American Tourists’ Perceptions of the Middle East Region as a Travel Destination

Image has consistently been found to be a crucial determinant of tourists’ intentions to visit destinations, and negative misperceptions can have devastating results to tourism arrival numbers. Yet, scant empirical evidence has been collected regarding how Western tourists’ attitudes affect their intentions to travel to the Middle East Region. One of the most often used theoretical frameworks for examining how attitudes affect behaviors is the theory of planned behavior. Additionally, the role tourists’ social identity plays in potential tourists’ behavioral intentions has been found to be important, but it has rarely been studied. Hence, this study was undertaken in order to advance the theoretical and practical understanding of tourism by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to include the construct of social identity salience as developed from social identity theory. Data were collected from potential American tourists (n=630), and the hypotheses tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings led the researcher to conclude that the extended TPB model with social identity fit the data well. Statistical results supported most of the hypothesized relationships among the study variables. Thus, this made various advances for research and practice. In general, empirical evidence that was delivered from this research led the researcher to suggest (1) the effects of social identity of tourists on the attitudinal beliefs towards a travel destination; (2) the appropriateness of the TPB model in a tourism context; (3) the non-significant effect of social identity on behavioral intention; (4) the effects of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on the behavioral intention level of tourist. Additionally, to be an asset in evolving the tourism industry in the Middle East Region, the current study provides practical implications to destination authorities and people who account for promoting tourism in that region (e.g., practitioners and tourism leaders) to advance their understanding of the Western perceptions

American Tourists’ Perceptions of the Middle East Region as a Travel Destination

Image has consistently been found to be a crucial determinant of tourists’ intentions to visit destinations, and negative misperceptions can have devastating results to tourism arrival numbers. Yet, scant empirical evidence has been collected regarding how Western tourists’ attitudes affect their intentions to travel to the Middle East Region. One of the most often used theoretical frameworks for examining how attitudes affect behaviors is the theory of planned behavior. Additionally, the role tourists’ social identity plays in potential tourists’ behavioral intentions has been found to be important, but it has rarely been studied. Hence, this study was undertaken in order to advance the theoretical and practical understanding of tourism by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to include the construct of social identity salience as developed from social identity theory. Data were collected from potential American tourists (n=630), and the hypotheses tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings led the researcher to conclude that the extended TPB model with social identity fit the data well. Statistical results supported most of the hypothesized relationships among the study variables. Thus, this made various advances for research and practice. In general, empirical evidence that was delivered from this research led the researcher to suggest (1) the effects of social identity of tourists on the attitudinal beliefs towards a travel destination; (2) the appropriateness of the TPB model in a tourism context; (3) the non-significant effect of social identity on behavioral intention; (4) the effects of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on the behavioral intention level of tourist. Additionally, to be an asset in evolving the tourism industry in the Middle East Region, the current study provides practical implications to destination authorities and people who account for promoting tourism in that region (e.g., practitioners and tourism leaders) to advance their understanding of the Western perceptions

The use of endo-vascular balloon tamponade technique for the removal of a misplaced nephrostomy tube in the inferior vena cava: A case report

AbstractIntroductionInadvertent placement of a nephrostomy tube into the inferior vena cava (IVC) is an extremely rare complication with few reported cases in the literature.Case presentationWe present a lady with obstructive uropathy in a solitary kidney in whom an attempt by the community radiologist to place a nephrostomy tube was complicated by wrong insertion into the IVC. This report illustrates how a safe non- surgical removal of this tube using an intravenous balloon tamponade technique was successfully applied.DiscussionIntravenous placement of nephrostomy catheters into the inferior vena cava is extremely rare complication. A few case reports have been published in the literature. The majority of these cases were removed in the operating room under general anesthesia. Using Intravenous balloon tamponade technique for removal has not been previously reported.ConclusionIntravenous balloon tamponade technique is effective and is a good minimally invasive alternative to surgical removal of misplaced nephrostomy tube from IVC

