Tuberculosis Awareness and Public Opinion on Expanding Health Insurance Coverage

This quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study examined the effect of TB awareness and demographic variables on the level of support for expanding health insurance coverage for all residents, including undocumented immigrants. A modified 13-item tool developed by Morisky et al. (1990) was used to measure TB awareness; a single item created by the researcher assessed personal opinion regarding expansion of health insurance coverage; and a demographic questionnaire was used to collect data from 281 registered voters in San Diego County. The majority of San Diego County voters participating in the study supported at least some expansion of health insurance coverage. ANOVA tests indicated that personal opinion was not associated with awareness of tuberculosis, but was significantly associated with political party affiliation and education level in the initial analysis (p = .000, and .035, respectively). TB awareness was significantly associated with ethnicity (p = .003) and the education level of the participants (p = .004). When the opinion variable was dichotomized and trichotomized, other demographic variables were significantly related. Study findings suggest that efforts to promote public opinion in favor of expanded health insurance coverage need to be differentially targeted to different audiences. Further studies, addressing the underrepresentation of certain groups that occurred in this study, might result in different findings in different parts of the country, especially nonborder areas

Prevalence and association of asthma and allergic sensitization with dietary factors in schoolchildren: data from the french six cities study

International audienceBackground: The prevalence of asthma and allergy has recently risen among children. This increase in prevalence might be related to various factors, particularly diet. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and association of asthma and allergic sensitization with dietary factors in the French Six Cities Study. Methods: Cross-sectional studies were performed among 7432 schoolchildren aged 9-11 years in Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Creteil, Marseille, Reims, and Strasbourg. Parental questionnaires, based on the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), were used to collect information on allergic diseases and potential exposure factors including a food frequency questionnaire to evaluate dietary habits. Skin prick testing to common allergens for allergic sensitization and bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) testing to exercise were performed. Confounders control was performed with multiple logistic regressions. Results: Asthma symptoms, asthma and allergic sensitization were more prevalent in boys than in girls and were more prevalent in the South than in the North of France. After adjustment for confounders, fruit juice intake was associated with a low prevalence of lifetime asthma (ORa [95 % CI]; 0.73 [0.56-0.97]), butter intake was positively associated with atopic wheeze (1.48 [1.07-2.05]) and having lunch at the canteen 1-2 times/week compared to never or occasionally was associated with a lower prevalence of past year wheeze (0.71 [0.52-0.96]), lifetime asthma (0.76 [0.60-0.96]) and allergic sensitization (0.80 [0.67-0.95]). Meat intake was inversely related to past year wheeze among atopic children (0.68 [0.50-0.98]) while fast food consumption and butter intake were associated with an increase prevalence of asthma (2.39 [1.47-3.93] and 1.51 [1.17-2.00] respectively). Fish intake was associated with a lower prevalence of asthma among non-atopic children (0.61 [0.43-0.87]. None of the dietary factors was associated with BHR. Conclusions: Diet is associated with wheeze, asthma and allergic sensitization but not with BHR in children. These results provide further evidence that adherence to a healthy diet including fruits, meat and fish seems to have a protective effect on asthma and allergy in childhood. However, prospective and experimental studies are needed to provide causal evidence concerning the effect of diet on asthma and atopy

The Fractional Discrete Predator–Prey Model: Chaos, Control and Synchronization

This paper describes a new fractional predator-prey discrete system of the Leslie type. In addition, the non-linear dynamics of the suggested model are examined within the framework of commensurate and non-commensurate orders, using different numerical techniques such as Lyapunov exponent, phase portraits, and bifurcation diagrams. These behaviours imply that the fractional predator-prey discrete system of Leslie type has rich and complex dynamical properties that are influenced by commensurate and incommensurate orders. Moreover, the sample entropy test is carried out to measure the complexity and validate the presence of chaos. Finally, nonlinear controllers are illustrated to stabilize and synchronize the proposed model

Analysis of the symmetry of electrodes for Electropalatography with Cone Beam CT Scanning

The process of compression of air and vibration of activity in the larynx through which speech is produced is of great interest in phonetics, phonology, psychology and is related to various areas of biomedical engineering as it has a strong relationship with cochlear implants, Parkinson’s disease and Stroke. One technique by means of which speech production is analysed is the use of electropalatography, in which an artificial palate, moulded to the speakers’ hard palate is introduced in the mouth. The palate contains a series of electrodes, which monitor contact between the tongue and the palate during speech production. There is interest in the symmetry or asymmetry of the movement of the tongue as this may be related to languages or right- or left-handedness, however this has never been thoroughly studied. A specific limitation of electropalatography for symmetry studies is that palates are hand-crafted and the position of the electrodes themselves may be asymmetric. In this work, we analyse the positioning of electrodes of one electropalatography setting. The symmetry was analysed by locating the electrodes of the palate through the observation of the palate with Computed Tomography. An algorithm to segment the electrodes and find the symmetry of left and right sides of the palates is described. No significant asymmetry was found for one specific palate. The methodology presented should allow the analysis of palates to be used in larger studies of speech production

Fractional Partial and Integral Differential Equations and Novel Conformable Double (Laplace -Sumudu) Transform

This article presents a novel methodology for dealing with fractional partial differential equations and fractional integral equations, subject to particular constraints, by combining the Laplace transform with the Sumudu transform. The conformable double Laplace-Sumudu transform (CDLST) method handles integrals and derivatives of fractional orders by using conformable derivatives. In this paper, we present a thorough examination of the fundamental traits and revolutionary developments related to the proposed shift. It is feasible to convert fractional partial differential equations and integral equations into algebraic equations by using the CDLST and its inherent properties. This modification makes finding solutions simpler, enabling quicker and more effective computations. The findings of our study highlight the potency and usefulness of this novel strategy in resolving numerous issues in the physics and engineering areas

A New Incommensurate Fractional-Order COVID 19: Modelling and Dynamical Analysis

Nowadays, a lot of research papers are concentrating on the diffusion dynamics of infectious diseases, especially the most recent one: COVID-19. The primary goal of this work is to explore the stability analysis of a new version of the SEIR model formulated with incommensurate fractional-order derivatives. In particular, several existence and uniqueness results of the solution of the proposed model are derived by means of the Picard-Lindelof method. Several stability analysis results related to the disease-free equilibrium of the model are reported in light of computing the so-called basic reproduction number, as well as in view of utilising a certain Lyapunov function. In conclusion, various numerical simulations are performed to confirm the theoretical findings

My Voice: An Augmentative and Alternative Communication Android App for Children with Apraxia in Arab Countries

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a disorder that prevents people from talking. There is a need to develop different augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools to help people with AOS express themselves clearly to others. Most mobile apps dedicated to helping people with various disabilities don’t support the Arabic language, which makes them less effective for users in Arab countries. We present in this paper My Voice as an Android smartphone app that acts as an AAC tool for AOS children all around the world. In fact, this app has come to fill an obvious gap in this area of research. It supports both Arabic and English languages, allowing the users in Arabia to benefit from its features in a similar way to other users in other parts of the world. Moreover, the proposed app provides a user-friendly dashboard that can be used to convert written sentences into speech. It has three modes of communication, which are “keyboard,” “phrases,” and “words.” These modes give the user the choice to select the most intuitive method for constructing sentences. To evaluate our work, we have tested My Voice by asking a group of potential users to use it for a month and then fill out a 10-question survey. The feedback from the survey was very encouraging. As a future work, we plan to add new languages, present an iOS version, and include artificial intelligence (AI) techniques

Effect of COVID-19 quarantine on the sleep quality and the depressive symptom levels of university students in Jordan during the spring of 2020

