Environmental Management and Treatment of Oily Water in Abu Dhabi Offshore Oil Fields

The purpose of this environmental case study is to evaluate the oily water treatment efficiency in the separation of oil from water in relation to the environmental impact to the marine environment. This study covers offshore oil fields production facilities in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. The study discusses the most commonly used methods in the separation of oily water disposals. It highlights in detail the different types of treatment systems currently in use at Abu Dhabi offshore oil fields production facilities. Emphasis is given to the performance of each treatment system, its deficiencies and possible areas of improvement. The study evaluates an alternative, environmentally safe, methodology for removal of oil from water. It introduces a new approach to extraction of oil from water by employing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) at supercritical pressure and temperature. Possible sources of CO2 are identified in Abu Dhabi offshore process facilities, as chemical analysis indicate that plants\u27 flue gases contain approximately 38% CO2. The study revealed that the majority of the methods currently used to separate oil from water from Abu Dhabi offshore production facilities are inadequate to meet the target quality of 15 ppm maximum contamination. The CO2 extraction methodology might be the solution toward the target quality as it gave promising results from the tests carried out at United Arab Emirates University laboratory

The Significance of Appendix Preposition (from) in Quoting in General and Refraining from Specifying (Ayah of Magic as a Model)

The research is summarized in the works of the rule ``textual indefinite in general and its appearance in it,'' which means if (from) is added before the negative indefinite, it transfers the general indication from appearance and presumption, to quotation and interruption. On this basis, it is possible to weigh the statements based on general texts, and this includes the ruling on learning and teaching magic. As a dispute occurred among the jurists of the nation regarding the permissibility of his learning and teaching. Every Ayah contained in its context (from the excess) should be examined, considered, and contemplated in light of its significance. _ Are the Ayah's in this unique formula specific? _ In which section of the Shari'a does it most frequently appear? _ What is its relationship to preponderance when there is a difference in rulings? After the research, it was found that one of its most important meanings, connotations, benefits, and purposes is the quotation in general, and the prevention of its specification. Therefore, it is one of the strongest arguments in the jurisprudential dispute, so it frequently comes in the verses of oneness, and the transcendence of God Almighty is the signifier. It is in the field of doctrinal scientific issues that are more famous, and all of this indicates the importance of the rule, and what comes out with this rule is the preponderance of the prohibition of magic in all its forms, in contrast to those who preferred to learn and teach it. In research, guidance is given to the rule ``There is no general but it has been specified'' and to combine the different sayings in a good manner

Comparison of Seismic and Wind Actions on Medium to High-Rise Buildings in Muscat, Oman

This study is a comparison of wind and seismic loads on medium and high-rise buildings in Muscat, Oman. It uses the proposed Omani Seismic Code and Eurocode EN1991 for seismic and wind calculations, respectively. Muscat falls under Zone-1 in the Omani seismic code and experience basic wind speed of 30 m/sec. The research investigates buildings with varying aspect ratios (1:1 and 1:2), heights (11, 15, and 19 stories), and structural layouts (frame only, core shear wall, and corner shear wall), using ETABS for structural analysis. The findings reveal that seismic actions are generally more significant than wind actions for buildings in Muscat. In frame-only structures, wind-induced base shear ranges from 16%-33% for 1:1 aspect ratio and 21%-43% in the x-direction and 10%-20% in the y-direction for 1:2 aspect ratio, when compared to seismic actions. This difference decreases with increasing building height. Incorporating shear walls notably reduces the maximum lateral displacement across all scenarios, with core-located walls being most effective, leading to a 49% reduction in lateral displacement. Shear walls also substantially mitigate first-story column shear forces and bending moments. The study concludes that seismic actions are more critical than wind actions in Muscat for simple moment-resisting frame systems. Additionally, using shear walls in these buildings is highly beneficial for controlling lateral displacements and reducing member forces

HUMAN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM BASED BIOMARKERS FOR DETECTION OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

