Ceftriaxone Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) at Prince Abdulaziz Bin Moussae’ed Hospital, Arar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Bacterial resistance to the most commonly used drug ceftriaxone and its adverse effects have increased due to its injudicial use. Drug Utilization Evaluation (DUE) is an ongoing, systematic process designed to promote the appropriate and effective use of drugs. The purpose was to detect potential problems and search out solution. Methods: Data were collected in structured preform specific for DUE and were represented as numbers and percentages. For comparing numerical data, Mann–Whitney U-test was used as the data were non-parametric in distribution for ages and BMI, while Fisher exact test was used for categorical data comparison. Multivariate multi-logistic regression models to study the overlapped effect of the variables in development of Ceftriaxone induced liver functions derangement. Data were processed and analyzed using SPSS16 for statistical analysis.  Significance was considered as P < 0.05. Results: Our study showed that ceftriaxone use was more. High dose was used and for more than 10 days were the result of adverse effects and liver insult. Conclusion There is need for awareness among the general practitioners and clinicians to ensure rational use of antibiotics. This will minimize bacterial resistance to drug, adverse effects and save national economy. Keywords: Ceftriaxone, Drug utilization evaluatio

Fully-developed laminar flow in trapezoidal ducts with rounded corners : a numerical solution and case study

Purpose This paper aims to numerically solve fully developed laminar flow in trapezoidal ducts with rounded corners which result following forming processes. Design/methodology/approach A two-dimensional model for a trapezoidal duct with rounded corners is developed and conservation of momentum equation is solved. The flow is assumed to be steady, fully developed, laminar, isothermal and incompressible. The key flow characteristics including the Poiseuille number and the incremental pressure drop have been computed and tabulated for a wide range of: sidewall angle (θ); the ratio of the height of the duct to its smaller base (α); and the ratio of the fillet radius of the duct to its smaller base (β). Findings The results show that Poiseuille number decreases, and all the other dimensionless numbers increase with increasing the radii of the fillets of the duct; these effects were found to amplify with decreasing duct heights or increasing sidewall angles. The maximum axial velocity was shown to increase with increasing the radii of the fillets of the duct. For normally used ducts in hydrogen fuel cells, the impact of rounded corners cannot be overlooked for very low channel heights or very high sidewall angles. Practical implications The data generated in this study are highly valuable for engineers interested in estimating pressure drops in rounded trapezoidal ducts; these ducts have been increasingly used in hydrogen fuel cells where flow channels are stamped on thin metallic sheets. Originality/value Fully developed laminar flow in trapezoidal ducts with four rounded corners has been solved for the first time, allowing for more accurate estimation of pressure drop

Cyber risks to critical smart grid assets of industrial control systems

Cybersecurity threats targeting industrial control systems (ICS) have significantly increased in the past years. Moreover, the need for users/operators to understand the consequences of attacks targeting these systems and protect all assets is vital. This work explores asset discovery in ICS and how to rank these assets based on their criticality. This paper also discusses asset discovery and its components. We further present existing solutions and tools for asset discovery. We implement a method to identify critical assets based on their connection and discuss related results and evaluation. The evaluation utilises four attack scenarios to stress the importance of protecting these critical assets since the failure to protect them can lead to serious consequences. Using a 12-bus system case, our results show that targeting such a system can increase and overload transmission lines values to 120% and 181% MVA, which can affect the power supply and disrupt service, and it can increase the cost up to 60%, affecting the productivity of this electric grid

Graphs with mixed metric dimension three and related algorithms

Let $G = (V, E)$ be a simple connected graph. A vertex $x\in V(G)$ resolves the elements $u, v\in E(G)\cup V(G)$ if $d_G(x, u)\neq d_G(x, v)$. A subset $S\subseteq V(G)$ is a mixed metric resolving set for $G$ if every two elements of $G$ are resolved by some vertex of $S$. A set of smallest cardinality of mixed metric generator for $G$ is called the mixed metric dimension. In this paper trees and unicyclic graphs having mixed dimension three are classified. The main aim is to investigate the structure of a simple connected graph having mixed dimension three with respect to the order of graph, maximum degree of basis elements and distance partite sets of basis elements. In particular to find necessary and sufficient conditions for a graph to have mixed metric dimension 3. Moreover three separate algorithms are developed for trees, unicyclic graphs and in general for simple connected graph $J_{n}\ncong P_{n}$ with $n\geq 3$ to determine "whether these graphs have mixed dimension three or not?". If these graphs have mixed dimension three, then these algorithms provide a mixed basis of an input graph

Towards developing an asset-criticality identification framework in smart grids

Smart Grids combine advanced communication technologies with traditional power systems, enhancing performance and reliability but also introducing cyber and physical vulnerabilities. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to identify and prioritize key assets within these interconnected layers. The proposed framework employs graph-based integration to create nodes for cyber hosts and vulnerabilities, as well as power system components, assigning specific attributes to each. The framework establishes clear connections between cyber assets and power system elements by prioritizing cyber vulnerabilities through impact scores and graph metrics like closeness centrality and identifying key power components using electric degree and betweenness centrality. Scenario simulations are utilized to evaluate the impacts of disruptions across layers, revealing potential attack pathways and assessing associated risks. This integrated approach offers a detailed analysis of interconnected vulnerabilities, aiding in the development of targeted mitigation strategies to enhance the security of the overall smart grids

