Digital Commons Network^™

The Effectiveness Of Occupation-Based Virtual Reality Intervention On Upper Extremity Functional Improvement In Post-Stroke Individuals: A Systematic Review, Darcy Bowman, Tiffani Suhm, Ann Marie Brown, Aubrey Barrett, Hannah Reilley

Student Journal of Occupational Therapy

Purpose: Virtual reality (VR)-based therapy is an emerging practice in the clinical setting and still requires research documenting its efficacy. This review analyzed the effectiveness of VR-based therapy on upper extremity (UE) motor recovery in individuals with chronic stroke by analyzing multiple randomized controlled trials.

Methods: Search limits for this review consisted of articles published between January 2010 and January 2020 and available in English. Search keywords were based on language in individual databases (e.g. stroke or cerebrovascular accident, upper extremity, occupational therapy). Articles were limited to include only randomized control trials consisting of adult patients (18+) with …

Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, And Barriers Of Pharmacovigilance Among Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Survey From Lahore, Pakistan, Zia U. Mustafa, Muhammad Salman, Noman Asif, Alina Z. Rao, Qurat U.A. Khan, Asma S. Nawaz, Muhammad W. Mumtaz, Athar Masood, Muhammad F.A. Khan, Naureen Shehzadi, Khalid Hussain

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are associated with increased length of hospital stay, permanent disability and even death. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP), and barriers related to Pharmacovigilance (PV) among Pakistani healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the second largest metropolitan city (Lahore) of Pakistan during a period of 4 months (JuneeSeptember 2018). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from 8 tertiary care hospitals, recruited via convenient sampling. All data were analyzed in SPSS version 21. Results: A total of …

Study The Effects Of Taurine Oral Supplement Used For Type 2 Diabetic Patients On Body Weight; Glycemic Control And Some Bone Mineralization Biochemical Markers, Falah Hassan Sheri, Hiba Dawood, Jubran K. Hassan, Qais A. Aljazaeari

Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy Cairo University

Background: Taurine is sulfur containing semi-essential amino acid that has important roles in many biological processes, but; its effects on glucose homeostasis, weight; growth and bone mineralization were not well defined in human. Objectives: evaluation the effects of oral taurine used for 3 months on bone mineralization biomarker; glycemic control and body weight in type II diabetic patients. Methods: interventional double-blind placebo-controlled study in which 80 patients with type2 diabetes mellitus (age range 45e55) assigned in either control (n ¼ 40) or study (n ¼ 40) group. The last group received 1000 mg capsule of taurine once a -d for …

Medieval Weathers: An Introduction, Michael J. Warren

Medieval Ecocriticisms

Introduction to the first volume of Medieval Ecocriticisms.

Smart Building Energy Model Using Artificial Intelligence, Riad El Abed, Mohamed El-Gohary

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This paper presents a Smart Building Energy Model of Residential Building using Artificial Neural Network model (ANN) to assist architects and engineers in selecting the optimum alternative design of building envelope parameters such that external wall and roof insulation material types and window types that minimizes the cost of energy consumption of a residential building to transform it to a green building.

Up to 1540 Simulations using different material thickness and conductivity values of material insulation properties and windows types are carried out in eQuest software for simulation.. The simulations results are implemented to create an artificial neural network inverse …

A Novel Arabic Corpus For Text Classification Using Deep Learning And Word Embedding, Roua A. Abou Khachfeh, Islam El Kabani, Ziad Osman

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Over the last years, Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Arabic language has obtained increasing importance due to the massive textual information available online in an unstructured text format, and its capability in facilitating and making information retrieval easier. One of the widely used NLP task is “Text Classification”. Its goal is to employ machine learning technics to automatically classify the text documents into one or more predefined categories. An important step in machine learning is to find suitable and large data for training and testing an algorithm. Moreover, Deep Learning (DL), the trending machine learning research, requires a lot of …

