Multifocus Images Fusion Based On Homogenity and Edges Measures

Image fusion is one of the most important techniques in digital image processing, includes the development of software to make the integration of multiple sets of data for the same location; It is one of the new fields adopted in solve the problems of the digital image, and produce high-quality images contains on more information for the purposes of interpretation, classification, segmentation and compression, etc. In this research, there is a solution of problems faced by different digital images such as multi focus images through a simulation process using the camera to the work of the fuse of various digital images based on previously adopted fusion techniques such as arithmetic techniques (BT, CNT and MLT), statistical techniques (LMM, RVS and WT) and spatial techniques (HPFA, HFA and HFM). As these techniques have been developed and build programs using the language MATLAB (b 2010). In this work homogeneity criteria have been suggested for evaluation fused digital image's quality, especially fine details. This criterion is correlation criteria to guess homogeneity in different regions within the image by taking a number of blocks of different regions in the image and different sizes and work shifted blocks per pixel. As dependence was on traditional statistical criteria such as (mean, standard deviation, and signal to noise ratio, mutual information and spatial frequency) and compared with the suggested criteria to the work. The results showed that the evaluation process was effective and well because it took into measure the quality of the homogenous regions

Teaching Satisfaction as A Mediator in The Relationship between Principal’s Support and Teachers' Intent to Leave in Basic Education Schools in Oman

هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن تأثير دعم مدير المدرسة في سلطنة عمان على كل من رضا المعلمين عن مهنة التدريس، ونيتهم ترك العمل، بالإضافة إلى تحديد ما إذا كان رضا المعلم يسهم بدور وسيط في العلاقة بين دعم المدير ونية المعلمين ترك العمل. تكونت عينة الدراسة من (398) معلمًا في المدارس الحكومية، وتم استخدام أسلوب النمذجة بالمعادلة البنائية لاختبار مدى مطابقة البيانات للنموذج النظري المفترض؛ وكشفت الدراسة عن نتائج عديدة، منها: أن تصورات المعلمين لدعم المدير مرتفعة، بينما جاء كل من رضاهم عن مهنة التدريس ونيتهم ترك العمل بدرجة متوسطة، كما أظهرت النتائج أن دعم المدير له أثر سالب دال إحصائيًا في نية المعلمين ترك العمل، وأثر موجب في رضاهم عن المهنة، كما تبيّن أن هناك تأثيرًا سالباً قويًا لرضا المعلمين في نيتهم ترك العمل، ومن جانب آخر أظهرت الدراسة أن رضا المعلمين عن المهنة استحوذ على دور الوساطة الكلية في العلاقة بين دعم المدير ونية المعلمين ترك العمل. وقدمت الدراسة مجموعة من التوصيات المقترحة لتعزيز دور مدير المدرسة في تعزيز رضا المعلمين عن مهنة التدريس، وتقليل نيتهم تركها.The study aimed to explore the impact of the principal's support on teachers ’satisfaction and their intention to leave work in Oman, in addition to whether teachers ’satisfaction plays a mediating role in the relationship between the principal's support and the teacher’s intention to leave. Data were collected from a sample of 398 basic education teachers. The study used structural equation modeling to test a hypothetical model. The results revealed that teachers ’perceptions of principal support were high level but their satisfaction and their intention to leave were in the moderated level. Furthermore, our results showed that the principal support has a negative and significant effect on teachers ’intention to leave, and a positive effect on their satisfaction, in addition teacher satisfaction has a strong negative impact on teacher intention to leave. Similarly, teacher satisfaction is represented as a full mediation role in the relationship between the principal’s support and teachers’ intention to leave. Finally, the study proposed some recommendations to enhance the role of the school principal in supporting teachers, enhancing their job satisfaction, and reducing their intention to leave Oma

Barriers and enablers for scaled-up adoption of compressed earth blocks in Egypt

This dataset is a summary of the anonymized responses from the survey participants and interviewees for the paper titled: "Barriers and enablers for scaled-up adoption of compressed earth blocks in Egypt" https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2023.223713

Prevalence of HLA-B27 in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Qatar

