Promoting Meaningful Learning Through the Use of Concept Maps

Background and significance: There have been dramatic changes in the healthcare system with the high use of technology. The healthcare needs of patients have increased due to the chronic diseases, and an increase in the number of the older population. These changes require nurses with high levels of thinking, knowledge and skills. It is vital to reconsider the teaching and learning methods used in nursing schools to ensure graduating nurses are capable of working in these challenging environments. The purpose of this naturalistic inquiry descriptive study is to explore the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate and graduate nursing students and faculty on the use of concept maps as a learning tool by students, and as a teaching and assessment tool by faculty at a nursing college in a public university, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At this stage, meaningful learning is defined as the ability of students to make sense of the content learned in-class, and their ability to recall the information during their exams. Methodology: Undergraduate and graduate nursing students were trained on the creation of concept maps. Faculty were trained on the use of concept maps as a teaching and assessment tool. Using convenient sampling method, the sample included 18 undergraduate students, 4 graduate students, and 4 faculty. Data was collected using focus groups with students and indepth individual interviews with faculty. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings:Three themes were identified; enablers, constraints and guidance and support. Conclusion: The results help faculty learn more about nursing students and understand their learning needs which will influence the faculty’s choice of teaching methods when planning for their courses and lessons. The results need to be complemented by empirical evidence on the use of concept maps by Saudi Arabian nursing students and faculty

Ecotoxicity effects of oil Water Accommodated Fractions and oil Water Accommodated Fractions + Dispersant on cold environments: Acarita tonsa based bioassays and microbial community dynamics as monitoring tools

224 p.La contaminación por petróleo es un problema importante en los océanos y mares, especialmente en ambientes fríos y regiones polares, donde los procesos de remediación son más complejos y los ecosistemas son muy vulnerables. Durante un vertido de petróleo diversos factores meteorológicos y el movimiento de las olas favorecen la integración de los hidrocarburos hidrofílicos en la columna de agua, siendo el producto resultante la conocida como fracción acomodada del petróleo en el agua (WAF), que suele estar compuesta principalmente, aunque no solo, por hidrocarburos aromáticos policíclicos (HAPs). Históricamente como forma de remediación ante los vertidos de petróleo se ha utilizado la incorporación de dispersantes químicos que favorecen la degradación del petróleo. Sin embargo, diversos estudios han demostrado que los dispersantes químicos pueden tener efectos adversos sobre los organismos marinos. El objetivo de este proyecto de Tesis doctoral ha sido estimar el posible impacto del WAF de un petróleo nafténico del Atlántico Norte (NNA), con o sin la adición del dispersante químico Finasol OSR52, mediante bioensayos in vivo con copépodos y el estudio de alteraciones en comunidades microbianas. Los bioensayos con el organismo modelo Acartia tonsa demostraron que el NNA WAF fue menos tóxico que los WAFs obtenidos a partir de destilados de fuel oil (IFO 180 y Gasóleo de uso marítimo), que mostraron una alta toxicidad a distintos niveles de organización biológica (transcripción génica, reproducción y supervivencia) en los copépodos. Al añadir el dispersante químico el NNA WAF fue más tóxico para los copépodos en términos de alteración de la transcripción génica, la reproducción y la mortalidad. En el caso de las comunidades microbianas, al examinar en condiciones de microcosmos los efectos del NNA WAF en solitario y NNA WAF con dispersante, se pudo observar que el dispersante no favoreció la biodegradación bacteriana de los compuestos procedentes del NNA WAF. Sin embargo, sí alteró las dinámicas de las comunidades microbianas, tanto en la columna de agua como en el sedimento, favoreciendo ciertos taxones. Se observó que las comunidades microbianas que poseían desde el inicio bacterias degradadoras de hidrocarburos, debido a un historial de exposición crónico a estos compuestos (legacy effects), fueron el principal impulsor de la degradación de los HAPs en la columna de agua y en los sedimentos. En conclusión, la integración de bioensayos de toxicidad in vivo con copépodos y el estudio de la dinámica de las comunidades microbianas ofrecen una visión amplia de los efectos y respuestas en ecosistemas sensibles que puede causar un escenario de vertido de petróleo y la adición de dispersantes químicos

