Applied Science Private University

About: Applied Science Private University is a education organization based out in Amman, Jordan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Population. The organization has 4124 authors who have published 5299 publications receiving 116167 citations.

Radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs

Abstract: The radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs has been measured using the electret-passive environmental radon monitoring method. This study maps out Jordanian water sources from the north to the south as well as the area around the capital Amman and the Jordan valley. Samples from 30 sources were collected and analysed during the period from November 2001 to June 2002. We have found that 60% of the drinking water sources have radon concentrations above the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency limit of 11 Bq l(-1); these are mostly situated in the northern region of the country. Fortunately, these sources supplied only a small number of people since they were mainly located in rural areas. Tap water in the capital Amman, where approximately 35% of the population live, has a very low radon concentration, 3.9 Bq l(-1). However, the isolated northern drinking water wells did show a radon level as high as 117 Bq l(-1). Hot springs in Jordan have a radon level ranging between 63 and 81 Bq l(-1), again mainly in the northern region. In general we conclude that Jordanian drinking water is safe as far as radon concentration is concerned with the exception of a few isolated local drinking water wells.

Theory Practice Gaps in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Perspective

Abstract: The last three decades have focused on moving the nursing education from the hospitals toward the universities The theoretical part has started to gain more popularity in nursing education The literature shows that there is a clear gap between what is taught in the classroom and what the student nurses experience in the clinical area This study aimed to identify the reasons for this gap and present suggestions to overcome it An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews with thirty students were done The findings shed light on one main theme "the reasons for theory-practice gap" Many of the students explained that the lack of qualifications of the clinical instructors formed a key stone in increasing the gap between theory and practice Lack of communication between Theory and Practice teachers was viewed as another reason for this gap The students showed the complexity of the clinical learning environment in comparison with the theory controlled environment Poor communication between clinical instructors and lack of support in the clinical training was viewed crucial and was expected to increase the feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction among nursing students In conclusion, qualitative design used in this study provided deep and rich data about the theory-practice gaps in nursing education in Jordan The results of this study could be useful for the undergraduate students, the nursing schools, the nursing teachers and the stakeholders in JordanKeywords: Theory-Practice Gap, Nursing, EducationIntroductionThe last three decades focused on moving nursing education from hospitals to the universities There is point of view shows that nursing is a practice discipline and the students' clinical training is considered to be the core of nursing education (Jonsen et al, 2013; Parker and Carlisle, 1996) It was suggested that theory as being complementary to practice and they expect more focus on teaching in the clinical setting (Landers, 2000) This view was originated from the ability of clinical education to provide students with real life events that enable them to develop, apply and evaluate their own understanding of concepts being studied (Ranse and Grealish, 2007) However, other authors did not ignore the importance of theory in nursing education (Stockhausen, 2005) They believed that theory information provides students with the opportunity to build a range of powerful exemples that gained from experienceThe theoretical part is started to gain more popularity in nursing education Several programs and sub-specialists are newly developed and this reduced the concentration on clinical education Nursing teachers also started to focus on research and theory more than the clinical skills Nolan (1998) indicated that existing curriculum content and clinical experiences were failing to meet learners' needs Jeffreys (2007) explained that this failure is resulted from making the clinical education secondary to the priorities of the servicesThe literature showed that there is a clear gap between what is taught in the classroom and what the student nurses experience in the clinical area (Brasell-Brian and Vallance, 2002; Landers, 2000; McKenna and Wellard, 2004) This gap was viewed as a normal phenomenon by some authors For example, (Steele, 1991) explained that what is taught in the classroom can never truly resemble the real event and that a full comprehension of nursing principles does not ensure their application to practice In the same vein, (McCaugherty, 1991) pointed out that textbooks cannot possibly give the full picture of a patient's clinical status This suggests that the theory-practice gap is difficult to be avoided However, there is a limit for this gap should not be exceeded The above discussion shows the difficulty of avoiding theory-practice gap in nursing education The literature review highlighted several reasons for presence of this gap …

Attitudes and practices of school‐aged girls towards menstruation

Abstract: Jarrah SS, Kamel AA. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2012; 18: 308–315 Attitudes and practices of school-aged girls towards menstruation The purpose of this study was to (i) investigate attitude and menstruation-related practices in Jordanian school-aged girls; (ii) identify the influence of premenstrual preparation on girls' attitude and menstruation-related practices. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Data was collected from a convenience sample of 490 school-age girls (12–18 years) from different districts in Jordan. Self-report instruments [Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ), and Menstrual Practices Questionnaires (MPQ)] were used to assess the study variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. It was found that menstrual attitude and practices were positively correlated. Poor attitude toward menstruation and low menstrual practices were significantly associated with inadequate premenstrual preparation. There is a need to prepare girls for menstruation before menarche. The role of the schools and teachers should be reinforced through formal and well planned reproductive health educators for girls and their mothers.

Metabolic characterisation of THP-1 macrophage polarisation using LC-MS-based metabolite profiling.

Abstract: Macrophages constitute a heterogeneous population of functionally distinct cells involved in several physiological and pathological processes. They display remarkable plasticity by changing their phenotype and function in response to environmental cues representing a spectrum of different functional phenotypes. The so-called M1 and M2 macrophages are often considered as representative of pro- and anti-inflammatory ends of such spectrum. Metabolomics approach is a powerful tool providing important chemical information about the cellular phenotype of living systems, and the changes in their metabolic pathways in response to various perturbations. This study aimed to characterise M1 and M2 phenotypes in THP-1 macrophages in order to identify characteristic metabolites of each polarisation state. Herein, untargeted liquid chromatography (LC)–mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolite profiling was applied to characterise the metabolic profile of M1-like and M2-like THP-1 macrophages. The results showed that M1 and M2 macrophages have distinct metabolic profiles. Sphingolipid and pyrimidine metabolism was significantly changed in M1 macrophages whereas arginine, proline, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism was significantly altered in M2 macrophages. This study represents successful application of LC–MS metabolomics approach to characterise M1 and M2 macrophages providing functional readouts that show unique metabolic signature for each phenotype. These data could contribute to a better understanding of M1 and M2 functional properties and could pave the way for developing new therapeutics targeting different immune diseases.

Arsenic species in Australian temperate marine food chains

Abstract: Although over 50 arsenic species have been identified in marine organisms, the biochemical pathways by which these species are formed are not known In this paper, we present an overview of bioconversions of arsenic species that occur in marine food chains based on studies conducted by our laboratory as well as the work of others Phytoplankton and macroalgae only contain dimethylarsenoribosides or simple methylated arsenic compounds such as dimethylarsenate and dimethylarsenoethanol Marine animals contain mostly arsenobetaine and a range of other arsenic species that may be precursors of arsenobetaine formation The formation of arsenobetaine in marine animals from dimethylarsenoribosides may occur through a two-stage conversion pathway: arsenoriboside or trimethylarsonioriboside degradation to arsenocholine followed by quantitative oxidation to arsenobetaine The minor arsenic species found in marine organisms are sulfur analogues of compounds found in the S-adenosylmethionine-methionine salvage and the dimethylsulfoniopropionate metabolic pathway of animals A key intermediate in these pathways would be arsenomethionine, which could possibly be formed from dimethylarsinite, dimethylarsenoribosides or an arsenic-containing analogue of S-adenosylmethionine Examining arsenic species in whole ecosystems has the advantage of using the pattern of arsenic species found to postulate the biochemical pathways of their formation