Background and Objectives. The human leukocyte antigen HLA-B27 is a class 1 antigen of the major histocompatibility complex and is strongly associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The purpose of the present study is to investigate the distribution of HLA-B27 in patients with AS of different ethnic groups in Qatar. Design and Setting. Study design was cross-sectional and the setting was rheumatology clinics of Hamad General Hospital in Qatar where most of ankylosing spondylitis patients are followed up. Patients and Methods. Patients with diagnosis of AS who met the New York modified criteria for AS were tested for HLA-B27. 119 patients were tested for HLA-B27: 66 Arabs, 52 Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis, and Iranians), and one Western (Irish). Results. Of all the individuals, 82 were positive (69%) for HLA-B27. Among the Arabs, 49/66 were positive (74%). Among the Asians, 32/52 were positive (61%). Furthermore, Qatari patients (10 males and one female) 9 were positive (82%), 14/19 Jordanians/Palestinians were positive, and 9/10 (90%) Egyptians were positive. Among the Asians, 19/26 Indians were positive (73%), which was similar to the Arabs. Conclusion. HLA-B27 in our small group of Arabs is present in 74%. Comparison with other data will be presented in detail

Assessment of Treadmill Exercise Test Preparation in Mosul Cardiac Center

Background: The exercise ECG has a role in articulating the clinical history through stimulating symptoms such as chest pain (which is the most common presenting complaint indicating coronary artery disease and is seen frequently by primary care physicians) and breathlessness, and prompting additional details about their symptoms so it can facilitate communication between patient and clinician as the evaluation of chest pain can be very difficult since it is possible to have a normal resting ECG with considerable narrowing of the coronary arteries. Objectives: This study sought to assess the roles of preparation for treadmill and the frequency of inconclusive result. Methods: The study sample consisted of persons of all ages and both sexes attending the exercise units during the study period in Mosul city, Iraq were included in the research and the collection of cases started from the 1st of January 2012 to 1st of June 2012. Results: The present study included a sample of 593 patients during the study period. The mean age of patients was 49±9 years. Mean age of males patients (48.7±9 years) compared with the females’ mean age (50.3±8 years) (p=0.000). The percentage of unprepared group for testing in the present study sample were 23.1%, a condition that was significantly associated with inconclusive result in general (p=0.000) and incomplete result in specific (p=0.001). On the other hand, 67.9% of patients were well prepared. Conclusion: It was concluded that patients must be well prepared for exercise tolerance test. They should not only know the purpose of the test, but also signs and symptoms that indicate the test should be stopped

Cooccurrence of NDM-1, ESBL, RmtC, AAC(6′)-Ib, and QnrB in Clonally Related Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates Together with Coexistence of CMY-4 and AAC(6′)-Ib in Enterobacter cloacae Isolates from Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms responsible for resistance to antimicrobials in a collection of enterobacterial isolates recovered from two hospitals in Saudi Arabia. A total of six strains isolated from different patients showing high resistance to carbapenems was recovered in 2015 from two different hospitals, with four being Klebsiella pneumoniae and two Enterobacter cloacae. All isolates except one K. pneumoniae were resistant to tigecycline, but only one K. pneumoniae was resistant to colistin. All produced a carbapenemase according to the Carba NP test, and all were positive for the EDTA-disk synergy test for detection of MBL. Using PCR followed by sequencing, the four K. pneumoniae isolates produced the carbapenemase NDM-1, while the two E. cloacae isolates produced the carbapenemase VIM-1. Genotyping analysis by Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) showed that three out of the four K. pneumoniae isolates were clonally related. They had been recovered from the same hospital and belonged to Sequence Type (ST) ST152. In contrast, the fourth K. pneumoniae isolate belonged to ST572. Noticeably, the NDM-1-producing K. pneumoniae additionally produced an extended-spectrum ß- lactamase (ESBL) of the CTX-M type, together with OXA-1 and TEM-1. Surprisingly, the three clonally related isolates produced different CTX-M variants, namely, CTX-M- 3, CTX-M-57, and CTX-M-82, and coproduced QnrB, which confers quinolone resistance, and the 16S rRNA methylase RmtC, which confers high resistance to all aminoglycosides. The AAC(6′)-Ib acetyltransferase was detected in both K. pneumoniae and E. cloacae. Mating-out assays using Escherichia coli as recipient were successful for all isolates. The Bla NDM-1 gene was always identified on a 70- kb plasmid, whereas the Bla VIM-1 gene was located on either a 60-kb or a 150-kb plasmid the two E. cloacae isolates, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the coexistence of an MBL (NDM-1), an ESBL (CTX-M), a 16S rRNA methylase (RmtC), an acetyltransferase (AAC[6′]-Ib), and a quinolone resistance enzyme (QnrB) in K. pneumoniae isolates recovered from different patients during an outbreak in a Saudi Arabian hospital

Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Ipomoea nil (Linn.) Roth significantly alleviates cigarette smoke (CS)-induced acute lung injury via possibly inhibiting the NF-KB pathway

