The use of the Personal Response System (PRS) at King Khalid University for learning development

This study will evaluate the use of the Personal Response System (PRS) to increase interactivity in the classroom and change the form of learning from transmissive to constructive learning in Saudi Higher Education. PRS is a technology to enable students in the educational environment to answer questions individually or group and anonymously to the lecturer’s questions. In this study, Activity Theory (AT) has been applied to explore how PRS has changed learning and increases interactivity. The constructionist paradigm has been adopted to create a deep understanding of the use of PRS. The case study methodology was employed in this study. This study has been conducted in Saudi Arabia at King Khalid University (KKU). Grounded Theory (GT) informed the methods of collecting and analysing data. The combination of AT and Grounded Theory was a successful approach, providing a deeper understanding of the use of PRS for learning development. Three methods were used: interviews with lecturers, and group interviews and questionnaires with students. The sample population was chosen from KKU and that included male lecturers and students. Due to cultural limitations, the researcher was unable to gather data from female lecturers or students. In Saudi Education there is segregation between both genders in all levels of learning. The number of participants in this study was 9 lecturers and 76 students from the medical school at King Khalid University. The students are doing bachelor's degrees in medicine and nursing. The findings of this study show introducing PRS has increased interaction inside the classroom. The students reported they are more able to engage with learning and the lecturers are more able to ask questions and assess students’ understanding of the content. Additionally, the role for the students has changed from passive learners to more active learners, who can answer questions, ask questions of their lecturers and discuss the answers with other students. Using AT has revealed many changes in the relationships between students and relationships between students and lecturers. The roles for the individuals participating in learning activities and the rules of the learning activities have changed, allowing time for questions to be asked of all students and the lecturer can offer faster feedback. Shier and less confident students are more able to engage in learning activities with PRS. This enables students to gain a deeper understanding of their subject and course material. Deep understanding is here defined as understanding the meaning of the concepts of the subject as the content is delivered in English. Further, some students defined deep understanding as understanding the concepts in each lecture and connecting these concepts. Using AT analysis and GT as an approach to collecting data has shown several implications for using PRS for learning development. The study concluded that PRS is an effective technology to increase learner interactivity and change the format of traditional lectures. However, there is a need for more training for lecturers to use PRS effectively. PRS can be used with different learning styles, for example, individually or within groups. Therefore, for future research, applying collaborative learning might be a successful approach to investigate the use of PRS

A Case of Gastroesophageal Cancer after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Gastric cancer has been reported in relatively few cases after sleeve gastrectomy, which has become a common bariatric procedure. In this paper, we present a 58-year-old woman diagnosed with gastric cancer by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) 4 years after sleeve gastrectomy. For that, she underwent distal esophagectomy and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy. Preoperative endoscopy is recommended before planning surgery in patients with gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. In addition, annual EGD should be considered after sleeve gastrectomy in patients with risk factors for gastric cancer

Experimental investigation on micromachining of epoxy/graphene nano platelet nanocomposites

This paper investigates the effect of graphene nano platelet (GNP) content (%weight fraction) on the machinability of epoxy/GNP nanocomposites. The machinability of nanocomposites with varying loadings of GNP content was evaluated experimentally through the characterisation of cutting forces, surface morphology, chip morphology and tool wear. The minimum chip thickness phenomena of epoxy/GNP occurred at feed per tooth (FPT) between 0.2 and 0.4 μm. In order to achieve to better surface quality, the FPT should be over 0.4 μm. Epoxy/GNP with 1.0 wt% nanocomposite has produced the highest cutting force of a feed rate of ~ 3 N at 12 μm/rev. Epoxy/GNP nanocomposites exhibit the different cracking tendencies compared with plain epoxy, and the tool wear for GNP/epoxy nanocomposites is very small compared with metal nanocomposites. There is no significant difference in slot width accuracy between different types of tools, such as uncoated tool, diamond-like carbon-coated and diamond-coated tools

Full-thickness bilateral rotator cuff tears as a result of a bench-pressing accident: case report and literature review of treatment of bilateral rotator cuff tears

Rotator cuff injuries are frequent pathologies presenting to orthopedic surgeons. These injuries especially occur among older adults due to intrinsic or extrinsic degeneration. They can however present in young athletes, but as result of different etiologies. Overhead athletes may incur rotator cuff injuries due to repetitive trauma. Bilateral simultaneous traumatic shoulder dislocations have been reported in the literature following acute trauma or weight-lifting activity, but bilateral traumatic rotator cuff tears following bench pressing is an unusual presentation in a young individual. To our knowledge, there has been no previous report describing this injury. This article presents a case of a young male athlete who had bilateral rotator cuff tears after a barbell bench press. Both shoulders were treated operatively in a sequential manner, three months apart, and the patient regained excellent functional status 24 months postoperatively

CAUSES AND MANAGEMENT OF VIRAL EYE INFECTION

Introduction: The eye is a fascinating organ for several reasons. It is not only have a composite structure, however it is considered an immune-privileged organ. The anatomy of the eye is composed of the anterior and posterior parts, the line of division is posterior to the lens. The anterior chamber lies within the anterior segment and is an immuneprivileged anatomical location, this is due to the fact that the T-cell response in this area is suppressed This protects the eye from potentially destructive immune attacks however it also makes defence against infectious agents challenging, particularly where T-cell responses are critical for immunological defence. Viruses could get into the eye by direct inoculation, or through haematogenous or neuronal spread. The diagnoses of viral eye infections are usually clinical one, helped by taking a thorough history and performing ophthalmic examination. But in challenging cases the lab tests are essential. In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Aim of work: In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Methodology: We did a systematic search for Causes and management of viral eye infection using PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Google Scholar search engine (https://scholar.google.com). All relevant studies were retrieved and discussed. We only included full articles. Conclusions: A wide range of of viruses can affect the eye and cause viral eye infections, either as a primary infection or reactivation. Some affect the eye directly while the others indirectly but may still manifest with eye disease. One virus may affect several parts of the eye, while different viruses may cause the same eye disease. This could complicate the clinical diagnosis of viral eye disease, but the lab tests like PCR and antibody tests could assist in challenging cases where there may be diagnostic dilemma. The HIV epidemic has had an huge impact on ophthalmology clinics, this is because the virus can cause different eye diseases, and the associated decrease in cell-mediated immunity makes the person highly susceptible to opportunistic viral eye infections, sometimes with severe morbidity. There could be other viruses that may affect the eye that we did not discuss. Key words: Causes, management, viral eye infection

Greenness assessment of chromatographic methods used for analysis of empagliflozin: a comparative study

The analytical chemistry community is attempting to incorporate green chemistry concepts in the development of analytical techniques to redefine analytical methods and dramatically modify the philosophy of analytical technique development. Each greenness assessment method has its own benefits and drawbacks, as well as its own procedures. The results of each greenness assessment method produce numerous deductions regarding the selection of a greenest chromatographic method on which the determination of a greenness assessment tool depends. The current study examined the greenness behavior of 26 reported chromatographic methods in the literature for the evaluation of the medicine empagliflozin using three evaluation methods: the national environmental methods index (NEMI), the eco-scale assessment (ESA), and the green analytical procedure index (GAPI). This comparative study discussed the value of using more than one greenness evaluation methods while evaluating. The findings showed that the NEMI was a less informative and misleading tool. However, the ESA provided reliable numerical assessments out of 100. Despite the GAPI being a complex assessment compared to the others, it provided a fully descriptive three-colored pictogram and a precise assessment. The findings recommended applying more than one greenness assessment tool to evaluate the greenness of methods prior to planning laboratory-based analytical methods to ensure an environment friendly process

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020