Family language policies of Saudi student families in the UK: parental language beliefs, practices and management

In the UK different types of bi/ multilingual families have created unprecedented cultural and linguistic diversity. One type of family that is as yet minimally researched is the sojourning student-family. In these families, parents and their children are exposed to a variety of experiences that inform their language choices, with children becoming active agents in shaping family language policy (FLP). This study investigates how sojourning student families navigate their children's language learning in the host country. It focuses on the parental language policies implemented, how parental language ideologies influence family members’ language practices, when examining children’s socialisation within the contexts of both the minority language (Arabic) and the majority language (English). The study employs a multiple-case-studies approach using qualitative methods within a constructivist paradigm and FLP theoretical framework, to explore the FLP of six Saudi student families residing in the UK, and the influence of micro and macro forces on FLP construction, both inside the home and at societal level. Data was collected over a nine month period and comprised self-audio-recordings of family members’ daily interactions, audit forms, background forms and semi-structured interviews with mothers. Thematic Analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings reveal the greater the agreement between parents’ language practices and their FLP, the more they influence children's bilingual development. Some incongruities emerged between the mothers’ declared language ideologies and the actual language used, and child agency and external forces were observed to contribute to this. FLP was also found to be negotiated and reconstructed to suit the language needs and familial circumstances of transnational sojourning families, providing implications for parents, schools, and policymakers

Human platelets express CAR with localization at the sites of intercellular interaction

Adenovirus has a wide tissue tropism. The virus attaches to the surface of cells via the fiber protein knob binding to the Coxsackie and Adenovirus receptor known as CAR. Virus entry inside cells is facilitated by integrins αVβ3 and αVβ5. Mice platelets are shown to be the predominant Ad binding blood cell type and the virus is documented inside platelets. CAR was identified on human platelets in one study yet contradicted in another. The presence of CAR appears to be the most reasonable initial step for virus entry into platelets and is a key to the understanding of platelet adenovirus interaction. This study aimed to re investigate the presence of CAR on human platelets. Platelets were tested by indirect immune-fluorescence using rabbit H-300 polyclonal anti-CAR antibody and goat anti-rabbit IgG F(ab')2 Texas Red antibodies, alongside with CAR positive and negative controls. Platelets were found to express CAR on their surface and in contrast to the previous study only 3.5 ± 1.9% of the tested platelets did express CAR. In addition, CAR was seen within intracellular aggregates localized at the sites of cell-cell contacts indicating that CAR expression might be upregulated in response to platelet stimulation. We confirm the presence of CAR on human platelets, we provide explanation to some of the discrepancies in this regards and we add that this receptor is localized at the sites of intercellular interaction

Hand Hygiene among Hospital Staff: A Survey of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in A General Hospital in Syria

