulted in a 4.8% increase, and a 3.1% and 1% decrease in the models’ cumulative predictions of runoff, drainage, and infiltration, respectively. Therefore, for a particular study area, it is critical to pay attention when deciding the best time step in ET₀ computations to ensure accurate DRAINMOD simulations, thereby ensuring better utilization of agricultural water alongside high agricultural productivity.

Bank filtration (BF) is acknowledged as a sustainable and effective technique to provide drinking water of adequate quality; it has been known for a long time in Europe. However, this technique is site-specific and therefore its application in developing countries with different hydrologic and environment conditions remains limited. In this research, a 3-discipline study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the application of this technique in Aswan City (Egypt). Firstly, a hydrological model was developed to identify key environmental factors that influence the effectiveness of BF, and to formulate plans for the design and management of the BF system. Secondly, water samples were collected for one year (January 2017 to December 2017) from the water sources and monitoring wells to characterize the bank-filtrate quality. Lastly, an economic study was conducted to compare the capital and operating costs of BF and the existing treatment techniques. The results demonstrated that there is high potential for application of BF under such hydrological and environmental conditions. However, there are some aspects that could restrict the BF efficacy and must therefore be considered during the design process. These include the following: (i) Over-pumping practices can reduce travel time, and thus decrease the efficiency of treatment; (ii) Locating the wells near the surface water systems (

Simple analytical and numerical solutions for confined and unconfined groundwater-surface water interaction in one and two dimensions were developed in the STRIVE package (stream river ecosystem) as part of FEMME (flexible environment for mathematically modelling the environment). Analytical and numerical solutions for interaction between one-dimensional confined and unconfined aquifers and rivers were used to study the effects of a 0.5 m sudden rise in the river water level for 24 h. Furthermore, a two-dimensional groundwater model for an unconfined aquifer was developed and coupled with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model. This model was applied on a 1 km long reach of the Aa River, Belgium. Two different types of river water level conditions were tested. A MODFLOW model was set up for these different types of water level condition in order to compare the results with the models implemented in STRIVE. The results of the analytical solutions for confined and unconfined aquifers were in good agreement with the numerical results. The results of the two-dimensional groundwater model developed in STRIVE also showed that there is a good agreement with the MODFLOW solutions. It is concluded that the facilities of STRIVE can be used to improve the understanding of groundwater-surface water interaction and to couple the groundwater module with other modules developed for STRIVE. With these new models STRIVE proves to be a powerful example as a development and testing environment for integrated water modeling.

The Nubian sandstone aquifer is the only water source for domestic use and irrigation in the Kharga oasis, Egypt. In this study, 46 pumping tests are analyzed to estimate the transmissivity of the aquifer and to derive a spatial distribution map by geostatistical analysis and kriging interpolation. The resulting transmissivity values are log-normally distributed and spatially correlated over a distance of about 20 km. Representative values for the transmissivity are a geometric average of about 400 m2/d and a 95% confidence interval of 100−1475 m2/d. There is no regional trend in the spatial distribution of the transmissivity, but there are local clusters with higher or lower transmissivity values. The error map indicates that the highest prediction accuracy is obtained along the central north-south traffic route along which most agricultural areas and major well sites are located. This study can contribute to a better understanding of the hydraulic properties of the Nubian sandstone aquifer in the Kharga oasis for an effective management strategy.