Evaluation of pain perception associated with maxillary first molars distalization in the presence of maxillary third molars versus extracted third molars using infra-zygomatic mini-screws: A randomized clinical trial

Aim: The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the pain associated with distalizing maxillary first molars with the presence versus extraction of unerupted third molars using infra-zygomaic mini -screws in a group of adolescent female patients. Study design: This randomized clinical trial (parallel group design) was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Dentistry, Future University in Egypt Materials and methods: 30 patients requiring bilateral maxillary molar distalization using infra-zygomatic mini-implant were randomly allocated to third molar extraction (TME) or third Molar presence (TMP) groups All patients were asked to assess their pain levels on the day of the mini-implant insertion procedure and after 24 hours, 72 hours, and 1 week using a numeric pain rating scale. Additionally, Each patient completed a numeric pain rating scale form on the day of mini-screw loading, 3 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks following appliance fixation. Every patient received three copies, and the first, third, and sixth appliance activations required the same pain response. Results: At the mini-implant site, the mean pain scores in the TMP and TME on the same day for screw insertion were 5.27±2.08 and 4.89±1.99, respectively. And faded away gradually in both groups. Throughout the distalization phase, the average pain severity at the maxillary molar site on the day of mini-implant loading was 4.2±1.46 in the TMP group and 4.13±2.2 in the TME group. That subsides gradually to mild pain after one week of each appliance activation. comparable results found between both groups Conclusion: Pain experienced by the patient during maxillary molar distalization is comparable regardless of the presence or absence of the third molar. The insertion of infra-zygomatic screws caused moderate to modest discomfort in both groups. The distalization procedure was associated with mild to moderate discomfort, which progressively subsided after the loading day

Low Incidence of Androgen Receptor Mutation Among Egyptian Children with Androgen Resistance

Introduction: In Egypt, disorders of sex development (DSD) constitute a significant entity among the birth defect list. Previous studies have reported that end organ androgen unresponsiveness, i.e. Androgen resistance, was the most prevalent underlying mechanism among Egyptian 46,XY DSD cases. Based on cytogenetic and hormonal diagnostic criteria as well as few sporadic case reports, it was proposed that androgen receptor (AR) defects [i.e. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), OMIM#300068] might constitute a major etiology within this category. However, this has never been systematically ascertained through an AR molecular diagnostic approach. Aim of the Work: The current study aimed to assess the role of AR mutations as an underlying etiology among a sample of Egyptian 46,XY DSD pediatric patients presenting with androgen end organ unresponsiveness. Patients and Method: In the current study, 21 children [ag

Triple Primary Carcinomas: Prostatic Adenocarcinoma, Bladder Urethral Carcinoma and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report

Introduction: Patients with multiple tumors represent a segment of the cancer survivor population affected more than once by cancer, the phenomenon is still rare.Case presentation: In this report we present a patient who developed primary bladder urethral carcinoma with synchronous prostatic adenocarcinoma and metachronous papillary thyroid carcinoma where diagnosed within nine month period. There was no clear risk factors could explain this combination except smoking history.Conclusion: The diagnosis of cancer should not exclude the existence of other concomitant malignancies. This combination of multiple primary carcinomas, to our knowledge, has never been reported in the literature

