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This research examines the impact of methods of communication and artificial intelligence on the effectiveness of communication in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bahrain. A quantitative research approach was used to gather data from 211 employees using structured questionnaires. The study used convenience sampling and deployed SmartPLS4 for Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and SPSS for descriptive statistics analysis. The study examined the impact of different communication strategies (conventional vs. AI-assisted) on communication efficacy. AI was included as a mediating variable in this analysis. The results indicate that communication methods have a substantial impact on AI (β = 0.725, T-value = 27.612, p-value = 0.000) and communication effectiveness (β = 0.439, T-value = 9.150, p-value = 0.000). Artificial intelligence (AI) has a role in connecting methods of communication and effectiveness of communication, acting as a mediator with an indirect impact of 0.286. The mediation effect indicates that AI amplifies the influence of communication methods on effectiveness. The study’s findings indicate that the combination of AI with strong communication methods greatly improves the effectiveness of communication. Practical consequences include the need for firms to allocate resources toward well-designed methods of communication, ongoing staff education, and the smooth incorporation of artificial intelligence capabilities. Further investigation is needed to examine other settings and additional elements that influence and support these results, in order to confirm and broaden the scope of this study.

Abstarct: Aim: Recently, increasing evidence showed that small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) is a multifactorial disease which is precipitated by various perioperative factors other than graft size. We conducted the current work to evaluate perioperative effectors, which can increase the risk of SFSS following adult living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Methods: This is a retrospective study on 110 adult cirrhotic cases (mean age of 48.4 ± 6.9 years old) who underwent adult LDLT. Most cases were males (89%). Cases were categorized into two groups based on the occurrence of SFSS. The groups were compared regarding preoperative (gender, age, comorbidities, baseline investigations), intraoperative (mean blood pressure and glucose; mean operation time; number of packed red cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate units; time of cold and warm ischemia, and anhepatic phase; preclamping and post-reperfusion portal pressures), and postoperative factors (relevant investigations, hospital stay). Results: Postoperatively, 23 patients developed SFSS (20.9%). SFSS group had significantly lower preoperative graft recipient weight ratio (GRWR) (0.76 ± 0.1% versus 1.03 ± 0.15, respectively; p

Background: The presence of defects in native umbilical in adults and its use as laparoscopic first entry site is poorly documented. It would likely be a safer method than the Veress needle and direct trocar insertion. This work aimed to report the prevalence and size of native umbilical defects, and their relationship with gender, age and body mass index. Methods: In 160 consecutive laparoscopic operations, a trans-umbilical incision was made and a defect at its base was looked for. When found, the defect was measured and used as the first port entry site. Relationships of presence of native defects and their sizes in relation to gender, age and BMI were analyzed. Results: The prevalence of a native defect in this series was 90%. Its presence had no relation with gender, age or BMI. Its size, however, positively correlated with age and BMI. No complications were related to the defect’s use for first laparoscopic entry site. Conclusion: A native umbilical defect is present in 90% of adults. Whenever present, it is recommended for use as the first port entry site by an open technique. This method is simple and safe and avoids unnecessarily inducing another defect.