Growing drought hazard and water demand for agriculture, ecosystem conservation, and tourism in the Hungarian Drava river floodplain call for novel approaches to maintain wetland habitats and enhance agricultural productivity. Floodplain rehabilitation should be viewed as a complex landscape ecological issue which, beyond water management goals to relieve water deficit, ensures a high level of provision for a broad range of ecosystem services. This paper explores the hydrological feasibility of alternative water management, i.e., the restoration of natural reservoirs (abandoned paleochannels) to mitigate water shortage problems. To predict the efficiency of the project, an integrated surface water (Wetspass-M) and groundwater model (MODFLOW-NWT) was developed and calibrated with an eight-year data series. Different management scenarios for two natural reservoirs were simulated with filling rates ranging from 0.5 m3 s−1 to 1.5 m3 s−1. In both instances, a natural reservoir with a feeding rate of 1 m3 s−1 was found to be the best scenario. In this case 14 days of filling are required to reach the possible maximum reservoir stage of +2 m. The first meter rise increases the saturation of soil pores and the second creates an open surface water body. Two filling periods per year, each lasting for around 180 days, are required. The simulated water balance shows that reservoir−groundwater interactions are mainly governed by the inflow into and outflow from the reservoir. Such an integrated management scheme is applicable for floodplain rehabilitation in other regions with similar hydromorphological conditions and hazards, too.

Mycetoma, one of the badly neglected tropical diseases, it is a localised chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease characterised by painless subcutaneous mass and formation of multiple sinuses that produce purulent discharge and grains. If untreated early and appropriately, it usually spread to affect the deep structures and bone resulting in massive damage, deformities and disabilities. It can also spread via the lymphatics and blood leading to distant secondary satellites associated with high morbidity and mortality. To date and despite progress in mycetoma research, a huge knowledge gap remains in mycetoma pathogenesis and epidemiology resulting in the lack of objective and effective control programmes. Currently, the available disease control method is early case detection and proper management. However, the majority of patients present late with immense disease and for many of them, heroic substantial deforming surgical excisions or amputation are the only prevailing treatment options. In this communication, the Mycetoma Research Center (MRC), Sudan shares its experience in implementing a new holistic approach to manage mycetoma patients locally at the village level. The MRC in collaboration with Sennar State Ministry of Health, Sudan had established a region mycetoma centre in one of the endemic mycetoma villages in the state. The patients were treated locally in that centre, the local medical and health personals were trained on early case detection and management, the local community was trained on mycetoma advocacy, and environmental conditions improvement. This comprehensive approach had also addressed the patients' socioeconomic constraints that hinder early presentation and treatment. This approach has also included the active local health authorities, community and civil society participation and contributions to deliver the best management. This holistic approach for mycetoma patients' management proved to be effective for early case detection and management, optimal treatment and treatment outcome and favourable disease prognosis. During the study period, the number of patients with massive lesions and the amputation rate had dropped and that had reduced the disease medical and socioeconomic burdens on patients and families.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is considered one of the most serious complications in total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This study seeks to analyze the predictive value of preoperative and postoperative nutritional biomarkers for SSI in elective TJA. Methodology: Nutritional markers were gathered retrospectively utilizing patient's records from the orthopedics department at Benghazi Medical Center (BMC). The sample spanned cases admitted during the 20-month period between January 2012 and August 2013 and had undergone either elective total hip replacement or total knee replacement. The collected lab results included a complete blood count, total lymphocyte count (TLC), and serum albumin (S. alb.) levels. The patients were then divided into two groups based on the occurrence of an SSI. Results: A total of 135 total knee (81.5%, n = 110/135) and total hip (18.5%, n = 25/135) replacements were performed at BMC during the study period. Among these cases, 57% (n = 78/135) had patient records suitable for statistical analysis. The average preoperative TLC was 2.422 ×103 cells/mm3 (range = 0.8–4.7 ×103 cells/mm3) whereas that number dropped after the surgery to 1.694 ×103 cells/mm3 (range = 0.6–3.8 ×103 cells/mm3). S. alb. levels showed a mean of 3.973 g/dl (range = 2.9–4.7 g/dl) preoperatively and 3.145 g/dl (range = 1.0–4.1 g/dl) postoperatively. The majority of TJA patients did not suffer any complication (67.4%, n = 91/135) while eight cases (5.9%) suffered from a superficial SSI. Conclusion: Preoperative S. alb. was identified as the only significant predictor for SSI (P = 0.011). Being a preventable cause of postoperative morbidity, it is recommended that the nutritional status (especially preoperative S. alb.) of TJA patients be used as a screening agent and appropriate measures be taken to avoid SSI.