Objectives: This study was designed to assess the effect of COVID-19 home quarantine and its lifestyle challenges on the sleep quality and mental health of a large sample of undergraduate University students in Jordan. It is the first study applied to the Jordanian population. The aim was to investigate how quarantine for several weeks changed the students' habits and affected their mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random representative sample of 6,157 undergraduate students (mean age 19.79 ± 1.67 years, males 28.7%) from the University of Jordan through voluntarily filling an online questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess sleep quality and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: The PSQI mean score for the study participants was 8.1 ± 3.6. The sleep quality of three-quarters of the participants was negatively affected by the extended quarantine. Nearly half of the participants reported poor sleep quality. The prevalence of poor sleep quality among participants was 76% (males: 71.5% and females: 77.8%). Similarly, the prevalence of the depressive symptoms was 71% (34% for moderate and 37% for high depressive symptoms), with females showing higher prevalence than males. The overall mean CES-D score for the group with low depressive symptoms is 9.3, for the moderate group is 19.8, while it is 34.3 for the high depressive symptoms group. More than half of the students (62.5%) reported that the quarantine had a negative effect on their mental health. Finally, females, smokers, and students with decreased income levels during the extended quarantine were the common exposures that are significantly associated with a higher risk of developing sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Mass and extended quarantine succeeded in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus; however, it comes with a high cost of potential psychological impacts. Most of the students reported that they suffer from sleeping disorders and had a degree of depressive symptoms. Officials should provide psychological support and clear guidance to help the general public to reduce these potential effects and overcome the quarantine period with minimum negative impacts

Reviewing Social Life in Eastern Jordan through Burckhardts Tour in 1812 AD

Historical travel books are important and rich sources of information, as they describe the different aspects of life in a specific geographical area and within a specific time. One of these crucial travel books is Johann Ludwig Burckhardts Travels in Syria and the Holy Land. He recorded, through his travels in southern Syria, important details of life in the east of Jordan region at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He shed light on an important period in the history of the region, and succeeded, through the strength and accuracy of his observation, in covering rich information about social elements in the region, including values, customs, traditions, lifestyles, clothing, and food. The importance of this travel comes as a crucial source for the student of the history of East Jordan at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Indeed, it presents useful, varied, and rich information in a period characterized by scarcity of information and writings. One of the most important results of Burckhardt’s travel was the rediscovery of the Arab capital of the Nabataeans, Petra, in 1812 AD. The study also concluded that a large number of urban centers retained their names. Another important outcome of this study is that there is clear evidence that life returned to many previously deserted areas. The study also showed that the region did not witness any interest from the Ottomans in terms of education and culture since there was no mention of any school or newspaper in the region rather, the Ottomans focused only administratively on the southern region because of the pilgrimage route

A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PRESSURES OF AIR PARTICLE ABRASION BEFORE AND AFTER SINTERING WITH AND WITHOUT ZIRCONIA LINER ON BOND STRENGTH OF RESIN TO ZIRCONIA SURFACE

This study aimed to compare the effect of different pressures of air particle abrasion 2 and 4 bars before and after sintering with and without zirconia liner on SBS of resin to zirconia Surface. Materials and Methods: 54 zirconia cuboids 8×8×3 mm were milled and divided into 6 equal groups (N=9) according to surface treatment; sintered with ceramic liner application and 2 bars pressure (SL2) and with 4 bars pressure (SL4), sintered with no ceramic liner and 2 bars pressure (SN2) and 4 bars pressure (SN4), unsintered with no ceramic liner and 2 bars pressure (UN2) and 4 bars pressure (UN4). Specimens underwent thermocycling (1000 cycles) between 5 ̊ and 55 ̊ Celsius with dwell time of 10 seconds, and submitted to SBS test. Data was statistically analysed. Results: All 4 bars APA groups showed higher SBS than 2 bars groups with significant difference between SL4 group (4.7±2.07) and SL2 group (2.58±1.94). Groups with APA before sintering (12.42±2.56) showed significantly higher SBS than APA after sintering (6.35±3.7). SL2 group showed least SBS with significant difference (2.58±1.94) compared to UN2 (11.83±3.35) and SN2 (7.87±2.12). SL4 group (4.7±2.07) showed the least SBS compared to the UN4 (13±1.38), and SN4 (10.24±2.94) groups. Conclusion: It was found that APA of zirconia surface before sintering yielded superior performance than APA after sintering, also 4 bars APA pressure application showed higher SBS than 2 bars pressure, application and firing of ceramic liner onto zirconia surface didn’t enhance SBS