My Experience at the University of Dayton

“I am Amal. What is your name?” This “easy” phrase is what I used to say when I wanted to integrate within a new community back in Saudi Arabia. However, this phrase was the toughest phrase I could say out loud when I was a freshman at the University of Dayton. I faced a lot of challenges when I first came to UD. I was not prepared to handle the differences between my culture and the American culture. I wanted to be part of the UD community; however, people seemed uncomfortable whenever I opened a conversation. I had a tough time understanding why it was always awkward when I started a conversation with an American. I started to think that both Americans and I myself were uncomfortable having conversations because of the fact that I am a Muslim and Saudi, and because of the fact that I am different than anyone else here

A systemic review of barriers to accessing paediatric eye care services in African countries

Background: Global estimate reported that 1.4 million children are blind of which three-quarters live in developing countries. Childhood Visual Impairment is a major public health problem globally especially in rural areas of developing countries.Objective: To review barriers to accessing paediatric eye care services in African countriesMethods: The studies in this review were searched in online databases (PubMed, Web of Sciences, ProQuest, Scopus, Google Scholar, African Index Medicus and Medline) for studies published between January 2000 and April 2020. The articles included in this review, which was conducted in Africa to assess the barriers for accessing paediatric eye care services with regards availability, accessibility, affordability, socio cultural barriers of parents/caregivers and community.Results: Of 22 705 articles screened, the study found 29 publications from 10 African countries which met the inclusion criteria. The main barriers were non-availability, non-accessibility, and non-affordability of paediatric eye care services. The studies reviewed revealed that there are other factors affecting the utilization of paediatric eye services which include the primary health system, geographic barriers, health beliefs, perception of parents; lack of knowledge, attitudes and practices about paediatric eye care. Furthermore, environmental, demographic barriers and socio-economic status has negative impact on accessing paediatric eye care services in African counties.Conclusion: The main barriers to accessing paediatric eye care services in Africa were affordability, accessibility and availability. There is therefore a need for all relevant stakeholders to play a significant role in addressing barriers to child eye carein African countries. Keywords: Paediatric eye care; Africa; availability; accessibility; affordability; visual impairment; refractive errors

Invisible Humans, Visible Terrorists: U.S. Neo-Orientalism Post 9/11 and Representations of the Muslim World

U.S. neo-Orientalism as a new form of Orientalism was ushered in after 9/11. Although it operates within the frames of Said’s theory of Orientalism, U.S. neo-Orientalism offers new approaches to and representations of Islam and the Muslim world that have a different point of departure from that of classical Orientalism. U.S. neo-Orientalism rationalizes military intervention and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as promoting the mission of American democracy. This study discusses the theoretical frame and features of U.S. neo-Orientalism and tackles its representations in institutionalized neo-Orientalist writings and American literary and war novels

Principles of Mechanics

This open access textbook takes the reader step-by-step through the concepts of mechanics in a clear and detailed manner. Mechanics is considered to be the core of physics, where a deep understanding of the concepts is essential in understanding all branches of physics. Many proofs and examples are included to help the reader grasp the fundamentals fully, paving the way to deal with more advanced topics. After solving all of the examples, the reader will have gained a solid foundation in mechanics and the skills to apply the concepts in a variety of situations. The book is useful for undergraduate students majoring in physics and other science and engineering disciplines. It can also be used as a reference for more advanced levels

Ethnicity and Response to Drug Therapy

Hypercholesterolemia is a complex disorder presenting in different forms, including the familial form (FH), with varying underlying aetiology, and contributing substantially to coronary artery disease. Particularly, the FH underlies monogenic changes in genes involved in cholesterol synthesis and transport, including the low density lipoprotein receptor, proprotein convertase sublitisin/kexin type 9 and apolipoprotein B. However, hyperlipidemia is largely a complex interaction of changes in multiple genes with environmental factors, such as diet, overweight and obesity that are controllable by adopting healthy eating habits and exercise, which may vary by ethnicity. Diet alone is often not adequate to achieve the desired lipid lowering effect in individuals harbouring very high cholesterol levels, necessitating the use of lipid lowering medication or other forms of therapy. Antilipidemic drugs fall into (a) bile acid sequestrants (b) cholesterol absorption inhibitors, (c) 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, (d) fibric acid derivatives (e) proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors, (f) miscellaneous agents and (g) drug combinations. Mutations in their various metabolizing enzymes, particularly the cytochrome P450 family, often lead to partially/non-functional, or even rapid metabolizing phenotypes, triggering great variations in the way individuals respond to drug therapy, which in turn depends on ethnicity. This may produce unexpected outcomes such as therapeutic failure, adverse side effects and toxicity in individuals of different ethnic origin. Hence, in-depth information of the impact of ethnicity on these relationships has the huge potential of achieving optimal quality use of drugs as well as improving the efficacy and safety of antilipidemic therapeutic agents

Maxillary expansion in an animal model with light, continuous force

Objectives: Maxillary constriction is routinely addressed with rapid maxillary expansion (RME). However, the heavy forces delivered by most RME appliances to expand the palate may lead to deleterious effects on the teeth and supporting tissues. The objective of this study was to explore a more physiologic maxillary expansion with light continuous force. Materials and Methods: Twenty 6-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into experimental (EXPT) and control (CTRL) groups. A custom-fabricated archwire expansion appliance made from 0.014-inch copper-nickel-titanium wire was activated 5 mm and bonded to the maxillary molar segments of animals in the EXPT group for 21 days. The force applied to each maxillary segment was 5 cN. Microfocus x-ray computed tomography and histological analyses were used to compare the tooth movement and bone morphology in the midpalatal suture and buccal aspect of the alveolar process between the EXPT and CTRL groups. Descriptive statistics (mean ± standard error of the mean) and nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare the outcomes across groups. Results: Compared to the CTRL group, there was a statistically significant increase in buccal tooth movement and expansion of the midpalatal suture in the EXPT group. There was no difference in the bone morphologic parameters between groups. The mineral apposition rate was increased on the buccal surface of the alveolar process in the EXPT group. Conclusions: Application of light, continuous force resulted in maxillary osseous expansion due to bilateral sutural apposition and buccal drift of the alveolar processes. This animal experiment provides a more physiologic basis for maxillary expansion