Poor hand-hygiene adherence endangers the safety of both healthcare workers and patients. A cross-sectional Knowledge Attitudes Practicing (KAP) survey (n= 268) and an observation of hand-hygiene compliance (n= 36) were conducted among staff in a general hospital in Syria. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of compliance with hand hygiene protocols by general health care workers including their knowledge, attitude and practice. The mean overall observed hand-hygiene compliance rate was 45.7% (95% CI 37.1 – 54.3). Nurses were observed to have better compliance than physicians. Staff were observed to be more concerned in performing hand-hygiene after than before patient contact (before mean= 32.0%, after mean= 51.2%, p< 0.05). The questionnaire showed that there was a significant correlation between knowledge, attitude, and facilities on the one hand and poor self-reported adherence on the other. Multivariate analysis showed that poor adherence was statistically significantly associated with males (63.5%), untrained staff (58.5%) and unavailability of washing basins (60.4%).  Poor adherence was high in ICU, among younger and unaware participants.   Keywords: compliance, hand hygiene, hospital acquired infection, healthcare workers, Knowledge-Attituded-Practice (KAP), patient safety Abstrak   Kepatuhan pada kebersihan tangan yang buruk membahayakan keselamatan tenaga kesehatan dan pasien. Survei potong lintang Pengetahuan Sikap Praktek (n= 268) dan observasi kepatuhan kebersihan tangan (n= 36) dilakukan di antara staf di rumah sakit umum di Suriah. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi tingkat kepatuhan dengan protokol kebersihan tangan oleh tenaga kesehatan termasuk pengetahuan, sikap dan praktik mereka. Rerata tingkat kepatuhan kebersihan tangan yang diamati secara keseluruhan adalah 45,7% (95% CI 37,1-54,3). Perawat diamati memiliki kepatuhan yang lebih baik daripada dokter. Staf yang diamati tampak lebih peduli melakukan kebersihan tangan setelah kontak dengan pasien dibanding sebelum kontak (rerata sebelum= 32,0%, rerata setelah= 51,2%, p< 0,05). Hasil kuesioner menunjukkan bahwa ada korelasi yang signifikan antara pengetahuan, sikap, dan fasilitas, namun disisi lain kepatuhan dilaporkan buruk. Analisis multivariat menunjukkan bahwa kepatuhan yang buruk secara statistik terkait secara signifikan dengan jenis kelamin laki-laki (63,5%), staf tidak terlatih (58,5%) dan tidak tersedianya tempat cuci tangan (60,4%). Tingkat kepatuhan yang rendah angkanya ditemukan cukup tinggi di ICU, di antara responden yang lebih muda dan tidak sadar.   Kata Kunci: kebersihan tangan, kepatuhan, hospital acquired infection, tenaga kesehatan, keselamatan pasien, Pengetahuan-Sikap-Prakti

The relationship of market oritentation and learning orientation with sme’s performance in the context of pakistan

The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) plays a crucial part in country’s economic growth and a key contributor in country’s GDP. In Pakistan SMEs hold about 90 percent of the total business. The performance of SMEs depends upon many factors. The main purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Market Orientation with SME’s Performance in Pakistan Conclusively, this study proposes a new research direction and proposition development to inspect the relationship among the variables in Pakistan’s SMEs context

Novel Method of Improving Quality of Service for Voice over Internet Protocol Traffic in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In recent years, the application of Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been increased.  However, the level of Quality of Service (QoS) for VoIP traffic in MANET, while there is no infrastructure, will reduce when dealing with a large number of calls. In this type of dynamic environment, the developing of a new infrastructure becomes more costly and time-consuming. In this paper, we proposed an efficient method, called the Quality of Service-Nearest Neighbor (QoS-NN), to improve the QoS level for VoIP in order to manage the huge number of calls over MANET network. We utilized the Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) protocol as the underlying routing protocol to implement our proposed method. We evaluated the proposed QoS-NN method using Network Simulator version 2 (NS2). The performance of the proposed QoS-NN method was compared with Lexicographic order method. The comparison was evaluated in terms of R-factor, end-to-end delay, packet loss ratio, and packet delivery ratio performance metrics. In addition, the proposed method evaluated under different network parameters such as VoIP CODECs, node mobility speed, number of calls and number of nodes. The comparison results indicate that the proposed QoS-NN outperform the Lexicographic order method

Prevalence of depression and its influence on the quality of life of Jordanians living in residential care facilities

BACKGROUND: As a third-world country experiencing a rise in the elderly population and changes to traditional family structures, improving psychological health is critical to improving quality of life (QoL) in the older adults living in residential care facilities in Jordan. PURPOSE: This study aimed to (a) estimate the prevalence of depression among nursing home (NH) residents in Jordan; (b) measure perceived QoL in these NH residents in the dimensions of mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain and discomfort, and anxiety/depression; and (c) assess the influence of depression on each of these QoL dimensions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited a convenience sample of 155 participants living in a residential care facility in Jordan. The instruments used included a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination, a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the EuroQol, which is a five-dimension, five-level questionnaire. The data were presented as means, standard deviations, and percentages as well as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: A high prevalence of depression was found in the study population, with 72.3% having a score between 6 and 9 on the GDS, which is suggestive of depression. Moreover, 18.1% scored ≥ 10 on the GDS, which is indicative of a nearly continual state of depression. With regard to the QoL dimensions, 84.5% of the participants reported experiencing pain, 81.9% reported anxiety/depression, 80.6% reported problems performing usual activities, 75.5% reported problems with self-care, and 63.2% reported mobility difficulties. Pain, anxiety, and depression were found to be significantly associated with level of depression (AOR = 2.78 and 95% CI [1.18, 6.57], AOR = 5.81 and 95% CI [2.14, 15.78], and AOR = 4.75 and 95% CI [1.87, 12.07], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Depression is common among NH residents in Jordan and is associated significantly with poor QoL. This study yielded empirical data that may be used to develop strategies to enhance or promote the mental health status and QoL of NH residents in Jordan