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious manifestation of acute lung injury (ALI), is a debilitating inflammatory lung disease that is caused by multiple risk factors. One of the primary causes that can lead to ALI/ ARDS is cigarette smoke (CS) and its primary mode of action is via oxidative stress. Despite extensive research, no appropriate therapy is currently available to treat ALI/ARDS, which means there is a dire need for new potential approaches. In our study we explored the protective effects of 70 % methanolic-aqueous extract of Ipomoea nil (Linn.) Roth, named as In.Mcx against CS-induced ALI mice models and RAW 264.7 macrophages because Ipomoea nil has traditionally been used to treat breathing irregularities. Male Swiss albino mice (20-25 +/- 2 g) were subjected to CS for 10 uninterrupted days in order to establish CS-induced ALI murine models. Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg), In.Mcx (100 200, and 300 mg/kg) and normal saline (10 mL/kg) were given to respective animal groups, 1 h before CS-exposure. 24 h after the last CS exposure, the lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of all euthanized mice were harvested. Altered alveolar integrity and elevated lung weightcoefficient, total inflammatory cells, oxidative stress, expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-6) and chemokines (KC) were significantly decreased by In.Mcx in CS-exposed mice. In.Mcx also revealed significant lowering IL-10, IL-6 and KC expression in CSE (4 %)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage. Additionally, In.Mcx showed marked enzyme inhibition activity against Acetylcholinesterase, Butyrylcholinesterase and Lipoxygenase. Importantly, In.Mcx dose-dependently and remarkably suppressed the CS-induced oxidative stress via not only reducing the MPO, TOS and MDA content but also improving TAC production in the lungs. Accordingly, HPLC analysis revealed the presence of many important antioxidant components. Finally, In.Mcx showed a marked decrease in the NF-KB expression both in in vivo and in vitro models. Our findings suggest that In.Mcx has positive therapeutic effects against CS-induced ALI via suppressing uncontrolled inflammatory response, oxidative stress, lipoxygenase and NF-KB p65 pathway

High frequency of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance marker (pfcrt T76 mutation) in Yemen: An urgent need to re-examine malaria drug policy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria remains a significant health problem in Yemen with <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>being the predominant species which is responsible for 90% of the malaria cases. Despite serious concerns regarding increasing drug resistance, chloroquine is still used for the prevention and treatment of malaria in Yemen. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of choloroquine resistance (CQR) of <it>P. falciparum </it>isolated from Yemen based on the <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out among 511 participants from four governorates in Yemen. Blood samples were screened using microscopic and species-specific nested PCR based on the 18S rRNA gene to detect and identify <it>Plasmodium </it>species. Blood samples positive for <it>P. falciparum </it>were used for detecting the <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation using nested-PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation was 81.5% (66 of 81 isolates). Coastal areas/foothills had higher prevalence of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation compared to highland areas (90.5% <it>vs </it>71.8%) (p = 0.031). The <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation had a significant association with parasitaemia (p = 0.045). Univariate analysis shows a significant association of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation with people aged > 10 years (OR = 9, 95% CI = 2.3 - 36.2, p = 0.001), low household income (OR = 5, 95% CI = 1.3 - 19.5, p = 0.027), no insecticide spray (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.16 - 11.86, p = 0.025) and not sleeping under insecticide treated nets (ITNs) (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.38 - 16.78, p = 0.01). Logistic regression model confirmed age > 10 years and low household income as predictors of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation in Yemen <it>P. falciparum </it>isolates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The high prevalence of <it>pfcrt </it>T76 mutation in Yemen could be a predictive marker for the prevalence of <it>P. falciparum </it>CQR. This finding shows the necessity for an in-vivo therapeutic efficacy test for CQ.<it> P. falciparum </it>CQR should be addressed in the national strategy to control malaria.</p

Factors Associated with High Prevalence of Intestinal Protozoan Infections among Patients in Sana'a City, Yemen

Intestinal protozoan diseases in Yemen are a significant health problem with prevalence ranging from 18% to 27%. The present study is a cross-sectional study aimed at determining the factors associated with the high prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among patients seeking health care in Sana'a City, the capital of Yemen. (0.4%). Multivariate analysis using forward stepwise logistic regression based on intestinal protozoan infections showed that contact with animals (OR = 1.748, 95% CI = 1.168–2.617) and taking bath less than twice a week (OR = 1.820, 95% CI = 1.192–2.779) were significant risk factors of protozoan infections. infections being most common. Statistical analysis indicated that low personal hygiene and contact with animals were important predictors for intestinal protozoan infections. As highlighted in this study, in order to effectively reduce these infections, a multi-sectoral effort is needed. Preventive measures should include good hygienic practices, good animal husbandry practices, heightened provision of educational health programs, health services in all governorates including rural areas. Furthermore, it is also essential to find radical solutions to the recent water crises in Yemen