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Radioisotope applications in industrial process inspection and evaluation using gamma-ray emitters provide otherwise unavailable information. Offering alternative gamma-ray sources can support the technology by complementing sources’ availability and radiation safety. This work proposes to replace gamma-ray from radioisotopes with prompt gamma-ray from the interaction of neutrons with stable isotopes injected into the industrial process or with the structural material of the industrial process equipment. Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP5) was used to simulate the irradiation of two-phase flow pipes by 252Cf neutron source. Two simulations were run for each pipe, with and without mixing the liquid phase with the stable isotope 157Gd. The detected gamma-ray spectra were analysed, and images of the two phases inside the pipes were produced. The images were compared to images obtained from simulations of gamma transmission measurement using 60Co. Furthermore, results for prompt gamma computed tomography (CT) were presented and discussed. The studies’ outcomes indicate the potential of prompt gamma-ray to carry out the sealed sources applications of gamma transmission measurements and imaging.

Hussein M Ismail,1,2 Abeer S Algrafi,2 Osama Amoudi,3 Sameh Ahmed,4 Sultan S Al-Thagfan,5 Hassan Shora,6 Mohammed Aljohani,7 Mohammed Almutairi,7 Fahad Alharbi,7 Abdullah Alhejaili,7 Majed Alamri,7 Abdullah Muhawish,7 Ayat Abdallah8,9 1Department of cardiology, College of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt; 2Department of medicine, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 3Madinah Cardiac Center, Adult cardiology, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of molecular biology/biochemistry, Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt; 7Medical intern, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia; 8Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Department, National Liver Institute, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt; 9Department of Family and Community Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawara, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Hussein M IsmailDepartment of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, EgyptEmail husseinismail@med.suez.edu.eg; drhussein72@gmail.comBackground: Vitamin D deficiency is considered an emerging health problem that affects at least one billion patients worldwide. Calcitriol 1,25(OH)2D3 has several systemic effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and anti-atherosclerotic impacts that explain its cardioprotective effects. The precise association between vitamin D and its metabolites and the value of supplements in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is still controversial. This study aims to search the association between vitamin D2, D3, and metabolites and ACS in patients undergoing coronary angiography.Materials and Methods: This was a case–control study on 73 consecutive adult patients with ACS undergoing coronary angiography compared to 50 controls without coronary artery disease and matched for age and sex from June 2019 till July 2019. Echocardiography and coronary angiography were done for all cases. Plasma vitamin D and its metabolites were measured at admission for all participants along with chemistry profiles.Results: Vitamin D and its metabolites were statistically significantly lower in ACS patients than the controls. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) significantly predicted ACS occurrence; the other significant predictors were high systolic blood pressure (BP), high total cholesterol, and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Interestingly, vitamin D2 and D3 did not significantly predict ACS (p> 0.05). We did not find a statistically significant association between the number of affected coronary vessels and vitamin D metabolites. Moreover, there was no statistically significant correlation between vitamin D and its metabolites and left ventricular ejection fraction measured by echocardiography.Conclusion: There was a strong association between vitamin D and all its metabolites with ACS. Significantly, low 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D predicted ACS, but vitamin D2 and D3 did not. Large randomized controlled trials are needed to verify the beneficial values of vitamin D supplementation in ACS patients.Keywords: vitamin D3, vitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, acute coronary syndrome, coronary artery disease

Hatem A Emara,1,2,&ast; Eman Sobh,3,4,&ast; Raid Homoud Almohammadi,5 Emad Abdullah Alamri,5 Marwan MA Aljohani,1 Ayman Abdullah Alhammad1 1Physical Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Physical Therapy for Growth and Developmental Disorders in Children and Its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Respiratory Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 4Chest Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 5Department of Physical Therapy, Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, Ministry of Health, Medina, Saudi Arabia&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hatem A Emara, Physical Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia, P.o 344, Medina, 41411, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966564156262, Fax +966148618888, Email drhatem_emara@yahoo.comPurpose: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have limited postural control and functional ability. TheraTogs was reported to improve postural stability. However, studies involving the functional ability and quality of life are limited. We aimed to investigate the effects of TheraTogs use as an orthotic garment and strapping system on the balance and functional ability of children with spastic diplegic CP and if wearing TheraTogs improves their quality of life.Patients and Methods: A total of 34 children (aged 5– 8 years) with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy participated in this study. The control group received conventional physical therapy (CPT), whereas the study group received CPT in addition to wearing TheraTogs. Balance, lower limb strength, and functional abilities were examined using the Biodex balance system, 30-s chair rise test, and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-PEDI).Results: The measured parameters of postural stability significantly improved in both groups post-treatment (p< 0.05). The study group showed significant improvement in balance and lower limb strength compared to the traditional physical therapy group (p < 0.05). Both groups showed significant improvement in functional skill mobility (0.001 and 0.01 for control and study groups respectively) and caregiver assistance mobility scores (p=0.001 and < 0.001 for control and study groups respectively); however, there was no significant improvement in self-care ability with TheraTogs. The 30s sit-to-stand showed increased number of sit to stands in both groups post treatment (p=< 0.001 for both groups) and the study group showed significant improvement compared to the control group (p=0.01).Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that both conventional physical therapy and TheraTogs are beneficial in improving balance and functional ability. TheraTogs could be utilized as a useful posture orthosis to help improve the balance and functional strength of children with spastic diplegic cerebral, palsy indicating improved quality of life.Keywords: children with cerebral palsy, TheraTogs, functional ability, 30-s Sit-to-Stand Test, pediatric evaluation of disability inventory

It has been studied that both two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 and V2O5, which are classified as transition metal dichalcogenides and transition metal oxides, are good photocatalyst materials. For this purpose, the hydrothermal method was practiced to synthesize V2O5(1−x)MoS2(x) (X = 1–5% w/w) nanocomposites with different 1–5% w/w weight percent of MoS2 as a prominent photocatalyst under laser irradiation for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 min to tune photocatalytic degradation of industrial wastage water. The surface of the 2D molybdenum nanolayered matrix was efficaciously decorated with V2O5 nanoparticles. The crystal phase and layered structures of the V2O5(1−x)MoS2(x) (X = 1–5% w/w) nanocomposites samples were verified by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy respectively. In the range of the UV visible spectrum, the increment in light absorption from 3.6 to 14.5 Ω−1 cm−1 with an increase of active surface from 108 to 169 μm2{{\rm{\mu }}{\rm{m}}}^{2} with increased MoS2 doping percentage. Furthermore, dielectric findings like the complex dielectric function, tangent loss, electrical conductivity, quality factors, and impedance of V2O5(1−x)MoS2(x) (X = 1–5% w/w) nanocomposites are studied. According to photoluminescence studies, the intensity of peaks decreases when laser irradiation time and doping percentages of MoS2 are increased. As a result, a small peak indicates a decrement rate of electron–hole pair recombination, which increases the capacity for separation. Thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis results revealed that weight loss decreased from 0.69 to 0.35 mg and thermal stability increased with increased doping concentrations. Methylene blue was degraded in 150 min, proving that the prepared MoS2-doped V2O5 material was a stable and economically low-cost nanocomposite for photocatalytic activity.

Hatem A Emara,1,2,&ast; Ahmed H Al-Johany,3 Osama A Khaled,1,4 Abdullah M Al-Shenqiti,1 Abdul Rahman H Ali,5 Marwan M Aljohani,1 Eman Sobh6,7,&ast; 1Physical Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Physical Therapy for Growth and Developmental Disorders in Children and its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, Ministry of Health, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 4Basic Science Department, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 5College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 6Respiratory Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia; 7Chest Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hatem A Emara, Physical Therapy Department, College of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Taibah University, P.O 344, Medina, 41411, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966564156262, Fax +966148618888, Email drhatem_emara@yahoo.comPurpose: To investigate the effect of dynamic orthotic garments (Thera togs) on foot pressure distribution, postural control, and endurance in children with spastic diplegic CP.Patients and Methods: This is a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial involving 34 (8– 10 years) with spastic diplegic CP. The control group received conventional physical therapy (CPT), whereas the study group received CPT in addition to wearing TheraTogs. We recorded foot pressure distribution, trunk control measurement scale, trunk position sense, Pediatric Berg Balance Scale (PBS), and six-minute walking distance (6MWD).Results: Both groups showed improvement. The study group had significant improvement in foot pressure distribution (p-value 0.003, 0.001, < 0.001 for forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot mean pressures respectively, and 0.005, < 0.001, and 0.005 for forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot peak pressures respectively), Pediatric balance scale, The trunk control measurement scale, and Trunk position sense (p-value < 0.001) and six-minute walking distance (p-value 0.029). Our data suggest that adding TheraTogs to conventional physiotherapy improves foot pressure, postural control, and endurance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.Conclusion: Both TheraTogs and conventional physical therapy corrected foot pressure distribution, trunk control, improved balance, and increased 6MWD in children with spastic diplegic CP but the improvement was more significant in TheraTogs group.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT05271149.Keywords: children with disability, theratogs, foot pressure, balance score, orthotic devices