A Poisson-Akash Inrar(1) Model For Over Dispersed Count Time Series, Emmanuel W. Okereke, Sunday N. Gideon

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

In this paper, a Poisson-Akash INAR(1) model was proposed in order to improve on the modelling of overdispersed stationary count time series. The estimators of the parameters of the model were derived using the Yule-Walker (YW) method and the conditional least squares (CLS) method. An expression for the conditional log-likelihood and the r-step ahead forecast were obtained for the model. Three overdispersed nonseasonal stationary count time series were modelled to illustrate the applicability of the proposed model as well as its capacity to outperform the competing INAR (1) models in modelling overdispersed stationary count time series and the result showed …

Walking Diagonally: A Simple Proof Of Countability Of The Set Of All Finite Subsets Of Naturals, Miroslav Kures

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The countability of the set of finite subsets of natural numbers is derived. In addition to the derivation itself, the use of diagonal method is illustratively presented; thinking about infinite sets relate to the name of Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor, the creator of set theory, which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics. The proof of the claim is original, although the theorem is an analogy with the famous theorem about the countability of rational numbers. A certain insight into the subsets of natural numbers is given. Anyway, the technique could be considered already at high school level as …

Role Of Technological Revolution In Transport And Communications Development, Mohamad B. Chami

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

The arousal of technology has changed a lot of aspects in human life and has drastically changed its path through a revolution that changed the whole world. This revolution took place in various aspects while affecting significantly the global economy and from those fields that considerably affect the life of human beings in the previous and current centuries are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and transportation. It is these two factors that play a major role in the economy of countries and dominate the lives of societies in the world. Thus, this paper studies the impact of the technology revolution …

Overview On The Lebanese Environmental Governance System: Main Hazards In The Oil And Gaz Sector, Rami Harkous

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Due to harsh environment and vulnerability of marine ecosystems, many challenges are faced regarding offshore oil and gas activities. Many steps are currently undertaken to overcome such challenges.

As Lebanon is inside the new oil and gas sector in its offshore region, plans should be made to address environmental challenges that may occur in this sector. The Lebanese environmental governance system meets international standards in various aspects but some gaps are addressed to manage such risks that may be encountered with oil and gas activities in the Lebanese offshore. This article ends by a fast run through environmental regulatory authority, …

The Inhibition Activity Of Tert-Butylhydroquinone Towards Corrosion Of Aluminum, Copper And Stainless Steel In Biodiesel Blend B20 Alternative Fuel, Chaza Joumaa, Ibtissam Saad, Ghassan Younes

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) has been investigated as corrosion inhibitor for aluminum; copper and stainless steel in biodiesel blend B20 by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. The results showed that the inhibition efficiency increases with an increase in the concentration of TBHQ but decreases with increasing temperature from 30℃ to 60℃. A maximum inhibition efficiency of about 61.52% for aluminum was recorded for THBQ in biodiesel blend B20 at temperature 30℃ and at a concentration of 4x10^-6 M which is the lowest concentration used compared to the concentrations of TBHQ used for the other metals (copper and stainless steel). Theoretical …

Investigation Of The Experimental And Numerical Flexural Behavior Of Innovative Totally Encased Composite Beams, Nour Wehbi, Adnan Masri, Oussama Baalbaki

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Composite steel-concrete beams have been widely used in long span construction and high rise buildings due to their favorable behavior in terms of high strength, stiffness, and ductility. In this research, the flexural behavior of an innovative steel-concrete composite section is investigated experimentally and verified numerically using ABAQUS software. The studied section is composed of steel tubular specimen or steel hollow pipe totally encased in concrete in the absence of any flexural or shear reinforcement. Instead, steel mesh wraps are used around the tubular steel specimen to provide sufficient steel-concrete bond. All of the studied beams have the same 3m …

Physical And Magnetic Properties Of Nanosized Mn0.5ni0.5¬Fe2-Xprxo4 Prepared By Co-Precipitation Method, Douaa El-Said Bakeer, Khulud Habanjar, Ghassan Youness, Mohammad Abou Ghoush

