Showing papers by "Jordan University of Science and Technology published in 2010"
TL;DR: The proportion of patients with poor glycemic control was high, which was nearly comparable to that reported from many countries, and an educational program that emphasizes lifestyle modification with importance of adherence to treatment regimen would be of great benefit in gly glucose control.
Abstract: Objectives Determine factors associated with poor glycemic control among Jordanian patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods A systematic random sample of 917 patients was selected from all patients with Type 2 diabetes over a period of 6 months in 2008. A prestructured questionnaire sought information about sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, self-care management behaviours, medication adherence, barriers to adherence, and attitude towards diabetes. Weight, height, and waist circumferences were measured. All available last readings of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar measurements and lipid were abstracted from patients' records. Poor glycemic control was defined as HbA1c ≥7%. Results Of the total 917 patients, 65.1% had HbA1c ≥7%. In the multivariate analysis, increased duration of diabetes (>7 years vs. ≤7years) (OR=1.99, P ≤.0005), not following eating plan as recommended by dietitians (OR=2.98, P ≤.0005), negative attitude towards diabetes, and increased barriers to adherence scale scores were significantly associated with increased odds of poor glycemic control. Conclusion The proportion of patients with poor glycemic control was high, which was nearly comparable to that reported from many countries. Longer duration of diabetes and not adherent to diabetes self-care management behaviors were associated with poor glycemic control. An educational program that emphasizes lifestyle modification with importance of adherence to treatment regimen would be of great benefit in glycemic control.
451 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-layer ANN model with two hidden layers was trained to simulate the digester operation and to predict the methane production, which was used with genetic algorithm to optimize the methane size.
Abstract: Artificial neural networks (ANNs) and genetic algorithms (GA) are considered among the latest tools that are used to solve complicated problems that cannot be solved by conventional solutions. The present study utilizes the ANN and GA as tools for simulating and optimizing of biogas production process from the digester of Russaifah biogas plant in Jordan. Operational data of the plant for a period of 177 days were collected and employed in the analysis. The study considered the effect of digester operational parameters, such as temperature (T), total solids (TS), total volatile solids (TVS), and pH on the biogas yield. A multi-layer ANN model with two hidden layers was trained to simulate the digester operation and to predict the methane production. The performance of the ANN model is verified and demonstrated the effectiveness of the model to predict the methane production accurately with correlation coefficient of 0.87. The developed ANN model was used with genetic algorithm to optimize the methane size. The optimal amount of methane was converged to be 77%, which is greater than the maximum value obtained from the plant records of 70.1%. The operational conditions that resulted in the optimal methane production were determined as temperature at 36 °C, TS 6.6%, TVS 52.8% and pH 6.4.
186 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, blocks for the thermal management of Li-ion battery are prepared, which are made of paraffin wax, which is used as a phase change material (PCM), and graphite flakes.
165 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest the mtDNA copy number could be associated with risk of breast cancer, perhaps through an oxidative stress mechanism.
149 citations
TL;DR: Evaluated the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on food poisoning of Taif University students, Saudi Arabia showed over 50% of the students lack the knowledge that raw eggs and raw white cheese have high risk for food poisoning.
140 citations
TL;DR: A statistical model is used, derived from the logistic regression, to identify threshold values for the Chidamber and Kemerer (CK) metrics and suggests that there is a relationship between risk levels and object-oriented metrics and that risk levels can be used to identifies threshold effects.
Abstract: Object-oriented metrics have been validated empirically as measures of design complexity. These metrics can be used to mitigate potential problems in the software complexity. However, there are few studies that were conducted to formulate the guidelines, represented as threshold values, to interpret the complexity of the software design using metrics. Classes can be clustered into low and high risk levels using threshold values. In this paper, we use a statistical model, derived from the logistic regression, to identify threshold values for the Chidamber and Kemerer (CK) metrics. The methodology is validated empirically on a large open-source system-the Eclipse project. The empirical results indicate that the CK metrics have threshold effects at various risk levels. We have validated the use of these thresholds on the next release of the Eclipse project-Version 2.1-using decision trees. In addition, the selected threshold values were more accurate than those were selected based on either intuitive perspectives or on data distribution parameters. Furthermore, the proposed model can be exploited to find the risk level for an arbitrary threshold value. These findings suggest that there is a relationship between risk levels and object-oriented metrics and that risk levels can be used to identify threshold effects.
