Contribution of 3-D electrical resistivity tomography for landmines detection

Landmines are a type of inexpensive weapons widely used in the pre-conflicted areas in many countries worldwide. The two main types are the metallic and nonmetallic (mostly plastic) landmines. They are most commonly investigated by magnetic, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and metal detector (MD) techniques. These geophysical techniques however have significant limitations in resolving the non-metallic landmines and wherever the host materials are conductive. In this work, the 3-D electric resistivity tomography (ERT) technique is evaluated as an alternative and/or confirmation detection system for both landmine types, which are buried in different soil conditions and at different depths. This can be achieved using the capacitive resistivity imaging system, which does not need direct contact with the ground surface. Synthetic models for each case have been introduced using metallic and non-metallic bodies buried in wet and dry environments. The inversion results using the L1 norm least-squares optimization method tend to produce robust blocky models of the landmine body. The dipole axial and the dipole equatorial arrays tend to have the most favorable geometry by applying dynamic capacitive electrode and they show significant signal strength for data sets with up to 5% noise. Increasing the burial depth relative to the electrode spacing as well as the noise percentage in the resistivity data is crucial in resolving the landmines at different environments. The landmine with dimension and burial depth of one electrode separation unit is over estimated while the spatial resolutions decrease as the burial depth and noise percentage increase

ANTAGONISTIC EFFECT OF MUSK ON ORGANISMS DIFFERENT TYPES

Objective: This study aims to The research aimed at a comparative study the effect of natural and synthetic musk compared to creams that have an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effect on the growth of Candida albicans that causes vaginal diseases in women, as well as the growth of the bacteria strains include Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, which would be more effective in inhibiting the growth of these microbes and Achieve the recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad for women to treat the vagina with natural musk, find alternatives to synthetic antibiotics, and reduce their negative effects on human health. Methods: This study investigates the antagonistic effect of Anti fungal and bacterial Cream and different natural type {Musk (N. M), Black Musk (B. M)} and chemical Musk {white Musk (W. M), cream Musk (M. C) } on some microorganisms. The types of yeast Candida albicans HVS and the bacteria strains include Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, were tested by means of disk diffusion, Results: Results indicated that Musk has inhibitory effects on the growth of study microorganisms Musk contains active substances similar to antibiotic, alkaloids and volatile oils present in them as they have the ability to stop the growth of many microorganisms. The effect of natural musk was higher than the effect synthetic musk, And the microbes were the most sensitive to musk is Bacillus subtilis. As for anti-microbial creams, the effect of the anti-bacterial cream was more effective in their suppression compared to all kinds of musk unlike the anti-fungal cream which gave a negative result. Conclusion: This study showed that the different concentrations of natural musk have an effective role in inhibiting some of the microbes of this vaginal pathogen, and it has given a positive opposite result to these microbes, and therefore it can be used as a natural antibiotic that reduces side effects on females and the environment

Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions of pharmacy students regarding HIV/AIDS

BackgroundWe recognize AIDS and HIV as serious public health concerns. One of the primary roles of pharmacists is to counsel patients, which is critical in improving patient care outcomes. Therefore, having an adequate understanding of HIV among undergraduates helps them at their practice sites. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and risk perceptions of pharmacy students regarding HIV/AIDS.Methods and materialsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among pharmacy students from December 2023 to April 2024 using structured questionnaires. We collected the data from randomly selected students currently enrolled in the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of four parts focusing on students’ demographics, knowledge, attitude, and risk perception toward HIV/AIDS. The data was analyzed using SPSS software, with Chi-squared and Fisher’s tests utilized to determine associations between categorical variables at a significant level of p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 395 pharmacy students completed an online survey. The total mean knowledge score was 6.1 ± 2.8 (Range: 0–13; Median = 6). The majority of students had low knowledge of HIV/AIDS (79.0%) and, a neutral attitude toward HIV/AIDS (61.5%) and only 13.2% of students showed a positive attitude, and 25.3% had a negative attitude toward HIV/AIDS. In addition, 35% of students thought that patients with HIV should be quarantined, 45% of students were concerned about workplace transmission of HIV and their safety on the job, and 41% of them would prefer not to take care of patients with HIV. Furthermore, students aged between 23 and 26 years had a high knowledge level compared to other groups (p < 0.001). Moreover, intern students showed a high level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS compared to other students (p < 0.001). The majority of pharmacy students had a neutral perception of the risk of HIV/AIDS (63.0%). Only 6.1% of pharmacy students reported a positive perception of the risk of HIV/AIDS.ConclusionIn conclusion, there was a dearth of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and neutral attitudes and perceptions of the disease (HIV) among pharmacy students. When compared to other age groups, students between the ages of 23 and 26 had a high degree of knowledge. These findings suggest that specific strategies, such as integrating education on this topic into the pharmacy curriculum and running awareness campaigns for undergraduate students, are necessary

