The effect of using flipped classroom instruction on students’ achievement in the new 2016 scholastic assessment test mathematics skills in the United Arab Emirates

The flipped classroom instruction considered as the focus of many researchers and teachers in the recent years, many teachers around the word tried the flipped classroom instructions in different ways, different tools, to teach different subjects with different grades. Taking in the consideration, applying the flipped classroom teaching methods needs a lot of preparation and technological tools. This study utilized a quasiexperimental method research design to investigate the effect of flipped classroom instruction on students’ achievements in the new SAT 2016 mathematics skills (Heart of Algebra, Problem solving and data analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math) for the eleventh grade Emirati, female students in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in student achievements in the new SAT mathematics skills between two groups of grade 11 students, the experimental group was taught by flipped classroom instruction, and the control group was taught by ordinary teaching methods. The result of the posttest showed a statistically significant point of preference for the experimental group over the control group in all of the new SAT mathematics skills except the problem solving and data analysis skills. Finally, study findings suggest that teachers who are teaching mathematics standardized test skills like SAT may use flipped classroom instruction to increase the students’ readiness and to improve the students’ thinking skills to simulate the 21st-century skills. After offering a proper training and professional development courses in the best practice of flipped classroom instruction

STR-832: ULTIMATE FLEXURAL STRENGTH AND LONG-TERM CREEP DEFLECTION FOR STRUCTURAL INSULATED FOAM-TIMBER SANDWICH PANELS

The structural insulated panel (SIP) is a sandwich structured composite that is prefabricated by attaching a lightweight thick core made of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam laminated between two thin, and stiff face skins made of Oriented Strand Board (OSB). The use of sandwich panels provides key benefits over conventional materials including: very low weight; high stiffness; durability and; production and construction cost savings. The facing skins of the sandwich panel can be considered as the flanges for the I-beam carrying bending stresses in which one face skin is subjected to tension, and the other is in compression. The core resists the shear loads and stabilizes the skin faces together giving uniformly stiffened panel. OSB is wood product that shrinks when dry and swells when adsorb moisture either due to liquid or vapor from the surrounding atmosphere. The relative combination of relative humidity and temperature is introduced into the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) that increases with the increase of the relative humidity and with decreasing temperature. Experimental test matrix includes testing 2.44 m (8’) and 4.88 m (16’) long SIPs for 5 years under different sustained loads and weather resistive barriers (WRBs), recording creep deflection, relative humidity and temperature. After creep recovery, the SIPs are loaded to-collapse to determine their flexural strength