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Nanosized Mn_0.5Ni_0.5Fe_2-xPr_xO₄, x=0.0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1 and 0.15 are prepared by co-precipitation method at calcination temperature 650^oC for 4 hours. X-ray diffraction patterns show the presence of the cubic (Mn-Ni)- ferrite phase and anti-ferromagnetic a-Fe₂O₃. The variation in the lattice parameter “a” is due to the replacement of smaller radius ions Fe⁺³ by larger radius ions Pr⁺³. Transmission electron micrographs indicate that the particles are spherical in shape. The moderately agglomerated particles are present due to the …

New Type Of Lightweight Aggregate For Use In Structural Concrete, Jamal Khatib, Ali Jahami, Oussama Baalbaki, Adel Elkordi

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

This research studied the utilization of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI-BA) in lightweight coarse aggregate (LWC) production. A special method was followed to prepare the new aggregate to fully replace the normal aggregates (NWA) in concrete. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and elasticity modulus were investigated for the LWC concrete. Then, two beams were prepared; one from LWC and the other from NWC. The structural performance of beams made up of lightweight aggregates compared to normal aggregates was investigated. The results showed that this type of aggregates led to a 20% reduction in concrete …

Tanzania Modern Librarians In Research And Development Enquiry: A Literature Review, Kardo Mwilongo, Gladness Kotoroi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The modern and advanced development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has influenced various changes in the universe and resulted to phases of paradigm shifts and affected individuals, groups, organisations, institutions and states. The globalization of everything has similarly modernized and impacted the academic libraries and librarians. Modern academic libraries strive and undertake this development in facilitating sharing of research data and outputs with its potential stakeholders for Research and Development (R&D). Librarians and have to adapt new and emerging technologies, deploy the web technologies for cyberspaces, smart or digital library information and services, transform to embedded librarians for dynamic …

Users’ Attitudes To The Use Of Electronic Resources And Services By Undergraduate Students Of Mcpherson University, Ogun State, Nigeria, Esther O. Jatto Mrs, Basirat O. Diyaolu Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The availability of e-resources in university libraries does not determine its usage. These resources are an added advantage for students to get more sources of information for their educational pursuit. However, there was an observation that most students are not using these resources as expected. This study investigated Users’ attitudes to the use of electronic resources and services by undergraduate students of McPherson University, Ogun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was use to select 294 respondents as sample size for the study, using questionnaire as research instruments. Majority of the respondents (72.1%) affirmed availability of e-books and (63.3%) e-journal, …

Use Of Social Media In Academic Activities By Lis Students: A Study In A Public University In Bangladesh, Md. Atikuzzaman

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites are frequently used in our day-to-day conversation, uploading photos and videos, sharing news and views and so on. Being frequent users of social media, students use it not only for communication purposes but also as a tool for supporting their education. The main aim of this study was to explore how the Library and Information Science (LIS) students of University of Dhaka are using various social networking sites in their academic activities. The study also investigated the diversified uses of social media by the students, frequency of using social media and …

A Vista Of Kahana Bay, Haryashpal Bhullar

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This is a picture of Kahana Bay in Honolulu, HI I took when I was visiting my friend stationed at Tripler Army Medical Center last year. Like me, he is a Psychiatry resident and I had not seen him in over a year, so meeting him was quite meaningful to me as we had so much more to talk about. Having this vista behind us while we climbed and shared stories made for one of the best hikes of my life. I often look at this photo and realize the freedom we had to fly to all sorts of beautiful …

Building Fly Boys—Replica Of A 1939 Barrelback Wooden Runabout, Michael G. Flynn

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Attention to detail, persistence, and striving for perfection...but never quite achieving it. These are attributes I put into my career as a researcher and are remarkably similar to the skills I apply to boat building. What you see pictured are thousands of imperfections that, I humbly assert, coalesce into something extraordinarily beautiful.

