STUDYING THE PHENOMENON OF POVERTY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF THE DAHHAR DISTRICT IN YEMEN

This research aimed to study poverty in rural Yemen through the percentage, gap, and severity in addition to the standard economic analysis. The study showed that the poverty percent reached 97%, while the gap and severity reached 64, and 45% respectively. A study of the probability distribution of poverty indicators showed that the poverty percent ranged from a minimum of 95.4% to a high of 98.6% at a 95% confidence level. The poverty gap ranged from a low of 59.8% to a high of 68.2% at 95% confidence. The severity of poverty ranged from a minimum of 40.7% to a high of 49.3% at 95% confidence. These results of the study are emphasized on the need for the implementation of several policies. Among these two most important are (1) expanding the activity of NGOs to reduce poverty and hunger, (2) focusing on sustainable development and increasing the economic size of the agricultural sector and its relative importance to poverty reduction. To reduce poverty in the rural areas of the Republic of Yemen, the study recommends (1) the expansion of the activities of civil societies under government supervision to increase their ability to reduce poverty and hunger, (2) the provision of the necessary funding for the expansion of small investment projects that are commensurate with the capabilities and qualifications of poor families and (3) focusing on sustainable development of the agricultural sector is relative importance in reducing poverty

RSM Analysis for Optimum Content of Graphene Nanoplatelets for 3D-Printed Clay Strength

This study applies Response Surface Methodologies (RSM) methods to maximize 3D-Printed clay mechanical properties. Mixes containing different Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) contents were printed and tested in compression and flexure. The Central Composite Design method was used by coding the mixes fabrication method, i.e. moulding and printing, and GNPs content as variables. The analysis showed that the mixes containing low GNPs content of 0.1 wt.% attained higher compressive and flexural strengths than those containing a higher content of 0.2 and 0.3 wt.%. The results also highlighted that GNPs' efficiency was better observed in the printed samples other than the moulded ones, indicating that the printing process contributed to a better and uniform dispersion of GNPs in the clay matrix. RSM analysis confirmed that the maximum flexural strength response could be obtained using a GNPs content of 0.1 wt.%. Furthermore, the desirability analysis showed that a maximum predicted flexural and compressive strength improvements of 21% and 36 % compared to the control mixes could be obtained, respectively. In summary, this study proposed the importance of using Nanofilaments in 3D printing activities to achieve the desired elements' mechanical properties

BIODEGRADATION OF PARACETAMOL BY NATIVE FUNGAL SPECIES INHABITING WASTEWATER OF A PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY IN SANA’A, YEMEN

Objectives: Paracetamol has emerged as an important environmental contaminant due to its extensive use. The purpose of this work was toisolate, identify, and characterize fungal species able to degrade paracetamol from pharmaceutical wastewater effluent at Sana'a City, Yemen. Methods: The fungi were isolated and purified from wastewater samples using enrichment and selective media. The isolated fungi were identified according to phenotypic characterization. Two species of isolated fungi were able to utilize the paracetamol as the sole of carbon and energy sources. These fungi were designated as F1 and F2 and identified as Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporium, respectively. Optimum temperature and pH for growth of both species were 25˚C and 6.0, respectively. Also, the biodegradation of paracetamol was influenced by glucose concentration. Results:  F1 and F2 were able to degrade 35.7% and 26.1% of 1000 and 2000 mg/l, respectively, paracetamol in 60 days. This is the first report on the ability of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporium to degrade paracetamol. Conclusion:  The reported findings highlight the potential use of the isolated microorganisms for treatment of paracetamol-contaminated wastewater. Peer Review History: Received 8 December 2018;   Revised 11 January; Accepted 12 January, Available online 15 January 2018 Academic Editor: Dr. Ali Abdullah Al-yahawi, Al-Razi university, Department of Pharmacy, Yemen, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Fátima Morales Marín, University of Murcia, Spain, [email protected] Dr. Naglaa Mohamed Ahmed Abd Elaal, Helwan University, Egypt, [email protected] Similar Articles: A REVIEW ON COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES FOR PARACETAMOL DEGRADATIO

