Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Portable Variable Message Signs in Improving Safety for Motorists and Workers at Construction Zones in Abu Dhabi

In March 2008, a single accident resulted in three people being killed and nearly 350 injured in a horrific crash involving over 60 vehicles on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Ghantoot. The cause of this crash was attributed to failure by motorists to adhere to severe weather conditions (fog). In response to the increasing number of accidents on Abu Dhabi roads, the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) has deployed approximately 40 portable Variable Message Signs (PVMSs) throughout the main DOT\u27s highway network as one of the strategies to control driver behavior and to improve road safety. The objective of these PVMSs is to provide drivers with adequate warnings; especially during severe weather conditions (e.g., fog, dust, rain). They are also used within critical areas such as construction zones on the highway, at school crossings and during major events so as to minimize the chances of accidents. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of PVMSs on road safety as well as their perceived satisfaction among road users. The effectiveness of PVMSs in Abu Dhabi has not yet been evaluated in this way the study adopted a longitudinal approach and involved the collection of vehicular speed, volume and classified data at three different highway sections. These covered one location close to a work-zone in Abu Dhabi with allowable speed limit of 100 km/hr., another location on freeway with allowable speed limit of 140km/hr. and one location on an arterial road with allowable speed limit of 120km/hr. Additionally, drivers and workers were interviewed in order to seek their perception on the use of PVMS. Using descriptive and analytical statistical methods, the mean and 85th percentile speed differences before and after the deployment of PVMS were found not to be statistically significant at the study locations. At both urban and rural locations, PVMS was shown to have a minor impact in reducing highway speeds but it was found not to be statistically significant. The study showed that PVMSs were found to be effective, though statistically not significant (p-value \u3e 0.005 at 95% confidence level), in reducing driver\u27s speeds with about 1% on freeway and arterial roads. PVMSs are not significant statistically effective in reducing speeds at the work zones. Newly deployed PVMS at work zones confuse drivers especially when the posted speed limits are reduced gradually over a short span length. Further, the proportion of vehicles speeding excessively (i.e. vehicles traveling over the posted speed limit) was slightly decreased by the use of PVMS. A significant number of road user\u27s responses were positive and highly satisfied with the usefulness of PVMS as a tool to display the traffic information to drivers and to manage traffic safety at work zones. They also stated that PVMS is an effective tool in alerting drivers about the irregular traffic conditions and/or any incidents on the highway and within work zones. There were many comments on the current operation of the PVMS that are mainly on updating PVMS messages, messages shall be changed frequently, PVMS messages shall cover the benefit areas mentioned in the driver survey and more care shall be considered for PVMS as a communication tool with the roadways users in order to increase the convenience on PVMS. In addition, surveys of road construction workers indicated that workers were aware of PVMS and considered PVMS to be the best tool available for traffic safety at work zones. Most of the road construction workers stated that they feel safer with the implementation of the PVMS during night shifts. The main comment was on implementation of the PVMS which are mainly about; not common in most of the work zone areas, it should be implemented immediately over all work zones within Abu Dhabi, should be well maintained through the whole construction period and moved away until work zone is cleared. Increasing public awareness of the use of PVMS suggested being a common tool used at work zones. Some recommendations can be drawn from the study. The operation of PVMS shall take more care from Department of Transportation and Ministry of Interior – Police Department. The PVMS messages should be updated regularly and be varied to accommodate a wider range of incident warnings to assist in accident reduction. In general, PVMS messages should also be displayed as symbols to cover the illiterate drivers and workers and non-English/Arabic speakers

Citizens’ Perceptions of Corruption and E - Governance in Jordan, Ethiopia, and Fiji — the Need for a Marketing Approach

The purpose of this research is to assess citizen’s perceptions of corruption and e-governance in Jordan, Ethiopia, and Fiji. The research is based on surveys using structured questionnaires and focus group interviews. Conclusions are derived from a mix of descriptive and inferential analysis. The survey covers a total of 1212 respondents using stratified sampling. Findings reveal that public sector corruption and demands for bribes are increasing in each country. Only a few people are aware of e-governance and feel that it can help in curbing corruption. The study proposes that in order to mitigate negative forces in the implementation of e-governance such as corruption, digital divide, and urban bias, developing countries need to apply a marketing approach to e-governance services

