Co-browsing the Greenstone digital library collection

Context: Social interaction is an important aspect of a successful web page. Social network sites attract many people worldwide. The social interaction aspect is missing from digital libraries, including the Greenstone Digital Library. Objectives: This study investigates how two distant users exchange information while in front of the computer and browsing the same Greenstone Digital library collection, in real time, and identifies the features that support their needs. Methods: To answer the research questions, an observation methodology is applied to gain more insight into users’ information-seeking behaviour for an online DL. Two recording elements were used to gather data from a sample of eight pairs of university students (n=16). The two elements were video camera (with audio) and screen capture. Further, a questionnaire was used to collect data about the workload during the session. Results: The data obtained was analysed using conversation and content analysis methods. The findings of this user study related to the metadata presentation, referencing information and search box activities. A Co-browsing GDL system is proposed based on the requirements derived from findings from the user study and also the related works. Evaluation: A usability test is used to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction of the proposed system. Think aloud and questionnaire methods are used to gather the data of this usability test. Results: The result of this study “debug” the proposed Co-browsing GDL system and explore issues related to communication and private works, with it having become apparent through the study that improvements can be made to some parts of the system presentation. Conclusions: The findings of the thesis research have been used to provide recommendations for future work to develop and implement a Co-browsing Greenstone digital library (GDL) system

Effective Vocabulary Learning in Multimedia CALL Environments: Psychological Evidence

A wide range of technologies are now applied in the field of second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition. Nevertheless, intentional language-focused vocabulary CALL software has not been proven to effectively operationalise working memory. The research presented in this thesis contributes to the existing literature by identifying coding features from cutting-edge multimedia technologies that relate to L2 learning and memory research. The study participants were fifty undergraduate students from the University of York, UK. Their individual differences and memory abilities were assessed using the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA). Initially, the participants were exposed to L2 novel words via the Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Acquisition software (CAVA) via three interactive interfaces: a verbal-based menu driven interface (L2-L1: MDI), a visual-based graphical user interface (L2-Picture: GUI) and a visuospatial-based zoomable user interface (L2-Context: ZUI), and immediate and delayed post-tests conducted. The first study results revealed that ZUI correlated significantly with AWMA, tending to be the most effective multimedia learning method in the immediate post-test, compared with GUI and MDI. However, in the delayed post-test, ZUI’s effect experienced a dramatic decline, while GUI tended to be the most effective. In the second study, the participants were exposed to a second version of CAVA. Their accuracy and response times during the translation recognition task were measured and analysed, as were their pupillary responses. The findings revealed the participants were significantly more accurate and faster when judging the No translation pairs than the Yes ones. Of the multimedia representations, responses to MDI words were achieved significantly faster and more accurately than to GUI and ZUI words. Moreover, those participants with high verbal short-term memories were significantly faster and more accurate, experiencing a relatively reduced pupil size

Effect of Surface Polishing on Nano-Hardness and Elastic Modulus of Different Resin Composites after Immersion in Alcoholic Medium

There has been a great tendency toward using resin composite in dentistry and exploring nano-hardness, elastic modulus, and effect of polishing on its mechanical properties after its artificial ageing. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of surface polishing of four different resin composites on their nano-hardness and elastic modulus. This effect was tested right after light curing of composite resin and after its artificial ageing (immersion in alcoholic medium). Nanoindentation test preparations, surface roughness, surface hardness, and scanning electron microscope were conducted across the four different resin composites: Clearfil AP-X (APX), Estelite Sigma Quick (ESQ), Beautifil II (BE2), and FiltekTM Supreme Ultra Universal restorative (FSU). We found that difference in fillers load and particle size are amongst the factors influencing hardness and modulus of elasticity. The APX is the highest in term of hardness due to fillers load and size while the ESQ is the lowest because all fillers in nano size and distributed homogenously. The significance of surface polishing of the studied resin composite restorations was highlighted. Future research may focus on exploring survival rate of polished and non-polished composite surfaces with emphasis on measuring degree of conversion and impacts of polished and non-polished surfaces on the individuals’ oral health quality of life