Energy storage and utilization-based systems are playing a vital role in power systems. Hydrogen energy based electrical power generation systems are most popular nowadays due to their ability to meet the load demand without any noise, or pollution. Usually, Fuel Cell Stacks (FCSs) are used to produce electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. Utility grid connected FCs can able to meet load demand quickly as well as improve the power quality at local load bus. Since the FC output is DC, an inverter with an efferent control technique is required to interface the FCs into the AC utility grid. The loads connected at the point of common coupling (PCC) of the FCs to the grid are varying randomly and in terms of their nonlinear and reactive power characteristics. These kinds of loads will affect the power system significantly and result in poor power quality at PCC. Proportional-integral (PI) controllers often cannot operate at their maximal efficiency when the system experiences random fluctuations in addition to the nonlinearities caused by the loads and the power electronic switches used to connect the FC to the grid. This is because these controllers have fixed gains.. One of the most effective solutions to get around these problems associated with using the fixed gain PI controller parameters is to use some adaptive controllers, such as Takagi-Sugeno (TS) Fuzzy controllers. Consequently, a novel control strategy for the inverter is suggested in this paper with the aid of TS-Fuzzy controllers in order to improve the power quality at PCC. Therefore, a novel control strategy for the inverter is suggested in this paper with the aid of TS-Fuzzy controllers in order to improve the power quality at PCC.. Hardware – in the – Loop (HIL) is established with the help of OPAL-RT technologies to enhance the significance of the proposed method. In this study, extensive results are provided and analyzed using HIL under different operating conditions to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in mitigating power quality problems.

Grid integrated renewable energy sources are greatly benefiting from the use of multilevel inverters, as they inject less total harmonic distortion (THD) and improve the quality of inverter voltage. However, these inverters face challenges due to their high number of switches and complex control. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new configurations with simpler and more effective control methods. In addition, Photovoltaic (PV) systems are being installed in numerous apartments and houses, typically connected to a single phase utility grid. It is crucial to ensure power quality through the use of an inverter connected between the PV system and the utility grid, controlled by the inverter itself. Since PV systems exhibit non-linear behavior, a DC to DC converter is required, along with an appropriate algorithm to maximize power output. However, the inclusion of an additional DC to DC converter can increase the size, cost, and complexity of the system. As a result, single stage grid connected systems have gained popularity for low power applications. Furthermore, the use of a Fuzzy controller has shown superior performance compared to PI controllers, thanks to its ability to adjust gains based on changes in solar irradiance and load. Therefore, this paper introduces a new configuration of a 7 level inverter for single phase single stage grid connected PV systems, incorporating a Fuzzy controller for control. This new configuration only consists of seven switches, making it more streamlined. The paper includes extensive results to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Abdulmajeed A Alkhamees,1 Moath S Aljohani,2 Mohammed A Alghesen,3 Ali T Alhabib4 1Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Mlida, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Mlida, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia; 3Psychiatry Mental Hospital, Ministry of Health, Buraydah, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia; 4King Fahd Medical City Academy for Postgraduate Studies in Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdulmajeed A AlkhameesDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Al Qassim, Saudi ArabiaEmail a.alkhamees@qu.edu.saBackground: Quarantine is a useful measure for preventing and controlling pandemics; however, it might be stressful for quarantined individuals. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming. These emotions were reported for individuals in involuntary quarantine facilities dedicated to quarantine purposes.Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed the individuals in involuntary quarantine institutions (for a planned period of 14 days of quarantine) in two regions of Saudi Arabia. The mental health status of individuals was assessed using the Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21).Results: The study surveyed 214 quarantined/isolated individuals. The stress, anxiety, and depression rates were 25.7%, 21.5%, and 32.7%, respectively. On the IES-R, 28.0% of the participants met the criteria for psychological distress. Female gender, self-reported history of psychiatric disorder, and average health status were significantly associated with negative psychological impact and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (p< 0.05). Watching television was found to be a factor in reducing rates on the IES-R and DASS-21 scale while working out lowered rates on the IES-R alone (p< 0.05).Conclusion: During an institutional involuntary quarantine, additional attention should be paid to vulnerable groups like females and individuals with a history of psychiatric illness. More than one-fourth of our sample experienced a negative psychological impact; therefore, coping practices like working out should be encouraged. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about the psychological aspects of being quarantined. Much work remains to be done to identify strategies that prevent and mitigate psychological distress throughout the quarantine experience and to determine whether these impacts will last for an extended period of time.Keywords: COVID-19, anxiety, IES, depression, knowledge, quarantine, psychological impact, stress, pandemic, Saudi Arabia

