DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRID AND NON-HYBRID COMPOSITE BODY ARMOR PLATE FOR BALLISTIC PROTECTION

In this work, a new Bullet Guiding Pocket Armor Plate (BGPAP) was developed, with a target to maximize the ballistic protection by containing the bullet between the layers. To this end, experimental and numerical programs have been carried out. Accordingly, the study has been divided into three phases concerning the problem solution to improve the energy absorption capability of the body armor plate without complete penetration. In phase-I, the effects of material stacking sequence and geometrical configuration on the ballistic behavior of hybrid and non-hybrid body armor plates were studied. Three different materials have been used, carbon fiber, Kevlar and date palm fiber. In phase-II, the effect of conical angles on the quasi-static crushing behavior of bullet guiding pockets was studied, in which five conical angles were tested, ranged between 35° and 55° with an increment of 5°. Two filament materials have been employed to fabricate the specimens. These are carbon fiber and Kevlar. The findings of the preceding phases were used as input for phase III, in which the new Bullet Guiding Pocket Armor Plate (BGPAP) has been developed. Finite Element software package, namely ANSYS/LS-DYNA has been used to simulate the ballistic behavior of tested body armors. Material stacking sequence has affected significantly the energy dissipation mechanism, energy absorption capability of hybrid composite body armor. Body armor with [CFRP10/KFRP30] material sequence displayed the highest energy absorption capability and passed the ballistic real shooting test. On the other hand, body armors with [CFRP4/KFRP6]4 had displayed poor energy dissipation mechanism and didn’t pass the ballistic real shooting. Incorporating the untreated date palm natural fiber composites in the material sequence of body armor displayed promising ballistic behavior, although didn’t pass all the three-trial real shooting test. Introducing bullet guiding pockets in the design of body armors has a significantly effect on their sliding crush behavior. Similar sliding crush behavior trends have been observed for both CFRP and KFRP bullet guiding pockets have been found similar. Designing the bullet guiding pockets within the CFRP layers displayed the highest energy absorption capability compared with KFRP layers. Bullet guiding pocket conical angles has been optimized, and specimens with 50° had the highest specific energy absorption capability in both CFRP and KFRP. The newly developed BGPAP showed an excellent ballistic performance against 9 mm bullet with BFS 19.6 mm. The newly developed BGPAP showed 16% reduction in weight compared to the hybrid [CFRP10/KFRP30] armor plate.Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation) through the National Priorities Research Program NPRP # 6-292- 2-127

Do People Live at Sea Level and the Dead Sea Level Have Different Patterns of Anti-Hypertensive Drugs

Background: people live at various areas of sea level may have different patterns of anti-hypertensive drugs. Such a relation has never been reported in Jordan. Study objectives: the current study investigated how the sea level will impact the prevalence of hypertension in these areas, and how will affect the pharmacological properties of such a population. Methodology: a cross-sectional study design was involved to collect data from study participants. A total of 1000 participants were randomly selected from the two study areas. 500 participants from each. Participants were matched for age and gender. Blood pressure were measured for all participants. Blood samples were withdrawn to investigate the level of angiotensin II. Data was collected through organizing a working excel sheet and was further analyzed through using SPSS version 20. Data was presented as means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. The relationships between variables were examined using independent T-test. Significance was measured at an alpha < 0.05. Study findings: the main findings of the present study were that the mean of SBP is significantly higher in the Dead Sea (122.42±10.53 mmHg) than the Sea level area (118.07±11.64 mmHg), (p=0.001). Another significant variable was MBP which its mean was 91.64 ± 8.90 mmHg in the Dead Sea and 89.84 ± 8.72 mm Hg. The difference in the mean was statistically significant (p=0.001). The level of angiotensin II was 8.84 ± 4.65pg/ml in the Dead Sea area and 11.21± 6.05pg/ml in the area of the Sea level. The difference in the mean of the two study areas was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: although the level of angiotensin II was not significantly varied between the study areas, but its trend was to be higher in the Sea level area. It was surprised to have higher levels of SBP and MBP in the Dead Sea rather than the Seal level area. It can be implied that the therapeutic options of hypertensive drugs follow different patterns independent of angiotensin II pathways

