The First Kuwait National Satellite Project - KuwaitSat-1

Nanosatellites present many opportunities and enable many nations and organizations to participate in the space field. The affordability of these satellites offers a short-term strategy for developing space systems capability. The first Kuwaiti satellite project known as KuwaitSat-1 started back in 2019 and it was initiated by Kuwait University and funded by Kuwait Foundation for the advancement of Sciences (KFAS). Kuwaitsat-1 is a 2U nanosatellite with an imager payload in the visible light (RGB) and it was Launched on January 3rd, 2023, by Space-x, falcon 9, Transporter 6. The main objective of Kuwait Sat-1 project is to provide the students with the knowledge of the different pre-launch sessions of designing, assembling, integrating, and testing the nanosatellites. The post-launch training sessions include communicating with the satellite, data acquisition and processing the images for different applications. Since the start of the project, many educational seminars rooted in foundational space knowledge were given and then followed by more technical training in nanosatellite subsystems and deployment. Kuwait University has developed the supporting infrastructure to encourage and foster a new generation of students who have the understanding and vision to recognize the potential applications for small satellite systems. This paper describes the overall process, with the results achieved, and the current status of the KuwaitSat-1 project and possibilities for future space-related ventures

Effect of Different Finishing and Polishing Techniques on Surface Roughness of Two Universal Nanohybrid Composite Resins

AIM: This study investigated the effect of different finishing and polishing systems on surface roughness of two types of universal nanohybrid composite resins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total number of 40 samples will be prepared to form two main equal groups of specimens (n = 20), according to the composite resin materials. Two universal nanohybrid resin composites were used in this study. First group (A1) is a universal nanohybrid composite resin (Mosaic) and the second group (A2) is a universal nanohybrid composite resin (Harmonize). Each group was subdivided equally into four equal subgroups (n = 5), according to the used finishing and polishing systems. Mold was made to prepare the specimens with a central hole of 4 mm in diameter and 4 mm in thickness. Light curing tip was placed touching the glass slab for 20 s then the cured specimens were removed from the mold and the specimens immediately and immersed in distilled water at 37°C for 24 h. Surface roughness (Ra) was measured using light sectioning vision system. SEM was done to support the results. RESULTS: The results showed that the lowest (Ra) values were recorded by the specimens under Myler strip followed by Polishing Discs treated specimens followed by Diacomp Plus specimens and the highest (Ra) values were recorded by white polishing stone specimens and regardless to finishing or polishing, it was found that mosaic resin composites group recorded statistically significant (p < 0.05) lower roughness mean value than Harmonize resin composites group. p ≤ 0.05 is statistically significant in all tests. CONCLUSION: Achieving long-lasting esthetics in resin composites restorations needs special attention for obtaining optimal resin polymerization and a perfect surface finish using the appropriate finishing and polishing system

IRRITANT CONTACT DERMATITIS ON HANDS AND DIAGNOSIS OF IT: A REVIEW

Hand hygiene (HH) is the single most important procedure that can be followed by healthcare workers (HCWs) to reduce the risk of spreading healthcare-associated infections. The irritating contact dermatitis (ICD) that occurs due to the rehashed presentation of HH products and technique is one reason often referred to for resistance. HH is the most vital method that can be followed by HCWs to reduce the possibility of spreading of infection in human being, followed by50% of HCWs. Limited researches are published related to different features of irritant contact disorders among HCWs. This study concentrates manly on the clinical application of irritant contact dermatitis on hands and its diagnosis based on an extensive research review process. It can be concluded from this review that by proper adherence and compliance to necessary HH techniques lead to skin damage and higher pathogen load. Therefore, it is important that HCWs should appreciate this concept and are given methods or tactics of expertise to avoid skin irritation and damage. Inability to provide proper policies, practices and guidelines to these workers may lead to adherence in case of an ICD appearance

Characterization of silver nanoparticles prepared by wet chemical method and their antibacterial and cytotoxicity activities

Purpose: To investigate the efficiency of silver nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical method, and evaluate their antibacterial and anti-cancer activities.Methods: Wet chemical method was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver nitrate, trisodium citrate dehydrate (C6H5O7Na3.2H2O) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as reducing agent. The AgNPs and the reaction process were characterized by UV–visible spectrometry, zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by agar diffusion method and MTT assay respectively.Results: The silver nanoparticles formed were spherical in shape with mean size of 10.3 nm. The results showed good antibacterial properties, killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and its aqueous suspension displayed cytotoxic activity against colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) cell line.Conclusion: The findings indicate that silver nanoparticles synthesized by wet chemical method demonstrate good cytotoxic activity in colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) cell lines and strong antibacterial activity against various strains of bacteria.Keywords: Wet chemical, Silver nanoparticles, Characterization, Diffusion method, Antibacterial, Cytotoxic activit

The resistance of routing protocols against DDOS attack in MANET

A Mobil Ad hoc Network (MANET) is a wireless multi-hop network with various mobile, self-organized and wireless infrastructure nodes. MANET characteristics such as openness restricted resources and decentralization impact node efficiency and made them easy to be affected by various security attacks, especially Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The goal of this research is to implement a simulation model called DDoS Attack Simulation Model (DDoSM) in Network Simulator 2(NS-2) and to examine the effect of DDoS Attack on various routing protocol types in MANET namely: Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP), Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocol and Location-Aided Routing (LAR) protocol. The introduced model uses the NS-2 simulator to apply DDoS on the three chosen routing protocols. In terms of throughput and end-to-end latency under the consequences of the attack, the performance of three routings protocols was analyzed