Objective: Five-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced porphyrins in malignant gliomas are potent photosensitizers. Promising results of ALA-PDT (photodynamic therapy) in recurrent glioblastomas have been published. Recently, 5-ALA-induced fluorescence was studied in meningioma surgery. Here, we present an experimental study of ALA-PDT in an in vitro model of primary meningioma cell lines. Methods: We processed native tumor material obtained intra-operatively within 24 h for cell culture. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) immunohistochemistry was performed after the first passage to confirm that cells were meningioma cells. For 5-ALA-PDT treatment, about 5000 cells per well were seeded in 20 wells of a blank 96-well plate. Each block of 4 wells was inoculated with 150 µL of 0, 25, 50 and 100 µg/mL 5-ALA solutions; one block was used as negative control without 5-ALA and without PDT. Following incubation for 3 h PDT was performed using a laser (635 nm, 18.75 J/cm2). The therapeutic response was analyzed by the water soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) cell viability assay 90 min after PDT. Results: 5-ALA-PDT was performed in 14 primary meningioma cell lines. EMA expression was verified in 10 primary cell cultures. The remaining 4 were EMA negative and PDT was without any effect in these cultures. All 10 EMA-positive cell lines showed a significant and dose-dependent decrease in viability rate (p < 0.001). Cell survival at 5-ALA concentrations of 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 μg/mL was 96.5% ± 7.6%, 67.9% ± 29.9%, 24.0% ± 16.7% and 13.8% ± 7.5%, respectively. For the negative controls (no 5-ALA/PDT and ALA/no PDT), the viability rates were 101.72% ± 3.5% and 100.17% ± 3.6%, respectively. The LD50 for 5-ALA was estimated between 25 and 50 µg/mL. Conclusion: This study reveals dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of 5-ALA-PDT on primary cell lines of meningiomas. Either 5-ALA or PDT alone did not affect cell survival. Further efforts are necessary to study the potential therapeutic effects of 5-ALA-PDT in vivo.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of respiratory morbidity and mortality worldwide. One of the main hypotheses concerning the pathogenesis of emphysema, a key cause of morbidity and mortality in COPD, is the protease antiprotease imbalance. Irreversible airflow obstruction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is thought to result from airway remodeling associated with aberrant inflammation. This study examined changes in sputum as regards MMP-9, TIMP-1 and levels of inflammatory cells in COPD patients compared with sputum of healthy smokers and non smokers. Methods: Forty patients were included in this study. FEV1 before and after salbutamol inhalation, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and inflammatory cell count in the sputum of COPD patients, healthy smokers and non- smokers were investigated. Results: MMP-9 was significantly increased in both COPD patients (194.4 ± 100.6), and healthy smokers (104.5 ± 42.1) compared with healthy non smokers (34.5 ± 36.1). TIMP-1 was increased more in healthy non-smokers (192.7 ± 37.7) than COPD patients (115 ± 55.5) and healthy smokers (145.3 ± 35.1). MMP-9/TIMP-1 was high in COPD patients (1.7 ± 0.9) and healthy smokers (0.7 ± 0.3) compared with healthy non smokers (0.2 ± 0.2). Mean sputum total leucocytic count (TLC) was highly statistically significantly different between the three groups. COPD group showed the highest means value while non smokers group showed the lowest one. Conclusions: COPD is characterized by an imbalance between MMP-9 and TIMP-1 which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of tissue remodeling and airway obstruction.

This paper proposes a new collaborative and inclusive model for Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) for sustaining cultural heritage and language diversity. It is based on contributions of end-users as well as scientific and scholarly communities from across borders, languages, nations, continents, and disciplines. It consists in collecting knowledge about all worldwide translations of one original work and sharing that data through a digital and interactive global knowledge map. Collected translations are processed in order to build multilingual parallel corpora for a large number of under-resourced languages as well as to highlight the transnational circulation of knowledge. Building such corpora is vital in preserving and expanding linguistic and traditional diversity. Our first experiment was conducted on the world-famous and well-traveled American novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by the American author Mark Twain. This paper reports on 10 parallel corpora that are now sentence-aligned pairs of English with Basque (an European under-resourced language), Bulgarian, Dutch, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Ukrainian, processed out of 30 collected translations.

