A test of situational action theory in Saudi Arabia

Situational Action Theory (SAT) is a recent and increasingly popular framework for explaining criminal behaviour, especially among youths. It argues that most people comply with the law and refrain from committing crime because they do not see crime as an action alternative, not because they are worried about the consequences. This study explored the applicability and validity of SAT in the cultural context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A self-administered questionnaire that used items designed by the PADS+ project (the Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study in the UK) was adapted to the Saudi context and used to collect data from 588 high school students aged 16–18 years, in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS) and logistic regression were used to test SAT’s hypotheses regarding the predictors of crime and their interaction effects.Overall, the study provides modest support for the key propositions of SAT, including the central role of crime propensity and criminogenic exposure in the causation of crime, the principles of conditional relevance of control, and the perception-choice process. However, the nature of the interaction, especially with regards to perception-choice process, is not consistent with SAT. Therefore, future studies are required to further enhance our understanding of the nature of the interactions proposed in SAT

Antibacterial efficacy of indigenous Pakistani honey against extensively drug-resistant clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi: an alternative option to combat antimicrobial resistance

Abstract Background Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) poses a grave threat to public health due to increased mortality and morbidity caused by typhoid fever. Honey is a promising antibacterial agent, and we aimed to determine the antibacterial activity of honey against XDR S. Typhi. Methods We isolated 20 clinical isolates of XDR S. Typhi from pediatric septicemic patients and determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of diferent antibiotics against the pathogens using the VITEK 2 Compact system. Antimicrobial-resistant genes carried by the isolates were identifed using PCR. The antibacterial efcacy of fve Pakistani honeys was examined using agar well difusion assay, and their MICs and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined with the broth microdilution method. Results All 20 isolates were confrmed as S. Typhi. The antibiogram phenotype was confrmed as XDR S. Typhi with resistance to ampicillin (≥32 µg/mL), ciprofoxacin (≥4 µg/mL), and ceftriaxone (≥4 µg/mL) and sensitivity to azithromycin (≤16 µg/mL) and carbapenems (≤1 µg/mL). Molecular conformation revealed the presence of blaTM-1, Sul1, qnrS, gyrA, gyrB, and blaCTX-M-15 genes in all isolates. Among the fve honeys, beri honey had the highest zone of inhibition of 7–15 mm and neem honey had a zone of inhibition of 7–12 mm. The MIC and MBC of beri honey against 3/20 (15%) XDR S. Typhi isolates were 3.125 and 6.25%, respectively, while the MIC and MBC of neem were 3.125 and 6.25%, respectively, against 3/20 (15%) isolates and 6.25 and 12.5%, respectively, against 7/20 (35%) isolates. Conclusion Indigenous honeys have an efective role in combating XDR S. Typhi. They are potential candidates for clinical trials as alternative therapeutic options against XDR S. Typhi isolates. Keywords Antimicrobial resistance, Natural antibiotics, XDR S. Typhi, MIC, Honey, Resistance gene

Pentaalkoxytriphenylene monoesters and their dyads; structural factors influencing columnar and nematic mesophase behaviour

Ester linkages are frequently employed in the design of discotic liquid crystals, and indeed the first examples of discotic liquid crystals reported by Chandrasekhar, Sadashiva and Suresh were hexaesters of benzene. Within the wide range of liquid crystalline triphenylene systems so far reported, the symmetrical hexa(aryl) esters are particularly noteworthy because they form the relatively rare and technologically important discotic nematic mesophase. An alternative strategy for inducing nematogenic behaviour is to build linked and twinned structures, and here we report examples of materials that combine the two design features. Pentahexyloxy triphenylenes bearing a single aryl ester retain the columnar mesophase. Linked dyad structures promote nematic phase formation and stability is influenced by the link type and bonding arrangement within isomeric series (phthalates) and related constructs

Outcome of Abdominal Massage Before Gavage Feeding on Tolerated Feeding for Low Birth Weight Infants

Aim: To assess the effect of abdominal massage pre-gavage feeding on tolerated feeding for low birth weight (LBW) infants. Methods: An experimental research design at a government hospital at Egypt. Purposive sample composed of LBW infants was randomly divided into study and control groups each with 60 LBW infants. Results: A total of 55% of the participants in the study group grew sleepy, whereas only 15% of the studied participants in the control group grew sleepy. The abdominal circumference after feeding in the study group was 23.18 ± 2.99 cm, whereas that in the control group was 24.79 ± 2.99 cm. The gastric residual volume in the study group was 0.8 ± 0.10 ml, whereas that in the control group was 3.86 ± 1.03 ml. Conclusion: Finally, abdominal massage had a positive impact on the postfeeding state of alertness and feeding tolerance. © 2021 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This study was self-funded, without any external sources I would like to express my sincere thanks for parents of neonates who included at the study

SPARC 2018 Internationalisation and collaboration : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2018 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the launch of our Doctoral School, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 100 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers