Growth and characterizations of bis glycine hydrogen bromide (BGHB) single crystal: new nonlinear optical material

Growth and characterization of new nonlinear optical material bis glycine hydrogen bromide is reported in the present communication. Single crystals of bis glycine hydrogen bromide was grown from solution by slow evaporation technique. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, to confirm the crystal structure and to measure cell parameters. The presence of functional groups and coordination of glycine group with hydro bromic acid were confirmed by FTIR, UV-visible and absorbance spectrum was recorded to study the transparency of grown crystals. The bis glycine hydrogen bromide crystal does not decompose before melting. This was confirmed by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The second order nonlinear optical property of the grown crystal was confirmed by Kurtz and Perry powder SHG test.Â

Familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: rare cause of acute liver failure in a neonate--a case report

Familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHLH) is a rare lifethreatening disorder of the immune system characterized by proliferation and infiltration of hyperactivated macrophages and T-lymphocytes and manifesting as acute illness with prolonged fever, cytopenias, and hepatosplenomegaly. We describe a one-month-old female with FHLH and rapidly progressing liver failure. To conclude, FHLH should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute liver failure in neonates and young infants.Keywords: Familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; Acute liver failure; Neonate; Case repor

Revealing Malay Royal Town identity: Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan

Malay royal town in Malaysia have been establish dating from the 16th century with a unique and significant identity that creates the image of these towns. Malay Royal town identity constitutes the physical environment, human activities, cultural and meaning that creates social phenomenon and place genius loci. Nevertheless, identity in Malaysia's royal towns were facing alteration which resulted to places are becoming less meaningful, placelessness and lose their identity. A case study was carried out in Sri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan, which is one of the royal towns in Malaysia. Thus, this paper discusses the components that characterised the Malay royal town identity of Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan. The study methodology involves a historical map overlay, site observations and also the use of semi-structured interviews. The paper concludes that the vitality of these components contributed to identity of the Malay Royal towns in Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan

Effective Temperatures of Low-Mass Stars from High-Resolution H-band Spectroscopy

High-resolution, near-infrared spectra will be the primary tool for finding and characterizing Earth-like planets around low-mass stars. Yet, the properties of exoplanets can not be precisely determined without accurate and precise measurements of the host star. Spectra obtained with the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) simultaneously provide diagnostics for most stellar parameters, but the first step in any analysis is the determination of the effective temperature. Here we report the calibration of high-resolution H-band spectra to accurately determine effective temperature for stars between 4000-3000 K ($\sim$K8--M5) using absorption line depths of Fe I, OH, and Al I. The field star sample used here contains 254 K and M stars with temperatures derived using BT-Settl synthetic spectra. We use 106 stars with precise temperatures in the literature to calibrate our method with typical errors of about 140 K, and systematic uncertainties less than $\sim$120 K. For the broadest applicability, we present T$_{\rm eff}$--line-depth-ratio relationships, which we test on 12 members of the TW Hydrae Association and at spectral resolving powers between $\sim$10,000--120,000. These ratios offer a simple but accurate measure of effective temperature in cool stars that is distance and reddening independent.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures and 3 tables. Accepted in Ap

Effect of COVID-19 quarantine on the sleep quality and the depressive symptom levels of university students in Jordan during the spring of 2020

Objectives: This study was designed to assess the effect of COVID-19 home quarantine and its lifestyle challenges on the sleep quality and mental health of a large sample of undergraduate University students in Jordan. It is the first study applied to the Jordanian population. The aim was to investigate how quarantine for several weeks changed the students' habits and affected their mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random representative sample of 6,157 undergraduate students (mean age 19.79 ± 1.67 years, males 28.7%) from the University of Jordan through voluntarily filling an online questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess sleep quality and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: The PSQI mean score for the study participants was 8.1 ± 3.6. The sleep quality of three-quarters of the participants was negatively affected by the extended quarantine. Nearly half of the participants reported poor sleep quality. The prevalence of poor sleep quality among participants was 76% (males: 71.5% and females: 77.8%). Similarly, the prevalence of the depressive symptoms was 71% (34% for moderate and 37% for high depressive symptoms), with females showing higher prevalence than males. The overall mean CES-D score for the group with low depressive symptoms is 9.3, for the moderate group is 19.8, while it is 34.3 for the high depressive symptoms group. More than half of the students (62.5%) reported that the quarantine had a negative effect on their mental health. Finally, females, smokers, and students with decreased income levels during the extended quarantine were the common exposures that are significantly associated with a higher risk of developing sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Mass and extended quarantine succeeded in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus; however, it comes with a high cost of potential psychological impacts. Most of the students reported that they suffer from sleeping disorders and had a degree of depressive symptoms. Officials should provide psychological support and clear guidance to help the general public to reduce these potential effects and overcome the quarantine period with minimum negative impacts

