A field investigation of the relationship between rotating shifts, sleep, mental health and physical activity of Australian paramedics

Paramedics working on a rotating shift are at an increased risk of developing chronic health issues due to continuous circadian rhythm disruption. The acute effects of shift rotation and objectively measured sleep have rarely been reported in paramedics. This study investigated the relationships between a rotating shift schedule and sleep (using actigraphy), subjective reports of sleepiness, mood, stress and fatigue. Galvanic Skin Response, energy expenditure and physical activity (BodyMedia SenseWear Armband) were also recorded across the shift schedule. Paramedics were monitored for a period of eight consecutive days across pre-shift, day shift, night shift, and 2 days off. Fifteen paramedics (M age = 39.5 and SD = 10.7 years) who worked rotational shifts experienced sleep restriction during night shift compared to pre-shift, day shift and days off (p < 0.001). Night shift was also associated with higher levels of stress (p < 0.05), fatigue (p < 0.05), and sleepiness (p < 0.05). One day off was related to a return to pre-shift functioning. Such shift-related issues have a compounding negative impact on an already stressful occupation with high rates of physical and mental health issues. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate methods to reduce rotating shift burden on the health of paramedics. This could be through further research aimed at providing recommendations for shift work schedules with sufficient periods for sleep and recovery from stress. © 2021, The Author(s)

Sleep and mental health among paramedics from Australia and Saudi Arabia : a comparison study

Paramedics face many challenges while on duty, one of which is working different types of shifts. Shift work has been linked to a number of health issues such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Besides shift work, Saudi paramedics, a group that has not been investigated for sleep or mental health issues previously, may be facing more demands than Australian paramedics due to lower numbers of paramedics in comparison to the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep and mental health disorders among paramedics in Saudi Arabia and Australia. Paramedics were invited to complete a survey to assess stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, sleep quality, shift work disorder, obstructive sleep apnoea, fatigue, and general health. A total of 104 males Saudi paramedics (M age = 32.5 +/- 6.1 years) and 83 males paramedics from Australia (M age = 44.1 +/- 12.1 years) responded to the survey. Significantly higher rates of depression, PTSD, insomnia, and fatigue, along with significantly poorer physical functioning were observed among Saudi paramedics in comparison with Australian paramedics. However, Australian paramedics reported significantly poorer sleep quality and general health in comparison to Saudi paramedics. After removing the effect of driving and working durations, outcomes were no longer significant. The higher burden of depression and PTSD among Saudi paramedics may be explained by longer hours spent driving and longer work durations reported by this group. Taking into consideration the outcomes reported in this study, more investigations are needed to study their possible effects on paramedics' cognition, performance, and safety

Mobile Application Usability Evaluation : A Study Based on Demography

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effects of Hepatitis C on Hematological Parameters in local areas of Mirpurkhas

Introduction: Various diseases have emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HCV) confection, now that antiretroviral therapies become more effective e and has prolonged life expectancy in HIV-infected patients1. One of the most frequently identified extra-hepatic abnormalities often seen at the time of diagnosis of HIV is the hematological abnormalityObjective: To determine possible effects of Hepatitis C in local Population of MirpurkhasMethodology:140 diagnosed patients of Hepatitis C were selected from OPD/Ward MMCH and Civil Hospital Mirpurkhas, Patients of Hypertension, Heart Failure, Renal diseases and respiratory disease were excluded Their ALT, GGT, Alk Sodium was determined by kit method. Their RBC count, TLC, Platelet Count was counted and ESR was determinedResults: It was a prospective study and out of 140 hepatitis C patients 86 were male and 54 were female. The mean age was 54.77 ± 14.046 years. The mean height was 159.42 ± 11.188 cm and the mean weight was 53.69±10.604 Kgs. The mean BMI was calculated as 21.235 ± 5.0607 kgs/m2 (Table.1). The mean Hemoglobin was estimated as 10.639± 2.6924 gm% the mean RBC count was found 3.832 ± .8460 millions/cmm. The mean total leukocyte count was 9111.63 ± 4612.845 per cmm and the mean Platelet count was 160447.67 ± 93788.194 /dl. the mean ESR was 51.70 ± 26.320 (Table.2) The mean Alkaline phosphatase was 273.76± 96.818 IU, the mean GGT was 83.40 ± 102.650 IU and the mean ALT was 74.98 ± 58.614 IU. (Table.3.) The Correlation of hepatitis C was estimated by Pearson’s correlation using SPSS 15 and found that hepatitis has a significant correlation with Hemoglobin, RBC count, TLC and Platelet count (r=.167, .165, .181, 238 and p=.092̽*, .031*, 018* and .002** respectively) and it has an inverse correlation with ESR (r=-.213, p=.005**)Conclusion: Our data shows that hepatitis C has positive correlation with Hb, RBC Count, TLC and Platelet count while the hepatitis has a significant inverse correlation with ESR. More work is required to establish criteria regarding correlation between Hepatitis C and Hematological parameter