Institutional reform of economic legislation in Egypt

The relationship between institutional and economic reform has dominated the field of development research since the 1990s. However, there is unclarity on the significance of reform of institutions of legislation and representation (whether in the form of interest groups or other civil society organizations). Similarly, there is unclarity regarding the sequence of reform of such institutions. There are, for example, four unresolved contentions about institutional reform. (1) If economic reform partly means economic legislation, is it necessary to reform parliament even when economic legislation is mainly done by the executive? (2) If economic reform requires efficient allocation of resources, is it necessary to strengthen special interest groups and increase societal representation/participation, running the risk of increasing clientelistic lobbying? (3) If one is to answer both questions positively, how should the reformation of the institution of parliament and that of interest representation happen and (4) in which sequence? This study focuses on the institutional environment of economic law-making in Egypt in a decade of intensive economic reform. It highlights the phases that characterized the relationship between economic reform and economic legislation, uncovers the macro-political factors that influence the institution of legislation, and unravels the institutional weakness embedded in the informational base of legislation. The argument is that economic legislation involves an intricate process of judgement. This process of judgement may require redundant channels of information processing and opinion-making that go beyond a linear and simple expert-executive relationship. Hence, the institutional reform of parliament and of interest representation become necessary even in politico-economic systems where the executive is dominant. This study relies on analyses of parliamentary discussions of nine major economic laws between 1989 & 1997 as well as on opinion surveys and extensive interviews with parliamentarians and interest group representatives

Flexural Behavior of Unbounded Pre-stressed Beams Modified With Carbon Nanotubes under Elevated Temperature

Since fire is one of the common reasons for rehabilitation and reconstructions during the service life of a building, it is necessary to assess the elements structural and technical conditions. The objective of the present paper is to investigate the flexural behavior in bending for unbounded full pre-stressed beams with and without the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under the exposure to elevated temperature in comparison with non-pre-stressed beams. The test Method was divided into two major stages where the principal stage’s goal was considering the flexural behavior of fully and non-prestressed concrete beams containing CNT of 0 and 0.04% as cement replacement at ambient temperature. In the second stage, a typical group of beams was prepared and the flexural behavior was explored under the exposure to temperature of 400ºC, for 120 minutes. The major findings upon monitoring the failure mechanisms, ultimate load capacity, and deflection at critical sections, was that the CNT had shown a significant impact on the behavior and extreme resistance of fully and non-prestressed normal concrete. With CNT beams also exhibited higher imperviousness to high-temperature than that of the normal beams. Finally the significant Improvement was that the ultimate load of the non-pre-stressed beam with the presence of the CNT at the lower 50mm in the tension zone showed a gain of 13%, while the ultimate load of the fully pre-stressed beam with the presence of the CNT at the lower 50mm in the tension zone showed a gain of 21% as compared to the same beam without CNT, respectively. For the non-pre-stressed beams, the load capacity of the beam with CNT after exposure had a similar load capacity as the beam without CNT before exposure to high temperature

Evaluating the Amount of Tooth Movement and Root Resorption during Canine Retraction with Friction versus Frictionless Mechanics Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

BACKGROUND: The current study was carried out to compare the amount of tooth movement during canine retraction comparing two different retraction mechanics; friction mechanics represented by a NiTi closed coil spring versus frictionless mechanics represented by T - loop, and their effect on root resorption using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT).METHOD: Ten patients were selected in a split-mouth study design that had a malocclusion that necessitates the extraction of maxillary first premolars and retraction of maxillary canines. The right maxillary canines were retracted using T - loops fabricated from 0.017 X 0.025 TMA wires. The left maxillary canines received NiTi coil spring with 150 gm of retraction force. Pre retraction and post retraction Cone Beam Computed Tomography were taken to evaluate the amount of tooth movement and root resorption using three-dimensional planes.RESULTS: T - loop side showed statistically significant higher mean anteroposterior measurement than NiTi coil spring side, indicating a lower amount of canine movement pre and post a canine retraction. Concerning the root resorption, there was no statistically significant change in the mean measurements of canine root length post retraction.CONCLUSION: The NiTi coil spring side showed more distal movement more than the T-loop side. Both retraction mechanics with controlled retraction force, do not cause root resorption