Lead Exposure and Physiological Enzymes among Industrial versus Non-Industrial Workers in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Lead, which is considered to be as a toxic metal without any useful physiological or biochemical function in human body was widely used since the evolution of the industrialized era as a chemical part of much machinery and commodities. Lead containing gasoline, lead paints, lead-soldered cans, lead-glazed earthenware and tobacco are examples of sources of lead. Therefore, lead continues to be a significant public health concern globally. Nowadays it is particularly impossible to find a person with blood lead level lower than 0.48μmol/L (100 μg/ dL) especially in city areas. Changes in neurobehavioral, cardiovascular, hematological, and renal functions are found to be associated with lead even low blood lead levels. At the molecular levels, lead tends to cause damages to multitude of enzymes and essential cellular structures. The aim of the present study is to determine the Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) among expatriate industrial (exposed) and non-industrial (unexposed) workers and investigate predictor factors that are influencing BLLs in UAE population. Additionally, the present study aiming to determine the effect of lead exposure on the plasma levels of amino acids and serum liver enzymes, cardiac enzymes and renal functions protein in industrial workers in Al-Ain, UAE. Finally, to study acute and chronic respiratory symptoms occurred exposure among industrial. Although this study is not intended for generalization of the lead population problem to the whole UAE population, but without any doubt this study would be a representative sample of concurrent measures of lead exposures in the specific community. The first part of the study was screening of blood lead levels among industrial versus non-industrial individuals taking in consideration age, ethnic group, and smokers and non-smokers criteria. The second part of the study is focusing on the correlation between blood lead levels and levels of amino acids, liver function enzymes, cardiovascular enzymes and renal function proteins. The study was based on matched exposed and unexposed study of subject selected from Al-Ain City. The study included 100 exposed and 100 unexposed, matched for age, sex and nationality. The field survey was conducted during the period from 1st of February to July 1999. The relative importance of some factors on the likelihood of industrial workers having lead exposure was assessed using statistical methods and models. This matched case-control was conducted in three parts, namely: a) An epidemiological study of eating habits, life style, reported symptoms and lead level in industrial and non-industrial workers. b) Plasma amino acid profiles among industrial and non-industrial workers. c) Laboratory analysis of serum liver enzymes, cardiac enzymes and renal function proteins for cases and controls. The Socio-demographic characteristics of industrial and non-industrial workers were similar among the population surveyed. Most of the industrial workers were not certain about lead exposures. Both groups, industrials and non-industrials workers were demographically similar with regards to age groups, nationality and marital status. The majority of industrial workers (38%) were illiterate, which was the expected result. The majority of non-industrial workers (48%) were educated with secondary or high school educational certificates. Most industrial workers were not aware of the amount of lead they might have been exposed. Few industrial workers reported exposure to lead. One type of exposure derives from the working in jobs related to 40% of industrial workers reported being involved with smelling spraying of toxic gases and chemical directly, 13% of the subjects reported working in radiation areas or magnetic fields, and 14% of them reported dealing with battery recycling. The exposure to lead among industrial and non-industrial workers was investigated. The majority of industrial workers reported not using masks as the main method of protection during their work. The majority of industrial workers reported different clinical symptoms. Reported symptoms among industrial workers were higher than non-industrial workers had. It was observed that, most of the symptoms occurred among industrial and non-industrial were significant differences as follows Nausea/vomiting [OR= 4.235, 95% Cl (1.35-13.25)], (p=0.008), Red/irritated