Design of an integrated sub-6 GHz and mmWave MIMO antenna for 5G handheld devices

The authors appreciate financial support from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant Agreement No 801538. As well as, this work was partially supported by the Antenna and Wireless Propagation Group (https://sites.google.com/view/awpgrp/home accessed on 16 June 2021) and from the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP-2021/58), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Simple wideband extended aperture antenna-inspired circular patch for V-band communication systems

This article presents the design and realization of compact, geometrically simple, wideband and high gain antenna for V-band communication systems. The antenna is designed by using a conventional circular patch, which is further modified by using another fractal circular patch. Furthermore, the addition of three elliptical shaped patches significantly increases the bandwidth of the antenna. Afterwards, a circular slot is etched from the radiator to improve the radiation pattern of the antenna. The proposed structure comprises of an overall substrate size of 13 × 12 × 0.508 mm3 and designed using Duroid 5880 having very low loss tangent of 0.0009. To verify the presented results, the antenna prototype is fabricated and tested. The comparison among simulated and measured results shows a strong performance. Moreover, the comparison with state of the artwork shows that the antenna offers compact size, wide bandwidth, high gain, and good radiation efficiency. Thus, it makes the proposed antenna a potential candidate for the V-band communication systems.The authors sincerely appreciate the funding from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant 801538. Also, this work is partially supported by Antenna and Wireless Propagation Group (AWPG); https://sites.google.com/view/awpgrp, and from the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP-2021/58), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A comparative study between X-chromosome mapping of Sudanese and Egyptian Anopheles pharoensis theobald (Diptera: Culicidae) strains

Background: Current literature lacks information regarding Anopheles pharoensis malaria transmission patterns. Anopheles pharoensis succeeded in transmitting Malaria in Egypt. However, it was unsuccessful in doing the same in Sudan. From here arises these important questions: Why does it transmit malaria in Egypt but not in the Sudan or other Countries? Is it a Sibling species or a Sub-species? This investigation aimed to answer these questions by studying the genetics of Anopheles pharoensis collected from Egypt and Sudan.Methods: A comparative study was conducted in Egypt and Sudan to determine the population genetic structure of Anopheles pharoensis species based on chromosomal inversion of karyotypes. Fourth-stage larvae of Anopheles pharoensis were collected from Egypt (Faiyoum government) and from Sudan (Khartoum, Gezira and Sennar states).Result: Significant levels of differentiation were observed among the species studied.Conclusion: Investigations suggest that Anopheles pharoensis species collected from Egypt can transmit malaria due to the presence of an inversion in the X-chromosome. The lack of the aforementioned inversion probably prevented the transmission of malaria by Anopheles pharoensis in Sudan. The results above provide insight into malaria transmission patterns by Anopheles pharoensis. However, more needs to be done and hence it is recommended to undergo further research on genetics and morphological studies using molecular biological tool son Anopheles pharoensis in Sudan

How do water users perceive the quality of their irrigation services?: Report on a Training Course in the Use of Participatory Rural Appraisal for Irrigation Management Research, December 1994

Irrigation managementWater usersWater supplyIrrigation operationPerformanceParticipatory rural appraisalTraining

Challenges Faced by Persons with Disabilities Using Self-Service Technologies

Foreseeable game changing solutions to SSTs will allow for better universal access by better implementing features that are easy and intuitive to use from the inception. Additional robotic advancements will allow for better and easier delivery of goods for consumers. Improvements to artificial intelligence will allow for better communication through natural language and alternative forms of communication. Furthermore, artificial intelligence will aid consumers at SSTs by remembering the consumers preferences and needs. With all foreseeable game changing solutions people with disabilities will be consulted when new and improved SSTs are being developed allowing for the SST to maximize its potential

Collective action for watercourse maintenance

In Murray-Rust, D. H.; Vander Velde, E. J.; Habib-ur-Rehman (Eds.), Water management in NWFP. Peshawar, Pakistan: NWFP Agricultural University; Wageningen, Netherlands: Wageningen Agricultural University. Department of Irrigation and Soil and Water Conservatio