Determinanții sociali la pacienții cu tuberculoză pulmonară

Introduction. People with social vulnerability, such as those without a place for living, migrants, unemployed, and marginalized by addictive behaviors have a high risk for tuberculosis. Objective of the study. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of the social determinants in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Material and methods. A retrospective, selective, longitudinal study was performed that included 419 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and registered with a socially vulnerable state in Chisinau during 2017-2019. Results. According to the sex distribution, it was identified that the ratio men/ women consisted 3.5/1; the age group of 35-54 years was prevailed with 226 (54%) cases, followed by the age group of 18-35 years with 125 (30%) cases and the group of 55+ years – with 56 (16%) cases. Unemployed were 328 (78%), low level of education had 342 (82%) cases and poor living conditions had 281 (67%) cases. There were in detention 41 (9%) cases and recently migrated were 53 (13%) cases. Harmful habits such as chronic alcoholism had 61 (15%) cases and patients who are addicted to drugs – 7 (2%) cases. HIV/AIDS was diagnosed in 52 (12%) cases, mental disorders – in 14 (5%) cases, malnourished were 32 (7.6%) patients, undernourished – 28% cases. 48 (11%) cases were in tuberculosis contact. Conclusions. The social determinants of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were dominated by unemployment, low level of education and poor living conditions, which often were associated with harmful habits, TB contact, undernourished and HIV-infection.Introducere. Persoanele cu vulnerabilitate socială, precum cele fără loc de trai, marginalizate prin comportamente adictive și migranți constituie un risc sporit de îmbolnăvire de tuberculoză. Scopul. Scopul a fost de a evalua distribuția determinanților sociali la pacienții cu tuberculoză pulmonară. Material și metode. A fost efectuat un studiu retrospectiv, selectiv, descriptiv care a inclus 419 pacienți diagnosticați cu tuberculoză pulmonară și care au fost înregistrați cu un statut social vulnerabil în Chișinău în perioada 2017-2019. Rezultate. Distribuind pacienții în dependență de sex, am identificat că raportul bărbați/femei a constituit 3,5/1, a predominat grupul de vârstă 35-54 ani cu 226 (54%) cazuri, urmat de grupul de vârstă 18-35 ani cu 125 (30%) cazuri și grupul de vârstă 55+ ani – cu 56 (16%) cazuri. Șomeri au constituit 328 (78%) cazuri, nivelul scăzut de studii au avut 342 (82%) cazuri, condiții de viață sărace – 281 (67%) cazuri. Au fost în detenție 41 (9%) cazuri și au migrat recent 53 (13%) cazuri. Deprinderi nocive ca alcoolism cronic au avut 61 (15%) cazuri și au utilizat droguri 7 (2%) pacienți. HIV/SIDA s-a diagnosticat la 52 (12%) pacienți, tulburări psihice – la 14 (5%) cazuri, malnutriți au fost 32 (7,6%) pacienți și subnutriți – 28% cazuri. În contact tuberculos au fost 48 (11%) cazuri. Concluzii. Determinanții sociali la pacienții cu tuberculoză pulmonară au fost dominați de șomaj, nivel redus de școlarizare, condiții nesatisfăcătoare de trai, care frecvent s-au asociat cu deprinderi nocive, contactul tuberculos, subnutriția și infecția HIV

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS IN PATIENTS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu”, Chişinău, Republica MoldovaIntroducere. Persoanele cu vulnerabilitate socială, precum cele fără loc de trai, marginalizate prin comportamente adictive și migranți constituie un risc sporit de îmbolnăvire de tuberculoză. Scopul. Scopul a fost de a evalua distribuția determinanților sociali la pacienții cu tuberculoză pulmonară. Material și metode. A fost efectuat un studiu retrospectiv, selectiv, descriptiv care a inclus 419 pacienți diagnosticați cu tuberculoză pulmonară și care au fost înregistrați cu un statut social vulnerabil în Chișinău în perioada 2017-2019. Rezultate. Distribuind pacienții în dependență de sex, am identificat că raportul bărbați/femei a constituit 3,5/1, a predominat grupul de vârstă 35-54 ani cu 226 (54%) cazuri, urmat de grupul de vârstă 18-35 ani cu 125 (30%) cazuri și grupul de vârstă 55+ ani – cu 56 (16%) cazuri. Șomeri au constituit 328 (78%) cazuri, nivelul scăzut de studii au avut 342 (82%) cazuri, condiții de viață sărace – 281 (67%) cazuri. Au fost în detenție 41 (9%) cazuri și au migrat recent 53 (13%) cazuri. Deprinderi nocive ca alcoolism cronic au avut 61 (15%) cazuri și au utilizat droguri 7 (2%) pacienți. HIV/SIDA s-a diagnosticat la 52 (12%) pacienți, tulburări psihice – la 14 (5%) cazuri, malnutriți au fost 32 (7,6%) pacienți și subnutriți – 28% cazuri. În contact tuberculos au fost 48 (11%) cazuri. Concluzii. Determinanții sociali la pacienții cu tuberculoză pulmonară au fost dominați de șomaj, nivel redus de școlarizare, condiții nesatisfăcătoare de trai, care frecvent s-au asociat cu deprinderi nocive, contactul tuberculos, subnutriția și infecția HIV.Introduction. People with social vulnerability, such as those without a place for living, migrants, unemployed, and marginalized by addictive behaviors have a high risk for tuberculosis. Objective of the study. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of the social determinants in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Material and methods. A retrospective, selective, longitudinal study was performed that included 419 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and registered with a socially vulnerable state in Chisinau during 2017-2019. Results. According to the sex distribution, it was identified that the ratio men/ women consisted 3.5/1; the age group of 35-54 years was prevailed with 226 (54%) cases, followed by the age group of 18-35 years with 125 (30%) cases and the group of 55+ years – with 56 (16%) cases. Unemployed were 328 (78%), low level of education had 342 (82%) cases and poor living conditions had 281 (67%) cases. There were in detention 41 (9%) cases and recently migrated were 53 (13%) cases. Harmful habits such as chronic alcoholism had 61 (15%) cases and patients who are addicted to drugs – 7 (2%) cases. HIV/AIDS was diagnosed in 52 (12%) cases, mental disorders – in 14 (5%) cases, malnourished were 32 (7.6%) patients, undernourished – 28% cases. 48 (11%) cases were in tuberculosis contact. Conclusions. The social determinants of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were dominated by unemployment, low level of education and poor living conditions, which often were associated with harmful habits, TB contact, undernourished and HIV-infection

