Health related quality of life among Iraqi immigrants settled in Malaysia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Migrants everywhere face several demands for health and maintaining good health and quality of life could be challenging. Iraqis are the second largest refugee group that has sought refuge in the recent years, yet little is known about their health related quality of life (HRQOL). The study aims at assessing the HRQOL among Iraqis living in Malaysia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A self-administered Arabic version of Sf-36 questionnaire was distributed among 300 Iraqi migrants in Malaysia. The questionnaire taps eight concepts of physical and mental health to assess the HRQOL. Univariate analysis was performed for group analysis (t test, ANOVA) and Multiple Linear Regression was used to control for confounding effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two hundred and fifty three participants ranging in age from 18 to 67 years (Mean = 33.6) returned the completed questionnaire. The majority was males (60.1%) and more than half of the respondents (59.5%) were married. Less than half (45.4%) and about a quarter (25.9%) reported bachelor degree and secondary school education respectively and the remaining 28.7% had either a master or a PhD degree.</p> <p>Univariate analysis showed that the HRQOL scores among male immigrants were found to be higher than those of females in physical function (80.0 vs. 73.5), general health (72.5 vs. 60.7) and bodily pain (87.9 vs. 72.5) subscales. The youngest age group had significantly higher physical function (79.32) and lower mental health scores (57.62).</p> <p>The mean score of physical component summary was higher than the mental component summary mean score (70.22 vs. 63.34).</p> <p>Stepwise multiple linear regression, revealed that gender was significantly associated with physical component summary (β = - 6.06, p = 0.007) and marital status was associated with mental component summary (β = 7.08, p = 0.003).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>From the data it appears that Iraqi immigrants living in Malaysia have HRQOL scores that might be considered to indicate a relatively moderate HRQOL. The HRQOL is significantly affected by gender and marital status. Further studies are needed to explore determinants of HRQOL consequent to immigration. The findings could be worthy of further exploration.</p

Students’ Recognition of Function Transformations’ Themes Associated with the Algebraic Representation

The topic of function transformations is a difficult mathematical topic for school and college students. On the other hand, GeoGebra is a new technological tool for mathematics teaching and learning, so we wanted to experiment with this new tool in teaching non-basic function transformations to middle school students. Specifically, we wanted to examine how students conceive function transformations after working with GeoGebra, when this conceiving relates to the algebraic representation. The research participants were 19 ninth grade high achieving students who learned, with the help of GeoGebra translations, reflection and stretch. During their learning, the participants worked with transformations on the absolute function, the cubic function, and the quartic function. After they finished the transformation unit, the participants solved mathematics problems by means of function transformations. This research is interested in the participants’ solution of problems that included two non-basic functions: the absolute value of the quadratic function and the rationale function. The research findings show that the participants were generally able to solve successfully mathematical problems, by means of transformations on new and non-basic functions. Furthermore, the participants encountered difficulties in working with translations. These difficulties were due to the special algebraic form of the functions. We recommend that mathematics teachers expose middle school students to transformations on different types of non-basic function during learning this mathematical topic. Future researches could examine the impact of activities that include such functions and that are GeoGebra based on students’ conceptions and behavior when performing translations is involved

Primaquine at alternative dosing schedules for preventing relapse in people with Plasmodium vivax malaria.