Examine the Perceived Risk of Falls Among Patients Receiving Acute Care

Purpose: In an effort to lower the number of falls that occur among hospitalized patients, several facilities have begun introducing various fall prevention programs. However, the efficacy of fall prevention programs is diminished if patients do not consider themselves to be at risk for falls and do not follow recommended procedures. The goal of this study was to characterize how patients in four different acute care specialist services felt about their risk of falling while in the hospital. Methods: One hundred patients admitted to the study hospital with a Morse Fall Scale score of 45 or higher were given the Patient Perception Questionnaire, a tool designed to assess a patient's perception of their own fall risk, fear of falling, and motivation to take part in fall prevention efforts. Scores on the Morse Fall Scale were gathered through a historical assessment of medical records. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and independent sample t tests were used to examine the data. Results: The average age was 65, and around half (52%) were men and half (48%) were women. Based on their ratings on the Morse Fall Scale, all 100 participants were classified as being at high risk for falls. However, only 55.5% of the individuals agreed with this assessment. The likelihood that a patient would seek assistance and the degree to which they feared falling both declined as their faith in their mobility improved. Patients hospitalized after a fall exhibited considerably lower confidence scores and greater fear scores than patients who had not been injured in a fall. Conclusions: Patients who have a high fall risk assessment score may not believe they are at risk for falls and may not take any steps to reduce their risk. The prevalence of falls in hospitals might be mitigated by the creation of a fall risk assessment technique that takes into account both objective and subjective factors

Iron Deficiency Anemia in Adults and its Diagnosis and Treatment: A Systemic Review

The aim of this study is to explore the clinical management in diagnosis and treatment of the iron deficiency anemia in adults with a systematic review methodology, as the iron deficiency is the most frequent cause of anemia worldwide. And it impairs quality of life, increases asthenia and can lead to clinical worsening of patients. In addition, iron deficiency has a complex mechanism whose pathologic pathway is recently becoming better understood. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding diagnostic algorithms for iron deficiency anemia. The majority of aetiologies occur in the digestive tract, and justify morphological examination of the gut. First line investigations are upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy, and when negative, the small bowel should be explored; newer tools such as video capsule endoscopy have also been developed. The treatment of iron deficiency is aetiological if possible and iron supplementation whether in oral or in parenteral form

Knowledge and practice of protective personal equipment (PPE) among health care providers in Saudi Arabia during the early stages of COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Introduction. Health care providers are at high risk of becoming infected when taking care of patients who have COVID-19, especially while attending aerosol generating procedures. Protective personal equipment must be used in the correct manner to prevent transmission of the disease. Published protocols on protective personal equipment (PPE) donning and doffing have been issued by disease control agencies. Methods. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was designed. An online anonymous questionnaire, which was validated and tested for reliability, focused on PPE related knowledge, donning and doffing practices of healthcare providers across the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Results. A total of 312 healthcare providers across the eastern region of Saudi Arabia participated in the study, 208 physicians (66.7%) and 104 non-physicians (33.3%). Results indicate poor practice regarding PPE donning (13.8% reported the correct sequence) and PPE doffing (3.5% reported the correct sequence) among participants. In addition, practice and confidence scores regarding other issues with PPE were analyzed. Based on questionnaire responses, being male (T=2.825; p=0.008), being a non-physician (T=-2.120; p=0.014) and being an allied medical professional (F=5.379; p=0.003) were significantly associated with higher confidence levels. Also, being a consultant was significantly associated with higher practice scores (F=4.774; p=0.008). Conclusion. The study demonstrates deficiencies among healthcare providers in following the recommended practices for correctly using PPE during the pandemic. Poor practice in PPE donning and doffing necessitates additional educational and training programs focused on infection control practices

Osteopontin as a marker for response to pegylated interferon Alpha-2b treatment in Chronic HCV Saudi patients

Background: Many recent studies support the idea that osteopontin (OPN) can be used to predict the success of pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) alpha-2b/ribavirin therapy in chronic HCV patients.Objective: Our aim was to investigate the role of plasma OPN and its gene polymorphism at nt – 443 in response to PEG IFN in Saudi patients with chronic HCV.Methods: Blood was collected from 87 patients with chronic hepatitis C before treatment, then patients received PEG IFN α2b plus ribavirin combination therapy. Another 25 healthy subjects, matched for age and sex to patients, were enrolled as controls. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in OPN at nt – 443 and its blood level were analyzed.Results: The frequency of patients who reached sustained virological response (SVR) was increased in patients with T/T at nt – 443 than in those with C/C or C/T. Also the frequency of T allele was increased in responders than in non-responders. However, this increase was not statistically significant. The blood level of OPN was significantly increased in non-responders (Mean±SD=37.21±3.9) in comparison to responders (Mean±SD=33.22±4.1).Conclusion: Osteopontin blood level can be considered as a reliable predictor to PEG IFN α2b plus ribavirin therapy in chronic HCV Saudi Patients.Keywords: OPN, PEG IFN, HCV, SVR, SNP, RT-PC