Anahita: A System for 3D Video Streaming with Depth Customization

Producing high-quality stereoscopic 3D content requires significantly more effort than preparing regular video footage. In order to assure good depth perception and visual comfort, 3D videos need to be carefully adjusted to specific viewing conditions before they are shown to viewers. While most stereoscopic 3D content is designed for viewing in movie theaters, where viewing conditions do not vary significantly, adapting the same content for viewing on home TV-sets, desktop displays, laptops, and mobile devices requires additional adjustments. To address this challenge, we propose a new system for 3D video streaming that provides automatic depth adjustments as one of its key features. Our system takes into account both the content and the display type in order to customize 3D videos and maximize their perceived quality. We propose a novel method for depth adjustment that is well-suited for videos of field sports such as soccer, football, and tennis. Our method is computationally efficient and it does not introduce any visual artifacts. We have implemented our 3D streaming system and conducted two user studies, which show: (i) adapting stereoscopic 3D videos for different displays is beneficial, and (ii) our proposed system can achieve up to 35% improvement in the perceived quality of the stereoscopic 3D content

Suitability of the Openly Accessible 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands for War-Wounded Children

The field of rehabilitation and assistive devices is being disrupted by innovations in desktop 3D printers and open-source designs. For upper limb prosthetics, those technologies have demonstrated a strong potential to aid those with missing hands. However, there are basic interfacing issues that need to be addressed for long term usage. The functionality, durability, and the price need to be considered especially for those in difficult living conditions. We evaluated the most popular designs of body-powered, 3D printed prosthetic hands. We selected a representative sample and evaluated its suitability for its grasping postures, durability, and cost. The prosthetic hand can perform three grasping postures out of the 33 grasps that a human hand can do. This corresponds to grasping objects similar to a coin, a golf ball, and a credit card. Results showed that the material used in the hand and the cables can withstand a 22 N normal grasping force, which is acceptable based on standards for accessibility design. The cost model showed that a 3D printed hand could be produced for as low as $19. For the benefit of children with congenital missing limbs and for the war-wounded, the results can serve as a baseline study to advance the development of prosthetic hands that are functional yet low-cost

Proposal of a modified tip apex distance for prediction of lag screw cut-out in trochanteric hip fractures