BackgroundMalaria caused by Plasmodium vivax requires treatment of the blood-stage infection and treatment of the hypnozoites that develop in the liver. This is a challenge to effective case management of P vivax malaria, as well as being a more general substantial impediment to malaria control. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 14-day drug course with primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline, at 0.25 mg/kg/day in most of the world (standard course), or 0.5 mg/kg/day in East Asia and Oceania (high-standard course). This long treatment course can be difficult to complete, and primaquine can cause dangerous haemolysis in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, meaning that physicians may be reluctant to prescribe in areas where G6PD testing is not available. This Cochrane Review evaluated whether more patient-friendly alternative regimens are as efficacious as the standard regimen for radical cure ofP vivax malaria.ObjectivesTo assess the efficacy and safety of alternative primaquine regimens for radical cure of P vivax malaria compared to the standard or high-standard 14 days of primaquine (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg/day), as well as comparison of these two WHO-recommended regimens.Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) Specialized Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); MEDLINE (PubMed); Embase (Ovid); and LILACS (BIREME) up to 17 December 2018. We also searched the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov, and checked the reference lists of all studies identified by the above methods.Selection criteriaRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults and children with P vivax malaria using any regimen of either chloroquine or an artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) plus primaquine with either higher daily doses for 14 days, shorter regimens with the same total dose, or using weekly dosing regimens; compared with the usual standard regimens recommended by the WHO (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg/day for 14 days), or a comparison of these two WHO-recommended regimens.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors independently assessed trial eligibility and quality, and extracted data. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data. We grouped efficacy data according to length of follow-up. We analysed safety data where this information was included.Main resultsHigh-standard 14-day course versus standard 14-day courseTwo RCTs compared the high-standard 14-day regimen with the standard 14-day regimen. People with G6PD deficiency and pregnant or lactating women were excluded. We do not know if there is any difference in P vivax recurrences at 6 months with 0.5 mg/kg/day primaquine therapy for 14 days compared to 0.25 mg/kg/day primaquine therapy for 14 days (with chloroquine: RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.47 to 1.43, 639 participants, very low-certainty evidence; with chloroquine or an ACT: RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.17 to 7.09, 38 participants, very low-certainty evidence). No serious adverse events were reported. We do not know whether there is a difference in adverse events with the higher dosage (very low-certainty evidence).0.5 mg/kg/day primaquine for 7 days versus standard 14-day courseFive RCTs compared 0.5 mg/kg/day primaquine for 7 days with the standard 14-day course. There may be little or no difference in P vivax recurrences at 6 to 7 months when using the same total dose (0.5 mg/kg/day to 210 mg) over 7 days as compared to 14 days (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.39; 1211 participants; low-certainty evidence). No serious adverse events were reported. There may be little or no difference in the number of adverse events known to occur with primaquine between the primaquine shorter regimen as compared to the longer regimen (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.76; 1154 participants; low-certainty evidence). We do not know whether there is any difference in the frequency of anaemia or discontinuation of treatment between groups (very low-certainty evidence). Three trials excluded people with G6PD deficiency, and two did not provide this information. Pregnant and lactating women were either excluded or no details were provided regarding their inclusion or exclusion.0.75 mg/kg primaquine/week for 8 weeks versus high-standard course One RCT compared weekly primaquine with the high-standard 14-day course. G6PD-deficient patients were not randomized but were included in the weekly primaquine group. Only one G6PD-deficient participant was detected during the trial. We do not know whether weekly primaquine increases or decreases recurrences of P vivax compared to the 14-day regimen at 11 months' follow-up (RR 3.18, 95% CI 0.37 to 27.6; 122 participants; very low-certainty evidence). No serious adverse events and no episodes of anaemia were reported.Three other RCTs evaluated different alternative regimens and doses of primaquine, but one of these RCTs did not have results available, and two used regimens that have not been widely used and the evidence was of very low certainty.Authors' conclusionsAlthough limited data were available, the analysis did not detect a difference in recurrence between the 7-day regimen and the standard 14-day regimen of 0.5 mg/kg/day primaquine, and no serious adverse events were reported in G6PD-normal participants taking 0.5 mg/kg/day of primaquine. This shorter regimen may be useful in G6PD-normal patients if there are treatment adherence concerns. Further large high-quality RCTs are needed, such as the IMPROV trial, with more standardised comparison regimens and longer follow-up to help resolve uncertainties

A pilot Citizens' Assembly on Electricity and Energy Justice in Hamra, Lebanon

The Citizens’ Assembly Pilot (CA) on energy justice and electricity was a conceptual and a methodological experiment conducted over five sessions over three days in the neighborhood of Hamra and Beirut in October and November 2020. The CA aimed at exploring meanings, dimensions, priorities of energy justice in a deliberative democratic setting. The CA tackled five main questions: How did we get to where we are? What is energy justice to us? What is the energy-mix we would like to have? What do we need to be doing as individuals and communities to achieve a better energy future? How should we move forward with our decisions on the above questions? The responses produced interesting findings for researchers and international stakeholders to consider further; such as skepticism over renewable energy targets, the interest in circular solutions to solve multiple intersecting service sectors like waste and water in particular. It also raised questions over decentralization as well as privatization at different scales of governance

Microwave Synthesis of some new compounds 1,3 – Oxazepine – 4 , 7 - dione,derivatives from Schiff bases