The assessment of spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater recharge is required as an input to develop the regional groundwater model in the Drava flood plain for more accurate simulations of different management scenarios. WetSpass-M, a GIS-based spatially-distributed water balance model, was implemented to assess monthly, seasonal, and the annual averages of groundwater recharge, surface runoff and actual evapotranspiration in the Drava basin, Hungary for the period between 2000–2018. The basic relevant input-data for the Wetspass-M model is prepared in grid-maps using the tool ARCGIS tool. It comprises monthly climatological recordings (e.g., rainfall, temperature, wind speed), distributed land cover, soil map, groundwater depth, topography, and slope. The long-term temporal and spatial average monthly precipitation (58 mm) is distributed as 29% (17 mm) surface runoff, 27% (16 mm) actual evapotranspiration, and 44% (25 mm) groundwater recharge. The mean annual groundwater recharge, actual evapotranspiration, and surface runoff were 307, 190, and 199 mm, respectively. The findings of the WetSpass-M model are intended to support integrated groundwater modeling. The analysis of simulation results shows that WetSpass-M model works properly to simulate hydrological water budget components in the Drava basin. Moreover, a better understanding of the simulated long-term average spatial distribution about water balance components is useful for managing and planning the available water resources in the Drava basin.

Surgical C1C2-stabilization may be complicated by arterial-arterial embolism or arterial injury. Another potential complication is hemodynamic stroke. The latter might be induced in patients with poor posterior fossa collateralization (risk factor 1) when the vertebral artery (VA) is compressed during reduction (risk factor 2). We report a clinical case where this rare situation occurred: A 72-year old patient was undergoing C1C2-stabilization for subluxation due to rheumatoid arthritis. Preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) had shown poor collaterals in the posterior fossa. Furthermore, intraoperative Doppler ultrasound (US) detected unilateral VA occlusion during reduction. It appeared to be a high-risk situation for hemodynamic stroke. Surgical inspection of the VA found osteofibrous compressing elements. Arterial decompression was performed resulting in the normal flow as detected by US. Subsequently, C1C2-stabilization could be realized. The clinical and radiological outcome was very favorable. In C1C2-stabilization precise analysis of preoperative CTA and intraoperative US are important to detect risk factors of hemodynamic stroke. Using these data may prevent this rare, but potentially life-threatening complication.

New N-aryl-4-(pyridin-3-yl)pyrimidin-2-amine derivatives were synthesizedfrom the corresponding amines, applying optimized Buchwald-Hartwig aminationconditions using dichlorobis(triphenylphosphine)Pd(II), xantphos and sodium tertbutoxidein refluxing toluene under a nitrogen atmosphere. The target N-aryl derivativeswere obtained in moderate to good yields ranging from 27% to 82%. The proceduredescribed could be widely employed for the preparation of new heterocyclic compounds.The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by FT-NMR, FT-IR and elementalanalysis.