eye/blurred vision [OR=1.61, 95% Cl(0.731-3.547)],(p=0.235)], Increased anxiety [OR = 2.68, 95% Cl (1.16-6.20)], (p= 0.017), Dizziness [OR = 1.926, 95% Cl (0.808-4.592)], Headache [OR = 1.176, 95% Cl (0.617-2.243)], (p= 0.622), Muscular symptoms [OR = 3.146, 95% Cl (1.46-6.75)], (p= 0.002), Memory loss [OR= 11.0, 95% Cl (1.38-87.64)], (p= 0.005), Fatigue [OR= 3.439, 95% Cl (1.303-9.074)], (p=0.009), Insomnia [ OR = 2.16, 95% Cl (0.834-5.612)], (p= 0.106), Chest pain [OR = 1.0, 95% Cl (0.41-2.42)], (p= 1.000). Kidneys [OR= 3.20, 95% Cl (1.20-8.51)], (p=0.008), Gastrointestinal [OR= 2.55, 95% Cl (1.17-5.55)], (p= 0.016), Anemia [OR = 3.43, 95% Cl (1.30-9.07)], (p= 0.009), Difficulty in breathing [OR = 2.72, 95% Cl (1.07-6.88)], (p = 0.030), Cardiovascular [OR = 3.61, 95% Cl (1.27-10.30)], (p= 0.011), Mania [OR = 6.62, 95% Cl (1.87-23.39)], (p= 0.0016), Abdominal pain [OR = 1.18, 95% Cl (0.53-2.63)], (p= 0.684), Myalgia and Anorexia [OR = 1.26, 95% Cl (0.32-4.84)], (p= 0.733). Furthermore, we have investigated plasma amino acid profiles among industrial workers (exposed) and non-industrial workers (unexposed). Most plasma amino acid tests showed higher values among industrial than non-industrial workers did. There were statistically very highly significant differences between industrial and non-industrial with the respect of some amino acids levels as can be seen as follows: Taurine (112.02 ±38.70 μmol/l, Mean ± S.D) in non- industrial workers, N=100, (p= 0.0001), Serine (159.33 ± 34.68 μmol/l, Mean ± S.D) in industrial workers and (108.09 ± 26.42 μmol/l, Mean ± S.D) in non-industrial workers, (p= 0.003), Glutamic acid (236.89±149.91 μmol/l, Mean ± S.D) in industrial workers and (82.26 ± 57.09 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers, (p=0.000), Glycine, (236.89 ± 149.91 μmol/l, Mean ± S.D) in industrial workers and Mean ± S.D (244.25 ± 72.88 μmol/l in non-industrial workers, (p= 0.0001), Histidine Mean ± S.D (107.50 ± 29.61 μmol/l) in industrial and Mean ± S.D (95.90 ±18.53 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers, Ornithine Mean ± S.D (178.94 ± 59.16 μmol/l) in industrial workers and (104.84 ± 30.64 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers (p= 0.001), Lysine Mean ± S.D (218.71 ±51.73 μmol/l) in industrial workers and (176.77 ± 36.71 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers (p=0.006), Leucine Mean ± S.D (162.49.99 ±38.73 μmol/l) in industrial workers and non-industrial workers (135.57 ± 26.94 μmol/l), (p = 0.002), Valine Mean ± S.D (264.15 ±65.88 μmol/l) in industrial workers and (234.05 ±58.02 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers (p = 0.62), Threonine Mean ± S.D (161.67 ± 42.04 μmol/l) in industrial workers, (p = 0.055) and Mean ± S.D (130.34 ± 34.55 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers, (p = .055), Alanine Mean ±S.D (526.59 ± 151.35 μmol/l) among the industrial workers and non-industrial workers Mean ± S.D (417.64 ± 92.08 μmol/l), (p= 0.0001), Glutamine Mean ± S.D (622.86 ± 139.85 μmol/l) in industrial workers and (583.86 ± 146.50 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers, (p= 0.346) and Proline Mean ± S.D (339.31 ± 137.29 μmol/l) in industrial workers and (261.15 ± 82.464 μmol/l) in non-industrial workers (p=0.006). Finally, the liver function tests were estimated among industrial (exposed) and non-industrial (unexposed) workers. Only Lactate Dehydrogenase and Alkaline Phosphates were higher in industrial workers than non-industrial workers. And there were statistically significant differences between industrial and non-industrial workers, for Lactate Dehydrogenase in industrial workers (211.27 ± 57.27u/l, Mean ± S.D); versus in non-industrial workers (194.77 ± 48.69 u/l, Mean ± S.D), (P=0.029) and Alkaline Phosphates (84.27 ± 24.64 u/l, Mean ± S.D) for u/l) for industrial and (76.18 ± 20.48u/l, Mean ±S.D) in non-industrial workers, (p=0.012). Also kidney proteins such as Blood Urea Nitrogen and Creatinine were estimated among industrial and non-industrial workers without any statistically significant differences. The results of this study determined the exact Blood Lead Levels among industrial and non-industrial workers, in UAE population. Also lead and associated environmental risk factors will hold great promise for future planning, prevention and programming in Al-Ain City for the Ministry of Health, Universities, Federal Environmental Agency, WHO, Municipality and other concerned academic researcher institutions