Spontaneous pregnancy loss mediated by abnormal maternal inflammation in rats is linked to deficient uteroplacental perfusion

Abnormal maternal inflammation during pregnancy is associated with spontaneous pregnancy loss and intrauterine fetal growth restriction. However, the mechanisms responsible for these pregnancy outcomes are not well understood. In this study, we used a rat model to demonstrate that pregnancy loss resulting from aberrant maternal inflammation is closely linked to deficient placental perfusion. Administration of LPS to pregnantWistar rats on gestational day 14.5, to induce maternal inflammation, caused fetal loss in a dose-dependent manner 3-4 h later, and surviving fetuses were significantly growth restricted. Pregnancy loss was associated with coagulopathy, structural abnormalities in the uteroplacental vasculature, decreased placental blood flow, and placental and fetal hypoxia within 3 h of LPS administration. This impairment in uteroplacental hemodynamics in LPS-treated rats was linked to increased uterine artery resistance and reduced spiral arteriole flow velocity. Pregnancy loss induced by LPS was prevented by maternal administration of the immunoregulatory cytokine IL-10 or by blocking TNF-α activity after treatment with etanercept (Enbrel). These results indicate that alterations in placental perfusion are responsible for fetal morbidities associated with aberrant maternal inflammation and support a rationale for investigating a potential use of immunomodulatory agents in the prevention of spontaneous pregnancy loss. Copyright © 2011 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc

COVID-19 Coagulopathies: Highlights of 2020–2021 Reported Data

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has evolved dramatically over the past two years, and literature on COVID-19 coagulopathy has been overwhelming, which complicates the process of understanding the literature or assessing the quality of the data available. The objective of this narrative review was to highlight and analyze data reported on COVID-19-induced coagulopathy and its outcomes in patients with severe or critical disease over two years of the pandemic. Methods: Studies published in high-impact journals reporting on hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients, their coagulation parameters, and their thrombotic complications were included. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Ovid between Dec 1, 2019 and July 18, 2021. We abstracted the following data: country; date of publication; total number, age, and sex of patients; detailed coagulation parameters; thrombotic complications; and anticoagulation data. Descriptive statistics, including percentages and averages, were used where applicable; otherwise, individual study data were presented. We used the New Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess risk of bias in the included studies. Results: A total of 18,581 patients (9,255 males) reported in 62 studies from 16 different countries published between March 2020 and July 2021 were included this review. The highest number of studies was reported in July–August 2020, with additional peaks in February and May 2021. Coagulation laboratory parameters were reported in most studies, with considerable heterogeneity. A key finding is a more pronounced pro-coagulant profile in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Controversy existed around thrombocytopenia and other platelet abnormalities in association with severe or late disease. Elevated D-dimer was consistently reported and was predictive of thrombosis and poor outcomes. Thrombosis occurred despite guideline-recommended thromboprophylaxis. Anticoagulation was reported in all studies, but practices were diverse, with 83% and 88% of studies in 2020 and 2021 respectively reporting thromboprophylaxis or thromboprophylaxis alongside treatment. Conclusion: This narrative review provided highlights of the literature regarding coagulation impairments, thrombotic complications, and anticoagulation use in COVID-19 patients over two years of the pandemic. We hope this analysis contributes to better understanding of COVID-19-induced coagulopathy and supports investigators designing future studies