138 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that long-term use of a low dose of caffeine prevents impairment of short-term memory and E-LTP in acutely sleep-deprived rats.
Abstract: SLEEP PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN NORMAL BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS. ALTHOUGH ITS FUNCTIONS REMAIN ELUSIVE, SLEEP MAY BE A FUNDAMENTAL contributor to memory consolidation.1 There is a large body of evidence showing a strong correlation between sleep deprivation and memory impairment in humans and animals.2–4 For example, a single night of sleep deprivation impairs working, procedural and implicit memory types in humans.5 Furthermore, prior to learning, sleep deprivation reduces learning ability and impairs memory, while post learning sleep deprivation impairs memory formation.6 Evidence indicates that while sleep loss causes a significant decrease in hippocampal activity,7 the hippocampus becomes more active when the subjects are permitted to sleep after a learning task.8 Moreover, the duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase increases after a learning task.9 Additionally, sleep loss impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in rats.10
The activity of the neural networks within the hippocampus can be modulated by the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular correlate of learning and memory.11 Earlier studies showed that sleep deprivation impairs LTP in area CA1 of the hippocampus.4 Upon high-frequency stimulation (HFS), the released glutamate, binds to the glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors on the post-synaptic membrane, causing a large influx of Ca2+. The increased intracellular level of Ca2+ activates various kinases including calcium-calmodulin dependent kinase II (CaMKII), which is generally known to be the regulator of short-term memory and LTP.12 It has been reported that gene expression of CaMKII, is reduced after 8 h of sleep deprivation.13
Caffeine, a psychoactive stimulant, is a common ingredient in a variety of beverages that are consumed on a daily basis worldwide. The use of caffeine-containing beverages is known to increase during sleep deprivation to improve alertness and enhance concentration.14 Indeed, the positive effects of low doses of caffeine on learning and memory have been reported15 and chronic caffeine intake has been shown to prevent learning and memory impairment in different animal models of brain disorders including Alzheimer disease.16 Although the pharmacological effects of caffeine have been extensively studied, the long-term effects of this drug on sleep deprivation-induced learning and memory impairment in the hippocampus have not been fully investigated. In this study, we examined the effect of chronic caffeine treatment on sleep deprivation-induced learning and short-term memory impairment using three experimental approaches: behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular.
133 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the phenolic compounds in extracts from pressed olive cake were investigated and the individual phenolic compound and antioxidant activity of the extracts were determined, and a positive correlation was observed between total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity.
127 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Hemodynamic abnormalities and morphological changes involving the internal jugular vein are strongly associated with MS and can be demonstrated by a non-invasive, cost effective Doppler ultrasound criteria.
Abstract: AIM The aim of this study is to compare the hemodynamics and the morphology of the internal jugular veins using colour-Doppler and B-mode sonongraphy in multiple sclerosis patients (MS) and in controls. METHODS The internal jugular veins of 25 MS patients and 25 controls were examined using colour Doppler and B-mode ultrasound in sitting and supine positions, recording the changes in hemodynamics and the presence or absence of morphological changes. The presence of at least two of the extracranial Zamboni criteria in the same individual was considered positive for evidence of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). RESULTS According to the described criteria, 92% of the MS patients showed abnormal findings and 84% of them showed evidence of CCSVI, however; only 24% of controls showed abnormal findings, but none of them showed evidence of CCSVI (OR=7.25, 95% CI 2.92-18.01, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION Hemodynamic abnormalities and morphological changes involving the internal jugular vein are strongly associated with MS. These findings can be demonstrated by a non-invasive, cost effective Doppler ultrasound criteria.
121 citations
TL;DR: The prevalence of dental anomalies in cleft lip and/or palate patients was higher than what had been reported in the normal Jordanian population, and it was found that subjects with bilateral clefts had significantly more microdontia, dilaceration, and hypoplastic teeth than subjects with unilateral clefts.
Abstract: Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate radiographically the prevalence of dental anomalies in a group of Jordanian cleft lip and/or palate subjects. Design: This is a retrospective review of panoramic radiographs of 78 subjects with cleft lip and/or palate that were evaluated from their file records and investigated for possible dental anomalies. Results: Dental anomalies were found frequently in cleft lip and/or palate subjects. Missing teeth were found in 66.7% of the patients; the tooth most commonly missing was the maxillary lateral incisor. Supernumerary teeth were found in 16.7% of patients; 37% had microdontia; 70.5% had taurodontism; 30.8% had transposition and/or ectopic teeth; 19.2% had dilacerations; and 30.8% had hypoplastic teeth. There was no statistically significant difference in the above anomalies' prevalence between males and females. However, it was found that subjects with bilateral cleft lip and/or palate had significantly more microdontia (p = .005), dilacerat...
118 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effect of vertical and horizontal shading devices on the quality of daylight in buildings and the associated energy saving and concluded that there is an optimal orientation for shading devices that keeps the internal illuminance level within an acceptable range with minimum amount of solar heat gain.
TL;DR: Wear was of the fatigue type, and was significantly lowest in the zirconia specimens tested, but these values were significantly lower than those observed for nanofluorap atite and fluorapatite glass ceramics (P<.05).
Abstract: Statement of problem Little is known about the wear behavior of ceramics opposed to unveneered zirconia and whether wear varies according to microstructure, surface toughness, and flexural strength of the ceramics. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 2-body wear resistance of 5 ceramics opposing unveneered zirconia ceramic. Material and methods Yttrium-stabilized zirconia, lithium disilicate glass ceramic, leucite-reinforced glass ceramic, fluorapatite glass ceramic, and nanofluorapatite glass ceramic specimens (n=8) were tested against standardized zirconia balls. Wear tests were performed in a dual-axis mastication simulator. Wear resistance was calculated by measuring the vertical and volumetric substance loss using a laser scanner. Specimen surfaces were evaluated at x50 and x500 magnification using SEM. Data were statistically analyzed using 1-way ANOVA and Fisher's exact test (α=.05). Results Zirconia specimens demonstrated significantly lower vertical and volumetric loss than other ceramics ( P P P Conclusions Wear varied according to the structure of the ceramic tested. Wear was of the fatigue type, and was significantly lowest in the zirconia specimens tested.
TL;DR: Water pipe tobacco smoking is highly prevalent in Jordan, and although use is associated with male gender and upper middle income levels, use is widespread across other sociodemographic variables.
Abstract: Introduction: Although water pipe tobacco smoking is common in Lebanon and Syria, prevalence in neighboring Jordan is uncer- tain. The purposes of this study were (a) to assess the prevalence of water pipe tobacco smoking among university students in Jordan and (b) to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and water pipe tobacco smoking in this population. Methods: A trained interviewer administered a questionnaire among randomly selected students at four prominent universi- ties in Jordan. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic data, personal history of water pipe tobacco use, and attitudes regarding water pipe tobacco smoking. We used logistic regres- sion to determine independent associations between sociode- mographic and attitudinal factors and each of two dependent variables: ever use of water pipe and use at least monthly. Results: Of the 548 participants, 51.8% were male and mean age was 21.7 years. More than half (61.1%) had ever smoked tobacco from a water pipe, and use at least monthly was reported by 42.7%. Multivariable analyses controlling for all relevant fac- tors demonstrated significant associations between ever use and only two sociodemographic factors: (a) gender (for women compared with men, odds ratio (OR) = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.07- 0.17) and (b) income (for those earning 500-999 Jordanian dinar (JD) monthly vs. <250 JD monthly, OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.31-4.31). There were also significant associations between perception of harm and addictiveness and each outcome. Discussion: Water pipe tobacco smoking is highly prevalent in Jordan. Although use is associated with male gender and upper middle income levels, use is widespread across other sociode- mographic variables. Continued surveillance and educational interventions emphasizing the harm and addictiveness of water pipe tobacco smoking may be valuable in Jordan.
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic methodology is presented under the consideration of multiple factors and objectives that are witnessed to be crucial to the construction process, which includes building an analytic hierarchy structure with a tree of hierarchical criteria and alternatives to ease the decision-making.
Abstract: Due to the central role of cranes in construction operations, specialists in the construction industries have cooperated in the development of structured methods and software to help select the best crane type in construction sites. Crane selection is a time consuming process which needs extensive data exploitation. Moderately few systems have been developed to aid in selecting cranes and in setting their lifts. These systems although may have rich databases, they lack the support of knowledge based decision making. The process of crane selection is a multi-criteria decision-making problem with conflicting and diverse objectives. In this work, a systematic methodology is presented under the consideration of multiple factors and objectives that are witnessed to be crucial to the construction process. The model includes building an analytic hierarchy structure with a tree of hierarchical criteria and alternatives to ease the decision-making. Three alternative crane types were considered, namely, Tower, Derrick and Mobile cranes. An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to assist in building the model and help draw decisions. While deploying the crane selection objectives into layered sub-goals, conclusions could be drawn on the type to be used in construction according to knowledge based evaluation and assessment. Expert Choice™ software is used to conduct the experimental assessments. The judgments were found to be consistent, precise and justifiable with narrow marginal inconsistency values. The paper also presents a thorough sensitivity analysis to demonstrate the confidence in the drawn conclusions.
TL;DR: In this article, the experimental results of damaged/repaired reinforced concrete beams were presented, which showed detrimental effect of corrosion on strength as well as the bond between steel reinforcement and the surrounding concrete.
TL;DR: This paper applies selected principles of lean management aiming at reducing the wasted time associated with drug dispensing at an inpatient pharmacy at a local hospital to identify and reduce wastes that contribute to increasing the lead‐time in healthcare operations at the pharmacy understudy.
Abstract: The healthcare arena, much like the manufacturing industry, benefits from many aspects of the Toyota lean principles. Lean thinking contributes to reducing or eliminating nonvalue-added time, money, and energy in healthcare. In this paper, we apply selected principles of lean management aiming at reducing the wasted time associated with drug dispensing at an inpatient pharmacy at a local hospital. Thorough investigation of the drug dispensing process revealed unnecessary complexities that contribute to delays in delivering medications to patients. We utilize DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and 5S (Sort, Set-in-order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) principles to identify and reduce wastes that contribute to increasing the lead-time in healthcare operations at the pharmacy understudy. The results obtained from the study revealed potential savings of >45% in the drug dispensing cycle time.
TL;DR: Significant effect of different extracting solvents and temperatures on total phenolics and anthocyanin extracts were found and the methanol and 60 °C of extraction conditions found to be the best for extracting phenolic compounds.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic extracts and antioxidant activity and anthocyanins of varieties of the investigated plants. These plants include oregano, thyme, terebinth, and pomegranate. The optimum extraction conditions including temperature and solvent of the extraction process itself were investigated. Total phenolic and anthocyanin extracts were examined according to Folin-Ciocalteu assay and Rabino and Mancinelli method, respectively. The effect of different extracting solvents and temperatures on extracts of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins were studied. Plant samples were evaluated for their antioxidant chemical activity by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazl assay, to determine their potential as a source of natural antioxidant. Results showed that all tested plants exhibited appreciable amounts of phenolic compounds. The methanolic extract (60 °C) of sour pomegranate peel contained the highest phenolic extract (4952.4 mg/100 g of dry weight). Terebinth green seed had the lowest phenolic extract (599.4 mg/100 g of dry weight). Anthocyanins ranged between 3.5 (terebinth red seed) and 0.2 mg/100 g of dry material (thyme). Significant effect of different extracting solvents and temperatures on total phenolics and anthocyanin extracts were found. The methanol and 60 °C of extraction conditions found to be the best for extracting phenolic compounds. The distilled water and 60 °C extraction conditions found to be the best for extracting anthocyanin.