COVID-19 vaccination rates among adolescents (12–17 years) by immigrant background and sociodemographic factors: A nationwide registry study in Norway

publishedVersio

Towards A More Safe Environment: (2) Characterization of Some Clay Sediments in Egypt for Safe Environmental Applications

Abstract: Due to the increase concerns about the environmental pollution problems, it is so important in waste management to perform an accurate exploration of geological barriers, which are suitable for waste materials disposal. Clay sediments play an important role as natural adsorbents to immobilize different types of contaminants (heavy metals, organic pollutants and nuclear elements) from ecosystem. In the present study three natural clay sediments differ in their mineralogical composition were selected. The clay samples were collected from either clay exploitation localities or from nearby radioactive mineralization in Egypt. The clay samples (kalabsha, Abu-Tartur and El-Hafafit) firstly investigated radiometrically by measuring some radioactive elements by Gamma-ray spectrometry. Then physical , mechanical and chemical characteristics were recognized. The mineralogical composition of selected clay sediments was characterized by the XRD analysis, IR spectroscopy and DTA techniques. Analyses of the major and trace elements were carried out as indication of chemical composition of the sediments. Obtained results indicated that the sediments are safe and free from any radioactive materials or toxic metals and had suitable cation and anion capacity, low salinity; clayey fraction, dominated by clay minerals with high percentage. Thus, these sediments considered excellent geological barriers and suitable for several environmental applications

Management and outcomes of unilateral group d tumors in retinoblastoma

Purpose: Retinoblastoma presents most commonly as advanced unilateral disease, particularly in developing countries for which primary enucleation has been the preferred method of treatment. However, with the evolution of newer treatment modalities including intravitreal chemotherapy, intra-arterial chemotherapy and newer chemotherapeutic combinations, a trend towards more conservative approaches is being observed. Our aim is to evaluate outcomes of group D eyes following conservative and non-conservative treatment options. Patients and Methods: The ocular oncology database was used to identify eyes with unilateral retinoblastoma that fulfilled the International Intraocular Retinoblastoma Classification (IIRC) group D criteria from August 2010 to August 2018 and these were retrospectively reviewed. Overall, 39 eyes were identified. Results: Nineteen (49%) eyes underwent primary enucleation and 20 (51%) received eyeconserving treatment. Eye salvage was possible in 15 (75%) eyes in the attempted salvage group. None of the patient revealed signs of metastasis. All eyes received conventional chemotherapy (carboplatin, vincristine, etoposide) and focal laser therapy. Additional treatment modalities offered included intravitreal chemotherapy, intra-arterial chemotherapy and topotecan. Three (11%) eyes in the primary enucleation group showed high-risk features on histopathology and none developed metastasis. Conclusion: The results of the study seem promising and conservative measures can be adopted in selected unilateral group D eyes

Delayed intravitreal anti-vegf therapy for patients during the covid-19 lockdown: An ethical endeavor

Purpose: To assess the impact of Jordanian’s Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown on visual acuity and macular thickness in patients with macular edema receiving intravitreal injections, and to assess the ethical endeavor of lockdown among serious sight threatening conditions. Patients and Methods: This retrospective observational study included patients planned for intravitreal injections who did not complete the planned course before the lockdown (ie, before 20th of March 2020). Data included demographics, indication for the intravitreal injection, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and central macular thickness on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) before and after the lockdown. Results: One-hundred and sixty-six eyes of 125 patients were studied, 68 (54.4%) patients were males, and the mean (± standard deviation, SD) age was 64.79 (±9.41) years. Mean (±SD) duration of delay in the planned injection was 60.97 (±24.35) days. The change in visual acuity was statistically significant for patients with diabetic macular edema (p= 0.045 improvement), patients with central retinal vein thrombosis (CRVO) (p= 0.05 deterioration), and patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (p= 0.005 deterioration). Of interest, delay of more than 2 months and the previous need for 3 or more injections were significant poor prognostic factors for visual outcome for patients with diabetic macular edema (p=0.027 and 0.045). Conclusion: The impact of delay in the scheduled intravitreal injections resulted in variable outcomes depending on the indication. Triaging the urgency of patients should be based on the indication to support the equity principle of bioethics, where those in need are prioritized against others, depending on potential adverse outcome