Do older adults with multimorbidity meet the recommended levels of physical activity? An analysis of Scottish health survey

There is a positive association between physical activity (PA) and improved health in older adults. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of meeting recommended levels of PA among older adults with multimorbidity. Data has been derived from the nationally representative Scottish Health Surveys (2014–2017). A sub-sample of 2230 older adults (aged 65+) with multimorbidity were the study participants. Physical activity was evaluated using current recommended guidelines. Overall, 32.3% of the participants met the recommended levels of PA. Independent predictors of meeting the recommended levels of PA include male gender [odds ratio (OR) 2.00 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.58–2.54)], living in the least deprived areas [OR 1.79 (95% CI 1.20–2.69)]; being a non-smoker [OR 2.22 (95% CI 1.48–3. 34)]. Also, meeting recommended PA decreased with age [OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.90–0.94)] and body mass index [OR 0.93 (95% CI 0.91–0.95]; but increased per additional portion of fruit and vegetables taken [OR 1.19 (95% CI 1.12–1.25)] and with increase in well-being scale score [OR 1.05 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.06)]. Adherence to PA guidelines seems to be more related to age, BMI, gender (i.e. higher PA adherence in men vs. women), social support (i.e. social deprivation), dietary habits (i.e. fruit and vegetable intake) and social isolation among the elderly. In the one-third of older population, adherence to PA was associated to better mental health. Therefore, adaptation of PA guideline to suit theses determinants factors would reduce the gap difference among older adults with multimorbidity and enhance their mental well-being.Acknowledgments: The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library.Scopu

DETERMINANTS OF PARENTAL CHILD’S SCHOOL PREFERENCES IN QATAR

Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of “Quality Education”, “Developing Better Social Skills”, “Homework Assignment”, “Using Private Tutors”, “Charging School Fees” and “Nationality” on “Parental School Preference” using primary data collected from preparatory and secondary school teachers in Qatar. Methodology: The population for this study consists of all parents in Qatar. The current study used a very large stratified sample size n = 1462 that was determined by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) using a 95% confidence interval estimate. The nine items used in this study are part of a huge questionnaire measuring attitude and parental child’s school preferences. Kaisers-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and the Bartless test of sphericity were used to determine the appropriateness of using factor analysis. What are more; principal axis factoring and oblique rotation extracted three factors? Main findings: The representative sample Factor analysis extracted three dimensions (quality education, developing better social skills, homework assignment). The dependent variable (parental school choice) was regressed on the factor scores of these three extracted dimensions in addition to four independent variables (school fees, nationality, repeating a school grade, and parents’ disappointment if their child doesn’t go far in school). The results revealed that parental school choice is significantly determined by three explanatory variables: the quality of education, school fees, and nationality. Implications: Raising standards for teachers should be a key element in educational quality. What’s more, in the spirit of findings the policymakers in Qatar should make funding part of school fees for expatriates a priority. Novelty: This article empirically correlates two main fields of educational research: Parental School Choice is given Quality of Education, Charging School Fees, and Nationality.This work was supported by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University. The authors would like to thank all the parents who took part in the 2015 Qatar Education Study. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Darwish Al-Emadi, Dr. Abdoulaye Diop, Dr. Elmogeira Elawad, and Mr. Anis Miladi, Mr. Isam Mohamed Abdelhameed in giving so generously of their time at various stages of the data collection and entry.Scopu

The influence of EDFA’s configurations on the behavioral trends of gain and noise figure

Various configurations have been conceived and tested for improvement of the gain and noise figures in Erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA’s). Single pass (SP), double pass (DP), triple pass (TP) and quadruple pass (QP), are employed in the investigation. The highest gain and highest noise figure (NF) of 54dB and 7dB respectively are obtained at -50 dBm input power with 90 mW pump power using the QP configuration, while and the lowest gain of 23dB and lowest NF of 3dB are obtained at -50 dBm input power with 90 mW pump power for SP configuration

A high gain EDFA using double-pass dual-stage amplification

A new configuration of an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier is proposed. Double-Pass amplification in a Dual-Stage using a fiber loop-back is incorporated with a Tunable Band Pass Filter. Spontaneous emission is filtered-out in the mid-section to ensure efficient amplification of the signal as it propagates along the fiber. High gain of 54dB is achieved for - 50dBm signal power at 1550nm. The two stages were pumped by laser diodes operating at 980nm with 10mW and 90mW respectively

The associations between mental well-being and adherence to physical activity guidelines in patients with cardiovascular disease: Results from the scottish health survey

The association between physical activity (PA) and mental well-being in individuals with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) is poorly studied. The objective of this study was to assess the association between mental well-being and adherence to the recommended guidelines for PA in a Scottish adult population with CVD. The study used data from 3128 adults who had CVD conditions (1547 men and 1581 women; mean age 63.29 years) who participated in the Scottish Health Survey between 2014 and 2017. The Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was used as a surrogate measure of mental health. PA was classified as “met” or “unmet” on the basis of the recommended PA guidelines (150 min of moderate activity or 75 min of vigorous activity per week). The relationship between PA guidelines being met and the WEMWBS score was explored using hierarchical linear regression accounting for a set of health and sociodemographic characteristics. Of the participants, ~41.8% met the recommended PA levels. Among those with CVD, the mean (SD) WEMWBS scores of individuals who did not have a long-standing illness (51.14 ± 7.65 vs 47.07 ± 9.54; p < 0.05), diabetes (48.44 ± 9.05 vs 46.04 ± 10.25; p < 0.05), or high blood pressure (48.63 ± 9.08 vs 47.52 ± 9.47; p < 0.05) were significantly higher than those of individuals with such conditions. Meeting PA recommendations was significantly associated with a higher mean WEMWBS score (50.64 ± 7.97 vs 46.06 ± 9.75; p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis of health-related behaviors improved the prediction of mental well-being over and above meeting the recommended PA levels. Mental well-being was strongly correlated with PA adherence in CVD patients. It seems that for patients with CVD, PA should be tailored to meet patients’ health conditions in order to promote mental well-being and improve overall healthFunding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The Scottish Health Survey is funded by the Scottish Executive. The funders had no role in the present study

New erbium-doped fiber laser with a double tunable bandpass filter

A new configuration for an erbium-doped fiber laser is reported. It incorporates a linear cavity with fiber loopback and a tunable bandpass filter (TBF). This configuration suppresses the amplified spontaneous emission and achieves a highly stable output power of more than 18 dBm at 1560 nm. A standard spectrum is obtained with TBF adjustment

Comparison of the effect structure on ring and linear cavity lasers of erdoped optical fibers

Two erbium doped fiber laser configurations are conceived and constructed; A ring fiber laser and a linear cavity fiber loop laser. A comparative investigation tests were carried out. It is found that both the output power and the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) for the two structures were significantly different. The measured laser power and the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 11 mW and 75 dB respectively were higher for the linear cavity configuration. A lower output power and SMSR of 3 mW and 61.5 dB respectively were obtained with the ring laser configuration. Both lasers were pumped with a 90 mW pump power, and had a reflectivity of 90%