Suitability of the Openly Accessible 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands for War-Wounded Children

The field of rehabilitation and assistive devices is being disrupted by innovations in desktop 3D printers and open-source designs. For upper limb prosthetics, those technologies have demonstrated a strong potential to aid those with missing hands. However, there are basic interfacing issues that need to be addressed for long term usage. The functionality, durability, and the price need to be considered especially for those in difficult living conditions. We evaluated the most popular designs of body-powered, 3D printed prosthetic hands. We selected a representative sample and evaluated its suitability for its grasping postures, durability, and cost. The prosthetic hand can perform three grasping postures out of the 33 grasps that a human hand can do. This corresponds to grasping objects similar to a coin, a golf ball, and a credit card. Results showed that the material used in the hand and the cables can withstand a 22 N normal grasping force, which is acceptable based on standards for accessibility design. The cost model showed that a 3D printed hand could be produced for as low as $19. For the benefit of children with congenital missing limbs and for the war-wounded, the results can serve as a baseline study to advance the development of prosthetic hands that are functional yet low-cost

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen

Syftet med denna kunskapsöversikt är att med hjälp av vetenskapliga källor besvara våra frågeställningar: Vilka utmaningar har läraren i sin religionskunskapsundervisning med hänvisning till elevernas religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Hur inkluderas eleverna i religionskunskapsundervisningen utifrån deras religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Vi vill med denna kunskapsöversikt nå ut till lärarstudenter samt verksamma lärare som möts av utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Kunskapsöversikten kommer även med hjälp av det vetenskapliga stödet presentera olika strategier, dessa strategier kan användas för att lösa utmaningar som kan uppstå inom religionskunskapsundervisningen.Källorna som används har vi funnit i olika databaser. Rekommendation för sökprocessen samt granskning har kommit ifrån Malmö Universitets bibliotek. Kunskapsöversiktens resultat tyder på att det finns en rad olika utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen som både lärare och elev upplever. Utifrån vårt resultat klargörs en röd tråd där läraren agerar icke- konfessionellt inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Detta lyfter forskningen fram. Slutsatsen av vår kunskapsöversikt är att det finns utmaningar som lärare upplever inom religionskunskapsundervisningen, dock finns det olika beprövade strategier som forskarna lyfter fram för att motverka eller revidera utmaningarna. Kunskapsöversikten behandlar även hur en lärare behöver agera för att öka inkluderingen i klassrummet. Det nämns även att elever ska ha samma förutsättningar i den svenska läroplanen

Utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen

Syftet med denna kunskapsöversikt är att med hjälp av vetenskapliga källor besvara våra frågeställningar: Vilka utmaningar har läraren i sin religionskunskapsundervisning med hänvisning till elevernas religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Hur inkluderas eleverna i religionskunskapsundervisningen utifrån deras religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Vi vill med denna kunskapsöversikt nå ut till lärarstudenter samt verksamma lärare som möts av utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Kunskapsöversikten kommer även med hjälp av det vetenskapliga stödet presentera olika strategier, dessa strategier kan användas för att lösa utmaningar som kan uppstå inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Källorna som används har vi funnit i olika databaser. Rekommendation för sökprocessen samt granskning har kommit ifrån Malmö Universitets bibliotek. Kunskapsöversiktens resultat tyder på att det finns en rad olika utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen som både lärare och elev upplever. Utifrån vårt resultat klargörs en röd tråd där läraren agerar icke- konfessionellt inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Detta lyfter forskningen fram. Slutsatsen av vår kunskapsöversikt är att det finns utmaningar som lärare upplever inom religionskunskapsundervisningen, dock finns det olika beprövade strategier som forskarna lyfter fram för att motverka eller revidera utmaningarna. Kunskapsöversikten behandlar även hur en lärare behöver agera för att öka inkluderingen i klassrummet. Det nämns även att elever ska ha samma förutsättningar i den svenska läroplanen