File embargoed until 31.08.2021 at author's request.Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that affects cognitive brain functions and develops many years before there are any clinical manifestations. A biomarker that provides a quantitative measure of changes in the brain in the early stages of AD would therefore be useful for early diagnosis. However, this would involve dealing with large numbers of people because up to 50% of dementia sufferers do not receive a formal diagnosis. Thus, there is a need for accurate, low-cost, robust, and easy to use biomarkers that can be used to detect AD in its early stages. Recent guidelines promote the use of biochemical and neuroimaging biomarkers to improve the diagnosis of AD. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) testing for AD is not widely used in clinical practice because it involves an invasive lumbar puncture procedure. Neuroimaging (e.g., positron emission tomography-PET), on the other hand, is expensive, available only in specialist centres, and may be unsuitable for patients with pacemakers or certain other implants. Blood-based biomarkers have shown promising results in terms of AD diagnosis, but these are not yet fully developed and low-cost biosensors to detect such biomarkers do not yet exist. However, electroencephalogram (EEG) based biomarkers can potentially fulfil these needs and play a vital role in the early diagnosis of AD. AD causes changes in EEGs that are thought to be associated with functional disconnections among cortical areas due to the death of brain cells. EEG analysis may therefore provide valuable information about brain dynamics in AD. Potentially, the EEG could be used to detect changes in brain signals even in the preclinical stages of the disease. This means it could be used as a first line decision-support tool in AD diagnosis and complement other AD biomarkers. This thesis describes research into the development of EEG biomarkers that detect AD based on analysis of changes in the EEG. The most characteristic features in AD are slowing of the EEG activities, a decrease in coherence, and a reduction in complexity. These changes can be quantified as a biomarker of AD. In this study, we identified characteristic EEG features that have a significant association with AD. The most promising EEG features were then used to develop EEG biomarkers that can exhibit high diagnostic performance. Four measures of complexity were investigated and evaluated for their suitability as the basis for EEG-based biomarkers of AD: Tsallis entropy, Higuchi Fractal dimension, Lempel-Ziv complexity, and approximation entropy. Two EEG slowing measures were also investigated and evaluated: changes in zero-crossing intervals, and changes in the power spectrum of EEG. In addition, a new approach to quantifying the slowing of EEGs based on analysing changes in EEG amplitudes was developed and evaluated. The coherence of connections among cortical regions of the brain was also investigated to analyse EEG connectivity. A new biomarker was developed based on analysing changes in EEG amplitude (ΔEEGA). This is a marker for the subsequent rate of cognitive and functional decline in AD patients and provides high diagnostic performance. The performance of ΔEEGA measured 100% and 88.88% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Our results therefore show that EEG-based measures can potentially be a good biomarker for AD. An important contribution of the thesis is the development of a method to derive robust biomarkers from the EEG through selective band filtering and by combining key biomarkers. Thus, this study provides a framework for constructing robust EEG biomarkers that can be used to detect AD with high diagnostic performance (e.g., in terms of sensitivity and specificity).Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR

Electroencephalogram Based Biomarkers for Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related progressive and neurodegenerative disorder, which is characterized by loss of memory and cognitive decline. It is the main cause of disability among older people. The rapid increase in the number of people living with AD and other forms of dementia due to the aging population represents a major challenge to health and social care systems worldwide. Degeneration of brain cells due to AD starts many years before the clinical manifestations become clear. Early diagnosis of AD will contribute to the development of effective treatments that could slow, stop, or prevent significant cognitive decline. Consequently, early diagnosis of AD may also be valuable in detecting patients with dementia who have not obtained a formal early diagnosis, and this may provide them with a chance to access suitable healthcare facilities. An early diagnosis biomarker capable of measuring brain cell degeneration due to AD would be valuable. Potentially, electroencephalogram (EEG) can play a valuable role in the early diagnosis of AD. EEG is noninvasive and low cost, and provides valuable information about brain dynamics in AD. Thus, EEG-based biomarkers may be used as a first-line decision-support tool in AD diagnosis and could complement other AD biomarkers

Development and application of energy-efficient medical beds based on IoT for patient monitoring