A REVIEW ON COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES FOR PARACETAMOL DEGRADATION

Paracetamol has emerged as one of the most frequent pharmaceuticals that found in natural waters and even in drinking water due to its high consumption and therefore deserves a review on the possible treatments for its remediation. The purpose of this review work is to give a compare between the physicochemical and biological processes for removing paracetamol from aquatic environment. Different types of processes are described in this review: from physicochemical process such as membrane filtration, chlorination, activated carbon, and advance oxidation, which applied for pracetamol degradation, to biological process such as microbial, membrane bioreactor, aerobic and anaerobic degradation, which are more recently focused on the degrading paracetamol. Physical processes, that eliminate the pollutant without degrade it, are not efficient enough to completely remove paracetamol from aquatic environment. While the chemical processes that are shown to be fast and efficient to remove paracetamol substance possess some drawbacks representing in high operational cost which make them not a desirable choice for treating wastewater. Biological process receives currently a significant attention for the removal of pollutants because it is found to be the most efficient technology which can be applied in degrading different pollutants. Regardless of its disadvantages, it has been found more efficient on degrading the paracetamol when compared to physicochemical processes. Furthermore, the combination between the biological and physicochemical processes overcomes all of the problems of processes that presented during treatment. Also, the combined processes improve the paracetamol degradation rate and reduce the treatment costs.                 Peer Review History: Received 1 April 2017;   Revised 10 May; Accepted 13 May, Available online 15 May 2017 Academic Editor: Dr. Jennifer Audu-Peter, University of Jos, Nigeria, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 4.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Balguri, Sai Prachetan, U.S. FDA 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, [email protected] Dr. Sisir Nandi, GIPER, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, India, [email protected] Similar Articles: QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT BRANDS OF PARACETAMOL TABLETS IN YEMENI MARKET BIODEGRADATION OF PARACETAMOL BY NATIVE FUNGAL SPECIES INHABITING WASTEWATER OF A PHARMACEUTICAL FACTORY IN SANA’A, YEME

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Analysis of Critical Project Success Factors—Sustainable Management of the Fast-Track Construction Industry

Fast-track construction has recently become the prevailing construction approach globally. It enables owners and developers to make rapid returns on investment through shortened construction periods. This strategy has many effects on the industry; therefore, four groups of factors were studied in this project: (1) financial, (2) logistics and finance, (3) management, and (4) legal. A 22-question survey was distributed to 155 professionals in the construction industry, who evaluated the impact of the stated factors on a 5-point scale. The results revealed a high level of consistency determined through Cronbach’s alpha, and a positive correlation was found by Spearman’s rank coefficient. The Relative Importance Index was used to rank the factors based the evaluation by the professionals, resulting in the following impact ranking: (1) poor communication among design and construction teams, (2) large amounts of rework, (3) low quality of work by the contractor, (4) design errors, (5) late or insufficient payment according to terms agreed with the client, and (6) unavailability of materials in the market. By providing a quantitative RII model to evaluate fast-track project management performance with the use of corresponding performance indicators, this study will benefit industry practitioners and researchers as it identifies the most significant factors that impact fast-tract project management performance

Examining engineering students' perceptions of learner agency enactment in problem- and project-based learning using Q methodology

