Affordable interactive virtual reality system for the Dynamic Hip Screw surgery training in vitro

Interactive virtual reality systems provide safe and cost-effective training environment to improve the technical skills and competence of surgeons. The trainees can have as many practice sessions, without need to the trainer all the time, before even start carrying out the procedure on any real patient. In this paper, we present an affordable interactive virtual reality system for the Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) surgery training in vitro, through 3D tracking. The system facilitates a safe (in vitro / off patient) training to improve the cognitive coordination of trainees and junior surgeons, in particular the Hands, Eyes and Brain coordination. The system is based on very cheap commercial off-the-shelf (COT) components, which are very affordable, and needs minimum setup effort and knowledge. It also provides a range of visual and quantitative feedback information and measures, such as position, orientation, insertion point, and depth of drilling. It is envisaged that improving this level of coordination, through the training system, will contribute to reducing the failure rate of the DHS procedure. This means better treatment for patients and less costs for the Health services systems (e.g. UK's NHS system)

Investigation of the Flow of the Upper Plenum of a Scaled Very High Temperature Reactor during a Depressurized Cooldown Conduction Accident

Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTRs) are the future of nuclear reactors. A 1/16th scaled upper plenum of a VHTR was designed and assembled at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in order to study the behavior of flow in the upper plenum of a VHTR. Flow was investigated under one major accident scenario, the Depressurized Conduction Cooldown (DCC); this occurs due to loss of force when operation is interrupted by loss of power. In this case, the fluid will have a natural convection, forcing it to flow to the upper plenum. Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) was used to illustrate flow, using water as the working fluid. A PTV code was used to track the particles, and this was then averaged over all vectors after filtering out those that failed. All flow velocity compounds, such as the velocity magnitude, y-velocity, x-velocity, standard deviation, and flow streamlines were visualized. A sensitivity analysis was performed in order to confirm that the number of frames used was sufficient to reach a steady state. In addition, repeatability analysis was applied to the output data. Turbulent intensity, Reynolds stress, and error occurring with these tests were all estimated. Finally, experimental data was validated using benchmark data

Ta’lim Al-Lughah Al-Arabiyah li An-Nathiqin bi Ghairiha Raqmiyan

This paper seeks to shed light on the extent to which technological applications contribute to improving and improving the process of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, in addition to measuring the extent to which the field of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers is open to technological developments, by presenting and presenting some digital applications that can be invested in Arabic language classes. For non-native speakers, which aims to improve and renew the process of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers with distinction. Based on the foregoing, this paper stems from two main questions: 1) Has the field of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers opened up to technological development in a way that leads to its facilitation and modernization? 2) What role do digital applications and websites play in facilitating and improving the process of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers?تسعى هذه الورقة إلى تسليط الضوء على مدى إسهام التطبيقات التكنولوجية في تجويد وتحسين عملية تعليم اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها، علاوة على قياس مدى انفتاح مجال تعليم العربية للناطقين بغيرها على التطورات التكنولوجية، وذلك من خلال عرض وتقديم بعض التطبيقات الرقمية الممكن استثمارها في فصول تعليم اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها، والتي تهدف إلى تجويد وتجديد عملية تعليم اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها بامتياز.بناء على ما تقدم، فإن هذه الورقة تنطلق من سؤالين أساسيين هما: 1) هل انفتح مجال تعليم اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها على التطور التكنولوجي بالشكل الذي يؤدي إلى تيسيره وتحديثه؟ 2) وما الدور الذي تضطلع به التطبيقات والمواقع الرقمية في تيسير وتجويد عملية تعليم اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها

Computational Study of Water Desalination Using Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

Computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted to study the unit performance of direct contact membrane distillation for seawater desalination process in three-dimensional modules. A parametric study was conducted to assess the effects of the me

The Relationship Between Emotional Stability and Self-Esteem Among Adolescents (Aged 13-16) in Public Schools in Irbid Qasabah