Later logical accomplishments and mechanical progresses have brought forward a gigantic show of modern or overhauled restorative gadgets, empowered with highly evolved embedded-control capacities and interactivity. From the ultimate decade of the 20th century, restorative beds have specifically been motivated through this surge, taking on unused shapes and capacities, whereas obliging to installation properties that have gotten to be famous for those gadgets. The beyond fifteen a long time have too delivered ahead modifications to conceptual systems, concerning the item plan and fabricating forms, As properly as the persistent viewpoints on patient-care situations and openness. This paper offers the components and the steps of design and implementation of electric medical bed supplied with monitoring devices and various sensors working together to give the Arduino a full report about the conditions of patient and according to this report the right decisions can be taken. The principles of internet of things (IOT) are applied to achieve this instrument. The paper primarily focuses on the objectives, components, and functionality of the system, such as monitoring physical parameters, detecting emergencies, reducing workload, and communicating with caretakers

Sickness absenteeism among primary health care workers in Qatar before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To explore the patterns, trends, nature, and extent of changes in sickness absence among health care workers (HCWs) at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Qatar-during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years and uncover the main associated factors. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all sick leaves' records of PHCC HCWs regardless of their profession from January 2019 till August 2021. Results: A total of 41,132 sick leaves were taken during the studied period. The majority of HCWs who availed sick leaves were between 30-39 years (45.9%), females (65.1%), and expatriates (65.1%). Compared with pre-COVID-19 (Jan 2019-Feb 2020), Wave 1 of COVID-19 had significantly less incidence of sick leaves per day per 1000 HCWs. While wave 2 had significantly higher incidence of sick leaves compared to both pre-COVID-19 and wave 1. The number of sick leaves per person among female HCWs was significantly higher than that of male HCWs. Moreover, the number of sick leaves per person among locals were about two times the number among expatriate HCWs. Physicians and nurses had significantly lower number of sick leave per person compared to other professions. The rates of sick leaves due to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, back/neck pain and gastroenteritis were significantly higher in the second wave compared to the first wave of COVID-19. Conclusion: Overall and cause specific sick leave rates among HCWs varied significantly across different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related sick leave rate was higher during the second wave compared to first one. By addressing the root causes of sick leaves, it is possible to reduce the burden on HCWs and ensure their continued ability to provide essential care to those in need. 2023, The Author(s).Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2: A Cohort Study in Qatar's Primary Care Settings.

Globally, countries are rolling out Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) quarantine policies and vaccination programs. Research studies are needed in helping understand the likelihood of acquired immunity to reinfection and identify priority groups for vaccination to inform them. This study aimed to assess period prevalence and longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Qatari primary care settings. A cohort study design with 2 data collection phases was undertaken-Phase 1 (conducted in July 2020) and Phase 2 (conducted in October 2020). A stratified random sampling technique by age, gender and nationality was utilized to identify the study sample. The total sample size required for the study was estimated to be 2102. Participants were invited to an appointment where they were administered a questionnaire and provided samples for polymerase chain reaction and Immunoglobulin G immunoassay tests. A total of 943 individuals participated in both Phase 1 and Phase 2. In this cohort, seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be 12% (N = 113) in Phase 1 and 17.2% (N = 162) in Phase 2. Of the 113 participants who were seropositive in Phase 1, 38.1% (CI 29.5-47.2%, N = 43) had a reduction, 54.9% (CI 45.7-63.8%, N = 62) had no change, and 7.1% (CI 3.4-12.9%, N = 8) had an increase in IgG titer in Phase 2. All (N = 18) participants aged 10 to 17 years retained their antibodies. The proportion of men who retained their antibodies was slightly higher compared to women-92.5% (N = 74) and 87.9% (N = 29) respectively. Similarly, symptomatic individuals (97.8%; N = 45) had a higher antibody retention compared with asymptomatic individuals (86.4%; N = 57). This study provides preliminary information on the longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings will help inform quarantine policies and vaccination programs.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by PHCC (PHCCDCR202005047).The funders had no role in the design, analysis, interpretation, or writing