Background: Multiple factors are associated with absenteeism among nursing staff around the world with an increasing rate that affects the delivery of health care to patients and reflects non-satisfaction of the nursing staff. Objectives: Evaluating the factors associated with high rates of absenteeism among staff nurse in Medina Maternity and Child Hospital (MMCH). Methods: This is a descriptive study that was conducted among a sample of 405 nurses working at MMCH. The study tool included a questionnaire sheet of 2 parts as demographics and causes of absenteeism. All the nurses were interviewed and asked to fill up the questionnaire sheet. Results: Most of the included nurses had Diploma degree and about 5 years of experience (50.4%). The majority of nurses had good knowledge about the effects of absenteeism on work performance. The most common etiological factors associated with absenteeism were no overtime payment (75.6%) and social reasons among 77.8 % of nurses. Conclusion: The increasing rates of absenteeism among nursing staff working in MMCH were not founding the payment for overtime work followed by social reasons for nurses. Thus, considering over-time and working status as shift times and numbers of nurses per shift are important motivators that could decrease the rates of absenteeism among nursing staff and increase the rates of nurses satisfaction to their jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Radiography is a crucial healthcare specialty that requires ongoing research to advance imaging technologies and techniques. Despite this, radiographers are faced with obstacles such as time constraints, lack of resources, and the need for training on new technologies, which can discourage their research involvement. This study aims to provide a more representative understanding of the radiography research culture in Saudi Arabia, building upon previous studies., Methods: Following the approval of an ethics committee at Taibah University (2024/173/302 DRD), a cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2024 among registered radiographers in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms using a snowball sampling strategy to reach a diverse group of radiographers across different regions and institutions. Participants provided informed consent before completing the questionnaire. The questionnaire, originally in English, was translated into Arabic and validated by two bilingual academics. It included sections on demographics, previous research experience, barriers to research involvement, factors encouraging research engagement, and self-assessment of research competencies. Descriptive statistics and Cronbach's alpha were used to analyze the data., Results: A total of 105 radiographers participated in the study, with 41% having prior research involvement. Among those engaged, the most common activity was data collection (65%), followed by preparation of scientific articles (49%). Challenges such as the lack of a research-focused culture (48%), insufficient awareness of opportunities (36%), and time constraints (34%) were prominent barriers to research participation. Encouraging factors included the need for research training (63%), support from research groups (51%), and allocated research time (50%). Respondents assessed their research skills, with confidence varied across skills, with 50% feeling capable of initiating research and 51% of participating, yet a significant proportion expressed uncertainties, especially in statistical knowledge and research methodology., Conclusion: Most of the surveyed radiographers did not engage in research. However, there is a substantial interest in enhancing research involvement, with training, collaborative groups, and organizational support identified as key factors encouraging participation. The findings suggest that addressing these barriers can foster a more robust research culture, leading to improved diagnostic practices., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Alrehily et al.)

We report on ultra-violet (UV) photodetectors based on BaO nanoparticles by the detailed investigation of band gap and photoluminescence properties. The BaO nanomaterials were fabricated by the modified sol-gel technique. The innovation of co-doping can modulate the photoluminescence or sensing properties by narrowing the band gap related to enhancing the high carrier concentration, higher electronic lifetime, and low carriers recombination. It is investigated that the BaO nanoparticles with co-doping reveals a highly reduced band gap and exceptional photoluminescence properties as compared to the pristine BaO nanoparticles due to hindering carrier , s recombination for Ultra-violet (UV) photodetectors. The optical studies revealed that the addition of co-dopants in BaO host material creates new energy sites, so the band gap declines up to 1.31 eV as compared to that of pristine BaO (1.36 eV). The photoluminescence properties recorded with photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were recorded which revealed the decrease in PL intensity due to the hindering of carriers recombination with the addition of co-dopant metal ions. Furthermore, the inclusion of co-dopant metals results in an improvement in electrical conductivity because of a decline in carrier recombination, according to an I-V characteristic study. This factor contributes to enhance the photoluminescence properties of BaO which, in turn, contributes to enhance the sensing capability of the photodetector device. These obtained features modify optoelectronic properties are far superior as compared to that of previously reported literature on BaO nanomaterials, and the synthesized BaO semiconductor material becomes a potential candidate for efficient use in the ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors device applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the current quantum chemical study, indacenodithiophene donor core-based the end-capped alterations of the reference chromophore BTR drafted eight A2-A1-D-A1-A2 type small non-fullerene acceptors. All the computational simulations were executed under MPW1PW91/6-31G (d, p) level of DFT. The UV-Vis absorption, open circuit voltage, electron affinity, ionization potential, the density of states, reorganization energy, orbital analysis, and non-covalent interactions were studied and compared with BTR. Several molecules of our modeled series BT1-BT8 have shown distinctive features that are better than those of the BTR. The open