Assigned to their outstanding physicochemical properties, TiO2-based materials have been studied in various applications. Herein, TiO2 doped with different Mo contents (Mo-TiO2) was synthesized via a microwave-assisted solvothermal approach. This was achieved using titanium (IV) butoxide and molybdenum (III) chloride as a precursor and dodecylamine as a surface directing agent. The uniform effective heating delivered by microwave heating reduced the reaction time to less than 30 min, representing several orders of magnitude lower than conventional heating methods. The average particle size ranged between 9.7 and 27.5 nm and it decreased with increasing the Mo content. Furthermore, Mo-TiO2 revealed mesoporous architectures with a high surface area ranging between 170 and 260 m2 g−1, which is superior compared to previously reported Mo-doped TiO2. The performance of Mo-TiO2 was evaluated towards the adsorption of Rhodamine B (RhB). In contrast to TiO2, which revealed negligible adsorption for RhB, Mo-doped samples depicted rapid adsorption for RhB, with a rate that increased with the increase in Mo content. Additionally, Mo-TiO2 expressed enhanced adsorption kinetics for RhB compared to state-of-the-art adsorbents. The introduced synthesis procedure holds a grand promise for the versatile synthesis of metal-doped TiO2 nanostructures with outstanding physicochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the localization of the mental foramen in a Saudi population using panoramic radiographs, identify the most common vertical and horizontal positions, assess bilateral symmetry, and analyze variations based on age and gender., Methods: Digital panoramic radiographs of 504 patients, aged 18-58 years, were analyzed. The variables assessed included age group, gender, vertical position (Zones A, B, and C), horizontal position (Zones 1-6), and symmetry (present/absent) of the mental foramen location bilaterally. The mental foramen location was determined using standardized vertical and horizontal zones, and data were recorded on specialized sheets. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test, and intra-examiner reliability were performed., Results: The sample consisted of 250 (49.6%) females and 254 (50.4%) males. Vertically, Zone B coinciding with premolar apices was the most frequent position bilaterally, with 317 (62.9%) on the right side and 321 (63.7%) on the left side. Horizontally, Zone 4 between the first and second premolars was predominant, with 332 (65.9%) on the right side and 345 (68.5%) on the left side. High bilateral symmetry in the location was observed in 441 (87.5%) cases. Statistically significant differences were found in mental foramen localization based on gender (p < 0.05). No significant association was found between age and vertical position, although a tendency for more anterior horizontal positioning in older individuals was noted (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: Within the limitations of this panoramic assessment, the mental foramen was located most often inferior to premolar apices vertically and between the first and second premolars horizontally, with a high degree of bilateral symmetry. Gender had a significant impact on mental foramen position, while age showed a non-significant trend toward anterior horizontal localization. These findings guide dental procedures in the premolar region to avoid neurovascular damage., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Ahmad et al.)

The production of syngas via dry reforming of methane (DRM) has drawn tremendous research interest, ascribed to its remarkable economic and environmental impacts. Herein, we report the synthesis of K, Na, Cs, Li, and Mg-promoted Ni/La 2 O 3 using solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The properties of the catalysts were determined by N 2 physisorption experiments, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), and H 2 -TPR (temperature programmed reduction). In addition, their catalytic performance towards DRM was evaluated at 700 °C. The results demonstrated that all catalysts exhibited porous structures with high specific surface area, in particular, Mg-promoted Ni/La 2 O 3 (Mg-Ni-La 2 O 3 ) which depicted the highest surface area and highest pore volume (54.2 m 2 g -1 , 0.36 cm 3 g -1 ). Furthermore, Mg-Ni-La 2 O 3 exhibited outstanding catalytic performance in terms of activity and chemical stability compared to its counterparts. For instance, at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 30 000 mL g -1 h -1 , it afforded 83.2% methane conversion and 90.8% CO 2 conversion at 700 °C with no detectable carbon deposition over an operating period of 100 h. The superb DRM catalytic performance of Mg-Ni-La 2 O 3 was attributed to the high specific surface area/porosity, strong metal-support interaction (MSI), and enhanced basicity, in particular the strong basic sites compared to other promoted catalysts. These factors remarkably enhance the catalytic performance and foster resistance to coke deposition., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

In the last few decades, TiO 2 has been widely used in different types of photocatalytic applications. However, the relatively large optical band gap (∼3.2 eV), low charge carrier mobility and consequently its low quantum efficiency limit its photocatalytic activity. Herein, we construct a novel nanostructured heterojunction of WON/TiO 2 nanofibers (NFs) by integration of TiO 2 nanofibers synthesized by electrospinning of a polymer solution containing a titanium(iv) butoxide precursor with WON nanoparticles fabricated via annealing of a WO 3 precursor in dry ammonia at 700 °C. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using different spectroscopic techniques. Their photocatalytic performance towards the degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and phenol as model contaminants was investigated and the charge transfer process was elucidated and compared to that of a TiO 2 /WO 3 heterojunction., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)