An Interactive Graphical User Interface Module for Soldier Health and Position Tracking System

Soldiers are the backbone of any armed force. They usually lose their lives due to the lack of medical assistance in emergency situations. Furthermore, army bases face problems due to the inability to track soldiers’ locations in the field. Hence, this paper proposes an interactive graphical user interface module (IGUIM) for soldiers’ bioinformatics acquisition and emergency reaction during combat, a global positioning system (GPS) is used to track soldiers’ locations through a device carried by the soldier. Soldiers’ bioinformatics are gathered using health monitoring biosensors, bidirectional communication between the soldiers and the army base is established via a global system for mobile (GSM). The proposed interactive module aims to enumerate the soldiers on the battlefield within a database that easily facilitates health monitoring, position tracking and bidirectional communication with each soldier through their identification number. The proposed IGUIM will increase the rate of soldiers’ survival in emergencies, which contributes to preserving the human resources of the army during combat

PP 11-13 and Health Professions, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Mail Code (3124), PO Box 3660

Abstract: In this article we present our results on a study of performance gap among our male and female college students. Our choice for the study tool for this work was the force concept inventory (FCI). We gave the test to our students twice; before and after our instructions on force and motion. The overall performance of male and female students in both tests along with details about individual questions is reported. The mean percentage scores showed a gender gap in favor of male students. Male students outperformed female students in almost every one of the thirty questions of the inventory in both the pre and the post test

Investigating the Knowledge of Vector Concepts of First Year Medical Students

Purpose: We report in this article the results of a study conducted on our first year medical students. This study is supposed to serve as an initial general survey of students' knowledge of vector concepts. Our goal here is to get initial insights on students’ misconceptions when about vectors. The results from this study should help plan our next stage of this particular research project. Method: Our test tool was the test of understanding vectors “TUV” first developed by Pablo Barniol and Genaro Zavala in 2014.1 The test was given to a total of 240 students at the beginning of the semester before they were exposed to any vector related instruction (pre-test). Results: We found weak overall performance of our students represented in very low scores in the test (average score 26%). We were also able to determine the major misconceptions held by students by examining their wrong answers for each question. Some of the misconceptions found were: using tip-to-tip method rather than tail-to-tip to add or subtract vectors, the component of a vector (x or y) has a magnitude equal to the vector magnitude, and multiplying a vector with a negative sign doesn't change its direction. Full list of vectors misconceptions is reported in the discussion. Discussion: Results reveal some serious problems in vector concepts understanding that require some attention and careful future planning. Based on the results, we recommended adding a special section on vector concepts to be given to students right at the start of the semester to prepare them better for the course

Public awareness of the abuse of herbs and drugs to decrease body weight: a novel national survey in Jordan

Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to measure the degree of public preferences regarding the various weight-loss practices and to assess the level of awareness regarding the risks and health hazards associated with the application of unhealthful measures to lose weight. Methods: Approximately 30,000 individuals selected from various regions in Jordan filled in a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were interviewed by well-trained senior pharmacy students and were asked to report their response to various aspects regarding body weight-loss practices. Results: Of the respondents, 74.55% agreed that dietary restriction is the major intervention to lose weight. A modest majority of respondents (39.09%) believed that nervousness and irritability are serious drawbacks for uncontrolled administration of the hormone thyroxine. The highest percentage of responding females (67.12%) reported diarrhea as a major adverse effect to laxative abuse. Discussion: The availability and the number of adverse events associated with herbal and dietary supplements to lose weight are on the rise. Obese patients should consider realistic expectations and be encouraged to follow healthy lifestyle interventions. Health care professionals are best suited to educate obese patients about unhealthy practices like laxative and diuretic abuse. © 2007 Springer-Verlag