Candida virulence attributes: exploring a link to oral mucosal carcinogenesis

© 2014 Dr. Ali Daoud Al NuaimiThe fungus Candida has been implicated in the aetiology of oral cancer; however, the exact carcinogenic mechanisms are still under investigation. A persuasive body of evidence suggests a direct causal role involving metabolism and production of carcinogenic compounds such as acetaldehyde. Recently, the hypothesis of microbial induced inflammation is gaining an increased interest and thought to play an important role in the multi-step process of carcinogenesis. Chronic inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and growth factors, may act as a link between infection, innate immunity, inflammation and cancer through their tumour growth stimulatory effect. Inadequate pathogen elimination, prolonged inflammatory signalling, and defects in anti-inflammatory mechanisms can lead to chronic inflammation and subsequent release of cytokines and growth factors that benefit tumour development. Previous research has found a significant association between the virulence potential of pathogenic fungi, such as secreted aspartyl proteinases and the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In addition, differences have been observed in Candida strains/biotypes colonizing premalignant/malignant and healthy oral mucosa. The present research had four major aims: (1) To study the major virulence attributes and biofilm antifungal susceptibility of medically important Candida species and strains (2) To develop a rapid, accurate and economic genetic method for identification and genotyping of medically relevant fungal pathogens using real time polymerase chain reaction-high resolution melting curve analysis (HRMA) (3) To assess the prevalence of Candida carriage and level of colonization in oral cancer and matched non-oral cancer patients (4) To investigate the major virulence attributes and ethanol-derived acetaldehyde production of Candida isolated from oral cancer patients and compare these with oral yeasts isolated from patients with no evidence of oral cancer. Results showed a significant variation in biofilm forming ability and hydrolytic enzyme production between different Candida species and strains, with high antifungal resistance observed for C. albicans bioflms in comparison to planktonic Candida cells. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between biofilm forming ability and hydrolytic enzymes production. The HRMA-based genetic identification method developed during this study was rapid, cheap and highly accurate in identifying all unknown Candida isolates and C. albicans genotypes. The melting curve profiles of internal transcribed spacer regions and transposable intron in 25S of ribosomal DNA were highly discriminative and showed consistency over replicates and repeated assays. It had the advantages of using a single primer set to identify all unknown isolates with high potential to distinguish clinical isolates not included in the reference strain list. In the present study, the frequencies of oral yeasts’ presence and high oral colonization were significantly higher in oral cancer than non-oral cancer patients (p=001; p=0.033, respectively). No significant difference in the isolation profile of Candida species was found between the two groups, except C. parapsilosis was more frequent in the non-oral cancer group. Differences were noticed in the incidence of C. albicans strains where significantly more C. albicans genotype-A was isolated from cancer patients and significantly more C. albicans genotype-B isolated from non-cancer patients. Multiple regression analyses showed significant association with cancer observed for alcohol drinking (OR=4.253; 95% CI=1.351, 13.386), Candida presence (OR=3.242; 95% CI=1.505, 6.984) and high oral colonization (OR=3.587; 95% CI=1.153, 11.162). Finally, statistical analysis demonstrated significantly enhanced biofilm forming ability, phosphoplipase, proteinase and ethanol-derived acetaldehyde production by Candida isolated from oral cancer patients compared with isolates from matched non-oral cancer patients. A significant association was found between Candida species and certain virulence properties with higher frequency of high biofilm mass, high biofilm growth activity, high phospholipase and esterase activity was observed in C. albicans species as compared with the non-albicans Candida species. Acetaldehyde production was higher in C. albicans than non-albicans Candida isolates, but did not reach the level of statistical significance. A significantly higher frequency of high proteinase activity was seen in the non-albicans Candida compared with C. albicans isolates. No significant association was found between the genotype of C. albicans and any of the investigated virulence factors other than significantly higher biofilm mass was obtained in C. albicans genotype A compared with genotype B. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between both biofilm mass and growth activity and phospholipase enzyme production