The heavy metals lead and cadmium are cytotoxic to human bone osteoblasts via induction of redox stress

The heavy metals (HMs) lead and cadmium are persistent environmental pollutants capable of inducing ill-health in exposed individuals. One of the primary sites of accumulation and potential damage from HMs is bone, and we therefore examined the acute effects of lead and 2 cadmium on human bone osteoblasts in vitro over a concentration range of 0.1 µM to 1mM, and for 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hour exposures. Incubation of osteoblasts with either lead or cadmium reduced cell viability in a concentrations and exposure durations dependent manner, as measured using MTT and LDH assays. Cytotoxicity was significant from 0.1 µM concentrations after 48 hour exposures. Both HMs damaged cellular bioenergetics with reductions of ATP production, mitochondrial complex activities, and aerobic respiration. There was a concomitant elevation of reactive oxygen species, with induction of redox stress measured as increased lipid peroxidation, and depleted cellular redox defense systems via reduced superoxide dismutase and catalase activity and cellular glutathione levels. Both HMs induced nuclear activation of Nrf2, presumably to increase transcription of antioxidant responsive genes to combat oxidative stress. Incubation of osteoblasts with HMs also compromised the secretion of procollagen type 1, osteocalcin, and alkaline phosphatase. Pre-incubation of osteoblasts with reduced glutathione prior to challenge with HMs lessened the cytotoxicity of the HMs, indicative that antioxidants may be a beneficial treatment adjunct in cases of acute lead or cadmium poisoning

Review: Monitoring situational awareness of smart grid cyber-physical systems and critical asset identification

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are becoming more automated and aimed to be as efficient as possible by enabling integration between their operations and Information Technology (IT) resources. In combination with production automation, these systems need to identify their assets and the correlation between them; any potential threats or failures alert the relevant user/department and suggest the appropriate remediation plan. Moreover, identifying critical assets in these systems is essential. With numerous research and technologies available, assessing IT assets nowadays can be straightforward to implement. However, there is one significant issue of evaluating operational technology critical assets since they have different characteristics, and traditional solutions cannot work efficiently. This study presents the necessary background to attain the appropriate approach for monitoring critical assets in CPSs' Situational Awareness (SA). Additionally, the study presents a broad survey supported by an in-depth review of previous works in three important aspects. First, it reviews the applicability of possible techniques, tools and solutions that can be used to collect detailed information from such systems. Secondly, it covers studies that were implemented to evaluate the criticality of assets in CPSs, demonstrates requirements for critical asset identification, explores different risks and failure techniques utilised in these systems and delves into approaches to evaluate such methods in energy systems. Finally, this paper highlights and analyses SA gaps based on existing solutions, provides future directions and discusses open research issues

The Influence of CoO/P2O5 Substitutions on the Structural, Mechanical, and Radiation Shielding of Boro-Phosphate Glasses

A new glass system (50−x)P2 O5 –20B2 O3 –5Al2 O3 –25Na2 O–xCoO was manufactured using a standard melt quenching procedure, where 1≤ x ≤ 12 mol%. The characteristics of boro-phosphate-glasses containing CoO have been studied. The effect of CoO on the radiation-protective properties of glasses was established. The density of the prepared glasses as a function of CoO increased. XRD was used to check the vitreous structure of samples. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the structure of each sample. FTIR demonstrated that connections grew as CoO/P2 O5 levels increased, and the FTIR spectra shifted to higher wavenumbers. The increment of CoO converts non-bridging oxygens associated with phosphate structural units into bridging oxygens. This process increases the concentration of BO4 structural units and creates new, strong and stable bonds B–O–P, i.e., there is polymerization of the boro-phosphate glass network. With an increase in the ratio of CoO/P2 O5 in the produced samples, ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli were observed to increase. The coefficients of linear and mass attenuation, the transmittance of photons in relation to the photon energy, the efficiency of radiation protection in relation to the photon energy, and the thickness of the absorber were modeled using these two methods (experimental and theoretical). From the obtained values, it can be concluded that the 12Co sample containing 12 mol% will play the most influential role in radiation protection. An increase in the content of cobalt-I oxide led to a significant increase in the linear and mass attenuation coefficient values, which directly contributes to the development of the radiation-protective properties of glass. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This work funding by Deanship of Scientific at Jouf University through research grant no (DSR2020-02-504)

Utilisation of a 2D solid state detector array for dose assessment and reconstruction of cancer treatment fields using megavoltage photon beams

The level of sophistication associated with modern radiotherapy techniques such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) continues to increase, placing increasing demands on the current Quality Assurance (QA) procedures that ensure patient safety. There is therefore a significant need for real-time detectors that provide verification of IMRT and VMAT during the delivery of a patient’s cancer treatment. Current QA procedures typically involve a pre-treatment dosimetric verification to ensure that the linac is delivering the dose map as specified by the computerised radiotherapy treatment plan calculation. A transmission type detector consisting of a two dimensional (2D) array of silicon diodes, “Magic Plate” (MP), is one potential candidate that would allow for online dosimetry in real time, during the patient treatment. This is the focus of the studies presented in this thesis