circuit voltage (V OC ) of BT5 has a favorable impact, allowing it to replace BTR in the field of organic solar cells. The charge carrier motilities for proposed molecules generated extraordinary findings when matched to the reference one (BTR). Further charge transmission was confirmed by creating the complex with a PM6 donor molecule. The remarkable dipole moment contributes to the formation of non-covalent bond interactions with chloroform, resulting in superior charge mobility. Based on these findings, it can be said that every tailored molecule has the potential to surpass chromophore molecule (BTR) in OSCs. So, all tailored molecules may enhance the efficiency of photovoltaic cells due to the involvement of potent terminal electron-capturing acceptor2 moieties. Considering these obtained results, these newly presented molecules can be regarded for developing efficient solar devices in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Following transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke, the risk of recurrent stroke can be significantly reduced with short-duration dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). We wish to investigate whether 10 days of DAPT is as effective as 21 days' treatment., Study Design: This is an open-label, randomized, parallel-group study comparing whether 10 days of DAPT treatment (ASA + clopidogrel) is non-inferior to 21 days of DAPT in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or high-risk TIA. In both groups, DAPT is started within 24 hours of symptom onset. This study is being conducted in approximately 15 study sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The planned sample size is 1932., Outcomes: Non-inferiority of 10 days compared to 21 days of DAPT in the prevention of the composite endpoint of stroke and death at 90 days in AIS/TIA patients. The primary safety outcome is major intra-cranial and systemic hemorrhage., Study Period: Enrolment started in the second quarter of 2023, and the completion of the study is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025., Discussion: The trial is expected to show that 10 days of DAPT is non-inferior for the prevention of early recurrence of vascular events in patients with high-risk TIAs and minor strokes., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The development of ecofriendly fabrication phenomenon is essential requirement for commercialization of non-fullerene acceptors. Recently, end-capped modeling is employed for computational design of five non-fullerene acceptors to elevate various photovoltaic properties. All new molecules are formulated by altering the peripheral acceptors of CH 3 -2F and DFT methodology is employed to explore the opto-electronic, morphological and charge transfer analysis. From the computational investigation, all reported molecules manifested red shifted absorption with remarkable reduced band gap. Among investigated molecules, FA1-FA3 evinced effectively decreased value of band gaps and designed molecules have low excitation energy justifying proficient charge transference. The lower values of binding energy of FA1 and FA2 suggest their facile exciton dissociation leading to improved charge mobility. By blending with J61 donor, FA4 have sufficiently enhanced value of V OC (1.72 eV) and fill factor (0.9228). Energy loss of the model (R) is 0.57 eV and statistical calculation demonstrate that all our modified molecules except FA3 has profoundly reduced energy loss compelling in its pivotal utilization. From accessible supportive outcomes of recent investigation, it is recommended that our modified chromophore exhibit remarkable noteworthy applications in solar cells for forthcoming innovations., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Context: For the advancement in fields of organic and perovskite solar cells, various techniques of structural alterations are being employed on previously reported chromophores. In this study, the end-capped engineering is carried out on DBT-4F (R) by modifying terminal acceptors to improve optoelectronic and photovoltaic attributes. Seven molecules (AD1-AD7) are modeled using different push-pull acceptors. DFT/B3LYP/6-31G along with its time-dependent approach (TD-DFT) are on a payroll to investigate ground state geometries, absorption maxima (λ max ), energy gap (E g ), excitation energy (E x ), internal reorganization energy, light harvesting efficiency (LHE), dielectric constant, open circuit voltage (V OC ), fill factor (FF), etc. of OSCs. AD1 displayed the lowest band gap (1.76 eV), highest λ max (876 nm), lowest E x (1.41 eV), and lowest binding energy (0.21 eV). Among various calculated parameters, all of the sketched molecules demonstrated greater dielectric constant when compared to R. The highest dielectric constant was exhibited by AD3 (56.26). AD5 exhibited maximum LHE (0.9980). Lower reorganization energies demonstrated improved charge mobility. AD5 and AD7 (1.63 and 1.68 eV) have higher values of V OC than R (1.51 eV). All novel molecules having outperforming attributes will be better candidates to enhance the efficacy of OSCs for future use., Methods: Precisely, a DFT and TD-DFT analysis on all of the proposed organic molecules were conducted, using the functional MPW1PW91 at 6-31G (d,p) basis set to examine their optoelectronic aspects, additionally the solvent-state computations were studied with a TD-SCF simulation. For all these simulations, Guassian 09 and GuassView 5.0 were employed. Moreover, the Origin 6.0, Multiwfn 3.8, and PyMOlyze 1.1 software were utilized for the visual depiction of the graphs of absorption, TDM, and DOS, respectively of the studied molecules. A number of crucial aspects such as FMOs, bandgaps, light-harvesting efficiency, electrostatic potential, dipole moment, ionization potential, open-circuit voltage, fill factor, binding energy, interaction coefficient, chemical hardness-softness, and electrophilicity index were also investigated for the studied molecules., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a thorough search was conducted for pertinent literature using PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Wiley Library. This was a meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. MetaDiSc 1.4 