Poverty Effects of House Holds in the Southern Region of Jordan

This study investigated the poverty effects of households in the southern region of Jordan, Madaba, Aqaba, Tafila governorates.The poverty ratio in this region exceeds 28.7%,  . Data was collected by the use of questionnaire which addressed questions related to the study. A total of 900 questionnaires were given out to all the population. Of these, 180 questionnaires were re-called from each local government. The variables of research – per capita expenditure, per capital income, age of respondent, sex (male or female head count), the age structure of the population shows a significant difference in the household saving rate. Idiosyncratic and covariate factors affect the expected per capita consumption of the overall expected poverty for this area. Not less than 80% expected poverty is synonymous with southern region according to these variables. The highest variance occurred in education head count levels which can be divided into five categories. Male-headed households have lower mean consumption than female-headed households. As the determinants of households of the southern region and structures of variables to link the results and actions, therefore the paper, extends the usual of set of explanatory variables which explained the household behavior and to capture their influential impact on household and life cycle dependency ratio admitted as explanatory due to a young, under-educated populace, which is compounded by a heavy responsibility on male-headed count per female. The paper found that the growth of the agricultural sector is slow which means that most of the southern region depends on returns of this sector beyond the dependence on civilian employement to support their household. These results provides a big support for life cycle hypothesis as well as the permanent income hypothesis.We noticed that poverty is a predominant as phenomenon as it is pervasive, with over 30% of the population falling below the poverty line in Jordan. This paper assesses the impact of poverty in the level of determinants of households. Jel elassification: 053, D21, J20, E1

The Effect of Using Concept Maps and Brainstorming Strategies to Develop Creative Thinking Skills Among Students of Islamic Culture at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University

This study aims at determining the effect of using concept maps and brainstorming strategies to develop creative thinking skills among students of Islamic culture at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University. To achieve this, the research adopted the quasi-experimental method to reach the final results. The study population consisted of (477) male and female students who studied the Islamic Culture at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University for the academic year 2021/2022. An intentional sample of (130) male and female students who study the subject in the second semester was selected. The researchers prepared two scientific tools for the educational topic, the first was an educational unit from the Islamic Culture study plan, which is the unit of (Fasting), prepared according to the strategies of concept maps and brainstorming; and the second is a creative thinking test tool to measure the impact of the two teaching strategies. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the creative thinking test attributed to the teaching strategies, in favor of brainstorming compared to the traditional method and the concept maps. The results also showed that there were differences attributed to the concept maps strategy compared to the traditional method. Moreover, the results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the performance arithmetic averages of the three study groups (the concept maps, the brainstorming, and the traditional method) attributed to the interaction between the strategy and gender variables on the creative thinking test

Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water with Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles Coated with Nano-Titanium Dioxide

Water disinfection processes in the presence of titanium dioxide as a photo-catalyst material provide an interesting route to destroy contaminants, being operational in the UV-A domain with a potential use of solar radiation. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) have been developed to meet the increasing need of an effective wastewater treatment. AOP generates powerful oxidizing agent hydroxyl radicals which completely destroy the pollutants in waste water. Solar disinfection of drinking water with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles coated with photo-catalyst TiO2 has been shown to be very effective. The study is based on comparison between three systems for treating contaminated water samples using PET bottles. First system was a PET untreated bottle, the second system was a PET bottle coated with black paint on its outer surface. Finally the third system was a PET bottle coated also with a black coat on its outer surface and its inner part was treated with citric acid solution to enable np-TiO2 to cover the surface later on, then 0.2 g of np-TiO2 powder (of particle size <25 nm, Sigma-Aldrich) was added. The total bacterial accounts were determined to monitor the effect in the three systems. The experimental results have shown that disinfecting water with merely UV was less effective than combining the bottle with heat effect, and adding TiO2 film was further more benefited. This work can be applied in rural areas, with no technical support or need for expensive/dangerous chemicals for drinking safe water even if is stored for two days

Development of novel formulations to enhance in vivo transdermal permeation of tocopherol