Didactic methods in religious studies teaching

Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka huruvida lärare väljer att bedriva religionskunskapsundervisning med hänvisning till att skapa en klassrumsmiljö som främjar tolerans. Syftet är även att synliggöra de utmaningar lärarna ställs inför i religionskunskapsundervisningen samt hur lärarna går tillväga med dessa utmaningar. Undersökningen bygger på kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer för att undersöka lärarnas val av didaktiska metoder i undervisningen. Intervjuernas fokus ligger på vilka metoder lärarna använder sig av för att skapa tolerans hos eleverna. En central punkt i undersökningen grundar sig i synen på den sociokulturella teorin om samspel och lärande, andra teoretiska utgångspunkter såsom pragmatism och fenomenologin förekommer som underlag för vår analys av det samlade datamaterialet. Examensarbetets resultat presenteras i fyra delar med olika teman som belyser undersökningen. Resultatet av undersökningen visar på hur olika metoder spelar roll i religionskunskapsundervisningen för att främja en gynnande lärandemiljö för eleverna

Utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen

Syftet med denna kunskapsöversikt är att med hjälp av vetenskapliga källor besvara våra frågeställningar: Vilka utmaningar har läraren i sin religionskunskapsundervisning med hänvisning till elevernas religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Hur inkluderas eleverna i religionskunskapsundervisningen utifrån deras religiösa och icke-religiösa erfarenheter? Vi vill med denna kunskapsöversikt nå ut till lärarstudenter samt verksamma lärare som möts av utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Kunskapsöversikten kommer även med hjälp av det vetenskapliga stödet presentera olika strategier, dessa strategier kan användas för att lösa utmaningar som kan uppstå inom religionskunskapsundervisningen.Källorna som används har vi funnit i olika databaser. Rekommendation för sökprocessen samt granskning har kommit ifrån Malmö Universitets bibliotek. Kunskapsöversiktens resultat tyder på att det finns en rad olika utmaningar inom religionskunskapsundervisningen som både lärare och elev upplever. Utifrån vårt resultat klargörs en röd tråd där läraren agerar icke- konfessionellt inom religionskunskapsundervisningen. Detta lyfter forskningen fram. Slutsatsen av vår kunskapsöversikt är att det finns utmaningar som lärare upplever inom religionskunskapsundervisningen, dock finns det olika beprövade strategier som forskarna lyfter fram för att motverka eller revidera utmaningarna. Kunskapsöversikten behandlar även hur en lärare behöver agera för att öka inkluderingen i klassrummet. Det nämns även att elever ska ha samma förutsättningar i den svenska läroplanen

Design and Evaluation of Hybrid Composite Plates for Ballistic Protection: Experimental and Numerical Investigations

In this paper, hybrid composite plates for ballistic protection were investigated experimentally and numerically, with a target to reduce the weight of currently used body armor inserts and, at the same time, satisfy the requirements of the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) ballistic protection standards. The current study has three phases to improve the ballistic plate’s energy absorption capability. The first phase is devoted to studying the effect of the material types, including three different fibers: carbon fiber, date palm fiber, and Kevlar fiber. The second phase is dedicated to studying the effect of hybridization within layers. The two previous phases’ results were analyzed to optimize the material based on the hybrid composite ballistic plate’s maximum energy absorption capability. The commercial finite element software package LS-DYNA was employed for numerical modeling and simulation. The hybrid composite ballistic plate could absorb more impact energy than the non-hybrid Kevlar plate with the same area density from the numerical simulation results. This study provides lighter-weight ballistic inserts with a high protection level, making movement easier for the wearer. The numerical results were verified by comparing results of a plate made of 40 layers of Kevlar with an actual ballistic test. The results indicated that the simulation results were conservative compared to the ballistic test