A novel heat driven trigeneration system

Waste heat can be utilised for conversion of into electricity. Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) can provide a suitable solution that can convert thermal energy at low temperatures to electricity and can play an important role to decreasing emissions as well as improving energy efficiency for processes such as food and drink production. The project aims to design/optimise and construct a small-scale prototype waste heat-driven combined Moist Airflow System (MAS) - trigeneration system, suitable for sustainable heating/cooling and electricity generation at a reduced cost for the process industries including food and drink manufacturing. The models of two sub-cycles (power and cooling) are developed using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program under the following working conditions: generator temperatur

Association of Oral Contraceptives use with Breast Cancer and Hormone Receptor Status in Iraqi Women

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, there is a significant concern regarding the association of breast cancer risk and oral contraceptives use. Differences in demographical and pathological breast cancer characteristics in Iraqi patients have been reported compared to other western countries; however, studies addressing the risk of breast cancer among oral contraceptive users in Iraq and subsequent correlation with hormonal receptor status are lacking. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate association of breast cancer risk and oral contraceptives use in patients visiting tertiary oncology center and to correlate hormone receptor status with history of oral contraception use in breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred women with breast cancer were compared regarding patterns of oral contraceptives use with 300 age-matched healthy female controls by personal interview and questionnaire. Patient’s records were reviewed for hormone receptor status. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion (49%) of women with breast cancer reported a positive history of combined oral contraceptives use as compared with (35.7%) healthy controls. Ever oral contraceptives users had a significantly increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73; 95%, confidence interval = 1.2–2.5, p = 0.003), with the highest risk was seen in early use before the age of 20 (OR = 6.62, p = 0.02); whereas increased duration of use did not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer. There was no significant association between estrogen and progesterone receptors expression profile in breast cancer patients and combined oral contraceptive use. CONCLUSION: In Iraqi women, the risk of breast cancer increases with oral contraceptives intake particularly when starts early before the age of 20 years. The hormonal receptor status of breast cancer patients is not significantly affected by combined oral contraceptives use

Haemoglobin cut-off values for the diagnosis of anaemia in preschool-age children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests haemoglobin that (Hgb) cut-off levels below 2SD from the population mean to initiate anaemia investigations. In the absence of epidemiological data, Hgb less than 11 g/dL is considered abnormal in children up to the age of 59 months (4 years and eleven months). This study reports on the Hgb cut-off levels among children at 1 and 4 years of age. The study compared the prevalence based on the WHO generic cut-off levels and population-specific cut-off-based value defined as below 2SD from the population mean. A cross-sectional record-based study of healthy children below the age of 59 months attending primary care settings in Qatar. 3 years of Hgb data were collected and analysed using descriptive analyses. We excluded children with any pre-existing disease or who have altered biological parameters indicating a non-healthy child. 39407 Participants were stratified into different sub-groups according to age, gender, and ethnicity. Hgb levels were expressed as the mean ± 2SD for children of one and four years of age. Most children were from Western Asia (45.6%), followed by Northern Africa (23.7%), and Southern Asia (21.7%). Our findings for one-year-old children cut-off levels for anaemia might be as low as 9.9 g/dL and 10.6 g/dL for 4-years old. Hgb cut-off values may be set at higher levels for one-year and four-year age groups and many different ethnicities. Higher cut-off points may overestimate the problem as a public health issue. Children may be unnecessarily treated with iron or have needless investigations

An efficient green ionic liquid for the corrosion inhibition of reinforcement steel in neutral and alkaline highly saline simulated concrete pore solutions

The effect of the green ionic liquid compound, Quaternium-32 (Q-32), on the corrosion inhibition performance of reinforcement steel, in a simulated concrete pore solution, was investigated at different temperatures and pH values, using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The inhibition efficiency was improved as the concentration of Q-32 and pH values were increased. However, it decreased as the temperature was raised. A Q-32 concentration of 20 µmol L–1 exhibited a 94% inhibition efficiency at 20 °C. The adsorption isotherm was evaluated using EIS measurements, and it was found to obey the Langmuir isotherm. The surface topography was examined using an atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope. The effect of the Q-32 concentration with the highest corrosion efficiency on the mechanical properties of the mortars was also explained by flexure and compression techniques.The authors express their gratitude to the Center for Advanced Materials at Qatar University for technical support. Additionally, the authors are grateful to Qatar University for funding this work through the QUCG-CAM-20/21-2 Grant. The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library