Impact of diabetes continuing education on health care professionals’ attitudes towards diabetes care in a Yemeni city

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a continuing education (CE) program on the attitudes of health care professionals (HCPs) towards diabetes care in Yemen.Methods: A pre- and post-intervention study was carried out in Mukalla City, Hadramout, Yemen and was offered to all physicians, pharmacists, and nurses registered in the Health Office in the Mukalla City. The HCPs were invited to attend a CE program. All participants filled out a questionnaire before the intervention (pre-test) that measured the attitudes of the participants towards diabetes. An interventional program was given in the form of a seminar, and participants were requested to complete the same questionnaire after the seminar.Results: A total of 73 HCPs attended the CE, including 19 pharmacists (26 %), 37 physicians (50.7 %), and 17 (23.3 %) nurses. The pre- and post-intervention changes in the questionnaire responses were significant only for attitude toward the values of blood glucose levels (p = 0.009) and attitude toward autonomy of diabetes patients (p = 0.023).Conclusion: HCPs in Mukalla City have positive attitudes toward diabetes. Physicians were more aware of the sequelae of diabetes than other healthcare professional groups with nurses showing the least understanding. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed upon designing education programs for diabetes specifically tailored for nurses and pharmacists.Keywords: Diabetes, Continuing education, Attitude, Health care professional

Multivariate statistical analysis of urban soil contamination by heavy metals at selected industrial locations in the Greater Toronto area, Canada

A good understanding of urban soil contamination with metals and the location of pollution sources due to industrialization and urbanization is important for addressing many environmental problems. The results are reported here of an analysis of the metals content in urban soils samples next toindustrial locations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Theanalyzed metals are Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb. Multivariate geostatistcalanalysis (correlation matrix, cluster analysis, principal component analysis) is used to estimate soil chemical content variability. The correlation matrix exhibits a positive correlation with Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. The principal component analysis (PCA) displays two components. The first component explains the major part of the total variance and is loaded heavily with Cr, Mn, Fe, Zn,and Pb, and the sources are industrial activities and traffic flows. The second component is loaded with Ni, and Cd, and the sources could be lithology andtraffic flow. The results of the cluster analysis demonstrate three major clusters: 1) Mn-Zn, 2) Pb-Cd-Cu and Cr, 3) Fe-Ni. The geo-accumulation index and the pollution load index are determined and show the main I geovalues to be in the range of 0-1.67; the values indicate that the soil samples studied for industrial locations in the GTA are slightly to moderately contaminated with Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Cd, and moderately contaminated with Pb,while Ni, and Mn fall in class "0". Regarding the pollution load ingindex (PLI), the lowest values are observed at stations 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12,25, 27 and 28, while the highest values are recorded for stations 1, 5, 6, 13,14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22 and 24, and very high PLI readings are seen for stations 5, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22 and 24. These data confirm that the type of industries, especially metallurgical and chemical related ones, in the study area, in addition to high traffic flows, are the main sources for soil pollution in the GTA

Density structure and isostasy of the lithosphere in Egypt and their relation to seismicity

