An Airline Ab Initio Flight Training Program in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): An Analytical Approach toward Emiratization

The continuous establishment and expansion of UAE airlines has led to a demand for qualified pilots in the region of the Persian Gulf. The shortage of UAE national pilots has compelled the local airlines to employ pilots with foreign nationalities. Though the UAE government has implemented a program within the Emirates to increase the number of nationals in the work force (referred to as Emiratization), there has been little headway within the aviation sector. As a result, this thesis was undertaken to develop an ab initio training program that would increase the percentage of UAE nationals among the UAE airline pilots’ population. The project has fallen within the guidelines of some US voluntary programs, such as the Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) and the FAA/lndustry Training Standards (FITS). The analysis of data acquired from an airline\u27s ab initio program has aided in a new proposal for flight training in the UAE

Modernity and Disenchantment: Charles Taylor on the Identity of the Modern Self

In his magnum opus, Sources of the Self: The Making of Modern Identity (1989), Charles Taylor gives an exhaustive and teleologically interpretive history of the modern self. He, in fact, is in search of the core of the modern identity. By ‘identity’ Taylor means the ensemble of the understanding of what is to be a ‘human agent’, a ‘person’, a ‘self’. Taylor in generating the ontology of the self is greatly inspired by the understanding of Dasein in Heidegger. This paper also focuses on how Taylor uses Heidegger’s hermeneutics of the self in several ways to give to modernity a base that is not Cartesian. Taylor’s central argument is ‘how the assertion of the modern individual has spawned an erroneous understanding (identity) of the self’, where one experiences a loss of horizon. He has turned our attention, more than anyone else, towards the communitarian constitution of the self, and pointed out the limitations of insights within liberal individualism. For Taylor, as for early Heidegger, the self is not neutral or atomic. The self exists only in terms of questions and constitutive concerns, and it is not amenable to arbitrary determination, but can be made sense of only in terms of its life as a whole at any moment

A hybrid evaluation approach and guidance for mHealth education applications

© Springer International Publishing AG 2018. Mobile health education applications (MHEAs) are used to support different users. However, although these applications are increasing in number, there is no effective evaluation framework to measure their usability and thus save effort and time for their many user groups. This paper outlines a useful framework for evaluating MHEAs, together with particular evaluation metrics: an efficient hybrid of selected heuristic evaluation (HE) and usability evaluation (UE) factors to enable the determination of the usefulness and usability of MHEAs. We also propose a guidance tool to help stakeholders choose the most suitable MHEA. The outcome of this framework is envisioned as meeting the requirements of different users, in addition to enhancing the development of MHEAs using software engineering approaches by creating new and more effective evaluation techniques. Finally, we present qualitative and quantitative results for the framework when used with MHEAs

Porokeratosis ptychotropica: a rare case report with unusual presentation

Porokeratosis is a rare disorder of epidermal keratinization characterized clinically by annular plaque with thread like hyperkeratotic border with a central groove that expand centrifugally and this border corresponds to coronoid lamellae histologically which are the columns of parakeratosis that overlie an epidermal invagination with loss of granular layer and dyskeratosis of upper spinous keratinocytes. The disorder was erroneously named porokeratosis because the coronoid lamella was initially described as being present over a sweat pore, which is a fixed structure that cannot expand peripherally. Five primary clinical variants have been described: classic porokeratosis of mibelli, disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis, linear porokeratosis, punctate porokeratosis and porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminate. Porokeratosis ptychotropica one of the rare variants of porokeratosis described by lucker et al which has been added recently in the classification. It is characterized clinically by symmetrical verrucous papules and plaques resembling psoriasis plaque in the gluteal cleft, buttocks and rarely extends to genitalia and histologically by multiple coronoid lamella. We report a case of 43year old female, presented with 10years duration of pruritic raised skin lesion over the left gluteal region. Dermatological examination revealed single well defined erythematous scaly plaque with central atrophy, hyperpigmentation and peripheral thread like elevated border. Histopathological examination revealed multiple coronoid lamella which is the hallmark for porokeratosis ptychotropica, confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was treated with 5-fluorouracil cream. we report this case due to its rarity and the unusual presentation of single plaque of porokeratosis ptychotropica

Seed quality and germination in selected hybrids of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq.)

Different indigenous oil palm hybrids were evaluated with an objective to assess their quality and to develop seed quality standards in commercial seed production centers. Majority of the indigenous hybrids had large proportion of small seeds and their percentage of distribution varied according to the hybrids. The different hybrid combinations recorded coefficient of variation of 11.70, 11.28 and 15.35 for seed weight, shell weight and kernel weight, respectively. Large seed group in all the crosses had high seed weight, shell weight, shell thickness and kernel weight. Though shell thickness had significant differences among crosses and size groups, the coefficient of variation recorded (6.38%) was low compared to other characteristics. Selected hybrids had low average kernel weight of 1.63, 1.05 and 0.74 g for large, medium and small seeds, respectively. In this study, high and low germination percentage was recorded in all the categories of seed groups irrespective of their sizes. All the seed physical parameters studied were positively correlated which are highly significant

High Strength Concrete Beams Reinforced with Hooked Steel Fibers under Pure Torsion