Haematological abnormalities and risk of covid-19 infection in adult patients attending primary healthcare settings

Centres for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) reports that there are limited data and information about the impact of underlying medical conditions and the risk of infection. To date, there are no studies that report on the risk of infection among patients with haematological diseases or abnormalities. This cross-sectional study reports on the baseline complete blood count in patients attending publicly funded primary care settings with a diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 infections in the state of Qatar. The study will report on the descriptive characteristics of the population, including gender, age and prior abnormalities to their blood test results. We will compare the results of those with positive and negative PCR test results, where appropriate. Nine hundred sixty-two adult patients attended publicly funded primary health care settings in the state of Qatar between February the 10th and April the 30th 2020 with a diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 infections had prior recorded blood investigations in the last six months and were included in this study. The population was young, mean of age is 38.8±11.6. (Median: 36 [Min: 19-Max: 85]). Complete blood count of the sample had minimal missing data points. Females were more presented in our samples, Female (n=560, 58.21%) and Male (n=402, 41.79%). Most of our sample had a documented PCR test result, negative (n=831, 86.38%); positive (n=123, 12.79%) and missing (n=8, 0.83%). Low haemoglobin values (n=265, 27.5%) and low red blood cell count (n =170, 17.7%) were the most prevalent complete blood count abnormality in the population. Leukopenia was less common (n=50, 8.2%). Most of the population had normal platelet count (n=895, 93%). Gender was the most influential factor in our sample to increase the odds of having a positive PCR test Non-results; males were more likely to be affected (P<0.001, Chi-square test) (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.73-3.77). Categories for haematological abnormalities were not associated with increased risk of having a positive PCT test result. In a population attending primary healthcare settings with early presentation of symptoms of COVID-19 infection, the risk of infection among our cohort was not affected by the prior haematological values of those patients. Gender was the most influential parameter in the risk of infection in our population. Analysis of the results using gender-specific categories for different haematological parameters suggested that patients with abnormal haematological values were not at increased risk of having a positive COVID-19 infection

Knowledge, attitude, and proficiency of healthcare providers in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a public primary healthcare setting in Qatar

IntroductionEarly and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases both survival rate and post–cardiac arrest quality of life. This study aims to assess the current knowledge and ability of physicians and nurses in health centers (HCs) operated by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in Doha, Qatar, to perform CPR.MethodologyThis study consists of two parts. The first part is a descriptive cross-sectional survey using an online form targeting physicians and nurses working in all HCs to assess their CPR knowledge and attitude. The second part is a direct observation of CPR drills to evaluate the skills and competencies of code blue team members in a convenient sample of 14 HCs. A multivariate model was employed to test the independent effect of explanatory variables on the total knowledge score.ResultsA total of 569 physicians and nurses responded to the survey. Only one-half (48.7%) formally received training on basic life support within the last year. Furthermore, 62.7% have tried to revive a dying person with no pulse. All the participants recognize the importance of knowing how to revive a dying adult or child as part of their job. The study showed that being a nurse was the most important predictor of a higher knowledge score in both components. Attending more resuscitation courses (3–6 courses in the last 3 years) ranked second in importance, and a longer experience in clinical practice (5–10 and &gt;10 years) ranked third in predictive power. In addition, the direct observation of CPR drill performance revealed a satisfactory outcome.ConclusionThe level of CPR knowledge and skills practice among healthcare providers in PHCC is deemed satisfactory as most providers reported having performed CPR in the past. Considering that PHCC is the first step to people’s healthcare in Qatar, clinical staff should be certified and assessed regularly to ensure retention of resuscitation knowledge and skills

Diagnostic Efficiency of Three Fully Automated Serology Assays and Their Correlation with a Novel Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic SARS-COV-2 Individuals