Introduction: Lag screw cut-out is a serious complication of dynamic hip screw fixation of trochanteric hip fractures. The lag screw position has been acknowledged as one of the important factors affecting the lag screw cut-out. We propose a modification of the Tip Apex Distance (TAD) and hypothesise that it could improve the reliability of predicting lag screws cut-out in these injuries. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for hip fracture entries in the period from Jan 2018 to July 2022. A hundred and nine patients were suitable for the final analysis. The modified TAD was measured in millimetres based on the sum of the traditional TAD in the lateral view and the net value of two distances in the AP view, the first distance is from the tip of the lag screw to the opposite point on the femoral head along the axis of the lag screw while the second distance is from that point to the femoral head apex. The first distance is a positive value, whereas the second distance is positive if the lag screw is superior and negative if inferior. A receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the reliability of the different parameters assessing the lag screw position within the femoral head. Results: Reduction quality, fracture pattern as per the AO/OTA classification, TAD, Calcar Referenced TAD, Axis Blade Angle, Parker’s ration in the AP view, Cleveland Zone 1, and modified TAD were statistically associated with lag screw cut-out. Among the tested parameters, the modified TAD had 90.1% sensitivity and 90.9% specificity for lag screw cut-out at a cut-off value of 25 mm with a P-value < 0.001. Conclusion: The modified TAD had the highest reliability in the prediction of lag screw cut-out. A value ≤ 25 mm could potentially protect against lag screw cut-out in trochanteric hip fractures

The Arab world's contribution to solid waste literature: a bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND: Environmental and health-related effects of solid waste material are considered worldwide problems. The aim of this study was to assess the volume and impact of Arab scientific output published in journals indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI) on solid waste. METHODS: We included all the documents within the SCI whose topic was solid waste from all previous years up to 31 December 2012. In this bibliometric analysis we sought to evaluate research that originated from Arab countries in the field of solid waste, as well as its relative growth rate, collaborative measures, productivity at the institutional level, and the most prolific journals. RESULTS: A total of 382 (2.35 % of the overall global research output in the field of solid waste) documents were retrieved from the Arab countries. The annual number of documents published in the past three decades (1982–2012) indicated that research productivity demonstrated a noticeable rise during the last decade. The highest number of articles associated with solid waste was that of Egypt (22.8 %), followed by Tunisia (19.6), and Jordan (13.4 %). the total number of citations over the analysed years at the date of data collection was 4,097, with an average of 10.7 citations per document. The h-index of the citing articles was 31. Environmental science was the most researched topic, represented by 175 (45.8 %) articles. Waste Management was the top active journal. The study recognized 139 (36.4 %) documents from collaborations with 25 non-Arab countries. Arab authors mainly collaborated with countries in Europe (22.5 %), especially France, followed by countries in the Americas (9.4 %), especially the USA. The most productive institution was the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, with 6.3 % of total publications. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the expected increase in solid waste production from Arab world, research activity about solid waste is still low. Governments must invest more in solid waste research to avoid future unexpected problems. Finally, since solid waste is a multidisciplinary science, research teams in engineering, health, toxicology, environment, geology and others must be formulated to produce research in solid waste from different scientific aspects

Genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in Egypt: insights into spike protein thermodynamic stability

The overall pattern of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic so far has been a series of waves; surges in new cases followed by declines. The appearance of novel mutations and variants underlie the rises in infections, making surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 mutations and prediction of variant evolution of utmost importance. In this study, we sequenced 320 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes isolated from patients from the outpatient COVID-19 clinic in the Children’s Cancer Hospital Egypt 57357 (CCHE 57357) and the Egypt Center for Research and Regenerative Medicine (ECRRM). The samples were collected between March and December 2021, covering the third and fourth waves of the pandemic. The third wave was found to be dominated by Nextclade 20D in our samples, with a small number of alpha variants. The delta variant was found to dominate the fourth wave samples, with the appearance of omicron variants late in 2021. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the omicron variants are closest genetically to early pandemic variants. Mutation analysis shows SNPs, stop codon mutation gain, and deletion/insertion mutations, with distinct patterns of mutations governed by Nextclade or WHO variant. Finally, we observed a large number of highly correlated mutations, and some negatively correlated mutations, and identified a general inclination toward mutations that lead to enhanced thermodynamic stability of the spike protein. Overall, this study contributes genetic and phylogenetic data, as well as provides insights into SARS-CoV-2 viral evolution that may eventually help in the prediction of evolving mutations for better vaccine development and drug targets