Improving micro-hardness of stainless steel through powder-mixed electrical discharge machining

Powder-mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) is the technique of using dielectric fluid mixed with various types of powders to improve the machined surface output. The process is fast gaining prominence in electrical discharge machining (EDM) industry. The objective of this investigation is to determine the ability of tantalum carbide (TaC) powder-mixed dielectric fluid to enhance the surface properties of stainless steel material during EDM. The properties of investigated are the micro-hardness and corrosion characteristics of the EDMed surface. Machining was conducted with 25.0g/L concentration of TaC powder in kerosene dielectric fluid. The machining variables used were the peak current, pulse on time and pulse off time. The effects of variables on the micro-hardness of the EDMed surface were determined. Corrosion tests were also conducted on the samples that exhibited higher hardness. Results showed that the EDMed surface was alloyed with elements from the TaC powder. The micro-hardness obtained with PMEDM is about 1,200Hv. This is about 1.5 times obtained without TaC powder in the dielectric fluid. The loss in weight during corrosion test was found to be 0.056 ug/min for PMEDM which was lower than the lowest value of 10.56 ug/min obtained for the EDM without powder dielectric fluid

Extent of Implementing Accreditation and Quality Assurance Standards in Azal University of Human Development from the Faculty Members’ Perspective

هدف البحث إلى معرفة مدى تطبيق معايير ضمان الجودة والاعتماد الأكاديمي في جامعة آزال للتنمية البشرية من وجهة نظر أعضاء هيئة التدريس، ولتحقيق أهداف البحث تم اعتماد أحد أساليب المنهج الوصفي (التحليلي)، وتكون مجتمع البحث من جميع أعضاء هيئة التدريس العاملين في الجامعة، وتكونت عينة البحث من (94) عضو هيئة تدريس، بنسبة (48.45%) من إجمالي عدد أفراد المجتمع الأصلي، كما تم جمع البيانات بواسطة استبانة تم إعدادها لقياس أهداف البحث، وقد تكونت من جزأين تضمن الجزء الأول منها البيانات الشخصية، بينما تضمن الجزء الثاني معايير ضمان الجودة والاعتماد الأكاديمي، وتوصل البحث إلى النتائج الآتية: حصلت المعايير ككل على متوسط حسابي (3.44)، وانحراف معياري (0.76)، وكان مدى التطبيق (عالية). لا توجد فروق دالة إحصائيـًا بين استجابات أفراد عينة البحث حول مدى تطبيق المعايير تعزى لمتغيرات البحث المتمثلة بـ(الجنس - المؤهل العلمي – نوع الكلية - سنوات الخبرة في التدريس). وفي ضوء النتائج التي تم التوصل إليها، قدم البحث مجموعة من التوصيات أبرزها: ضرورة العمل على توفير مقومات تطبيق معايير ضمان الجودة والاعتماد الأكاديمي، سواء كانت المادية أو البشرية أو المالية، وتهيئة البيئة التعليمية الإيجابية لتكون مناسبة ومهيأة لتطبيق تلك المعايير بشكل تام. ومن أهم المقترحات التي قدمها البحث هو إجراء بحث مماثل على الجامعات وكليات المجتمع الحكومية والخاصة في اليمن. الكلمات المفتاحية: ضمان الجودة والاعتماد الأكاديمي، جامعة آزال للتنمية البشرية.The research aimed to find out how far accreditation and quality assurance standards in Azal University for human development are implemented from the perspective of faculty members. To achieve this objective, to the researchers adopted descriptive analytical approach techniques. The research population was all the teaching staff at the university; and the sample consisted of (94) faculty members, (48.45 %) of the total number of the population. A questionnaire was designed to collect data relevant to the testing of the research objectives. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first included the personal data, while the second part included the standards of accreditation and quality assurance. The study revealed the following results: The mean of implementing standards as a whole was (3.44), the standard deviation (0.76), and the extent of the using the standards was (high). There were no significant differences between the research participants’ responses about the extent of using the standards due to the variables (gender – Qualification – college type – years of teaching experience). In light of the results of the study, a set of recommendations were presented, including the need to provide the necessary requirements for implementing accreditation and quality assurance standards, whether material, human or financial resources, and creating a positive conducive learning environment to be suitable and ready for a complete implementation of quality standards. One of the main suggestions made by the research was to conduct a similar study on government and private universities and community colleges in Yemen. Keywords: Quality Assurance and accreditation; Azal University of Human Development