Effectiveness of interactive teaching intervention on medical students' knowledge and attitudes toward stem cells, their therapeutic uses, and potential research applications

Background: Stem cell science is rapidly developing with the potential to alleviate many non-treatable diseases. Medical students, as future physicians, should be equipped with the proper knowledge and attitude regarding this hopeful field. Interactive teaching, whereby the teachers actively involve the students in the learning process, is a promising approach to improve their interest, knowledge, and team spirit. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive teaching intervention on medical students' knowledge and attitudes about stem cell research and therapy. Methods: A pre-post test study design was employed. A six-session interactive teaching course was conducted for a duration of six weeks as an intervention. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were used. The differences in the mean scores of students' knowledge and attitudes were examined using paired t-test, while gender differences were examined using an independent t-test. Results: Out of 71 sixth-year medical students from different nationalities invited to participate in this study, the interactive teaching course was initiated by 58 students resulting in a participation rate of 81.7%. Out of 58 students, 48 (82.8%) completed the entire course. The mean age (standard deviation) of students was 24 (1.2) years, and 32 (66.7%) were males. The results showed poor knowledge about stem cells among the medical students in the pre-intervention phase. Total scores of stem cell-related knowledge and attitudes significantly improved post-intervention. Gender differences in knowledge and attitudes scores were not statistically significant post-intervention. Conclusions: Integrating stem cell science into medical curricula coupled with interactive learning approaches effectively increased students' knowledge about recent advances in stem cell research and therapy and improved attitudes toward stem cell research and applications. Keywords: Arab; Attitudes; Education; Interactive teaching; Jordan; Knowledge; Medical curriculum; Stem cells; Students

The role of Rezum in the management of refractory urinary retention due to benign prostate hyperplasia: A literature review

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common cause of urinary retention in men (BPH). The gold standard surgical treatment is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). However, due to the morbidity and mortality associated with TURP, more minimally invasive treatments, such as vaporizing the prostate with the Rezum system, have been introduced. We investigated the efficacy of Rezum in the treatment of refractory urinary retention due to BPH in this review. Methodology and materials: To conduct this review, the Cochrane methodology for systematic reviews was used. All studies that used Rezum to treat catheter-dependent patients with enlarged prostates were included. The literature search showed 111 studies, 84 of which were excluded due to non-relevance based on titles and 18 due to lack of relevance based on abstract review. Full manuscripts were reviewed in nine studies, three of which were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Results: This review included 301 patients in total. The rate of a successful trial of voiding post Rezum therapy was 85%. The complication rated between 3.8 and 4.3% all of which were mild and self-limited. As there was no major complication of Rezum (clavien dindo >2), the procedure-related morbidity is negligible. Conclusion: In this review, Rezum was found to be an efficacious and safe alternative in the treatment of refractory retention with mild complications and minimal morbidity.The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article. We would like to thank The Arab Urology Association for providing Open Access funding for this article.Scopu

Alleviation of diabetic nephropathy by zinc oxide nanoparticles in streptozotocin‐induced type 1 diabetes in rats

Abstract This study examines the effect of nanoparticles with zinc oxides (ZnONPs) on diabetic nephropathy, which is the primary cause of mortality for diabetic patients with end‐stage renal disease. Diabetes in adult male rats was induced via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. ZnONPs were intraperitoneally administered to diabetic rats daily for 7 weeks. Diabetes was associated with increases in blood glucose level, 24‐h urinary albumin excretion rate, glomerular basement membrane thickness, renal oxidative stress markers, and renal mRNA or protein expression of transforming growth factor‐β1, fibronectin, collagen‐IV, tumour necrosis factor‐α and vascular endothelial growth factor‐A. Moreover, the expression of nephrin and podocin, and the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 were decreased in the diabetic group. These changes were not detected in the control group and were significantly prevented by ZnONP treatment. These results provide evidence that ZnONPs ameliorate the renal damage induced in a diabetic rat model of nephropathy through improving renal functionality; inhibiting renal fibrosis, oxidative stress, inflammation and abnormal angiogenesis; and delaying the development of podocyte injury. The present findings may help design the clinical application of ZnONPs for protection against the development of diabetic nephropathy

Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer Via Downregulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1 alpha

Piceatannol (PIC) is known to have anticancer activity, which has been attributed to its ability to block the proliferation of cancer cells via suppression of the NF-kB signaling pathway. However, its effect on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is not well known in cancer. In this study, PIC was loaded into bovine serum albumin (BSA) by desolvation method as PIC-BSA nanoparticles (NPs). These PIC-BSA nanoparticles were assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity, migration, invasion, and colony formation studies and levels of p65 and HIF-1α. Our results indicate that PIC-BSA NPs were more effective in downregulating the expression of nuclear p65 and HIF-1α in colon cancer cells as compared to free PIC. We also observed a significant reduction in inflammation induced by chemical colitis in mice by PIC-BSA NPs. Furthermore, a significant reduction in tumor size and number of colon tumors was also observed in the murine model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer, when treated with PIC-BSA NPs as compared to free PIC. The overall results indicate that PIC, when formulated as PIC-BSA NPs, enhances its therpautice potential. Our work could prompt further research in using natural anticancer agents as nanoparticels with possiable human clinical trails. This could lead to the development of a new line of safe and effective therapeutics for cancer patients

Dietary Crocin is Protective in Pancreatic Cancer while Reducing Radiation-Induced Hepatic Oxidative Damage

Pancreatic cancer is one of the fatal causes of global cancer-related deaths. Although surgery and chemotherapy are standard treatment options, post-treatment outcomes often end in a poor prognosis. In the present study, we investigated anti-pancreatic cancer and amelioration of radiation-induced oxidative damage by crocin. Crocin is a carotenoid isolated from the dietary herb saffron, a prospect for novel leads as an anti-cancer agent. Crocin significantly reduced cell viability of BXPC3 and Capan-2 by triggering caspase signaling via the downregulation of Bcl-2. It modulated the expression of cell cycle signaling proteins P53, P21, P27, CDK2, c-MYC, Cyt-c and P38. Concomitantly, crocin treatment-induced apoptosis by inducing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Microarray analysis of the expression signature of genes induced by crocin showed a substantial number of genes involved in cell signaling pathways and checkpoints (723) are significantly affected by crocin. In mice bearing pancreatic tumors, crocin significantly reduced tumor burden without a change in body weight. Additionally, it showed significant protection against radiation-induced hepatic oxidative damage, reduced the levels of hepatic toxicity and preserved liver morphology. These findings indicate that crocin has a potential role in the treatment, prevention and management of pancreatic cancer

Correction: Aljabali, A.A.A.; et al. Albumin Nano-Encapsulation of Piceatannol Enhances Its Anticancer Potential in Colon Cancer via down Regulation of Nuclear p65 and HIF-1α. Cancers 2020, 12, 113

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Factors affecting medical students in formulating their specialty preferences in Jordan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent years there has been a growing appreciation of the issues of career preference in medicine as it may affect student learning and academic performance. However, no such studies have been undertaken in medical schools in Jordan. Therefore, we carried out this study to investigate the career preferences of medical students at Jordan University of Science and Technology and determine factors that might influence their career decisions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out among second, fourth and sixth year medical students at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan during the academic year 2006/2007. A total of 440 students answered the questionnaire which covered demographic characteristics, specialty preferences, and the factors that influenced these career preferences. Possible influences were selected on the basis of a literature review and discussions with groups of medical students and physicians. Students were asked to consider 14 specialty options and select the most preferred career preference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The most preferred specialty expressed by male students was surgery, followed by internal medicine and orthopaedics, while the specialty most preferred by female students was obstetrics and gynaecology, followed by pediatrics and surgery. Students showed little interest in orthopedics, ophthalmology, and dermatology. While 3.1% of females expressed interest in anesthesiology, no male students did. Other specialties were less attractive to most students.</p> <p>Intellectual content of the specialty and the individual's competencies were the most influential on their preference of specialty. Other influential factors were the "reputation of the specialty", "anticipated income", and "focus on urgent care".</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynaecology were the most preferred specialty preferences of medical students at Jordan University of Science and Technology.</p