Tocopherol represents a big challenge for transdermal permeation owing to its extreme hydrophobicity and large molecular mass. The aim of the present study was to develop alpha-tocopherol (T) topical formulations and evaluate the ex vivo and in vivo permeation. Franz diffusion cells were used for the ex vivo permeation, and neonatal rats were used for in vivo permeation. Seven gel formulations and 21 liquid formulations were investigated for physical stability, viscosity and permeation of T. Analysis of T was performed by a validated HPLC method using a UV detector.The ex vivo permeation from gel and emulsion formulations was very poor (0.001–0.015 %). The highest permeation was observed from monophasic liquid formulations containing dimethyl sulfuxide (DMSO), tocopheryl polyethylene glycols (TPGs), propylene glycol, ethanol, and 9.5 % T. The in vivo results demonstrated higher retention in the epidermis compared to subcutaneous tissues; 1377 and 1.13 µg g–1, respectively. Increasing T concentration from 4.8 to 9.5 % did not increase the amount permeated or % of T retained. It was concluded that simple solutions of T in presence of DMSO and TPGs are more promising systems for effective transdermal permeation; compared to gel, emulsion or oleaginous systems

Economic Analysis of Stand-Alone Hybrid Wind/PV/Diesel Water Pumping System: A Case Study in Egypt

The design and evaluation of a stand-alone hybrid renewable energy system for pumping underground water for small farm irrigation is presented. Given environmental conditions, system specifications and daily load demand data, the optimal size of main system components is obtained using a sizing algorithm. Different renewable energy systems are compared using yearly simulations, on hourly base via specialized commercial software simulation packages PVSYST and HOMER, to simulate the system performance and to reach the optimum configurations based on the objective criteria. The criteria used in economic optimization are the net present cost and the cost of energy, with the percent of the capacity shortage. The following systems can be compared: PV only, PV with horizontal axis wind turbine, PV with vertical axis wind turbine, and PV with horizontal axis wind turbine and diesel generator and diesel generator only. The simulation also was carried out for different load patterns for optimum operation. The study was illustrated for climatic conditions of an isolated area in El-Tour City, Sinai, Egypt. The installed 3.42 kW PV water pumping system for irrigation purposes in the same site was also described

A novel mutation in HSD11B2 causes apparent mineralocorticoid excess in an Omani kindred

Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder causing severe hypertension in childhood due to a deficiency of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2), which is encoded by HSD11B2. Without treatment, chronic hypertension leads to early development of end-organ damage. Approximately 40 causative mutations in HSD11B2 have been identified in ∼100 AME patients worldwide. We have studied the clinical presentation, biochemical parameters, and molecular genetics in six patients from a consanguineous Omani family with AME. DNA sequence analysis of affected members of this family revealed homozygous c.799A>G mutations within exon 4 of HSD11B2, corresponding to a p.T267A mutation of 11βHSD2. The structural change and predicted consequences owing to the p.T267A mutation have been modeled in silico. We conclude that this novel mutation is responsible for AME in this family

Inflammatory Cytokines Are Associated with Cognitive Dysfunction and Depressive State during Acute Bacterial Infections and the Recovery Phase

During a bacterial infection, individuals may present with behavioral changes referred to as sickness behavior, which has been suggested is induced by the inflammatory markers that are released because of the infective immunological challenge. However, few studies have explored this multidimensional phenomenon in naturally occurring conditions. A longitudinal observational study was conducted to explore the role of inflammatory cytokines in mediating the sickness behavior during a bacterial infection. There were 13, 11 and 37 participants in the infection, hospital control and healthy groups, respectively. They were all followed up for 6 weeks and their inflammatory markers were quantified throughout those weeks. Cognitive function and depressive state were assessed by means of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD). Reductions in proinflammatory markers C-Reactive protein (CRP), interleukin – 6 (IL6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and increments in anti-inflammatory markers (interleukin – 4 (IL4)) were associated with an improvement in CSDD and MSEE in patients recovering from a bacterial infection. The correlation between inflammatory makers and CSDD was statistically significant for the CRP (r = 0.535, p = 0.001), the IL6 (r = 0.499, p < 0.001), the TNFα (r = 0.235, p = 0.007) and the IL4 (r = −0.321, p = 0.018). Inflammatory cytokines may mediate sickness behavior during acute illness. These results may enhance the understanding of the pathophysiology and potential treatment strategies to palliate this sickness behavior

How Can Bullying Victimisation Lead to Lower Academic Achievement? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Mediating Role of Cognitive-Motivational Factors