Corona, Syed Anjum Khan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

We all are witnessing unprecedented pain and suffering, enduring unsurpassed tribulations. As a doctor working in an intensive care unit each day, I carry the burden of my patients and their families, my coworkers, my own family and friends. I never think about myself, the burden on my soul.

Yet I believe there will be a better tomorrow. A new day, where COVID times will be remembered with tears in our eyes yet a comfort in our smile that it’s past.

Primary Care Practices In Western North Carolina: Adaptation To The Covid-19 Pandemic And Ongoing Challenges, Hannah R. Friedman, Joseph Konstanzer, Erica Richman, Brian Cass, Bryan Hodge, Sheri Denslow, Jacqueline Halladay

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique challenges for primary care practices while also highlighting their importance in the pandemic response. To understand primary care practice needs, a survey was conducted of practices in Western North Carolina.

Methods

Phase 2 of a primary care needs assessment was administered to 63 practices in Western North Carolina over the course of six weeks, from July 23 to August 31, 2021.

Results

Most practices were operating with normal hours, though some still operated with reduced hours. Many practices reported insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies. While most practices provided at least some care …

An Assessment Of The Diagnostic Value In Syncope Workup: A Retrospective Study, Ashan T. Hatharasinghe, Kayvon Etebar, Ryan Wolsky, Hossein Akhondi, Napatkamon Ayutyanont

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Patients with syncope often undergo costly testing, despite current guidelines and data supporting the contrary.

Objective

To determine the diagnostic value through positivity rate of electrocardiogram (EKG), computed tomography (CT) of the brain, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, transthoracic echocardiogram, nuclear and pharmacologic cardiac stress test, tilt table test and carotid ultrasound in patients diagnosed with syncope.

Methods

This is a retrospective study of 10,036 adults presenting to the emergency department or hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of syncope at 8 acute care facilities in the southwest United States from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. …

Pharmacy-Led Medication Reconciliation Program Reduces Adverse Drug Events And Improves Satisfaction In A Community Hospital, L. Hayley Burgess, Joan Kramer, Carley Castelein, Joseph M. Parra, Victoria Timmons, Samantha Pickens, Sarah Fraker, Christopher Cameron Skinner

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Pharmacy-led medication reconciliation identifies and corrects medication errors that can potentially cause moderate to severe harm. This research sought to identify the impact of pharmacy-led medication reconciliation on patient outcomes and describe the changes in healthcare workers’ perceptions of the program.

Methods

A pharmacy-led admission medication reconciliation program pilot started in July 2019, and a discharge medication reconciliation proof of concept was tested in September 2020 at a 432-bed hospital. The following periods were compared: August 2018 to February 2019 (pre-program implementation) and August 2019 to February 2020 (post-program implementation). Endpoints included patient outcomes, workforce productivity and interdisciplinary healthcare …

Jacuzzi-Induced Pneumoperitoneum: Case Report And Literature Review, Obteene Azimi-Ghomi, Dieter Brummund, Vasiliy Ovakimyan, Gerardo Kahane

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Radiographically-detected pneumoperitoneum in the setting of acute onset abdominal pain is a classic case among surgical emergencies. The spectrum of etiology ranges from benign to catastrophic, and the ability to differentiate depends in large part on the history and physical exam findings. Included among non-surgical types of pneumoperitoneum are (1) post-operative, (2) diagnostic/experimental, (3) gynecologic tract air entry, (4) the difference in intra- and extra-alveolar pressures, pneumothorax-associated and (5) miscellaneous. Jacuzzi-induced pneumoperitoneum is an extremely rare form of non-surgical pneumoperitoneum. We discuss a case of a 32-year-old female presenting with pneumoperitoneum and acute onset abdominal pain secondary to vaginal insertion …

Epidural Anesthesia For Cesarean Section For Parturient With Recently Diagnosed Asymptomatic Chiari Malformation Type I: A Case Report, Ashie Kapoor, Jon Halling

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Chiari malformations (CMs) are congenital defects of the brain and skull that result in inferior displacement of the cerebellum. There are four types of CMs distinguished by the severity of the anatomic defects and parts of the brain that protrude beyond the foramen magnum. Of these types, CM Type I (CMI) is the least severe. It is characterized by the downward displacement of the cerebellar tonsils beyond the foramen magnum by more than 5 millimeters and goes into the cervical spinal canal. CMI is the most common type with an incidence of 0.1-0.5% in the general population and a predominance …

Steroid-Refractory Lichenoid Eruption Associated With Pembrolizumab In A Patient With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Leon Kou, Sanjay Agarwal, Alyssa Miceli, Logan Kolb, Karthik Krishnamurthy, Shawn Schmieder

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) inhibitors are promising and effective treatments for various cancers. Cutaneous adverse events, such as lichenoid drug eruptions, are well-known common side effects associated with PD-1 inhibitors. Lichenoid drug eruptions associated with PD-1 inhibitors show rapid improvement with high potency topical steroids and do not require cessation of the offending drug. We present the case of an 84-year-old female with progressive pembrolizumab therapy-associated lichenoid eruption that was resistant to several treatments and ultimately required discontinuation of pembrolizumab and treatment with methotrexate to resolve. This report includes histological findings of the pembrolizumab-associated lichenoid eruption.

The Role Of Physical Activity In Older Adults And Practical Intervention, Se Won Lee, Rebecca Patel, Bryan Werner, Ji Won Yoo, Timothy Tiu

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Physical inactivity (PI), defined as not meeting guidelines for physical activity beyond baseline daily living activities, is common among older adults (age 65 and older) and contributes to increased morbidity, increased mortality and increased health care spending. Understanding the clinical impact of PI on common medical conditions among older adults will help primary care physicians (PCPs) to educate these patients successfully. Physical activity and exercise are effective in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases that can lead to physical impairments, disability and/or premature death. Physical activity and exercise have been shown to improve cognitive dysfunction and painful musculoskeletal …

The Palestinian American “Transnational Identity”, Tarik Mokadi, Ayman Yousef

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This research aims at studying the complicated nature of the identity crisis suffered by the second generation of Palestinian Americans. This goal has been further explored by referring to different theoretical perspectives and conceptual paradigms to understand and analyze this topic under investigation. Many models and approaches have been used to reflect on the experiences of the Palestinians living in the US as Diasporic communities, facing the hardships of refugeedom and the pain of Return dream to the homeland. Both researchers attempted to rationalize the usage of these western related theories to fit the Palestinian context by matching them with …

Crimes Resulting From The Illegal Use Of Pesticides In Palestine, Abdullah Mahmmoud, Osama Darraj

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This study dealt with the crimes resulting from the illegal use of pesticides in Palestine. The Palestinian legislator regulated the use of pesticides in the agricultural sector through several legislations, most notably the Agriculture Law and the Consumer Protection Law, in addition to the Public Health Law and the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers. The legal procedures related to the manufacture and registration of pesticides, as well as the controls of their use, and the penalties for violating these legal provisions, especially in the case of the circulation of food contaminated with pesticides resulting from the illegal use …

The Compatibility Of The School Science Laboratories Environment With The Knowledge Economy Skills In The 1st Irbid Educational Directorate Schools, Mania Obaido

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This study aims at identifying the compatibility of the environment of school science laboratories with the skills of knowledge economy, and the study relied on the descriptive approach, where the questionnaire was used to collect data and included four filed, namely: creativity and thinking, problem-solving, effectiveness of the laboratory environment, and the provision of possibilities and communication technology, where the honesty and reliability of questionnaire have been verified. The sample of the study consisted of (228) supervisors of science laboratories in the 1st Irbid educational Directorate schools. The results showed that the environment of school science laboratories corresponds to the …