TL;DR: An empirical study of the relationship between object-oriented (OO) metrics and error-severity categories is presented and threshold values for some OO metrics that separated no-error classes from classes that had high-impact errors are found.
Abstract: An empirical study of the relationship between object-oriented (OO) metrics and error-severity categories is presented. The focus of the study is to identify threshold values of software metrics using receiver operating characteristic curves. The study used the three releases of the Eclipse project and found threshold values for some OO metrics that separated no-error classes from classes that had high-impact errors. Although these thresholds cannot predict whether a class will definitely have errors in the future, they can provide a more scientific method to assess class error proneness and can be used by engineers easily. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The focus of the study is to identify threshold values of software metrics using ROC curves. The study used the three releases of the Eclipse project and found threshold values for some object-oriented metrics that separated no-error classes from classes that had high-impact errors. Although these thresholds cannot predict whether a class will definitely have errors in the future, they can provide a more scientific method to assess class error proneness and can be used by engineers easily. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: Results show that acute nicotine treatment prevented the deleterious effect of sleep loss on cognitive abilities and synaptic plasticity and prevented SD‐induced impairment of LTP in the CA1 and DG regions.
Abstract: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation (SD) is implicated in impairment of spatial learning and memory and hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). An increase in nicotine consumption among habitual smokers and initiation of tobacco use by nonsmokers was observed during SD. Although nicotine treatment was reported to attenuate the impairment of learning and memory and LTP associated with several mental disorders, the effect of nicotine on SD-induced learning and memory impairment has not been studied. Modified multiple platform paradigm was used to induce SD for 24 or 48 h during which rats were injected with saline or nicotine (1 mg kg(-1) s.c.) twice a day. In the radial arm water maze (RAWM) task, 24- or 48-h SD significantly impaired learning and short-term memory. In addition, extracellular recordings from CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus in urethane anesthetized rats showed a significant impairment of LTP after 24- and 48-h SD. Treatment of normal rats with nicotine for 24 or 48 h did not enhance spatial learning and memory or affect magnitude of LTP in the CA1 and DG regions. However, concurrent, acute treatment of rats with nicotine significantly attenuated SD-induced impairment of learning and STM and prevented SD-induced impairment of LTP in the CA1 and DG regions. These results show that acute nicotine treatment prevented the deleterious effect of sleep loss on cognitive abilities and synaptic plasticity.
TL;DR: The average MBF was higher in patients with premature contacts than those without, while it did not differ in subjects with different types of functional occlusion or in the presence of parafunctional habits.
Abstract: This study was carried out to record maximum occlusal bite force (MBF) in Jordanian students with three different facial types: short, average, and long, and to determine the effect of gender, type of functional occlusion, and the presence of premature contacts and parafunctional habits on MBF. Sixty dental students (30 males and 30 females) were divided into three equal groups based on the maxillomandibular planes angle (Max/Mand) and degree of anterior overlap: included short-faced students with a deep anterior overbite (Max/Mand or = 32 degrees). Their age ranged between 20 and 23 years. MBF was measured using a hydraulic occlusal force gauge. Occlusal factors, including the type of functional occlusion, the presence of premature contacts, and parafunctional habits, were recorded. Differences between groups were assessed using a t-test and analysis of variance. The average MBF in Jordanian adults was 573.42 +/- 140.18 N. Those with a short face had the highest MBF (679.60 +/- 117.46 N) while the long-face types had the lowest MBF (453.57 +/- 98.30 N; P < 0.001). The average MBF was 599.02 +/- 145.91 in males and 546.97 +/- 131.18 in females (P = 0.149). No gender differences were observed. The average MBF was higher in patients with premature contacts than those without, while it did not differ in subjects with different types of functional occlusion or in the presence of parafunctional habits.
TL;DR: Hubbard classic birds are the most economic of the four strains investigated in this study by having higher growth performance than the other strains tested, however, dressing percentage and meat quality parameters were comparable among theFour strains investigated.