The Microwave technique is a new method for synthesis of organic compounds, which take a pure and high percent of products and completed with short time, compared with conventional method (heating method). The prepared Schiff bases allowed to react by Microwave technique which is a new apparatus for synthesis the organic compounds, reacts with Malic anhydride to yield (1, 3, 6, 7) 1,3 – Oxazepine compounds and reacted with phthalic anhydrides to yield (2, 4, 5, 8) 1,3 – Oxazepine compounds. The useful thing in Microwave technique is using without solvent there for it called (dry method). The synthesized compounds were identified using Melting point apparatus, Infrared Spectroscopy

Cultural diversity in consumer behaviour: the case of wine consumption in Lebanon. Determining variables that affect consumer behaviour of Lebanese wine

This document analyses and dissects demographic and psychographic variables that play a role in the consumer behaviour of Lebanese wine consumers. The exploration of aspects such as religion and religiosity, among others, has not hereto been researched in country in the Middle East, especially in one with such a diverse cultural background as Lebanon. Previously studies were primarily focused on the West and Europe as areas of study for consumer behaviour and wine consumption. The document attempts to link variables which affect these decisions or links between more than one variable which in combination affect these decisions. These connections will then create a better picture of the wine consumer in Lebanon and how diversity within the country affects this consumer behaviour through a mixed methods approach to data collection. Following a mixed methods approach, this study included interviews with eight wine production company employees, fifty-three wine consumers, and collected quantitative data in the form of a questionnaire administered to 456 customers of various supermarkets to explore their wine purchasing decisions and to investigate the differences between those who purchase wine and those who do not. The researcher found that demographics such as geographical location, and psychographic aspects such as religiosity, and health knowledge of wine, played a role in wine consumption decisions in the Lebanese context

THE ROLE OF QUALITATIVE SOCIAL POLICIES IN ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL INDICATORS OF BALANCE AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

Purpose of the study: The study aimed to identify the role of qualitative social policies in achieving the highest international indicators in the degree of balance and social organization, by taking the UAE as a model in qualitative social policies; with expectations to eventually follow this model. Also, in light of current events, this model has a positive role in reducing the social chaos in many Arab and international countries. Methodology: The methodology of the qualitative analytical approach was used by returning to the statistical reports on indicators of the degree of integration and community organization in the United Arab Emirates United, the historical methodology of returning to documents, records and laws to identify the most prominent policies in the country. Main Findings: The study has concluded that social policy has a major role in achieving the highest degrees of integration and community organization. Applications of this study: The study also reached a set of recommendations, the most important of which were: the need to follow the qualitative social policies as in the model of the United Arab Emirates; and study the feasibility of applying those policies to societies that suffer from Anomie. Novelty/Originality of this study: No study has investigated the relationship between the social policies in the UAE and the international indicators of balance and social organization

SOUND database of marine animal vocalizations : structure and operations

The SOUND database system for marine animal vocalizations has been updated to include changes in the structure and operations that have evolved with use. These include more convenient operations, greater flexibilty in analysis routines, and a revised database structure. The formats for data sorting and indexing, database structure, and analysis routines have developed into a convenient research tool. This report is a revision of the earlier operating manual for the SOUND databases (Watkins, Fristrup, and Daher 1991.) The interactive databases that comprise the SOUND system provide comprehensive means for quantitative analyses and statistical comparisons of marine animal vocalizations. These SOUND databases encompass (1) descriptive text databases cataoging the WHOI collection of underwater sound recordings of marine animals, (2) sets of files of digital sound sequences, (3) text databases organizing the digital sound cuts, and (4) software for analysis, display, playback, and export of selected sound files. The text databases index and sort the information about the sounds, and the digital sound cut files are accessed directly from the text record. From the text database, the sound cut data may be analyzed on screen, listened to, and compared or exported as desired. The objective of this work has been the development of a basic set of tools for the study of marine animal sound. The text databases for cataloging the recordings provide convenient sorting and selection of sounds of interest. Then, as specific sequences are digitized from these recordings, they become part of another database system that manages these acoustic data. Once a digital sound is part of the organized database, several tools are available for interactive spectrographic display, sound playback, statistical feature extraction, and export to other application programs.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research through the Ocean Acoustics Program (code 11250A) under Contract No. N00014-88-K-0273 and No. N00014-91-J-1445 with supplemental support by ORINCON/DARPA and NRL (code 211)