Abstract: To support the deployment of serology assays for population screening during the COVID-19 pandemic, we compared the performance of three fully automated SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays: Mindray CL-900i® (target: spike [S] and nucleocapsid [N]), BioMérieux VIDAS®3 (target: receptor-binding domain [RBD]) and Diasorin LIAISON®XL (target: S1 and S2 subunits). A total of 111 SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR- positive samples collected at ≥ 21 days post symptom onset, and 127 prepandemic control samples were included. Diagnostic performance was assessed in correlation to RT-PCR and a surrogate virus-neutralizing test (sVNT). Moreover, cross-reactivity with other viral antibodies was investigated. Compared to RT-PCR, LIAISON®XL showed the highest overall specificity (100%), followed by VIDAS®3 (98.4%) and CL-900i® (95.3%). The highest sensitivity was demonstrated by CL-900i® (90.1%), followed by VIDAS®3 (88.3%) and LIAISON®XL (85.6%). The sensitivity of all assays was higher in symptomatic patients (91.1–98.2%) compared to asymptomatic patients (78.4–80.4%). In correlation to sVNT, all assays showed excellent sensitivities (92.2–96.1%). In addition, VIDAS®3 demonstrated the best correlation (r = 0.75) with the sVNT. The present study provides insights on the performance of three fully automated assays, which could help diagnostic laboratories in the choice of a particular assay according to the intended us

A novel heat driven trigeneration system

Waste heat can be utilised for conversion of into electricity. Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) can provide a suitable solution that can convert thermal energy at low temperatures to electricity and can play an important role to decreasing emissions as well as improving energy efficiency for processes such as food and drink production. The project aims to design/optimise and construct a small-scale prototype waste heat-driven combined Moist Airflow System (MAS) - trigeneration system, suitable for sustainable heating/cooling and electricity generation at a reduced cost for the process industries including food and drink manufacturing. The models of two sub-cycles (power and cooling) are developed using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program under the following working conditions: generator temperatur

الرقمنة المصرفية وأثرها في مؤشرات القوة المالية: دراسة تحليله في عينة من البلدان العربية

يهدف البحث نحو قياس أثر الرقمنة المصرفية على مؤشرات القوة المالية لاختبار مشكلة البحث والمتضمنة هل يوجد علاقة تأثير للرقمنة المصرفية على مؤشرات القوة المالية للقطاعات المصرفية في البلدان العربية عينة البحث، وكذلك هل يوجد اختلافات في تأثير الرقمنة المصرفية على مؤشرات القوة المالية للقطاعات المصرفية في البلدان العربية عينة البحث، لمجوعة من البلدان العربية (العراق، الأردن، الكويت، البحرين، السعودية، الامارات، قطر، عمان، مصر، المغرب للمدة الزمنية 2021-2011))، وفقا للتطورات الأخيرة والانتقال إلى الرقمنة المصرفية التي ساهمت في تقديم افضل الخدمات المصرفية وتدعيم مؤشرات القوة المالية من خلال اختبار أثر الرقمنة المصرفية (كي كاردX1، الدفع الالكتروني X2، خدمات مصرفية عبر الهاتف X3، عدد مستخدمي الانترنيت X4) على مؤشرات القوة المالية (هامش الفائدة Y1، العائد على اجمالي الموجودات Y2، العائد على حق الملكية Y3)، باستخدام نموذج الانحدار التجميعي Pooled Regression Model ونـمـوذج التأثـيـرات الثـابتـة Fixed Effects Model ونمـوذج التـأثيـرات العـشـوائيـة Random Effects Model، وقد توصل البحث نحو وجود اثر إيجابي معنوي للرقمنة المصرفية على مؤشرات القوة المالية، وإن الرقمنة المصرفية تعد أهم التوجهات الحديثة نحو تطوير القطاعات المصرفية العربية وتطوير النظام المالي

Reference range of flaccid and stretched penile lengths of adult males in Baghdad: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: To establish a baseline reference range for flaccid (FPL) and stretched penile lengths (SPL) in adult males and to compare with reports from different nationalities, as concerns over penile size are common among men and currently the number of men seeking help for the perceived problem of a ‘short’ penis is increasing. Subjects and methods: Over a 1-year period, FPL and SPL measurements were taken from males undergoing medical examination in the outpatient clinic of the Al-Karama Teaching Hospital, using a rigid centimetre ruler. The correlation between penile length and age was investigated. Results: In all, 223 apparently healthy males were included in this study with a mean (SD; range) age of 41.3 (15.0; 20–77) years. The mean (SD; range) FPL was 9.8 (2.0; 5–17) cm and the SPL was 12.6 (1.9; 7.5–19.5) cm. Statistical analysis showed that penile length is increased in older age (>55 years). A penile length nomogram was constructed, showing that the 50th percentiles of FPL and SPL were 9.0 and 12.5 cm, respectively. Conclusion: Our data establish a baseline reference range for adult male penile lengths in the Capital of Iraq (Baghdad), which should be useful for urologists when counselling patients