SCV'S: Formation and characterisation in staphylococcus SP

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infection and contributes significantly to patient morbidity and mortality. The ability of S. aureus to switch to an alternative phenotype in the presence of antimicrobial agents is clearly favourable. One of these alternatives are small colony variants (SCVs). The novel phenotypes include changes to colony morphology, antibiotic susceptibility, haemolytic activity and many other physiological activities. It is now recognised that SCVs have a deficiency in electron transport, owing to mutations affecting its efficacy. This study investigated SCVs in various ways. In the evolution component changes (mutations) occurring sequentially in successive cycling (15 cycles), were identified. In this experiment selection was made for sequentially SCV mutants and wild type revertants. Two sequenced clinical MRSA strains COL and N315 were chosen so changes in sequence in SCVs and wild type revertants could be compared. Selection for SCVs was made independently for triclosan and gentamicin for both strains. The final SCV and WT strains isolated were compared physiologically and genetically and showed differences in frequency, biochemical profiles, pigment production, haemolysis, catalase, coagulase, levels of intracellular ATP and phage yield. The genomic sequence of the final 4 cycle isolates (SCV15) showed numerous and diverse mutations occurred COL and N315 SCVs. Over 70 mutations were found and 33 were determined as historic mutations and the rest were termed novel mutations. The novel mutations occurred during the cycling process. The historic mutations occurred prior to the experiment and these mutations were acquired during growth in laboratory culture. Only one mutation was found to be common between COL and N315 and this was in the fabI gene. These data indicate mutations occurring in ~1.3% of the genome (~ 40 Kb) can generate mutants with the SCV phenotype. Susceptibility to phage 80α and transduction of S. aureus wild type and their SCVs 1-3 was studied. Wild type strain of S. aureus and SCV3 both yielded a high number of lysogens (~68%) the remaining being resistant mutants. SCV 1 and SCV 2 provided a much lower proportion of lysogens (4-10%). There was no obvious relationship between cellular ATP levels and lysogen formation. Consequently the frequency of lysogen formation (or that of resistance mutants) cannot be related to energy status. Transduction of ciprofloxacin resistance (grlA) was observed into COL wild type at a 5-10-fold higher frequency than into SCV1. Transduction of rifampicin resistance (rpoB) into SCVs was reduced almost 10-fold. As transduction was significantly decreased into SCVs it is hypothesised this process was influenced by ATP levels. The data thus suggests that SCV strains will be less efficient in gene exchange by transduction in vivo. Three SCVs previously isolated from S. aureus COL on the basis of different growth rate were further studied. Results clearly support the hypothesis that there is a physiological diversity in SCV populations. Sensitivity of S. aureus wild type and SCVs strains to various antimicrobial was determined. The SCV strains were more sensitive to some antibiotics and heavy metals than the wild type strain

Awareness and Attitude Toward Eye Donation among Medical Students in Qassim University – A Cross-sectional Study, 2019

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of awareness and attitude for eye donation among medical students of Qassim University. METHODS: All medical students of Qassim University were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study in 2019. The survey contains 10 questions regarding knowledge for different aspects of eye donation, one question on their attitude to donate eye, and one question to specify reasons for reservation for eye donation which were inquired. Awareness score of 50% and more was defined as “good awareness.” Awareness was associated to variables such as gender, grade of medical school, and if they attended ophthalmology course. RESULTS: Of the 600 students, 386 were surveyed. The good knowledge regarding eye donation was in 19.2% (95% CI 15.2; 23.1) participants. Attitude to donate eye was positive in 102 (26.4% [95% CI 22.0; 30.8]) participants. One hundred and seventy-nine (46.5%) participants were undecided for eye donation. The level of knowledge was positively and significantly associated to attitude to donate eyes. (OR = 2.44 [95% CI 1.4; 4.2], p = 0.001). The awareness was not associated to gender (p = 0.97) and years in medical college (p = 0.6). Attending ophthalmology course did not significantly affect the knowledge about eye donation (p = 0.8). Lack of adequate information was the main barrier among 146 (37.6%) students for their unwillingness for eye donation. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness about eye donation among medical students was low. Health promotion, inclusion of eye donation in undergraduate curriculum, and ophthalmic training are recommended to improve both knowledge and attitude of medical studen

A study of positive exponential consensus on DeGroot model

A nonlinear consensus model is assigned to resolve the consensus problem of multi-agent systems (MAS). Other studies have constructed consensus systems based on low-complexity computation linear equations or complex nonlinear equations. Linear equations are less efficient in reaching a consensus due to their slow computation process, where nonlinear equations are more efficient. The three major challenges in designing nonlinear consensus equations are: building a system of nonlinear equations that have solution, easy to calculate, and less time consuming. This study aims to create a consensus system that is nonlinear and easy to calculate. According to our survey, the DeGroot model (DGM) of 1974 is a linear model and the first effect consensus model with a flexible computation process for finite nodes. We examine if raising the exponential level for the initial cases of agents allows the system to achieve a consensus and move the DGM to a nonlinear level. The results show that by raising the exponent, the DGM is able to reach a consensus. The consensus of the DGM reaches a certain positive value that depends on the initial states of the agents and the transition matrix, whereas the consensus of the proposed exponential DGM (EDGM) reaches zero with a flexible and unrestricted matrix. Moreover, EDGM is a nonlinear model and reaches the consensus faster than the DGM linear model. The results are supported by theoretical evidence and numerical analysis

Degradation of diclofenac, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, and sulfamethoxazole by laccase from Trametes versicolor: Transformation products and toxicity of treated effluent