Present Situation of the Internal Quantitative Efficiency of Sanhan Community College – the Republic of Yemen

هدف البحث إلى معرفة واقع الكفاءة الداخلية الكمية لكلية المجتمع سنحان، وتحديد الكلفة السنوية للطالب بالكلية وتحديد الهدر المادي الناتج عن الرسوب والتسرب، واعتمد البحث بصفة أساسية على أسلوب إعادة تركيب الحياة الدراسية لحساب المؤشرات الدالة على الكفاءة الداخلية الكمية لكلية المجتمع سنحان، وذلك من خلال بناء الهيكل البياني للتدفق الطلابي الذي يسمح بحساب: (معدل النجاح، ومعدل الرسوب، ومعدل التسرب) للفوج الدراسي، ومن ثم حساب مؤشرات الكفاءة الداخلية الكمية ومستوى هذه الكفاءة. وأظهرت نتائج البحث أن نظام التعليم في كلية المجتمع سنحان لم يرق إلى المستوى المطلوب لتحقيق أهدافه الكمية مما أثر على كفاءته الداخلية الكمية، وكذلك أن نسبة الفقد الكمي الناتج عن الرسوب والتسرب لدى الطلبة بلغ (50%). وقدم البحث  بعض التوصيات لرفع مستوى هذه الكفاءة وزيادة فعاليتها لتصل إلى المستوى المأمول . الكلمات المفتاحية: الكفاءة الداخلية الكمية، كلية المجتمع سنحان، اليمن.The research aimed to explore the present situation of the internal quantitative efficiency of Sanhan community college, and to identify the annual cost per student and material waste resulting from failure and dropout. The study depended primarily on the method of restructuring the study life in order to measure the internal efficiency of quantitative indicators for the college.  This was done by building the chart structure of student flow, which allows calculating success rate, failure rate, and the dropout rate for each batch. This enabled the researchers to calculate the indicators of internal quantity efficiency and its level. The study results revealed that the educational system in Sanhan Community college has not reached the required standard, which impacted  the internal quantitative efficiency. In addition, the proportion of quantitative loss resulting from students’ failure and dropout was (50%). Some recommendations were also proposed in order to raise the efficiency and effectiveness level so as to reach the desired standard. Keywords: Internal quantity efficiency, Sanhan Community College, Yemen

New X-bar control chart using skewness correction method for skewed distributions with application in healthcare

Control chart has been long-established among the highly reputable tools in statistical process control (SPC) with extensive industrial application. Shewhart chart is one of the most popular charts, but its reliability is arguable when dealing with skewed data, due to inflated false alarm rate (Type I error). In alleviating the problem, this study has developed a new X-bar control chart for monitoring of process mean using skewness correction (SC) method for skewed distributions, thus named as SC- control chart. The SC method is incorporated into the standard Shewhart’s X-bar chart, leading to the proposed univariate SC- to monitor the process mean of skewed data. It offers asymmetric control limits using the usual three sigma and the same known function of the skewness estimated from subgroups without assuming any distribution. The chart’s constants, and skewness correction factor are computed via numerical integration. To evaluate the strength and weakness of the charts, several conditions are created from different types of distributions and subgroup sizes. The SC- performance evaluation based on the false alarm rates (FAR) and probability of out-of-control (OOC) detection are accomplished using Monte Carlo simulation in SAS version 9.4. To illustrate its applicability, a real data on healthcare is employed. Its FAR performance is compared to the established charts: weighted variance X-bar R(WV- ); weighted variance X-bar S(WV- ); and standard X-bar S (ST- ). In aspect of the probability of OOC detection, the SC- is contended by the exact S chart. Extensive simulation study shows that the proposed SC- chart performs well in terms of FAR in almost all the degrees of skewness and sample sizes, n. In terms of the probability of OOC detection, it provides the closest values to those of the exact chart. It offers substantial enhancement over the established charts, and thus signifies as a preferred alternative especially in cases of skewed data

Assessment of the Learning styles of MBBS Students at the University of Kassala, Kassala State, Sudan, 2022