Background Few studies have reported how students enact learner agency in a team setting or examined what elements of team settings students perceive as more supportive of their learning in problem- and project-based learning (PBL) processes. Purpose This study explores how engineering students perceive their enactment of learner agency, particularly which aspects of the PBL process they find most important. Method Thirty-nine students from two PBL civil engineering courses in Qatar participated in the study. Q methodology was chosen for both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. A 40-item Q set based on a theoretical model of learner agency was used. Results Eight significantly different student viewpoints emerged from the Q methodological factor analysis, indicating a range of individual perceptions of learner agency. Intrapersonal dimensions were highlighted by three of the eight viewpoints, behavioral dimensions were underlined by seven viewpoints, and environmental dimensions were valued by all viewpoints. Conclusion While the results reveal a wide range of individual experiences with learner agency across the three dimensions, students addressed self-directed learning aspects both actively and passively, suggesting that many participants still value instructors' roles of providing direct instruction and authorized knowledge in PBL. The results highlight the need for more awareness of learner agency and more opportunities for students to enact learner agency by increasing PBL knowledge, skills, and efficacy. Q methodology can contribute to engineering education research by providing new theoretical and empirical insights into learners' subjective understanding of agency in a PBL setting as a complex system

3D-Printed Clay Enhanced with Graphene Nanoplatelets for Sustainable and Green Construction

This paper presents a study on the effects of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the mechanical behavior of 3D-printed burnt clay, the most sustainable and green construction material, under constant printing parameters. Mixes with different nanofilament contents—0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% by clay weight—were printed and tested under compression and bending loadings. The results obtained on the printed samples were compared with those fabricated using the molding method. The samples’ microstructures were then analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis was employed to obtain the elemental distributions. The testing results were then statistically analyzed using a t-statistical method to investigate the impact of using GNPs on the properties of 3D-printed clay. Strength test results showed that mixes containing a low GNP content, i.e., 0.1 wt.%, attained higher compressive and flexural strengths than those containing higher contents, i.e., 0.2 and 0.3wt.%. The results additionally highlighted that the efficiency of GNPs was better observed in the printed samples rather than the molded ones, indicating that the printing process contributed to a better and more uniform dispersion of GNPs in the clay matrix. The t-statistical analysis confirmed that a significant improvement in compressive strength could be obtained using a GNP content of 0.1 wt.%, regardless of the fabrication method. On the other hand, significant flexural strength improvements were observed in the printed samples at all GNP dosages. Micrographs of GNP-modified clay supported the strength results obtained in this study. In summary, this research work signified the importance of using nanofilaments in 3D printing applications in order to achieve the desired elements’ mechanical properties

Incidence of musculoskeletal pain in adult Kuwaitis using the validated Arabic version of the WHO-ILAR COPCORD core questionnaire.

<b>Background: </b>The WHO-ILAR Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) primarily aims to estimate the burden of musculoskeletal symptoms/disorders. We estimated the incidence of musculoskeletal pain in the first community-based COPCORD study in Kuwait. <b>Subjects and Methods: </b>The validated Arabic version of the WHOILAR COPCORD Core Questionnaire was used in a survey of 2500 randomly selected Kuwaiti households to assess the frequency of musculoskeletal pain, disability, and health-seeking behavior in adult Kuwaitis. Those subjects reporting no musculoskeletal pain were identified and followed-up for a period of one year by contacting them every 2 weeks. Once a respondent reported pain, an appointment to report to hospital was offered and the subject was examined by a rheumatologist using American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. <b>Results: </b>Of 5159 adults who were non-complainers in an earlier prevalence phase of the study, 3341 responded to phone calls (response rate of 65&#x0025;). The incidence of musculoskeletal pain was 6.6&#x0025; (95&#x0025;CI, 3.4&#x0025;- 9.7&#x0025;). Age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates were 7.2&#x0025; (95&#x0025;CI, 3.4&#x0025;- 10.5&#x0025;) for females and 6.1&#x0025; (95&#x0025;CI, 3.1&#x0025;-9.2&#x0025;) for males. The incidence rate increased with increasing age, body mass index, and with being married. The common sites of pain were knee, low back and shoulder. <b>Conclusion: </b>The incidence of musculoskeletal pain among Kuwaiti adults is reported for the first time. Further studies adopting the same instrument in other communities are warranted to compare with our findings