Implementation of Fuzzy Decision Based Mobile Robot Navigation Using Stereo Vision

AbstractIn this article, we discuss implementation phases for an autonomous navigation of a mobile robotic system using SLAM data, while relying on the features of learned navigation maps. The adopted SLAM based learned maps, was relying entirely on an active stereo vision for observing features of the navigation environment. We show the framework for the adopted lower-level software coding, that was necessary once a vision is used for multiple purposes, distance measurements, and obstacle discovery. In addition, the article describes the adopted upper-level of system intelligence using fuzzy based decision system. The proposed map based fuzzy autonomous navigation was trained from data patterns gathered during numerous navigation tasks. Autonomous navigation was further validated and verified on a mobile robot platform

Biomimetic Based EEG Learning for Robotics Complex Grasping and Dexterous Manipulation

There have been tremendous efforts to understand the biological nature of human grasping, in such a way that it can be learned and copied to prosthesis–robotics and dextrous grasping applications. Several biomimetic methods and techniques have been adopted, hence applied to analytically comprehend ways human performs grasping to duplicate human knowledge. A major topic for further study, is related to decoding the resulting EEG brainwaves during motorizing of fingers and moving parts. To accomplish this, there are a number of phases that are performed, including recording, pre-processing, filtration, and understanding of the waves. However, there are two important phases that have received substantial research attentions. The classification and decoding, of such massive and complex brain waves, as they are two important steps towards understanding patterns during grasping. In this respect, the fundamental objective of this research is to demonstrate how to employ advanced pattern recognition methods, like fuzzy c-mean clustering for understanding resulting EEG brain waves, in such a way to control a prosthesis or robotic hand, while relying sets of detected EEG brainwaves. There are a number of decoding and classification methods and techniques, however we shall look into fuzzy based clustering blended with principle component analysis (PAC) technique to help for the decoding mechanism. EEG brainwaves during a grasping and manipulation have been used for this analysis. This involves, movement of almost five fingers during a grasping defined task. The study has found that, it is not a straight forward task to decode all human fingers motions, as due to the complexity of grasping tasks. However, the adopted analysis was able to classify and identify the different narrowly performed and related fundamental events during a simple grasping task

Investigating the Impact of Nano-Calcined Halloysite on Concrete Durability under Chloride Attack

يشكل تأثير العوامل العدوانية، وخاصة الكلوريدات، على الهياكل الخرسانية تحديا كبيرا في مجال الهندسة. يؤدي وجود الكلوريدات إلى تآكل الخرسانة وتدهورها مما يؤثر على أدائها. تخترق الكلوريدات الخرسانة مما يؤدي إلى تدمير الطبقة الواقية حول حديد التسليح مما يؤدي إلى تآكل الفولاذ وتكوين الصدأ، يؤثر هذا التآكل سلبًا على قوة الارتباط بين الفولاذ والخرسانة ويمكن أن يسبب أيضًا تشققات على سطح الخرسانة، مما يقلل من متانتها, ولمواجهة هذا التحدي، تم إجراء دراسة بحثية لاستكشاف استخدام المواد النانوية، وتحديداً الهالويسايت المكلس النانوي، لتحسين أداء ومتانة الخرسانة. كان الهدف هو دراسة تأثير دمج الهالويسايت في الخرسانة على تغلغل الكلوريدات والتآكل اللاحق لقضبان حديد التسليح. تم فحص ثلاثة خلطات خرسانية مختلفة تحتوي على نسب متفاوتة من الهالويسيت (1.5%، 3%، 4.5%). وقام الباحثون بتقييم معدلات امتصاص الماء ومعاملات الهجرة لهذه الخلائط, بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تم استخدام تقنية التيار المسلط، حيث تم تطبيق تيار 14 مللي أمبير لمدة 26 يومًا لتسريع تآكل قضبان التسليح الفولاذية. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة فعالية دمج الهالويسيت في الخرسانة لتعزيز خواصه. حقق الخليط المحتوي على 3% و4.5% من الهالويسايت (CHNC) الأهداف المرجوة، مما أدى إلى تقليل امتصاص الماء بشكل كبير. على سبيل المثال، أظهر الخليط الذي يحتوي على %4.5 (CHNC) انخفاضًا بنسبة 42.99% في امتصاص الماء بعد 7 أيام. كما أدى هذا الانخفاض في امتصاص الماء إلى انخفاض كبير في معامل هجرة الكلوريدات واختراقها في الخرسانة. علاوة على ذلك، أدى إدراج 4.5% من الهالويسايت و25% من خبث الفرن العالي المحبب (GGBS) في الخليط إلى تحسين أداءه.The impact of aggressive agents, especially chlorides, on concrete structures is a significant challenge in the field of engineering. The presence of chlorides leads to corrosion and deterioration of concrete, affecting its performance. Chlorides penetrate the concrete, leading to the destruction of the protective layer around the reinforcing steel, which results in the corrosion of the steel and the formation of rust. This corrosion negatively affects the bond strength between the steel and the concrete and can also cause cracks on the concrete surface, reducing its durability. To address this challenge, a research study was conducted to explore the use of nanomaterials, specifically nano-calcined halloysite, to improve the performance and durability of concrete. The aim was to investigate the impact of incorporating halloysite in concrete on the penetration of chlorides and the subsequent corrosion of reinforcing steel rebars. Three different concrete mixtures containing varying percentages of halloysite (1.5%, 3%, and 4.5%) were examined. The researchers evaluated the water absorption rates and migration coefficients of these mixtures. Additionally, the impressed current technique was utilized, where a 14mA current was applied for 26 days to accelerate the corrosion of steel rebars. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of incorporating halloysite in concrete to enhance its properties. The mixture containing 3% and 4.5% of halloysite (CHNC) achieved the desired objectives, significantly reducing water absorption. For example, the mixture with 4.5% CHNC showed a 42.99% reduction in water absorption after 7 days. This decrease in water absorption also led to a considerable decrease in the migration coefficient of chlorides and their penetration in the concrete. Furthermore, the inclusion of 4.5% halloysite and 25% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in the mixture further improved its performance

The Female Kindergarten Teachers’ Relationships with Children with Insecure Attachment and Their Relationship with the Verbal Abilities of Those Children