This study aimed to reveal the relationship between emotional stability and self-esteem among adolescents (aged 13-16) in public schools in Irbid qasabah and to identify the differences in both emotional stability and self-esteem according to the difference in the following demographic variables: gender, age. The sample of the study consisted of (200) male and female students from the basic stage in public school in Irbid qasabah. The researchers used the emotional stability scale and the self-esteem scale as tools of the study. The results of the study indicate that there is a high and positive correlation coefficient between the emotional stability and the self-esteem. It also shows that there is a statistical significance of the predictive capacity for the level of self-esteem through the emotional stability and there are no statistical significance differences in the emotional stability and self-esteem according to the difference of the variables, gender and age. Keywords: Emotional stability, Self-esteem, adolescence. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-15-20 Publication date:May 31st 202

DRUG UTILISATION EVALUATION OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVES IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: Hypertension is a leading contributor to the global burden of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The main objective of the present study was to assess the drug utilization patterns of antihypertensives in geriatric patients in a teaching hospital. Methods: A Single centre Prospective Observational study was carried out for a period of three months in an out-patient department of Owaisi Hospital & Research Centre. Elderly patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension as per JNC-7 guidelines and patients receiving or prescribed with antihypertensive drugs were included. Results: A total of 100 prescriptions were analyzed during the three month study period. 72% of the patients were in the age group of 65-67 years and this was found to be higher in men 68%. During the study period 80% of the patients were Pre-Hypertensive systolic (80-89 mmHg) and Diastolic (120-139 mmHg) followed by Stage-I Hypertension and Stage-II Hypertension. The most common drug classes involved in the study was Calcium Channel Blockers 37% followed by Angiotensin II receptor antagonists 21% and the most commonly prescribed drugs in the study population were Amlodipine 37%, Losartan 11% and Telmisartan 10%. The most common anti-hypertensive fixed dose combination therapy involved in the study was Telmisartan + Hydrochlorothiazide 15% and most common two drug combination therapy involved in the study was Amlodipine + Atenolol 7% followed by Metoprolol + Amlodipine 1%. Conclusion: Our study shows that the most commonly prescribed drug classes involved were Calcium Channel Blockers followed by Angiotensin II receptor antagonists and the anti-hypertensive drug combinations among hypertensive patients were considerable and this practice positively impacted on the overall blood pressure control

Comparing the accuracy of nasopharyngeal COVID-19 PCR alone versus combined nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal COVID-19 PCR tests

Background: Efficient containment of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is heavily reliant on precise diagnostic methodologies. Amidst prevalent use of nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) swabs for detection, the superiority in sampling method effectiveness remains debated. Methods: A retrospective study within Qatar's Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) contrasted the accuracy of combined NP/OP PCR tests versus NP-only tests, utilizing inconclusive test rates, primarily attributed to sampling adequacy, as a crucial accuracy measure. A total of 179,694 NP/OP and NP-only samples were analyzed across two phases: pre and post-16/01/2022, the latter marking a transition predominantly to NP-only swabs and increased reliance on rapid antigen testing. With a notable disparity in sample size between methods, a 1% simple random sample was extracted for analysis. Patients aged 18 years and below were excluded in this study. Results: The dual NP and OP swab approach registered a 2% inconclusive rate pre-cut off, while a 5% inconclusive rate was observed with the NP-only technique post-cut off, presenting a statistically significant 3% differential (p<0.001). Subgroup analyses divulged a mere 1% inconclusive rate disparity between age groups and a 1% lower rate amidst symptomatic individuals, with chronic allergic rhinitis patients exhibiting a 2% elevation (p=0.086). Conclusions: Combined NP/OP swabbing produced fewer inconclusive PCR results relative to NP-only swabbing, offering a 3% improvement in conclusive diagnostics. Notably, symptomatic presentation and chronic allergic rhinitis most significantly influenced accuracy, indicating potential avenues for further diagnostic refinement research, thus bolstering our current understanding and mitigation approaches towards COVID-19