A joint analysis of the new satellite–terrestrial gravity field model with recent data on the crustal structure and seismic tomography was conducted to create an integrative model of the crust and upper mantle and to investigate the relation of the density structure and the isostatic state of the lithosphere to the seismicity of Egypt. We identified the distinct fragmentation of the lithosphere of Egypt in several blocks. This division is closely related to the seismicity patterns in this region. The relatively dense and strong lithosphere in the Nile Delta limits the seismic activity within this area, while earthquakes are mainly associated with the boundaries of this block. In the same way, the relatively strong lithosphere in the Isthmus of Suez and northern Mediterranean prevents the Gulf of Suez from opening further. The central part of Egypt is generally characterized by an increased density of the mantle, which extends to the Mediterranean at a depth of 100 km. This anomaly deepens southward to Gilf Kebir and eastward to the Eastern Desert. The average density of the crystalline crust is generally reduced in this zone, indicating the increased thickness of the upper crust. The low-density anomaly under the northern Red Sea is limited to 100–125 km, confirming the passive origin of the extension. Most of the earthquakes occur in the crust and uppermost mantle in this structure due to the hot and weak upper mantle underneath. Furthermore, an asymmetric lithosphere structure is observed across the northern Red Sea. The isostatic anomalies show the fragmentation of the crust of Sinai with the high-density central block. Strong variations in the isostatic anomalies are correlated with the high level of seismicity around Sinai. This tendency is also evident in the northern Red Sea, east of the Nile Valley, and in parts of the Western Desert.</p

210Po Log-normal distribution in human urines: Survey from Central Italy people

The death in London of the former secret service agent Alexander Livtinenko on 23 November 2006 generally attracted the attention of the public to the rather unknown radionuclide 210Po. This paper presents the results of a monitoring programme of 210Po background levels in the urines of noncontaminated people living in Central Italy (near the Republic of S. Marino). The relationship between age, sex, years of smoking, number of cigarettes per day, and 210Po concentration was also studied. The results indicated that the urinary 210Po concentration follows a surprisingly perfect Log-normal distribution. Log 210Po concentrations were positively correlated to age (p < 0.0001), number of daily smoked cigarettes (p = 0.006), and years of smoking (p = 0.021), and associated to sex (p = 0.019). Consequently, this study provides upper reference limits for each sub-group identified by significantly predictive variables

Evaluation of metals that are potentially toxic to agricultural surface soils, using statistical analysis, in northwestern Saudi Arabia

© 2015, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Heavy metals in agricultural soils enter the food chain when taken up by plants. The main purpose of this work is to determine metal contamination in agricultural farms in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Fifty surface soil samples were collected from agricultural areas. The study focuses on the geochemical behavior of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, and determines the enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index. Multivariate statistical analysis, including principle component analysis and cluster analysis, is also applied to the acquired data. The study shows considerable variation in the concentrations of the analyzed metals in the studied soil samples. This variation in concentration is attributed to the intensity of agricultural activities and, possibly, to nearby fossil fuel combustion activities, as well as to traffic flows from highways and local roads. Multivariate analysis suggests that As, Cd, Hg and Pb are associated with anthropogenic activities, whereas Co, Cr, Cu and Zn are mainly controlled by geogenic activities. Hg and Pb show the maximum concentration in the analyzed samples as compared to the background concentration

Preliminary in vitro assessment of the potential toxicity and antioxidant activity of Ceiba speciosa (A. St.-Hill) Ravenna (Paineira)

ABSTRACT The bark tea of Ceiba speciosa, a tropical tree of the Malvaceae family, is used in the Northwestern Region of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, to reduce blood cholesterol levels. However, there are no scientific data on the efficacy and safety of this plant. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and toxic potential of bark extracts of C. speciosa. We performed a preliminary phytochemical analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and evaluated the oxidative damage to proteins and lipids, the radical scavenging effect, and genotoxicity of the lyophilized aqueous extract (LAECs) and the precipitate obtained from the raw ethanol extract (Cs1). The phytochemical profile demonstrated the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. The LAECs and Cs1 prevented damage to lipids and proteins at concentrations of 50 and 10 µg/mL. They also showed a scavenging effect on 2,2-diphenyl-1-pricril-hydrazyl (DPPH) radicals in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, no genotoxic effect was observed at concentrations of 10, 5 and 2 µg/mL in the Comet assay. The present study is the first evaluation regarding the characterization of C. speciosa and its safety, and the results demonstrate its antioxidant potential and suggest that its therapeutic use may be relatively safe