The degradation of diclofenac (DCF), trimethoprim (TMP), carbamazepine (CBZ), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by laccase from Trametes versicolor was investigated. Experiments were conducted using the pharmaceuticals individually, or as a mixture at different initial concentrations (1.25 and 5 mg/L each). The initial enzymatic activity of all the treated samples was around 430-460 U (DMP) /L. The removal of the four selected pharmaceuticals tested individually was more effective than when tested in mixtures under the same conditions. For example, 5 mg DCF/L was completely removed to below its detection limit (1 µg/L) within 8 h in the individual experiment vs. after 24 h when dosed as a mixture with the other pharmaceuticals. A similar trend was visible with other three pharmaceuticals, with 95 vs. 39%, 82 vs. 34% and 56 vs. 49% removal after 48 h with 5 mg/L of TMP, CBZ, and SMX tested individually or as mixtures, respectively. In addition, at the lower initial concentration (1.25 mg/L each), the removal efficiency of TMP, CBZ, and SMX in mixtures was lower than that obtained at the higher initial concentrations (5 mg/L each) during both the individual and combined treatments. Four enzymatic transformation products (TPs) were identified during the individual treatments of DCF and CBZ by T. versicolor. For TMP and SMX, no major TPs were observed under the experimental conditions used. The toxicity of the solution before and after enzymatic treatment of each pharmaceutical was also assessed and all treated effluent samples were verified to be non-toxic

Elevated antibiotic resistance of Sudanese urinary tract infection bacteria

This study determined the prevalence of urinary tract infections in the Sudanese state of Khartoum and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolated bacterial species. 200 adult patient urine specimens were collected and cultivated to identify the growing bacteria and their susceptibility to antibiotics. 35 % of specimens had significant bacterial growth. The most frequent isolates in this study were E. coli, E. faecalis and S. aureus. Most of the isolates were resistant to many antibiotics; Gram-negative and Gram-positive isolates were resistant to 67 % and 44 % of the examined antibiotics, respectively. E. coli was the most frequent bacterium in the studied samples and it was highly resistant to first-line antibiotics. The most resistant bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas species and the lowest was for S. saprophyticus. The results highlighted the need for knowledge about antibiotic susceptibility profile of the bacteria causing UTI prior to antibiotic prescription in order to ensure optimal treatment

Cross-sectional Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Male and Female Medical Students in Qassim University – College of Medicine Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of mortality around the world. At present, almost half of the non-communicable diseases are CVDs. According to the literature review, CVD disease and the associated risk factors are high among Saudi adults. It has not been studied to determine at which age the majority of adults acquire the risk factors. We hypothesized and planned to assess CVD risk factors among medical students. AIM: The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of CVD risk factors among male and female medical students in Qassim University. METHODS: A cross-sectional study surveyed 188 males and female medical students in Qassim University. They were selected by random sampling technique. The data were collected by using a questionnaire included (age, gender, height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, random blood glucose, smoking habits, physical activity, and stress scale). After the data collection, it was entered and analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: About 9.6% of male students were smokers, while there is no history of smoking among female students. About 18.2% of males were found obese, while obesity was lower among females (4.2%). The random blood glucose for males and females was within normal limits, but the measured blood pressure showed a higher percentage of elevated blood pressure among males (47.8%) in comparison to females (25.4%). Perceived stress scale exhibited that females were getting a greater percentage of high stress (34.3%), while in males, it was 14.4%. CONCLUSION: Many risk factors were greater among males, including elevated blood pressure 47.8%, obesity 18.2%, and smoking 9.6%. On the other hand, these risk factors were lower in females, but they have a higher stress scale 34.3% in comparison to males

Survival Rate of Patients with Cardiothoracic Injuries in Road Traffic Accidents, and their Relationship with ISS, GCS and blood transfusions.

Severe thoracic trauma is one of the major causes of injury-related mortality. In the United States, thoracic trauma results in one-fourth of all trauma deaths. Globally, cardiothoracic trauma is also a major contributor to mortality. The most common cardiothoracic injuries include rib fractures, thoracic vertebral fractures, haemothorax, pneumothorax, flail chest, and lung contusions. The purpose of the present study was to determine the survival rate of patients with cardiovascular injuries in road traffic accidents and its relationship with ISS, GCS and blood transfusions at King Khalid Hospital. This study is a useful addition to the literature, as research in this topic is lacking. A total of 189 patients were transported to the hospital with cardiothoracic injuries during the study period. Data was gathered regarding age, gender, nationality, vehicle user type, anatomical region injured, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), blood transfusion, treatment and mortality rate. The neurological status was assessed using the GCS score. Injury Severity Scores were calculated to categorize the injury severity. The mean patient age was 31.81 years, with a peak age of between 21–30 years. Males predominated (93.7%) with a male to female ratio of 15:1. Most of the patients were Saudi nationals (61.3%). Overall mortality was 7.9%. Factors that were significantly associated with mortality were head and neck involvement, ICU admission, age (above 60), treatment delivered, and blood transfusions. Cardiothoracic trauma is associated with a high mortality rate, which may depend on the clinical presentation such as GCS, ISS, degree of shock, pattern of injuries, and associated injuries. Immediate management is vital for patients with life-threatening cardiothoracic trauma, as mortality is high if the diagnosis is missed, wrong or left untreated