Extraction of microcrystalline cellulose from Washingtonia fibre and its characterization

Washingtonia is a desert plant with great sustainability and renewability in nature and is abundantly cultivated across global urban regions. Its fibre biomass comprises cellulose as the major structural part, and this is why it can be potentially utilized as an alternative biomaterial for manufacturing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) products that can be widely applied in industrial fields. In the present study, NaOH-treated Washingtonia fibre (WAKL), NaClO2-treated Washingtonia fibre (WBLH), and Washingtonia microcrystalline cellulose (WMCC) were extracted through combined treatments of alkalization, bleaching, and acidic hydrolysis, respectively. The obtained chemically treated fibre samples were subjected to characterization to investigate their morphology, physico-chemistry, and thermal stability. In a morphological examination, the large bunch WAKL fibre reduced into small size WMCC fibrils, evidencing that the lignin and hemicellulose components were greatly eliminated through chemical dissolution. The elemental composition revealed that almost all impurities of anions and cations had been removed, particularly for the WMCC sample, showing its high purity of cellulose content. Additionally, the WMCC sample could attain at 25% yield, giving it the advantage for feasible economic production. Furthermore, the physicochemical analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared-ray (FTIR), indicated the presence of a crystalline cellulose region within the WMCC structure, which had promoted it with high crystallinity of 72.6% as examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). As for thermal analysis, WMCC showed greater thermal stability comparing to WAKL and WBLC samples at high temperature. Therefore, Washingtonia fibre can be a reliable biosubstituent to replace other plant material for MCC production in the future

The association between different blood group systems and susceptibility to COVID-19: a single center cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

Background: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, many associated factors have been investigated to clarify the susceptibility and severity among the affected individuals. Biological markers can play an important role in identification of individual susceptibility to such pandemic. Growing evidence suggest the influence of different blood group systems on susceptibility to COVID-19 virus, with a particular blood type conferring selection advantage. Objectives: The study aimed to determine the association of ABO, Rhesus (D) and P1 blood groups with COVID-19 susceptibility in Taif city, Western Saudi Arabia. Methods: ABO, D and P1 blood antigens were determined in 104 blood samples of COVID-19 patients versus 100 control samples using either automated immunohematology analyser or test tube method. Statistical differences between patients and control samples were calculated based on p-value where results of ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: O+ve blood group constituted the predominant type among the studied samples. Determination of P1 antigen showed significant association where Anti-P1 was positive in 76.9% of patients compared to 61.0% of controls with a P value of 0.01 conferring the susceptibility of P1+ve patients to COVID-19. Conclusion: Although our study showed no significant association between ABO and D, and susceptibility to COVID-19, there was a significant association between P1+ve and COVID-19. P1+ve participants were 2.131 times more associated with the risk of COVID-19 infection than those with Anti P1-ve. Thus, P1 antigen can be used as a biological marker for identification of individuals susceptibility to COVID-19. It is strongly advised that such individuals should consider extra protective measures.Further studies on other contributing factors should also be considered for more scientific clarity. Keywords: ABO Blood group; Rh(D); P1 antigen, COVID-19

Prioritising Organisational Factors Impacting Cloud ERP Adoption and the Critical Issues Related to Security, Usability, and Vendors: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Cloud ERP is a type of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that runs on the vendor’s cloud platform instead of an on-premises network, enabling companies to connect through the Internet. The goal of this study was to rank and prioritise the factors driving cloud ERP adoption by organisations and to identify the critical issues in terms of security, usability, and vendors that impact adoption of cloud ERP systems. The assessment of critical success factors (CSFs) in on-premises ERP adoption and implementation has been well documented; however, no previous research has been carried out on CSFs in cloud ERP adoption. Therefore, the contribution of this research is to provide research and practice with the identification and analysis of 16 CSFs through a systematic literature review, where 73 publications on cloud ERP adoption were assessed from a range of different conferences and journals, using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Drawing from the literature, we found security, usability, and vendors were the top three most widely cited critical issues for the adoption of cloud-based ERP; hence, the second contribution of this study was an integrative model constructed with 12 drivers based on the security, usability, and vendor characteristics that may have greater influence as the top critical issues in the adoption of cloud ERP systems. We also identified critical gaps in current research, such as the inconclusiveness of findings related to security critical issues, usability critical issues, and vendor critical issues, by highlighting the most important drivers influencing those issues in cloud ERP adoption and the lack of discussion on the nature of the criticality of those CSFs. This research will aid in the development of new strategies or the revision of existing strategies and polices aimed at effectively integrating cloud ERP into cloud computing infrastructure. It will also allow cloud ERP suppliers to determine organisations’ and business owners’ expectations and implement appropriate tactics. A better understanding of the CSFs will narrow the field of failure and assist practitioners and managers in increasing their chances of success

An addressable packing parameter approach for reversibly tuning the assembly of oligo(aniline)-based supra-amphiphiles

An addressable packing parameter approach was developed for reversibly tuning the self-assembly of oligo(aniline)-based supra-amphiphiles.</p