was used for all analyses and assessed statistical heterogeneity with the I2 index and the chi-square test. The random-effects model was applied where there was considerable heterogeneity. Using the eight elements of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort and case-control studies, we assessed the quality of the included studies. Our results included nine studies with a total of 2598 patients, and 1607 (61.8%) were males. The pooled overall sensitivity of perfluorobutane with CEUS was 85.6% (95% CI 0.832, -0.878, and P=0.000) and specificity was 91.5% (95% CI 0.899, -0.930, and P=0.000) with significant inter heterogeneity between studies (I2=94.3% and 95.7%), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 12.42 (4.59 to 33.61, P=0.000). Our analysis revealed a symmetric summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and seven of the included studies are near the top left corner of the graph, indicating that this test has a high diagnostic value. The results showed that CEUS augmented with perfluorobutane contrast had good diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) for primary HCC. Further real-world data studies are needed to confirm the good diagnosis accuracy of perfluorobutane CEUS in primary HCC., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Wally et al.)

Objectives: To study each atypical feature in atypical meningioma versus other grade 2 meningiomas and its possible relation to recurrence., Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with WHO grade 2 meningioma operated in our institution between 01/2008 and 12/2020. The rate of recurrence, reoperation and readmission were recorded during the follow-up period. A statistical analysis was done to determine the significance of each pathological feature in regard to recurrence., Results: A total of 74 patients were included as WHO grade 2 meningioma with 60 (81%) patients having an AM and 14 (19%) patients with chordoid or clear cell meningioma. The mean age was 51 years±14. The most common location was meningioma abutting the frontal lobe (convexity). Major atypical features were more noted in the AM, however, there was no significant difference between AM and other types of meningioma. Increased Nuclear cytoplasmic ratio and cellularity were found significantly more in AM. The recurrence rate was 16.2%. No specific pathology feature (major or minor) nor the type of Grade 2 meningioma was significantly related to recurrence., Conclusion: The types of WHO grade 2 meningiomas have similar prognosis and recurrence rates. There is no significant difference between the atypical features in indicating a more aggressive nature or risk of recurrence in grade 2 meningiomas., (Copyright: © Neurosciences.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global threat, challenging health services' provision and utilization. This study aimed to assess compulsory vaccination coverage in 12 Sub-Saharan African countries two years following the COVID-19 pandemic using the Health Belief Model. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November 1 to December 15, 2022. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify the determinants of vaccination coverage. Among the 5032 respondents, 73.1% reported that their children received compulsory vaccination. The lowest coverage was observed in Ghana (36.5%), while the highest was in Burkina Faso and Congo (92.0%). Factors associated with non-vaccination included older mothers (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.03-1.05), lower mothers' education, older children (AOR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.60-0.96), children with chronic illnesses (AOR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.45-0.66), and difficult accessibility to healthcare facilities (AOR = 11.27, 95%CI: 9.48-13.44). Low perceived risk, in which non-vaccinated children were believed to be at no higher risk for infectious diseases and the disease severity would not worsen among non-vaccinated children, increased the likelihood of non-vaccination (AOR = 2.29, 95%CI: 1.75-2.99 and AOR = 2.12, 95%CI: 1.64-2.73, respectively). Perceiving vaccines as unnecessary, and needless for breastfed babies increased the probability of non-vaccination (AOR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.10-1.73 and AOR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.31-2.19, respectively). Higher odds of non-vaccination were found when the provision of vaccine information did not motivate parents to vaccinate their children (AOR = 4.29, 95%CI: 3.15-5.85). Conversely, believing that vaccines were safe for children decreased the odds of non-vaccination (AOR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.58-0.88). Parental perceptions and concerns should be considered in interventions aiming to increase compulsory vaccine acceptance and coverage., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of the microsurgical treatment in restoring full sensory recovery following trigeminal nerve injuries caused by iatrogenic oral and maxillofacial surgical interventions., Methods: A detailed search was conducted on the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Medline and Embase. Clinical studies with at least twelve months of follow up were included and assessment of risks of bias was made using the Robbin I assessment tool ., Results: Six studies were identified in the searches which include 227 patients. The lingual nerve was the most common injured nerve, followed by the inferior alveolar nerve. Third molar removal was the most frequent cause of nerve injury, followed by root canal treatment, pathology excision, coronectomy, orthognathic surgery, dental implants and then local anaesthetic injections. Overall, surgical interventions for nerve injuries showed neurosensory improvement postoperatively in the majority of patients., Conclusion: Direct neurorrhaphy is still the gold-standard technique when the tension at the surgical site is minimal. Promising results have been noted on conduit applications following traditional repair or grafting. Further research is needed on the efficacy of allografting and conduit applications in nerve repair., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 THE AUTHORS.)