A study of the behavior of fibers in high-strength reinforced concrete beams is presented in this paper. Twelve reinforced concrete beams were tested under a pure torsion load. Different compressive strengths (45.2, 64.7, and 84.8 MPa) and fiber volume fractions (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) with variable spacing between transverse reinforcements have been used. It was discovered that the maximum torque of a high-strength concrete beam is increased by about 20.3, 25.6, and 27.1% when the fractional volume of fiber is increased from 0 to 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 respectively (when the compressive strength is 45.2 MPa and the transverse reinforcement spacing is 100 mm). The test results show that the ultimate torsional strength becomes higher when the concrete compressive strength increases, and this percentage increase becomes higher with increasing steel fiber volume fraction. When the spacing between transverse reinforcements decreases from 150 to 100 mm, the ultimate torque increases by 19.9%. When the spacing between transverse reinforcements decreases from 100 to 60 mm, the ultimate torque increases by 17.0%. In these beams, the fibers’ compressive strength and volume fraction were kept constant at 45.2 MPa and 0.75, respectively. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-01-07 Full Text: PD

Prevalence and pattern of PCOS in women presenting with acne, a hospital based prospective observational study

Background: Acne is one of the most common dermatological conditions encountered in day to day practice. Many recent studies have reported a strong association between acne and underlying systemic endocrine disorders, more particularly Poly cystic ovarian syndrome. But there is scarcity of literature on the subjects in Indian population. Hence the present study was conducted with an objective of studying the association between acne and polycystic ovarian syndrome, in women presenting with adult onset acne to a tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in department of dermatology, Dhananalakshmi Srinivasan medical college and hospital, Permabalur from January 2016 to August 2017. The study population included women above 18 years of age clinically diagnosed with acne vulgaris. The presence of polycystic ovarian syndrome was assessed using Rotterdam criteria.Results: The final analysis had included 100 women with acne. The most common type of lesion observed was comedone in 91% of women. The other most common lesions were papule seen in 73%, pustule in 35% of women. The proportion with grade I, Grade II and grade III acne was 58%, 29% and 13% respectively. The prevalence of PCOS was 30% (95% CI 21.89% to 39.58%). PCOS had shown no statistically significant association with age, marital status and regularity of menstrual cycle. The factors which have shown statistically significant association were higher BMI, presence of Hirsutism and higher waist circumference.Conclusions: PCOS is highly prevalent among women with acne. Presence of hirsutism, obesity are strong risk factors for PCOS

Cutaneous markers of obesity

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly all over the world. Obesity is accompanied by increasing mortality and morbidity due to conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other metabolic complications. Obesity has multiple psychological impacts as well due to discrimination and bias. Cutaneous manifestations of obesity are common due to factors such as mechanical stresses, hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance. Understanding the epidemiology of cutaneous manifestations among obese individuals will aid in better patient management.Methods: A cross sectional descriptive observational study was conducted over a period of 2 years from August 2010 to August 2012 in the Dermatology outpatient Department of a tertiary care hospital. Information on socio-demographic variables such as age, gender was collected along with anthropometry and biochemical parameters. Individuals were classified based on their type of obesity and health risk assessed using waist-hip ratio. Cutaneous manifestations of obesity were assessed using appropriate methods wherever applicable.Results: The study population consisted predominantly of individuals 20 to 40 years of age. The proportion of females were twice than males. Co-existing illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and polycystic ovarian disease were present. Only 21% of the individuals reported exercising regularly. Most individuals had mild obesity and elevated waist-hip ratio. Acanthosis nigricans was the most common cutaneous manifestation present among 95% individuals. The other common cutaneous manifestations were striae distense, acrochordons, intertrigo, dermatophytosis and folliculitis.Conclusions: The cutaneous manifestations of obesity are due to multiple factors such as mechanical stresses and hormonal imbalances. This study indicates a high prevalence of cutaneous manifestations among obese individuals. Understanding the etiopathogenesis will facilitate in screening the high-risk individuals who present with cutaneous manifestations for other underlying illnesses. In addition, management of cutaneous manifestations will prevent the cosmetic side effects among obese individuals thus limiting the psychological effects

Consumer online purchase behaviour: perception versus expectation

Conceptualising online customer behaviour is very important, as more and more customers are interested in buying products through online. To capture online customer behaviour, this study has conducted empirical research in Bangladesh among general online customers who have experience in online buying or have an intention to buy from online boutique websites in Bangladesh. In this regard, the quality-purchase interaction model that was developed, based on both customer perception and the expectation of buying online from business-to-consumer electronic-commerce in Bangladesh, was used to capture actual customer behaviour or behavioural intention for online purchasing. We conducted path analysis through LISREL to reveal the causal relation between independent and dependent variables. There are some significant differences between online buying behaviour and the behavioural intention to buy online, that is between customers who have experience of online buying from a boutique website and those who have the intention to buy online but have not yet gotten an online buying experience

Evaluation of the effects of tramadol and diclofenac alone and in combination on post-cesarean pain

Background: Post-cesarean pain is a common cause of acute pain in the obstetrics. Pain in the postoperative period is an important impediment to recovery from surgery and anesthesia. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of postoperative analgesia and incidence of side-effects of centrally acting drug tramadol with peripherally acting drug diclofenac alone and in combination in patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia.Methods: The study population of 90 patients was randomly divided into three groups of 30 each to receive the following treatments: tramadol (Group T), diclofenac (Group D), tramadol and diclofenac at reduced doses (Group TD).Results: Combination of tramadol and diclofenac produced significantly early analgesia in comparison to tramadol or diclofenac alone and decrease in the incidence of side-effects.Conclusion: We conclude that a multimodal approach to post-cesarean management with a combination of tramadol and diclofenac produced better analgesia than individual drugs and a reduction in the side-effects. Such a combination approach to relieve pain is more effective and advantageous