RESUMO: Efectuou-se um estudo prospectivo que englobou 25 doentes submetidos a ventilação mecânica e quevieram a falecer, com o objectivo de avaliar o valor diagnóstico dos criterios clínicos e o impacto dos testes microbiológicos na correcta determinação do diagnóstico de pneumonia associada ao ventilador (PAV). Forarn colhidas, logo após a morte, múltiplas amostras de biópsias de ambos os pulmões (16 amostras por doente), que foram submetidas a exame histológico e culturas quantitativas. O teste de referênda foi baseado na presença de pneumonia identificada histologicamente e, simultâneamente, numa cultura pulmonar positiva. A presença de infiltrados na radiografia de tórax e de dois de três critérios clínicos (leucocitose, secreções purulentas e febre)- critérios de Johanson revelaram uma sensibilidade de 69% e uma especificidade de 75%. Os valores correspondentes, quando se utilizou o âclinical pulmonary infection scoreâ (CPIS), foram de 77% e 42%. Os resultados das amostras colhidos quer por técnicas invasivas, quer por técnicas não invasivas apresentaram valores comparáveis. Com a combinação de todas as técnicas obteve-se uma sensibilidade de 85% e uma especificidade de 50%, não se alterando estes valores apesar da terapêutica prévia com antibióticos. Quando os resultados microbiológicos foram acrescentados aos critérios clínicos, a adequação dos diagnósticos com base nos resultados microbiológicos que corrigiram os resultados clínicos falsos positivos e falsos negativos (n=5), foram contrabalançãdos por uma proporção idêntica de diagnósticos inadequados (n=6). Conclusõe5: Os critérios clínicos revelaram valores diagnósticos razoáveis, não exibindo os critérios do CPIS valores superiores aos critérios clínicos convencionais. As técnicas não-invasivas e invasivas revelaram valores diagnósticos comparáveis aos critérios clínicos. Um algoritmo orientado exclusivamente pelos resultados microbiológicos na terapêutica antibiótica não aumenta a precisão diagnóstica global e conduz ao risco de subtratamento. COMENTÃRIO: A abordagem diagnóstica da P AV permanece controversa não se conseguindo ainda encontrar um algoritrno definitivo para o estabelecimento de um diagnóstico preciso. Os critérios clínicos têm sido referidos como inapropriados para o diagnóstico de PAV, apontando vários estudos para os beneficios da colheita de amostras bacteriológicas quer por métodos invasivos, como os broncoscópicos, quer não invasivos, com determinação de culturas quantitativas. Os vários estudos efectuados, têm revelado alguma controvérsia quer em relação à escolha do melhor metoda, quer à sua eficácia, sendo ainda, algumas destas técnicas, dificilmente acessíveis nalgumas instituições, não sendo também isentas de alguma morbilidade e mortalidade.Um problema metodológico importante diz respeito à escolha e exactidão do teste de referênda utilizado nos vários estudos. Neste trabalho, foi escolhida para validação dos resultados, a presençã histológica de pneumonia associada à positividade da cultura quantitativa de tecido pulmonar, reflectindo deste modo, segundo os autores, a presença de pneumonia clinicamente sintomática.Neste estudo, os critérios clínicos apresentaram uma sensibilidade e especificidade razoáveis, não mostrando os critérios do CPIS resultados superiores aos critérios de Johanson. Por outro Iado, a colheita de amostras utilizando quer métodos invasivos, quer não invasivos, não revelou resultados superiores aos clínicos na precisão diagnóstica, salientando-se mesmo, que, em vários casos, a colheita efectuada por estes métodos falhou o diagnóstico, que, no entanto, os critérios clínicos tinham estabelecido correctamente. Se a decisão na administração ou paragem do antibiótico fosse baseada no resultado dos critérios microbiológicos, ter-se-ia corrido o risco de vários doentes não terem sido tratados apesar do diagnóstico baseado nos critérios clínicos ter sido correcto. Oeste modo, o risco para o doente da não utilização do antibi6tico seria certamente maior do que a utilização abusiva do antibiótico.Neste trabalho, é pois sugerido, que os parâmetros clfnicos são razoavelmente satisfatórios no diagnóstico de PAV, sendo também o critéria mais importante na orientação diagnóstica. Os autores concluem que o ponto-chave na prática clínica, é encontrar um equilíbrio entre a informação fomecida pelo raciocínio clínico e o resultado micribiológico das vias aéreas inferiores e não suspender a antibioterapia se o diagnóstico de PAV fôr clinicamente suspeito. Palavras-chave: Pneumonia associada ao ventilador, pneumonia nosocomial, diagnóstico clínico, Key-words: ventilated-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, clinical diagnosis