Background: Midodrine has been used in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting to reduce the time to vasopressor discontinuation. The limited data supporting midodrine use have led to variability in the pattern of initiation and discontinuation of midodrine., Objectives: To compare the effectiveness and safety of 2 midodrine discontinuation regimens during weaning vasopressors in critically ill patients., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City. Included patients were adults admitted to ICU who received midodrine after being unable to be weaned from intravenous vasopressors for more than 24 hours. Patients were categorized into two subgroups depending on the pattern of midodrine discontinuation (tapered dosing regimen vs. nontapered regimen). The primary endpoint was the incidence of inotropes and vasopressors re-initiation after midodrine discontinuation., Results: The incidence of inotropes or vasopressors' re-initiation after discontinuation of midodrine was lower in the tapering group (15.4%) compared with the non-tapering group (40.7%) in the crude analysis as well as regression analysis (odd ratio [OR] = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.73, P = 0.02). The time required for the antihypertensive medication(s) initiation after midodrine discontinuation was longer in patients who had dose tapering (beta coefficient (95% CI): 3.11 (0.95, 5.28), P = 0.005). Moreover, inotrope or vasopressor requirement was lower 24 hours post midodrine initiation. In contrast, the two groups had no statistically significant differences in 30-day mortality, in-hospital mortality, or ICU length of stay., Conclusion and Relevance: These real-life data showed that tapering midodrine dosage before discontinuation in critically ill patients during weaning from vasopressor aids in reducing the frequency of inotrope or vasopressor re-initiation. Application of such a strategy might be a reasonable approach among ICU patients unless contraindicated., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Photoreforming of lignocellulose biomass is widely recognised as a challenging but key technology for producing value-added chemicals and renewable hydrogen (H 2 ). In this study, H 2 production from photoreforming of organosolv lignin in a neutral aqueous solution was studied over a 0.1 wt % Pt/TiO 2 (P25) catalyst with ultraviolet A (UVA) light. The H 2 production from the system employing the lignin (~4.8 μmol g cat -1  h -1 ) was comparable to that using hydroxylated/methoxylated aromatic model compounds (i. e., guaiacol and phenol, 4.8-6.6 μmol g cat -1  h -1 ), being significantly lower than that from photoreforming of cellulose (~62.8 μmol g cat -1  h -1 ). Photoreforming of phenol and reaction intermediates catechol, hydroquinone and benzoquinone were studied to probe the mechanism of phenol oxidation under anaerobic photoreforming conditions with strong adsorption and electron transfer reactions lowering H 2 production from the intermediates relative to that from phenol. The issues associated with catalyst poisoning and low photoreforming activity of lignins demonstrated in this paper have been mitigated by implementing a process by which the catalyst was cycled through anaerobic and aerobic conditions. This strategy enabled the periodic regeneration of the photocatalyst resulting in a threefold enhancement in H 2 production from the photoreforming of lignin., (© 2023 The Authors. ChemPlusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Gallbladder perforation and gallstone leakage are frequent complications following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Failure to remove gallstones may result in several issues that manifest immediately or years later. The goal of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of surgeons and the procedures used by them to deal with gallstone spillage during LC., Methods: A cross-sectional design was followed. Surgeons in nine healthcare facilities in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia were approached through non-probability convivence sampling and the survey was distributed in each of the general surgery divisions. The study included general surgeons who currently performed LC and incomplete responses and interns were excluded. A self-administered questionnaire was developed with 18 questions regarding demographics, center, and designation at the hospital, surgeons' experience of LC, and exposure to gallstone spillage. Furthermore, items regarding knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practices related to gallstone spillage such as incidence, complications, and intervention taken to prevent gallstone spillage were also included. The level of significance was set at P <0.05., Results: There were 82 participants of both genders, including consultants, specialists, and residents. While only 23 (28%) participants had actually observed patients with complications from spilled stones, 46 (56.1%) participants were aware of this possibility, 53 (64.6%) deemed it inappropriate to bring up gallstone spillage when securing consent for LC, and 67 (81.7%) believed that such an incident needed to be documented in the operation notes. Only 11 (13.4%) thought that the complications arising out of the unretrieved gallstones should fall under the legal purview of the operative surgeon. There were very few complications of spilled gallstones that the participants were aware of, and none of them anticipated problems to arise more than three years after LC., Conclusions: Awareness of the risks associated with gallstone spillage during LC needs to be raised, and it is imperative to standardize the practices related to their management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Alfehaid et al.)

