IoT and Neural Network-Based Water Pumping Control System For Smart Irrigation

This article aims at saving the wasted water in the process of irrigation using the Internet of Things (IoT) based on a set of sensors and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network. The developed system handles the sensor data using the Arduino board to control the water pump automatically. The sensors measure the environmental factors; namely temperature, humidity, and soil moisture to estimate the required time for the operation of water irrigation. The water pump control system consists of software and hardware tools such as Arduino Remote XY interface and electronic sensors in the framework of IoT technology. The machine learning algorithm such as the MLP neural network plays an important role to support the decision of automatic control of IoT-based irrigation system, managing the water consumption effectively.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

An audit on virological efficacy of anti-retroviral therapy in a specialist infectious disease clinic.

We have assessed the efficacy of anti retroviral therapy (ART) using undetectable viral load (VL) (/ml) as a marker of virological success, in patients who have Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attending the Department of Infectious Disease. A cross-sectional review of patients\u27 case notes was used to obtain their demographics and treatment details. 79% (253) of the hospital case notes of clinic population was available for analysis, which represents 90% of those receiving ART in the clinic. 166/253 of the cohort were receiving treatment at the time of this study and 95% (157/166) of these were on treatment for greater than 6 months. The total virological success rate is 93%, which is comparable to other centres and are as good as those from published clinical trials. 56% of those on therapy who have virological failure were Intravenous Drug Users (IVDUs). Case by case investigation for those with treatment failure is warranted

Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) Lockdown on Mental Health and Well-Being in the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken unprecedented precautionary measures including complete lockdowns against COVID-19 to control its spread and ensure the well-being of individuals. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 and societal lockdown measures on the mental health of adults in the UAE. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an English and Arabic online questionnaire between May and June 2020. The psychological impact was assessed by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the social and family support impact was evaluated using questions from the Perceived Support Scale (PSS). A total of 4,426 participants (3,325 females and 1,101 males) completed the questionnaire. The mean IES-R score was 28.0 ± 14.6, reflecting a mild stressful impact with 27.3% reporting severe psychological impact. Over 36% reported increased stress from work, home and financial matters. Also, 43–63% of the participants felt horrified, apprehensive or helpless due to COVID-19. Females, younger participants, part-timers, and college or University graduates were more likely to have a high IES-R score (p \u3c 0.05). The majority of participants reported receiving increased support from family members, paying more attention to their mental health, and spending more time to rest and relax. The results of this study demonstrate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among the UAE residents and highlight the need to adopt culturally appropriate interventions for the general population and vulnerable groups, such as females and younger adults

Assessment of Dietary and Lifestyle Responses After COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in Selected Arab Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has been consistently associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and dietary practices. This study aimed to assess the dietary and lifestyle behaviors of adults after COVID-19 vaccine availability and their attitude toward the vaccine in selected Arab countries. A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between October 2021 and December 2021 using Google Forms (n = 2259). A multi-component questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine, and behavioral, dietary, and lifestyle responses after easing the restriction. Participants were given a score based on the sum of positive dietary and lifestyle changes. The generalized linear models were used to identify the association between positive dietary and lifestyle changes score and sociodemographic characteristics. Weight gain during the pandemic was reported by 39.5% of the participants, 36.1% reported ever getting infected with the COVID-19 virus, and 85% received at least one dose of the vaccine. The key adverse reactions of the COVID-19 vaccine were fatigue, headache, and joint pain, and the main reason for vaccination was protection against infection. Most participants were concerned about the vaccine side effects (45.8%) and inadequate testing (50.7%). After easing of restriction, 54.3% of the participants reduced the frequency of disinfecting objects, and 58.3% joined social events. Most dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unchanged after vaccine availability but there was an increase in the time spent behind the screen for work (50.1%) and entertainment (42.9%). The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that older participants (p = 0.001), those with higher education (p = 0.010), and those working from home (p = 0.040) were more likely to have higher positive dietary and lifestyle changes scores. Although most participants were concerned about vaccine safety, low vaccine hesitancy rates were observed among the study sample. The availability of the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in loosening some of the safety social measures among Arab adults but the negative impact of the pandemic on dietary and lifestyle behaviors remained unaltered

Prevalence, Molecular Characterization, and Economic Impact of Hydatid Cysts in the Slaughtered Animals in Abattoirs of Minoufyia Governorate, Egypt

The hydatid cyst is considered a hazardous obstacle for public health and the livestock industry. The present investigation sought to ascertain the prevalence of hydatid cysts, histopathology, and economic losses in slaughtered food animals in Egypt's Minoufyia governorate. Furthermore, the molecular characterization of the cysts was performed using an analysis of the NADH dehydrogenase 1 sequence. Visual meat inspection of 6417 slaughtered animal carcasses in Minoufyia Governorate abattoirs was conducted over two years, from March 2019 to February 2021. The prevalence of hydatid cysts in slaughtered animals was 1.48%. The prevalence in different animal carcasses was 1.5% in sheep, 1.33% in cattle, 0.71% in buffaloes, and 9.5% in camels while cyst was not detected in goats. Females had a higher prevalence than males. Autumn had the highest prevalence of hydatid cysts at 0.44%, followed by winter at 0.40%, spring at 0.39%, and summer at 0.25%. The liver and lungs were the most infected organs, with infection rates of 57.9% and 42.1%, respectively. In addition, the histopathology of recovered hydatid cysts was recorded. The sequence analysis of NADH dehydrogenase revealed that the sequence of camel and cattle is E. canadensis and the buffalo sequence is E. ortleppi. The phylogenetic tree revealed that Echinococcus canadensis from Egyptian camels and cattle belonged to the same taxon as genotypes 6-10 of the E. granulosus complex. The E. ortleppi sequence from Egyptian buffalo was found in the same clade as genotype 5 of the E. granulosus complex. The economic costs of organ condemnation amounted to 47320 EGP. The results of this survey present the prevalence, economic impact, and molecular characterization of hydatid cysts from animals in Minoufyia governorate, Egypt.  Strict hygienic measures are needed to control this infection in food animals and humans. 

Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Arabic Version of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form Among Women in the United Arab Emirates

Background: Breastfeeding self-efficacy as a construct has been theoretically and empirically linked to exclusive breastfeeding in studies globally using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF). However, its application in the Middle East and North Africa region is limited, as it has not been validated. Research Aims: To psychometrically validate the BSES-SF among a sample of mothers in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: We psychometrically evaluated the Arabic version of the BSES-SF using a sample of mothers ( N = 457) residing in the United Arab Emirates. We used translation techniques, item-test and item-total correlations, confirmatory factor analysis, tests of reliability, and tests of validity. Results: Item-test correlations of scale items ranged from 0.67 to 0.84, while item-total correlations ranged from 0.58 to 0.81. The confirmatory factor model assessed the 14-item scale to be unidimensional with satisfactory model fit indices. Our findings suggested the Arabic-language version of the BSES-SF was a reliable measure (α = 0.95) with strong construct and discriminant validity. BSES-SF scores significantly predicted exclusive breastfeeding (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI [1.02, 1.08]) and exclusive duration (β = .06; 95% CI [0.4, 0.08]), which suggested strong predictive, validity after adjusting for parity, maternal age, maternal education, and study site. Conclusions: We have provided rigorous evidence that the BSES-SF is a valid and reliable measure of breastfeeding self-efficacy among Arabic-speaking women in the UAE. Interventions designed specifically to increase breastfeeding self-efficacy among Arabic-speaking women may be a mechanism to increase the suboptimal rates of breastfeeding exclusivity occurring in much of the MENA region