Abstract: A total of 840 male and female birds of Lohman, Hubbard JV, Hubbard classic, and Ross strains were reared from day 1 to 43 to evaluate growth performance, carcass and meat quality traits as influenced by strain, gender, and age at slaughter. All birds were randomly distributed into three pens (35 chicks/pen) for each strain×gender group. At 8, 22, 36, and 43 days of age, 5 birds from each pen were randomly selected and slaughtered. Results showed that Hubbard classic birds had higher (P<0.05) final body weight, overall average daily gain, and most efficient overall feed conversion ratio. Males had higher (P<0.05) overall body weight, average daily gain, and feed intake when compared to females. Female birds had higher (P<0.05) breast cut percentage at 8, 22, and 36 days, and lower leg cut percentage at 22 and 36 days compared to males. Genotype influenced (P<0.05) abdominal fat percentage where Lohman strain had the highest percentage at all slaughter ages. Cooking loss percentage was higher (P=0.0524) for males than females and shear force values were influenced (P<0.05) by strain where meat from Ross was tougher than meat from any other strain, yet generally meat from all strains was considered to be tender. In conclusion, Hubbard classic birds are the most economic of the four strains investigated in this study by having higher growth performance than the other strains tested. However, dressing percentage and meat quality parameters were comparable among the four strains investigated.
TL;DR: Evaluating the influence of post surface conditioning methods and artificial aging on the retention and microleakage of adhesively luted glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts found that airborne-particle abrasion of the surface of the post significantly improved post retention.
Abstract: Statement of problem Several post surface treatments with or without the application of a bonding agent have been recommended to improve the bond strength of resin cements to posts. A regimen that produces the maximum bond strength of glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts has not been verified. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of post surface conditioning methods and artificial aging on the retention and microleakage of adhesively luted glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts. Material and methods Seventy-two endodontically treated single-rooted teeth were prepared for glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts. The posts were submitted to 3 different surface treatments (n=24), including no treatment, etching with phosphoric acid, and airborne-particle abrasion. Subgroups of the posts (n=8) were then allocated for 3 different experimental conditions: no artificial aging, no bonding agent; no artificial aging, bonding agent; or artificial aging, bonding agent. The posts were luted with resin cement (Calibra). Post retention was measured in tension at a crosshead speed of 2 mm/min. The posts assigned for microleakage investigation were placed in fuchsin dye for 72 hours. The dislodged posts and the post spaces were examined microscopically to evaluate the mode of failure and explore the microleakage. Data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD test (α=.05). Results The mean (SD) retention values for test groups ranged from 269 (63.8) to 349 (52.2) N. The retention values of the airborne-particle-abrasion group were significantly higher than those of the acidic-treatment and no-treatment groups. The application of bonding agent on the post surface produced no significant influence on retention. The mean retention values after artificial aging were significantly higher than without artificial aging. Microscopic evaluation demonstrated that the failure mode was primarily mixed. Conclusions Treating the surface of the posts with phosphoric acid for 15 seconds before cementation produced no significant improvement in post retention. Airborne-particle abrasion of the surface of the post significantly improved post retention.
TL;DR: This work has shown that wavelet time frequency entropy provides a powerful tool for feature extraction for the non-stationary EEG signal; the accuracy of the classification procedure improved when using multiple wavelets compared to the use of single waveletTime frequency entropy.
Abstract: Background: The process of automatic sleep stage scoring consists of two major parts: feature extraction and classification. Features are normally extracted from the polysomnographic recordings, mainly electroencephalograph (EEG) signals. The EEG is considered a non-stationary signal which increases the complexity of the detection of different waves in it. Objectives: This work presents a new technique for automatic sleep stage scoring based on employing continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) using different mother wavelets to detect different waves embedded in the EEG signal. Methods: The use of different mother wavelets increases the ability to detect waves in the EEG signal. The extracted features were formed based on CWT time frequency entropy using three mother wavelets, and the classification was performed using the linear discriminant analysis. Thirty-two data sets from the MIT-BIH database were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Results: Features of a single EEG signal were extracted successfully based on the time frequency entropy using the continuous wavelet transform with three mother wavelets. The proposed method has shown to outperform the classification based on a CWT using a single mother wavelet. The accuracy was found to be 0.84, while the kappa coefficient was 0.78. Conclusions: This work has shown that wavelet time frequency entropy provides a powerful tool for feature extraction for the non-stationary EEG signal; the accuracy of the classification procedure improved when using multiple wavelets compared to the use of single wavelet time frequency entropy.