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Bullying involvement may have an adverse effect on children’s educational outcomes, particularly academic achievement. However, the underlying mechanisms and factors behind this association are not well-understood. Previous meta-analyses have not investigated mediation factors between bullying and academic achievement. This meta-analysis examines the mediation effect of cognitive-motivational factors on the relationship between peer victimization and academic achievement. A systematic search was performed using specific search terms and search engines to identify relevant studies that were selected according to specific criteria resulting in 11 studies encompassing a sample total of 257,247 children (10 years and younger) and adolescents (11 years and older) (48–59% female). Some studies were longitudinal and some cross sectional and the assessment for each factor was performed by various methods (self, peer, teacher, school and mixed reports). Children involved in bullying behaviour were less likely to be academically engaged (k = 4) (OR = 0.571, 95% CI [0.43, 0.77], p = 0.000), to be less motivated (k = 7) (OR = 0.82, 95% CI [0.69, 0.97], p = 0.021), to have lower self-esteem (k = 1) (OR = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07, 0.20], p = 0.000) and lower academic achievement (k = 14) (OR = 0.62, 95% CI [0.49, 0.79], p = 0.000). Bullying involvement was also significantly related to overall cognitive-motivational factors (k = 17, OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.59, 0.76], p = 0.000). Cognitive-motivational factors, taken together, mediated the association between bullying victimisation and academic achievement (k = 7, OR = 0.74, 95% CI (0.72, 0.77), p = 0.000). Bullying victimisation was negatively related to cognitive-motivational factors, which, in turn, was associated with poorer academic achievement. These findings were moderated by the design of the studies, assessment methods for the bullying reports, mediators and outcomes, country, age of children in the sample and/or types of bullying. The findings are of relevance for practitioners, parents, and schools, and can be used to guide bullying interventions. Interventions should focus on improving internal and external motivational factors including components of positive reinforcement, encouragement, and programs for enhancing academic engagement and achievement amongst children and adolescents.Qatar National Research Fun

A Critical Examination of the Potential Benefits of Theophylline on Extended Acute Inflammation in Old Age.

This chapter presents a critical review of the potential benefits of theophylline as a means to reduce the burden of post-acute inflammation in older age groups. A pro-inflammatory state often persists, or is extended, after sepsis, trauma and other acute illnesses in old age, particularly above the age of 80 years. The presence of inflammation at above-baseline amplitudes or excessive duration is associated with a higher likelihood of delirium, anorexia, unplanned weight loss, lethargy, depression, weakness and other markers of frailty. There is also an association with less favourable clinical outcomes and a higher risk of losing personal independence. Theophylline has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect, probably mediated through the induction of histone deacetylase-dependent gene switching in immune competent cells, that has been observed at cellular and whole organism levels. The main effects are a reduction in the production and release of TNF, IL-1 and IL-6, with a sequential fall in CRP and increase in IL-10, and a change of immune cells to their anti-inflammatory phenotypes. This happens when theophylline levels are between 5 and 10 mg/L, which is lower than the range for bronchodilators (10 to 15 mg/L) and presents a relatively low risk of toxicity. We hypothesize that low-dose theophylline treatment given to elderly subjects with acute inflammation, for example due to respiratory infection, septicaemia or trauma, will change the setting of their biochemical status from an inappropriately extended pro-inflammatory pattern toward a more normalized baseline pattern and consequently reduce the risk of adverse clinical outcomes

Regularized multiframe super-resolution image reconstruction using linear and nonlinear filters

The primary goal of the multiframe super-resolution image reconstruction is to produce an image with a higher resolution by integrating information extracted from a set of corresponding images with low resolution, which is used in various fields. However, super-resolution image reconstruction approaches are typically affected by annoying restorative artifacts, including blurring, noise, and staircasing effect. Accordingly, it is always difficult to balance between smoothness and edge preservation. In this paper, we intend to enhance the efficiency of multiframe super-resolution image reconstruction in order to optimize both analysis and human interpretation processes by improving the pictorial information and enhancing the automatic machine perception. As a result, we propose new approaches that firstly rely on estimating the initial high-resolution image through preprocessing of the reference low-resolution image based on median, mean, Lucy-Richardson, and Wiener filters. )is preprocessing stage is used to overcome the degradation present in the reference low-resolution image, which is a suitable kernel for producing the initial high-resolution image to be used in the reconstruction phase of the final image. then, L2 norm is employed for the data-fidelity term to minimize the residual among the predicted high-resolution image and the observed low-resolution images. Finally, bilateral total variation prior model is utilized to restrict the minimization function to a stable state of the generated HR image. )e experimental results of the synthetic data indicate that the proposed approaches have enhanced efficiency visually and quantitatively compared to other existing approaches