The present study aimed to explore the female kindergarten teachers’ relationships with children with insecure attachment. It aimed to explore the relationship between such relationships and the verbal abilities of those children in University district, Amman. The sample consists from 110 children (i.e. 71 male children and 39 female children). Those children with insecure attachment with caregivers. The researchers adopted a descriptive correlative approach. They used a scale to identify the insecure attachment pattern. The latter scale was used to collect data from the primary caregivers of the children. The correlation coefficient values of the latter scale are within the range of (0.260- 0.631). The Cronbach alpha coefficient value of the latter scale is 0.903. The researchers also used a scale for exploring the female kindergarten teachers’ relationship with the children. The latter scale was used to collect data from the female kindergarten teachers. The correlation coefficient values of the latter scale are within the range of (0.552- 0.169). The Cronbach alpha coefficient value of the latter scale is 0.875. The researchers used a scale for assessing the verbal abilities of each child. The correlation coefficient values of the latter scale are within the range of (0.187- 0.624). The Cronbach alpha coefficient value of the latter scale is 0.875). The level of the positive relationships between the female kindergarten teachers and the children with insecure attachment in Amman is moderate (m=2.600). The mean of the (closeness) dimension is high. The mean of the (conflict) demission and the mean of (dependency) dimension are low. 51.8% of the sampled children have moderate verbal abilities level. There are statistically significant correlation between the kindergarten teachers’ relationships with those children and the children’s verbal abilities. It was found that 24.9% of the changes in the female kindergarten teacher-children relationship can be attributed to the children’s verbal abilities Keywords: Insecure attachment pattern, female kindergarten teachers’ relationships, verbal abilities, kindergarten children DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-33-17 Publication date: November 30th 202

Development of a System Based Approach for Strategic Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Practices in Health Care Organizations.

This thesis aims at investigating the importance of effective implementation of health safety and hygiene legislations and practices in Health Care delivery systems. A new System Based Approach for Strategic Implementation of Occupational Health & Safety Practices is proposed in this thesis. The underlying principle of the approach is based on involvement and inputs from staff and management rather than by pre-specified requirements and objectives. Furthermore, the development process is a closed loop process that provides a mechanism for continuously evaluating system performance and monitoring activities that have considerable impact on health and safety practices. A case study was conducted in the medical laboratories of five major hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Data were collected through questionnaires, staff interviews, and reviewing laboratory safety reports compiled over a three years period. The main conclusions from this study are: 1. The proposed approach has proven to be useful in analyzing existing health and safety systems. The methodology and tools proved to be instrumental in defining inefficiencies and determining the status of the Health & Safety policies & practices in the selected medical laboratories. 2. Effective implementation of the proposed approach has shown improvements in productivity, operational cost, service quality, staff and management satisfaction. 3. The case study has demonstrated that a developing country such the UAE, with no previously existing Health & Safety legislation and little risk prevention culture, can rapidly and effectively introduce effective industry specific H&S by adopting an integrated systems based approach. 4. UAE has highly advanced and economically developing base, there is a general willingness at senior level within the UAE to achieve high levels of competence and standards in all industrial sectors. 5. CAP is a system based management tool which has been implemented globally, but only limited in the gulf region; CAP has been implemented by the author and colleges within Zayed Military Hospital between 2003-2007

Understanding Key Bidding Factors Considered by Top Jordanian Contractors

One of the most crucial decisions that is regularly exercised by construction contractors is to determine whether to bid or not to bid on a certain project. The purpose of this paper is to understand key factors that are considered by top Jordanian contractors in their bid/no-bid decision making. Previous research in the Jordanian construction market reported the importance weights of 53 bid/no-bid factors (El-Mashaleh, 2013). Based on that work, this paper discusses the top bidding factors and compares them with international related work. Additionally, the paper examines the reliability of El-Mashaleh’s (2013) study based on Cronbach's alpha reliability test. Furthermore, the paper tests the degree of consensus among the respondents of El-Mashaleh’s (2013) work regarding the ranking of the 53 bid/no-bid decision factors based on Kendall's coefficient of concordance. Finally, analysis of variance (ANOVA) is conducted to test statistical significant differences in the importance weights of the 53 bidding factors between public and private bidders. Cronbach's alpha reliability test proves that the adopted scale of measurement for the importance of the bid/no-bid factors has excellent internal consistency reliability. Kendall's coefficient of concordance reveals a significant degree of consensus among the respondents regarding the ranking of the bid/no-bid decision factors. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates statistical significant differences in importance weights between public and private bidders for 6 factors out of the 53 factors considered

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Programmes in the Arab Gulf States: Exploring factors affecting their adoption and development

An increasing number of academic institutions all over the world have begun to adopt and develop electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) programmes. The adoption and development of these programmes is influenced by many factors. Despite considerable discussion on these factors in different countries, little has been written on the adoption and development of such programmes in the Arab Gulf States. Moreover, there has been no in-depth research-based investigation into the enablers and barriers that may have an impact on the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. Using a sequential exploratory design and mixed methods, this study attempts to fill this knowledge gap. The study explores the perceived enablers and barriers influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Arab Gulf States. It also develops a framework that outlines the factors influencing the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. The study is primarily qualitative, using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews in conjunction with the analysis of relevant documents to identify, develop an understanding of, and create a picture of the situation in the Gulf States in terms of the factors affecting the adoption and development of ETD programmes. The interviews cover the key stakeholders, which include postgraduate students, library managers, system administrators, postgraduate officers and academic staff. Forty-five participants from five universities in the Gulf States were interviewed. The results of the interviews provided the necessary information to undertake the second phase of the study (online survey). The primary aim of this was to test and explore, in a larger sample, the issues identified in the interviews. Three hundred and nine participants from four universities in the Gulf States completed the online survey. The results of the survey helped to confirm and complement the findings of the interviews. The research findings revealed that several factors were perceived to affect the adoption and development of ETD programmes in the Gulf States. These included the appreciation of the benefits of ETD programmes, the availability of the required resources to support ETD programmes, the perceived complexity of the technological processes as well as a number of social factors. An initial framework for analysis was developed using concepts from the literature review combined with the constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The initial framework highlighted several enablers and barriers to the adoption and development of ETD programmes. Based on the research findings, further enablers and barriers emerged that had not been outlined in the preliminary research framework. These included concerns surrounding the perceived quality and quantity of theses and dissertations, which were perceived due to the newness of research programmes in the Gulf States. ETD programmes were perceived as increasing the currently limited availability of Arabic research on the internet. Moreover, as these states have strong economies, academic institutions were mostly equipped with the required technological infrastructure. In addition, the initial framework did not highlight any kind of influence between the five factors. However, the current research findings revealed that these five factors were interdependent and that some factors have an influence on the others. This is reflected in the revised framework. The preliminary framework also did not indicate which factor was the most influential, while the revised framework shows that the contextual factors were found to be influencing the institutional factors and this, in turn, influenced the personal perceptions. The revised framework is intended to provide guidance for universities and academic institutions in the Gulf States in adopting and developing ETD programmes. It is also hoped that by understanding the influencing factors, universities and academic institutions will be better placed to plan for and make informed investment decisions regarding the adoption and development of ETD programmes and that this will lead to their successful adoption and development in the Gulf States

On Security Log Management Systems

A log management system (LMS) is a system for creating, receiving, processing, releasing, and transferring of security log data. Its main objectives include detecting and preventing unauthorised access and abuse, and meeting regulatory requirements. One of its main components is the classification of events to make decisions related to archiving and to invoking responses to certain events. Most current approaches to LMS design are system dependent and involve specific hardware (e.g., firewalls, servers) and commercial software systems. This paper presents a theoretical framework for LMS in terms of a flow-based conceptual model with emphasis on security-related events. The framework includes four separate flow systems: active system, log system, alarm system, and response system. All systems are composed of five inclusive stages: receiving, processing, creating, releasing, and transferring. The experimental part of the paper concentrates on log analysis in the processing stage in the log system. We select actual log entries and classify them according to these five stages

Incidental Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare but fatal disease with an incidence of less than 5000 new cases per year in the United States. Less than 20% of GBC cases are diagnosed preoperatively. The remaining cases are diagnosed either after laparoscopic cholecystectomy or intraoperatively. GBC is discovered incidentally during histopathology following 0.25–3.0% of laparoscopic cholecystectomies; however, this constitutes 74–92% of all GBC. The most pivotal and important step is accurate patient staging. Staging dictates disease management and treatment options and predicts survival. Because of the fatality of GBC and its poor prognosis, attempts of curative surgery are limited to localized resectable disease