TL;DR: Analysis of heavy metals in the whole blood samples of various groups took in consideration the number of cigarettes smoked per day and revealed that there was an agreement between the certified values and the measured values.
Abstract: A total of 73 blood samples (56 from smokers and 17 from nonsmokers) were collected to determine the concentrations of selected heavy metal in the whole blood of smokers and nonsmokers living in and around the city of Amman, Jordan. Analysis of heavy metals in the whole blood samples of various groups took in consideration the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The analysis of blood samples was carried out using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. This study aimed to evaluate the blood metal levels in smokers and nonsmokers and to assess the influence of smoking cigarettes on blood metal levels. The results were compared with those from a control group. The results indicated that the average concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) were 0.0313, 0.344, 2.328, 3.214, and 0.332 mg/L, respectively. Statistical analysis of results indicated that these average concentrations were significantly higher compared with the average concentrations in nonsmokers (P < 0.05). Moreover, the correlations between blood metal and other blood metal levels in smokers, the correlations between blood metal and other blood metal levels in nonsmokers, and the correlations between blood metal concentration in smokers and its concentration in nonsmokers were calculated. The standard reference material (blood serum National Institute of Standards and Technology 1598) and the quality control were used to validate the reliability of the method used for the estimation of heavy metals in blood samples. Results revealed that there was an agreement between the certified values and the measured values.
TL;DR: Osteoporosis was significantly associated with severe alveolar crestal bone loss and the prevalence of periodontitis cases in postmenopausal Jordanian women.
Abstract: Background: Some studies suggest that females with osteoporosis are at an increased risk of periodontal attachment loss and tooth loss; however, results have varied. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between periodontitis and osteoporosis among postmenopausal Jordanian women.
TL;DR: A blind watermarking technique based on the so called wavelet-trees that exploits the significant features and relations between the color pixel components in the wavelet domain and survived the well known JPEG/JPEG2000 attacks.
TL;DR: In this article, the porcelain fracture resistance of screw-retained, cement-retrained, screw-access hole placed 1 mm offset from the center of the occlusal surface toward the buccal cusp was investigated.
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the porcelain fracture resistance between screw-retained, cement-retained, and combined screw-and cement-retained metal-ceramic (MC) implant-supported posterior single crowns; and to investigate the effect of offsetting the occlusal screw-access opening on porcelain fracture resistance of screw-retained and cement-retained MC implant-supported posterior single crowns.Materials and Methods: Forty standardized MC molar-shaped restorations were fabricated. The 40 restorations were divided into four groups (SRC, SRO, CRP, and CSC) of 10 specimens each. Group SRC: screw-retained, screw-access hole placed in the center of the occlusal surface; Group SRO: screw-retained, screw-access hole placed 1 mm offset from the center of the occlusal surface toward the buccal cusp; Group CRP: cement-retained, zinc phosphate cement was used; Group CSC: cement-retained with a screw-access hole in the center of the occlusal surface. The screw-retained restorations and abutments were directly attached to 3i implant fixtures embedded in acrylic resin blocks. Subsequently, all test specimens were thermocycled and vertically loaded in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 2 mm/min until fracture. Mean values of load at fracture (in N) were calculated in each group and compared with a one-way ANOVA and Tukey's Studentized test (alpha = 0.05).Results: Mean values of loads required to fracture the restorations were as follows (N): Group SRC: 1721 +/- 593; Group SRO: 1885 +/- 491; Group CRP: 3707 +/- 1086; Group CSC: 1700 +/- 526. Groups SRC, SRO, and CSC required a significantly lower force to fracture the porcelain than did the CRP group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The cement-retained restorations showed significantly higher mean fracture loads than the restorations having screw-access openings in their occlusal surface. The position of the screw-access hole within the occlusal surface did not significantly affect the porcelain fracture resistance.