Saliva has many advantages over blood as a biofluid, so using it for measuring and monitoring antibody responses in COVID-19 would be highly valuable. To assess the value of saliva-based IgG and IgM/IgA antibody testing in COVID-19, this cross-sectional pilot study evaluated the accuracy of salivary and serum IgG and IgM/IgA for detecting mild COVID-19 and their correlation. Fifty-one patients with mild COVID-19 (14-28 days post-symptom onset) were included in the study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to measure IgG and IgM/IgA responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in both serum and saliva samples using a slightly modified protocol for saliva samples. Saliva-based IgG testing had 30% sensitivity and 100% specificity, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 50%. Saliva-based IgM/IgA testing had 13.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity, with a PPV of 100% and an NPV of 28.3%. Blood and saliva IgG values were positively correlated. Saliva currently has limited diagnostic value for COVID-19 testing, at least for mild disease. Nevertheless, the significant positive correlation between blood and saliva IgG titers indicates that saliva might be a complementary biofluid for assessing systemic antibody responses to the virus, especially if the assay is further optimized across the full disease spectrum., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Akeel et al.)

The cationic methylene blue (MB) dye sequestration was studied by using oxidized carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan (OCMC-CS) and its composite films with silicon carbide (OCMC-CS-SiC), and silica-coated SiC nanoparticles (OCMC-CS-SiC@SiO 2 ). The resulting composite films were characterized through various analytical techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The dye adsorption properties of the synthesized composite films were comprehensively investigated in batch experiments and the effect of parameters such as contact time, initial dye concentration, catalyst dosages, temperature, and pH were systematically evaluated. The results indicated that the film's adsorption efficiency was increased by increasing the contact time, catalyst amount, and temperature, and with a decreased initial concentration of dye solution. The adsorption efficiency was highest at neutral pH. The experimental results demonstrated that OCMC-CS films have high dye adsorption capabilities as compared to OCMC-CS-SiC, and OCMC-CS-SiC@SiO 2 . Additionally, the desorption investigation suggested that the adsorbents are successfully regenerated. Overall, this study contributes to the development of sustainable and effective adsorbent materials for dye removal applications. These films present a promising and environmentally friendly approach to mitigate dye pollution from aqueous systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We investigate the morphological, electrical, magnetic, and resistive switching properties of (Co, Yb) co-ZnO for neuromorphic computing. By using hydrothermal synthesized nanoparticles and their corresponding sputtering target, we introduce Co and Yb into the ZnO structure, leading to increased oxygen vacancies and grain volume, indicating grain growth. This growth reduces grain boundaries, enhancing electrical conductivity and room-temperature ferromagnetism in Co and Yb-doped ZnO nanoparticles. We present a sputter-grown memristor with a (Co, Yb) co-ZnO layer between Au electrodes. Characterization confirms the ZnO layer's presence and 100 nm-thick Au electrodes. The memristor exhibits repeatable analog resistance switching, allowing manipulation of conductance between low and high resistance states. Statistical endurance tests show stable resistive switching with minimal dispersion over 100 pulse cycles at room temperature. Retention properties of the current states are maintained for up to 1000 seconds, demonstrating excellent thermal stability. A physical model explains the switching mechanism, involving Au ion migration during "set" and filament disruption during "reset." Current-voltage curves suggest space-charge limited current, emphasizing conductive filament formation. All these results shows good electronic devices and systems towards neuromorphic computing., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)