Introduction: Since the 1970s, Learning styles of health science students have been researched. It’s important to know the Learning styles of medical students these will be rewarding for both the instructor and the student. Objectives: This study aims to determine the learning styles of the medical students at the University of Kassala. Methodology: Cross sectional descriptive study conducted between 21/3/22 to 23/8/22 at the University of Kassala. After collecting the completed questionnaires, the data was analyzed using R language software Version R i386 4.0.2. Results: Out of 251 study sample, 228 responded with Questionnaire response rate of 90.8%. Wrong filled questionnaires were excluded resulting in 206 usable survey. 66.50485 % of our participants were females, 33.49515 % were males. The average age of the participants in years was 21.71359 +/- 1.933755. Reflectors (61.16505%) were the most prevalent learning style among medical students at the University of Kassala. Differences was noted in learning styles among the different sexes (p-value= 0.0371). No difference between the educational levels concerning the learning style (p-value = 0.09029). The living area does not affect the learning style (P-value = 0.3143). Conclusion and recommendations: Most of our students are reflectors, thus they prefer to watch rather than practice, they might be good at subjects that are more of watching type more than subjects that need practice. The results reveal the need to endorse self-directed learning. Further research is need to identify the most reliable teaching modality and instructional strategies. Keywords: Learning styles, Klob’s Inventory, Medical students DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-30-01 Publication date:October 31st 202

The nutritional status of mycetoma affected patients seen at the Mycetoma Research Center, Sudan.

Nutrition plays a critical and crucial role in addressing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and their complications, as they often contribute to malnutrition, which can worsen the impact of these conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the nutritional status of mycetoma patients, which has not been explored previously. This descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted at the Mycetoma Research Center (MRC), University of Khartoum, Sudan. The study included 179 confirmed mycetoma patients and an equal number of age- and sex-matched normal controls. The nutritional status of the mycetoma patients was assessed and compared with that of the control group. The majority of the patients were young adults with varying educational levels, predominantly from Central Sudan. The foot was the most commonly affected part; most patients had lesions more than 10 cm in diameter. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for both study groups, revealing that 43.5% of the patients and 53.6% of controls had a normal BMI. Furthermore, 36% of patients were underweight, contrasting with only 11% in the control group. Correlation analyses indicated no significant associations between BMI and age groups, educational levels, daily meals, food quantity, and appetite in the study population (p > 0.05). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in BMI concerning disease duration and affected sites (p = 0.0577). The Kruskal-Wallis test did not reveal significant differences in BMI means among the groups. The study revealed that most participants consumed three meals daily, and the control group showed a more robust appetite and consumed more food than the patient group (p = 0.005). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences in the consumption of different food types between the patient and control groups and among different BMI categories (p = 0.025 and 0.040, respectively)

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Age, Disease Severity and Ethnicity Influence Humoral Responses in a Multi-Ethnic COVID-19 Cohort

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all individuals across the globe in some way. Despite large numbers of reported seroprevalence studies, there remains a limited understanding of how the magnitude and epitope utilization of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 viral anti-gens varies within populations following natural infection. Here, we designed a quantitative, multi-epitope protein microarray comprising various nucleocapsid protein structural motifs, including two structural domains and three intrinsically disordered regions. Quantitative data from the microarray provided complete differentiation between cases and pre-pandemic controls (100% sensitivity and specificity) in a case-control cohort (n = 100). We then assessed the influence of disease severity, age, and ethnicity on the strength and breadth of the humoral response in a multi-ethnic cohort (n = 138). As expected, patients with severe disease showed significantly higher antibody titers and interestingly also had significantly broader epitope coverage. A significant increase in antibody titer and epitope coverage was observed with increasing age, in both mild and severe disease, which is promising for vaccine efficacy in older individuals. Additionally, we observed significant differences in the breadth and strength of the humoral immune response in relation to ethnicity, which may reflect differences in genetic and lifestyle factors. Furthermore, our data enabled localization of the immuno-dominant epitope to the C-terminal structural domain of the viral nucleocapsid protein in two independent cohorts. Overall, we have designed, validated, and tested an advanced serological assay that enables accurate quantitation of the humoral response post natural infection and that has revealed unexpected differences in the magnitude and epitope utilization within a population