TL;DR: The clinical implication of the findings is that dentists, physicians, and other health providers should inspect diabetic patients for gum diseases each time they come for care and recommend that diabetic patient see a dentist regularly.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the awareness, perception, sources of information, and knowledge of diabetes mellitus and periodontal health among Jordanians, to examine the factors related to their knowledge, and organize effective education programs. A random sample of 500 diabetic patients was recruited from three hospitals and three comprehensive health centers that represent both urban and rural populations in Jordan between September 25, 2006, and February 20, 2007. Completed questionnaires with the answers were returned by 405 participants (response rate was 81%). Only 28% indicated that they followed up gum diseases with the dentist; 48% were aware that diabetic patients are more prone to gum diseases and oral health complications. About a third (38%) recognized that their periodontal health might affect their glycaemic level. Television and Internet were the main source of knowledge for dentists with the rate of 50%. Knowledge about diabetes and periodontal health among diabetic patients is low, and majority of patients were unaware of the oral health complications of their disease and the need for proper preventive care. Issues on education need to be addressed. Therefore, appropriate educational programs should be planned according to community needs, and the target of these programs should be patients with irregular visits to the dentist and physicians. The clinical implication of our findings is that dentists, physicians, and other health providers should inspect diabetic patients for gum diseases each time they come for care and recommend that diabetic patient see a dentist regularly.
TL;DR: Patients' satisfaction with their dentition and prosthetic rehabilitations has positive effects on oral health-related QoL and oral health impacts and improves patients' daily living and dental perceptions.
Abstract: Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between oral health-related quality of life, satisfaction with dentition, and personality profiles among patients with fixed and/or removable prosthetic rehabilitations.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-seven patients (13 males, 24 females; mean age 37.6 ± 13.3 years) with fitted prosthetic rehabilitations and 37 controls who matched the patients by age and gender were recruited into the study. The Dental Impact on Daily Living (DIDL) questionnaire was used to assess dental impacts on daily living and satisfaction with the dentition. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) was used to measure self-reported discomfort, disability, and dysfunction caused by oral conditions. Oral health-related quality of life was assessed by the United Kingdom Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHQoL-UK) measure. Moreover, the NEO five-factor inventory was used to assess participants’ personality profiles.
Results: Prosthetic factors had no relationship to the DIDL, OHIP, and OHQoL-UK scores. Patients with the least oral health impacts had better oral health-related quality of life (p= 0.023, r =–0.37), higher levels of total satisfaction, and satisfaction with appearance, pain, oral comfort, general performance, and eating (p < 0.05, r =–0.79, –0.35, –0.59, –0.56, –0.58, and –0.50, respectively). Patients with better oral health-related quality of life (QoL) had higher total satisfaction, satisfaction with oral comfort, general performance, and eating (p < 0.05, r = 0.34, 0.39, 0.33, and 0.37, respectively). Patients with lower neuroticism scores had less oral health impact (p= 0.006, r = 0.44), better oral health-related QoL (p= 0.032, r =–0.35), higher total satisfaction, satisfaction with appearance, pain, oral comfort, and eating (p < 0.05, r =–0.58, –0.35, –0.33, –0.39, and –0.35, respectively).
Conclusion: Patients’ satisfaction with their dentition and prosthetic rehabilitations has positive effects on oral health-related QoL and oral health impacts and improves patients’ daily living and dental perceptions. Neuroticism might influence and predict patients’ satisfaction with their dentition, oral health impacts, and oral health-related QoL. Satisfaction with the dentition might predict a patient's level of neuroticism.
TL;DR: The results suggest that variations in resistin concentrations are not directly related to susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, however, it may be that resistin plays a role in the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance, both of which could, indirectly, contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes.